Planning a home or office party? Tired of fried foods and chips? Now you can have delicious and healthy Sushi at your next event! Made to order, your sushi platter will be prepared with the freshest fish and all organic produce.

All platters come with wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce and chopsticks. Please mention any allergies when calling and provide 48 hour notice. Prices listed do not include tax and are for pick-up only. Drop-off platters are available for an extra charge.

The #1: 50 Pieces–$49.95
California Rolls–Spicy Tuna Rolls–Philly Rolls–Dynamite Prawn Rolls–Avocado Rolls

The #2:  75 Pieces–$74.95
California Rolls–Tuna Rolls–Southside Philly Rolls–Samurai Rolls–Spicy California Rolls–Eel Rolls
Shrimp Nigiri–Smoked Salmon Nigiri–Tuna Sashimi

The #3: 75 Pieces (Vegetarian)–$50.95
Spicy Veggie Rolls-Sunflower Rolls–Avocado Rolls–Cucumber Rolls–Sweet Tofu Inari Pockets

The #4: 100 Pieces–$99.95
California Rolls–Tuna Rolls–Spicy Tuna Rolls–Philly Rolls–Dynamite Prawn Rolls–Eel Rolls–Samurai Rolls–Dynamite Tuna Rolls–Shrimp Nigiri–Smoked Salmon Nigiri–Tuna Nigiri–Tuna Sashimi

We also offer on-site sushi preparation, for your party or event.

Need a customized or larger platter? We can do that as well. For pricing or to place your order, please call Scott at the Boise Co-op Meat & Seafood Department. Phone-472-4516

To see our daily sushi menu, please click here.

Freshness and flavor matter to us!

• We use only the freshest organic produce available.
• We use only real Chilean Rock Crab (never imitation!), fresh sashimi grade Yellowfin Tuna, and feature several unique, house-made sauces.
• You may get your roll made with whole grain brown rice upon request.
• All orders come with natural pickled ginger (no food coloring or aspartame), washabi and light soy sauce.
• Design your own roll (list at the bottom of this page), or order from our menu.
• Beautiful, affordable party platters are available! Click here for our Catering Menu.
  

Veggie Sushi -$5.99

• Spicy Veggie Crunch- Leaf lettuce, Sriracha, Carrot, Green Onion, Sesame Seeds, Cucumber.
• Sunflower Roll- Sunflower Seeds, Carrot, Roasted Red Peppers, Green Onion, Cucumber and Avocado.
• Inari Roll- Inari Tofu, Carrot, Green Onion, Sesame Seeds and Avocado.
• Rice Pearl- Inside/Out Roll. Cream Cheese, Green Onion, Carrot and Cucumber. Topped with rice pearls.
• Linda’s Roll- Sunflower Seeds, Mango, Cream Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers, Carrots and Avocado.
• Fire Roll- Inside out Roll. Carrot, Avocado and Cucumber. Topped with Togarashi Chili Spice.
• Inari Box- Six Sweet Tofu pouches, filled with seasoned Brown Rice, Green Onion, Sesame Seeds and Carrot.
• Veggie Chirashi Bowl- Made with brown or white rice. Carrot, Mango, Cucumber, Avocado, Carrot, Roasted Red Peppers, Green onion, Inari Strips. Topped with Sesame and Sunflower Seeds.
• Inari Combo- Half of any roll above with three Sweet Inari Tofu Pouches.

Seafood Sushi/Cooked – $6.99

• California Roll- Chilean Rock Crab, Avocado, Sesame Seeds. Rolled Inside Out.
• Spicy California Roll- Tobiko, Chilean Rock Crab, House Made Spicy Mayonnaise, Avocado. Rolled Inside Out.
• Dynamite Prawn Roll- Shrimp, House Made Spicy Mayonnaise, Carrot, Lettuce, Avocado.
• Samurai Roll- Chilean Rock Crab, Sriracha, Shrimp, Carrot, Green Onion, Avocado.
• Philly Roll- Cold Smoked Salmon, Organic Cream Cheese, Green Onion, Cucumber.
• Southside Philly Roll- Cold Smoked Salmon,Organic Spicy Cream Cheese, Green Onion, Cucumber.
• Kabayaki Unagi Roll- Freshwater Eel, Green Onion, Avocado.Topped with House Made Eel Sauce and Sesame Seeds.

