Elizabeth Poett Transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe, and I'm your host, Kerry Diamond, coming to you from Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. I'm the founder and editor of Cherry Bombe Magazine and each week I talk to the most interesting women and culinary creatives in and around the world of food.
Today's guest is Elizabeth Poett, a seventh generation rancher and star of “Ranch to Table,” a show on the Magnolia Network. Elizabeth's first cookbook, “The Ranch Table,” was just published and it's a celebration of life on the ranch over four seasons. It's a beautiful book and Elizabeth is a unique and thoughtful human being. I had the pleasure of visiting Elizabeth at her family's 14,000 acre ranch, Rancho San Julian, in California earlier this year. The roses, the honeybees, the animals, the historic ranch house, and Elizabeth's hospitality and generosity moved me so much and not just because I'm a city slicker. Stay tuned for my chat with Elizabeth Poett.
This episode of Radio Cherry Bombe is supported by OpenTable. OpenTable is proud to sponsor Cherry Bombe's dinner series, Sit With Us, which highlights amazing female chefs and restaurateurs in the Cherry Bombe network. Tickets for our next four dinners are on sale right now. We'll be at Chef Evelyn Garcia's Jun in Houston on October 23rd. Chef Renee Erickson's The Whale Wins in Seattle on October 25th. Chef Beverly Kim's Parachute in Chicago on November 1st and Chef Camille Becerra’s As You Are in Brooklyn on November 11th. How does it work? You can come solo and sit at a Cherry Bombe community table or bring a friend or two and we will seat you together. Tickets are available exclusively on OpenTable. Just search for the restaurant and go to the Experiences tab to purchase a ticket, which includes a welcome drink and a three course or family style meal. A portion of the proceeds from each dinner will benefit a local charity. Learn more about the OpenTable and Cherry Bombe Sit With Us series at cherrybombe.com. I can't wait to get back on the road and meet some of you at Sit With Us.
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Now, let's check in with today's guest. Elizabeth Poett, welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Elizabeth Poett:
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
Kerry Diamond:
Let's jump right into it. What was it like growing up on a ranch? I can't even imagine.
Elizabeth Poett:
I can't imagine growing up anywhere else. We were very far away from town. I didn't do any camps when I was little. My camp was the ranch and I had projects and chores and things to do all around the ranch, and I loved it. I loved animals, I love animals still. We had cats and chickens and dogs and cows and horses, and I just loved being able to grow up in that way and also have that freedom to just wander a bit. And my parents were very much letting me go out and have adventures, and I loved being able to grow up on the ranch. It was such a magical time.
Kerry Diamond:
And it was a time that predates the internet and iPhones and iPads and all those things. What were you doing and playing and thinking when you were a kid wandering across all those acres?
Elizabeth Poett:
We didn't have TV, the movies that we watch, I was only allowed to watch black and white movies for the first most of my life. It was, I think, very creative. I felt like I could always be using my imagination. I think as a young child, I just used my imagination for everything and I had a great childhood. I mean, my parents were hardworking, really hardworking. They still are today, and my mom always took me everywhere. My dad always took me everywhere along the road, so either I was sitting in a truck, or I'm in the back of a pickup truck, or by the side of a field. I was just along for the ride.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you learn how to ride a horse at a young age?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, definitely. I was riding before I probably could walk. I mean, my parents were definitely putting me on a horse-
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I love that.
Elizabeth Poett:
... early on.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. And you said you had activities and chores and things like that. What were some of the things you would do?
Elizabeth Poett:
From a very young age, I was feeding chickens. I'll never forget, I was terrified of the rooster. That was my terror at a young age, was the rooster in the chicken coop. So, every day I went down there and I was braving the storm.
Kerry Diamond:
Did the rooster ever attack you?
Elizabeth Poett:
The rooster did once, and that's why I would never turn my back on that rooster. I kept an eye on him. Yeah, so feeding chickens was a big thing.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you collect the eggs?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, yeah. Collecting eggs. I just didn't know a different way. I didn't know a different way, and to me this was just very normal.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us a little bit about your mom. She had a remarkable career. She was the first woman hired to work at Rolling Stone, correct?
