Welp, you can call us cattle ranchers for real now!

We bought some cows and heifers and are now officially in the cattle business. Jack took a trip down to Larkspur, CO last week to pick up five American Aberdeens. The breed is well-known for finishing well on grass and since that is of major importance to us, we took the plunge!

They are adorable- smaller in stature than any cow I have ever been around before and I love that. They really are not all that much bigger than our sheep and will make a great addition to the farm.

In addition to these ladies, we also plan to purchase a few steers from a neighbor so we can have beef available next year as well. Beef, unlike lamb, takes at least 18 months to raise and finish on grass, so we are planning to have successions of cattle making their way through the farm so that we can keep the freezers full of delicious grass-fed beef.

Have you tried any yet? If not, I highly recommend. My Uncle Brad, who grow up raising and finishing cattle on grain gave us some very high praise when we fed him a grass-fed and finished ribeye last weekend. He typically strays away from grass-fed beef because if not done correctly, it can be tough and flavorless, but he was very impressed and said he would not have known the difference (which is high praise coming from a grain based cattle guy!). You can find our beef on our online farm store- order now and pick-up Sunday between 4-7PM or shop in person at the CAA Market in downtown Steamboat.

We are slowly making our way through our cuts of beef- you know, for taste testing purposes (ha!) and are super happy with how everything looks, tastes, and eats. As an ode to my mom’s side of the family we made a chuck roast for Sunday dinner this week and were flabbergasted by how good it was! The cut didn’t look to have much fat on it, but man oh man, was it the most delicious chuck roast I have ever had. I need to hear from someone else, because I keep tootin’ my own horn and I need to know if I am coo-coo or if it really is just that good. Help!!

Because it was so good, I wanted to share the recipe with you all. Chuck roast made an appearance on my dinner plate quite often growing up and the combination of nostalgia and yummy meat really is special.

Mom’s Sunday dinner pot roast

INGREDIENTS

• 1 approx. 3 lb. Mystic Hills Farmstead Chuck Roast

• 1 package of french onion dip/soup mix (I use this)

• Salt and pepper

• 1 carton or 4 cups chicken broth/stock OR water

• Vegetables of Choice cut into large chunks- I use 6-8 Yukon gold potatoes, 1 large yellow onion, 1/2 head cabbage, 4-5 carrots

At approx. 2 pm, preheat your oven to 300 Fahrenheit and grab a roasting pan. Place your chuck roast in the pan and sprinkle your seasoning packet over the hunk of meat, coating all sides. Repeat with a GOOD amount of salt and pepper to your liking. I would say close to 2 teaspoons of salt. It sounds like a lot, but it is a big chunk of meat! Once seasoned, pour in your broth or water. Cover the pan with your roasting pan lid and cook for 3-4 hours. I would check periodically and add more broth or water to the pan as needed. About an hour before you are ready to serve, throw in your chunks of vegetables. I like to quarter everything and then toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper before I add it to the roast. I then stir the vegetables in with the juices and let cook for another hour or so, until the roast is fork tender and easy to shred and the vegetables are fork tender. My mom always serves with cottage cheese, but it is equally good on its own! Enjoy!