Gibson Farms

2013-02-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

GMO Labeling

A majority of the articles I read from the sustainable farming community are related to the possible dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food. Most of the GMO products on the market have been genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides such as round up. Most of the chemicals to kill weeds in our lawns and gardens are non-selective killers; roundup will kill all vegetation including the grass. Scientist have genetically modified crops like corn and soybeans to be resistant to roundup. Is it safe? No one seems to know for sure. The companies that produce the herbicide have performed the only testing on GMO crops, they say yes it is perfectly safe. Opponents of GMOs do not believe adequate independent testing has been performed on GMOs to determine if they are safe, or not. The possible dangers of eating GMO products seem to far outweigh the benefits of the product. I encourage everyone to do his or her own research. Both sides seem to be at an impasse. The companies that produce GMO seeds will not allow their products to be tested by independent labs, and the opposition is adamantly opposed to the product being incorporated into our food supply with out more testing and research.

The logical solution seems to be let the consumer decide. The opponents of GMO are asking that all GMO be listed on the label required on our food. Those companies supporting GMO are opposed to required labeling; their argument against labeling GMOs is that additional labeling will increase the cost of our food. The companies opposed to GMO labeling felt so strongly about keeping the cost of food down that they spent more than 60 million dollars in the fight to prevent GMO labeling. What’s that going to do to the price of corn? This past November, California put the GMO labeling issue on the ballot to let the residents decide weather or not the GMO label was to be required by law. The notion to require GMO labeling was defeated, mostly because of the 60 million dollar media campaign opposed to GMO labeling. I wonder, if this stuff is really safe and no different from organic corn, why are they resisting the testing, why are they opposed to labeling?

Why am I writing my first blog this year about GMO labeling? Did you know that more that 90% of the corn grown in this country is of the genetically modified variety ? Do you know that more than 50% of the corn produced is for animal feed? Do you know that just about every meat product you buy in the mega grocery chains has spent half of their life eating the genetically modified grain? Why is this something to be concerned about? The old saying” you are what you eat” applies to the beef you buy. More importantly “you are what you eat, eats”. If the meat you feed you family has spent half of its life eating GMO feed, is there any danger in consuming the beef? I really don’t have the answer. More research is required. I know what I choose, a diet of organic grass fed meats and vegetables, and plenty of exercise. It is the best health insurance plan you can buy, and until we know for sure the GMOs are safe or not, I refuse to buy them.

Farm Tour

2012-06-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to all that visited Gibson Farms during the Carolina Farm Stewardship Upstate Farm Tour. I met lots of great people, gave many hay ride tours around the farm, and handed out many samples of our grass fed organic beef. I was exhausted after the weekend but felt energized by all of the kind words of support for our sustainable organic farm.

Things that make you wonder.....

During the farm tour I had intended to conduct a blind taste test of our organic grass fed beef verses some conventional cuts of grain fed beef purchased from a local grocery store. I was not able to do the taste test because I sold out of all all of my New York Strip Steaks before I had a chance to pull some for the taste test. I purchased the grain fed cuts of New York strip on Friday before the tour. The package had a sell by date of June 7th, two days after the tour. On Monday June 6th, I was moving things around in the fridge and noticed that the New York Strips that I purchased had turned color, from bright red to almost brown in just two days in the fridge. I opened one of the packages and noticed that the steaks had a rancid smell and realized that the steaks had spoiled over the weekend, even before the "sell by date" on the package. It made me wonder why. I have thawed many packages of Gibson Farms beef in the fridge and have left it in the fridge for a lot longer before cooking and have yet to see a package turn color and spoil . After a little research I think I have found the answer but I would love to hear thoughts and comments and opinions on why the steaks purchased from the store spoiled so quickly.

The weeks ahead

Looking forward to being at the new Filling Station Market in Anderson on Tuesday, June 12.

Clemson Area Farmer's Market every Friday from 3:30 pm till 6:30 PM

Downtown Greenville Market every Saturday from 8am till noon.

Slow Food Earth Market in Greenville every 3rd Thursday of each month from 3pm till 7pm.

Clemson Area Food Exchange and North East Georgia Locally Grown every weekend.