Seafood Sushi/Raw – $6.99

• Tuna Roll- Yellowfin Tuna and Avocado.
• Spicy Tuna Roll- Yellowfin Tuna, Sriracha, Tobiko and Cucumbers.
• Dynamite Tuna Roll- Yellowfin Tuna, House made Spicy Mayonnaise, Carrot, Green Onion, Avocado.
• Hamachi Roll- Yellowtail Tuna and Avocado.
• Spicy Hamachi Roll- Yellowtail Tuna, Tobiko, Sriracha, Cucumber.

Chirashi & Combos – $7.99

• Chirashi (Scatter Sushi Bowl)- Rice Topped with Yellowfin & Yellowtail Tuna, Chilean Rock Crab, Cold Smoked Salmon, Shrimp, Avocado, Cucumber, Carrot, Sesame Seeds.
• Nigiri Combo- Half of Any Roll with your choice of Four Piece Nigiri.
• Nigiri Options: Ebi (Shrimp)
• Maguro (Yellowfin Tuna)
• Hamachi (Yellowtail Tuna)
• Sake (Cold Smoked Salmon)
• Unagi (Freshwater Eel)

Create Your Own Roll – $7.99

Let your creativity run wild!

FISH:

• Chilean Rock Crab
• Cold Smoked Salmon
• Freshwater Eel
• Hamachi (White Tuna)
• Maguro (Red Tuna)
• Shrimp
• Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe)

VEGGIES:

• Asparagus (seasonal)
• Avocado
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Green Onion
• Jalapeno
• Roasted Red Pepper
• Mango (seasonal)
• Lettuce
• Sesame Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Togarashi (Japanese Five Pepper Spice)
• Rice Pearl (Crisp Tapioca)

EXTRAS:

• Brown Rice
• White Rice
• Kabayaki Sauce
• Spice Ponzu Sauce
• Spicy Sweet Sauce
• Wheat-Free Tamari
• Sriacha
• Spicy Mayonnaise
• Cream Cheese
• Soy Wrapper (add $1.00)

(We have to say this: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, seafood, shellfish or eggs, may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.)

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’ll be updating you on our turkey deliveries along with more stories about their origins. The good folks in our Meat Department are always happy to share their knowledge as well, so don’t hesitate to “talk turkey” with any of them. We’re confident that the more you know about our turkeys, the better that holiday meal is going to taste.

Say hello to Elisa and her not-so-little friend.

I don’t know if you’ll love me or hate me for telling you this, but Thanksgiving is now less than three weeks away. I for one am not complaining – it’s my favorite holiday. But if it seems like the Fourth of July was only yesterday, spare a thought for our Meat Department manager, Elisa Jordan. While you were quaffing a cold one by the pool or sizing up the appropriate iron for that fairway shot, Elisa was laboring in her office on a hot August afternoon ordering the turkeys that will grace your holiday table this winter.

Elisa’s challenge is more than just balancing supply with demand. It’s about recognizing the diversity of our customers’ priorities when choosing a turkey. For that reason, Elisa has been working for several years now on finding an appropriate mix of attributes that include local, organic, fresh, and frozen. Finding the right balance has certainly gotten easier with time as more local suppliers come into the market, but it still means successfully anticipating the price differential that our customers are willing to pay for a bird that measures up to what they value.

“More and more people want to buy their products locally,” Elisa observes, “and they’re putting more thought into where their food is coming from – so our orders for local products have definitely gone up over the years.”

Somewhere around mid-month, turkeys will be “roosting” on the shelves of our Meat Department. This blog provides a quick overview of what you can expect to find, and the links associated with each of our featured suppliers will take you to a previous story we’ve written about them if, as Elisa observes, you’d like to learn more about what’s on your plate for Thanksgiving, and where it came from.

Robbins Family Farms

Located in Melba, Idaho, the farm of Jeffrey Robbins and his family began their adventure in turkey raising with 20 birds in their basement, and their turkey farm has since grown exponentially. They raise what are known as the Nicholas strain of Broad Breasted White Turkeys.

