The Ranch Report : Hot Beans Summer!
Today we’re gonna talk about some beans! Mesquite beans to be exact. They get called all sorts of names in ranching circles: water guzzlers, trash trees, toxic plants and spiny tire monsters! (Okay, I made up that last one)
Mesquite gets a bad rap as a water thief, and is said to be gulping up needed water for surrounding plants and grass. Now I’m not a horticulturist, but this has simply not been the case on the ranch. Our entire dam that holds the tanks together (cattle ponds for those who don’t know) is lined with mesquite. It doesn’t seem to drain the tanks when things get dry, and its root systems provide much needed stability to the dam.
But even more curious is the unhealthy or “toxic” reputation in regards to cattle eating them. Many herds avoid it entirely, and some breeds can’t digest it, but meanwhile at the CJ ranch, Kolache is happily munching on the beans along with the other mamas. They’ve been doing this for years now, so far be it for me to tell them that they’re doing it wrong!
They seem to love the sweetness of the bean pods, and it can also provide a bit of fiber and protein to supplement their diet when the summer heat burns away some of the more tropical grasses. They do the same with Texas persimmons, plums, mustang grapes, prickly pears and pecans. So while too much of one thing would likely be bad for them, they have a wild harvest to diversify their diets.
It’s a great reminder that nature is great at keeping things in balance and maintaining resilience. Also it may be an indicator that our cattle may actually be large deer… but you’ve seen the pictures and they don’t look like any deer I’ve ever seen! Regardless, they’re hearty and happy and that’s what leads to flavorful, delicious beef!
Live well, eat well,
and don’t burn the beef!
-Pati Jacobs
Owner & Rancher,
Bastrop Cattle Co.
