All natural salami, made with pride and traditional techniques? Yes, please!

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December 9, 2022

It has been a long and exhausting process trying to find someone who can provide us with salami to our standards. Alas, we finally found Nello’s.

Miller’s Bio Farm has teamed up with Nello’s Specialty Meats to bring you some amazing all natural salami!

Nello’s family emigrated from Sicily in the 1960’s in search of a better life. Thirty years ago, Nello found his mentor, Guenther “Hank” Schineller, a German born sausage maker. It took persistence to get Hank to mentor him, but ultimately, Hank would show him the art of the wurst. Nello has also worked with world class charcuterie crafters Luigi Pintore and Pietro Castoldi from Pagani Fertelli to help him perfect his charcuterie recipes and making process.

At Nello’s, it’s all about tradition, from the ingredients to the aging process.

The groundwork of Nello’s recipes and work is built on centuries of knowledge from the old-world. Moreover, from the help of those at Pagani Fertelli, Nello is able to source high quality ingredients straight from Italy.

Like the Tuscan Finocchiona salame, which contains wild fennel seeds straight from the Tuscan hills of Italy. The wild fennel pulls menthol from the soil giving it a unique and special taste you cant find in store.

Coming from Italy, the ingredients are held to EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) standards, which are much higher than its American counterparts.

As well, Nello does not use synthetic lab-produced nitrates and nitrites in his cured meats. Instead, he uses naturally occurring nitrates that come from celery juice powder.

A spicy secret

A common practice by charcuterie makers is hiding what spices they use to protect their recipes. The same goes for Nello. His recipes are proprietary, handcrafted, and time tested.

This comes with one down side. Transparency. Miller’s Bio Farm wholeheartedly believes in transparency and telling you everything about where your food comes from. We are making an exception, because the salame is delicious and we know the quality Nello is putting out there.

We know that some of the best herbs and spices are being used to make our salamis, but we don’t know the exact spice ingredients. But, Nello did give us a sneak peek into his spice room - look at just a small sample of the large variety he carries!

You might be wondering, “What is considered a ‘spice?’” Let's look at what the USDA’s definition is. Per USDA: “General Definition - Aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition. They are true to name and from them no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed.” Think of things like cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, fennel seed, ginger, peppers, etc. These are all ingredients that the USDA allows to be hidden under “spices”.

A difference you can taste

When I first spoke to Nello, he asked a question, “When you go to a restaurant and get seasoned or spiced food, do you first taste the seasoning or the meat?” More often than not, people say the seasoning. Well, in Europe, it's the opposite. They want to taste the meat before they taste the spice or seasoning.

Nello’s salami is based on this European style. When trying the salami, the first thing you’ll notice is that the taste of the meat is at the forefront and that the spice hits the back of your palate. Truly a difference you can taste!!

Specialty meats for everyone

Another Amazing thing about Nello’s is that he can also make all natural, salt cured cold cuts! Have you seen our new sliced smoked turkey breast? It’s our pastured corn & soy free turkey breast put in a simple Redmond salt brine and then it’s smoked.

And, we now carry air dried cured meats like our new bresaola, which features hints of juniper and cinnamon.

Check out some of the other stuff curing at Nello’s right now! There’s more to come!

