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Grandma Grieb’s Apricot Jam

Apricots

Every summer the Grieb family spent many hours harvesting apricots. Most of the crop was cut and sun dried in preparation for selling to SunSweet Growers.  However, the family always saved enough to meet their own needs to eat fresh, bake in pies or cakes or preserve in Mason jars.

Apricot Jam

Orchard Apricot Jam

Our favorite was the jam. Many hands were needed to make enough jam to last until the next season. Tasks were divided up – washing, peeling, grinding, measuring the sugar and stirring the big pots and ladling in jars. It was hot work, but oh, how good that jam tasted and smelled. And the family time was priceless.

Here is Grandma Grieb’s recipe—no pectin—no pineapple just pure apricots.

Apricot Jam (Makes 2 ½ pints)

3 C ground apricots (Grandma peeled hers)
2 C sugar

Bring to boil and boil 20-30 minutes stirring constantly until jam drips heavy off wooden spoon.  Skim off foam. Ladle into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw on band until just tight.

Need to make a big batch? Here is the big batch quantity.

9 C ground apricots
6 C sugar

Prepare as above.

Recipe submitted by Sandi Ferrio a grandaughter.

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Grandma Grieb’s Doughnuts

Donuts lightly noised

Forty-five years ago when Margie (Grieb) and Scott Runels were first married Scott fell in love with Grandma Grieb’s doughnuts.  When Margie asked Grandma for her recipe she said she didn’t have one, but offered to teach Margie how to make them. Margie jumped at the chance to go over to Grandma’s and watch her. The following doughnut recipe is the result of their time together.

Grandma Grieb’s Doughnuts

Beat Together:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Sift and add:
5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 rounded tsp. baking powder

Gradually add and knead in another 1/2 cup flour on floured board.

Roll out, cut and fry in oil on med. heat.  (I just use my fry daddy)

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Happy Mother’s Day 2016

Mother's Day Poem 2016

Happy Mother’s Day to all from Grieb Ranch. This poem was written by Ms. Penny and the hand artist is our own little Mr. P who is in preschool.

This rainbow was painted especially for you
With red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple too.

Thank you for holding my little hand.
You are the best Mommy in all the land.

Be there clouds, rainbows or blue skies above,
You will forever have all my love.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Me

Hope you have a Great Mother’s Day!

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Stanley Grieb – Always the Farmer

Very young Stan

The Grieb family recently said goodbye to their, brother, cousin, father, uncle and grandfather, Stanley Grieb.

Stanley was born in Arroyo Grande on January 16, 1923.  He was the sixth of nine children born to Fred and Gertrude Grieb.  As the Grieb’s were a farming family, he learned to work hard at a early age. Stan also enjoyed sports where he worked equally as hard.

Horse shoe trophyAs an 8th grader, he joined the Arroyo Grande Men’s Horseshoe Team.  They played other men’s teams from San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Paso Robles, and Santa Maria.  In high school he was the champion horseshoe player.

In addition to horseshoes, Stan was also good with the hoops. Stan joined the Letterman’s Club earning his membership in basketball.

Agriculture has always been his passion and took the leadership role of president and secretary of the Future Farmers of America.

One of Stan’s projects in FFA was raising a pen of three pigs having purchased the sow from Cal Poly. He competed at the Great Western Livestock show in Los Angeles.  Stan won second place for a pen of three pigs and second place for a single pig.

Young man StanStan graduated from high school in 1941 and began 25 years of farming, raising apricots, walnuts, artichokes and vegetables.

Stan and Lois weddingHe met Lois Buchen on a blind date when her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, at the University of California at Santa Barbara, had a dance.

Before they were married Stan and Lois built their house in Arroyo Grande.  The concrete foundation was mixed and poured in one day by Stan’s brothers.  Lois was teaching school but came on weekends and cut all of the studs for the house (Studs weren’t pre-cut in those days.)

Stan and Lois were married on August 19, 1951. Two children were added to the family, Pamela and Randy. The family continued farming in Arroyo Grande.

