Questions
Are your eggs organic?How do I cut up a whole chicken?
What are new potatoes?
What are pole beans?
Answers
Are your eggs organic?
As of November 2009, the answer is yes.
To be labelled "organic",
eggs must be produced according to the USDA Organic Standard,
which spells out specific requirements for how the laying hens are raised,
including their feed, housing, and health care.
The hens must have enough room to move around comfortably (no battery cages),
they must have access to the outdoors when weather permits,
and they cannot be treated with antibiotics, growth hormones,
or synthetic pesticides.
They must also be fed a 100% organic diet.
Until recently, our laying flock at Chick Farm was raised in accordance
with the organic standard in all respects except for the feed.
In January 2009 we started using organic chicken feed
and went through a transition period where we had laying hens
who had previously been fed non-organic grain.
Now that those older hens have been "retired",
our eggs are now certified organic.
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How do I cut up a whole chicken?
We found a good video from the Mark Bittman magazine, courtesy of the New York Times, showing how to cut up a chicken.
Another method is described here:
- Place the chicken backbone down (breast up) on a clean, flat cutting surface.
- Use a standard, sharp kitchen knife to slice off the wing joints. The wings can be set aside and reserved for stock. One breast and leg is removed at a time. Follow Steps 3 through 9 to remove the first breast and leg. You will repeat these steps on the other side of the bird.
- Make a shallow incision running along one side of the breastplate.
- Deepen the incision by slicing into the chicken toward the rib cage. Pull the meat away from the rib cage as you slice down. As you progress further into the bird, slide the knife off of the rib cage repeatedly to ensure that you are removing any meat attached to the rib cage.
- Your knife will come to a point, just underneath the wishbone, where the wing joint meets the rib cage. The wing joint cartilage is soft enough to slice through easily. Slice completely through the joint, stopping only when your knife reaches the cutting surface. At this point, the breast is almost completely off the bird.
- Slice through the skin that runs from the tail end of the bird to the point where the leg meets the breast.
- The breast should come off of the bird with little effort. Pull the breast outwards, away from the bird being careful not to rip or tear the flesh. Some minor slicing through still-attached skin may still be required to remove the breast.
- Cut through the leg joint until you reach the point where the leg bone meets the body. Keep in mind that this joint can be difficult to cut through and stop cutting when you reach bone. Do not attempt to cut through the leg bone.
- Grasp the leg and pull it behind the bird, pressing your fingers into the back of the joint until the joint pops loose. You will feel the bone pop out of the socket. Remove the leg by cutting in and around the joint. Keep cutting until you have freed the leg from the body. Now, turn the bird around and remove the other breast and leg using the same method explained in steps 3 through 9.
The remaining carcass, along with the wings, can be used for making soup
stock. The final cuts of meat can be deboned further (if you prefer)
and used in your favorite chicken recipes.
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What are new potatoes?
Because they store so well through the winter,
potatoes have traditionally been grown as a storage crop.
Storage potatoes are put through a process
called "curing" which toughens their skins
so they can hold up well under storage conditions.
"New" potatoes are simply potatoes that are freshly dug
and have not been cured.
The skin of a new potato is thin and tender,
so there's no need to peel it.
With their fresh full flavor and tender delicious skins,
new potatoes are a true summertime treat.
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What are pole beans?
Once upon a time, all snap beans grew as a climbing vine.
Gardeners used poles or trellises to support the vines,
hence the name "pole bean".
But all that trellising was a nuisance for commercial growers,
so plant breeders developed "bush" snap bean varieties
that grow low to the ground and produce smoother, more uniform beans.
Most commercial growers use these varieties exclusively,
not only to avoid trellising but also because bush varieties
are well-suited to mechanical harvesting.
But here's the catch: as with most plant breeding,
gains in one area mean losses in another,
and with snap beans it's flavor.
Try some and we're confident you'll agree - the robust flavor
of the old-time pole bean varieties just can't be beat.
Well worth the trouble of putting up a trellis.
And don't be put off by their size - they'll cook up nice and tender,
and they also freeze beautifully.
We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
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