“They’re called the ‘Cadillac’ of turkeys,” says Jeffrey Robbins, “but we raise them like wild turkeys from chicks to mature birds.” Like any sustainably raised animal, the key to quality and taste is not just genetics but the quality of the pasture it’s raised on. In the case of Robbins Family Farms, that pasture was developed following the wild turkey mentality: Robbins Family Farms allows their turkeys to roam their pasture and feed on vegetation that they would find in their natural habitat – which is pretty much what the farm is.

A+ Ranch

A+ Ranch is located on the southern slopes of the Picabo foothills in Richfield, Idaho. The ranch consists of 120 acres of certified organic land and was the inspiration of Allan Laudert (aka, Turkey Al), who raised delicious turkeys and was renowned for his equally delicious dutch oven cooking. The ranch is now owned and operated by Allan’s daughter Acee and her husband Mitch, who are both passionate about carrying on Allan’s tradition. In fact, you’ll notice a memorial message at the bottom of every A+ Ranch label commemorating the life of Allan Laudert.

Acee earned a degree in animal nutrition from Cal Poly Pomona, and has applied this background to the ranch’s quality assurance program, with a focus on turkey nutrition and animal welfare.

Shelton’s Turkey Ranch

Shelton’s Turkey Ranch started in 1924 with one hen and one tom that had been given to Mr. & Mrs. Shelton as a wedding gift. It evolved into a champion breeding facility that received many awards for body conformation and feather color. As an offshoot of the trophy breeding business, the Shelton family began growing holiday turkeys for the folks in the Pomona Valley of Southern California. As demand for the broad breasted Shelton turkey grew, the emphasis was placed on growing turkeys for the holiday market.

Shelton’s turkeys are grown in free range conditions, and their birds are always raised without the use of antibiotics or artificial growth stimulants. Hand evisceration techniques are also employed: most companies use machines, which is quicker but sloppy. A machine can slip and puncture the bird which can begin contamination and bruise and/or damage the bird.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’ll be updating you on our turkey deliveries along with more stories about their origins. The good folks in our Meat Department are always happy to share their knowledge as well, so don’t hesitate to “talk turkey” with any of them. We’re confident that the more you know about our turkeys, the better that holiday meal is going to taste.

As a cook, I’ve learned that quick and delicious are not mutually exclusive concepts in the kitchen, depending on your timing and basic ingredients.

Behind the comedic references to Jewish mothers there is an eternal and abiding truth: feeding those we care for is part of the language of love.  Even if your culinary skills result in something that doesn’t quite measure up to the take out at Colonel Bucket’s Chicken Blasphemies, the intention you lavish on a home cooked meal, not to mention the integrity of the food itself, speaks volumes to those for whom you cook.

It’s another abiding truth that creating a special meal doesn’t have to be for any particular reason.  Surprising your significant other(s) with a memorable repast may engender the same question as an unexpected bouquet of flowers: “What’s the occasion?”  The answer “Just cuz” is the shorthand version of “Because I love you even when there isn’t an obvious reason to remind you that I do.”  And really, who needs long-stemmed roses when we’re talking wild Alaskan spotted prawns and scallop pasta?

This particular inspiration hit me the other day as I was passing by the Co-op Meat Department.  I asked Sky about the aforementioned prawns, which were certainly more than I’m used to spending for a protein source.  His description of their taste, “like mini lobsters,” got me to thinking that half a pound certainly wouldn’t break the bank.  As it turns out, half a pound of wild Alaskan spotted prawns is actually quite a few, especially when supplemented with scallops (a favorite of my wife).

I grabbed some egg linguine from local supplier Ferranti Fresh Pasta (in our Deli) and some artichoke pesto from our Grocery Department that was featured as one of our Member Specials for October.  From our Produce Department I picked up a pound of asparagus.  Ingredients in hand, I journeyed across the parking lot to the Co-op Wine Shop to get a pairing recommendation from Leil Cardoza.  Having laid down some serious coin for the prawns, I figured I’d best economize with the vino — which led me to the back-wall Bargain section of Leil’s domain.  Leil noted that pairing any wine with artichokes and asparagus is a challenge, but that didn’t stop him from coming up with a selection: Quattro Mani Toh-Kai.  Quattro Mani is described by its winemaker’s notes as “Floral and fresh with rich melony fruit flavors and a brisk, elegant finish” – attributes that Leil maintained would be essential to breaking through the pesto and asparagus while complimenting the sweetness of the prawns and scallops.