Stan and family

During his farming years he was a 4-H leader, served as Arroyo Grande Farm Bureau Chairman, served on the San Luis Obispo county Grand Jury and was the Arroyo Grande Rotary Club Secretary.  Stan served as tree judge at Cal Poly for the Future Farmers of America annual State Convention.  He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Diamond Walnut Plant and Co-op at Goleta.  He was also a Alternate Director for Diamond Walnuts Central board of Directors in Stockton.    Stan designed  and built the first portable grower delivery and railroad shipping station for Diamond Walnuts.

In 1966 the family said goodbye to Arroyo Grande and Stan went to work for Sunsweet Dryers and Sunsweet Growers in Red Bluff, California.  Stan started out as the manager of the Sunsweet Prune Dryer in Red Bluff and Sunsweet Growers Field Representative for that area.  In 1967 Stan was transferred to the Sunsweet Prune Dryer in Gridley as Plant Manager and the family moved to Yuba City.  Stan managed the Sunsweet Prune Dryer in Gridley for 18 years.  During Stan’s last two years with Sunsweet he also worked as a Diamond Walnut Field Representative.  For Stan’s final two years of his career he worked full time with Diamond Walnuts as the Field Representative covering all of Northern California from Sacramento to the Oregon border and areas east and west of Sacramento.  He also worked with walnut receiving stations in Solvang, Paso Robles, Gilroy, and Oceano.

Stan designed and built a walnut sampler that was manufactured and put into operation at all locations where Diamond received walnuts from growers.  This was the first time that Diamond Walnuts had a uniform sampling system for growers’ walnuts.  Stan retired in 1988.

Stan and Lois later yearsIn retirement  Stan liked to spend his time in his yard, still the farmer, he “irrigated rather than watered”.  He was always tinkering with something .  With a mind to make things easier or better, he tinkered with and modified his bar-b-ques, trailer, and motorhome.  He loved to camp at Lake Tahoe and spent several weeks every summer at the lake.

About three years ago when his health declined he and Lois moved in with Pam. That is where he spent his final days.  In April 2016 he was buried in Arroyo Grande.

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Flowers Come and Go, But One Thing Remains

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

With pink foreground

Spring wild flowers and green hillsides were reveled in this year as we received near-normal rainfall, bringing the Grieb Ranch hills to life. Mustard-yellow carpet covered the hillsides accenting the emerald green rolling hills.

Tea and Grieb Ranch with pink 2016-03-12 020

However the green grass now boasts brown heads and the bright and cheery poppies are becoming a remembrance . . . and we still need more rain . . . yet one thing remains – God’s word.

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We’re standing on our God’s word forever.

Photo credit: Sharon Jantzen

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Tee – A Bundle of Puppy Joy

Tea good

The  latest addition to the Grieb Ranch is Tee, a bundle of puppy joy.

Tee is a fun-loving Border Collie/Huntaway cross. She is what we call a “Stock dog”, one who will help us gather cattle off the steep hills saving the riders and horses a lot of time. Working dog pet ownership brings with it a lot of responsibilities.

First, we take care of the puppy’s health.

Tee got her puppy shots . . .   she got her first combination vaccine when she was 7 weeks old and then got boosters once a month until she was 16 weeks. At 4 months local law says we needed to vaccinate her for Rabies and get a county license. If anyone needs more information about animal licensing they should go to www.petdata.com or call 1-866-306-7105.

Every dog’s situation is different so please consult with your veterinarian to determine which vaccinations your puppy should receive and how often.

We are enjoying taking care of and training Tee our new ranch dog. We’ll be updating you on her life and progress in the next few weeks.

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Trout Fishing in the Arroyo Grande Creek

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Grandpa Fred Grieb enjoyed fishing.

