10 Tips to help relieve stress

At this time, in this year, many of our customers are dealing with high levels of stress. With that in mind, I have compiled a list of 10 helpful tips that may assist in easing some of your stress.

1. Try to live one day at a time - Do not increase today’s anxieties by adding tomorrow’s to them. Quite often things do not turn out the way we may fear they will.

2. Identify what stresses you and note your thoughts, feelings and behavior. Can you eliminate those things or reduce their impact? If you can’t eliminate them, can you change your perspective? Can you change thoughts like “I HAVE to...” into something more positive like “I GET to…”?

3. Treat yourself kindly - Do not make harsh or unrealistic demands on yourselves. Don't belittle or malign yourself!

4. Set priorities - This will help you focus on the important things and it will reveal which ones you can put off, delegate, or even eliminate.

5. Develop healthful habits - Rest, sleep, spirituality, exercise, eat nutritious food, enjoy nature etc

6. Try to be organised - Make a practical schedule, and make every effort to stick to it. Identify and correct any attitudes that cause you to procrastinate.

7. Do not be a perfectionist - be modest and avoid setting unrealistically high standards for yourself or others. Keeping a sense of humour will relieve stressful situations and brighten the mood.

8. Keep technology in its place - avoid unnecessarily checking emails, texts and social media.

9. Be forgiving - In the Journal of Health Psychology, Loren Toussaint states that “stress degrades [health] and forgiveness protects health.”

10. Get support - Ask for help. Can you delegate a task or share the workload? Talk things over with an understanding friend. Getting professional help is not an admission of failure.

Best Stew Recipe: Stewing Steak, Chuck Steak, Gravy Beef

Ingredients:

1.5-2 kg stewing beef, cubed.

1-5 tsp salt

2 tbls plain flour

1.5 tsp paprika

3 Tblsp tomato paste

2 tsp Herbs of Provence*

2-3 cloves garlic

2 cups red wine

2 cups beef broth/stock

2 bay leaves

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes

3 cups course chopped onions

2 cups sliced carrots

2 tbls plain flour,

water

2 tbls balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1 cup frozen peas.

Method:

Combine beef, salt and flour, mix well, shake off excess

Brown beef in olive oil over medium heat.

Set aside

In a pan used for browning the meat, add a little more oil, add paprika, tomato paste, Herbs of Provence and garlic; cook until fragrant and darkens in colour

Add 2 cups red wine; simmer until reduced a little

Add beef broth and 2 bay leaves; bring to the boil

Return meat to pan and bring back to the boil.

Cover and put into oven for 2 hrs (180 degrees c)

Then add peeled, cubed potatoes, course chopped onions, sliced carrots; cover and place back in oven another 1 hr or more until veggies are tender.

Mix together plain flour, water and balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar); stir to a paste. Then stir into stew.

Add frozen peas.

Serve.

*Herbs of Provence

Combinations of; Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Chervil (optional), Marjoram, Oregano, ground Bay leaves

Osso Bucco with Red Wine and Port

Beef Brisket, Beef Cheeks, Oxtail, and Chuck Steak are all suitable to use in this recipe.

This Stew is best made a day ahead and refrigerated to set the fat, which can then be removed from the surface of the stew

Ingredients:

serves 8

2 kg Osso Bucco into 5cm pieces (can be left whole)

2 Tblsp plain flour

2 Tblsp vegetable oil

12 brown pickling onions (480g)

2 medium carrots (240g) chopped coarsley

1 stalk celery (150g) trimmed, sliced thickly

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 cups (375ml) dry red wine

2 cups (500ml) port

2 cups (500ml) beef stock

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 dried bay leaf

Method:

Trim excess fat from Osso Bucco; toss Osso Bucco in flour to coat, shake off excess.

Heat half the oil in large frying pan; cook Osso Bucco in batches, until browned. Transfer to a 4.5 litre (18 cup) slow cooker

Meanwhile, peel onions, leaving root ends intact.

Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring, about 5 minuted or until vegetables are browned lightly. Add wine and port to pan; bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered until reduced to 1 cup. Transfer to cooker with stock, thyme and bay leaf. Cook, covered on low 8 hours

Discard thyme and bay leaf. Remove Osso Bucco; cover to keep warm. Cook sauce, uncovered on high about 30 mins or until thickened. Skim fat from surface. Season to taste. Return Osso Bucco to sauce to heat through.

Serve with potato, celeriac or parsnip puree.

Suitable to freeze. Pack Osso Bucco and sauce in a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Topside Roast recipe with Herbs and Veggies

INGREDIENTS

• SERVES 6

1.2 kg Regenerative Farms topside roast

12 French shallots, peeled, halved

3 large carrots, peeled, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1/4 cup fresh herbs (we used thyme, rosemary, oregano), finely chopped

1 1/2 cups (375ml) beef stock

1/2 cup (125ml) red wine

800g potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces

20g butter, cubed

1/3 cup full-cream milk

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

Steamed sugar snap peas and home made gravy, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 240°C (220° fan-forced).