As a cook, I’ve learned that quick and delicious are not mutually exclusive concepts in the kitchen, depending on your timing and basic ingredients.  Once I’d shelled the prawns, boiling the water was the gating factor since Ferranti pastas typically only take a few minutes to come to an al dente state.  While that bit of chemistry is happening, you can heat the pesto, steam the asparagus, and sautee the prawns and scallops — all of which take roughly the same number of minutes.  Then uncork the wine, combine the pasta ingredients, sprinkle on some grated Romano, and wait for the spouse to walk through the door with the question, “Wow…what’s the occasion?”

To which I, of course, would answer: “Just cuz.”

Click here for a YouTube video with Leil Cardoza on the appropriate wine pairing for this pasta dish.

Glenn Newkirk can pimp your roll!

News of our Sushi Bar is catching on.  Of course, it’s not as though people don’t already know that our Sushi Chef, Scott Clapsadle, has been rolling some mean rice for some time now.  But I want you to fully consider the implications of this latest endeavor: it’s all about options.  You can go to our Meat Department and pick up a box of freshly prepared sushi, you can order from the Sushi Bar menu…or you can take a walk on the wild side and customize your own roll.

To fully realize the creative potential we’re talking about with this latter option, simply think of our Sushi Bar as your culinary paint box, and then ask yourself the question, “What masterpiece do I want to create?”  The good news is, of course, that you have your very own Sushi Chef to do the creating for you.  You bring the muse, we supply the talent.  Imagine, if we might further extend the creative analogy, that you could have stood beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel whilst Michelangelo was painting it.  “Mike,” you might have said, “I really think Adam would look a lot more hip with a soul patch.”  Ah, the possibilities!

The Flaming Lips

Pimping your roll is easy enough once you’ve made up your mind as to how wild and crazy you want to get.  You simply take a “Create Your Own Roll” order form from the Sushi Bar and check the boxes under the listed categories: Fish, Veggies, Misc., and Sauce.  For example, I recently exercised my creativity with a custom roll made with shrimp, avocado, green onion, lettuce, togarashi (Japanese five pepper spice), inari (sweet tofu pockets) and spicy mayonnaise.  I call it the “Flaming Lips” (the togarashi and spicy mayo combine to heat things up).  Deb Davis, who heads our Customer Service Desk, has a roll she calls “Chicken of the Sea” that consists of cold smoked salmon, maguro (red tuna), hamachi (white tuna), avocado, cucumber, green onion, carrots, spicy mayo and Sriracha.  The fun of it is that you not only get your own customized roll, you get to brand it as well!

Which, of course, begs the obvious question: how would you pimp YOUR roll?  Inquiring minds want to know.

You’ll find some great cuts of lamb in our Meat Department, but I started with a couple of shanks from Niman Ranch.  Niman Ranch began in the early 1970s on an eleven acre spread in a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. Their cattle were raised using traditional humane husbandry methods and given wholesome all-natural feeds. Before long, Niman Ranch beef became a favorite in local grocery stores and at San Francisco Bay Area restaurants.  Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 676 independent American farmers and ranchers, among whom are the Jaca Family — 4th generation ranchers from Melba, Idaho. Whether they’re raising hogs, cattle or lamb, they all share Niman Ranch’s dedication to the strictest protocols and the belief that all-natural, humane and sustainable methods produce the best possible flavor.

The Niman Ranch philosophy is very similar to that of the local ranching families we buy from — including Alderspring Ranch, Homestead Natural Foods, and Lava Lake Ranch – in that sustainable livestock and land management practices are the keys to their business model and lifestyle.  Quoting from the Niman Ranch website, which I encourage you to visit:

We define environmental sustainability as methods of farming and ranching that allow for the production of crops and livestock in such a way that it does not damage the land or its natural resources, preserving it for future generations.

