Fall 2009 Newsletter - November

Lava Lake Racks Up Awards - Healing with Lamb

2009 has been a banner year for Lava Lake. In the spring, the U.S. Forest Service announced that we had won the National Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rangeland Management. Each year, the USFS considers organizations from around the nation and selects one for this prestigious award. We were deeply honored to be named. Mike Stevens, President of Lava Lake, said of the award, "It's the culmination of seven years of work. It's definitely been a group effort." He refers to the contributions of neighboring ranching families, non-profits, biologists and its family of Peruvian herders.

More recently, we were named the recipients of the Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Stewardship Award. BLM Director, Bob Abbey, said that we had "gone above and beyond the expected in rangeland stewardship," through our use of innovative technology to effectively manage the landscape and by engaging in an active vegetation treatment program. Next up was the Cecil D. Andrus Leadership Award for Sustainability and Conservation. This award, named for former US Secretary of the Interior and Idaho governor, is bestowed annually to individuals, nonprofit organizations, or collaborative community-based efforts that demonstrate a commitment to conservation of the environment, outreach and service to community, adaptability and innovation, and leadership of others to pursue similar sustainable paths. In naming us, Sustainable Northwest said, "They are an inspiring example of sustainable ranching in the American West. From the company’s entrepreneurial efforts to establish Lava Lake Land & Livestock as the country’s premier source of certified organic grassfed lamb, to its collaborative and science-based approach to addressing contentious natural resource issues such as wolves, land conservation, and livestock grazing, Lava Lake Land & Livestock has pursued an ambitious vision of sustainability and land stewardship." In accepting the Cecil D. Andrus ward, Stevens said, "We come to you tonight from the upper end of our collective watershed, where Salmon Nation meets Bison Country. And we come to you tonight with a message from the land. It is a message of hope and renewal. We see creeks and aspen stands green with new life. We watch pronghorn raversing their ancient migration routes. We hear the bugling of elk, the music of songbirds, and with all of the joy and conflict and heartbreak it rings, the howl of a wolf on a mountain night. The magnificence and wildness of the landscape is matched by a powerful and pragmatic movement of collaboration and community-building that is taking place across our region. Of the various definitions of sustain, we like this one – “to supply with sustenance, to nourish." Whether it is through food or conservation or strengthened relationships, we seek to sustain and nourish the land and people." Lava Lake is so proud to have received these three awards recognizing their conservation and rangeland management efforts.

Last Thursday, John Turenne, President and Founder of Sustainable Food Systems stopped by the Hailey, ID Farmer’s Market to pick up a case of ground lamb. Not that unusual in its own right, but what is different is the destination of the lamb. Lava Lake Lamb is served in a number of fine restaurants here in the Wood River Valley, but now it is also being served at the hospital. That’s right, no more jell-o salad. The St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center is taking big steps toward creating a more sustainable, locally-based, and healthier menu for their patients and visitors. This means less time filling out the weekly food service order form from one wholesale supplier and more time perusing the local and seasonal selection at the Farmer’ Market.

St. Luke’s has hired John and Sustainable Food Systems to create a plan for transition to a more nutritious and locally based menu at the hospital. Through implementation of the plan St. Luke’s has:

• eliminated non-desirable food ingredients;
• become the first hospital in Idaho to sign the Healthy Food in Healthcare Pledge;
• incorporated a cost effective means of serving local food;
• eliminated the automatic use of disposable service ware by 75%,

The new program, Green Cuisine, is sure to be a hit with patients and visitors to St. Luke’s.

Mike Gordon

At the Smithsonian

We’re at The Smithsonian Lava Lake featured in new exhibit at the Cooper-Hewlett Museum Lava Lake is honored to be part of a beautiful exhibit of unique works of art created from materials derived from nine conservation projects around the globe in which The Nature Conservancy is involved. Prominent, talented designers have taken natural materials from conservation sites and created truly extraordinary works of art for the exhibit, designed to draw attention to the importance of supporting sustainable industries. Both the materials and designers came from around the world; from a Dutch woman crafting vases out of chicle latex from chicozapote trees in Mexico to a Brooklynite creating a dress out of salmon scales in Alaska, this was truly a global endeavor. Renowned Dutch textile artist Christien Meindertsma transformed wool from our organic sheep into a rug that is truly a work of art.

An exhibit of these pieces opened at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York in May, 2009 and will travel to museums around the U.S. A offee table book showcasing the nine featured conservation projects will be available through The Nature Conservancy.

Annie O’Sullivan

Summer Mornings

Mornings at Lava Lake Thoughts on waking up at the Ranch. I love waking up at Lava Lake Ranch. I live in a yurt in the summer, and its canvas walls and big screen windows let in all the sounds of the ranch coming to life for the day. The rooster crows early, and he is followed by a host of songbirds and the chortling call of the sandhill cranes who nest near Copper Creek. Tim’s mule, Stitch, joins the chorus with his comical bray. Often I hear Pedro’s diesel truck firing up as he heads out to check on our herders. The air is so clear I can hear the low hum of a semi driving down Highway 20 a few miles away. Time to get up...

This week we cooked up some new lamb sausages for breakfast – some of our customers prefer not to eat pork products, and asked if we could make sausages with non-pork casings (nearly all nonkosher sausages have pork casings). So we are trying lamb casings – they are much narrower, so these sausages look like a long breakfast link. They were delicious! They were great with scrambled eggs but would be good with other dishes too. I probably wouldn’t grill them because they are so narrow – I think they would cook too fast on a hot grill. But they are quick and easy on the stove top. You can find them on the website. Whatever sounds started your day, go out and make it a good one!

Kathleen Bean

Recipe - Lamb Tagine

This weekend, I decided it was time for a lamb stew. Now if you live outside of Idaho, October may strike you as a bit early to venture into that wintry category of cooking, but I was inspired by five inches of snow to dive in early.

