Happy Holidays.
It is feeling alot more like winter today; the temperature is only slightly above zero. Minnesota is showing its colors. With the holidays upon us, the geese and turkeys are selling well for those family gatherings. We will be talking to Mel Weins and Robert Bromeling this month; they are the producers who are supplying the coop with the geese for the traditional Christmas dinners.
Turkey is often regarded as the usual Christmas meal but appeared on the menu only around 1650 after European colonization of North America. It was introduced to Europe by Sebastian Cabot on his return from the New World. The bird got its name after merchants from Turkey made it a popular dish. Prior to this Swan, Goose, Peacock or Boar were associated with the Christmas feast.
Traditional seasonal grub varies with geography and a large variety of dishes are enjoyed today. From www.hungrymonster.com/Foodfacts/Merry_Christmas-Food-and-bev.cfm.
Traditionally the meal is eaten on Christmas Eve and consists of fish soup, salads, eggs, and carp. The number of people at the table must be even or the one without a partner is supposed to be dead by next Christmas. Tricky if you dine alone!
Dear readers of the Whole Farm News letter, thanks for the opportunity to share my story with you. Thanks to the Whole Farm Coop for asking for our story. We like the quietness of the land and like to listen to it, at least begin too.
My wife Lorna and I came from south central Minnesota thirty-four years ago. We came from diversified farms and have continued many of the traditions of our parents on our small farm. I retired from the U of M Experiment Station in 2001 and Lorna continues her work with the University of Minnesota in training Child Protection workers throughout the state. Our 2 sons grew up with us on our farm and learned many basic skills through 4-H and other family activities on the farm, which they now use in their occupations in St. Paul. We want to appreciate the agrarian life that we have lived in and are intertwined with our religious understanding. Our farm is very small in relations to others around us but it has give us many chances to try new practices with other small producers and has allowed for many diverse interactions with people we could not connect with otherwise. We feel people are the most important and our way to connect with them is our earthy ways. We believe in the motto of “Learning by Doing” and “Demonstrations or modeling is a great tool to help others understand”.
About 10 years ago Central SFA Founding father, Greg Nolan asked me to serve on the Central SFA Board. This growing experience has allowed me to interact more closely with the philosophy of other SFA directors and members of the SFA’s. I have greatly appreciated many of the common family and basic values of the members to be very gratifying. I particularly enjoy coordinating educational meeting to bring people together on topics they want to learn about and try to support each other in our goals to live a worthwhile life. I have found the SFA to help people learn leadership and cultural skills to be very import for the future of people involved and therefore I commend the SFA for their community supporting goals.
My mission on our little farm is to learn about better ways to produce and market quality food and help others do the same. At the same time one meets many new people wanting to learn or want to buy quality food.
I have sold to my e-mail-marketing customers, people at Farmers markets and others who have heard of my products, which include a number of vegetables that are most wanted. I also raise broiler chickens, ducks, geese and laying hens and market all of them either privately and some through Whole Farm Coop, which gives me a larger market. They are raised on grass and with out hormone feed additives to meet my customer requests. I hope to grow slightly in all of the areas, depending on market interest and space on my 8-Acre farm. Our diversified farm also has a Quilt Haus, where Lorna likes teaching class for new and established quilters. The obeisance of the ducks, geese and also the purebred Shorthorn Beef cattle gives an extra earthy tone to the quilting experience.
I like to raise Geese because they are so well adapted to the use of pastures and being self sustaining. The traditional poultry in the Holiday season for our ancestors were having goose with all the trimmings. I am enclosing a goose recipe we like for you to try. I hope more people ask for goose for their special holiday meal.
Mel Wiens
Makes 8 to 10 servings. Needed: 8-10 lb domestic goose.
Rinse goose and pat dry. Season with salt. Prepare goose for roasting by tucking the drumsticks below the skin, across the tail. Skewer the neck to the back. Twist wing tips under the back. Prick skin. Place bird in roasting pan, breast side up. Brush with lemon juice.
Insert meat thermometer in thigh part of goose. Roast uncovered at 350 * for 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hour. (Meat thermometer should read 180-185*)
During roasting process, remove fat. When done, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. While Goose is roasting, mix together a Cherry Sauce as follows:
Evergreen Knoll Farm
Robert and Karen Bromeling are the owner/operators of Evergreen Knoll Farm north of Browerville, MN They have six children, Meri 30,Barb 28, Matt 24, Hannah 22, Ruth 16, and Daniel 14. Robert and Karen believe in having a variety of livestock to utilize their land, they raise dairy-beef, pigs, sheep, goats, and poultry of all kinds. The Bromelings utilize sustainable farm practices to produce all of their products. They use grass feeding and free-range where applicable. They support the Whole Farm Coop to be able to sell direct to the consumer in the quantity that is available.
Research by ADAS the leading consultancy to UK agriculture and food production industries has reinforced the reputation of goose as a naturally reared, quality food product.
The independent study commissioned by the BGP has revealed that the real fat content of goose meat today is much lower than the figures quoted in nutritional textbooks.
ADAS consultant Dr Sarah Rennie discovered that textbooks rely on old data that may no longer reflect modern strains of geese and recommended cooking techniques. Rearing and feeding regimes can also influence the amount of fat.
Her work shows that today's goose has a lower fat content than lamb and beef - and that the fat contains a relatively low proportion of undesirable saturated fats and a higher proportion of the more desirable mono-unsaturated and essential fatty acids.
Dr Rennie analyzed both raw and cooked meat separated from the skin and found there was little difference in fat content or fatty acid profile between the golden and white geese.
Goose is also in a strong position over its main rivals for the Christmas dinner table. "Although the fat content of goose is higher than chicken or turkey, I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing!" says Dr Rennie. "We know that some fat in meat is desirable to allow us to appreciate its flavour as well as helping to maintain its succulence."
ADAS consultant, Dr. Sarah Rennie - www.goose.cc/NewpagesSept04/nutrition
Whole Farm Coop
33 2nd St S.
Long Prairie, MN 56347
www.wholefarmcoop.com
Manager: Robert Bromeling
Internet Sales: Kristin Wilson
| Board of Directors | Important People |
|---|---|
| Roy Perish | Herman Hendrickson |
| Candy Anderson | Eddie Bromeling |
| Marty Primus | The Members |
| Nancy Potter | The Consumers |
| Kenny Cartensen | |
| Karen Davis-Brown | |
| Emanuel Byler | |
| Mike Salber |