Jeremy in our Meat Department proudly displays some Niman Ranch baby back ribs

If you have a slow cooker, great lamb shanks are more a matter of patience than culinary talent.  I started by preparing the shanks the night before with a rub of olive oil and a Malaysian spice mix that was one of the Women’s Bean Project products from our recent inventory sale.  I then quartered a large yellow onion from Produce, set the two shanks on top of the onion wedges, poured about a quarter cup of red wine into the bottom of the crock pot, set it on low, and then spent the next 10 hours experiencing carnivore aromatherapy.

By the time I turned off the slow cooker, the shanks literally fell off the bone (as they should).  I served them on a bed of orzo (also from our inventory sale) that had been cooked with thinly sliced carrots, snow peas (which I had frozen from last season’s garden), and fresh baby spinach from our Produce Department.  Gino would have been proud.

Since I began with a reference to a local restaurant, I’ll end with a couple more.  One of my other favorite local venues for great lamb is Bar Gernika, which does an amazing lamb stew and quite possibly the best lamb kabobs I’ve had this side of Tehran.  Owners Jeff and Stephanie May get their lamb from Lava Lake Ranch, which you can also find in our Meat Department.  Just a few minutes walk from Bar Gernika’s Basque Block location you’ll find Boise’s venerable restaurant icon, the Brick Oven Bistro, which occasionally does lamb shank dinner specials with lamb they procure from Blue Sage Farm in Shoshone.  Blue Sage can be found at the Capital City Public Market as well, and we carry their Teton Basque sheep cheeses next to our Deli.

I’ll close this culinary reverie with a quote from Blue Sage Farm’s brochure:

From our farm you can see storm clouds form over the foothills to the north.  We like to sit on our back porch and watch Mother Nature harness energy and bring it forward on the horizon.  We live in harmony with Her here.  Our sheep, raised for both meat and milk, graze near us.  Our children work alongside us each day.  After a refreshing rain you can smell the sage that surrounds our farm.  It fills our senses with renewal, hope, and appreciation for the bounty of the land.

These are the folks we’re proud to bring to you at the Boise Co-op.  It’s a thought I savor along with that first bite of slow cooked lamb shank  and a glass of burgundy on a warm summer evening.

While a lesser mortal might be content to rest on his wasabi covered laurels, Chef Clapsadle’s zeal in pushing the freshness envelope has led to the next chapter in the Co-op sushi saga: our very own Sushi Bar!

One of the best things the Boise Co-op did back in 2010 was hiring its very own resident Sushi Chef, Scott Clapsadle.  Since then, our Meat Department has been thrilling customers with an outpouring of fresh sushi rolls made from a selection of our organic produce and sustainably harvested seafood.  In the spirit of “it ain’t braggin’ if you done it,” we proudly offer some of the freshest sushi rolls you’ll find anywhere in the Treasure Valley — at least if you believe the responses we regularly get from our Facebook followers whenever we post something on Scott’s creations.

Scott has been “rolling the rice” for over twenty years, gaining his extensive experience in one of Jackson Hole’s finest Asian restaurants before founding the Boise-based catering company, Honor Roll Sushi a decade ago.  I was first introduced to Scott’s genius while he was manning the sushi bar at a local restaurant.  To this day, his Rattlesnake Roll represents a high water mark in this boy’s experience of raw fish and vinegar-infused rice wrapped in seaweed (my inner 10 year-old still cringes with shock and awe at the thought of this now ubiquitous culinary staple).

Since Scott joined the Co-op, he and his crew have averaged at least 50 boxes a day of the Good Stuff.  And while a lesser mortal might be content to rest on his wasabi covered laurels, Chef Clapsadle’s zeal in pushing the freshness envelope has led to the next chapter in the Co-op sushi saga: our very own Sushi Bar, located right next to the display cases in our Meat Department.  Lovers of Co-op sushi, rejoice!

Click here for a YouTube video interview with Co-op Sushi Chef Scott Clapsadle

Some things you should know about Co-op sushi, whether you belly up to the bar or grab a box to go (not that it takes more than a few minutes for Scott and his crew to work their magic):

• We only use the freshest organic produce possible.
• We use real Chilean Rock Crab (never imitation), fresh Sashimi-grade Yellowfin Tuna, and feature several house-made sauces.
• We offer whole grain brown rice upon request.
• All orders come with natural pickled ginger (no food coloring or aspartame — we love you too much), wasabi, and light soy sauce.

