STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
It would have been easy(er) if it had just been a matter of coming up with a recipe.
But it took Craig Delagardelle 10 months from the time he began making his premium beef jerky before he was able to begin selling it on the market.
Delagardelle offered samples of four flavors--Cracked Pepper, Honey & Herb, Sesame Teriyaki and Smoked Chipotle--Saturday afternoon during a Farm Fair held in conjunction with the Wood River HarvestFest.
“Most jerky is made from old dairy cows and the manufacturers put bad manmade stuff in it,” said Delagardelle. “My jerky is made from prime beef of two-year-olds with 100 percent natural ingredients. I even use honey instead of sugar, in my Honey & Herb jerky, even though honey is more expensive than sugar.”
Delagardelle’s all-natural beef jerky is made out of 100 percent grass-fed Idaho Beef from Double Springs Ranch in the Pahsimeroi Valley near Mt. Borah, Idaho’s highest peak. His Black Angus cattle are raised entirely on the ranch without growth hormones, antibiotics or steroids. The jerky is minimally processed and contains no artificial ingredients.
“I wanted to make a better product than what was out there,” he said.
Delegardelle worked with Chris Kastner of CK’s Restaurant and Al McCord of the Wood River Sustainability Center to fine tune his recipes. He then went through a long-winded process that included constructing nutrition panels and getting USDA approval.
He processes the jerky at a USDA-approved facility in St. Anthony, Idaho.
Delagardelle has been selling his beef to local restaurants, such as International Cowboy Cucina and Red Feather. The jerky is available at NourishMe, Village Market and Kraay’s Market.
As Delagardelle sold jerky, a father-daughter duo from Picabo Desert Farms offered samples of yogurt in an array of flavors that sounded like a Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors.
Among them: Key lime, vanilla bean, fresh blueberry and lemon curd.
And Michelle Preuss offered up Walnut Street Soaps that looked good enough to eat, especially considering they were in the shape of cupcakes.
“They make really good Christmas presents,” said her husband Jon, noting that there are only 93 shopping days until the big day.