Fort Creek Farm: Healthy Cows, Healthy Customers!

“Above all, we want to provide you a delicious healthful product that will offer a satisfying and memorable eating experience.”
 Diet fads: they’re everywhere! No-fat, low-fat, high-carb, low-carb, no-carb, but what does it all mean? At the end of the day, our bodies will crave what they need and that is simply biology telling you what your body is missing. Over the past two decades, we have seen every diet fad that could come into existence (hopefully). Due to the health conscious wave that is sweeping the nation, we have seen plenty of lists that include the ‘superfoods’ like kale, spinach, salmon, and especially the elusive grass-fed beef. So what? Everything from quinoa to star fruit has had its time in the spotlight, but specialists continue to come back to the benefits of grass-fed beef; so why should we be eating it?
We have all seen grass-fed beef become all the rage recently but why is it such a big deal? What separates it from the skinless chicken breast us health freaks have come to love? Red meat has been cast in a bad light through the past years, but no more! Thanks to the exhaustive effort by farmers like Bob and Susan, the past twenty years science has shown that grass-fed is actually the healthy alternative to the ‘fat-free diets’ we all grew up on. These health benefits include a lower fat content, healthy dose of omega 3’s, linoleic acid and antioxidants like vitamin E, and these are only a few of the reasons to choose grass-fed. The best part? It's not only good for you, but also great for the livestock and the environment! A commercially raised cow is fed corn, a substance that is not nutritious or naturally occurring in a cow’s diet. Cows were never meant to survive, much less thrive, on a diet of only corn. Just as a human beings couldn’t live a healthy lifestyle munching on strictly cheetos their whole life, cows also can’t live a happy healthy life without proper nutrition! The mission of Fort Creeks Farms, as mentioned in their direct quote above, is not only to help people have a delicious as well as healthy eating experience, but also one that is memorable. How could you forget a meal that was good for everyone involved?
    I think a good way to describe this farm is ‘accidentally trendy’ because Susan and Bob had no idea that grass-fed would have such a great reputation! They are very thankful that they learned about grass-fed cattle when it was a scarcely mentioned topic. Although they have several species in their livestock such as cows, chickens and goats, their goal is to provide sustainable beef as well as poultry.
The farm has been continuously used since 1840 (vintage, so trendy!). Susan and Bob have been running it since full time since 2000. I assumed this family has run grass-fed establishment for quite some time, but it turns out these two were actually city slickers with no prior farming experience! Pretty crazy news since I have heard about what a costly venture taking on grass-fed beef could be, even for the experienced farmer. This couple, according to Susan, went from “not knowing the front from the rear of cattle” to managing this farm all by themselves! She said the secret to their success was a lot--and I mean a LOT--of effort and determination. They attended any and every single farm tour and educational session they came across, and even went as far out as Virginia to learn about the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of grass-fed beef. Their knowledge grew and the farm grew with it, resulting in the delicious, nutritious, and environmentally-friendly beef that is sold at the Green Market!
Partnered with UGA to do a study about the health benefits of grassfed beef, they found that grassfed was better for humans as well as the cattle! They say “you are what you eat”, so who wouldn’t prefer a healthy, properly-fed steak? Susan mentioned studies are still being conducted on larger campuses such as Clemson, but she and her husband have always been passionate about the obvious (and delicious) benefits of grass-fed beef.
So now that you know where to get it and why it's healthy, how the heck do you cook it?! Susan shared the secret to a grass fed steak with me--get yourself a meat thermometer and once the middle of the steak reads 125 degrees, remove meat from heat and let sit from 5-10 minutes. Why let is sit before slicing into it? The juices need time for the meat to reabsorb them, resulting in a juicy, tender steak! For you hunters and venison fans, remember that these meats are similar in that they are much leaner than commercially grown meats and therefore need a slower, more gentle heat. They also highly recommend using a crockpot for their roasts (which come with free herbs for seasoning when purchased at the Green Market!).
So now that you know how to cook it and where it is available, pick some up on June 24th and July 1st!  Fort Creek Farms will not be able to attend the farmers market on July 8th and 15th but will be back for every other market! We'll have samples from Fort Creek Farm at market this Saturday - I look forward to seeing you all for the samples this week and the weeks to come!
​-Katelynn
Learn more at: http://www.fortcreekfarms.com/

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Photos of Fort Creek Farm: