Well, our original butcher, Conrath Quality Meats, has been bought out and is now Farm Country Butchery. (If you’re unfamiliar with our long search for a butcher we could trust, check out the story on the blog.)
And while I've talked a lot about buyouts and mergers in the food industry being a terrible thing, this is different.
I talked with Sean Graese, the new co-owner and plant manager, to make sure Farm Country will continue to be a family-owned, Animal Welfare Institute Certified operation that focuses on integrity, transparency, and respect for both the animals and customers.
And I'm happy to report that after about 3 hours of discussion they are! But not only that, they have plans to be even better.
Whew! This is actually a GOOD change, for a change.
Here are a few highlights of our "new" butcher:
They’re satisfied with being mid-sized. “We want to be better, not bigger,” Sean said.
They process about 20-25,000 pounds per week, which is tiny compared to the giant corporations but makes them one of the largest mid-sized operations in Wisconsin.
Capacity is small, only one line, so only one farm’s animals come through at a time. Everything is tagged and kept separate, with cut sheets that follow the animals from breaking down to packaging into the box. This is how we can know we are getting our animals back.
But the thing that makes them very different and the reason we chose them and drive past dozens of other butchers many hours closer is because:
They do NOT use any preservatives, MSG, nitrates, or nitrites in their products.
Avoiding nitrates and nitrites is essential because these chemicals have been linked to cancer, among other things. And did you know, when nitrates/its are added from celery the levels tend to be HIGHER than if they just added the pure stuff?! Yeah, so don't let "celery" fool you, think of it as a trojan horse.
And of course, many of us are sensitive to flavor enhancers like the excitotoxin MSG, and if we want natural and health-promoting products, then we gotta keep all that stuff out.
Our animals eat exceptionally clean and truly diverse diets. We chose breeds that grow slower so the are develop more flavor! We do NOT need to artificially make it taste like something.
We also bring the meat straight to our freezer and then hopefully right to yours. We don't need a crazy long shelf life to ensure safe transport over 1,000's of miles in semis and warehouses.
And a vacuum-sealed and frozen product stays fresh indefinitely (as long as the seal remains unbroken).
Almost no butchers do what Farm Country doesbecause it takes a lot of time and costs more (since they can't do as much). But we drive way out of our way to do business with them because: There's NO way we're going to work this hard at raising animals that are good for you and full of flavor, just to cover it up with artificial crap.
We also spent a great deal of time talking about all the ways they hope to improve this incredibly unique operation, which we'll talk about later! (How do my emails always get so long?!)
So, even though our butcher changed hands, we are thrilled with the way Sean and his family practice the art and science of butchering and processing.
Our 1st Annual Off the Hook Fish Sale is LIVE and it really is Off the Hook!! ⚓It was exactly one year ago today that we announced a new partnership with Bering Bounty and let you know we had finally found some of the best food on the planet: Wild Alaskan fish.plus it's Lentplus a few of us just realized that we've been through 2 false springs already meaning real spring is pert near here and it's time to hurry up and lose some of that winter weight by eating clean high-protein and low fat (halibut).(Although a few others have decided this is the year the sweaters-in-summer fashion look sticks and we're eating all the Sablefish we want.)plus it's time to start getting really serious about Burger Night again so my ability to manage and run big sales like this will end 3/31 and then we'll all be waiting a long while before any more big sales come up. So: Anniversary + Lent + Weight Loss (or Maintenance 😂) + Burger Night is coming (56 days!) = OFF THE HOOK FISH SALE!! We will definitely plan on doing this every March but one thing with the state of Alaska is they are very strict with their quotas in order to ensure sustainability so we never know how much fish Captain Mark will be able to reel in - some of these cuts may not always be available but we are super stoked that right now they all are!!Salmon Lovers Bundle - savings of 27% plus a BONUS 5% + FREE item if you're a subscriber! Includes: King, Sockeye, Coho + Pink Salmon all wild-caught and never-farmed from Alaska's Bering Sea.We have a lot of new people here so we'll do a quick re-introduction.Because I'm constantly keeping an eye out for the best products I can find for you guys I serendipitously stumbled upon Bering Bounty last winter and was soooo excited! I had been looking for a source of good Alaskan fish FOR YEARS but it was either crazy expensive, mostly unavailable or a logistical nightmare. But the coolest thing is that Captain Mark is a Wisconsin-ite with his own small fishing operation (so a ma & pa, like us!).He harvests wild salmon, halibut, and other fish in Alaska’s Bering Sea, which are immediately processed, vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen there and then brought back to his home state so we can all enjoy some of the world's best and cleanest protein!We are his most northern location so we drive to southern WI every other month or so to do our own re-stocking for you guys. Captain Mark & his pet Octopus (not really) battling Alaska's Bering Sea "the cradle of storms" to bring us the healthiest, cleanest and tastiest protein in the world! 🌎(and yes, even better than our 100% grassfed/finished organically raised beef since the best beef still can't beat the Omegas and other nutrients in Salmon and Sablefish.)What's included in the sale
In an effort to live up to the name, we have some pretty off the hook deals ranging from a minimum of 10% off to almost 40% off! 😲 Subscribers (free to join, easy to leave) will even get a BONUS 5% off plus a FREE item for life so really it's 15 to nearly 45% off!! No pressure, I often don't make the best decisions with my (+ Andy's 😉) money so I get it (note those percentages listed above 😂) but if you like good fish at all, NOW is the BEST time to stock up and save! Available raw fish portions from Bering Bounty:
King Salmon portionsSockeye Salmon portionsCoho Salmon portionsPink Salmon portionsCod portionsHalibut portionsSablefish portions
Like with the beef sale we think the star of the show is going to be the Sampler Bundle and we have 3 sizes to choose from:
1 of each fish (7 portions)2 of each fish4 of each fish: ships for free/reduced, the largest savings of all the deals at 38% off (before subscription savings are added) ✨In addition to the Sampler Bundles we also have the Salmon Lovers Bundle pictured above and a White Fish Lovers bundle which includes:
4 Cod2 Sablefish2 HalibutSave 30%!We even have a Buy 3, Get 1 FREE option for:
CodCohoSablefishKing Salmon CaviarMix and Match all your different favorites to get free/reduced shipping and stock your freezer!
Not only do we have Bering Bounty to bring us the best raw fish, but I also found Alaska Smokehouse so we also have a source of smoked fish!And, guess what? Smoked fish doesn't need refrigeration or special shipping so we even have a few bundles and a lot of products that can be shipped anywhere!!
Right now we only ship our frozen meats throughout the Midwest but smoked & tinned fish doesn't need any special shipping so we even have a few non-perishable bundles, spices, cookbooks and pet treats in our Off the Hook Fish Sale that can be shipped anywhere!For more info on how to do a work-around if our online store tells you we can't deliver to you, see this article. Sorry for the extra step, it's the best our software can offer at the moment and once it's set up, it's super easy!
But, wait. There's more!
In addition to the raw fish and smoked fish we included a few more products in our Off the Hook Fish Sale:
ButterSalt SeasoningsCookbooksDog & Cat Treats
Obviously butter, salt and seasonings need to be included, what fun is fish without those??We are so happy to have also partnered with Nordic Creamery and we LOVE their butters. We just added their Pepper Butter (won the Gold last year 🥇) to our line-up, we'll see how it performs compared to our current best-seller, their Garlic Butter (won the silver last year 🥈). May as well try them all while they are on sale! Salt & seasonings....I mean salt is my favorite so we'll always have fun options there but check out some of our seasonings and sauces if you are ready to experiment and have some fun with all your fish! Scared that you are going to screw it up because you don't really know how to cook fish? 😬We've got cookbooks! And, as usual, we'll include some of our free recipe cards too or check out the fish-specific page on our website for cooking tips (Captain Mark prefers to cook straight from the freezer!) or our Recipe Page. We aren't the only ones that love fish - dogs and cats do too! 😺So we included some fun fishy treats for dogs & cats too, starting at just $2.70 - there's no reason to leave out our best friends! 🐶
We even have fishy-treats for our 4-legged friends!! (Lots more to choose from in the farm store if you can come visit!)I hope you’re as excited about our 1st Annual Off the Hook Fish Sale as I am!If you have any hesitation or questions, simply hit reply and ask away!Your farmer & a-fish-ionado friend, Stephanie Schneider
Your kitchen and backyard are full of powerful plant allies! Join us on February 22 at Together Farms for a hands-on class exploring common culinary herbs and backyard “weeds” that support heart health and overall wellness. 🌱💓
🌟 In this class, you’ll discover:
🍃 Herbs that promote heart health, circulation, and vitality
🍃 Simple ways to incorporate healing plants into your daily routine
🍃 The hidden benefits of common "weeds" growing in your own backyard
🍃 PLUS: Make & take home TWO herbal remedies to support your well-being!
📅 Date: February 22, 1-2:30pm
📍 Location: Together Farms
🎟️ Tickets: $20 – Purchase in-person at Together Farms but RSVP is required (email togetherfarms@gmail.com) or purchase online at Temperance Herbals & Healing.
Nourish your heart and body naturally—let’s explore herbal wellness together! 🌿💚