2. Arrange shallots and carrots in a large roasting pan. In a small bowl combine oil, garlic, mustard and herbs. Season, stir to combine and spread over beef. Place beef on top of vegetables and pour stock and wine around the base.

3. Place beef in oven and reduce heat immediately to 200°C (180° fan-forced). Roast in oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until cooked to your liking, covering top of roast with foil if over browning. Remove roast from oven, set beef aside on a tray and cover with foil. Rest for 15 minutes. Return vegetables to oven for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to saucepan. Season. Mash with butter and milk until smooth. Stir through parmesan.

5. Slice beef and serve with shallots, carrots, parmesan mash, sugar snaps and gravy.

TIPS

1. The herb crust will work well on any of our beef roast cut.

2. Use any combination of fresh herbs you like for the crust.

3. For a creamier mash, add more milk.

Thanks Australian Beef for this recipe

How to cook the perfect Hanger Steak

Hanger steak is a beautiful and tender cut that usual gets made into mince. Thats if the butcher doesn’t keep it for himself. You rarely see it offered in the butcher shop. One animal does not yield much of this tender cut, so if you see it offered in one of our packs, snap it up quick!

Here is how to cook this little known cut and elevate it from the unknown into prime cut territory.

Key: Dont overcook it! It is lean and tender so treat it with respect.

Bring your steak out early and let it get to room temperature.

Cook it quickly in a hot pan.

Let it rest, covered, for half the time it cooked for.

Once it has rested, salt and pepper it to your liking, not before.

Enjoy its robust flavour complimented by mustards, cheese, wine, roasted potatoes and garlic mushrooms.

Girello Roast with Rosemary and Mustard

Ingredients:

1x Girello roast 850g

3x fresh Rosemary sprigs, chopped

1 tbls mustard seeds

Salt and Pepper

Lard/oil

Method:

Heat lard/oil in a cast iron pan. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius

Seal beef on all sides in the hot pan or BBQ

Combine rosemary, mustard, salt and pepper and pour on a tray. Roll the hot beef in herb mixture.

Place on an oven tray and cover with foil.

Place in a hot oven at 170/180 degrees Celsius for 40 mins. Longer for a bigger roast

Remove from the oven and allow to rest, covered, for half the time it cooked

Slice thinly and enjoy hot or have it cold the next day on sandwiches or with a fresh salad.

Moroccan Osso Bucco

Ingredients

¼ cup plain flour

2 tbsp Moroccan seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 pieces osso bucco (1.2 kg)

¼ cup olive oil

2 onions, thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

2 tbsp honey

1 bunch Dutch carrots, 
 trimmed, washed

1 cinnamon stick

Couscous and lemon wedges, 
to serve

Topping

½ cup finely chopped fresh coriander

2 tsps thinly shredded lemon rind

Method

1. Combine flour, seasoning and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dust Osso Bucco pieces in flour mixture, one at a time, shaking off excess.

2. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in 
a large, flameproof casserole 
dish (24-cup capacity) over 
a medium to high heat. Add beef in two batches. Cook for about 
4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove.

3. Add remaining oil, onions and garlic to same dish. Cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium heat until soft. Add paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in stock and honey. Return beef to the dish with carrots and cinnamon stick. Bring to boil. Cover with lid.

4. Cook in a moderately slow oven (160C) for about 2 hours, or until meat is tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Season.

5. To make topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

6. Serve osso bucco with couscous and lemon wedges. Sprinkle 
over topping.

Thanks New Idea Food for great inspiration

A little activity to help entertain the kids while in Melbourne lockdown

Restrictions are lifting here in regional Victoria. We are grateful for that and thankful for all your support!

But we are still thinking of everyone in Melbourne continuing to endure lockdown. So here is a little activity to help keep the kids occupied, and bring the farm to your home.

Ignore the mess, embrace the chaos and enjoy turning your living room into a paddock and having these farm animals roam the carpet.

Print off, cut out, colour in and stick theses animals together to bring the farm to you.

Why not take some photos and email them back to us? We would love to see them!!

info@re-genfarms.com

Enjoy and hang in there!

#clickforvic #lockdownactivitiesforkids #melbournekids #lockdownactivities #farmactivities

How to cook a T-Rex 2in thick rib eye steak to perfection

So you have opened your pack and been blown away by your 2in thick RibEye!

Your mouth is watering, but how do you cook this delicious cut and do it justice?

Here is a simple recipe from Damn Delicious that will have you cooking like a world famous steakhouse.

Grab the cast iron pan out of the camping kit and give it a go.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 x Regenerative Farms bone-in ribeye steak, 2-inch-thick, at room temperature

• Kosher salt (salt flakes) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 cloves garlic, smashed

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

• Using paper towels, pat both sides of the steak dry; season generously with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

• Heat a medium cast iron skillet over medium high heat until very hot, about 1-2 minutes; add  a generous knob of butter.

• Place the steak in the middle of the skillet and cook, turning every 2-3 minutes, until a dark crust has formed on both sides, about 12-14 minutes.

• Reduce heat to medium low. Push steak to one side of the skillet; add butter, garlic, thyme and rosemary to opposite side of the skillet, tilting the skillet towards the butter and cooking until butter is foaming, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

• Working carefully, spoon butter and herb mix over steak for 1-2 minutes, turning over once, until it reaches an internal temperature of 49 degrees C for medium rare, or until desired doneness. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Alternatively:

Sear both sides in your pan.

