Real Food

Each day I awake to the sounds of the ranch; birds, dogs, an occasional horse whinny and the morning news.  I drift in and out of consciousness between tweets, barks and the sound of David Greenes voice on NPR. My attention hones in to the radio voices, reporting on the horrific wars. I am relieved when the stories change to children heading back to school. Now fully alert, I’m shocked by the statistics coming from the small black box: “The average child spends 4 minutes a day outside and ten hours in front of a screen”. “This is creating disconnect with the natural world”, the voices say. They go on talking about the ramifications this will have.  If intimate relationships are not cultivated with mother earth, who will we pass the baton to too care for her? Where will children think their food comes from? Water? And so on.

Last Sunday we were featured on the Food Networks, “Great Food Truck Race,” a reality competitive food show. Although we were thrilled to be featured, we learned that there is not a lot of reality in reality TV. My favorite “stand out line” from one of the producers during the week that they spent on the ranch was, “This is a food show, it’s not that critical if we don’t get a good shot of the buffalo”.  What’s that you say??????? I guess it’s not only our children that have a disconnect.

The night of the airing of the “Great Food Truck Race”, a group of Wild Idea Buffalo employees and friends gathered to watch the show,  including my friend Mason. Mason is 12 and has just started junior high. He is quiet, a bit shy and very thoughtful. Before we sat down to view the show, we went out to visit the buffalo and to offer them thanks for helping us get on national TV.  We took a rawhide buffalo drum, as we have learned from our Native American friends, that if you beat the drum and have an open heart, the buffalo will come to you. I explained this to Mason as he started our heartfelt concert.  Within minutes, we were circled by 300 buffalo. They stood around us as if they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, offering their soft grunts for applause.

As we headed back for our buffalo feast before the show, we stopped along the way for grass tutorials from Jilian and Colton. We watched prairie dogs and burrowing owls. We rolled in the soft sand of a Buffalo wallow and talked about what happens when the wallows fill with rain.  Tight on time and Mason now behind the wheel, we drove a little fast, back to the ranch.

Jilian in Buffalo

Smells of braising buffalo meat greeted us from the kitchen. We filled our plates with cucumber, melon salad, and buffalo stewed in garden tomatoes and green beans, from Jilian’s garden. We ate on the deck and watched the golden light fall on the hillside. At last it was show time. We headed inside and turned on the TV, putting our faces in front of a screen to watch an unreal, reality food show.

This month’s recipe is Buffalo Chuck Roast Stewed in Tomatoes with Green Beans. Dan loves this cut and also this recipe, as when necessary he can get dinner on the table! A real treat in more ways then one! Enjoy! Jill

Stewed Buffalo Chuck Roast

Buffalo Chuck Roast Stewed with Garden Tomatoes and Green Beans (serves 6 to 8)

A great family dinner that says goodbye to summer and hello to fall! Recipe by Jill, but prepared by Dan with easy Crockpot cooking instructions!

• 1 – 3 pound chuck roast
• 1 – tablespoon olive oil
• 2 – teaspoons salt
• 1 – tablespoon pepper
• 2 – teaspoon thyme
• 2 – teaspoon basil
• 2 – teaspoon oregano
• 1 – onion, cut into wedges
• 2 – pounds tomatoes, 2/3 diced, 1/3 quartered
• 4 – cloves garlic, coarse chopped
• 4 – cups vegetable stock
• 1 – pound fresh green beans, washed and clipped

Preparation:

1.)   Preheat crockpot to high setting.
2.)   Rinse and pat dry Buffalo Chuck Roast, leaving netting on.
3.)   Rub with, 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt, pepper and seasonings.
4.)   Place onions in the bottom of crockpot, place buffalo roast on top of onions and cover with diced tomatoes and garlic.
5.)   Add 4 cups vegetable stock.
6.)    Seal crock pot and cover with foil and a heavy towel. *I think this helps keep the heat in. Allow to cook on high for 1 hour.
7.)   After 1 hour reduce heat to medium to medium low (depending on your crock pot) and set for 6 hours.
8.)   Turn crock pot to medium high again, and turn buffalo chuck roast.  Add quartered tomatoes and fresh green beans.  Pushing beans into juices. Cover and allow too cook for 15 to 30 minutes, based on how you like your green beans.
9.)   Remove buffalo roast and place on platter. Using a knife, cut netting away. Slice or pull apart into desired portions. Remove Green beans and place around roast, pouring stewed tomatoes over all. Season with finishing salt.
Garnish with fresh herbs and pass with baked potatoes, wild rice or couscous.