Bodega (Sonoma County), CA
Completely free range on certified organic pasture*.
We are SOLD OUT of geese as of 12/8/23. If you would like a Holiday Goose for 2024, text or email us your name and email
address and we will notify you when we stat taking reservations in the Fall of 2024. Or check back with us in September 2024.
About Our Geese
At Salmon Creek Ranch, we raise Embden geese. There are many different breeds of geese, but the Embden are by far the most popular in the U.S. and Europe. This large, hardy type of goose was originally bred in Germany, then made its way to England and later to America. Unlike other types of poultry, goslings are only available for a few months out of the year. This is due to the fact that geese only lay eggs from February to June, and lay not at all the rest of the year. We get our goslings in spring, and raise them for several months on our organic pasture. They spend their days sunning themselves, playing in water and hunting for tasty morsels to eat and are protected at night by our livestock guardian dogs. They range freely without being caged or otherwise restricted and have plenty of room to roam on our 400-acre ranch on the spectacular Sonoma coast. They never receive artificial growth hormones, antibiotics or other additives and they eat a variety of pasture grasses and weeds, along with a locally produced certified organic feed containing a 20% protein mix of grain, minerals and vitamins. The difference in flavor between a pasture-raised, freely-foraging bird and one that has been confined inside a barn its whole life and and limited to only grain is an experience well worth trying.
What do "Free Range" and "Pasture Raised" Really
Mean? Did you know: Nearly all poultry
sold in the US as "Free Range" merely satisfies the
minimum USDA requirement for "access to the outdoors"?
They are barn-raised birds with doors open for part of
the day to a tiny outside yard, usually smaller than
the crowded indoor space where they spend most of
their lives, fed and watered with automated
equipment. Even most so-called "pasture-raised"
poultry spends its entire life in small 10x12 ft
moveable cages. Our geese, by contrast, are free to
strut and forage unfettered throughout large tracts of
natural, organically certified pasture 24 hours a day.
They have access to shelter if they want it, but
usually prefer the outdoors as they would in their
natural habitat. At night they are protected
from predators by our livestock guardian dogs (photo
at right).
Processing &
Packaging Our geese are custom processed at a California licensed USDA
facility without preservatives of any kind and
vacuum-packed to retain freshness. The
dressed weight of our Embdens average between 8lbs and
11 lbs. Geese are sold whole with
liver, heart and gizzard contained within.
How to Order Direct
E-mail or call us at (707) 775-9604 with your requirements. We accept checks, major credit cards, Pay Pal and cash.
Delivery options include shipping, on-ranch pick-up or pick up at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market at the Luther Burbank Center on Saturdays. We occasionally make delivery runs to local destinations, including along the US 101 corridor, between Santa Rosa and San Francisco and to the East Bay. A small delivery fee may be charged, depending upon the distance.
Current Price: $15.99/lb
How Do I Cook Goose?
It's really not difficult! There are similarities in roasting any fowl, so cooking a goose is not too different from cooking a duck, or a turkey for that matter. Two major considerations make cooking goose unique. One is the size of your goose, which will be 1.3X-2X the size of, say, a duck. The second consideration is the larger volume of fat you will be collecting during roasting. Basically this means that you'll want to make sure you have a large enough roasting pan, ideally with a roasting rack to hold your goose in place and keep it out of the roasting liquid to ensure crispness. After pricking the skin all over the bird, roast in a preheated oven at 425F for 30 minutes. Remove the goose, turn down the oven to 350F, and drain the roasting pan of all the fat it's collected so far--it will be a LOT! Then replace the goose in the oven and allow 18-20 minutes per pound, minus the 30 minutes you've already cooked it for. If you are stuffing the goose first, you will need to allow an extra 4 minutes per pound on top of that. Try to baste the bird every 1/2 hour. Still have questions? Google it! Here's a great resource on roasting a goose the old-fashioned way:
http://www.europeancuisines.com/Western-Europe-Christmas-Roast-Goose-Traditional-Holiday-Celebration-Dinner-Recipe
Shipping:
We ship our geese anywhere in the US. They are frozen and sent in an insulated container with cold packs via Fed Ex. Do note that if you are East of the Rockies, they will need to go Second Day Air, so it can be pricey. We'd love to be able to offer free shipping, but are only small farmers and this is not available to us.
How to Order Direct
E-mail or call us at (707) 775-9604 with your requirements. We accept checks, major credit cards, Pay Pal and cash.
Delivery options include shipping, on-ranch pick-up or pick up at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market at the Luther Burbank Center on Saturdays. We occasionally make delivery runs to local destinations, including along the US 101 corridor, between Santa Rosa and San Francisco and to the East Bay. A small delivery fee may be charged, depending upon the distance.
Current Price: $15.99/lb
How Do I Cook Goose?
It's really not difficult! There are similarities in roasting any fowl, so cooking a goose is not too different from cooking a duck, or a turkey for that matter. Two major considerations make cooking goose unique. One is the size of your goose, which will be 1.3X-2X the size of, say, a duck. The second consideration is the larger volume of fat you will be collecting during roasting. Basically this means that you'll want to make sure you have a large enough roasting pan, ideally with a roasting rack to hold your goose in place and keep it out of the roasting liquid to ensure crispness. After pricking the skin all over the bird, roast in a preheated oven at 425F for 30 minutes. Remove the goose, turn down the oven to 350F, and drain the roasting pan of all the fat it's collected so far--it will be a LOT! Then replace the goose in the oven and allow 18-20 minutes per pound, minus the 30 minutes you've already cooked it for. If you are stuffing the goose first, you will need to allow an extra 4 minutes per pound on top of that. Try to baste the bird every 1/2 hour. Still have questions? Google it! Here's a great resource on roasting a goose the old-fashioned way:
http://www.europeancuisines.com/Western-Europe-Christmas-Roast-Goose-Traditional-Holiday-Celebration-Dinner-Recipe
Shipping:
We ship our geese anywhere in the US. They are frozen and sent in an insulated container with cold packs via Fed Ex. Do note that if you are East of the Rockies, they will need to go Second Day Air, so it can be pricey. We'd love to be able to offer free shipping, but are only small farmers and this is not available to us.
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*Certified organic by
California Certified Organic Farmers
page last updated: 11/9/23