The Grieb cousins have fond memories of Grandpa Fred Grieb teaching them how to make fishing poles out of bamboo sticks and fishing line.  The cousins would walk up and down the Arroyo Grande creek and stop and fish from the banks.  They also enjoyed camping out at the Nelson Place (now under Lopez Lake that was built in 1960’s) where Grieb Ranch ran the cattle.  So many treasured memories and fun times camping with the Grieb cousins.

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Recipe for: Trout

From the Kitchen of: Grandma Gertrude Grieb                    Servings: 5

Needed: 6 Medium-sized fresh trout

Ingredients for Coating the Trout:

1C Milk in bowl
1 tsp Salt
Dash Pepper
1 Cup Progresso Bread Crumbs
½ Cup Cornmeal

Bacon grease for fry pan

Instructions for Cooking the Coated Trout:

Begin heating fry pan with hot bacon grease.
Put milk, salt and pepper in bowl.
Mix cornmeal and bread crumbs in another bowl.
Dip trout thru milk.
Roll in crumbs.
Fry coated trout in bacon grease until fork-flaky.

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Where Heaven is Breaking Through

Sunrise 2016

Happy Easter from the Grieb Ranch!

“In the midst of the busyness and stresses of our days, there are patches of beauty all around us, glimpses of God’s goodness that we catch here and there along the way. These are the places in the walls of the universe where heaven is breaking through—if only we will take the time to stop and to reflect upon God’s love for us . . . Sometimes in life we must hurry. But overall, life should be less hurrying and more noticing. Life is the present. Life is being aware; it is seeing God’s love breaking through. It is turning aside to the miracle of something like a sunrise. Something transitory, yet symbolic of the eternity that awaits us.” Taken from  “Sunrise”  David Roper/Our Daily Bread

2016 Grieb Ranch Spring 2016-03-12 004For us here at Grieb Ranch, it is turning aside to the miracle of a beautiful sunrise over the ranch, appreciating the grass and mustard covered hills after several years of drought, caring for a new healthy grandchild, and enjoying the distraction of little chicks hatching as I type.

Logan babyMost of all though, it is taking time to celebrate the miracle of our risen Savior.  May we take to heart Ps. 119:18

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

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Enjoy Liver, Onions and Bacon

liver onions bacon

We process the entire beef cow. Each carcass provides about 27 lbs of variety meat: liver, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads & brains.

We, at Grieb Ranch, keep these special variety meats – heart, tongue and liver – for that once a year special treat.  Because liver has a texture and flavor all its own we always cook it with bacon and onions and serve it with mashed potatoes, and green peas.

Recipe for: Liver, Onions and Bacon

From the Kitchen of: Connie Grieb Willems                   Servings: 5

Ingredients:

6 strips of bacon
1 lb thin Sliced liver ½ inch thick or less
½ onion thinly sliced
Flour
Salt & pepper

Instructions:

  1. Cook Bacon in pan until half done.
  2. As the bacon is cooking coat each piece of liver with flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the thin liver slices under the bacon.
  4. Add thin onion slices to pan and cook to carmelize.
  5. Cook on medium high heat until the liver is cooked through. When the juices in the liver slices rise to the top on one side flip to the other side.*

*Avoid over cooking, which toughens liver.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas.

 

 

 

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Spring Comes Early

Little P eating fruit (1024x765)

First fruit of the season

The first signs of spring are here and activity at Grieb Ranch continues to swell. Besides caring for the cattle, early spring is when the orchard needs extra care.
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Due to the drought we did not plant new trees last winter, which left room for four new trees to fill vacant spaces in the family orchard.  We planted an Italian Prune, Fantasia (nectarine),  Harcot (apricot), and a Elberta (peach) tree. We got everyone involved in digging the initial hole for the new bare-root trees. Each tree has a family memory and many are dedicated to family members, extended family and some friends.

Two strange weather-related events have caused unusual happenings in the orchard this year.  The first is that it’s February and we are picking mini apples (perfect for full-hands eating for a 3 year old boy) that were created from the freak July rain last summer.  Recently, record high temperatures have produced an early spring so we are busy pruning the older trees and tilling the orchard.

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