Short Cattle

10/04/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
Wow. October is here and beautiful. My favorite season... fall. The weather is superb with warm days and cool nights; the harvest of produce to be put on the shelf to admire, until it is opened to savor; and the colors of the trees and the skies in the evening make it my favorite. Well that isn't the only thing that stands out this fall. It also makes me another year older. How did I get this old? This year I will supposedly retire. My question is, when you say you retire don't you stop doing something you have been doing all your life? I'm thinking a homemaker never really retires when there are still others in the home. And what would we want, the others not to be there or to be able to retire? I think I'll take the others and not really retire from the life I have. I am content.
This month we will be butchering the last meat chickens for the year, so I decided to do a chicken recipe, that we have always liked. (If you want the truth we had a lot of leftover lettuce from our Salad Sunday and I needed to use it up.) Chicken Fried Rice uses 1 cup diced cooked chicken with 1 Tbs. soy sauce poured over and let set. Meanwhile fry, in oil, one cup of long grain rice until golden brown. Reduce heat and add the chicken, 2 ½ c. chicken broth, Simmer covered about 20 minutes until rice is tender. Uncover a few minute before, then add ½ cup chopped onions and ¼ cup chopped celery. Cook until liquid is absorbed. (the recipe adds an egg at the end, off to the side of the rice, and then mixed in. I don't usually do this, we like it the way it is) Serve with lettuce on top. It is a yummy meal and doesn't take much work or dishes. I use the chicken parts and the broth, that I canned after butchering. If you are interested in soy-free, corn-free chicken next year just give Ethan a call for details.
The Bible talks about contentment in Philippians 4 and Hebrews 13. Something to practice and life will be much more enjoyable for you. May you be content and enjoy this beautiful season.

09/07/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
A beautiful sunny day for Labor day weekend. It used to be that we were at our fair with the cattle on labor day weekend and the weekdays following. If friends wanted to find us they knew exactly which buildings we would be in. Now it is a lot different, this year we are going to go once. My how times do change. Those weeks were so busy and a lot of work but it made memories both good and not so great. I hope all the students whom we worked with in 4H have come out with all the good memories and the character that 4H was trying to instill. I was sitting here thinking of different club members, wondering where they are and what they would have accomplished by now. We did have some real creative members.
I made a simple recipe for chicken butchering day so that we would have something to eat when we got a break. It was called Hamburger Supreme Casserole. It called for 1 pound of ground beef browned in a skillet with ½ cup onion and ½ tsp. minced garlic. 2 cups of macaroni should be cooked according to package directions and drained. To the hamburger add a 10 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup milk, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, ¼ tsp. thyme, and a 4 ounce can of mushrooms. You will need an 8 ounce bag of shredded cheddar cheese. In a 2 quart casserole layer half of the hamburger mixture, then macaroni, and then half the cheese. Layer the rest of the hamburger and the macaroni. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to oven until the cheese melts. Makes 6 – 9 servings. I wanted it ready so someone could just pop it in the oven so I put the cheese right on when I made it the day before. It baked just fine and we thought it was good. It was easy and fast and could be made early so I will probably do it again, and may toss in a bit more garlic and thyme, just because I want to.
I hope you all are enjoying your weekend in what ever way you choose. I think I am going to go sit down with a good book. Have a good one!!

08/03/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
What a gorgeous day. The rain was a blessing, yes, we sure could have used more but I thank God for what we did get. Can you believe it's August? Summer is wrapping up and we have the last hundred chicks to raise here, for the year. They aren't out on pasture yet but they are growing a bit until they can be put out. Did you know that we do pasture raised meat chickens on a no corn, no soy diet. We are enjoying this breed of chicken. With it raised out on pasture the meat is so flavorful compared to the ones we used to raise years ago. If you're interested in trying any, we do have some that are still not sold, cal us and we will get you the information on them.
So today I am deviating from the usual beef recipe and have a chicken recipe that I just tried. It is Oven Baked Barbecued Chicken. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, then took 8 pieces ( legs and thighs ) and seasoned them well with salt and pepper. I whisked together ½ cup of ketchup, 2 tsp. Apple c***r vinegar, 2 tbs. brown sugar, 1 tsp. Minced garlic and 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning in a bowl. I brushed the sauce on all of the pieces which were in a greased baking dish. The recipe said to bake for 35 minutes but it wasn't 'fall off the bone good' so I baked another 15 minutes, then it was oh, so good. Because this recipe is too easy, with little clean up and very tasty I will for sure do this again.
I pray God sends more rain. As it is, it will be a tough winter here, as the grass hasn't produced it's abundance this summer and we can't stockpile a lot for the winter for the cattle. Weather plays a big part in the lives of farmers, and this year it has really been odd. But I know God is in control and I know He is a good God. I am so glad He loves and cares.

07/20/2026

Again our landline phone is down. It will be next week before they even come out to try to fix. Please message us if you need something.
Edit: They haven't done anything but it seems to be working now. We are not sure how long it will work this time.

