We ran the numbers on 2022 and the future is bright!

written by

Charlotte Frederickson

posted on

January 3, 2023

We know that this is the traditional time of year making plans and resolutions for the coming year and, like many, Martin and I will soon be making use of these shorter, darker days to plan and dream for 2023.

However we have realized that to have any chance of achieving future goals, it is of the utmost importance to first celebrate the successes we have already achieved!

Our natural survival instincts are to focus on all the things that went wrong, but that's not a helpful place to spend your time so it's worth the hard work to bend your mind to the positive.

And as we look back over the last year, we realize 2022 was full of reasons to celebrate.

Of course, the biggest and most important was welcoming Farmhand Baby Grace to the family way back in January!

And there were others, including a couple important and fun (for farmers) construction projects that I’ll be sharing in future emails over the winter.

But for us, other than bringing Baby Grace into this world, the achievement we are most proud of is continuing our mission of providing delicious food for you and all our customers.

Just for kicks (I’m an office nerd) I ran a few year-end reports and I’m so glad I did - our hearts are overjoyed and I want to share that with you because you are such an important part of everything we do.

In 2022 alone we provided over 26,000 pounds of regeneratively raised, humane, delicious and nutritious food for our friends and neighbors in the community!

What an honor that, in just the last year, over 325 families relied on us to nourish them and trusted us to provide only the most delicious, highest quality food.

And that doesn’t include our customers whom we never meet – those who shop at the Food Coop or the Corner Farmstand or buy our food already prepared so deliciously by venues like Finnriver Cidery or Crust Bakery.

What joy and HOPE that gives us for the future – and I don’t mean ours alone!

Often you hear that small farms can’t feed the world.

But with numbers like that from our VERY small farm, it seems like maybe we shouldn’t say “can’t” until we’ve at least tried!

It is reflecting on positive results like these that gives us such resolve when life happens and, say, a bizarre November windstorm blows through and the plastic shreds off the high tunnel hoop house you were about to put all your young hens in for the winter…

Which leads me to another tangible, happy success that we managed to squeeze into the very tail end of 2022.

After the previous several crazy weeks of weather that we all just lived through, last week we were blessed with a CALM and SUNNY day which, in conjunction with the arrival of a few extra helping hands, allowed us to stretch new plastic over the hoop house. Whoop whoop!

Just a few more finishing touches and we’ll be ready to move in the 400 young hens that will start laying eggs for you in just over two months!!

On that note - as a supporter of small scale local food it’s no surprise to you that this time of year we run out of eggs early every week and not everyone can get as many as they want.

So here’s a fun fact so you don’t think ill of our resting hens… in 2022 they laid over 3,500 dozen eggs.

That’s 42,000 eggs! I guess they can have a short break. LOL.

In 2023 we look forward to continuing to be your direct connection to your food and to the earth that sustains us.

Here’s to all of us, in this crazy, beautiful life together!

We breathed a deep sigh of relief when we anchored the last stretch of the new plastic on the hoop house before the wind began to blow! Once that was done our hands were free to empty all the sawdust from the Farmhands' boots - the chickens are going to need it soon ;)

More from the blog

Top 3 Secrets for Great Kabobs (Recipe)

Top 3 Secrets for Great Kabobs (Recipe)