Elizabeth Poett:
Mm-hmm, yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Other women had been hired, but I think they were in assistant positions, right?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes. she was the editor of Rolling Stone Magazine in the '70s, and then she went on to the Village Voice in New York, and that's where she met my dad. My dad had moved to New York and was a writer, and they met there. They met actually on an elevator at the office.
Kerry Diamond:
You were born on the ranch, you weren't born in New York.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, they were married after three months and they had me two years later. They wanted though, my dad had always wanted to go back to the ranch. The ranch is on his side of the family, but he had always wanted to go back, and so I think when they got pregnant with me, it was the time to do a big move.
Kerry Diamond:
Married after three months, given that they're still together, that's romantic.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, yes, yes, exactly. It is, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, fun.
Elizabeth Poett:
They've had an amazing adventure journey together.
Kerry Diamond:
Who cooked at home?
Elizabeth Poett:
Both of them. Both of them cooked. My mom definitely was the trailblazer in the kitchen. She has an amazing ... You just want to hang out with my mom in the kitchen because she's just one of those people that makes you feel comfortable immediately and very relaxed, which I think as a young child and now that I have kids of my own, I could see how it's very easy to be like, "Don't touch that," nervous in the kitchen. And she was just always a very relaxed cook and a really good cook. She makes an amazing meal. She's Italian. Her family is all about cooking, and it just is something that I think really made me feel comfortable in the kitchen. She always made me feel comfortable in the kitchen.
Kerry Diamond:
You're very chill in the kitchen on your TV show.
Elizabeth Poett:
I think it's the way to be. I think that the kitchen is ... it's just a place to enjoy.
Kerry Diamond:
But also at the same time, so your mom's cooking for the family, there were these big ranch meals.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
You've referred to ranch meals. What is a ranch meal?
Elizabeth Poett:
In our community and honestly in ranching communities all over the country and really all over the world, I would assume, we can never afford the amount of help that we need throughout an entire year. There are times in the year that we need to call 20 people to come and help us either gather cattle or move them to a different pasture. And the way that you thank these people and neighbors really coming to help them is one, you go to their ranches as well to help them, and then also you want to feed them. And so, I grew up really around this culture of thanking people by feeding them, and it's been something that I've watched my mother do and I loved it. I feel like it brings me more joy than anyone, to be able to feed people, I think you can fix any problem with a good meal.
Kerry Diamond:
What comes to mind for me is outdoor cooking. Is that what was going on?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, a lot of outdoor cooking. We have these big barbecues, they're called Santa Maria style barbecue, and you can roll up the grill away from the heat, the fire that you make, or you can lower it down, you can feed a ton of people. Historically, this has been something that they've been doing for years and years and it's really a way that you can feed a lot of people all at once and have a nice hot meal. So, we definitely did a lot of barbecuing, not just meats, but also produce, fruits, vegetables, everything. I'll grill anything.
Kerry Diamond:
Let's fast forward. You wind up in New York City. You leave the ranch. Why were you in New York and what were you doing?
Elizabeth Poett:
I had gone to college in Ohio. I had just slowly been moving my way out there. I think I was young and didn't know how lucky I was where I was on the ranch. I needed to go out. I needed to see other things.
Kerry Diamond:
Like your parents.
Elizabeth Poett:
Like my parents did, yeah. And I think that was a lot of it is that I have family in New York, so I had a connection there, but also that's where my parents met and that's where they fell in love. And my parents have such a love for that city. I loved it too, I had such an amazing time. I moved there after college, I had a phone bill, that's the only thing. I truly am such a believer, then after college to just ... or after school, or at some point in your life, doing something when you don't have the responsibilities that you're going to have later on in life. And so, I went there and I worked on a PBS show. I mean, I did everything, not agriculture. Everything not agriculture.
Kerry Diamond:
So you weren't at the Union Square Farmer's Market working at one of the stands?
Elizabeth Poett:
No, but I was a hostess at the restaurant nearby and walked to-
Kerry Diamond:
Wait, which one?
Elizabeth Poett:
At Blue Water Grill.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, Blue Water Grill. Yeah, nice.
Elizabeth Poett:
I was a hostess there. I couldn't afford anything at the time. I was living in a hole of apartment and I was working that job. I worked at a clothing store. I did every fun, different job just to live there.
Kerry Diamond:
You bartended, right?
Elizabeth Poett:
I bartended. I bartended for a long time.
