This last month has been a little busy around here. The heifers arrived three weeks ago and everyone is all settled in and enjoying their new home.
(The day the heifers arrived.)
Both Arturo and I have been around cattle our entire lives and Arturo began managing cattle back in his undergrad days at Texas Tech. But this is the first time that cattle have been in our care on our ground as a business we established. So needless to say it has been much more fulfilling than normal feeding every morning and making sure everyone is well taken care of.
(Leo and Arturo putting Super the horse away and Arturo unrolling hay.)
The heifers get fed a protein supplement every day, one because nutritionally they need it and two it’s a good exercise in working on their disposition, as they were a little uneasy around us when they first arrived, we also unroll as much hay as they want daily.
(The heifers enjoying their hay and feed.)
When the heifers first arrived we unloaded them into a pen that had fresh water and hay. Then we “processed” them, or “worked” them as it is called. This consisted of branding, vaccinating and giving each one an ear tag. The brand and ear tag is a form of identification. The brand is our customer’s brand and the ear tag number is like their social security number. We also got their body weight, hip height and body condition score. This information is important to have as it gives us a good idea of where the heifers are in their stage of development and we can track how much they grow while they are in our care as well as determine mature size. The heifers also got a vaccination from our veterinarian, this is a preventative vaccination, such the Chicken Pox vaccine you might give your children. After we finished working the heifers we left them with the fresh water and hay to settle in and get use to their new home.
(Arturo branding one of the heifers.)
The next morning we gave them more hay and feed, at first the heifers where a little nervous around us. Now they are super gentle and standing at the gate ready to eat each morning. We also count them each morning to make sure everyone is still here and to take a good look at each one to make sure they are healthy and feeling good.
(Arturo and Leo getting a good count on the heifers.)
We will continue feeding the heifers the feed and hay until the first of May. At that point we will ship or haul them to grass where they will graze on good Kansas flint hills grass until October.
As it is our goal is to grow these young heifers into healthy momma cows, we make them priority number one. We work as a family to get them fed each morning and on most mornings, they get their breakfast before we do.
(Leo watching the heifers. Leo and I handling feeding one morning.)
Now on to the yummy beef fajitas…we have two recipes that we use for beef fajitas, one is quick and easy the other one is still easy just takes a little more time. This is the quick and easy one…We made these on Saturday for dinner. In between working in the shop and ridding a horse, Arturo ran in the house to get the Flank Steak marinating. We serve this meal with all the fajita fixings…guacamole, salsa, sour cream and cheese.
(Arturo preparing the Flank Steak.)
Quick and Easy Beef Fajitas
Flank steak
Soy sauce
Worstershire sauce
Arturo’s grill seasoning
Olive oil
Peppers
Onions
To get the meat marinating pat excess moisture off the steak with a paper towel and prick the Flank steak with a knife on both sides to tenderize. Coat the meat in a liberal amount of soy sauce and Worsteshire sauce and rub them both in (this also gives the grill seasoning something to stick to), then season with grill seasoning. Flip the steak and do the same to the other side. Place in a plastic bag and return to the refrigerator. Let the steak marinate for 4-6 hours.
Slice peppers and onions into strips. Season with olive oil and salt and pepper. Sauté in either a skillet on the stove or place in a grill basket on the grill. Take the flank steak out of refrigerator about 10 minutes before grilling to take the chill off before grilling. Place on a crazy hot grill and cook to your preference (we prefer to sear steaks on a really hot grill, it produces a well caramelized exterior and ensures that the steak isn’t over done in the center). We prefer our steaks medium rare so 3-4 minutes on each side on a hot grill should get you there. Pull peppers, onions and meat off grill and let rest on a warm plate tented with foil for 10 or so minutes. Slice the steak against the grain and serve on warm flour tortillas preferably homemade, that’s for another post, and all the other yummy fixings.
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