Pastured Meat

Cooking

Histamine intolerance, natural healing, and a helpful histamine food list

Histamines, Histamines, Histamines. You might have heard this word a lot more lately. I mean, I have. I’ve been getting questions about histamines in our food multiple times a week! This inspired me to take a deep dive into what they are, why we need them, and why too much is bad! Please join me on my learning journey. What are histamines? What do histamines do in your body? And why do we need them? Histamines are super important chemicals that your immune system releases. You need them. They’re like little messengers your body sends out. In addition to producing your own histamines, you eat them in your food, too. A big role of histamines is causing allergic reactions, protecting your body from foreign invaders like allergens or infections. For example, if you get a bug bite, your body produces histamines. They tell your body to send more blood to that area and heal the injury. Or, if you’re allergic to pollen and breathe it in, your body sends out histamines. They, in turn, make your body produce mucus to clear the pollen from your respiratory system. Histamines also help regulate brain functions. They keep you awake and alert. Histamines are also important for digestion. Without histamines, your stomach wouldn’t produce enough acid to digest food properly. So, histamines are not inherently bad. You need them! Sadly, too much or the inability to handle them can be a problem. In some cases, a big problem. What is histamine intolerance? Histamine intolerance is no fun. It happens when your body can’t break down histamines properly, leading to a build up that can cause all sorts of annoying physical symptoms, which may include: BloatingNausea/vomitingHeadachesRunny/stuffy noseShortness of breathItchingRash/hivesFlushingLow blood pressureIrregular heart ratesPainful menstruation Swelling of lips, tongue, or throat Histamines can have a big impact on our mental health, too. They help release neurotransmitters that regulate brain functions like alertness, learning, and memory. So, they play a part in how we feel and behave daily. Here are some examples: Alertness: Too much histamine in the brain promotes wakefulness. Sleep Regulation: Low levels of histamines can make you feel drowsy. This is why antihistamine medications, which block histamines, often cause drowsiness as side effects. Mood Regulation: Imbalances in histamine levels can be linked to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Why are more and more people getting diagnosed with histamine intolerance? We’re hearing from more and more customers that are struggling with histamine intolerance. It seems to me a new, popular diagnosis these days. Here are a few reasons why: Improved Awareness & Diagnosis: People and health professionals are becoming more aware of histamine intolerance.Modern Diet & Gut Health: Eating a lot of processed, sugary snacks and unhealthy fats can throw off the balance of good bacteria in your gut, which is crucial for your health. When your gut isn’t in good shape, it can struggle to break down histamines.Medication Use: Some medications can mess with your body’s ability to break down histamines, leading to a build up. Genetics: Your genes can play a role too! Some people are born with less ability to break down histamines. It might not be producing enough enzymes that help keep histamines in check. The MTHFR gene can affect how your body uses folate, which is important to many functions, including detoxifying histamines. Tips for managing your histamine levels: Stick to a low histamine diet: Histamines are naturally present in all foods. Some foods are innately low in histamines and some are innately high.Watch how you handle food: Keep an eye on how your food is stored and prepared to keep histamine levels in check. When food sits or ages, bacteria is usually breaking down proteins, and that process produces histamines.Know your triggers: Some foods might not have histamines, but can make your body release more. It’s good to know what triggers your body. How do you treat histamine intolerance in a holistic way? Conventional doctors might recommend antihistamines or medications to help break down histamines. However, there are also more natural approaches to consider. These are just some suggestions, we’re not doctors! Dietary Adjustments: Avoid high histamine foods and incorporate low histamine foods. Supplements: Vitamin C can help reduce histamine levels and symptoms. Vitamin B6 can help increase enzyme production, which helps break down and remove excess histamines.Essential Oils: Chamomile and lavender may have anti-inflammatory properties. Use a diffuser or add them to a warm bath. Natural Antihistamines: Quercetin, found in apples, green tea, and onions, can act as a natural antihistamine.Healing the Gut: It’s an important step. A healthy gut can help your body regulate histamine levels more effectively and improve your overall well being. Leaky gut can cause bacteria and toxins to leak into the bloodstream triggering immune response and releasing histamines. 70% of the immune system is thought to be in the gut. What are the histamine levels of Miller’s Bio Farm foods? *Not finding the food you’re looking for? This list was made for the foods that Miller's Bio Farm offers. You can find a more comprehensive food list here. ----- References: Hidden in Plain Sight: Histamine Problems Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art.Histamine IntoleranceHistamine in the brainHistamine and Psychiatric DisordersHistamine and Mental HealthA overview of histamine intolerance and emerging innovation opportunitiesHistamine Intolerance: Medications to AvoidHow Gut Health is Connected to Histamine Intolerance.Foods High in HistamineIs Einkorn Flour High In Histamine.8 natural ways to reduce your histamine levels.Everything You Need to Know About the Low Histamine DietHIGH HISTAMINE – LOW HEALTH.Histamine Intolerance Resulting from Poor Gut HealthWhich probiotics for histamine intolerance?