Kerry Diamond:
You did?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, I loved it.
Kerry Diamond:
You a good bartender?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, I could make a good cocktail. I love that because I could work weekends and I could then afford to live there, so I enjoyed it.
Kerry Diamond:
And you also worked at MTV?
Elizabeth Poett:
I did.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us about that.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yep. I worked for a documentary there. I actually learned the city really well because I basically was the messenger and I was shipped all around and I learned the subway system, I learned the buses, I learned New York and it was such a good job. I was wearing my running shoes and running all over the city. So, it was a great experience.
Kerry Diamond:
You did not stay in New York. Why did you return to the ranch?
Elizabeth Poett:
I missed home. I missed home. I came to the ranch. I remember very well, I came in March to visit my parents and march in New York and March in California is a real different place, especially in the city, especially. And it was still cold and I just came to the ranch and it was green and it was luscious, it was beautiful. And I went on this ride with my dad and it was almost like I was seeing the ranch for the first time, with just completely new eyes. My apartment in New York, literally it was above the trash, so people ... You'd see trash flying by my window because people would instead walking down, they would just throw it. So, I came back to the ranch, I'm like, "Oh my goodness, this place, what am I doing? I want to be here. I love this place." I just felt whole.
Kerry Diamond:
You had mentioned to me, I think when we were working on the cover story, maybe one of the reasons you hadn't returned earlier was you weren't sure what your role would be on the ranch. What was your role when you returned?
Elizabeth Poett:
That was the biggest hurdle that I had to go through because I wanted to come back to the ranch, but where was going to be my place? How did I fit in? I didn't want to work for my dad for the rest of my life on the ranch and just I felt like I really needed to have my own place there. I had always been so interested in food and my dad had actually sold beef. He would raise his own beef. Years ago when I was growing up in the early '90s, he was one of the first organic beef cattle ranchers in California, and I grew up learning a bit about that. We went to a farmer's market. This was before there was even me, so it was really just vegetables. And my dad's like, "Oh, we'll go and we'll throw some burgers and see if anybody comes."
And everybody's like, "No, no one's going to eat. What are you thinking?" And I was about nine years old and I was the lady who took the money and took the order. My dad was flipping the burgers and there was just this long line of people and that they could have the connection to the food and it changed them. It changed them. It changed their thoughts about meat and food and how things are grown and that they could meet us and know how the cattle are being raised. All of those things just to me was immediately ... just me selling some burgers, it really changed me at nine and I didn't really know how much it changed me until later on in life. And so, when I came back to the ranch, it's something that I always had wanted to do. We raise all this amazing cattle and we raise them in such an amazing way and really thinking about what is best for the cattle in Southern California where we live, what's best for the ranch? The ranch has been in our family for seven generations. Regenerative agriculture is what we do because we have to take care of the land.
Kerry Diamond:
You did it before there was a name for it.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, it was something that was really a big thing that I wanted to be involved in, and I started really putting that together. I worked for my dad. I worked for the cattle for about a year or two, just-
Kerry Diamond:
Wait, when you say you worked for the cattle?
Elizabeth Poett:
... the cattle company. So, basically I worked for the cows, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Not the cows. You weren't reporting to the-
Elizabeth Poett:
I felt like I was reporting to them.
Kerry Diamond:
... you did work for the cattle, essentially.
Elizabeth Poett:
I reported to them and I just really learned my way in with adult eyes on the ranch because when I was younger, you just look at the world differently and then when I was an adult, I came back and I wanted to really be involved and really understand the business.
Kerry Diamond:
So, you reintroduce the meat program essentially, and you are the one at the farmer's market in Los Angeles once a week, twice a week?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah. I did the Wednesday farmer's market in LA when I was doing the most. I was doing them three in Santa Barbara, and so I was waking up to the LA market. I was up at 3:00 in the morning, parked at 6:00 and there for the day and then headed back.
Kerry Diamond:
I have done that drive. It's a beautiful drive, but it is a long drive.
Elizabeth Poett:
It's a beautiful long drive. It's a beautiful long drive and hitting the coast in the morning, it is a beautiful thing, but it is a lot of work. I learned though, so much from farmer's markets. I think that also increased my love for food and love for connection. I learned so much from farmers. I tried so many ... I am a big person, when I go to farmer's markets, I always try my best to find something that I've never eaten before, whether it be a carrot variety or a different type of eggplant, or anything that is just different and especially if you're able to talk to the farmer and why did they grow this plant and how do they cook with it? It's so fun.
