Welcome to the Ranch!

Set back on a beautiful meadow covered at this time of year with colorful wildflowers on our new ranch is an old, red bunkhouse and a white outbuilding. Upon their discovery, we were initially hoping to repair the buildings, but termites, rot, and other reasons have changed our minds. Both are too far gone and need to be torn down.

Around the buildings stand a mixture of sprawling hardwoods and straight-backed pine trees. Their tops sway in the almost constant springtime breeze. It is quite picturesque; however, the drought has killed many of these trees and instead of green leaves, you only see bare limbs or the dusky red color of dried needles. The wind has already toppled several trees, but some still remain as standing corpses marring the view.

On one of the standing dead pines, an employee of Cross Creek Cattle Company was sawing away with a chainsaw to safely bring down the giant. Bits of sawdust kept hitting his arms and legs and the hum of the saw drowned out any other sounds. He kept attacking the trunk hoping to see signs of it falling when something diverted his attention.

Maybe it was the size of the “sawdust” hitting his limbs or maybe it was a sixth sense warning of danger. Whatever it was, he drew his eyes away from the tree and down to his legs. He was standing in the middle of a cloud of bees! They were swarming around his legs and body striking at his denim-clad legs. He did the only thing he could do–he ran!

Luckily, the bees were not aggressive. They did not follow him on his race out of the woods. In fact, he was not stung once, which is amazing considering the circumstances. We later found out that this employee is allergic to bees.
We are an awful long way from an emergency room, especially for anaphylactic shock. He is now required to have Benadryl or an epi-pen on hand.

Having seen the flight out of the woods with chainsaw in hand, my husband climbed down from the tractor to see what was happening. During the excitement, the bees had gone back to their undiscovered hive. Worried about the unfelled dead pine, my husband decided to knock it down with the help of a large tractor. On his way to the tree trunk, he looked over in the direction of the white outbuilding. From a hole in the side of the exterior wall, a mass of bees were forming a black cloud and moving toward him. Needless to say, he got out of there as fast as he could.

My husband called a local bee man, who comes out free of charge. He identified them as honey bees. He thought they were domesticated and had obviously been worked with before. As it it too early in the season, honey was not ready, but they had filled the wall with a hive.

They will have to find another place to call home as the outbuilding needs to come down, but until then caution and prevention will have to suffice. Nonetheless, it was an eventful day on the ranch.

Even though we only offer grass fed beef to the public, living on Cross Creek Cattle Company affords us the opportunity to raise many different animals for our family’s consumption and/or enjoyment. One of the foods that we are enjoying in abundance are eggs.

We have different breeds of chickens. Most lay brown eggs. One kind lays white eggs. And, one breed lays pastel color eggs, usually pale green. The latter are Ameracaunas, which are also called the “Easter Egg” chicken for obvious reasons. My little boys love to eat “green eggs” and ham for breakfast.

We also have Muscovy ducks. Their eggs are off-white in color and bigger than chicken eggs. Our ducks have just begun to lay consistently. They lay in a different place and they are open to a much bigger area than our chickens. So it is like an Easter egg hunt every morning.

We own one turkey. She is a huge bird. We recently had some visitors come to the house. One of the young girls told me she wanted to hold that big chicken. I laughed and told her that that big chicken was really a turkey and that it weighed as much as she did. It honestly weighs about 40 pounds. She gives us very large speckled eggs. I can make an omelet for one of my young children out of one turkey egg.

Collecting eggs is a chore that my younger children really enjoy. They like to find the eggs and count them. They have to stay on top of the job though. One day last week passed by without anyone collecting eggs and the next day my boys collected 56! Yes, almost five dozen eggs.

It is not just our domesticated fowls that are laying a bunch of eggs right now. We have killdeers that live in the pasture beside my home. They nest on the ground, which is not the safest place to lay eggs with the fire ants, coyotes, dogs, etc. that live around here. One of the females built a nest on the side of a road. It used to get muddy there really bad so we put a load or two of grey rock. Finding her nest I understand why she chose the spot. Her eggs are gray with black spots. They are very similar to the rocks on the road.

Birds are laying eggs in their nests all around. Eggs hold the hope of new life and pretty soon we will be seeing baby birds of all varieties by the lakes, in the trees, in the barn, etc. It really is an egg-sighting time on the ranch.

From all of us, we wish you a very Happy Easter!

Just last week, Drovers Cattle Network released an article entitled, “Meat Consumption Drops as Prices Rise,” by John Maday. I was fascinated with some of the findings in the article.

