Blue Valley Aquaculture

Another producer tour I was fortunate enough this week to get to go visit Blue Valley Aquaculture in Sutton, NE.

Blue Valley raises Steelhead Trout that we will be using at Single Barrel. We are going to offer the Trout a couple of different ways.

The Trout are raised in converted Hog barns that have been modified to hold the several thousand Trout that are being raised. All of the water that is used in the tanks for the fish is fresh ground water from the Ogallala Aquafier. It was really interesting to see the fish being raised. The farm has several very good practices that it uses to sustaibably raise the fish in ways that are good for both the fish and surrounding lands.

I'm really looking forward to getting some of the fish in and start testing out some menu items to see exactly how it is going to fit onto our menu.

I also like that when I check Steelhead Trout on the Monterey Bay Seafood watch program that Farm raised Steelhead Trout is a Good Choice. Which is something that is extremely important to me since it is the only fish option we will offer and it is important to us that it is a sustainable product.

One of several long runways for the fish to swim in.

The young fish jumping into a feeding frenzy when their feed was added to the water.


Up close shot of a few of the fish.

Lots of little Steelheads

Beer drank while writing this post: Lucky Bucket IPA by Lucket Bucket Brewing Co. out of La Vista, NE.

Nebraska Bison

This week I've been on spring break from the college so that means full steam ahead on work for Single Barrel. We have been working on finding our local suppliers and meeting with them.

When I think of Nebraska cuisine I always have to think about Bison. Since it is native to Nebraska it only makes sense for us to utilize it on our menu since we are trying to define what Nebraska cuisine is and can be. Serving Bison would be something that my grandfather would have loved since he really embraced his native american heritage and bison was a such a large part of that culture.

So with that being said the first of our producer we met with this week was Nebraska Bison. They are located in Adams, NE which is about 20 minutes from Lincoln which is perfect for us since we want to try to stay as local as possible with as many of our suppliers as we can.

Ross and I were joined by Rob who is also off from the college. We drove up and met with the owners of the ranch Randy and Jane Miller as well as Stacey who is the marketing director that I set everything up with. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming which is always comforting when you meet someone for the first time.

After we sat and talked for a few minutes it was time to go see the Bison. We hopped in the back of a truck and they drove us right into the pasture with all of the pregnant cows. It was great to see these amazing animals up close as they followed the truck around that was dumping alfalfa pellets that they seemed to love. After we finished in the pasture with the cows we went up to check out some of the Bison that are being finished and getting close to harvesting. Again we went right into the pen and were able to see how they are finished and what they are fed. Its always nice when dealing with good ranchers that are producing a great product because they have nothing to hide and take you right up to the animals.

After finishing up looking at all of the magnificant Bison we went back up to talk more about the restaurant and what we would like to see to put on the menu. We got some product to take back with us as we test the menu and see exactly what parts of the Bison we are going to use on our menu. Of course with our style we will really be highlighting some of the more under utilized cuts. I can't wait to start using this amazing product that is being raised right in our backyard.

Here are some pictures and a quick video from when we were at the ranch:

Bison in the finishing lot
One of the Bulls used for breeding

Cow feeding

Pregnant cows following the truck for the Alfalfa pellets