I’m not going to sit here and tell you that beef farming is easy.  For me, I learn a few new things every day.  I learn new things sometimes through bad choices and sometimes going through a routine for the first time.  At some point the hard things will become trivial and we can work on improving, refining or simply maintaining our current systems.  We didn’t inherit a farm, we are starting one.  Nothing is laid out exactly.  Right now, we’re building our way of farming tasty beef.  We sell beef direct.  As a customer, it’s nice to get a glimpse at what you are signing up for.  This is where we “took one for the team” and pulled a Faux Filet aside to photograph and taste.  A Faux Filet is a Sirloin Steak in England.  Brent did a beef breakdown to understand the English equivalents of French beef cuts.

 

Pleased with the marbling, we warmed the steak, salted it with gros sel and slapped it in a hot, hot pan.

 

 

I’m still working on the fry pan shot, but you get the idea.

 

After a rest, a little pepper and a couple pats of butter we tucked in.  We don’t have many beef shots that are cooked.  We have more shots of empty, juicy plates.  The browning.  The butter.   The, oh it’s gone.  The steak was good, but with each carcass we taste and think.  Is this good?  Is this tender?  Is this memorable?  What’s the best steak you remember having?  Where were you?

 

This is a photo of a happy beef farmer who is pleased with our Faux Filet.  Mind you, he moved a very, very large tree off the road yesterday that required a tractor, a heavy chain and a chainsaw ( ManCard™  renewed for another year ) as well as tagged a few calves today ( ManCard™ fidelity points! ).  It may be the best cracker he ever ate, but I think the beef we are producing is heading in the right direction.

 

This is the non-fluffed steak photo.  There are potatoes on the plate, but I’m not sure why I bothered.

 

 

 

The barn cat kept the mice and ten-year-old in check while we did our very important photo and tasting work.