Immediately, I was puzzled by the fact that the average family eats home-cooked meals 5 times a week. Assuming that the study was only talking about supper, this number seemed low to me. I guess we have an above average number of family members with seven and we often have friends and guests eating with us. Considering we take only our immediate family out to dinner and each order a glass of tea. Ordering flavored water tacks $14.00 to our total bill. We honestly cannot afford to eat out very often.

The study goes on to say that the average family brings home take-out once a week. Even cheap fast food hamburger meals can add up. It seems we cannot leave a fast food establishment without dropping $40-$50 and that is with two kid meals. Needless to say, eating out is a rare treat for our family.

I am the first to agree that an occasional visit to a restaurant is enjoyable. You get to pick whatever you want to eat. You get served and don’t have to do the dishes. But this service is not free, you leave at least 20% of the total cost of your meal for the waiter/waitress.

Besides the toll on your pocketbook, restaurant food is served in large portions. Sometimes it is hard to gauge a serving size and people often over-eat. It is usually full of salt and possibly MSG. I won’t even attempt to discuss the ill-effects of eating fast food. I think we all are familiar with the unhealthiness of highly processed fast food.

The article continues by stating that meat prices in general have all increased, thereby causing the consumption of meat to drop. The price for beef has risen higher than pork or chicken; therefore, its consumption has dropped the most. Even people who continue to eat beef rely on the lower priced cuts like ground beef.

However, there is an exception. Organic or natural beef’s demand has increased by 26% in 2013. Organic and natural are better than your normal grocery store meats, but you have to read the label carefully. Either can still include grain fed beef. Grass fed beef has the most health benefits for your body. Visit Health Benefits or do your own research. It also is very flavorful meat.

From Cross Creek Cattle Company, you can purchase grass fed beef raised naturally without hormones or antibiotics in bulk. You can enjoy steaks, roasts, brisket, and ground beef to name a few cuts available. At $4.00 a pound based on hanging carcass weight, it is the most economical way to feed your family nutritious and healthy beef. Invest in high quality beef combined with fruits and vegetables and you will be investing in your family’s health.

If you still crave the ambiance of a restaurant, light a candle, dim the lights, spread a nice tablecloth, and play music in the background. Yes, you will still have to prepare the food and do the dishes, but you will also know the quality of the ingredients. Weighing the two options, I would rather do the dishes than eat out once or twice a week.

If there is anything on earth that makes the hardest heart melt, it has to be the sight of baby animals. Regardless of the species, the sight of the very young makes people “oohh” and “ahhh.”

Baby calves are no exception. Our Beefmasters usually have long legs and big ears. They almost all look alike this year. Although, some have very distinct markings. On this Valentine’s Day, I am posting pictures taken of some of our calf crop. They are all about the same age, which is about two months old.

Please enjoy the photographs. And, Happy Valentine’s Day!

Most people would agree that a child’s natural bent is toward laziness. Who does not want to linger in bed for as long as possible? Who would rather sit in the shade than bend their bodies in half weeding a garden? The answer for most of us is obvious. Laziness is something we have to fight.

Developing a desire to fight that which is a natural tendency is really a battle of self. Therefore, the first place to begin is with yourself. As parents of five children, my husband and I share a strong desire to develop within our children, male and female alike, industry and diligence. We also want them to take initiative and not wait to be told what to do. So we try to model industry, diligence, and initiative in our own lives.

I ask my children to be “productive” each day. That does not mean that one must work from sun up to sun down without taking a break, but that one be involved in some work throughout the day. It could be painting a piece of art, baking cookies, cleaning a horse stall, writing a short story, mowing the yard, etc. At the end of the day, you can feel a sense of accomplishment in something you have done.

Living on a ranch lends itself useful in instilling these character traits in children. There is always something to do. A tree has fallen on a fence, a gate latch breaks, the cows need to be fed hay, the float on the water trough malfunctioned, etc. From mechanic work and welding, to plumbing and construction, there are a variety of skills to be honed by just living on a working ranch.

Most of our grass fed customers who travel to Cross Creek Cattle Company in order to pick up their orders remark at least once “how lucky my kids are to be raised on this ranch.” It is true; however, my husband and I are just as fortunate to live in an environment that cultivates the need for hard work and productivity. This in no way means that city kids cannot find ways to be productive; they absolutely can in a variety of ways. The ranch simply furnishes us a ready environment.

Our ancestors’, the pioneers who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and/or crossed the unsettled plains on their way westward, lives required work for their survival. Even though our lives are not pinned between life and death in such clear cut terms, we want our family to thrive and not just survive. Today, you can survive without working hard. In some ways we are not only fighting our inner selves, but also what have become cultural norms. Success, in many ways, is measured by getting paid the most for doing the least amount possible.