Minute details for this year's on demand turkeys

Bear with me this week. I have a bunch of interesting turkey details to share with you. This year the turkeys will be on demand! That means you order one when you need one. No preorders this year. Fall turkeys will start going to the processor on September 29th and will continue to be sent through November. That means that you can start ordering whole turkeys soon! As of right now, there are some turkey cuts available. Here are the basics - Our turkeys are a “white” breed, live on green pasture, and are naturally raised and processed. I am always wanting to find out more about how my food was produced. This year, I’m diving deep to answer the question, “What’s in the feed?”

Lovely Farm Day recap with pics and videos. And the sour milk debacle. Our milk really does last.

Despite a little rain and chilly weather, this year's Farm Day event was simply lovely. Thanks to everyone who came out!One family reported, "This is better than Hershey Park!" Another family reported that they're very selective with the natural foods they eat, and that can be a challenge at parties and events. The best part for them was that they could say "yes" to every food that was there. And we heard from a lot of people that the Farmer Panel Discussion was extremely educational. Many thanks to our farmers! They said we could have simply done that the entire day, and maybe I'll take that tip for a new event next year.Here's a short 1-minute video recap of the event: Honestly the food was incredible. We served a smorgesboard of snacks. Our vendors were giving out samples. And there was a hot lunch of smoked brisket, chicken leg and thigh, a loaded salad bar, baked beans, potatoes, and veggies. Here are some pics of the food: We had lots of fun activities, too. A mini petting zoo, making flower crowns, milking a cow, and wagon and pony and camel rides. Here are some pics of that excitement: We also had a Farmer Panel Discussion. We had Aaron representing his two brothers, our raw dairy farmers. We had Daniel, who raises our chickens. We had Lamar, who's our beekeeper. And finally Raymond, who's one of our egg farmers. Here are the first 7 minutes of the panel. It's the intro, before we got into the nitty gritty questions. Overall, Farm Day went off without a hitch. There was one issue --> the Sour Milk Challenge. You see, raw milk naturally sours as it ages. The living microbiology that's inside the cow ferments the milk, breaking down the lactose (milk sugar) and turning it into lactic acid (which is sour). The warmer it is and the longer it sits, the more sour it gets. Drinking sour milk is not a safety issue, it's a palatability issue.I put milk aside way before Farm Day. One was 25 days old, one was 15 days old, and one was 8 days old. It was simply sitting in our cooler. The day before the event I tasted them, and all of the milks tasted the same! They all tasted fresh!!How could I have a sour milk tasting with no sour milk!? I had to think fast. So I put one milk in the culturing room (at 98F) overnight. Another I left on the counter overnight. The one in the culturing room did get a little sour. But, the challenge overall was very difficult (dare I say impossible). Here's what the challenge looked like: This really made me think about how important our milk safety standards are.I mean, given the amount our farmers clean when milking, there's zero manure or urine or dirt in the milk. There's no external bacteria or yeast mixed in.Most raw milk farmers don't do what we do (and pasteurized milk farmers definitely don't). It's kinda gross when you think about it. But, having any manure or urine or dirt or residue from equipment in raw milk definitely makes it sour quickly. It also made me think about temps for storing raw milk.Our cooler is kept at 35F. It seems that this nearly stopped the fermentation. Compare this to a regular home fridge, which is usually 40-42F. Those 5-7 degrees matter! It makes me want to get a separate mini milk-only fridge at home that I keep colder.Anyway, I digress. Farm Day was amazing!!! If you came, we'd love for you to leave your comments below. We'll be attending a few more events this fall, and we'd love to see you there! Healthy Food, Healthy Body. An Event for Healthy Living.October 19, 1-4pmTenafly NJWise Traditions ConferenceOctober 25-27Orlando, FLDocumenting Hope ConferenceNovember 15-17Orlando, FL

All natural salami, made with pride and traditional techniques? Yes, please!

It has been a long and exhausting process trying to find someone who can provide us with salami to our standards. Alas, we finally found Nello’s.

At Nello’s, it’s all about tradition, from the ingredients to the aging process.

A spicy secret

A difference you can taste

Specialty meats for everyone

More from the blog

Histamine intolerance, natural healing, and a helpful histamine food list

Minute details for this year's on demand turkeys

Lovely Farm Day recap with pics and videos. And the sour milk debacle. Our milk really does last.

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566