JUNE 2015

The New Header

"The city no longer appeals to me for the cultural experiences and possessions I might acquire there... And the Western Plains now seem bountiful in their emptiness, offering solitude and room to grow." - Kathleen Norris in Dakota: A Spiritual Geography 

Attention: Ranch Foods Direct has new Saturday hours
The store is now open until 6 p.m. Saturdays for your shopping convenience!

Mike Callicrate one of speakers, authors at international meat fair in Denver    


The Denver chapter of the Slow Food organization is hosting an international meat symposium and tasting fair June 4-6. Saturday's "Slow Meat Fair" at the Auraria Campus near downtown will include free panel lectures as well as ticketed culinary workshops and tastings.

Ranch Foods Direct owner Mike Callicrate will appear on an afternoon panel to discuss "faith and food" along with a Navajo sheep herder and a Buddhist rancher, one of several educational talks that are free and open to the public throughout the day.

Looking at food from a faith-based perspective is a common theme for Mike. Late last year he traveled to Minneapolis to participate in a large conference on faith, food and the environment hosted by the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. At that event, he talked about the importance of restoring "economic fairness, equal opportunity and social justice" to the food system. In Colorado Springs, he promotes the idea that "eating is a moral act" with ethical and spiritual implications for the local community and society as a whole.

Slow Food Denver is calling the upcoming fair "a day of discovery, connecting and deliciousness" and a chance "to celebrate and experience the alternative to industrial meat through workshops, expert speakers and delicious food and drink." It includes a book-signing featuring best-selling food writers such as Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of Righteous Porkchop and Defending Beef.
 
Prior to Saturday's expo, an international symposium will bring together delegates from all over the world to hear expert presentations and to collaborate on how to improve meat production practices and generate greater food awareness. Mike will participate as a conference delegate and shares the mission of advocating for more sustainable, humanely raised meat, even if it means there's less of it. "It's a very important event and hosting it is a great opportunity for Colorado," he says.

To buy tickets for any of the special events, or to learn more, visit www.slowfoodusa.org/slow-meat-2015.

 


Carbon-rich black gold, a natural soil enhancer   
NOW AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER AND FALL GARDENS, high quality natural bone or bio-char,  soil amendments made on the Eastern Plains at Callicrate Cattle Co. Get 20-lb. tubs for $65; 2-lb. buckets for $8. Wholesale volume discounts are also available! Please inquire for details.  

Tasty burger toppers add pop, crunch, sizzle  


 

Shop the unique sauces, salsas and relishes at Ranch Foods Direct. Fun, flavorful and they're local!  

 

 

 


Chewy new insights on grain gluten    

  
A new book, left, helps to explain the brilliance of artisan sourdough breads like those made fresh daily on-site by Shawn Saunders and available in store. Stephen Yafa sifted through all the research he could find on the gluten controversy and came away with a nuanced view. While mega-selling books like Grain Brain and Wheat Belly make wheat the new asbestos, Yafa finds a happy medium whereby a properly made sourdough can be an ideal source of grain-based nutrition. "Fermentation methods and other processing techniques play a vital role in determining whether wheat is healthful or potentially harmful to the 99 percent of us who do not suffer from celiac disease," he says. Whole grains that don't have the bran and germ stripped off to use for animal feed are also part of the answer, he says.
Shawn Saunders' Sourdough Boulangerie has a cult following that continues to grow citywide.

 
Seasonal produce deliveries started this week!
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Attention: Now open Saturdays until 6 p.m.
Enjoy our expanded summer hours