Short Ribs from El Morro

Prime Beef

Tonight I braised another pair of short ribs from El Morro Valley Ranch (see their add in the Gallup Journey, and support local, organic, and ethical producers with your dollars!) Olive oil, shallots, garlic, red wine, tomato/red chile sauce, and these two incredibly marbled and meaty ribs (1.14 lbs) went into the little enameled dutch oven for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Served with rice, it's damn sweet red meat. Literally.

Cabin 34's Rosemary

Every growing season I try to plant numerous herb-filled planters--clay or plastic 5 gallon pots-- this year rosemary and sage dominated. . . tasty, yet, I definitely miss the parsley and thyme that also filled several pots last winter. With a half-dozen rosemary plants thriving in my windows or waffle garden this year, I had to bring one of my kitchen center-pieces to our cabin (Bill, Jack, and Lloyd are my revered cabin-mates!) in the western Zuni Mountains, at McGaffey, NM. No need to worry the 8000' elevation or days without occupancy, rosemary seems to endure frigid temperatures and dry soil amazingly, so it will surely thrive up there in the cold, dry air; plus, Cabin 34 (on old 10th 'street') never drops below 30 degrees with our newly installed southern windows.

Our hand-shoveled 'trail-head' at McGaffey and the hauling sled

Too, Early Garlic?

Last week, as the snowpack retreated in the backyard, and warm days despite frigid nights, triggered inch or two tall garlic sprouts to make themselves known. After 5 or so days exposed, including 2 nights of lows around 13 degrees, the outermost leaves seem to be damaged, yet still growing. I'm going to mulch a little deeper on most of the 2 beds, but I do fear that this store-bought garlic-- Christopher Ranch @La Montanita-- while eagerly fertile, may be growing a little to early for Gallup's highly contrasting diurnal shift in temperature, emblematic of the dry, high Colorado Plateau; hopefully I'm wrong.