Saturday June 30th and July 1st, Georgia Mountain Farm Tour. Gibson Farms will be featured on the tour on Sunday July 1st.

Featured in Farm Stewardship News

2012-06-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

This spring there was a wonderful write up about our farm in the CFSA's Stewardship News. They graciously let us share the article with you. Thank you to Janette Wesley of Slow Food Upstate for the write-up.

Click here to read online

or

click here to download the pdf.

[Recipe] Arm Roast

2012-05-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

This cut from the chuck area is on of my favorite roast. To prepare I remove from the freezer and let thaw on the counter.

After the roast has thawed for a couple of hours, but before it is completely at room temperature, I like to open up the package and trim the roast. Trimming is easier if the meat is partially frozen. I remove any connective tissue which is tough and not edible, making sure to leave enough fat for flavor. After trimming I allow the roast to completely thaw.

Once thawed I coat it with a generous amount of olive oil and then sprinkle with a light dusting of salt, fresh cracked pepper and garlic powder. Then I wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge over night.

Cooking time...

Remove the roast from the fridge and let it warm to room temperature.

Light up the grill (I use charcoal because I like the flavor but gas is fine too). I stack all of the charcoal on one side of the grill, light and wait till the coals are white hot.

Put the roast on the right over the white hot coals and sear all sides. After all sides are seared, I remove the roast from the direct heat and place on the side with no coals, insert a meat thermometer and cover the grill. Allow the roast to cook over the indirect heat until the internal temperature is about 140 (medium to medium rare). Remove the roast from the grill and allow it to rest on the counter for 20 or 30 minutes. Cut 1/4 inch slices and serve.

Label and Farm Tour

2012-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Our Organic Label has been approved

In February of 2012 I began working on a private label for Gibson Farms Organic Beef.
The task was a little overwhelming for me so I sought help from the staff at Animal
Welfare Approved. Emily Lancaster and the rest of the AWA staff did an excellent job
on design and worked through the process of submitting the label for approval. The label
will start appearing on Gibson Farms beef starting in June (I hope).

Farm Tours

We are excited to be a featured farm in the 2012 Carolina Farm Stewardship Upstate
Farm Tour. The tour is scheduled for June 2nd and 3rd from 1-6 pm each day. Gibson
Farms is also a featured farm on the Georgia Mountains Farm Tour on Saturday, June
30th and Sunday, July 1st. I look forward to meeting lots of people, showing off our
farm, and cooking up samples of our premium organic beef as a tasty treat for all who
visit. We also will be giving a quick tour of the farm, teaching the benefits of our
different grazing techniques, and conducting a blind taste test. Come on out and meet
Big Boy the Bull, Boss Lady, Big Red and the rest of the gang.

If you are reading this…

Thank you Elian Evans. Elian has been working on the GibsonFarmsOrganicBeef.com
web site. Many thanks for the hard work and design on the site. Elian’s job is a tough
one, mainly because she is depending on Leland Gibson to sit down at a desk and write
content for the site, a task I have had precious few minutes to do over the past 5 months.

Updates from the Farm

2012-05-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

In May 2011 Gibson Farms received its Organic Certification and Animal Welfare Approved Certification. My Dad and I spent the rest of the 2011 getting ready for the Farmers Market season of 2012.

We started selling our individual cuts of Organic Beef in October of 2011 at the Clemson Area Farmers Market and the Clemson Area Food Exchange. We branched out into Georgia in November, selling on the Northeast Georgia Locally Grown market.

So far, 2012 has been a very busy year for Gibson Farms (and of this writing, only 2 of my 4 Farmers Markets are open - the Easley Farmers Market and the TD Downtown Greenville Market). The Easley Market opened April 7th, and the Greenville Market opened on May 5th. I've had a wonderful month of meeting new friends, catching up with some old friends and selling lots of our Organic Beef. We will also be adding the Slow Food Earth Market in Greenville starting May 17th, the Clemson Area Farmers Market starting May 18th, and the new Filling Station Market in Anderson scheduled to open in June.

Please stop by and see us at one of these Markets!

Online shopping

2012-03-19T13:24:00.002-07:00

Online shopping is coming soon with our new website!