Branding season has begun in our part of the woods! So I thought I would share some of our favorite recipes that we used this year. I typically make the majority of our branding recipes during the winter months when we are calving, and freeze them, because nobody wants to waste time in a kitchen when the sun is shining I the summer!

​Because our new place isn't finished (or even close!) my in-laws have so graciously allowed us to use their facilities to calve, and share their branding. Our herd is still growing so it works out just great to be able to pair with them to get all of our calves branded at once. And I think our neighbors and friends enjoy it, because although brandings are super fun, after the 10th or 11th one, you just want your weekends and evenings back!

This is the ladies' job. When it comes to branding supper my hubs thinks we need to spend a fortune, have 5 courses and serve only desserts that need to be individually served with ice cream- YEAH RIGHT!!! So my mother-in-law and I sat down to hash out the details. We expect about 45 people at our branding (mostly family members) so we need things to be affordable, delicious and most of all, EASY!

I have linked some of the recipes we used this year, but here is our full menu:

A few hacks I have learned from the experts:
CROCK POTS: use them for everything. Our cabbage rolls, baked beans and hams will all be warming in crock pots the day of the branding.

MAKE AHEAD: Make everything you possibly can ahead of time. We have these wonderful things called freezers and you should use them. I am not personally much of a kitchen gal, so the less time I have to spend in the kitchen on branding day the better. (But to be fair, my mother-in-law is in charge here and she rocks the kitchen detail so I can play in the dirt!).

SELF SERVE: As mentioned above, my husband is convinced we need to have pies with ice cream for dessert. Well sorry hubs, I am not dishing out 65 plates of pie and ice cream before it melts! That's just too much work. So to battle this, we settled on individual tart pies (which are super easy, even though they sound like a nightmare) and a couple of cans of aerosol whipped cream. It may not be quite the same, but dang it sure is easy with no clean up.

USE WHAT YOU HAVE: The individual tart pies are actually very reasonably priced to make because I use the pumpkin and apples from my garden that I froze last fall. Use what you have- if you have a side of pork left over, use that. If you have a ton of carrots left over from your garden, use those. I absolutely hate spending money so if it takes a bit more time but saves me a dollar, I'll probably do it.

GET HELP: A very good friend of ours has a massive branding every year (400+ head) and they decided in recent years to hire (a family member) to stay home and do all of the food prep for them. I think this is a fabulous idea. If you are not a great cook (even though I know that mamma is!), you don't have time or if you'd just rather be with the cows, don't be afraid to hire it out! It's stress off your shoulders and you can enjoy visiting with your friends and family members.

Posted By: Jesse Williams

This recipe has been tweaked by mom over the years, but originally came from my Aunty Anita. She deserves some big props as she not only makes amazingly delicious beans, but she put up with me like a daughter for far too many years. Aunty Anita taught me to ride a horse (and gave me my first horse, who I still have today!), to groom a 4-H steer and how to put a whole lot of pride, hard work and dedication into this crazy life we call ranching. Thanks Aunty for all you have done (and for the beans too!).

1. Fry the bacon in a frying pan until it become soft (not crispy). Remove. Once cooled, cut into small pieces.
2. In a large pot or pan, combine bacon, peppers, dry mustard, sugar, paprika and pepper. Let simmer to combine the ingredients. Taste the mixture. At this point it should have a bit of a bite to it. Adjust ingredients as necessary for your preference. You may want to add more paprika.
3. Add the beans to the pot or combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Let cook until all ingredients are hot.
4. Serve!

I usually cook bacon a couple days ahead of time, chop it up and throw it in the fridge. On branding morning I quickly simmer the bacon, peppers, onions and spices. I then throw that in the crockpot with the beans and leave it on low all day until it's time serve.

I made a single batch for 45 people at our branding. There wasn't a lick left! I would suggest making a double batch for over 35-40 people. It will keep in the fridge or can be frozen to eat later.

I am sure you have heard about the urban/rural divide that is occurring in Alberta recently with the current NDP government. This divide was further widened last week when the Vancouver based chain of Earls Restaurants announced they would now only serve "certified humane" beef sourced from Kansas in their restaurants. Ranchers in Canada felt this was a stab in their back and immediately rushed to the defense of our safe, ethical, world-renowned beef by flooding social media with the #boycottearls hashtag and examples of their excellent production facilities and methods. Well, it turns out Earls was listening (sort of) because Wednesday they announced (on radio) that they would be reversing their decision to source beef from the US and would work with Canadian ranchers to source as much beef as possible from north of the border. I would like to note that this new announcement about Canadian sourcing is not currently on their webpage, while the "certified humane" is.

So Why Aren't Canadian Ranchers Gloating?

Did we win the 'war' with Earls? They did reverse their decision and are now committing to serve Canadian beef products, but I don't feel we won the war- the battle maybe, but not the war. Regardless, you won't hear Canadian ranchers gloating. You won't hear us saying 'Ha, in your face Earls!' And you won't hear us cursing their name. Why? Don't we have every right to?

