Join us for Mexican Fiesta during Friday Night Dinner on the Deck!

Break out your sombreros and head to the farm this Friday from 5-8pm, for the hippest, happiest organic Mexican Fiesta north of the border. The chipotle and agave nectar glazed Gunthorpe Farms pork chops or vegetarian stuffed poblano chilies with corn on the cob and Jicama slaw will delight your taste buds. And the festive music with maracas to your ears!

For the kids, we have pulled pork in a sweet BBQ (on the side) with local corn on the cob. 

Beverages: Choice of iced tea, lemonade or water

Opening for Mediterranean Night next Thursday!

On September 10th, we will begin Thursday Mediterranean Dinners in The Loft. Mediterranean food IS comfort food; and we can't think of a more comfortable place to enjoy the roasted, mouth-watering flavors of the Mediterranean than in the LOFT on Thursday nights! We'll pair each dish with a regional wine that accentuates its unique flavors.

Mediterranean Menu highlights:
***Traders Point Farm Roast Provencal. slow braised 100% grassfed beef roast with TPC heirloom tomatoes, capers, garlic and white wine
***Paella Traditional. saffron infused organic bomba rice with our garden fresh bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, onions, carrots and beans, all topped with a blend of TPC Fleur de la Terre and Manchego cheeses.

Tuesday Tapas Night features a great selection of organic tapas and half-price bottles of wine. Also, join us for Wednesday Organic Pizza Night and next week's new Thursday Mediterranean Night. The mediterranean menu is influenced by fresh, southern European dishes. Friday night come by for Dinner on the Deck, which always includes a different menu accompanied by live music.

Watch for more dinner menus and nights beginning in October!

Dinners in The Loft begin at 6 pm until 9:30 pm. Dinner on the Deck is served from 5 pm until 8 pm.

Grass-Fed Beef: Part II - How to Make It DELICIOUS!

Grass-fed beef is leaner than regular meat, however, the fat it does have is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  This means grass-fed burgers are much healthier than grain-fed, but require a little extra TLC when cooking.  We've gathered some tips for cooking the perfect grass-fed burger:

• Watch out for overcooking!  Because grass-fed beef is extremely low in fat, it will be tough and dry if cooked like grain-fed beef. Dial back both the heat and the temperature - experiment to find the perfect combination.  If you like a well-done burger, you might want to cook at a very low temperature and add some sauce to keep your burger moist.
• Temperature - reduce by about 50 degrees from what you would use to cook a grain-fed burger.
• Time - reduce cooking time by about 30% of what you would use to cook a grain-fed burger. 
• To seal in moisture, try searing your burger quickly on higher heat and then reducing the heat for the rest of the cooking process. 
• Bring meat to room temperature before cooking...do not cook it straight from a refrigerator.
  
• Pre-heat the grill or pan before placing your burger on it.  In fact, we'd recommend heating that grill a little hotter than needed and doing a quick "sear" on both sides of the burger to seal in the juices.  Be sure to turn the heat down as soon as you put that burger on the grill, so that the "sear" doesn't turn into over-cooking. 
• You may want to coat your burger, grill, and/or pan with a little bit of oil.  We like a nice garlic-flavored oil!
• Add caramelized onions, olives, roasted peppers, or Trader's Point Creamery cheese to your burgers while they cook will help add some moisture (and more yumminess) to the burgers while they cook.
• Remove the burgers from the heat source about 10 degrees before they reach the desired temperature (this may be hard to gauge for burgers, so just remember to pull them before you think they'd be done).
• If practical, use a thermometer to test for doneness.  Since grass fed beef cooks quickly, your burger can go from perfect to overcooked in less than a minute!
  
• Use tongs for turning the burgers - a fork can piece the meat and release precious juices.
• After cooking, remove burgers from the heat souce and let them sit covered in a warm place for 5-7 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
  
  

You can purchase grass-fed beef at our Farm Store, and enjoy a healthy (and delicious) burger more often!

Grass-Fed Beef Chili is Back!

The dish is back by popular demand! Our organically raised 100% grass-fed beef is available beginning September 9th. It's delicious and healthy, so come in for a bowl today!

Safari Rides

Take a ride on TPC's new safari Range Rover! Spend thirty minutes discovering all parts of the farm. Safari rides are followed by a special trip to the dairy bar for a sweet treat. 

Stop by on Friday nights or Sunday afternoons to enjoy our new attraction!

Rides are $10 per person.

Green Market's Holiday Weekend

Eat in Style for the Last Holiday Weekend of Summer

Look no further than our Friday Green Market to find everything you need for your Labor Day weekend picnics or cookouts. Our vendors have all the ingredients for a true “last blast” of summer. Swiss Connection has you meat lovers covered with a Barbecue Boxed Set special loaded up with 3 pounds of beef patties and your choice of 3 pounds of sirloin, ribeye, or strip steaks, all at $10 off the regular price. Leave room on the grill for Bluffwood Creek’s sweet corn and summer squash-hot pepper-candy onion kabobs from Redwine Farm. Or, go deliciously vegetarian by sautéing one of several varieties of eggplant offered by Life Farm and serving it up with a hearty salad from the greens and herbs at Seldom Seen Farm topped with a riot of colorful tomato slices from New Leaf Farm. Countryside Orchard has the perfect complementary beverage for any outdoor meal with their fresh apple cider. If cooking isn’t in your game plan, pair the new Mamie’s Chicken Veggie Pie from Daina’s Petite Pies with a serving of Feast Catering’s Ginger Almond Peach Dumplings and a side of Kelsey’s cultured veggies for a delicious dinner that takes no effort at all (well, you will have to lift a fork!). While wandering the market, enjoy a dish of Trader’s Point Creamery’s award-winning ice cream in your choice of flavors, and find yourself instantly in a holiday mood!