However if you know that working was God’s design from the beginning for mankind, then it changes your perspective (Genesis 2:15). Work requires discipline and denial of self. It makes your body move and sweat. It engages your mind and builds knowledge. It places food on your table and a roof over your head. Work is good, and it is good for your body and soul (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we are hard at work to develop high quality, nutritious grass fed beef. We come from a long line of ranchers in Texas, six generations in fact, but we are also busy training up the next generation by instilling the same characteristics that our ancestors exemplified: industry, diligence, and initiative.

We have been having the most beautiful January this week. It has been chilly in the mornings and then warms up in the afternoons. The sky is clear and it just soul-filling to spend time outside.

This past Sunday after church I heard a knock at my door. It was my brother and his family. They had come out to the ranch. We had an impromptu visit and horseback ride. Soon my dad and Cathey joined us. It was an afternoon spent in the beauty of the day, but also in the love and fellowship of our family.

As I basked in the sunshine, I reflected silently how much I love and enjoy my family. We are all busy people. We seem to be going in different directions all the time. But deeply woven into the tapestry of our hearts is love for one another and for this land. On this spectacular day it was like we were drawn to the ranch and to each other. Our love brought us together to recharge our batteries, fill up on good ol’ vitamin D, and forget the outside world. For a moment, it was like a taste of heaven on earth.

My boys, Isaac and Andrew, got to show off what they have been learning in occasional horseback riding lessons my husband and I have been giving them. Isaac, especially, surprised everyone by his control of the horse as he trotted and walked around the arena.

My brother got to ride with his son, Will, in a tandem saddle along with his wife, Marisa, and my son, Jake. They took a long ride through creeks as they rode through every pasture on the home ranch. Riding horses is the best way to see your land.

Even Adriana, my brother’s youngest, got to ride for the first time with Grandma Cathey’s assistance. Notice she is being supported by Grandma’s arms to make sure that she does not slip off or fall.

Isn’t that what family is all about? It is your support to keep you on track through the bad and challenging times in life and also to keep you grounded when your head gets to big with success. For me, Sunday afternoon was a near perfect day.

On a cold, slightly windy day between Christmas and New Year’s, my brother and his young family spent the day fishing at our new ranch. It was a beautiful winter day in Texas with the actual temperature in the 40s; however, the wind chill was in the low 30s.

Dressed for the weather, the first order of business was to build a campfire on the bank. Then the Hollidays set out fishing for large mouth bass with live bait. As with most fishing excursions, you never quite know what to expect.

Fishing can be a slow, relaxing way to spend your day as you lounge on the bank sipping a refreshing beverage all the while keeping your eye on the bobber lazily floating on the water’s surface. On the other hand, fishing with young children can be an exhausting experience as you constantly bait hooks, cast out lines, untangle fishing poles, change lures, and remove treble hooks from your husband’s forehead.

True story: Jake was about four years old when my husband was trying to teach him to cast. Jake had one of those kid poles with a short rod. Lane stepped back to let him cast on his own and Jake caught his 150 pound dad. It all happened so fast that when Jake saw that his line did not fly over the water, he tugged harder on his rod, which only made all three hooks on the treble hook sink deeper into his father’s skin.

Lane was a real trooper. He did not scream or even shout. He calmly told Jake to stop and hand him the fishing pole. Then Lane asked me to remove the hooks from his flesh. After trying several times without success and now fighting nausea due to the sight of blood, Lane let me off the hook, so to speak. He removed the hooks himself.

Fortunately nothing like this happened on my brother’s outing, he had the perfect fishing day with his family. It was a pleasant day. Fish were biting like crazy. And not just any fish, big, large mouth bass. The average fish caught the other day was 2.5 pounds. With three people fishing, they caught 12 fish for a total of 30 pounds. This day’s catch was certainly the catch of 2012 on Cross Creek Cattle Company.

They shared from their bounty and we enjoyed a fish fry of our own. Next week, I will tell you how I fry fish without gluten or grain. It is delicious, but the best part of the whole day was spending it with people you love–family.

We hope that everyone had a great time with family and friends for Christmas. We did, and now we are shifting gears for another celebration: New Year’s Day.

Most cultures have what they consider “lucky food,” which they make sure they eat New Year’s Day. In Asian culture, eating long noodles is a tradition. In the South, we eat black-eyed peas. German families eat pork. Eating cabbage is a tradition that stemmed from Germany as well, but has caught on big in the United States. Lentils bring luck to Italians as the clock strikes 12 a.m. One grape is consumed with each toll of the bell for a total of twelve in Spain for luck.

The Holliday family has their own tradition of eating certain fare on New Year’s Day. As Southerners, black-eyed peas are a must. We adopted the Tex-Mex tradition of eating tamales. We also eat boiled shrimp simply because we like them. So New Year’s Day is a hodge-podge of food eaten every first day of the year.