And lest we be so crass as to mention cost, anyone who has ever purchased our sushi knows that the price per box is as impressive as the quality: from $4.99 for Veggie Sushi to $6.99 for Chirashi and Combos ($5.99 will get you a box of Seafood Sushi cooked or raw).  You’ll find a menu of sushi selections at the bar, but Scott would be hurt if we didn’t point out that he always does his best to accommodate special requests, substitutions or allergies.  He’s just that kind of guy.

By the way, my top picks are the Dynamite Tuna Roll, the Southside Philly Roll, and the Kabayaki Unagi Roll.  To this day, I’ve yet to taste freshwater eel in a sushi creation that virtually melts in your mouth like Scott’s.  It’s like buttah, bruddah.

The Boise Co-op Sushi Bar has a license to roll every Monday thru Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm.  Pre-boxed selections are available on Sundays until they’re gone.

One of the Meat Department offerings that we are particularly proud of is our selection of grass-fed beef from Homestead Natural Foods and Alderspring Ranch.  It makes us feel really good to be dealing with a ranching community that sees the beef it produces as a by-product of responsible pasture managment.  In fact, in a blog from a couple of months ago, we shared with you the story of how Ed and Debby Wilsey, one of the ranching families that comprise the Homestead Natural Foods collective, received a Conservationist of the Year award from the Owyhee Conservation District.  And if you think that keeping the circle of life going by raising your cattle from start to finish on grass compromises the taste of that grilled t-bone, guess again.  Alderspring Ranch earned inclusion in the final chapter of a recently published book, Steak: One Man’s Search for the World’s Tastiest Piece of Beef.  Let’s hear it for Idaho terroir!

Wilsey Ranch -- The High Lonesome Country

If you’re more up for surf than turf, you’ll be pleased to know that the Co-op Meat Department is equally discriminating about the sources of its seafood.  For starters, we subscribe to the sustainable seafood guidelines issued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” program, which raises consumer awareness through consistently updated pocket guides, website, mobile applications and outreach efforts.  With close to 200 partners across North America, including the two largest food service companies in the U.S., restaurants, distributors and seafood purveyors are encouraged to purchase from sustainable sources.

Among the seafood sources our Meat Department purchases from is Taku River Reds, a family business that operates in the Taku River watershed not far from Juneau, Alaska.  More than 7,000 square miles in size (almost as big as New Jersey), it is the largest unprotected roadless area on the west coast of North America, and a model for a salmon-driven ecosystem.  If you have any questions about just how good seafood obtained according to the guidelines we follow can taste, you can satisfy your curiosity for under $5.00 — just pick up a box of sushi prepared by our resident sushi chef, Scott Clapsadle.  Believe me, you’ll taste the difference.

Meat Department Manager Elisa Jordan gives this turkey an "A+"

As with our seafood and beef, the poultry we sell in the Co-op Meat Department has to meet some pretty high standards as well.  Just read about our local sources for turkeys, A+ Ranch and Robins Family Farms, and the organic chicken that we recently began carrying from Smart Chicken, who our Meat Department manager Elisa Jordan will be visiting this month (I’m looking forward to some good stories from that trip, by the way).  Sure, you’ll feel good about how these animals have been raised and brought to your table, but that sense of satisfaction will most likely be trumped by just how good they taste.  It’s not at all uncommon to hear customers say, “So this is how chicken/turkey tastes!”  It makes you appreciate how dumbed down our palates have become by factory food.

Since our Meat Department also includes our dairy cases, we’ve barely scratched the surface of sustainably raised protein sources.  We could devote hundreds of words to folks like Treasured Sunrise Acres, Clover Leaf Dairy, and Morning Owl Farms.  But these are worthy topics for future stories.  In the meantime, we encourage you to learn more about our Meat Department purchasing practices by reading our Meat & Seafood FAQs.  Knowledge is power.

