Despite years of tradition, sometimes a big turkey is just not your desire on Thanksgiving. Maybe you’ve got a smaller crowd to feed, or you’re interested in trying something new.

If so, Clay Hill Farm in Peru may have what you’re looking for.

Your options? Check out the pudgy poultry and brawny beef raised by Stan Haynes and his wife, Myrna, who own Clay Hill Farm. Weighing between 7 and 8 pounds, the chicks will feed six people at your table, and possibly more, depending on the serving size. Meanwhile, the farm offers every cut of Angus beef you’d want.

The Haynes are regular vendors at farmers markets in Lewiston and Rumford, where they set up shop to sell their chicken and beef specialties. That’s where I recently bumped into a delightful seven-and-a-half-pound chicken, which offered up several meals’ worth of chicken meat, followed by an equally enjoyable (and high-yield) chicken broth.

The first winter market of the season will be held this coming Thursday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, 208 Bates St., Lewiston. Vegetables, fruit or berries, when in season, round out their market offerings.

Today, Myrna shared her advice with readers on how to cook the Clay Hill Farm chickens, along with her favorite method of making a family-style beef stew. It happens to be very simple to make, she said, “and just tastes wonderful.”

And because everyone raves about her Parker House rolls whenever Myrna bakes up a batch, according to Stan, she offered readers the recipe for the light, yeast-based dinner rolls — the perfect pairing with either the stew or the roasted chicken.

How to cook the chicken

Because the goal is to keep the chicken as moist and juicy as possible and not overcook it, the very first and most important tip offered up by Myrna and Stan is to use an oven roasting bag. Easy enough!

Her second crucial piece of advice is to use a meat thermometer, inserted into the chicken thigh. You can put both the chicken and thermometer in the roasting bag. Depending on the roasting bag directions, you might need to add a little extra cooking time — the one I used only listed cooking times for chickens under 7 pounds. Using the meat thermometer, which Myrna and Stan consider the more reliable method, they suggest you cook the bird to a minimum of 165 degrees (although Myrna usually aims for 180 degrees). “The thermometer works much better,” Myrna said, while Stan agreed, adding, “There’s no guesswork — you’ll know when it’s done.”

If there’s room in your roasting bag, Myrna said (which might not be the case, depending again on the bulk of your chicken!) you can certainly add vegetables to the mix, such as potatoes and carrots. Myrna isn’t inclined to do a lot of fancy cooking, and rarely follows a recipe. Her go-to method of adding flavor to her roasted chicken is to coat the chicken with Italian salad dressing after she’s placed it in the roasting bag. You could also marinate it an hour or two prior to cooking, she said, and can use your favorite bottled marinade — it will work just as well as the Italian dressing.

Since the chickens are immediately frozen after processing, the Haynes recommend thawing the chicken slowly in your fridge over two or three days — prior to its date with your oven — so make sure to allow plenty of time for this important detail.

Their other specialty is all-natural Angus beef, which represents about 75 percent of Clay Hill Farms’ total sales. Myrna — not surprisingly — does her fair share of cooking beef, in all its forms. They process all cuts of beef, including roasts, steaks, stew beef and the always-in-demand ground beef. Their most popular steak cut, which is also Stan’s personal favorite, is the New York sirloin, which he describes as “very flavorful.”

On his 50-acre farm, Stan tends a herd of usually between 40 and 50 head of cattle, so there is always a balanced pattern of new calves being born while mature steer get sent off for butchering.

Stan said they have a lot of repeat customers, often buyers looking for a local alternative to mass-produced or factory-raised meat.

Clay Hill Farm products are available year-round at the family-run farm in Peru. Call the Haynes at 576-6451 for more info, or email them at clayhillfarm236@yahoo.com.

Myrna Haynes’ Beef Stew

Brown cubes of stew beef in butter in a deep fry pan or saute pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until very tender. When tender, cook a mixture of diced vegetables in a separate kettle. Myrna said you can cook up potatoes, carrots, celery — “anything you want!” When done cooking, do not drain. Add the cooked vegetables along with the liquid into the pan of cooked stew beef (or vice versa, if the vegetable pan is larger). Sprinkle in a package of dry beef stew mix (or McKay’s beef seasoning, which she prefers to use). Cook an additional 1/2 hour, until thickened to the desired consistency.

Parker House Rolls

2 packages dry yeast

1 teaspoon plus 6 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup warm water, divided

1 cup warm milk

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

5-1/2 to 6 cups flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the milk, salt, egg, oil, remaining sugar and 1/2 cup of warm water.

Gradually add 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn on a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half. Roll out each piece to 1/3 to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-inch round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter or round glass. Brush with butter and fold in half (into a half circle). Place on baking sheet, and press down slightly on the open edge to seal in the butter.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown — check periodically for doneness. Serve warm.

FMI

For more information about naturally grown meats, go to www.mainepoultrygrowers.org or www.mainebeefproducersassociation.org

Where to buy Clay Hill Farm meats and veggies

* Clay Hill Farm products are available year-round at the family-run farm in Peru, 236 Valley Road. Phone: 207-576-6451. Email: clayhillfarm236@yahoo.com

* On Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. between mid-May and mid-October they are at the River Valley farmers market on Exchange Street in Rumford.

* On Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. between the end of May and mid-October they are at the Lewiston summer farmers market, usually held on the corner of Main and Lincoln streets.

* And on the third Thursday of each month from 5 to 7:30 p.m. between November and April they are at the winter indoor Lewiston farmers market, held at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, 208 Bates St., Lewiston.

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