Maybe so. However, ranchers, particularly those who to choose to produce beef conventionally, are used to it. We are used to defending our ways of life, our superior, safe products and our methods of handling livestock. We are faced with the challenge of educating consumers every single day. It's no secret that consumers are becoming more conscious of their food, where it comes from, how its produced and how it impacts the environment. And marketing companies know this well. They are constantly using catch phrases, buzz words and trademarks to fear monger these production-conscious consumers into buying their overpriced products. The infamous A&W campaigns about steroid and antibiotic free beef are a prime example. All beef in Canada is steroid and antibiotic free due to the mandatory withdrawal periods that all cattle must meet before being slaughtered, and our strict government inspectors do a great job ensuring it is so. However, that doesn't stop consumers from assuming all beef that isn't labeled as antibiotic and steroid free is somehow less safe, less nutritious or less of a product.

So the fact that Earls decided to flip flop their decision on American beef (from a single supplier) to now purchase Canadian beef (from multiple sources) should be a win for us, right? While we probably should be jumping for joy, Canadian beef producers are doing what they do best- working hard and being humble about it. We face the scrutiny of uninformed consumers breathing down our necks daily. We run into people on social media who target our accounts, harass us and type obscenities at us. We deal with people face-to-face that tell us we are wrong, mean and cruel. We hear it all. All the time. But because of the cloth we're cut from, we don't yell back. We keep trudging along, trying to educate consumers respectfully. We spend thousands of dollars to upgrade our handling systems, to participate in province and nation wide production programs that inspect and certify our operations. We spend countless hours, time and money voluntarily going to training sessions, conferences and seminars to increase our knowledge of sustainability. We sit on commissions, boards and volunteer groups to get our messages to the public. We open our farms and ranches up to consumers to visit at their leisure.

So while we did make great progress in convincing a very public company to believe in the safety and ethical production of our beef, we as ranchers know that we have a lot further to go. We didn't win the war, we only won one small battle. It's in our nature to work hard, never give up and always treat everyone (people and animals alike) with the utmost respect. So we will continue to persevere just like we always have. We will continue to work our fingers to the bones for livestock we love and products we believe in. This is why you won't see Canadian ranchers gloating about Earls' decision to produce our beef. This is why some Canadian ranchers will choose to work with Earls in the future, go through their "certification" process and prove to the company and their consumers that we are producing livestock humanely.

While I certainly have strong negative opinions about their antibiotic and steroid free statements, their use of a registered trademark to "certify" producers to their random standards and prevent any other company from ever using the same catch phrase, their complete lack of consultation with Canadian beef producers and their blatant lies about that fact, I will continue to be proud of our Canadian beef producers for holding their heads high and staying respectful during this restaurant chain's marketing rollercoaster of decisions. I just hope they act as an example to other restaurants and beef buyers that Canadian beef, whether conventionally produced, organic, grass fed, natural, etc is held to the most strict standards of quality and livestock care. And we as ranchers won't stop working hard to prove it.

Thank you fellow ranchers for showing the world the faces behind their burgers. We are people too!

Posted By: Jesse Williams

This recipe is my number one recipe for any and all pot lucks, including branding. It is easy to make, especially in big batches, freezable, and always a favorite around the dinner table. I like to make all sizes, ranging from individual to party size, to have on hand in my freezer. They do take some time to thaw so I usually set them out the night before or the morning of to make sure.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Literally just mix this all together in one GIANT bowl. Add 2 cups of cheese into the mixture and save the remaining cup to sprinkle on top.

Grease a large tin pan (because nobody wants to clean pans after branding!) and spread the mixture into the pan. Top with extra cheese. Put a layer of foil on top.

Cook at 350F for about an hour. Test with a fork to make sure it is hot all the way through.

*I triple the recipe to feed about 65 people at branding. I also make extra and freeze in individual tin containers for Clay and I to just pop in the oven when we're feeling lazy!

Posted By: Jesse Williams

My hubs LOVES pumpkin pies. So when he begged for pie as a dessert at our branding, I knew I had to do something (but certainly not cut and serve 65 slices of pie- is he crazy?!). So I used my all-time favorite easy peasy pumpkin pie filling from scratch recipe and put it into individual tarts. This way all you need to do at branding is put them out with a can of whipped cream and there's no fuss or mess! And bonus, just like the apple tarts, this recipe is CHEAP!

Posted By: Jesse Williams

This apple pie filling recipe comes from my mom and it is always a sure-fire hit. You can use the same filling recipe to make one large deep dish apple pie, however for branding I like to make individual tart sized pies for less fuss and easier clean up.

My favorite part about this recipe is how cheap it can be! All the apples are from our trees the year before. I core and cut all our crab apples in the fall, lay them on cookie sheets and freeze them (so they won't stick together). I then throw them in large freezer bags and voila! Pies are too easy!. You can also make all your own pastry (it's actually easy!) for a super cheap way to feed guests.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Thaw frozen tart shells & apples (if necessary)
3. Cut apples, if necessary
4. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon together. Pour the mixture into a bowl with the apples. Mix until all apples are evenly coated.
5. Sprinkle lemon juice on top of apples (I only do this if using really sweet apples. I don't use the lemon juice when I am using crab apples from my backyard.)
6. Fill each pie shell, only to the top.
7. Put upside-down tart shell or pre-cut homemade pie shells on the top of the tart. Squish edges of the tart to keep from boiling over.
8. Brush each tart pie with milk. Slice a hole in the top of each tart.
9. Sprinkle sugar on top of the tarts.
10. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Watch carefully. You want the tart to be golden brown when done.
**I like to put all my tarts on tin foil on top of the baking sheet. Inevitably, some tarts will boil over and it is really difficult to get the baked on goo off!
11. Let cool. Enjoy or freeze for later!