I cooked burgers in Georgia this week. Not just any burger mind you; these, of course were Alderspring burgers. I was visiting one of our store partners in Atlanta—a huge farm produce store called Your DeKalb Farmers Market. They are our largest wholesale customer. The owners, Robert and Barbara Blazer, rolled out the red carpet for us and welcomed …
Ruminations & Newsletters
Buck, Black, and Blizzard
I stepped back in time today and met what the West used to be. Unfortunately the homogenization of culture through the ubiquitous nature of technology means that most of these “real west” icons tend to be quite old, and tech-adverse. They are out of place in this age of smartphones, smart cars and smart drinks: kombucha and soymilk lattes. …
The Days are Short, the Time is Long
This week's story is from Abby, our second oldest daughter. She is a lover of plants and nurturing, of comfort and caring. You first notice the color change. Lush greens are fading to brown, the green color trickling down out of the tops of the grass and down into the roots. You can still see green, if you walk around and pick up a handful of …
Fixing Flats and Food
It was last Saturday night in Boise, Idaho, and the city was hopping. It was a lovely cool evening, and it seemed everyone was turned out in their shiny late model SUVs and chrome-wheeled hybrids for a night on the town. Melanie and I just finished a very successful beef sampling at the Boise Co-op Meridian Location, and were loading our cooking …
Why Ellen Was Right (Kinda)
After thinking about Ellen Degeneres' viral anti-meat tweet a couple of weeks ago, Glenn thought maybe it was time to shoot a letter to her. Don't know if she'll ever get to it, but we just thought we'd better cc it to you all. Dear Ellen I’m a cattle rancher in the broad expanse of the American West. I wear a cowboy hat, ride a horse and …
A Soil Story: Regenerative Ranching
The year: 1849. The place: Pahsimeroi Valley, Idaho. It is a late September day in the broad valley, and you are standing in tall basin wild rye grass, about 6 feet tall, just up from the extensive complex of willows that defines the Pahsimeroi River bottoms. The grass is robust, and thick. Its quarter inch diameter stems will rub skin raw at this …
You Must Have Gone Crazy
Snow blanketed the high country last night. I woke up at daybreak this morning to see a mantle of white across all of the Hat Creek ranges. It was perfect that we brought the beeves back from the mountains on Saturday. It was time. The cattle and horses would actually be fine continuing up there. The grasses would be reinvigorated with the …
You Get What You Pay For
Recently, we ran a promotion with a friend who has been a fan of our beef for years. His customers are very health conscious, and clearly are willing to spend money on the best supplements, technology, and sports equipment. While a large number of his customers gave our beef a try, a few made comments about the price. One …