Emma | KW Homestead

Author: Emma (page 13 of 36)

How to Cook Duck Breast to Perfection!

April 18, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Duck breast is one of the most decadent and scrumptious cuts of meat that we offer, and since it’s more often seen on Top Chef than in your average grocery, the idea of cooking a duck breast may seem a bit daunting.

We’re here to tell you that it’s actually SUPER EASY! So don’t turn away now… You’ve got this!

As it turns out, the easiest way to cook duck breast is also the absolute best: scored skin, hot cast iron skillet, skin side down, rendering that fat out, and flipping for a few sizzling minutes. Seasoning? It’s really up to you. We love garlic & thyme or Asian five spice.

Now the question is… Is one really enough?

Here’s the play-by-play… It couldn’t be easier:

Ingredients

duck breast(s)
salt
Asian five spice seasoning, or garlic & thyme, or any other seasoning you’re excited about right now

Materials

cast iron skillet
sharp knife
spatula

Directions

Thaw your duck breast.
Using your sharp knife, score the skin of the duck, cutting into the fat layer underneath the skin but not so far that you can see the underlying meat.
While you’re scoring and spicing, begin heating up your naked skillet on medium heat (no oil or butter or anything needed!).
Spice your duck breast by adding salt and whatever spice combination you’ve selected to the skin side.
When your pan sizzles when you sprinkle water drops on it, it’s ready!
Place the duck breast in the pan, skin side down.
Let your breast cook on medium heat until you reach the desired skin color… We like ours very brown and almost burned, which makes it really crispy. This part is up to you! If you’re not sure, think about how you like your bacon and shoot for that desired crispiness!
You’ll see the fat rendering out of the breast… Be sure to save this fat for cooking veggies or any other thing you want to taste super awesome!
Add a bit of your spice to the meat side.
When the skin has reached the desired crispiness, flip the breast and continue searing, how long depends on how well done you’d like your meat. Duck breast can be cooked med-rare, like steak, and we recommend a medium cook, still pinkish in the middle. Think about how you like your steak and shoot for that. You can always slice into the breast a little while it’s still cooking to check it and to to ensure you cook it to your desired temperature.
When your meat is done, remove it from the pan and let it rest on a plate for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy! If you’re really feeling wild, spoon a bit of the rendered fat back on top before eating!

5 Little Piggies

April 16, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Our newest babies have arrived, born to a mother who went on the lam to nest and give birth. She returned to the rest of the pig tribe after spending a week or so hidden deep in our woods! Now the piglets are part of the pig tribe and can often be found sleeping on top of a big pile of pigs overnight. So hilarious!

Save Over 25% with a Duck Egg CSA Membership

April 11, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Love our duck eggs? We have a few spots available in our Duck Egg CSA, guaranteeing you weekly dozens or half-dozens—whichever works best for your family. CSAs last for 6 months and knock off $1.50 EVERY SINGLE WEEK. We can’t think of a better way to save than this!

You might have heard us say that life’s too short to eat chicken eggs. That’s because they have more of ALL nutrients than chicken eggs, and taste creamier and richer than a chicken egg. Duck eggs are a pretty amazing food!

If you’re planning on signing up for our Duck Egg CSA, be sure to act fast before all CSA spots are spoken for. You can reserve your spot by signing up through our online store or by sending us an email at ourochreway@gmail.com.

Duck Eggs CSA Details

Beginning the week that you sign up, you have 26 weeks of eggs to collect (approximately 6 months). You pick up one each week for 24 of these weeks, skipping any 2 weeks you choose. If you choose not to skip 2 weeks, your CSA subscription would be over in 24 weeks instead. You have 2 skipped weeks built into this 26 week subscription, and we ask that you let us know the weeks you will not be picking up your eggs by the Friday before your pickup on Saturday at the Corner Farmers Market. If you skip picking up your eggs for more than 2 weeks, you forfeit the other weeks that you miss. It is perfectly acceptable to send another person to collect your eggs for you!

CSA Membership Fees

The total CSA fee for the Dozen Duck Egg CSA is $168, which equates to $7/dozen. This is a savings of 17%!

The total CSA fee for the Half-Dozen Duck Egg CSA is $96, which equates to $4/half-dozen. This is a savings of 27%!

We ask that you pay the entire fee on your first pickup day, or now through our online store. All purchases are final, and no refunds can be issued.

