Stuffed Cabbage (Goblabki)

1  lg. cabbage
3 qts. boiling water
2 lbs. ground beefalo
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. uncooked regular rice
2 cups boiling water
3 eggs, well beaten
4 cans condensed tomato soup

Core cabbage; rinse with warm water for easy separation of leaves. Place 16 to 20 medium to large cabbage leaves in the 3 quarts boiling water; simmer gently until leaves are transparent, about 10 minutes. Drain leaves; set aside.
Cook meat and onion in large skillet over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Add salt and pepper; remove from heat.
Soak rice in 2 cups boiling water 5 minutes. Drain; cool.
Mix rice into beefalo mixture; stir in eggs. Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup beefalo mixture on center of each cabbage leaf. Fold in edges; roll up leaf from stem end. Place rolls seam sides down in Dutch oven or roasting pan. Cover and simmer over low heat on top of range (or bake in 325 degree oven) until rice is tender, about 2 hours.

General happenings

We don't normally have "bottle" calves with beefalo, but occasionally something happens and we have one.  We had a first calf heifer that needed a little assistance in delivering her calf and when it was born she got up and walked away.  We had to bottle feed the calf some colostrum and tried for two days to get Momma to accept it, but to no avail.  Last Fall during some of our beefalo business we had discussed "bottle" calves and were told "if you ever have one".  We remembered, and contacted the Jerry Smeltzer family of Marshfield, Mo.  They said "yes" and now have a baby beefalo heifer.  Good luck Jerry and family.

 

So far 2011 has been a heifer year, 27 heifers to 14 bulls.  Most of the calves have been sired by Rondo who is pictured below.  Those calves born in February will be weaned by about September 1st.  For those who would like to purchase some weaned calves at about that time we are taking orders now.  Hopefully we can add some pictures of these calves in the near future. 

 

New Beefalo Customers

We added a new customer to our beefalo list last week. Lori and Randy Gold of Marionville, Missouri purchased two steers. Thanks and all the best to Lori and Randy.

 

Unfortunately we weren't able to fill the request of Cody Nelson of South Dakota. He was wanting black or black baldy heifers and we didn't have enough of that color, but we are getting several new calves this year that are that black, so maybe next year.

Pot Roast Allalombardo

Sprinkle a 3 to 4 lb. bottom round beefalo or chuck roast with salt & pepper. In a Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides in 2 Tbsp. heated oil. Add 1 minced garlic clove and 1 sliced onion. Brown lightly. Pour off excess oil. Add one jar ragu' Italian Cooking Sauce. Simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.

Serves 6 to 8.

Savory Beefalo Ragout

What you need:
1 1/2 lbs. beefalo chuck or bottom round, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. water
1 can (8 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
3 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried sage leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 small onion
3 lg. carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen lima beans, broken apart

Brown beefalo pieces in oil in Dutch oven; remove beefalo. Drain fat from Dutch oven, reserving 2 Tbsp. Return 2 Tbsp. fat to Dutch oven. (If necessary, add enough oil to measure 2 Tbsp.)
Stir in flour. Coor and stir over low heat until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Add water. Heat to boiling, stirring contantly. Stir in beefalo, tomatoes, parsley, salt, thyme, sage, pepper, bay leaves and garlic. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.
Add onions and carrots. Cover and simmer until beefalo and vegetables are tender, 40 to50 minutes. Stir in frozen beans. Cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 10 minutes.
6 servings

Springtime

Officially Spring isn't far away and it seems everyone is ready for it.  Most people I have talked with feel Winter has been extra long this year, hopefully it is about over.  With the coming of Spring has been a crop of new calves and the subsequent planning for next year.  As of this posting we have twenty five (25) yearling heifers, born from February to June 2010 that are available to sell.   The older heifers could be put with a bull by early June; the younger ones I would recommend waiting so they could calve in early Fall 2012. We believe these are fine quality animals that would form good foundation beefalo stock.

In addition to these yearlings we have a number of older heifers due to freshen with their first calves this year.  They could start calving by early April.

We also have eight (8) steers that weigh approximately 450 to 600 pounds that we would sell now or keep , if spoken for,  until they reach slaughter weight.

Reasons to Raise Beefalo

Excellent Foraging Ability- Beefalo have the ability to better untilize roughage which results in lower maintenance.
Strong Hybrid Vigor- Bison X Bovine - These benefits are derived from years of natural selesction on the bison side and accumulative years of selective breeding on the domestic side.
Calving Ease- Unassisted calving is an inherited trait from the bison.
Hardiness- Beefalo are adaptable to climatic changes. Due to their ability to perspire, they do well in hot climates; and because they have a dense hair coat for insulation, they thrive equally well in cold climates.
Fertility- Proper balance of bison and bovine genetics creates a fertile animal for both natural service and artificial insemination.
Less Waste When Processing- Beefalo inherit an extremely thin external fat covering which leads to less fat tossed into the barrel by processors.
High Quality Meat- Beefalo produce a meat that is high in protien, yet low in fat, cholesterol and calories. Beefalo meat is as tender as regular beef without marbled fat.