Tim Bennet leading the ride

Beaver Pasture at Lava Lake Main Ranch

Barn Canyon Pond at Lava Lake Main Ranch

French Rib Chops with Balsamic Reduction

• 8 French Rib Chops
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Red Wine
• 1 sprig of Rosemary
• 2 tablespoons Butter

Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Dry off rib chops completely and season with salt and pepper. Add oil to the skillet. Sear lamb until browned on both sides.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat balsamic vinegar, red wine and a sprig of rosemary until halved in volume. Remove rosemary sprig and stir in butter. Drizzle balsamic reduction on lamb to serve.

(can’t you tell he’s thrilled about it)

Tess and Mike both presented at the conference. First, Tess talked about our glorious Pioneer Mountains-Craters of the Moon landscape. She then told the story of our pronghorn migration study and showed a new google earth video we recently created (we promise to post it, once we tweak it a bit more).

Mike then talked about the Pioneers Alliance, a coalition of ranchers, conservationists, scientists, business people, and elected and agency officials. The mission of the Pioneers Alliance is to protect the working farms and ranches and surrounding public lands that, through community-based stewardship, sustain the rugged and unspoiled nature of the land and wildlife of the Pioneer Mountains to Craters of the Moon landscape.

Flowers bloom on a working ranch in the Pioneer Mountains Landscape

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Idaho’s wild places at one of the most scenic spots in the state.

Redfish Lake

Pronghorn in the sagebrush

1 boneless leg of lamb (4-6 lbs.)
2 packages lamb loin chops (4 per package)
Sausage Sampler (approx 4 lbs – 16 total links)

To receive your lamb in time, you’ll need to order online today or call 1-888-528-5253 by Monday. Happy grilling!

photo by Sara Sheehy

Our eyes are habituated to shades of brown/sage green, but every spring, we get a brief glimpse of real green. Last week, we invited a new friend out to the ranch, dined on lamb burgers with tzatziki and walked around our almost-bright-green hills.

Blue Skies

It had rained all week, so imagine our delight in seeing some sunshine coincide perfectly with the arrival of our guest.

The Yurt

What better place to grill than right outside the yurt?

The Ranch

View of the Ranch from Will’s Hill.

Cheryl

Cheryl attracts a small gaggle of animals.

I had an old friend come out to visit Idaho a few weeks ago. I wanted to serve her something really special as a thank you for making the long trek out here, so it had to be rack of lamb.

I went with this Gourmet recipe, which accompanies the lamb with a few herbs and garlic, as I wanted to keep it simple. Rack of lamb is so good, you don’t need want to cover up the delicate flavor with too many ingredients.

The dish was lovely and well received by everyone. The luxurious taste of rack of lamb paired with fresh herbs made our reunion dinner quite memorable.

• 1 rack of lamb
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup of parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Pat lamb dry and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in skillet. Add lamb to hot skillet, and brown on both sides.

Stir together garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. Coat the meaty part of the rack, by pressing this mixture onto lamb.

Place lamb into oven and roast for 15 minutes. Cover with foil, and roast about 10 minutes more (check with a digital thermometer until internal temperature reaches your desired doneness. Remove from the oven and let the lamb rest, while covered for an additional 10 minutes.

Hector trailing the sheep outside of Ketchum

Spiced Lamb Chops with Mint-Mango Salsa

This recipe comes from epicurious, where it was highly recommended. The spice rub alone would make for a fabulous lamb chop, but adding the cool texture of a mint-mango salsa balances the dish perfectly.

Mint-Mango Salsa

• 1 1-pound ripe mango, peeled, seeded
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 serrano chiles, halved, seeded

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill until you are ready to serve lamb.

Lamb Chops

• 3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3/4 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 1-inch-thick lamb loin chops
• Fresh mint sprigs

Heat your grill. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, coriander, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, cardamom and cloves.

In a separate small bowl, mix together olive oil and garlic. Brush oil mixture onto loin chops.

Press chops into spice rub, coating each side.

Grill chops, about four to five minutes per side, or until they reach desired internal temperature.

Serve with mint-mango salsa and garnish with mint sprigs.

The Sage School is a new, independent school that strives to create meaningful experiences for its students, engage them in the “real world,” assist them in becoming self-aware, connect them to their community, bring out their natural compassion, and engage them in actions to make the world a better place. The school believes that their environment assists its students in becoming fully engaged citizens who are committed to community action, and humanitarian and ecological responsibility. What better opportunity to connect students with their community, and take on ecological responsibility than to contribute to Lava Lake’s restoration work?

When the group arrived at the ranch, Tim showed students how to identify the different willow species, and how to cut stakes from the existing trees. Students then cut 100 willow poles and planted them along our “Phase II” restoration area. We’ve planted some willows here in the past, but needed the Sage School students to help us fill in the gaps from past efforts. After the willows were planted, the group cut each willow pole just above ground level, so that all of the plant’s energy goes into the roots, increasing the chance of survival.

The group then spent some time scattering native grass seeds in an area that was disturbed last year. We hope this leads to new growth and recovery.

The students had a great time checking out the ranch. We really appreciate their help in contributing to our restoration efforts and look forward to working with these awesome kids again in the future!

Great Horned Owl