Why Feed Your Family Duck Eggs? Let’s Count the Ways…

They stay fresher longer because of their thick shells (much harder to crack!)
Duck eggs have more Omega-3 fatty acids than chicken eggs
Often, people who have noted allergies to chicken eggs are able to digest duck eggs without issue
Duck eggs have almost twice as much fat content as chicken eggs
Duck eggs are creamier and generally richer tasting
Because they are creamier than chicken eggs, they are great for baking! Check out this post about all the ways you can (and should) enjoy duck eggs!

Nutrient Dense Eggs!

Duck eggs have higher levels of all micronutrients than chicken eggs (per egg), to the tune of around 2 to 7 times more, depending. Duck eggs have about 7 times more vitamin B1 and B12 than chicken eggs, and about 3 times the iron. If you’re pregnant (or hoping to become pregnant soon), it’s important to know that duck eggs are significant sources of choline and folate. Both of these nutrients are essential for the proper development of your baby’s brain and spinal column! Talk about a superfood…

Pekin Ducklings in the Brooder

April 9, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Our first batch of Pekin ducklings has arrived for 2018, and they sure are cute! There isn’t much that’s cuter than a baby duck!

All baby chicks, ducklings, and poults need heat lamps, a dry, wind-free place to sleep, the proper amount of space, bedding of some sort, food, and water. It’s up to you how you create your brooder. Our brooders are located outdoors, and the ducklings have an open-air strip in the front of theirs, so that when they undoubtedly get their world wet and messy, the hardware cloth allows for spills to slip through. We learned the hard way that ducklings are far messier than chicks or poults, and our new brooder design helps them stay dry and clean!

Five Cows in the Snow!

March 26, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

This video is short and sweet and simple. Filmed just the other day, after a 4-inch snow, the cows met us at the fence for some snacks. Meet our newest herd member, bull calf Ron!

Red Ranger Chicks Have Arrived!

March 12, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

This video shows our cute and active Red Ranger chicks—the first batch of 2018.

Our Red Ranger chicks spend the first few weeks of their life in a warm brooder, and At about 3 weeks old they move outside to pasture. Right now they’re small and don’t eat very much food, but they won’t stay little for long. In a few months they’ll be mature, large roosters. Amazing!

Feed Your Pets High Quality Meat!

March 9, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Did you know that pets love our meat, too? Perhaps you’re feeding a raw diet… Necks, carcasses, hearts, and livers are great for dogs and cats! Or maybe you’re supplementing your pet’s everyday food… Duck eggs, meaty bits, and even duck fat are nutritious and delicious additions to their diet! Megan’s dog, Banjo, sure thinks so (see the below image for proof, haha!).

Whatever tickles your fancy, we’ve got you and your cats and dogs covered! Nutrient dense organ meats are great as supplements and raw carcasses and gelatinous broth provide an awesome treat! Don’t forget about dishing out your leftover fat or even a scrambled or raw duck egg from time to time!

Pets Need Nutrient Density Too

Especially if you feed your pet a fully or partially raw diet, it’s important to to to feed them all of the organs and all of the parts of an animal that they would eat had they tracked and killed that animal in the wild. Organ meats (like hearts and livers) are the most nutrient-dense part of the animal, so they’re a must for pets who eat raw!

Why Organ Meats?

Organ meats are densely packed with just about every nutrient, including high doses of many of the B vitamins: B1, B2, B6, folic acid, and B12. They are also filled with important minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, and iodine, and they provide the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It’s also important to know that animals raised outside on grass, like our birds, contain even higher levels of these essential nutrients than their grain-fed, “cage free” counterparts! That’s huge!

Where to Start?

So, you’ve decided to feed your pet some of our meat, but where do you start? We have a lot of options available, so you can select cuts that fit easiest into your routine! Some of our customers feed raw or cooked necks (if cooked, folks often shred the meat off the bone). We feed a variety of goodies to our dogs, Bolt and Coona. Sometimes they’ll enjoy a raw duck egg, other times a dollop of duck fat, or leftover tendons and cartilage from a chicken soup. Their current favorite snack is broth jello, made from the bones and carcasses of our Red Ranger chickens.

Chicken Feet Broth: Your New Health Drink

March 5, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

Perhaps you’ve resolved to make 2018 the year of healthy, local, and fresh eating! Sometimes it’s tough to get started on the path to be your healthiest you. Starting small is the way to go, and there’s nothing easier than adding a delicious and warm beverage to your routine.

