Happy homecoming - Gazette Journal

Former Mathews residents Constance Ober and Carlton Brooks returned when the Mathews Farmers’ Market opened this spring. They came with product in hand to show friends and neighbors what in 2006 had lured them away from “our adopted hometown of Mathews.”

Constance and Carlton are the owners and operators of Prospect Farm in central Virginia where they raise Black Angus and heritage Devon-Cross cows (an old heritage British breed), and process and sell the grass-fed beef.

Making the decision to change almost completely the lifestyle that they had enjoyed so very much in Mathews was perhaps always in the back of their minds. “Carlton had always wanted to be a teacher and I had a growing interest in natural farming methods as well as a concern about the quality of our food from conventional farming sources,” said Constance. After much thought those interests came together: “We decided that our lives’ next chapter would be in the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont. It was then we were able to purchase our 171-acre farm on the line of Buckingham and Cumberland counties.”

It has been a busy six years since this couple took on their dream projects. Carlton attended Longwood University receiving his teaching license and is teaching English at Buckingham County High School. Constance improved the soil and pastures of their old farm and started raising cattle. “We installed a new well and almost six miles of fencing to keep the cows out of the pond and creek to help clean them up; the creek runs into the Willis and James Rivers and ultimately, the Bay.”

Since Carlton leaves for school at 7 a.m. Constance says she spends her days in the fields “and some late nights.” At present the farm is host to about 60 head of cattle; 20 momma cows, 20 calves and 20 older steers and heifers. “Right now we have three groups to be rotated around the fields depending on the grass; mother and steers born last fall, steers that we are harvesting that were born almost two years ago and the weaned heifers that we will sell. We don’t give our cows any hormones or routine antibiotics but we do give them mineral supplements like magnesium and dried kelp to help keep them healthy.” There is no use of any chemical fertilizer or sewage sludge on the fields or any chemical weed-killer on Prospect Farm. All weeds that try to invade the pastures are bush hogged or hand cut.

Not only have Constance and Carlton learned how to make a success of farming (they also have vegetable, herb and flower gardens) they have maintained their excellence in cooking and have graciously shared rules on successfully cooking beef and some mighty good recipes. Their talents in and out of the kitchen have been appreciated for many years. They were featured in this column in the Gazette-Journal in 1988 and 2003.

View their website to see more about Prospect Farm and its beef: www.prospectfarm.us.

Constance writes: “Prospect Farm’s grass-fed beef is much leaner than the grain-fed meat you buy in the supermarket so you should cook our beef slightly differently to retain the meat’s natural tenderness and bold, juicy flavor. It’s a good idea to use the 50/30 Rule: 50 percent less heat and 30 percent less cooking time than for grain-finished beef. We recommend cast iron and stainless steel pans for oven and stove top cooking. Also, please be sure to marinate the very lean cuts such as flat iron steaks and London broil for 8 hours or overnight and braise cuts like bottom round roast to insure tenderness.”

PREPARING YOUR BEEF

To defrost the meat, put it in your refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours to allow ice crystals to thaw gradually and be absorbed into the meat before cooking. If you’re in a big hurry, you can submerge the meat in its vacuum packaging in a large bowl of cool water. Change the water every 10 minutes or so. Most steaks and ground beef will thaw in about 30 minutes this way.

Please don’t use the microwave to defrost or to cook. This can change the texture and flavor of the beef and make the meat less tender.

If possible, allow the meat to come to room temperature before you start cooking. Use salt to taste after cooking.

COOKING YOUR BEEF

It’s also a good idea to use a meat thermometer when you cook your grass-fed beef. Here are some general temperature guidelines to follow:

Rare: 120°
Medium rare: 125°
Medium: 130° Beef may look pinker than you’re used to because there is less fat.
Well-done: 140° Not recommended. Please try medium and use a marinade or brush with olive oil and cook as carefully as possible. Grass-fed beef cooks quickly: your steak can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked in less than a minute.

After cooking, let the meat sit, loosely covered, for at least 5-10 minutes before serving (longer on a large roast). This allows moisture to be redistributed in the beef, and it minimizes moisture loss through steam in very hot beef.

Special tips for burgers: Form the patties quickly and gently, over-handling will dry out your burgers. Don’t pat or flatten patties as you cook –that forces out the savory juices. Because our beef burgers are so lean you might brush them with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil as you cook to keep them from sticking. Remember to salt the meat after cooking.

Steaks are best when cooked rare to medium-rare. Do not turn them until the juices are showing on the top of the beef, then only turn once with tongs. It tastes great if you use a steakhouse trick and put a pat of real butter on top of each steak while it’s cooking. Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes before eating. If you’re grilling out, please don’t throw a grass-fed steak on a roaring blaze: medium and then low heat are best. REMEMBER: very lean cuts like flank steak need to be marinated.

Using a slow cooker: A slow cooker can be your best friend when you cook lean, grass-fed cuts. All your favorite recipes using slow, moist cooking are appropriate and are especially good for leaner roasts. Just remember to keep the heat on low and adjust the cooking time, because most recipes assume you bought your meat at the supermarket. Taste frequently during the slow-cooking process.

Roasts on the stove or in the oven: If you plan to cook a roast in the oven or to pan-fry it, it helps to sear the beef in a hot pan before cooking it over a low-to-medium heat. This locks in juices and flavor and makes a big difference in your dining experience.

Reduce the temperature of your grain-fed beef recipes by 50 degrees. This usually means around 275 degrees for roasting. Use moisture from sauces to add to the tenderness when cooking your roast.