Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Pulled Beef

Combine the following ingredients together in your slow cooker:

1 Small Onion, Diced

1/2 cup Chopped Celery

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Ketchup or Chili Sauce

1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp Vinegar

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Dry Mustard

1/2 tsp Pepper

Add 1 frozen Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef Sirloin Tip Roast.

Coat it in the sauce.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove roast on to a cutting board and
pull the meat from the roast with a fork.

Add the pulled meat back to the sauce.



Stir.

Enjoy your Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Pulled Beef
on a bun or in a sandwich with cheese!

The New Yaks On The Block

I thought I share a few more photos from the place where we bought the new yaks for our herd. In my previous post about our visit, you'll see a photo of the big royal yak bull. Here's another shot of him in the background running with the black yak bull. The black bull is also six years old and quite large, although Mr. Royal has him beat size-wise.

The following photo isn't the greatest, but it gives some perspective so you can see how big this bull is! 

During our visit to the yak pen, yours truly was inches away from getting a yak horn in the kidney. One of the yak cows didn't like it when I made a move to get to a safer viewing spot and decided to give me the scare of my life. I knew there was a ruckus going on behind me but it was my husband who reported how close she actually came to me! I'm happy to report that I scaled the fence in record time. Yessiree, yaks can put on the afterburner when they decide to, which sure helps out during calving time with coyote control.

In the end, we bought four young bulls (none of which are shown above) and two heifers. Why so many bulls? Well, as they are young and take longer to mature, we didn't want to only buy only one and run the risk of not having a sound bull when breeding time rolls around.

Here are some photos of the new arrivals:

Yak Balls

Springridge Ranch is proud that Waymarker Hospitality featured our meat in one of three samples at the 2011 Calgary Rocky Mountain Wine Festival October 14-15, 2011. The chef prepared Yak Balls, which were yak-crossed meat balls in a rich mushroom sauce. To see the full menu of samples and participating restaurants, click here. The participants are listed in alphabetical order so look for Waymarker Hospitality on the last page. Vimy's Lounge and Grill, a restaurant in one of Waymarker's properties, also features Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef Dip on their menu!

Panting Yaks

Wild yaks roam from approximately 10,000 to 18,000 feet on the Tibetan plateau and can survive temperatures that reach down to -40 deg C. As yaks were domesticated, they were brought to lower elevations. They are built for the cold, but in many cases have to adapt to a warmer environment.

On hot days, yaks try to cool themselves by panting.

In September, on one of the last really warm days we had, we went to look at a yak herd with the intention of buying a few to bring home. Below is the big six-year-old royal yak bull they had. He was also panting in the heat.

He is one. big. boy.

Even the calves had their tongues hanging out.

Check back next week when I'll share some photos of the new arrivals to Springridge Ranch!

Yak "Tales" - Part Two

This summer, while at Farmer's Market, we met artisan Joanne Block of Homespun Angoras Studio. Joanne raises rare Giant Angora Rabbits and she harvests and hand spins their fibre into a natural luxurious wool. She was keenly interested in learning about our business and if we had ever collected and/or sold our yak fibre. While we have saved the yak tail hair over the years, we have not collected the down fibre which the yaks shed in spring. We knew about the luxurious fibre that yaks produce, but we didn't have an outlet for it, nor did we have the time to harvest it properly. After all, the time to do this is in spring which is one of the busiest times on the ranch.

During the summer, we had the opportunity to gather the last down off of one little pure yak heifer. Joanne was so excited, she couldn't wait to start spinning it while at the same time demonstrating her talent for those of us who had never seen a wheel in action.

Besides spinning the down, Joanne is experimenting with turning some of our yak tail hair into a mecate, as mentioned in our last post. 

Watch this space in the future for the results as we'll be sure to share them!

Interested in purchasing some of Joanne's products?
Check out her Etsy store!

In the market for a spinning wheel?
Joanne is a rep for Ashford Wheels and Looms.
Contact her for more information.