This is totally the time of year when everyone needs some really great broth in their house! Since the cold and flu season here and the weather is freakishly in the single digits, one of the best ways to ensure your family’s continued health and nutrition is through bone broth. Our birds make the best broth because they’re raised on pasture, free ranging around among the greenery! That means they’re getting tons of extra vitamins and minerals.

Using chicken feet for broth or soup is really one of the best ways to get loads of flavor, and to ensure you’re getting adequate nutrition, gelatin, and collagen–among other important micronutrients!

Why Should You Be Drinking Chicken Foot Broth?

Bone broth has been known for a long time to assist in joint health, gut and instestinal health, and immunity. Gelatin and collagen are pulled from the skin, cartilage, and joints of the bones or feet. Collagen builds and rebuilds cells and trace minerals nourish us from the inside out.

Feet are pretty much skin, cartilage, and ligament, so you get the picture… A swirling pot of “liquid luck.” As we enter the season when germs make their rounds, having chicken feet on hand can be a huge help in battling illness amoung your big and little family members!

Making Broth is Easy!

They may look scary, but since our chicken feet are peeled and ready to go straight in your soup pot, all you need to do is add a couple to each stock you make and you’re all set! Or, if you’re even more daring you can make an entire pot of broth with only a pack of feet. If this seems daunting to you check out this simple recipe on how to do just that. You won’t regret it! All you need is a soup pot, water, your chicken feet, and some optional herbs.

You’ll Love Hearts: The Health Benefits of This Important Organ Meat

March 2, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

You might be shocked by the idea of eating hearts, but never fear, they’re yummy and easy to cook! A delicious meal of stir fried or grilled hearts sure makes an exciting dish for your hot date. Wink, wink.

Average hearts bought in a grocery store don’t benefit you as much as you might think. Although they carry many of the same micro nutrients as our chicken and duck hearts, they also carry the toxins that the animal, which has been raised in a cage or inside and fed subpar feed, has accrued in its organs throughout its life span. So, while these hearts carry positive nutrients they also carry detrimental ingredients as well. But, KW Homestead’s chicken and duck hearts are only good for you! Because our chickens are raised on pasture and fed non GMO feed that is fresh, high-quality, and local, their organs (hearts included) are as clean as can be! This means that when you supplement your diet and your family’s diet with our chicken or duck hearts you can feel confident in what good stuff you’re getting!

Why Hearts?

Since it’s a muscle, hearts share many nutritional components with steak, roasts and ground beef, but they are way more tender and easy to cook to perfection. Not to mention the extra mincronutirents…

Hearts have higher amounts of protein, thiamine, folate, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, CoQ10 and several B vitamins. Eating hearts is a great way to rack up amino acids that can improve metabolism and compounds that aid the production of collagen and elastin, which fight wrinkles and aging. Research shows that the amazing CoQ10 plays several key roles in your body. One of its main functions is to help generate energy in your cells and it’s involved in making ATP, which is involved in energy transfer within your cells. Its other important role is to act as an antioxidant and to protect cells from oxidative damage. Talk about amazing hearts!

A Few Heart Recipes

Hearts can be prepared for a meal super quickly, and make amazing stir frys. Our favorite way to cook them is this: slice them in half (long-wise) and marinate them in a bowl for 30 minutes with your favorite blend of Asian-inspired spices. Sauté them for about 10 minutes and remove. Add your go-to stir fry veggies, sauté until nearly done, and combine the mostly-cooked hearts. Continue cooking until tender and fully cooked. Yum!

This heart yakitori recipe, though a little more complicated, makes for a lovely presentation. The chef who created this recipe says: “Let me give you a tip for dealing with a carnivore around Valentines Day—skip the teddy bear and the chocolates. If you really want to show you care, do it through the medium of meat!” We love that sentiment!

Farming With a Baby: Birth Through 6 Months Old

February 12, 2018 / Emma / Comments Off

In this video, we wanted to share with you our reflections on being working farmers, and how juggling a baby and work tasks work out. This video is especially catered towards other farmers who are considering growing their human families… Giving them a few insights about how to include your baby in your farm life from the beginning!

KW Homestead

Pasture Raised Poultry & Edible Landscaping Plants Since 2013