I am an apricot addict, and so started to look around for a lamb tagine recipe that made use of dried fruit. I landed on Moroccan Apricot Lamb Tagine, from one of my favorite food bloggers, Kevin at Closet Cooking. I adapted the recipe and came up with the perfect cold weather dish. The flavors in this stew are really outstanding. Giving the shoulder a long time to cook in your dutch oven (or if you’re lucky, your tagine) allows the North African spices to blend together perfectly as the meat becomes fall apart tender. Raisins and apricots plump up and lend a soothing sweetness to balance the kick of the spices. Try it out on a cold wintry night - it’s sure to be a hit.

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Lava Lake lamb shoulder (about 3 lbs)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1.5 inch piece of ginger, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• about 3 cups of chicken stock
• 3/4 cup dried apricots, whole
• 1/2 cup raisins
• parsley, almonds or pistachios
• couscous

First, collect all of the spices from the drawer. Ok not really, but you’ll need paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and cayenne

pepper. If you have saffron, feel free to add a bit of that as well (owning a bottle of saffron will mark my passage into a new stage of life). To the spices, add lemon zest and the oil. Trim the lamb of excess fat and cut into 1.5 inch pieces.

Toss the lamb in this mixture and let marinate for several hours or overnight.

Next heat the oil in a dutch oven. Brown the lamb and remove from pan. Saute garlic. Add onion and ginger and cook for several minutes, until onions are tender. Stir in tomato paste and let cook for about a minute. Add back in the lamb and cover with chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about three hours.

Add the apricots (I liked them whole, as they plump up, rather than releasing all of

their sweetness directly into the dish) and raisins and let cook an additional twenty minutes. Serve over rice or more traditionally, couscous. This would be good topped with parsley, and almonds or pistachios.

Annie O’Sullivan

Whole Lamb

Kathleen explains the physics of freezer organization and the economics of purchasing the full animal.

We hope to sell about 1000 organic lambs this year, and we’d love to sell them one at a time. Buying a whole lamb means you have great lamb in the freezer that will last several months, reduces your shipping costs and the shipping materials, and you get it at a great discounted price. I know it sounds like a lot but we’re not talking about a cow here – if you have a side-by-side freezer or even a standard pull-out drawer freezer, you have plenty of room for a whole lamb and the other essentials, like ice cream and a frozen pizza or two. And here’s what you can do with it:

2 racks. That means two really special dinners – maybe a birthday dinner or an evening with special friends or clients. They will be wowed. And it’s one of the easiest cuts to prepare.

1 boneless leg. This covers an Easter or Passover feast or one nice barbeque or 10-12 people. The leftovers will provide another great meal for your family later in the week (look at our website for some good lamb leftover recipes).

8 loin chops. A classic, like the rack they are so quick and easy to prepare and everyone loves a tender juicy lamb chop. My husband and kids love chewing on the bones. These are a big treat at my house.

4 shanks. The ultimate winter comfort food. Prep time for braised shanks is about 15 minutes and after that they just slowly cook in your oven or slow cooker. The end result is the most tender, succulent lamb imaginable and the leftovers are fantastic. Our shanks are so big and meaty, this is enough for two meals for a family of 4.

4 packages of short ribs. These are the yummiest ribs I’ve ever had – so tender and juicy. We serve them as an appetizer when we are grilling and they disappear before your eyes.

4 sirloin roasts. These “petite” leg roasts are perfect for small families. Marinate and roast them as you would a leg, or cut them into strips for fajitas or stir fry.

1 boneless shoulder roast. This cut is fantastic prepared in a slow cooker or braised in the oven or, if cut up for stew or fajitas.

1 shoulder sampler, with:

3 lbs. of ground lamb. This has to be my favorite thing to reach for in the freezer. It’s so easy to use ground lamb. Make lamb burgers stuffed with goat cheese, use it in a pasta sauce, or make our favorite lamb & wild rice meatballs. I never get enough of this.

2 lbs. of trimmed stew meat – perfect for classic lamb stew or curries.

A whole lamb provides at least 20 delicious, healthy meals for a family of 4. At $459, that’s about $23/meal on average or $5.60/person!

So seriously, order a whole lamb. It’s like a secret weapon in your freezer – ready to solve your dinner party problems or midweek “what to cook for dinner” blues at a moment’s notice. You’ll save money, you’ll save time and trouble, and you’ll be making us really happy too!

Kathleen Bean

Conservation - The Pronghorn Migration

If you spend enough time driving through Idaho, you're bound to see the fastest mammal in North America, the pronghorn antelope. We were curious about where they were going, and being the science nerds we are, we decided to find out. In 2008, the Lava Lake Institute teamed up with the Wilderness Conservation Society and Idaho Fish & Game to track the pronghorn migration in the Craters of the Moon - Pioneer Mountain landscape. Protecting wildlife migration corridors is vital to any pronghorn conservation effort - these animals are on the move and expecting them to stay within wilderness areas is like asking a three year old to color within the lines. By developing an understanding of pronghorn location throughout the year, we hope to better protect this beautiful species.

This information is important because migration corridors are ncreasingly at risk of being blocked by fences and roads. Pronghorn do not cross fences easily and the few remaining open migration routes are critical to their long-term survival in our region. Once we've identified the exact routes we can take steps to preserve them.

After placing GPS radiocollars on 10 females last fall, we've been tracking them daily for the past year. We eagerly anticipated the results and sent out our field team to recover collars this September. The results are in and they are amazing. The Southern Idaho herd of 1000 individuals traveled more than 160 miles round trip, making theirs one of the longest mammal migrations in North America. Check out this map to see where the pronghorn roam.

Tess O’Sullivan

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