Co-op Boudin Sausage

Finally, there was the discovery that sealed the deal in my relationship with the Co-op: handmade sausages.  It wasn’t just that they were amazingly delicious, but absolutely unique.  Where else, for example, could you find chicken, feta, and spinach sausage?  If seasoned ground meat stuffed in an intestinal casing had ever seemed like the poor man’s substitute for filet mignon, I have to admit that if you put the two side-by-side and asked me to choose gratis, I’d have a hard time coming to a decision.

Case in point is the Boudin sausage our Meat Department recently created for Mardi Gras.  Boise may not have had people in wildly extravagant costumes tossing beads from elaborate floats, but anyone from The Big Easy would have felt right at home in the City of Trees on Fat Tuesday if they’d sat down to our Boudin sausage.

The creation of this sausage was a collaboration between our Meat Department and our Culinary Instructor, Sylvie Ryan, who featured our Boudin sausage as the centerpiece of a recent store demo, along with another Louisiana fave, Beignets.  In the recipe she provided to our Meat Department, Sylvie wrote, “Boudin, the king of Cajun food, is a unique sausage that is as good for breakfast, lunch, or a snack as it is for dinner.  No two boudins are exactly alike, even though they all have the same ingredients of rice and pork.  What makes them different is mainly the unique, secret family spice mixes.  To eat fresh, hot poached boudin, use your teeth and fingers to gently pull the meat out of

Some like it hot!

its casing.  The casings are only eaten when the sausage has been grilled or smoked and they become crispy.  Some locals eat the sausage with a dab of Creole mustard, a drizzle of cane syrup, a French roll, or a few crackers.  But most feel that it is best enjoyed in the heat of the moment, eaten straight from the wrapper while sitting in one’s car.”

While I won’t reveal the precise details of Sylvie’s recipe, it involved boneless pork shoulder, chicken liver, Poblano chili and Jalapeno peppers, garlic cloves, Cayenne pepper and chili powder, white rice, fresh parsley, and scallions.  If this sounds spicy, welcome to Bayou Country, ya’ll.

I was fortunate enough to secure a pound of our Boudin sausage for a Fat Tuesday dinner that I prepared for my wife and myself along with some black beans and rice and generous dabs of Boar’s Head Savory Remoulade (Cajun-style mayonnaise).  I could tell you just how good it all tasted, but instead I’ll simply close this little missive with the Cajun benediction, “bon temps rouler, ya’ll!”

Red beans and rice, they will suffice.

Click here for a video of Jeremy in our Meat Department making sausage with our new sausage stuffer.

]]> http://www.boisecoop.com/the-daily-grind/feed 0 http://www.boisecoop.com/stewards-of-the-land-wilsey-ranch-of-homestead-natural-foods http://www.boisecoop.com/stewards-of-the-land-wilsey-ranch-of-homestead-natural-foods#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:11:24 +0000 boisecoop http://www.boisecoop.com/?p=10412

Ed and Debby Wilsey have been taking good care of their 11,000 acre spread just south of Marsing, Idaho.  In January 2011, the Owyhee Conservation District recognized their efforts by presenting them with the “Conservationist of the Year Award” for doing what Ed would no doubt say just comes naturally.

If you think the notion that ranchers make the best stewards of the land is a conceit of the Old West, you probably haven’t met Ed and Debby Wilsey of Wilsey Ranch.  The Wilseys are part of a collective of Idaho and Oregon ranchers known as Homestead Natural Foods, and a number of years ago they made the fateful decision to turn their backs on commodity feed lots and go back to running cattle the way their grandparents did: starting them and finishing them on grass pastures, without hormones or antibiotics.

While the primary business and lifestyle rationale for the ranchers of Homestead Natural Foods was producing a healthier, better tasting product, they also believed that raising grass-fed beef was better for the land — and Ed Wilsey still remembers his granddad’s advice: “Take care of the land, and it will take care of you.”

Ed and Debby have been taking good care of their 11,000 acre spread just south of Marsing, Idaho; and in January 2011, the Owyhee Conservation District recognized their efforts by presenting them with the “Conservationist of the Year Award” for doing what Ed would no doubt say just comes naturally.