Of course, we don’t believe in food bringing one luck. All things come from God, but it is fun to have family traditions. It brings your family closer and gives it a sense of identity. As your family expands, you get to share your traditions with others and they slowly get modified. My husband brought cabbage into the mix on New Year’s day. My kids absolutely love cabbage so it is a popular addition to the menu I grew up with.

What are your family traditions on New Year’s Day? Do you watch football? What is your “lucky” food? From everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company, we wish you and your family a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Some of my favorite Christmas memories as a child involved combing the ranch for the perfect Christmas tree. In Grimes County, we have thick piney woods sprinkled with cedars. Unless you are going for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, cedars are your best bet. They not only naturally grow in a conical shape; they smell wonderful, too.

It is funny how childhood memories work. One of my favorite stories about Christmas tree finding on the ranch occurred without me. I was at school, but my mom and little brother decided to surprise the family by decorating for Christmas in our absence.

They set out together armed with a saw across the pasture and into the woods keeping their eyes peeled for the perfect tree. Their trek took them through two dry creeks bottoms with steep banks, but finally after hours of searching they found the perfect tree.

I imagine like the Griswold family in the movie,National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, my mom and brother saw a spotlight from the heavens casting a beautiful glow around the cedar tree. They immediately agreed that their long search was over. They fell to the ground beneath the full, aromatic boughs and began cutting the tree down.

Finally, they heard the crack of the wood splintering, a brief pause, and the victorious thud as the tree hit the ground. Taking a few minutes to catch their breath, they leaned against a nearby pine tree.

Now was time for the real work. They had to retrace their route back home, but this time their passage was encumbered by the bulk and weight of the tree. What they would have given for some help! Crossing the creeks proved to be the most difficult obstacle, especially the last one. Fatigue set in as sweat dampened their skin despite the cold weather.

Fueled by the Christmas spirit and a good dose of stubbornness, my mom set her mind to completing the task before her. She wrapped a rope around the base of the trunk and with my brother’s help pulled the tree up the side of the bank. Now just a short walk across an open pasture lay between them and home.

It was the longest recorded crossing of that field in the history of the ranch. The tree was dropped several times despite the fact that their hands were covered with sticky sap. Finally they went through the last gate and plopped it down in the front yard.

They were tired and hungry. The last thing they wanted to do was decorate for Christmas. All they wanted to do was take a shower, put on their pajamas, and sit before a fire, but it was only the afternoon. After they ate a very late lunch, they felt more up to the task.

My mom cut off the bottom of the trunk and some of the bottom boughs. She tried to put on the tree stand, but it would not fit. So she cut off more of the trunk and more branches. Tired from cutting, she decided to just go with it and tried to carry the tree into the living room. Drug is a more fitting description. It barely squeezed in the doorway. In the struggle to pull it through, many needles were knocked off. With one huge tug, the tree gave way and my mom struggled to keep her balance.

She managed to set the tree up. The tree swallowed the living room and its top bent against the ceiling. Out of frustration my mom dragged it back out into the front yard and left it while she tried to clean herself up.

About this time, I walked up. Seeing a huge felled tree in the yard, I enthusiastically shouted, “Yeah, we have a Christmas tree! We have a big, beautiful tree!” Then I asked, “Where is it going to go this year?”

Needless to say, it never did become our Christmas tree. It never fit in our house. Despite this fact and the fact that I was not present for the tree cutting, it is by far one of my favorite family holiday stories.

I cannot prove it, but I think the scene in the Christmas Vacation movie is loosely based on my mom and brother’s adventure. What kind of Christmas tree memories do you have?

Chef Todd Mohr from No Recipe Lifestyle sets out to discover what meats to grill in his episode, “Why Grass Fed Beef Makes the Best Steaks for Grilling.” He calls John Wood of U.S. Wellness Meats and interviews him about grass fed beef. Together they discuss the differences between grain fed and grass fed beef. Mr. Wood shares his favorite steak recipe, which is extremely simple.

Grilling season for most of the United States might be coming to an end, but we grill year round in Texas. Recently I had a customer ask me about grilling steaks, and I thought about her as I watched this video. Mr. Wood states that grass fed beef will cook faster than grain fed beef even when the same size. Therefore, you really need to lower the time and temperature when grilling grass fed beef.

For some of the skeptics, who are not sure about purchasing grass fed beef, this video will help explain the differences between it and grain fed beef. For others, the video offers sound information about cooking with grass fed beef. And no, you do not have to marinate every cut for days as some would have you believe.

Watch and enjoy. If you have any additional questions, contact me.