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.