Super Ranchfest and Superer Mesquite Coffee

8/28/09 - 6th Day - Morning. Preparation of the Sabbath. Well, I have a lot to cover today, so please read the whole thing so you can get all the updates and info I have for you. I posted Chapter 8 of Surviving Off Off-Grid yesterday, so please make sure to read it and comment.

Super Ranchfest is coming up October 2 - 9, so start thinking about if you might want to come by for a visit. Ranchfest started as a way for folks who are supporters and friends of the ministry to come and help us with a large project. Since I do not receive a salary, and we live totally on donations, and since I am generally working on writing and not spending as much time as I ought to on the farm and ranch, some folks came up with the idea of setting aside two weeks a year (a week in the spring and a week in the fall) where folks could come in from all over and pitch in on a project or two here at the ranch. It also is an awesome time of fun and fellowship, teaching and learning. You get to meet all of the people in the community, and spend some real time getting to know everyone. You may just learn some new skills as well. This fall we are going to be working on a root cellar structure.

Ranchfest is free to all attendees. You may stay in a motel in a nearby town, or you may camp here on the ranch. If you want details or have questions, please email me (editor at lazarusunbound com) for more details. You do have to contact us if you want to come. It is best not to plan on just "showing up", since we have a lot of planning we have to do (meals, etc.). You may also help by assisting in financing the project. Like I said before. I receive no salary for any of the ministry work, and you even get all my materials (like the latest book) for free. So why not donate for this project? We'll need quite a bit for this fall's project, and we'll need it fairly soon to prepare for the job, so send your Ranchfest donation to:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Texas 76878

Here's the way I figure it. Ask yourself how much you have benefited from the blog, the sermons, the books, etc. Try to assign a value to what you have received for free, then write down that amount. If you are having trouble, just go to Lazarusunbound.com and click on "Audio Sermons". Pick out any sermon and listen to it. As soon as you have finished the sermon, immediately (without overthinking it) write down what that was worth to you. You can do the same with any chapter of the online book. Don't freak out or sweat it. Now, just write a check for 1/2 of what you think it was all worth, and send that amount. So, if as many of you say in your letters and emails, your whole life has changed and you have been greatly benefited, then you will have a larger obligation. If, however, you are like most people and this blog has the same value as the comics, a movie, or a TV show to you, then just send a couple bucks. See how simple it is? This ought to be fun.

MESQUITE COFFEE

Ok, so many of you have been reading about our magnificent Mesquite Coffee. You also may have read here that, though we had a bumper crop last year, we had almost no crop this year. We have had to harvest pods up and down the county roads, and on some other private properties (with permission of course). Well, we finally have gathered enough to last for our household for a year, and we have started to gather some excess for those of you who have voiced an interest. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here is some details about our Mesquite Coffee:

Central Texas Mesquite Coffee (and Tea)

Welcome to the wonderful and unique taste of Texas Mesquite Coffee and Tea. Since there is now no information (that I could find) on Mesquite Coffee online, I have put together this information for those who might be interested. Some of you have asked how I first came up with the idea to make coffee from the Mesquite pod. In 2006 I found The Texas Almanac at an Abilene wholesale club. I was reading the information on the Mesquite tree, and it said that, during the Civil War, when coffee was not available, the Texas army made coffee out of the mesquite pod. Since we had mesquite pods everywhere, and I like coffee, I decided to roast some pods up and try it out. I was pleasantly shocked and surprised. It tasted like gourmet coffee. So here are some things you might want to know about Texas Mesquite Cofee. First, here is some information on the Mesquite pod that I found online:

Mesquite, the most common shrub or small tree in the Desert Southwest, forms fruit of bean-like pods in the fall that have long been a nutritious food source to humans, wildlife and livestock.

For Native Americans of the desert regions, mesquite was not only relied on as a dietary staple, but as the most important economic plant of their culture. The Papago, Pima, Yuman, Cocopa, Mohave and Cahuilla peoples of Arizona and California utilized all parts of the mesquite:

• Bark - basketry, pottery, fabrics and medicine
• Trunk & Branches - firewood, in the manufacture of bows, arrows, mortars and furniture
• Thorns - awls and for tattooing
• Leaves - making tea, used medicinally as an eyewash and for head and stomach aches
• Sap - as a snack, glue and dye.

But it was the mesquite pod, with its nutritious, bittersweet pulp, that provided the greatest benefit to indigenous desert peoples. They collected pods each fall, often eating many of them green from the trees. The rest they dried in the sun and stored in large baskets for future use.

Usually, the beans (pods and seeds) were ground into a coarse meal, then by adding water, were transformed into a gruel or a cake without cooking. Some cultures are said to have taken the seeds from the pods and ground them into a flour called pinole, from which a bread was actually baked.

But we're talking about coffee. Mesquite Coffee is quite a bit stronger than traditional imported Central American coffee. If one were to use an equal amount of Mesquite coffee (as compared to traditional coffee) Mesquite Coffee is said to have four times the amount of caffeine as regular industrial/commercial coffee. However, even for those of us who enjoy really strong coffee, only 1/3 as much Mesquite Coffee is necessary to create a superior strong coffee.

