Sweet Success

Woo! Superbowl!! As I sit at my brother’s Superbowl party reflecting upon this surprisingly beautiful, busy day, I’m thinking about community. I guess it takes a good snowstorm to get everyone to come together…instead of grumbling and moaning all day, my entire electricity-less neighborhood picked up shovels, released their well-behaved dogs and got to work on the whole road. Old ladies shoveled sidewalks, young men shoveled old ladies driveways and all the dogs played leash-free while their owners chatted, smiled and shoveled. Oh Charlottesville…could this place be anymore more wonderful?!

Speaking of wonderful community…everyone on the Relay team deserves a giant pat on the back (and maybe an extra large cookie) for sticking through the stickiest part of the storm to deliver groceries our snow-bound customers. The joy on our new friends faces when we told them that we did, indeed, trudge through the storm to deliver their bread, milk and pies, made the whole endeavor more than worthwhile. No injuries, no broken cars, not even a cracked egg…total success and total team bonding. Arnie actually had to yell at us to FORCE us to take a lunch break (complete with the most delicious Belle Haven soup bowls filled with Rev Soup and Fruit Harvest cookies from the lovely bakers at Foods).

I’d like to send out a giant thank you to all of our team members (Arnie, Ted, Tom, Jason, Lance, Dennis, Nancy, and Annick and Neal for their emotional support while they were snowed in), our retailers (especially Shelia from Belle Haven who made it all the way from Scottsville and Ronnie/Tim from Meadow Run Farm who trekked all the way over the mountain), and our customers for trusting us with their precious snowstorm vittles. THANK YOU ALL!

Happy Snowy Superbowl Sunday to you all!

AHH!

It’s comingggggg…Snowpocalypse P.2, Pandesnownium (my new fave from the Hook), Snoomsday, Snarmageddon, snnihilation, snowtastrophe…3 ft? 4 ft? I heard 10 feet! Really!! THIS IS GOING TO BE INSANEEE!

I’m feeling the snow day jitters. You know what I mean, they’re a vestige of your childhood that will NEVER ever leave. Yes, the adult in me is dreading all this snow, I’m already thinking about how long it’s going to take me to shovel out and how badly I just want to go to a nice restaurant tomorrow but I know it’s not going to happen. But, for some inexplicable reason, I’m excited. Really excited. Even though I know I’m not getting a snow day tomorrow and even though I know come day 2, day 3, day 8 (oh, I hope not…), I’m going to be miserable in my house, I just can’t wait.

Mostly, I think I’m excited to see how tomorrow plays out. All of us over here at Relay are going to be troopers tomorrow, the team spirit is infectious (do you feel it-all the way over there, wherever you are in internet land?). We’re going to rush around to our retailers in the morning, who will, I’m sure, be equally rushed with the Pandesnownium of last minute shoppers. Then we’ll find a way to get the trucks from our warehouse on River Rd. out to their pick-up locations while the rest of the team heads out in pairs to deliver orders (for free!) to anyone who can’t make it through the snow. Slip-sliding around Charlottesville with a car full of groceries has to be team bonding at its best.

Some way, some how, we’ll get your groceries to you so you’re not stranded and hungry for the weekend! I’m getting my order in tonight, partially because I just remembered that Sunday is the Superbowl (yikes, can we reschedule…) which means I’m going to spend some serious time thinking of Superbowl Snackies that I can (finger’s crossed) walk over to a neighborhood Superbowl party because we all know the best part of the Superbowl is the snacking and commercial watching…right?

Stay snafe and stay off the snroads!

Where's the beef?

I’m going to pretend this snow is not happening AGAIN and talk about something completely unrelated to this cold, white, miserable (though admittedly beautiful!) stuff draining my vitamin D stores (ps-according to this NYTimes article, vitamin D might not be the cure-all I’d love to think it is…).

SO, I’ve been reading up on grass-fed beef today and feel almost overwhelmed with all the information I’ve taken in, specifically from the Wolf Creek farm website. In case you don’t know, Wolf Creek is a sustainable beef cattle farm in Madison, VA run by John and Miyhe Whiteside (they prefer to be called ‘grass farmers’ rather than cattle farmers…). According to their website, they set out with three main objectives related to environmental stewardship and community, principles that are close to our hearts here at Relay:

First, to operate a farm that is completely sustainable as defined by the rural community in which we live, the families that live, work, and play on the farm, the ecological environment we occupy, and the customers who make it economically possible…Second, to produce an environment capable of sustaining healthy animals, as well as farm workers, neighbors, and customers who consume the by-products from our efforts. Third, to ensure that what we are doing brings enjoyment to our customers and other members of our community through our natural beef and other services.

Their site expounds upon their methods of sustainable grass farming as well as the health benefits of grass-fed beef. You should check out their site for full information and useful links/resources, but there are a few points that I noted while reading through. First, the folks at Wolf Creek utilize an interesting practice called Management Intensive Rotational Grazing (MIG). Essentially, it is a farming practice that is what it sounds like- farmers move their cattle among small paddocks every few days taking into account various environmental factors including herd size, soil richness, rainfall, time of year and, obviously, amount of grass. Unlike feedlot industrial farms, MIG farms require constant attention and care- thus the “management intensive” part. The cattle benefit from fresh, healthy grass, the grasses themselves benefit from a more natural “rest” period between feedings as well as chemical-free soil, and we all benefit from healthy, delicious, sustainable meat.

Another (not so surprising) tidbit I learned: grass-fed, natural meat is more nutritious for you. According and an eatwild article cited on the Wolf Creek site, grass-fed beef is: 1- lower in fat and calories, 2- includes extra Omega-3’s, 3- one of the richest known sources of CLA, 4- grass-fed beef is 4 times higher in Vitamin E than feedlot beef.

The prices are a bit higher for grass-fed beef than its ugly industrial feedlot cousin, as expected for a practice that includes such intensive farming methods. That said, as the Wolf Creek site explains, the benefits outweigh the costs, though you can be more economical by picking up the less expensive cuts of beef and cooking them with a little patience and car. This delightful article in the C’ville Abode by local chef and food advocate/consultant (as well as blogger) Lisa Reeder taught me that the tougher, less expensive meat is actually more flavorful than the cheaper, tender parts, it just takes a little extra love.

Thank you to the Whitesides for their stewardship of our Virginia land and to Lisa Reeder for letting me know how to eat responsibly raised local meat without destroying my budget!

Stay safe out there tonight, friends!