Kerry Diamond:
So, you were at the Santa Monica Wednesday market. You did it for a decade even when you became a mom, right?
Elizabeth Poett:
Oh yeah. I have pictures of me, big belly, pregnant. I did it with a baby on me. Once they started getting to the point where they could run, that's when I was like, "I need some help." So, I got amazing help. I hired girlfriends of mine that were 10 years younger than me, but women, I love to hire these women. They would drive the truck down. They would know all the different cuts of meat because it's hard when you're selling beef at farmer's markets because you need to know all the different cuts of meat because I sell every cut. You need to know what to do with an oxtail. You need to know what to do with a sirloin tip. You need to know all of these different ones that you have to know. Crosscut shanks, what are those? You have to know all of these things. And so, I did get some great help.
Kerry Diamond:
You made a lot of friends in Santa Monica. You conversed with a lot of customers and that led to “The Ranch Table” because people wanted a deeper experience and connection with you. Tell us about that.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, a lot of people were coming up to me and saying ... They're asking about the cattle and how they're raised, and they would ask all of the questions, and I wanted people to have more of a connection than just coming to the ranch and walking around and doing kind of a meet and greet, or walk and talk. I wanted people to really feel as connected as they could to the land.
And so, I started having these Ranch Table events, where people would come to the ranch and we would do things, for example, go into the back where we have a garden and we have a kitchen garden really behind the main house, which is the headquarters of the ranch, and you can go back there and pick strawberries and then we're going to bring it into the kitchen and we're going to make strawberry jam, and then we're going to sit out and have strawberry shortcake and tea.
That was my first event that I ever did. It was very nerve wracking and very exciting, but the ranch has such a history, that there's connections that people have made with the ranch over many years and it was really amazing to see the people that came and then I just started doing more of them. I worked with my dear friend Katie, who I grew up with, grew up next door and she's an amazing cook and so fun to work with. And so, I worked with her and I just started doing more and more of these events and it was crazy how it was growing so fast.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, I can imagine. I'm sure word spread very quickly. I remember arriving at the ranch and it is a spectacular sense of arrival. It is such a beautiful place. You're driving and you're driving and then you see the ranch house and when we got there, it was just a riot of roses and greenery, and we just couldn't believe what we were seeing. And then you show up and you've got the Wrangler jeans and the boots and the hat, and it's not just cosplay. You are wearing all these things for a reason.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, no, I mean, it's a real working cattle ranch, and that's what I say to people. There are gopher holes, it's beautiful, but it's a type of beauty. It's rustic in the truest fashion. My family has worked very hard over the years to really maintain it and to really take care of the land. Also, the house that's there, these roses are ... but they were planted years and years and years ago. There's an arbor that's 150 years old. It has character, which I love.
Kerry Diamond:
The house has a lot of history. It was a carriage stop.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, it was a stop on the stage coach, so there's-
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, stage coach, that's right. It is a gorgeous building and just really filled with so much history. It's overwhelming. You continue to do the Ranch Table events, word spreads. The Magnolia team, someone gets in touch with you about doing a TV show. How did they find out about you?
Elizabeth Poett:
I mean, it's such a bizarre ... it's a friend of a friend's brother's friend's neighbor. It was one of those things that he said, "Would you be interested? We could show something." And I said, "Oh no, thank you. Thank you so much." I was fearful that ... Well, I was fearful, period. It's the end, in so many different ways. But also I wanted to represent our area and the ranch. I would want to make sure that it was represented in a way that is true. And the fear would be that if TV were to come in any way, that it would Hollywoodize it, or make it something that's not as precious as it really is. And so, that was a big fear. Also, putting myself out there is always a fear that we all make every day in our lives.
And so I said, "Oh no, thank you. That's really kind." It was a lot of back and forth and I thought I'll put together something that I would be okay with. And so I kind of put together a reel with a dear friend and gave it up and this is what I would do. I want to show what life is really like on the ranch. I want to show how hard it is to grow food and how important it is for our environment to be part of this food system and then to enjoy being in a kitchen and showing that I did not go to culinary school. I am not a professional chef in any way, shape or form. I just love to cook and I love good food and I love making really good food. And so, those are the things that I wanted to show and what I felt comfortable showing.