Mesquite Coffee and Tea is made from the roasted and ground seed pod of the Honey Mesquite tree. The entire pod, seed and all, is roasted and ground to make coffee or tea. Mesquite pods are a perennial food source and been used in Texas, the Southwest, and Mexico as food for hundreds of years. The mesquite pod has been ground for flour and meal by the American Indians and other indigenous peoples for centuries, and it has long been hailed for its nutritional and medicinal value. During the Civil War the mesquite pod was roasted and brewed into a delicious coffee substitute. The mesquite pod is high in natural and healthy sugars, and is often used to make jellies, jams, and even beer and alcohol.

Mesquite Coffee is not like regular/industrial/imported coffee and tea product, which are mass-produced using industrial methods for wide consumption around the world. Though fair-trade and organic coffees are now being made available, for the most part coffee is still grown by huge, industrial corporations on coffee plantations in Central America. Mesquite Coffee, as of this writing, is not available really anywhere. A quick perusal online this morning found no Mesquite Coffee available through online source. Our mesquite pods are gathered by hand and, since we live off-of-the-grid, our pods are roasted either in a solar oven, or in a propane oven.

Your coffee/tea will not be the uniformly ground crystals found in imported/industrial teas and coffees. Since the whole pod is used, the coffee/tea consists of numerous different consistencies. You will find from fine to course ground material, as well as seed hulls and un-ground pod portions. All of these parts go together to create a wonderful coffee tasting experience. Prepare your Mesquite Coffee just as you would prepare your normal coffee in the morning. You will find that the Mesquite Coffee will have a delightful cinnamon aroma, and will smell as if you had already added some sweet, flavored coffee creamer. It is also common and expected for the finer grounds material to make their way through whatever filter system you use and into the coffee. This is not only not a bad thing, but it is preferable. Remember, this is not your normal coffee. While industrial/commercial coffee is bitter and granular, and you really never want the grounds in your coffee, Mesquite Coffee is sweet and flavorful. The fine grounds that do make it into your coffee are quite tasty and consists primarily of roasted sugars. The sugars in Mesquite Coffee are extremely healthy and in some documents are recommended for diabetics who use the sugars to control their glucose levels. So do not worry about any fine "grounds" in your coffee - they are just a delicious additive to your Mesquite Coffee experience. Serve your Mesquite Coffee just as you would any industrial/commercial coffee. Try it black first, then, try it with your favorite creamers, honey, etc. One of my favorite ways to prepare coffee is with fresh cream and honey.

Iced Mesquite Tea

Iced Mesquite Tea is made in the exact same way as the Mesquite Coffee. In fact, you could (if you like) call it "iced coffee", except it really tastes like a premium iced tea. Here at the ranch, we brew a regular pot of Mesquite Coffee and then we "water it down" with water and lots of ice until it attains the coloring you would expect of iced tea. Remember that there is a natural sweetness to Mesquite tea, so you don't have to add much in the way of sweeteners to make sweet tea. We generally add just a teaspoon or two of honey, and a few drops of Stevia sweetener to make a delicious southern-style sweet tea. Mesquite Coffee/Tea is so efficient that we normally make a pot or two of coffee in the morning (we often have 6-8 people drinking coffee), and then we make Tea from whatever coffee is left in the pot! Often a large carafe of Iced Tea can be made from the few ounces of coffee left in the pot. This after using only 1/3 of the amount of ground coffee, compared to what we used to use when we drank industrial/commercial Central American coffee.

Enjoy!

So, 1 lb of Mesquite Coffee is the equivalent to 3 lbs. industrial/commercial coffee. Keep that in mind. And I don't say that lightly. I like my coffee very strong, and I still use 1/3 the amount of Mesquite Coffee. So your value is basically tripled per pound.

Here is the deal. We're not going to have much to sell, but we will have some. Your coffee will come roasted and ground and ready to go. We will sell it in 1/2 lb. and 1 lb. packages. If you want more than that (like over 10 lbs.) you will have to let me know immediately because I will have to arrange for us to gather more pods. Also, there is a time limit. The pods are only available for a limited time. After they fall off the trees, they begin to rot on the ground, and we just got a big storm last night. So we are going to have a very limited harvest time.

Here is how to order. Decide how much you want. Remember, ordering 1lb is the same as getting 3lb of industrial gourmet coffee. We are going to ask $19 for a lb. with $4 shipping and handling. If you only want a half-pound, we are asking $10 plus $4 shipping and handling. If you want more than a lb., just multiply it out and put it in the check. Do not write "Mesquite Coffee" on the check. Just send a side note telling us how much coffee you want, and where to send it. If you want more than ten pounds, email me first and I'll figure out some cheaper shipping. I would say we can take orders between now and maybe the 2nd week of September, then we'll be done for the year. And I'm not selling any of my stash later, so get what you will need for a whole year. This stuff is exquisite, and it is rare. We don't know of anyone else selling it or making it available.

Again, send your check or m.o. to:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Texas, 76878

First come, first served. If we run out, we'll send your check back.

If you are reading this AFTER September 15th or so of 2009, DO NOT send a check without emailing me first, because we may not have any to provide to you.

Ok, I promised to talk to you about the December Project for this year. That will be my plan for The Lord's Day or the next day, so stay tuned!

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker