Happy weekend!
A quick update today – we have a new batch of farm-fresh eggs and fresh-roasted whole bean coffee in the garage this morning. Come by to pick up while they are both fresh. See you in the garage!
Nels
Hi all -
The Salmon aren’t running! We have learned that Rob (our fisherman who lives in Alaska) hasn’t even been able to get on the water yet. The low numbers of fish resulted in Alaska Game and Fish keeping the waters closed. Even local sustenance fish limits are being carefully managed. We hope to still have fish later this month, and I will keep everyone informed as things change.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/another-blow-yukon-river-subsistence-salmon-fishing
-Nels
We have a new arrival in the Garage this week!
Rosita Mary’s handcrafted lotions are available in several sizes and fragrances. These are hand-made lotions that Mary makes in Rosita, Colorado (above Westcliffe, Colorado) using beeswax from her own hives.
Mary’s lotions are one of the few we have found that don’t bother sensitive skin – great for our kids (and us too). She often uses herbs and plants she grows herself, and the wax she gathers from high-altitiude beehives in the Canon City and Westcliffe areas.
We have a number of garage members that almost refuse to use any other lotions - and since they aren’t available in the Boulder/longmont area at any retailers, it’s a privilege for us to have them. We have a tester in the garage, and try her lotions out the next time you stop in.
See you in the garage,
Nels
9,000 feet up in the Sangres
I’ve just returned from Westcliffe, Colorado where I picked up another load of range-raised beef from Music Meadows Ranch. Elin Rusher, the ranch owner, trail boss, and wonderful host, is one of the most committed and passionate people I’ve met along our local foods journey.
She raises her cattle in some of the most spectacular and demanding environments in the world – between 9,000 and 10,000 feet high in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Elin raises her cattle the way they should be - range-raised, naturally managed herd – and the results show in every bite.
We’ll be doing a profile on her later this summer, but for now, you can stop by the garage to select from a range of beef cuts – roasts, steaks, ground beef, etc. One of our favorites is the stewing beef, which is a humbling name given how it transformed in our latest batch of New Mexico-style green chili stew. It was so tender it practically melted in the pot. We used the first tiny new potatoes (volunteers from last years’ crop) with fresh-roasted anaheim chiles. I’ll post our recipe in the next few days.
You can learn more about Elin, her Sangres Best beef, and Music Meadows Ranch at http://musicmeadows.com.
We’ve got more maple syrup on the way! We get small-batch pure maple syrup from friends in Wisconsin. They have roughly 10 acres of maple trees, and this year the fast spring thaw and the abnormally warm weather risked the entire season. Luckily, they were able to get enough sap to produce six cases in total – we’re the lucky recipients of two.
We should have the syrup available next week - the conditions this season led to an extra sweetness and depth, so we are excited to have our first sampling! This year the bottles will be $18, an amazing bargain considering the quality. (Check out the prices for a quart of high quality maple syup in the stores and you’ll see…)
We still have a few bottles in the garage from last year – snag them for this weekend’s holiday brunch.
Have a great weekend
What’s in the Garage Today? We’ve got a LOT of fresh eggs from Karen’s farm – her hens are clearly enjoying the sunshine! The eggs are very rich with deep, dark orange yolks from their new spring diet (weeds, grasses and insects hold a whole different appeal to chickens.)
We also have ground beef from Music Meadows ranch (only $5/lb for high altitude, range-raised (100% grass) beef). We’ll be picking up more beef at the end of May, so let me know of any special requests in the next 10 days.
New arrival – wheat flour! We have a scale in the garage, so now you can weigh out your own flour. We have both organic Colorado bread flour (perfect for hard rolls, crusty breads, and pizza dough) and an organic Colorado “all purpose” flour that is ideal for soft breads, rolls, etc. If you have your own bags, bring them along, otherwise we have paper bags available that hold about 2 pounds.
We also have whole chickens in the freezer. I’ll let you know when we’re able to get cuts – many of you have asked about this option rather than the whole bird. Should be next month.
Starting Thursday, we will have Honey from the Bukor’s bees. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are 2 blocks form the garage and have hives throughout the area. Great neighborhood honey.
We only have about 8 quarts left of the maple syrup, so snag it while you can.
Good eating,
-Nels and Teresa