A Dead Easy (Almost) Organic Dinner

I was spoiled by wonderful food the last two summers that I worked at the ranch. Everything there is made from scratch (even the salad dressings). It was good healthy food, lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and salad on top of the breads and meats. My body was in heaven with all of those wonderful nutrients

Now that Jeremiah and I are living alone and fending for ourselves, I decided I couldn't bring myself to serve pre-made, pre-packaged frozen dinners. For us, it seemed wrong.

So on top of buying organic, I also cook most nights.

A butcher down the road makes wild game sausages from the cut-offs of elk and deer that people bring him during hunting season. He also puts cheese, and whole peas and other green vegetables in them.



I grilled them on the counter top until they were almost done, then put them in the oven at 350 to keep cooking.

Meanwhile I had had organic eggplant salted and sweating on the countertop. I rinsed that, brushed it with oil, and grilled it too.



I reaheated some leftover organic mashed potatoes from the night before. I had mashed them with organic butter and sour cream. Last night I stirred some cheese in while they were reheating.

We also had leftover organic salad, with organic garbanzo beans and (f)artichoke hearts on top.

Super simple, quick and delicious. Yummy.

I'd love to show you a picture of the finished plate, but the layout wasn't professional, so I'll leave it up to your imaginations how scrumptious this looked on the table in front of me.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for domesticity waned exponentially after that, and I didn't clean up the kitchen. I have to go do that now.

That Time Again

Everyone here is itchy. Not from powder, or from poison oak.

Hunting Season is about to start.

And the mules are moving.

Here are us girls, packing up our girls, to head into camp.











I love it so much, my heart aches.

FROM QUARTERS TO STEAKS - How to Butcher an Elk

Our elk has now aged for three weeks in the cabin. Today it became burger, steaks, roasts and tenderloin. Mmmmm. Here's how we did it.

First, we cut the hard, dry outer layer of the meat away and discarded it. This had formed over the last three weeks while the meat aged, due to enzyme action.


The remaining meat was then cut off in sections and any excess fat and gristle was removed.




For this we needed sharp knives.We used our hunting knives, made of good quality steel.


Once the meat was cut from the bone we washed it thoroughly in cold water.


Shoulder meat tends to be a little tougher than other cuts, so we turned that into elkburger.The rest has been saved as steaks and roasts.

All the meat has been wrapped in good quality meat packing paper. We prefer to double wrap. We separated the elkburger into one pound packages. Each package is labeled with the type of meat (elk), the cut (burger/steak/roast/tenderloin) and the year (2006). The meat will now be stored in our freezer for the winter.

MARVELLOUS MEAT - THE LOST ART OF AGING

WARNING - SOME OF THE PICTURES BELOW ARE GRAPHIC AND MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO HORRIFY ANYONE BUT ARE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

I complained yesterday, in a post on my other blog Scary's West that Becca and I had been unable to get meat for this winter. While we didn't shoot any, it really is not what you know, but who you know, and some dear friends donated an elk carcass to us.

Naturally, you might be inclined to think that we have our winter made, and we are now enjoy elk steaks every night. Not on your nelly. First the meat must be aged. Apparently, the process of aging used to be a common one. However, aged meat in any butchers shop would be pricy, since it reduces the water content of the meat and the time it takes sends the price per pound soaring. Such unfortunate consequence have forced the practice out of the mainstream meat market.

The purpose for aging is simple. It allows the natural enzymes in the meat to break down the tough connective tissues, thus rendering a much more tender cut.

We have our elk hung in a cabin on the ranch.
The ideal temperature for aging meat is between 36 degrees and freezing. Freezing and below, the meat freezes. Above 36 degrees, you run the risk of the meat spoiling. You can see we had to allow our cabin, which has no central heating, warm up a bit. So we put a small space heater in there.

We then hung the meat, shutting the curtains and have left it for close to two weeks now. It will take it between three weeks and a month to get tender.

After that time, the outer layer of the meat will be removed and discarded and we will be left with tender , flavorsome elk cuts.

I'll let you all know how they taste.