Last Updated on February 18, 2017 by Patricia Carter
Sharing an EASY 4th of July Fruit Roundup, and a Grassfed Burger recipe, for party & picnic ideas, although honestly, these are fun & fabulous anytime!
And the best part… absolutely NO artificial colorings, artificial flavorings, or additives! Nature is providing all!
Tip: Just dip banana slices in lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
Berries… please buy organic as they are on EWG’s Dirty List:
For the pie recipe… please don’t use canola oil… just use coconut oil!!! You will soon see the post detailing transfat (and other) problems with canola oil — all industrial seed oils for that matter!
Burger thoughts
For mouthwatering burgers:
Mouthwatering Grassfed Burgers
Notes
Read about the benefits of grassfed meat at: Eat Wild, Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products and A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of grassfed ground meat (we use 1 lb —95% lean to 2 lbs — 85% )
- 2 large cloves of finely diced garlic
- about 1/2 cup of diced red onions
- sea salt and pepper to suit your taste preferences.
Instructions
- Briefly blend all ingredients using your fingers so as to not toughen burgers.
- Shape into 4 - 1/2 diameter sized burgers.
- Grill over medium heat flipping every 3 minutes, until reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. NOTE: Once you reach 160 degrees F, the burgers quickly reach 165 degrees F so watch closely. Once burgers reach 165F, they should no longer be pink inside; do not char outside of meat.
- Remove burgers from the heat, and allow to rest a few minutes so that juices can meld.
We source our grassfed products from Edwin and Dawn Shank and the Family Cow Team which you can find more about at Your Family Farmer or Family Cow. They are out of Chambersburg, PA, but service nine surrounding states if I correctly recall Edwin’s conversation. They are really a special group of farmers that I am forever grateful for.
There are differences in the fatty acid content of grassfed beef compared to grain fed. The PMC Nutrition Journal, A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef, summarizes much of these differences which will give grass-fed beef a distinct grass flavor and unique cooking qualities that should be considered when making the transition from grain-fed beef. The focus of this post is not to detail these differences, but if you are not aware of such, it is a good article to read. So too is Eat Wild, Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products.
A great read (it is at my local library) for the unique cooking techniques for grassfed animal products can be found at: “Long Way on a Little: An Earth Lover’s Companion for Enjoying Meat, Pinching Pennies and Living Deliciously,” by Shannon Hayes. Grassfed and pastured products require non-conventional preparation and cooking to bring out their tender deliciousness. This is the resource that shows how to do such. The author does not slant the book in any particular direction, for those who are either gluten or dairy-intolerant, or downright Paleo-based in their diet, but there is an extra appendix listing recipes that are grain- dairy- or legume-free. And for those for whom carbohydrates are medically a challenge (diabetics), there are carb counts for each and every recipe. She explains the reasons why you want to consume grassfed and pastured products and includes how to make bone broth. In addition two unusual chapters, “Leftovers and Soups” and “Heads, Tails, and Other Under-Appreciated Treasures” provide recipes that extend these foods and saves you money eating grassfed and pastured products. This is much more than a cookbook… this explains good farming practices and the love of farmers for the earth and the animals they raise helping you better understand how health is so intimately connected to the food quality we eat.
Hoping you have a Happy Holiday!
Be safe, soak up some sun and D3, go for a run (or other moves), play with the kidos, laugh with friends and family. and eat well!
Tastefully in health,