Kerry Diamond:
It's so interesting because you are not a media unsavvy family. Your mother has all her experience, so does your dad. You spent some time, like you said, worked on a PBS project and at MTV. Had it never crossed your mind that there was so much media potential in the ranch?
Elizabeth Poett:
I've been really floored, yeah. I always knew it is such a special place. I think also when you're growing ... You're living it, you're breathing it. To me, yeah, it's old building. This is an old place and you just know it. And so, it almost like I couldn't see it until I came back as an adult though. I did come back and I did, in a way, see it with new eyes, but more so that I just want to be a part.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, the Magnolia team saw the potential, you now have a show on Magnolia Network called Ranch to Table and it is a beautiful show. I honestly, you probably don't agree with me on this, but wish they were longer and I would love to see more ranch life.
Elizabeth Poett:
Good. That's so fun to hear.
Kerry Diamond:
But it's fun to get the little glimpses that you do get and meet your family and your husband and you've got your wonderful, very unpretentious cooking segments in your real kitchen.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yep, in my home kitchen. Yeah, 100%, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
How long does each season take to film?
Elizabeth Poett:
We're actually filming, it depends on how many episodes, but it's about six weeks. And then there's of course, the prep. I do all of the recipe testing myself. That's something that was also really important to me that I want to do it in my kitchen. I want to be able to use things ... Also, one big thing that has always been in my cooking is that I do go to the farmer's market and I always try to find things that are hard to find or I've never tasted, but I also want to make sure that with my cooking is that these are simple ingredients. These are things that you can get anywhere. And that is always important to me because no one needs more stress in their life. We all have it in our own way. And so, to be able to just cook and have a good meal with simple ingredients.
Kerry Diamond:
So, you can watch the show, like I mentioned on the Magnolia Network and also now on Max.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, it's on Max.
Kerry Diamond:
All the episodes. I mean, you must be thrilled about that.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
What a huge audience now for your show.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, it's been so fun and so many more people have been able to see it. I've gotten letters in the mail from children who have been watching the show and are huge fans and want to be ranchers or want to be farmers, or they want to cook with foods that they find. And to me that has just been everything. It really is. It's the most magical, exciting thing for me to be able to see that it's touching people all over the country, not just locally.
Kerry Diamond:
It is a very family friendly show. New season drops October 1st and then two days later, your beautiful book makes its debut. This is your first book, congratulations on being a first time author. The title is “The Ranch Table: Recipes From A Year Of Harvests, Celebrations And Family Dinners On A Historic California Ranch.” It traces a year on the ranch. Why did you decide to use that device for the book?
Elizabeth Poett:
I really wanted this to be an introductory book to the ranch and to my cooking. And to me that is the best way to tell the story and the best way to really share what life is really like on a ranch. I mean, your first question is what's it like? And I think that is a question that I have been asked and to really be able to explain it is through the season and through a whole year on the ranch. And so, I wanted to do meals that we do throughout the year, seasonal food, but also meals that you can make any time of the year. Yeah, I'm very excited about it.
Kerry Diamond:
Why did you want a book?
Elizabeth Poett:
I actually first started about writing this book when I was pregnant with my second son, Hank, so it's been in the works and in my dreams for a long time. He's now turning nine. It's something that I've wanted to share. I love being able to share recipes. I think people who share recipes are pretty awesome people. I think to be able to inspire people in any way, in the ways that I've been inspired in my life by others, I just wanted to be part of that.
Kerry Diamond:
Let's take a quick break and we'll be right back. The Cherry Bombe shop is open again. We switched warehouses and shipping companies this summer and now we are officially back in business. If you are looking for the new issue of Cherry Bombe's print magazine with Sohla El-Waylly on the cover, or our food TV issue with today's guest, Elizabeth Poett, and other friends on the cover, or any back issues with folks like Paola Velez or The Lost Kitchen's Erin French, head to cherrybombe.com to shop today. You can also get an annual subscription to Cherry Bombe Magazine while you're there. Get four issues delivered direct to your door and bonus, subscribers get free shipping. So, if you hate paying for shipping, this option is for you. If you are a magazine lover, don't delay. Head to cherrybombe.com and thank you for your support.
