After our First Season: A Small Update from Us + Recipe
After our first full season raising chickens,, the snow has been flying here in Alexandria, the wood stove is feeling amazing, and we’ve had some time to sit down, sharpen a pencil and look back at the season.
When you’re just starting out and setting prices, you’re always doing it with your best understanding of your costs. As the season progressed, we were able to tighten up a few things, negotiate some better deals on feed and chicks, and with our first season’s actuals in hand, we have a better picture of what it actually costs us to raise pastured chickens the way we believe in doing it.
With that better understanding, we are so excited to share that we’ve been able to lower prices on some of our chicken cuts going forward!
You can view our current chicken pricing here.
Nothing has changed about how we raise our birds — same pasture, same care, same local feed, same family-operated, local state-inspected processing. Same Minnesota-raised on grass and sunshine that we promise to you. This isn’t a sale or a shortcut. It’s simply the result of our first year under our belt and wanting to pass along some of those savings to the folks who make it possible for us to do this.
We know that buying good food and supporting local farms can be a stretch on the budget. If this makes it a little easier for more families to put locally-raised , nutrient-dense chicken on the table, that matters a great deal to us.
We’re grateful for the trust you place in us to raise your chicken, and we’re already looking forward to the next year ahead!
Thank you for being part of it,
Jonathan & Miriam
P.S Enjoy one of our family’s favorite chicken recipes below. We’ve been making this one for years. It’s so simple, delicious, and even kid-approved!
Peruvian-inspired whole roasted chicken with tangy “green sauce”
ingredients
for the chicken:
▢ 1 whole chicken about 3.5-4 pounds (or a half chicken works well too!)
▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
▢ 1.5 teaspoons cumin
▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1/4 cup avocado oil
for the tangy “green sauce”:
▢ 1 cup avocado oil
▢ 1 egg
▢ An Immersion blender
▢ 1 wide mouth glass jar a little bit wider than the head of your immersion blender
▢ 1 large jalapeno seeded and loosely chopped
▢ 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
▢ 2 cloves garlic
▢ 1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed
▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1/2 lime
instructions
make the chicken:
Preheat oven to 450℉.
Place the whole chicken on a cutting board and flip it over, breast side down, so that the backbone is face up. "Spatchcock" the chicken, or remove the backbone, by using a pair of good poultry shears (or any kitchen shears) to cut along both sides of the backbone. Discard the backbone (or save it for making stock). Rinse chicken (inside and out) and pat very dry.
Transfer chicken to a large oven safe skillet (I use a cast iron) or sheet pan, cavity side up.
In a small bowl, combine the oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and avocado oil and stir until well combined.
Brush 1/4 of the seasoning mixture on the inside of the cavity. Flip chicken over skin side up and pat dry one last time. Brush the remaining seasoning mixture all over the top of the chicken, until evenly coated.
Transfer chicken to oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your chicken, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.
Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Quarter the chicken, and serve with the green sauce.
make the tangy “green sauce”:
Pour oil into the jar. Crack the egg into the oil and let settle into the bottom of the jar.
Place the immersion blender into the jar and position the blade directly over the egg yolk. Turn the immersion blender on low and hold in place, while blending, until the bottom of the jar starts to turn into a creamy emulsion, about 15 seconds. Once you see that creamy emulsion, start lifting the blender up a bit and pressing it back down, essentially emulsifying the mixture above the mayo at the bottom, bit by bit, until you reach the top and it’s a creamy, mayo texture.
Add the jalapeno, white vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. Use the immersion blender once more to blend all ingredients until well combined.