Have you grilled shish kabobs yet this summer? I have to say, they’re one of my favorites and something I look forward to making every year as soon as the sun starts to shine. Shish kabobs are simple, healthy and so perfectly suited to the fresh tastes of summer. Quick enough for a weeknight, they can also be prepped in advance for a sunny deck party. Their roots are in multiple culinary traditions. Sometimes they’re just called Skewers. In Greece they’re called Souvlaki, which is what I made this week for my family. So what are they? At the most basic level, shish kabobs are bits of meat and/or vegetables placed onto skewers and grilled. The combinations of ingredients and flavors are endless, so they easily suit dietary needs, flavor preferences, and whatever is fresh for the season. But there are a few ways kabobs can go wrong if you don’t have the right methods in place. To help you get it right and have the best eating experience, today I’m sharing my top 3 secrets for great kabobs. Follow these 3 top rules and I can nearly guarantee you’ll create a delicious outcome every time. 1. Remove any connective tissue from the meat before grilling. Skip this step and you’re going to be disappointed. Connective tissues, like the fascia and silver skin, add a nutritious element to stews - but are enemies to a quick cooking dish like kabobs. Leave them in the kabobs, and you’ll end up with a tough nightmare you can’t chew. So, depending on the cut you choose, make sure to carefully remove any connective tissue before cutting the meat into one inch cubes. Following this advice is especially imperative if choosing a more economical cut of beef, like London Broil, stew meat or Denver steaks. They are delicious and can make great kabobs, but the tradeoff is a bit of extra labor on your part. You don’t have to throw away the trimmed bits, either. Save them in the freezer to add extra flavor and nutrition to your next batch of bone broth. Or cut them up for your dog or cat – best friends for life! Now, don’t confuse undesirable connective tissue with intermuscular marbling. You can tell it’s connective tissue to be removed if the muscle pulls away on both sides (see photo). Marbling, on the other hand, is the thin white veins of fat that run through the muscle.  Marbling is delicious and highly desirable in kabobs. Leave it in! For the easiest to prepare and most tender bite, choose a quality steak like the New York Strip, Rib Eye or Top Sirloin. These cuts have very little, if any, connective tissue, so you’ll save the trimming step. Plus the NY and Rib Eye especially have the perfect amount of marbling to make for a super tender bite. Since our steaks are cut at 1” thick, all you need to do is finish cutting them into 1” cubes. Click here to buy steak for kabobs now. If you’re looking for a pork options, pork chops and kabobs are your best bet. They’re both delicious, but make sure to follow the rule on removing connective tissue when opting for the kabob. 2. Place meat on separate skewers from the vegetables. This is important because the vegetables are going to take waaaayyy longer to cook than the meat. Put them on the same skewers like in the pretty magazine pictures and you’re either going to have shoe-leather meat or raw vegetables. Which leads to… 3. Don’t overcook the meat. Overcooked, dried out meat is tough meat. I probably sound like a broken record on this point, but it’s so easy to get this step wrong. And it's important because I want you to enjoy every bite of our premium grass-fed beef - every time. So first grill those vegetables (the ones you placed on separate skewers) until they’re lovely and crisp-tender. Set them aside and THEN throw on the meat skewers. Now, don’t blink. Definitely don’t walk away to fill your drink, set the table, or mediate a kid dispute… In a flash, those succulent meat skewers will reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees. You’ll just have time to turn them and get lovely grill marks on all sides. Take them off the heat and rest them on a plate for 5 minutes. The internal temp will raise another 5 degrees and the meat juices will reabsorb for the most tender, juicy bite. Use a medium (not high) flame, for best results. Bonus Tips Get the family into the action. Cut up all the vegetables, toss them in olive oil, and then let everyone make their own skewers with whatever ingredients they prefer. When we made kabobs this last week, the Farmhands each made their own skewers and had so much fun in the process. Farmhand Vera eschewed the mushrooms. For Farmhand Eli, no onion. Farmhand Grace put on everything because that’s most fun  - especially the “vacchinnies” (translation: zucchini). And no one punctured their hand with the sharp skewers! At least after I showed them how to put the veggies on a cutting board instead of the palm of your hand :) Final flavor tip - Be sure to marinate the meat skewers for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. My absolute favorite marinade is from my Greek Souvlaki Recipe, because it complements both One Straw beef and pork without covering up the inherently luscious flavor. And don’t forget to make the tzatziki dressing from the same recipe. Drizzle it over the meat and vegetables on your plate. Then dust with parsley, salt and fresh ground pepper for the perfect finish. Are you hungry yet? I just finished up the last of our kabob leftovers for lunch and I’m wishing I’d made more… Click here to order beef or pork for kabobs now.

Read more
Seasoned Taco Meat (Recipe)

Seasoned Taco Meat (Recipe)

You’re gonna love this recipe for Seasoned Taco Meat. It’s a must-have if you're looking to put healthy, junk-free, delicious food on your table. It’s not just for tacos, either.

Read more
Return To Top

One Straw Ranch

  • PO Box 1012
    Chimacum WA 98325
  • (360) 531-0404
Stripe Payments