My heart just felt so full going through the book and it really did feel like a virtual visit to the ranch.
Elizabeth Poett:
Oh my gosh, that means everything to me. Yeah, I had a photographer come out who's actually my DP on the show, and so he understands me. And I had him come out throughout an entire year because I really wanted ... I wanted with every turn of the page, that you felt the year was moving forward and moving on. And I also worked with my dear friend who I've known since kindergarten, Georgia Friedman, who helped me. It's very hard to write about yourself. Oh my goodness. I'm like, "Ooh, this is very scary." And I had her help me. And then BJ Golnick is the person who did the photography, just people who I really trust. I didn't bring in a stylist. I used all the things that are just in my kitchen.
Kerry Diamond:
So you didn't have a food stylist or a prop stylist?
Elizabeth Poett:
No, we just did ... It was me and it was a little team of four when, we would do it with the photographer. Well, it was me and the photographer and I had a friend help me with the cooking and get it all out there, and we just made it with things that we have. And I really just wanted to bring in everything that ... every fork is something that we've used in our house. The knife cutting the cake, that's actually what we cut the cakes with.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us what folks will find if they did a little tour.
Elizabeth Poett:
Creeks, hills. rocks, big open pastures. Our terrain is pretty rocky. It's why when we gather cattle, we have these ATVs that we drive to really more to check water, a quick check on water, a quick check on cattle. But when we're moving cattle, we have to work with horses because it's mountainous and rugged. It has beautiful views of the ocean at parts or beautiful views of the valley, San Jemez Valley, my favorite ... I keep saying this, people are like, "What's your favorite time of year?" And gosh, there's so many different times. But I love when either the grass is tall and green and the wind goes through it and it just looks like a hillside of green waves. It's just so beautiful. But then when it turns golden, it's just this beautiful golden color too. So California.
Kerry Diamond:
You have a one acre farm where you grow-
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, the garden, yes, yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, so you call it... I call it a farm. You call it a garden. You're probably like, "That little patch?"
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, we call it a garden. Yeah, it's our little kitchen garden. It's one acre. Oh my gosh, we just finished doing a big planting. We planted it a lot later this year because of all the rains. But we just finished planting and I mean, we always do million different types of varieties of tomatoes and peppers and corn and eggplant and all sorts of flowers. Always tons and tons of flowers. I love zinnias and they're just so easy to grow. It's amazing. They just make everything beautiful.
Kerry Diamond:
There were roses everywhere. There are roses all over the house, but in the back you had a very specific rose garden. What was that for?
Elizabeth Poett:
There are roses everywhere, and really these were planted years and years ago, and we just keep them going.
Kerry Diamond:
But they were a special kind of roses. They smelled gorgeous. Do you use them to make rosewater or anything?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes, yes. The French varieties. Those are actually planted that they could be used, we haven't done it yet, but being able to distill it and make a rosewater yet, but we do that with our lavender. We have lavender. My dad started planting ... My dad's an amazing man, he's so cool. That man, he does not stop thinking about what's the next possibilities, what are the next steps for the ranch? Where are we going in the future? Which is a huge part of sustainable farming is to really constantly be thinking of the future. And so, in the '90s he was like, "I'm going to study some lavender and we're going to put in a field of lavender." A lot of my childhood, I remember working in the lavender fields and now we distill it ourselves and we have lavender hydrosol and lavender oil, and it's just another part of ranch life.
Kerry Diamond:
And then there are beehives everywhere.
Elizabeth Poett:
Billy Williams is our bee guy and he has been working ... He's been doing bees on our ranch for about four years. So fun to work with. But yeah, there are hives. There must be a thousand hives all over the ranch.
Kerry Diamond:
You have a retail site, so folks are like, "Oh, where can I get my hands on? All these gorgeous products?"
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, yeah, theranchtable.com. We have honey and lavender and all sorts of things from the ranch.
Kerry Diamond:
And I noticed you can buy your hat.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
You wear a very unique hat. It is not a cowboy hat, but it's not a cowboy hat. Tell us about this hat.
Elizabeth Poett:
I've worn this hat for years. I love this hat. And people have been wanting to buy it, so I started selling this hat. It's one of my favorites because it's just a big-brimmed hat.