The following content was taken from a press release issued by Diane French, a soil conservation technician with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, who presented a slide show about Wilsey Ranch to a gathering of fellow ranchers at the Owyhee Conservation District annual banquet in Marsing.

Ed & Debby Wilsey of Homestead Natural Foods

Sixth-generation cattle ranchers Ed and Debby Wilsey have made ranching a way of life for over 30 years. For the last 16 years, the Wilsey Ranch has been located along McBride Creek, twenty-five miles south of Marsing off Highway 95. Their ranch includes 975 acres of grass pasture, 280 acres of hay ground, and a BLM grazing allotment of roughly 10,000 acres. On average, the Wilseys run between 250 to 300 head of livestock, including 150 cow/calf pairs, 75-100 yearlings and replacement heifers, horses and an assortment of hogs.

Over the years, Ed and Debby Wilsey have upheld a vision of sustainable land stewardship.  Wildlife such as antelope, deer, sage grouse, quail, rabbits and birds of prey seasonally migrate or make their home on the Wilsey Ranch. Two large irrigation reservoirs contain fish and migratory waterfowl, and shore birds are frequently seen stopping for a meal or rest. Diverse species of native wildflowers can be found in several lightly grazed pastures, contributing to the health of native pollinators. In conjunction with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Owyhee Conservation District, they have incorporated several conservation practices into their ranching and hay farming to improve on their overall resource management system.

Bill & Carol Gale, fellow Homestead Natural Foods ranchers

Historically, over 150 acres of hay fields with 3 to 8% slopes directly above McBride Creek were flood and furrow irrigated with open ditches. Wheel line sprinklers were installed on seven hay fields, of which four of the fields are gravity fed from one of the two storage reservoirs. An additional 14-acre hay field was converted to gated pipe. By using a complete Irrigation Water Management system they have increased irrigation efficiency by 35-40% and significantly decreased irrigation induced soil erosion. Reduced tillage and direct seeding of their hay fields help to sustain healthy soils and decrease energy use.

Folks gathered at the Marsing American Legion Hall for the awards banquet honoring the Wilseys

Grazing management, lack of water, and poor water distribution had been a concern of the Wilseys for many years. Some of the pastures and rangeland were forage depleted, under-utilized, contained numerous noxious and invasive weeds, and needed to be restored to a higher quality feed/forage balance. To address these resource concerns, Ed and Debby began a pest management system in an effort to control White top, Canada thistle, Scotch thistle, and puncturevine. They seeded over 100 acres, installed more than 3,000 feet of cross fencing in four pastures, and applied nutrient management. In addition, the Wilseys implemented a prescribed grazing system on the entire ranch. They combined efforts with BLM and developed four additional springs and a livestock pond on their grazing allotment to better distribute their livestock, graze areas of the range that were previously under-utilized, and relieve grazing pressure on parts that were being over used. Currently, the Wilseys are developing an existing livestock well to better distribute livestock water throughout their established pastures. The project includes installing a solar/wind powered pump, 3 ½ miles of livestock pipeline, numerous troughs with wildlife ramps, and a large, insulated storage tank.

The next generations: Ed & Debby's daughter and grandaughter

Six years ago, the Wilseys decided to raise cattle the way Ed’s granddad did: exclusively grass fed with no hormones or antibiotics. Raising natural beef and pork has positioned the Wilseys into a growing market of natural, local, and ‘Idaho Preferred’ agriculture. In 2009, the Wilseys formed a co-op with four other local ranchers and farmers, ‘Homestead Natural Foods’. Their collective efforts currently serve a number of Treasure Valley stores and restaurants including the Boise Co-op, Red Feather Lounge, Bittercreek Alehouse, Bar Gernika, Donnie Mac’s, Brick 29, and Bon Appétit at the College of Idaho. In 2010, the co-op expanded, adding clientele in central Idaho, including The Local Dish in Twin Falls as well as Smiley Creek Lodge, Segos, and Galena Lodge in Sun Valley. Ed and Debby Wilsey still carry on a conservation legacy — as Ed’s granddad always said, “take care of the land and it will take care of you”.

Click here for a video of Diane French's presentation

Congratulations to Ed and Debby Wilsey on behalf of the Owyhee Soil Conservation District and NRCS Marsing FO.