— Author and farmer Gene Logsdon (Read his blog here) |
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Celebrate Independence Day with Made-in-the-USA meat, cheese and |
| Steel city deli stands test of time | |
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Deli Dave’s is the longest running restaurant in Pueblo West. Owner Dave Harrison credits a large part of his long lasting popularity to Ranch Foods Direct beef, which he uses exclusively to make fresh and tasty roast beef, beef dip and cheese steak sandwiches. CLICK HERE to read about Deli Dave’s. |
| Where to find 'a little piece of heaven' this summer | |
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Walking into the Ranch Foods Direct store for the first time, Michael Brennan says he knew he’d found “a little piece of heaven.” Now he’s sharing the love through his M & H Catering and Concessions business. After working in the restaurant business all of his life, Michael decided to open a first rate concession stand this year. “I like working for myself and working with the public,” he says. |
Look for his cart at the Colorado Farm and Art Market (CLICK HERE) every Wednesday and most Saturdays, serving burgers, hot dogs and Laughing Lab beer brats exclusively from Ranch Foods Direct. “I’m proud to serve this stuff,” he said on opening day of the farmers market at America the Beautiful Park near downtown. “I’m originally from the Jersey shore, so I know hot dogs, and these are the best I’ve ever eaten. As soon as I tried these hot dogs, I knew I’d enjoy selling these products.” |
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| More Summer Happenings | |
Go straight to the source: Saturday, July 24 is your next chance to visit GREENHORN ACRES (CLICK HERE) southeast of Fowler in the Arkansas River Valley. (It’s an hour-plus road trip from the Springs.) Marcy Nameth and her boys, who deliver a CSA of veggies and fruit weekly to Ranch Foods Direct, will open the farm to guests and give you a tour of where all that great food comes from. |
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Check it out in Denver – Ranch Foods Direct has a revamped storefront at the DENVER URBAN HOMESTEADING farmers market near the Santa Fe Arts District, 200 Santa Fe (easy access from I-25.) Or pick up items Wednesday through Friday at their location from 1 to 6 p.m. CLICK HERE for the latest. |
COLORADO COLLEGE hosts a free summer film series, Feast on Film, which includes a showing of Food Inc. on Tuesday, July 13, as well as other food-themed flicks on Tuesday evenings during July. CLICK HERE. Wine a little, you’ll feel better – Fiddles, Vittles and Vino, an annual melding of history, music, culture and cuisine, happens Sunday, July 25 at the Rock Ledge Ranch, local living heritage site. CLICK HERE for tickets and more info. The much-anticipated series of seasonal starlight dinners at Venetucci Farm launches on Monday, July 26, featuring Chef Victor Matthews, founder, dean and director of the Paragon Culinary School. Venetucci Farm is a member of the Arkansas Valley Organic Growers and a supplier to Ranch Foods Direct. For a full list of future dinners, CLICK HERE. These delightful events do fill up quickly, so sign up soon! PIKES PEAK URBAN GARDENS offers junior master gardener’s classes for the kids during July and August. Plus, an array of adult classes to choose from. Learn more at http://www.ppugardens.org. |
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Recipe Box |
Summer – and the cooking is easy! Michele Mukatis, owner of Cultivate Health counseling service, is |
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| Fields of dreams – and a house of straw in Pueblo |
Country Roots Farm in Pueblo operates a farm stand during the growing season. The farm is one of seven that make up the Arkansas Valley Organic Growers group, which supplies in-season produce to Ranch Foods Direct. CLICK HERE to read about a visit to this unusual farm. Or visit the farm online: http://www.countryrootsfarm.org. |
| Chinese organics standards questioned | |
U.S. bans By WILLIAM NEUMAN and DAVID BARBOZA (Published |
Organic food from China, like tea and frozen broccoli, has increasingly found its way onto American store shelves, typically emblazoned with the green “U.S.D.A. organic” seal also found on food grown in this country. The federal certification, the backbone of the organics industry, is aimed at assuring consumers that farmers and food manufacturers have passed tough, independent inspections — even half a world away. Now serious questions about certification in China have been raised by the United States Agriculture Department. The agency, which uses private groups to conduct most organic inspections worldwide, has banned a leading American inspector from operating in China because of a conflict of interest that strikes at the heart of the organics’ guarantee. The federal agency also plans to send an audit team to China this year to broadly review the certification process. |
Federal officials say the banned inspector, the Organic Crop Improvement Association, used employees of a Chinese government agency to inspect state-controlled farms and food processing facilities. The group, based in Nebraska and known by the initials O.C.I.A., has for years been one of the leading inspectors of Chinese organics for the United States market. Anticipating the department’s action, the group The ban, to be formally announced on Monday, is likely to propel consumer worries about organic food from a country that many associate with food safety scandals and lax regulation, involving things like contaminated milk and toys coated in lead paint. Whole Foods Market, the nation’s leading organic retailer, has used Chinese organics, including those from association-inspected producers, in many of its store brand products, including frozen vegetables, sunflower seeds, pine nuts and bottled teas. Two years ago, the company said, it sold about 30 private label items with organic ingredients from China; by the end of this year, it will stock only two: shelled and unshelled frozen edamame soybeans. The United States imports $3 billion a year in farm products from China. An upward trend can be seen in the number of Chinese organic producers certified under Agriculture Department rules, which rose more than 200 percent, to 669 last year, from 216 in 2008. China is one of the biggest exporters of agricultural products to the United States. |
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 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 Mike Callicrate, Owner Please note: You can subscribe to the RFD newsletter by sending an email to: [email protected] or in our stores. This newsletter is published by: Candace Krebs Writing, Editing, Photography, Design - Candace Krebs is a freelance writer and communications specialist. Contact her at [email protected]. First Page html newsletter design by Computer Images, [email protected] - www.graphicandwebdesign.com
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