Dreaming of spring — it officially starts March 20.

For an Easter feast that’s truly blessed, shop Ranch Foods Direct. CLICK HERE for more details.


Seasonal selections: Heritage hams, tender Rocky Mountain lamb, richly-flavored Callicrate beef roasts and steaks. CLICK HERE for more details.


Easter Sunday is March 23. CLICK HERE for Easter-themed recipes.


Did you know… last month’s beef recall following the release of an undercover videotape of a California slaughterhouse was four times bigger than the previous record set in 1999.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." – Mahatma Gandhi


Food news
Welcome to Mike Callicrate's blog, CLICK HERE.

March 2008

“Food is the basis of our economy, our culture, our society… Food is the experience that we all get to have every single day that helps us connect to our friends, to our family. It is survival but it’s also pleasure.”

—Erika Lesser, Executive Director of Slow Food USA

“Thanks for the great product!! It is very easy to put out good food when I start with a good product. I don’t remember the last time I had a top sirloin melt in my mouth — a filet or a rib-eye, sure, but a top?!”— Bob Smoot, Corner Café www.cornercafecs.com.

Downtown eating attraction

Bob and Virginia Smoot opened their first "Corner Cafe" in Clovis, California in 1992. After 12 years, they decided to move to Colorado Springs and opened the Corner Cafe across from the courthouse in 2004. They describe their food as “made the old fashioned way” with burgers made by hand instead of by machine. Their attention to detail shows. Their pies have been voted “the Best in the Springs” by the Gazette. “It is very easy to put out good food when I start with a good product,” Bob says. Here, (CLICK TO READ INTERVIEW,) he answers a few more questions about what he and his wife bring to downtown dining.


What is corned beef?
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – March 17 — and the month of March with this Irish favorite.
Corned beef is a popular meat item that dates back to the days before refrigeration. Faced with the challenge of preserving fresh meat for the winter season, butchers would routinely pack beef or pork products in salt to preserve them. Meats like beef brisket could also be pickled in spicy, salty brine. At one time, the word corn referred to the coarse salt granules packed around the brisket.

Ranch Foods Direct St. Patrick’s Day Features:

Get your beef brisket, corned or regular.
Uncooked corned beef – Ask for cooking instructions at the store. Now on sale $3.99/lb. Cabbage and natural sauerkraut available.
Cooked corned beef  — Ready for making your Rueben sandwich. Pick up some wonderful fresh locally made breads or baked goods too.

CLICK HERE to learn more about traditional corned beef and the Reuben.


Is this the year for Country-of-Origin
labeling at the meat case?

You can easily discern the country where your shirt originated, but not the beef you buy at the grocery store. As foreign beef imports rise, several consumer and producer groups have been pushing hard to get full disclosure through retail labeling, including one cattle industry group of which Ranch Foods Direct owner Mike Callicrate is a founding member. While attending the United Stockgrowers of America meeting held late last month in Omaha, he learned more about the status of this important issue. For more, CLICK HERE.




Lessons from the biggest beef recall
in history
Do your know where your beef comes from?

In the case of many schools and hamburger joints, it had been coming from a little known plant in Chino, California, which was caught on secret camera slaughtering “downer” dairy cows — those no longer able to walk on their own — using unsavory animal handling practices. Talk about putting a magnifying glass up to how we little we know about our food supply. CLICK HERE to read more.



Did you know?… U.S. Department of Agriculture food consumption data shows that between 1970 and 2003, America’s average consumption of high fructose corn syrup grew from a half pound to 43 pounds per person each year, mostly coming from soft drinks and processed foods. The average size of a U.S. soft drink is twice that of one sold in France.



... Your local source of
natural beef, poultry,
buffalo, pork, lamb, eggs,
wild seafood, deli meats
and cheeses, meals
and more!

Member, Peak to Plains Alliance
(www.peaktoplains.com)

Store and Meat Plant
2901 N. El Paso, Colorado Springs 80907
Retail Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sunday
(719) 473-2306 or 1-866-866-6328

www.ranchfoodsdirect.com

Mike Callicrate, Owner

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