Kerry Diamond:
We've very much romanticized life on a ranch. You deal with some very serious issues though. When we were there, it was the end of what had been a very difficult rainy season. And climate change is something that you and everybody has to deal with every single day. What have you had to change or what are you doing to adapt to these new weather patterns?
Elizabeth Poett:
The weather is something that we look at every single year and really decide how things are going to go for that whole year. And usually it's during the winter months, that is what we're really watching. For us, having weather talks with neighbors or whomever, that's not small talk. People are calling and saying, "How many inches inches did you get?" I mean, we are really focused on the weather. And with climate change, it's wacky, it can get really ... it's very nerve wracking. We were hit with years of drought, and so what we do is we're looking at the grasses.
I mean, a lot of people say that cattle ranchers are also grass farmers. You have to take care. You have to be watching the land. You have to be watching the earth, and you have to be watching how that grass is growing. And if it's too short, you have to get cattle off of it and let it rest. Rotating pasture is a huge part of our job. We constantly look up at the sky and go, "Okay, what's our business plan this year?" Because it all has to do with the environment and all has to do with our climate.
Kerry Diamond:
And there's a lot of talk about the impact that raising cattle has on the environment and producing beef. But this is not a factory farm. This is very different from that.
Elizabeth Poett:
We are not tilling the land. They're out on the hillsides. The ranch looks like it did a hundred years ago. Still the same. I believe being able to take care of the land is the most important, especially these ranches that have been in families for generations because like my dad has taught me, is always looking for the future, taking care of the land. You have to, it's not even a question because you need it for ... I need it for my kids when they're older, it's going to go on forever, I hope.
Kerry Diamond:
When we visited the ranch, everything was just gorgeous and green, but it came at a price. You got an extraordinary amount of rain in a short period of time, and there was a lot of damage to the ranch. People hopefully realize the impact. Yes, it's great, the super blooms everywhere. But you were also dealing with down trees.
Elizabeth Poett:
Oh yeah, we couldn't leave our ranch for ... My parents didn't leave for two weeks after the biggest rains because we had three down trees on our road. The road became a river. We couldn't get out. It took about four days for us to get it to a point where we could drive. We left a truck at the bottom of the road. Our road to our house is about two miles of a dirt road, but we left a truck at the bottom of the road to get our kids to school. So, they had to get in a quad, drive, wade through water, get in another quad, drive, get in the truck, change clothes to go to school. Took us like two hours to go to school.
Kerry Diamond:
It also disrupted your Ranch Table events. You couldn't even do any events.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, exactly. And we had work on the main house and things like that, but it was a different sort of a summer, but also in a way it might've been ... It's good because we've gotten to really work on projects that we've wanted to work on. And I don't know, when it comes to rain, drought is hard. Droughts, there's not much you can do. Whereas rain, we can fix this damage and we're just grateful for the rain after such a long drought.
Kerry Diamond:
I remember hearing this noise that I wasn't quite familiar with when we were sitting outside. You made us the most beautiful spread and you made us tea and cherry scones and it was just so lovely, Elizabeth and I heard this noise. And if you live in a city, it maybe sounded like a central air unit. And I was like, "What is that noise?" And you said, "Oh, it's the creek," because the creek was so ... The creek was rushing, as creeks do.
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, and it's right by our tables that we sat at. And that's a sound that brings me a lot of joy.
Kerry Diamond:
Because you and I love animals so much. Tell us about the different animals that you see on the ranch.
Elizabeth Poett:
We have a ton of wildlife. We have deer and coyotes and foxes. There are mountain lions, there are bears.
Kerry Diamond:
We saw turkeys.
Elizabeth Poett:
We saw wild turkeys, yes. For a while, I was raising heritage turkeys and I had them in this pasture. And I came down one day and there were all these turkeys on the other side of the fence, and I'm like, "Oh my goodness, this is crazy. They've gotten out. I don't know how they got out." So, I'm running up into the hills after these turkeys. Finally, halfway through, I'm like, "These are wild turkeys. Why am I running after these turkeys?" So, I had this moment, I'm like, "Okay, back I go."
Kerry Diamond:
Because they wanted to be friends.
Elizabeth Poett:
They wanted to be friends, and they looked so much ... because I was raising heritage turkey, so I was raising an old variety, which just look exactly like our wild turkeys. So anyway, I digress.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay, Elizabeth, let's do a speed round. What is your favorite morning beverage? What do you start the day with?
