The CSA box for December includes grass-fed beef from Mike and Amy's farm and pasture-raised lamb from Alia and Joseph's farm. Recipes and cooking tips are included for both meats. For the beef, Amy recommends searing steaks in a cast iron pan and finishing them in a hot oven to achieve a perfect steak. For the lamb, Alia provides tips on making breakfast sausage and marinating chops. A detailed herb-rubbed lamb chop recipe is also included.

1. Thank you and welcome!
December’s CSA box consists of grass-fed grain-finished beef cuts from
Mike and Amy’s Otter Creek Cattle Company. Included in the box are
recipes and tips that you may follow as a guide to help you cook your beef.
We also want you to get to know us a little better!
Mike and Amy Stiefel are native New Yorkers who spent many years living
out west. While living in Wyoming and Idaho, Mike found his passion for
beef cattle from living and working on large cattle ranches. Soon after
moving back to NY to be closer to family, Mike and Amy purchased their
own farm and started raising their own herd of beef cattle. Mike hopes to
pass on his passion for raising beef cattle to his two young sons Ty (age 7)
and Luke (age 4). Ty already has three cows of his own, and Luke is just
starting out with one cow of his own. Mike and Amy continue to work to
expand the herd and produce quality beef for local consumers.
Along with your beef cuts is pasture-raised lamb from Honey O’s Family
Farm, from Alia and Joseph Ososkalo. You will also find helpful tips to
cook your lamb meat.
Joseph is a junior in high school this year, and is really looking forward to
full-time farming next summer. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and
thrives on outdoor activities. Alia graduated from high school in 2014, and
enjoys her part-time job with Care Net Pregnancy Center. She also loves
cooking and baking Ukrainian specialties (their dad immigrated from
Ukraine.) Alia and Joseph's family (the Honey O's) enjoys performing
concerts together for events at churches, senior centers and outdoor summer
activities. Alia loves sheep farming and has a dream of expanding the family
farm into a big operation some day.
Please fill out and return the survey by December 22 if possible. We would
like to make your experience with us the best it can be.
For questions regarding the CSA please contact Amy Stiefel at 315-775-
6075.
No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016
NORTH COUNTRY LOCAL
MEATS CSA NEWSLETTER
Like us on Facebook or
visit our website at
www.nocolocal.wixsite.com/2016

2. Grass-fed grain-finished beef tips and recipes
Our beef are rotationally grazed on our pastures. The last 90-100 days of their life they are also fed a
supplemental grain and hay to allow the qualities we like for finishing. By supplementing with grain and
hay along with access to pasture, this allows for the meat to become more flavorful and increases
marbling.
Tips for the “Perfect Steak” from Amy
No grill required! Get a perfectly cooked steak using a cast iron pan and your oven!
Season your favorite steak (ribeye, porterhouse, NY Strip, filet) with salt and pepper…that is it—nothing
else! (Coarse ground salt is great for seasoning meat.)
After seasoning let the steak rest for about 1 hour to bring it to room temperature.
When you are ready to cook, place your cast iron pan in the oven on the top rack closest to the broiler
and set oven to the highest broil setting (usually about 550 degrees…yup, that hot!)
When the oven is heated, remove the skillet and place it on a burner over HIGH heat. Brush both sides
of the steak with oil. We like grapeseed oil because of its high smoke point, but vegetable or canola oils
work fine.
Don’t add the oil directly to the pan… it will smoke you out of your kitchen! (You still will have some
smoke in your kitchen with this cooking method, but not as bad if you put the oil on the steak itself!)
Place your steak in the hot pan and sear for about 15 seconds, then flip and sear the other side for about
15 seconds After searing the second side, put the skillet with the steak directly in to the hot oven, on the
top rack under the broiler.
For medium rare: cook the steak under the broiler for 1 minute 15 seconds, flip the steak and repeat on
the second side.
For medium: cook the steak under the broiler for 1 minute 30 seconds, flip the steak and repeat on the
second side. (Adjust cooking times by 15 second intervals to get a more rare or well done steak.)
Remove steak from oven, place on a plate and cover loosely with foil. Although you will be tempted to
cut right in to that juicy deliciousness, give it a little rest, for 2-5 minutes to let the juices soak into the
meat.
These cooking times are for steaks cut one inch thick. Times will need to be adjusted for thicker or
thinner steaks.
No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016

3. Pastured lamb tips and recipes
Interested in lamb but unsure how to prepare it? There’s no reason to be intimidated.
Lamb is easy to prepare and fun to cook! When cooked properly, lamb is flavorful and juicy, and the
methods for preparing it are no different than those you use for beef and pork.
Tips from Alia:
For lamb breakfast sausage: Thaw and form into patties. Fry in a frying pan on each side until nicely
browned and cooked through. The sausage is completely seasoned, so nothing needs to be added.
For lamb chops: Thaw chops and sprinkle generously with each of the following: seasoned salt, black
pepper, granulated garlic, a few dashes of liquid smoke, and steak sauce. Allow to marinate in the fridge
for 24 hours in a dish. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 160*F for medium or 170*F
for well done.
Lamb steaks and lamb chops can also be marinated in your favorite marinade. I like "Herb and Garlic"
or "Smokey Barbeque." The longer you marinade the better it tastes. Marinating in the fridge for 24-48
hours is ideal. Let the lamb sit covered and in a warm place for 3 to 5 minutes after removing from heat
to let the juices redistribute.
Other tips:
Similar to the grass-fed beef, lamb is very easy to overcook so cook it low and slow or else it will dry out.
Stovetop cooking is great for grass-fed lamb chops because you have more control over the temperature
than on the grill.
No Co Local Meats CSA Newsletter December 2016
INGREDIENTS
 Lamb Chops
 Garlic cloves (4-6)
 Rosemary, fresh (1 small
bunch)
 Thyme, fresh (1 small
bunch)
 Cayenne pepper (pinch)
 Butter or olive oil (4 TBS)
 Olive oil for oiling pan
 Sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
 Peel garlic and place into food processor.
 Rinse and dry both the fresh rosemary and thyme. Remove about 1 TBS of
the needles and add to the bowl of the processor. Add in about 1 teaspoon of
the thyme leaves as well. You can also use dried herbs, but use fresh herbs if
you can.
 Add to the bowl a pinch of the cayenne pepper.
 Pulse until combined in the food processor.
 Add in the butter or olive oil and pulse until the mixture becomes a paste.
 Rub the paste onto both sides of each lamb chop and allow to marinate for at
least one hour in the refrigerator.
 Remove chops from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
 Cover and cook on low to medium heat on both sides until done.
 Check the temperature; it should read 120-145 degrees F.
 Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.