Spray Creek Ranch

The Mud Daubers

2020/07/12 tbanwell Leave a comment

We first started farming over a decade ago in Washington state. At the time we were also running a property caretaking business, volunteering as EMTs with the local fire department, and managing our own off-grid homestead as well as raising meat and vegetables for our community. After we left, our friends and neighbours Joe and Kate told us they had a nickname for us: ‘the daubers’. Apparently our constant frenzied busyness reminded them of never-resting mud dauber wasps constantly working to build their nests.

One Roast Chicken at a Time

2020/04/052020/04/05 tbanwell

We consider chicken our specialty. As you know, our chickens are Certified Organic by NOOA, Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World, and raised outdoors on beautiful pasture. But that’s not all… We also raise a slower-growing breed called Freedom Rangers; these lead a more healthy and active life than typical excessively-fast-growing industrial chickens and are therefore much more flavourful and healthy on the plate. And this year, for the first time, our chicks come from non-GMO parent flocks!

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Even out on the ranch…

2020/03/242020/04/05 tbanwell

…we’re feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have to admit, when we first started hearing news about the emerging virus, we thought we would be relatively isolated from the effects out here in the boonies. In case you’re dreaming of a simpler life in the country right about now, I’m here to report that we’re not immune to the effects (forgive the pun).

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Farmers’ Market Assistant – Help us get the products to the people

2020/02/082020/03/24 tbanwell

Want to join in the joy of regenerative ranching without the dirty, mucky, yucky parts? We’re looking for assistance at our farmers’ markets for the coming season. Join us in providing local markets with diverse meats of unparalleled quality so that we can continue to regenerate our farm and environment.

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Staff Appreciation Week 2019

2019/10/082019/10/08 tbanwell

Aubyn and Tristan may be the friendly ranchers you visit at your local farmers’ market, but we’ve got a mighty team standing behind us that makes everything go. There’s no way we could leave the farm for days at a time if we didn’t have reliable, responsible folks looking after the livestock and systems. This year’s staff has some returning superstars and some brand-new ringers, and they helped move the ranch forward more than ever before. We worked long days (and nights) together, through all kinds of conditions, and we did it with a smile on our faces. In the spirit of this season of gratitude, we’d like to introduce you to our awesome staff, to whom we are exceedingly grateful.

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Beef is back — but why in July?

2019/07/302019/07/30 tbanwell

It’s late July, and we’re back into our BC Certified Organic and AWA Certified Grassfed beef! Like everything we produce at Spray Creek Ranch, beef is a seasonal product. Luckily, we have vac-packing and freezers to extend the enjoyment. But why don’t we have steaks available until July? Read on, dear eater, and then heat up that grill.

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The Reverse Sear

2019/07/282019/07/30 tbanwell

If you ask me, the reverse sear is the way to cook any steak or chops. Using this method will make a good steak even better, and can turn a ‘tougher’ steak into a gourmet experience. Best of all, it is about as easy as it could possibly be.

Aubyn’s Simple Pâté

2019/07/152019/07/30 tbanwell

Lately, I’ve had so many customers ask for tips on cooking liver after their doctor has recommended that they start eating more organ meats. For those who aren’t used to the flavour of liver or even think they don’t like it, I always recommend trying a pâté. However, if you search your recipe book collection or the internet for liver pâté recipes you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with all sorts of ideas ranging from boring and bland to unrealistically complex. My go-to pâté recipe is simple, totally delicious, flexible depending on what you’ve got in the garden or the fridge, and appetizing even to offal-skeptics. My 1.5 year old son eats it by the spoonful!

Conference Season

2019/04/072019/04/07 tbanwell

Through the winter months, our primary tasks are to:
• keep the water running,
• over-commit to volunteer efforts, and
• knit tiny chicken sweaters from organic wool.

We also make time to continue the unending process of learning that goes hand-in-hand with being a regenerative farmer.

Meat From Here (and why we volunteer)

2019/03/102019/04/06 tbanwell

If you know Tristan, you know that when he’s not farming, he’s thinking about farming, and that extends to his favourite hobby – volunteering. Recently, he was overheard in town describing himself as a ‘professional volunteer’. He spends a lot of his time working to create opportunities in regenerative agriculture across BC through his work with agricultural non-profits, especially in the winter months. Why, you might ask?

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