BLIZZARD 2X

It's hard to believe that a week has passed since mother nature hammered the mid Atlantic region with the first of two major snow storms. Record snow fall and gusty winds combined to make life difficult for humans and animals. We are very appreciative of our helpers... Andrew from the USNA who filled in while Bob was in California, Paul from nearby Chesterville who valiantly forged through the blizzard at 6 miles per hour in an open tractor to feed calves, Ethan from Massey who arrived on time every day except when the roads were closed, and Joe (Ethan's buddy) who got stuck near our farm in the middle of the second blizzard. It was quickly obvious that Joe wasn't going anywhere anytime soon so we gladly put him up in the spare room and fed him a hot bowl of chili. Fortunately for us Joe got snowed in at St. Brigid's Farm as he was an excellent helper during the height of the second storm.

Here are a few photos that tell the story...

Blizzard 2010 Feb 6th & 10th!

"It's really not too bad outside, just a little snow."

"Oh, this is getting pretty deep, I think I'll stay inside."

Joe Howard & Judy...thank you Joe for getting stuck near us!

Calf hutches in Blizzard #2

"Good morning, I'm hungry regardless of the weather."

Juliann, the new mother during the night of the blizzard.

Beautiful sunrise

Fence post nearly buried!

Drifting at the heifer barn makes for difficult feed delivery.

Calm morning between the storms

"My it is difficult to eat this way."

Watch the snow load!

This WAS a well bedded calf pen.

With some shoveling and straw it is now a nice place to bask in the sunshine.

Winter at St. Brigid's Farm 2010

The Perfect Steak

We celebrate St. Brigid’s Day every year. Her day is February 1 which is during one of the busiest weeks of the year here. Nine first calf heifers calved from January 24 –February 1 which means nine new calves to care for as well as nine new animals in the milking string. On top of that we had a small snow storm and bitter cold. Cold, wind and humidity are the perfect conditions to cause frost bite on the teats of our new moms so we pampered them for three days, carting feed and putting them in a bedded pack to stay warm.

Needless to say, we dined in and enjoyed local beer (legend has it that St. Brigid turned bathwater into beer), a lovely salad and our grass fed beef. I am not a huge steak fan and have never been very successful at cooking steak but after viewing a video on cooking the perfect steak by the Joshua Applestone, chef at Fleisher’s, a meat purveyor we met at New Amsterdam Market in New York City, I had to give it a try. And the steak was PERFECT!!

Check it out for yourself by clicking here. We left the steak in the oven for 7 minutes since the medium rare in the video looked a bit on the rare side for us.

We are discounting all of our steaks for Valentine’s Day. So make the perfect steak and enjoy a 15% discount!! You can pick up your steaks Saturday at the Radcliff Mill parking lot (home of Brooks Tavern) at 10 am or arrange for pick up at the farm.

Medley of St. Brigid's Meats

St. Brigid’s Farm's is in its third year of production for natural grass fed beef and veal. We have many loyal customers - both families and restaurants. This year we are trying something new to make buying our beef more convenient. We are offering a monthly subscription to a Medley of St. Brigid’s Meats (to include tender steaks, premium ground beef, fine roasts and meaty short ribs) available for pick up in Chestertown every month. Here are the details:
· Subscriptions are for six months for the monthly amount of $50, $100, $200.
· Payment is due at the first scheduled delivery.
· You will receive a reminder e-mail several days prior to the pick-up.
· The delivery & pick-up location is in the parking lot of Radcliff Mill in Chestertown.
· The delivery & pick-up time will be the first Saturday of every month between 10:00-11:00 in the morning.
· In the event you can not arrange for pick-up in Chestertown, we will hold your order for pick up at the farm.
· Your delivery will be for a Medley of St. Brigid’s Meats at least in the amount of your subscription.
· Customized medleys are subject to availability.
· Gift subscriptions are welcome!

Our grass fed beef is the perfect choice for your holiday dinner. Individual cuts are available. Also, a gift certificate is the ideal gift for the chef or barbeque master on your list this season. Click here for 2009 pricelist of individual cuts.
Free dog bone for your favorite Fido with any holiday purchase

E-mail us at rcfry@stbrigidsfarm.com if you have questions or would like to subscribe to the series. Please share this with anyone you feel would be interested!

Woodberry Kitchen

Chef Spike Gjerde working at the oven

St. Brigid’s Farm veal is on the menu of another cool restaurant. Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore began offering our veal in September and it has been a huge success. Woodberry Kitchen is located in an old wool mill and has retained a rustic décor with brick walls and tall ceilings. The open kitchen features, Chef Spike Gjerde and a wood burning brick oven where he creates an eclectic array of flat breads.