Elizabeth Poett:
Hot tea. I usually have Earl Grey.
Kerry Diamond:
I love Earl Grey.
Elizabeth Poett:
I do.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, it has lavender in it.
Elizabeth Poett:
It does and I just find it so cozy.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you make your own?
Elizabeth Poett:
I don't.
Kerry Diamond:
But you could.
Elizabeth Poett:
I could. Next job.
Kerry Diamond:
What is a favorite food book? It could be a cookbook. It could be a memoir.
Elizabeth Poett:
I've loved all of Julia Child's books. Yeah, anything. I'm not sure which one I should say, but anything with Julia Child.
Kerry Diamond:
Favorite food movie.
Elizabeth Poett:
“Julie & Julia.”
Kerry Diamond:
What are you streaming right now? How's the wifi at the ranch?
Elizabeth Poett:
We didn't get wifi until a year ago. Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
What?
Elizabeth Poett:
I was the last person, I'm pretty sure to get Netflix DVDs. Yes, the red things.
Kerry Diamond:
They only discontinued that service recently.
Elizabeth Poett:
I know. I know. I know all about that. I would get three at a time. I was a big spender. We just got streaming service. So, actually during the pandemic, we had no streaming. We didn't do Zoom. It was just not in our ... we just couldn't.
Kerry Diamond:
What is something that's always in your fridge?
Elizabeth Poett:
Butter.
Kerry Diamond:
What is your favorite kitchen implement?
Elizabeth Poett:
My juicer. I have a hand-cranked juicer. I love it.
Kerry Diamond:
What do you make in that hand-cranked juicer?
Elizabeth Poett:
Like orange juice, or lemons. I squeeze lemons all the time in it.
Kerry Diamond:
Lot of lemonade.
Elizabeth Poett:
Lot of lemonade. Or if I'm making chicken or fish, I just feel like I squeeze lemons all the time.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you do an episode with an old-fashioned crank ice cream? Am I making that up?
Elizabeth Poett:
Oh yes, I did. Yes. I have an old crank. That we've had for years. Those are something that we bring out at parties because the kids get so involved and they all want to have a turn at cranking. Again, they're making their own ice cream. It's so fun. So, I can just prep the ice cream beforehand, pour it in, and literally it's the best babysitter in the whole world. The kids just live in front of that crank.
Kerry Diamond:
I remember doing that at Girl Scout camp. It's rock salt, right?
Elizabeth Poett:
Yeah, rock salt all around. It's great.
Kerry Diamond:
So funny. Okay, tell us a motto or mantra that you live by.
Elizabeth Poett:
Write your ideas down. Write things down. Especially when I was having my babies, and I have two boys, I always had all of these ideas and thoughts in my head and I sometimes would feel like, shoot, I just need to get it all out. I don't know what to do. And I started writing things down and even in the middle of the night, I'll write things down. Still, to this day, I don't know, I think it's helped me out though, I'm a big ... But I'm old school. I have a calendar pocketbook and I like writing things down and checking things off.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm the same way, still on paper.
Elizabeth Poett:
I don't know if it's a mantra, but it does help me with getting my dreams out.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay, last question. If you had to be trapped on a desert island with one food celebrity, who would it be and why?
Elizabeth Poett:
I think I've given it away now. Julia Child, for sure. For sure. Because I would laugh. I would have an amazing time. We would find that food and figure out how to eat, but I would have laughter. And I think if you're on a desert island, you might as well have some laughter.
Kerry Diamond:
Thank you so much. This has been so much fun. What a joy to just get to know you this year and spend more time with you.
Elizabeth Poett:
It's really been fun.
Kerry Diamond:
You are the real deal, Elizabeth Poett.
Elizabeth Poett:
Oh, it's been an honor. This has been so much fun. Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for today's show. Want to stay on top of all things Cherry Bombe? Sign up for our free newsletter at cherrybombe.com and be sure to subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or wherever you listen. Our theme song is by the band Tralala. Joseph Hazan is the studio engineer for Newsstand Studios. Our producer is Catherine Baker. Our associate producer is Jenna Sadhu, and our editorial assistant is Londyn Crenshaw. Thanks for listening, everybody. You are the Bombe.