We come up short on a lot of things just about every day, but one thing that we’ve done really well is making sure to eat as a family pretty much every night.  Ok fine, so about two or three times a month it’s at La Herradurra, our go-to Mexican restaurant in Bloomington where all the servers know our son and that he wants guacamole the moment his butt connects with the booth.  And yeah sometimes we sneak in some boxed macaroni and cheese or make a frozen pizza because we’re just too exhausted to even think about making something.  But in the midst of all this imperfection, we’re still sitting down together.  

Tonight was one of those meals that you wait for all year.  We were able to make it using ingredients almost entirely from our farm and beef from my parents’ farm, just 8 miles away.  A steak salad might not seem like an amazing feat, but after all the work that was put in to getting it on our table, it tasted pretty darn amazing.  

Our farm stand officially opened today.  Currently we have lettuce and kale for sale, with many more veggies and flowers on their way soon.  

If you’re interested in some locally raised Black Angus beef, my parents have a few quarters and halves still available.  The cattle are currently hanging at the Chenoa Locker Plant where they will be aged for about two weeks before processing.  We buy a quarter of a heifer from them every year, and it lasts our family of three the whole year.  The cost is $2.30/lb.  A quarter would be approximately $350, plus the processing fee which is paid to the locker plant.  If you’re interested or have any questions, please contact Jim Fraley at fraley.farms@gmail.com.