Dining room view from the loft

Our friends Walter and Marjorie joined us there last Saturday for dinner. We were disappointed that our veal would not be on the menu until Sunday but there were so many interesting options we didn’t fret for long. For starters, we ordered a blue cheese and apple flat bread with mustard seed sauce. The crust is amazingly light and flakey and the mustard seeds provided surprising tang. The heirloom pumpkin soup was to die for as was the oyster stew. Yummy.
We were surprised when our very professional server arrived at our table after we had eaten the flat bread with a butcher’s plate. Chef Gjerde had made us a special plate that included St. Brigid’s Farm veal weiss wurst or white sausage. The wursts were light and juicy with a touch of citrus. Delicious. Other menu selections included monkfish with squash filled ravioli, paella, braised shortribs and lamb chops. Everything was simply excellent.
The restaurant was packed. The crowd was a mix of locals and those of us from out of town as well as young and older. There are over 130 seats which they turn an amazing three times an evening. The last seating is at 11:00 pm. Brunch is offered Sundays.
Woodbury Kitchen was named one of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America in September’s bon appetit . We are very excited to be part of this impressive eating establishment.

Grazing Perennial Ryegrass

"Juno" and herd mates enjoyed nutritious fall grazing at St. Brigid's Farm. The rains from last weekend and now again last night have the cows inside waiting for the soil to firm up.

Chesapeake Semester at Washington College

On October 14th, we hosted Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Society’s Chesapeake Semester class for a tour of the farm and lunch on the deck. While we have had other classes from the Center’s program visit over the years, this is the first time for the Chesapeake Semester class. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the class, the students were engaged and asked excellent questions. We usually host dairy related groups so the questions from the class which is focused on the Chesapeake Bay, North America's largest estuary (64,000 square miles), centered on basic dairy farming practices and how they impact the environment.

The students in the Chesapeake Semester, one senior and eight sophomores and juniors, are a diverse group, with varying majors and interests and all take the same four courses. Dr. John Seidel, Chesapeake Semester Director, is the Chair of the Anthropology and Sociology Departments. Michael Hardesty, Chesapeake Semester Program Manager, is a Washington College graduate and provided us with the photos. Students have an opportunity to study the ecosystem in depth, develop solutions to environmental problems, and influence decision-making at the local and national levels. One outcome from lunch of grilled SBF burgers, salad and apple crisp was a realization by the students that they need to pressure the administration at Washington College to offer more local foods in the dining facilities. They were so appreciative of a good, home cooked meal that I plan to have them back this winter for a Sunday dinner and to catch up on their projects.

For a course description and photos of the group's earlier voyages around the bay visit their website: http://chesapeake-semester.washcoll.edu/.

Field To Fork 2009 !

The second Field to Fork dinner, an event designed to showcase local agriculture in an al fresco setting was enjoyed by 80 guests on October 3rd. Luck was certainly with us as the storms predicted earlier in the week stayed south, leaving us with warm temperatures and clear skies- perfect for enjoying the beautiful sunset and amazing full moon.

Special thanks to Chef David Perry of Casual Caterers in Stevensville for his creative touches. The hydrangeas looked lovely with the lanterns and the firefly lights were charming. The food was absolutely delicious. Much of the credit goes to Dave for designing and creating such a fabulous menu. Freshness is the other component of this fantastic meal. Everything was picked, baked or churned within days of the dinner. The milk for the oyster stew was from that evening’s milking.

2009
Field to Fork Dinner Menu
Hot Apple Cider with Rum
(Lockbriar Farms, Chestertown)

Oyster Stew with Fresh Jersey Milk (Choptank River Farmed Oysters)(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)
Arugula Salad with Chapelle Cave Aged Cheddar
and Balsamic Vinaigrette
(Colchester Farm, Georgetown)(Chapel's Country Creamery, Easton)

Rustic French and Sunflower Bread
with Homemade Butter from Land O' Lakes Cream
(Feast of Reason, Chestertown)
(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)

Grilled London Broil with olive oil, herb, wine marinade
with Madeira Sauce
(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)

Grilled Fingerling Potatoes
(Colchester Farm, Georgetown)
Grilled Butternut and Acorn Squash with Fresh Apples seasoned with Cinnamon and Apple Cider (Arnold Farms, Chestertown)
(Redman Farms, Chestertown)
Fresh Apple Pie with Chapel Cheddar
(Lockbriar Farms, Chestertown)
(Chapel's Country Creamery, Easton)
Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Chantilly Cream
(Arnold Farms, Chestertown)

The dinner raised just over $1,000 for Art Hock’s campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates. More important though is the conversation we have started with Art about the issues facing those of us who are working the land. We wanted to bring together farmers, consumers, and local politicians in a special setting for great discussion about production agriculture, quality food, and a sustainable lifestyle.

Thanks to Mattie Meehan and Kurt Kolaja for their photography at the dinner. We appreciate very much their view from the lens and willingness to share with all of you.