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Most of our customers order grass fed beef for health reasons. A doctor has recommended grass fed beef as an alternative source of protein for those with heart conditions. A mom has been reading into the health benefits of grass fed beef on her own. A vegetarian has chosen grass fed beef as a healthy option for her omnivorous children. Our customers might come from all different parts of Texas with completely different backgrounds, but the one thing they have in common is the desire to consume healthy, nutritious grass fed beef.

Many of the same health conscious people today are striving to live on the Primal or Paleo Diets. Both of these ways of eating encourage the consumption of grass fed meats. They also limit the consumption or even remove altogether eating starchy vegetables like potatoes. My family ate for an entire year on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet protocol, another healthy eating plan to heal one’s gut which also does not allow potatoes.

Beef and potatoes pair so well. At first it was hard, especially for my husband to not eat potatoes. You can only have so many grass fed hamburger patties with roasted vegetables before you want to expand your horizons. One of my husband’s favorite dinners is Super-Healthy Shepherd’s Pie.

Super-Healthy Shepherd’s Pie

2 pounds grass fed ground beef
1 sm onion
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound frozen peas
2 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
parsley flakes

Steam the cauliflower florets until fork tender. It usually takes me about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile in a pan, saute the onions in the olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Then brown the ground beef. Add the seasonings and lime juice and allow to simmer until the cauliflower is ready.

When the cauliflower is fork tender, put the florets in a large mixing bowl. Add the stick of butter and puree using a hand-held blender. Then add salt and pepper to your liking and a bit of parsley flakes. Stir well.

In a 3 qt dish, build the first layer by placing the seasoned beef and onion mixture on the bottom. Pour the frozen peas over the beef to make the second layer. Spread the mashed cauliflower as your third layer. Then the grated cheese will be your last layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

This recipe serves our family of seven well. It can stand alone as a dish without sides or add a nice fresh salad or green beans.

Hopefully, I can clear up a little confusion about the split quarter option of grass fed beef from Cross Creek Cattle Company. This order is often misunderstood until I explain what it is. Therefore, today I am going to take this opportunity to explain what a split quarter order is.

First of all, we offer three different sizes of orders of our grass fed beef. Whole and half orders are pretty self-explanatory. You get either the side or the entire carcass cut up to your specifications.

A split quarter is the smallest order that we offer. It is a half of a half. A customer does not get to choose between the forequarter or the hindquarter. That would not be fair. The hindquarter has the better cuts of the two. This is why we call it a split quarter because the customer gets part of both sections.

After the side hangs for a minimum of two weeks to age, the processing plant begins the process of cutting and wrapping. Because of the nature of the split quarter, they cannot cut the steaks with two different thickness. This is just one example as to why the split quarter order has to come with standard cuts. There is no customization available.

Standard cuts are round steak, t-bones, sirloins, roasts, ribs, brisket, ground beef, ribeyes, etc. You get a great variety of cuts with a quarter. A quarter order is a great place to begin if it is your first grass fed beef experience. You get a sampling of the different cuts available. From there, many of our customers upgrade the next time to a half or whole and feel much more comfortable customizing the cuts.

Due to the fact that each animal is unique, each order is slightly different in the hanging carcass weight. We are therefore unable to give concrete estimates. Instead we can give you a pretty good idea. Freezer space usually speaks to people. Customers want to know if they have room for the beef. A split quarter order requires anywhere from 4.5 cu ft to 6 cu ft of freezer space. The former space is the more typical size, but we have had some of the latter size.

I hope that this article has answered some questions about split quarter orders of grass fed beef. If you still have questions, please contact me at lndehaven@aol.com.

I have spent a lot of time telling you about the benefits of eating grass fed beef compared to the beef readily available in your local supermarket. Comparing grain fed beef to grass fed beef is something that interests me in my line of work as well as a mother of five children. I try my hardest to feed my family in a healthy manner, and beef for the most part gets a bad rap in health news. In my opinion, the two products are really two different things.

I don’t want to compare the two in this article. I have already done it several times, including on our website. To look at that information again, please click here. What I have not done is just tell you the benefits that grass fed beef can offer your family.

I was reading an article by Scott Morefield on Natural News entitled, “Four Great Reasons to Eat Organic, Grass Fed Beef.” In his article, Mr. Morefield reminded me that beef has health benefits in and of itself. He created a short list of four reasons to consume grass fed beef.

Since the T-Factor Diet in the late 90s became popular, people have become obsessed with grams of fat. Food companies responded by making many products fat-free. However, fat is necessary in our diets. Grass fed beef offers fat in a healthy ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6s.

A healthy diet is filled with rich sources of protein. Our bodies need essential amino acids to function properly. I know that I personally feel better throughout the day when I rely on different sources of protein instead of the sugar blues that I get when I eat starchy foods. Grass fed beef is a delicious way to add healthy fats into your daily regimen.

Not only is grass fed beef a great source of protein, but it is also full of necessary vitamins and minerals. Scott Morefield writes, “Beef is a one-stop-shop, a rich source of B vitamins, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, etc.”

Grass fed beef can be a part of a healthy diet. The GAPS diet, Primal diet, and Paleo diets all promote grass fed meats, including beef. This delicious red meat has many benefits on its own, but compared to your alternative in the stores is much better for you.

This past week has been such a blessing to the ranch. Rain has been in the forecast almost every day and more importantly, it has actually rained. Good soaking rains, not just quick downpours that run off as fast as they fall, have seeped into our soil.

After a wet winter, we had our hopes up for a wet spring, too. Unfortunately that has not been the case until now. The temperatures have been very high for April and May. Last week it felt like summer with temperatures in the mid-90s. As a result, the winter grasses have gone to seed and died while the summer grasses have not had enough moisture to grow well. We were honestly becoming concerned for our grass fed business again.

We repaired a broken dam on a pond on our new property this winter. In an attempt to prevent erosion, my husband and I spent a day planting bermuda and bahia grass on the dam. This rainy weather came at a perfect time. We could not be more thankful.

If you want to learn to grow in your dependence on God, try making a living in agriculture. You realize real quick that you are not in control, but instead have to adapt to the environment you are given with full reliance on your Heavenly Father. Out of gratitude for His faithful provision throughout last year’s drought as well as the rains this winter and spring, Cross Creek Cattle Company wants to give glory to whom it is due. Thank you, God, for the rain, glorious rain.

After the exceptional drought last summer, one observable consequence of the lack of rain has been the numerous dead trees standing naked, stripped of their leaves, this spring. Stands of dead trees are visible throughout the wooded pastures on both properties of Cross Creek Cattle Company.

A timber company was scheduled to come early spring; however, ironically they were unable to do their job because of our heavy winter rains. Now it is dry enough for them to come in, take the timber, and get out without destroying the land.

As a mother of four boys, I have learned how excited a male can get over machinery. My sons get excited about a tractor or a bulldozer. Timber companies bring very cool machines onto the property. My husband is completely interested in watching the big machine stack the logs. His attention is pulled away only if the skid steer arrives dragging large logs behind.

We have yet to see the feller buncher at work, but I am sure that would be a safety concern. What your eyes cannot see, your ears can hear. The sound of saws slicing through wood followed by the loud crack and sound of splintering wood fills the air.

Even though they have only been here a few days, there is a noticeable difference in the landscape. Looking as deep as the eye can see, the woods are green again. The bare, brown sticks standing amongst the foliage have been removed. The timber company will continue to press into the heart of the woods until all the dead timber is removed.

Since my husband just finished repairing and building the perimeter and cross fences on the new ranch, he is especially pleased to know that the dead trees will not be falling onto them as they begin to rot. Removing the trees professionally will save our fences, but more importantly will be safer for human and animal alike.

Even though it is a blessing that the timber company can do their job based on our dry conditions, we are still praying for rain. We don’t want a repeat of the last few years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, our area is no longer in a drought per se. Instead, we are categorized “Abnormally Dry.” At the same time climatologists are announcing the end of the La Nina cycle, which they blame for the drought conditions of the past two years.

Not being a climatologist, I cannot well explain the differences between La Nina or El Nino weather cycles. If they foresee more rain in our future, then I will rejoice in that news. Until more rain falls and we are completely off of the Drought Monitor, we will continue to pray for rain. While we wait for the rain, the sound we will hear for awhile is “Timber!”