For those of you who may have followed us on our adventure with the Buy Local Challenge, I want to begin focusing attention yet again on all of our local, small businesses that support and sell good from local farms. The Farmers Markets are beginning to boom again, and the one in Berlin, MD this past Friday was chock full or a great variety of vendors. We do not buy meat that often, but if we do we want to know where the animal was raised.
On my trip to the Farmers Market I met a new vendors, Fletcher Parker of Sovereign Soil Farm in Girdletree, MD. He raises grass fed beef, lamb and also offers free range eggs. I decided to give it a try and made a purchase of his beef brisket, at a price that seemed more than fair for grass fed and local, at $5 per lb. He was so nice as to also make sure I understood the difference between a grain fed cut and a grass fed cut, and that cooking may differ slightly. As I don’t normally cook red meat, I had no habits to break.
This Mother’s Day I planned ahead so I could fully enjoy the day, and decided to slow cook the meal. studded the brisket with slices of garlic and stuck it in the Crock Pot to cook on low for about 8 hours. When the meal was just about ready, I put together a chimichurri to top on the sliced brisket. Such a quick flavorful meal, all the while supporting a local farm.
Be sure to look for Fletcher on the 2nd and 4th Fridays at the Berlin Farmers Market!