Cover with foil and into a moderate oven (180-200) for 15-20mins.

Let it rest for half the time it cooked.

Cut it away from the bone, then slice it into portions.

Enjoy it with your loved ones.

Beef Box Special $230. SOLD OUT

While no one can get out and about at the moment, you can still order the products that you love via our online store to enjoy from your home.

And what a great deal we have for you!

A wide selection of our delicious meat for only $230 delivered.

Order today and have it delivered to your door this Thursday 3rd or Friday 4th Sept

Box includes, approx. weights given:

• Mix of Prime cuts (1.2kg): Scotch, Porterhouse, Rib eye or Eye fillet. Comes in packs of 2

• Mix of Beef roasts (3kg): Top side, silverside etc

• Mix of delicious Slow cook options (2kg): Osso Bucco, casserole steak, brisket etc

• BBQ delights (1kg): Schnitzels, oyster blade etc

• Premium preservative free mince (2kg): 500g packs

#clickforvic #vicproduce #visitvictoria #visitmelboune #supportthefarmer

Get in now for spring!

Our next orders will be going out start of September

Spring will be here before you know it.

Pay your deposit now to secure your order

Looking to stretch your legs around Melbourne? Come visit us at our farm in Woodend.

Time to get outside and say g’day to The cows

Now that restrictions have eased, we would love to see you… from a safe distance…. at our farm!

Join our wait list for farm tours here

Come learn where your food comes from and meet the farmers.

Breath the fresh air and enjoy the open spaces.

Check out the view and just relax.

While you are here, visit the peaceful tournship of Woodend, its just 5 mins down the road!

Re-gen Farms is just one hour west of Melbourne, down the Calder Hwy. Cant wait to see you!

Join our wait list for farm tours here

Regards

Farmer Steph

What our farm has taught us about disease

As COVID19 surges forth in a second wave here in Victoria, I thought I would share our experience.

This season one of our smaller herds of cattle was struck hard with a virus. 

(This virus only affects cattle. The meat is fit for human consumption, although we choose to remove those effected from our herd)

It affected most of the unborn calves. It turns out the newly expectant mums were unwittingly exposed to the disease in the early stages of their pregnancy. We lost 4 calves at birth. And the ones that survived were very weak and lethargic. We didn’t know what had happened. 

After a lot of time, money, blood samples and tissue cultures, we have been able to narrow down where the virus came from. Just ONE animal in the whole herd was a carrier of the virus. She showed no ill effects of the disease. This one cow was asymptomatic, yet she has had such an impact on our next generation and our bottom line!

Fortunately for us we had that smaller herd quarantined away from other animals. If we hadn’t done that, the impact on us financially would have been devastating. Not to mention the emotional struggle it is to see animals not at peak health and happiness. 

So what have we learned?

Although quarantine and restrictions can be difficult, time consuming, expensive, frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking, it is worth it. 

Because the meat is still fit for human consumption, many people ignore the problem. Putting up with weak, sickly and underperforming animals. Shrugging it off as a bad year. They don’t want to put the work in to eliminate the problem. This only acts to spread the disease. Now it’s estimated that up to 50% of all herds in Australia have the disease. 

We are glad we have done the hard work, stuck with it, and eliminated the threat. Now that we have come out the other side we are much better equipped to limit outbreaks in the future. We are proud that none of our animals have the virus. None of our animals are now asymptomatic and carrying the disease. We hold our heads high knowing we are not perpetuating the problem.

Once again we can stand by the quality of our product. Not just because it is healthy, tasty and delicious (it has always been that) but because we are proud to be doing the right thing by the animals in our care and the community we service. 

Coronavirus quarantine has been lifting in our communities and we were glad to see people out and about again. Please keep our experience in mind. It only takes one carrier, with no symptoms, to have a devastating effect on others. 

Now there is a second wave imminent, there is no need to panic. Join our waiting list for delicious farm fresh beef to fill your freezer. We will do our best to fill your need as quick as possible.

No matter what happens, please continue to stay safe and think of others. 

When the time is right, we would love to see you stretch your legs on our farm. Visit the peaceful township of Woodend (1hr west of Melbourne) and enjoy the fresh air and open spaces as I take you around our farm.

Why not join the waiting list for a farm tour.  Join the list HERE

Regards

Farmer Steph

Join our waiting list

Due to high demand at this time, we have started a waiting list for our delicious beef. Join the queue

Help in times of need.

Due to high demand, we have started a waiting list. Join the list here

Dont panic! There is no shortage of meat!

We’ve all been worried about how to deal with the conditions we now find ourselves in. How do we still provide for our families and keep them safe at the same time?

At Re-Gen Farms we are here to help!

In order to keep contact down and still eat wholesome nourishing food, you can purchase a 1/4 or 1/2 side of delicious GRASS FED BEEF to fill your freezer, and have it delivered to your door!

We look forward to seeing you… from a distance…. in the near future.

Regards Farmer Steph