December 2-3, 2011

Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef will be set up in the old Fields Store, Ranchland Mall in Pincher Creek, Alberta Friday, December 2 (3-8pm) and Saturday, December 3 (10am to 5pm). Stop by, taste some samples of our smokies, jerky stix and garlic sausage and stock up for the holidays!

We'll Be At The Ranchland Mall November 18-19, 2011

Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef will be set up at the Ranchland Mall in Pincher Creek, Alberta November 18 (3-8pm) and November 19 (10am-5pm).
 This is your chance to come by and stock up on something different for your Christmas entertaining this year - yak-cross beef! 

Try our newest "Yak Snak"...garlic sausage!

A Yak Mascot From Yahk, B.C.

A friend of mine spotted this little guy at a garage sale and bought it for us. Since then, he's become our mascot at Farmer's Market.

We added the Springridge Ranch sign and if you peel it away, underneath it says "Yahk, BC". Which got me wondering, how did Yahk, BC get it's name? And why did they add the "h"? So far, I've only been able to find a brief history of Yahk on the bottom half of this webpage, but it didn't explain the naming of this town. If anyone out there knows, please drop me a note!

Time For Another Cattle-Yak Drive

"Cattle Drive" has always been an interesting term to me. After all, cattle don't drive, you gather them up and move them down the road or across pastures to their new feeding grounds.

First, there's the gather.

Then the herd has a tendency to rush out the gate and head

down the road in a hurry...

...until they settle down to a steady pace.

Depending where you travel, there can be a few obstacles along the way. The older cows have been down this road at least yearly and they barely blink an eye at their surroundings. Here's a bridge that a few of them have crossed several times in their life. It makes a different noise under their hooves than being on gravel, so the calves and even new horses can balk at the strange sound it makes. In those cases, it's wise to get off your horse and lead it across the first time or two!

Vehicles are a common sight.

And there are a few railway crossings.

This day, some of the younger cows were leading the pack and it took a little convincing to get them to cross the tracks. However, with some persistence, one finally ventured out and took those first steps...

...and the others soon followed.

As they all settled into their new digs, there was a chance to get a good look at some of the calves and see how they've grown. You may remember little raccoon eyes. Well, he isn't so little anymore!

It's alway satisfying to head home after a great morning ride

and a job well done.

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!