Ode to the Belle Mare; Top Sirloin, Stew Beef, Chuck Roasts, and Broth Makers!
Dear Friends and Partners,
Welcome to Alderspring’s weekend edition newsletter!
In this letter is Glenn’s weekly story, a suite of pics about work on the ranch this week, and an update on this week’s featured cuts!
Want to follow along more day-to-day? Find us on Instagram and Facebook.
And, as always, if you have any questions, observations, or comments, just shoot us an email to Kelsey at help[at]alderspring[dot]com.
Next shipping day is January 3!
Place your order by Sunday at midnight on the 2nd to get it shipped on the 3rd!
Looking for this week’s featured cuts? Head to the page below. Scroll on down for Glenn’s story and other newsletter stuff!
This week’s deals include top sirloin steaks, broth making cuts (bones and ossos!), stew beef, and chuck roasts! And a chance to save on turkeys as we clear out our last few from the holidays!
This Week on the RancH
This week on the ranch, 2021 wound down with some dropping temperatures. Our nights these days are in the negative Fahrenheit temperatures while the days are still well below freezing.
During these cold temperatures, and especially when the wind picks up, we like to feed hay in a spiral/circle pattern so that we create a tight clump of cattle in the field. This helps them stay warm because it creates thermal mass and shelter from the wind.
And we, too, find ways to stay warm. We’ve been building fence here at the ranch this week. This is the time of year that we have time to build stuff or fix things that were broken over the summer. And it’s good, because it gives us a chance to get outside in the winter sunshine.
Now we’re welcoming in a new year here at the ranch and reflecting on the last one. 2021 was a good year (even in drought!) thanks to a wonderful crew of people and the beauty of living and working in this wild country.
We wish you, dear friends, a Happy New Year and a blessed 2022!
-Glenn, Caryl, & Family
Quote of the Week
People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health,
and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.
―Wendell Berry
This Week’s Story From the Ranch:
Ode to the Belle
Sometimes saying goodbye to an old friend is just the right thing.
It was one of those winter afternoons where I was walking through the cattle earlier this week, and it had spit snow all day. The wind was up a little, and the breeze was sharpening, as the sun finally crept out from under the dense cover of gray cloud that had hung over the valley all day.
That meant only one thing: it was going to be cold that night. We have no humidity in our high and dry climate, and when the blanket of clouds slides off, the heat goes straight up into the stratosphere. It was going to plummet toward zero.
The beeves already showed a hint of cold over their thick coats, as evidenced by a little tinge of rime on the ends of their longest hairs (at this time of year, most of them have up two inches of long and curly hair over their grass-fat bodies). They raised their heads above the piles of green hay that the girls had just spread out for them, and with belly full, they figured they’d better see what the boss was up to. They came running over, bucking with joy when they saw me walking around the big meadows. I had two dogs with me: Allie, the Great Pyrenees, and Clyde, my ever-present border collie companion….
Click below to read the rest on our blog!
Featured Weekly Cuts
A quick summary of this week’s deals:
(As always, only you newsletter readers have access to these discounts)
First, the secret info just for you newsletter readers (we don’t update anyone else on restockings on these…)
This week you can get 10% off on the following cuts:
- Top Sirloin Steaks 10% off!
- 10% off on Osso Bucos and Broth Bones!
- 10% off on Stew Beef
- Chuck Roasts Also 10% Off (this is a lovely winter pot roast)
- 15% off on turkeys continues! We have a few left that we’d like to clear off our freezer shelves after the holidays…so here’s your chance to snag a discount on these birds!
Lamb, Pork, Chicken, and Sockeye Salmon are all still in.
3Fs available too!
This Week’s Featured Recipe…Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa
This recipe says “rump roast” in the title, but as you’ll find in the directions, you can use that chuck roast here, too! In fact, we often prefer to use a chuck roast (they’re a little fattier, and we do love our grass fed pasture fat). If you don’t own a instant pot or would rather use a slow cooker, that’s also an option with this recipe!
Photos from the Ranch this Week…and a video!
First off, to welcome the New Year we put together a short video on Instagram showing what one year on the ranch looks like! You can watch that here.
And then below, a few photos from this week on the ranch!
On Christmas day, a couple of the girls caught some horses and went on a short afternoon ride. It was beautiful weather and a nice way to spend Christmas afternoon! Above, Annie riding the gelding George bareback on her way out of the pasture.
And below, one of our main jobs here at the ranch this week…building some fence! We’ve been wanting to put a fence in this spot for a while as a border for one of our main pastures here at the ranch. Before this, we were using electric fence, but it’s not a very visible barrier on a snowy day. This will keep everyone in much better!
Below, youngest daughter Maddy is looking a bit chilly for a reason! The team was out building jack fence in 10 degree weather that day. Luckily, hard work keeps you warm!
And here, a little recreating! Glenn and a few of the girls went on a short hike in the mountains near the ranch this week. Their mission: scout out some potential backcountry ski routes while enjoying a beautiful day of winter hiking!
And here’s Annie and two of the border pups, Ginny and Stew, at the wheel of the feed truck. Behind them is a trailer loaded with 4 tons of “packaged sunshine” hay that the girls are about to distribute to the beeves!
And that’s it for this week!
Thanks again for partnering in what we do!
Glenn, Caryl, cowgirls and cowboys at Alderspring.
We’ve been crafting our pastured protein here in Idaho’s Rocky Mountains for nearly 30 years and delivering it direct to our partners for nearly as long. This is wild wellness, delivered from our ranch to your door.
Your partnership in Alderspring helps us maintain what is unique in today’s agricultural world; Alderspring is a Carbon NEGATIVE and Climate POSITIVE operation. We ran the numbers, and our cows help us capture more carbon in the ground each year on our irrigated pastures than we release!
Stephen S Thomas
Truly breathtaking and a lovely way to celebrate the holidays with family and chores. 🙂
Alderspring Ranch
Thanks for taking the time to read, Stephen! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!