Chestnut Farms Meat Share

I am not a vegetarian, have never been one, and never intend to give up meat. However, after watching Food, Inc. and driving through Fresno, California where I saw meat lots with my own eyes, I have been torn about how to work healthy meat in to our diet. We have been buying meat at Whole Foods and cringing at the price, but happy that our Cambridge store sells New England-sourced beef - but what about chickens and pork? We were never really sure where they came from or how they were raised. The solution came through our vegetable CSA, Waltham Fields Community Farm, which is the drop-off site for the Chestnut Farms meat CSA. After seeing happy customers walk away with a cooler of meat each month, we were intrigued and put our names on the wait-list. We are now, happily, off the wait list and are eating meat guilt-free! Chestnut Fields is a family farm in western Massachusetts, and they raise pasture-fed pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys, and lambs without hormones or antibiotics. They share pictures of the farm and invite us to visit, and keep us updated about farm activities through their website and newsletter. As Andrew said when he ate his first bite of Chestnut Farms' chicken: "BAM!" It is succulent, flavorful, and lovingly raised. What more could we ask for?

Chestnut Farms chicken tacos with farm-fresh corn, homemade
tomatillo salsa, and Cabot cheese. Perfection!

Susan and I enjoyed some of the chicken breast this week, which I rubbed lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the oven. I always use a thermometer to judge my meat's done-ness now, which works really well for me. After these cooled, I shredded them for the tacos and filled steamed corn tortillas with the shredded chicken, corn cut from the cob, shredded Cabot cheddar cheese, and our homemade tomatillo salsa. You can see how we make this in an earlier post, but it's simple: I fill a dry cast-iron skillet with cut tomatillos, husk cherries, jalapenos, and garlic cloves and put these on the stove-top until everything has a bit of a blackened crust. Then I blend them with a bit of salt for a very flavorful salsa.

Susan enjoying our Mexican meal!