Vendors attending this week:

* Aboubakar Allal - handmade silver, leather and wooden works, as well as traditional drums from Niger, Africa

* Bluffwood Creek Organic Farm and Apiary -honey sticks, hand cream, lipbalm, honey candy, bee pollen, honey, and SWEET CORN

* Countryside Orchard – Honey Crisp, Scarlet Gala and Sansa apples; also APPLE CIDER and CANTALOUPE
this week

* Daina's Petite Pies - single serving dinner and dessert pies made with premium local meats and vegetables. Back for a return engagement: Bangers and Mash Pie, made with Swiss Connection cheese and sausage, and ANOTHER NEW PIE: Mamie’s Chicken Veggie, a chicken version of shepherd’s pie

* Feast Catering - a variety of tamales, sweets, salsas, PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES and GINGER ALMOND PEACH DUMPLINGS

* Fields of Agape - chemical-free grains (Omega III golden flax, hard red wheat berries, hard white wheat berries); free flour grinding while you wait

* Flower Child Aromatherapy – Not at market this week, but you can catch Jackie and her soaps at Good Earth Natural Foods in Broad Ripple. Call ahead at
254-8604

* Harvest Cafe Coffee Company - freshly brewed coffee, a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans or freshly ground beans, loose tea, iced tea and iced mochas

* Kelsey's Cultured Foods - cultured organic vegetables

* Life Farm - certified organic produce. Look for new items each week as the season progresses

* Litterally Divine Toffee and Truffles-chocolate and vegan truffles (made with organic ingredients) and almond toffee (both vegan and organic), coffee toffee made with Harvest Cafe Coffee's beans, and ice cream toppings

* Magnolia Mill Farm – green beans, eggplant, squash, peppers and OKRA

* New Leaf Farm - pledge-organic produce, including zucs, tomatoes, summer squash, bell peppers, jalapenos and cucumbers

* Pet Lover’s Organic Bakery - handmade organic pet treats; 50% of sales go to benefit the Humane Society

* Phelps Family Farm - a variety of beef and pork meats, sausages and eggs

* Pilates Wellness Studio - Reflexology; health and wellness information

* Redwine Farm - farm fresh eggs, hot sauce and pepper seasoning, sweet candy onions, summer squash, heirloom and red tomatoes, yellow cherry and grape tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, green and yellow beans, eggplant and KALE

* Seldom Seen Farm - transitional organic produce. This week's features are gourmet lettuce mix, topped beets sold by the pound, shallots, bulb onions, heirloom and red tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, arugula, various bunched mustard greens, cilantro, parsley, summer squash, pea shoots, bell peppers in red, purple, green, SUNFLOWERS, FLOWER BOUQUETS, and limited quantities of GREEN AND YELLOW BEANS

* Seven Springs Farm - beef, chicken (whole and parts), eggs, popcorn. Now taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys!

* The Swiss Connection - unique (and delicious) cheeses, meats (including beef sausage products) and ice cream, plus a variety of pet products. This week’s feature: BARBECUE BOXED SETS including 3 pounds beef patties and 3 pounds of steak cuts at $10 off the retail price

* Trader's Point Creamery - organic milk, ice cream, pourable yogurt, artisan cheeses, eggs, and ground beef

* Valentine Hill Farm - variety of whole grain breads, English muffins, Mediterranean Herb and Thai basil pastas, European style lemon pound cake and spritz cookies (all made with certified organic ingredients)

* Zen Sheep Farm – certified organic lamb cuts, fresh tarragon and thai basil, plus organic wool pillows, yarn and roving

Recipe of the Week

Since tomatoes and basil are both in season, this served-cold yogurt soup seemed like just the thing to showcase the flavors of late summer!

YOGURT SOUP WITH TOMATO AND BASIL

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 clove garlic, diced 
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 cups stock (chicken, beef, or vegetarian), or substitute water in a pinch
• large handful of basil leaves
• 2 cups Trader's Point Creamery Whole Milk Yogurt
• 2 large tomatoes, (or a pint of the flavor-popping cherry tomatoes), diced and salted to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. 

Let cool to room temperature and puree in blender or food processor for 30 seconds. Add basil, and salt and pepper to taste and blend for another 30 seconds. Add yogurt and pulse to mix. Serve chilled with a few spoonfuls of tomatoes on top. 

Quote of the Week

I don't believe it's a matter of luck or chance that grassfed products have so many of the good fats but so few of the bad. In fact, I'll wager that the more that is discovered about fat in the coming years, the more grassfed meat will shine. The reason for my confidence is simple: our bodies are superbly adapted to this type of food. In the distant past, grassfed meat was the only meat around. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors either brought home a grazing ruminant such as elk, deer, or bison, or a predator that preyed on those animals. Either way, the nutrients found in grass made their way into the animals' flesh, and ultimately, into our own.

Jo Robinson, author of Pasture Perfect

Upcoming Events

September 10-Thursday Mediterranean Night in the Loft, begins weekly from 6-9:30 pm.

September 11-Luau on the Farm! Fabulous Organic Pig Roast...Live Music and more...!

September 18-Mangia Italian!...live music and more...!

September 26-Chuckwagon Chili Cookout!

October 3-Saturday Night Candlelight Dinners in The Loft, begins weekly from 6-9:30 pm.

October 11-Sunday Night Family Style Dinners in The Loft, begins weekly from 6-9:30 pm.

October 18-OKTOBERFEST ON THE FARM! Begins at noon until 5 pm. Stop by for German brats, beer and wine, PolkaBoy Band, Hayrides, the Pumpkin Patch and more!!!