Send a message to learn more

07/08/2026

Soy and corn free pastured chicken!
We still have some meat birds avalible for purchase with August and October pick up dates. Message us today to get more information and get your birds reserved before they are gone. 🐔🍗

07/06/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
We just celebrated our country's 250th year yesterday. We had a party here yesterday, and I enjoyed watching the children swim and seeing people enjoying being with each other. Oh, and the food was plentiful and good, too. It was a hot day but with the fan and breeze it was bearable. I enjoyed my celebration and hope you all did too.
The recipe I made for this month was Poor Man's Stroganoff Casserole taken from the Short Agency Home-Style cooking cookbook. While 1 pkg of noodles cooked, I browned 1½ lbs of ground beef with 4 thinly sliced onions and 1 lb of mushrooms. Then I mixed 2 cans cream of mushroom soup diluted with 1 can of water, 1 cup of milk, and 16 oz of sour half and half or sour cream together. The soup mixture and the meat were stirred together and then the cooked noodles were folded in. I baked it in a 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It was a good dish for a quick meal. Again though, we thought it could have some more flavor. I would make it again but I think I would add garlic (our go to spice), some other spices, or maybe a dash of red pepper.

We do have a great nation, founded on Godly principles. Yes things happen and we wonder. People in power try pushing their agendas, news skews stories that make our hearts cry, and when some people don't get their way they act like animals with no moral compass, but we can remember that God is still in control. If we as a people here in America walk in love toward others, have good work ethics and walk in a manner pleasing to God and not be selfish and self centered, this country can continue for years to come. Otherwise.... Let's all continue to really pray for our nation and the leaders.

06/08/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
As I sit here looking out, I see the cows strolling past going to get a drink. It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day. I am appreciating the moment to just sit and look out at God's beauty. I have been shouldering some tiresome burdens here lately. Life changes quickly, and plows forward at it's own pace. The young look forward in expectation and the older look back and wonder at the unexpected outcome. Throughout it all though, you can see God's help along the way. Praising Him for being there and helping us through.
Our recipe is from the internet by Elisa, called Sauerkraut Casserole with Ground Beef. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 pan. In a large skillet, heat tallow in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 medium chopped onion and cook until soft, then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook another minute. Add 1 lb. ground beef and cook until brown. Drain fat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tsp. paprika, and 1 tsp. caraway seeds (optional but traditional). Stir and set aside. In the baking pan spread the drained sauerkraut evenly and then layer the cooked beef mix on top. Spoon the 1 cup sour cream over beef and spread gently. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the sour cream and add ½ cup shredded cheddar on top. Cover the dish with foil, bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 10–15 more minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. Let the casserole rest 5-10 minutes before serving. This casserole was good but needed something more, maybe something mixed in with the sour cream. We have another recipe for a sauerkraut casserole that I like better but this one is good.
I am ready for things to give me a break. Will be glad when some decisions are made and things are settled down. I just am so thankful that God is walking with us and will help us deal with things. Remember God knows what you are walking through today and is there to help you.

05/25/2026

We have some exciting news to share!
Besides our wonderful grass-fed beef we now have pastured meat birds for sale. These tasty birds enjoy a soy and corn free diet once they are out of the brooder. And they also get moved to fresh grass every day.
If you purchase 10 or more birds the price is $5.25 per pound. Otherwise the price is $5.50.
We have dates available in June, August and October for pick up.
Send us a message and we will get you all the details!

05/04/2026

From Grandma's Grass-fed Kitchen:
We're calving! We have 8 laying around the pasture. I like seeing them now but it will be more fun to watch in a month when they run and jump around. The other day when I was outside working, I watched a newborn calf wobble around trying to find where to get nourishment. Mamma pushed it with her head toward the udder but the calf tottered the other way. Mamma tried again, the calf got closer only to go too far. I stood there a while watching it, while filling a 55 gallon drum. I was cheering it on but didn't see the normal drinking stance with a waggling tail so I don't know if it got anything or not.
This time I tried a recipe from an old cookbook, for pasties. We all agreed those were a bust. The dogs finished them. So I gave a different recipe a try. They were good but I won't be making them again. The insides were tasty but we didn't care for the outside, we would rather have dough like in the Nebraska's Stuffed Beef Sandwiches, a previous recipe. But I will share the recipe in case you want to try. 1 ½ lb ground beef, 4 refrigerated pie crusts (I made my own), 1 onion chopped, 2 carrots diced, 2 potatoes diced, ½ tsp each salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Also ½ cup frozen peas, ½ cup shredded cheddar, ½ cup beef broth, 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce and 1 egg beaten (egg wash). Boil carrots and potatoes about 10 minutes. Saute onions and add beef, garlic, salt, and pepper, then cook until brown. Remove any grease and add carrots, potatoes, peas, broth, cheese, parsley and sauce. Stir until cheese melts. Remove and cool. Preheat oven to 375 while you form pasties. Cut the pie crusts into quarters and roll into circles. Put ½ cup of filling in each, fold over, brush edge with egg wash then seal edges. Set all on baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake 20 minutes. Hope you enjoy them.
In watching the calf, the thought crossed my mind that God tries to show us where to go but we walk around trying to figure it out without listening. Things would be so much easier if I would listen more intently and obey. This month let's all listen to hear Him as we walk with Him.

04/21/2026

Fun Farm Fact: Did you know that it is calving season here at Short Cattle?

Our calving season started yesterday with a nice small heifer calf!