Each day is different for Elizabeth Poett on the 14,000-acre Rancho San Julian, a Mexican land grant nestled in the hills of California’s Central Coast settled by her family in 1837. Working with her family, including her husband, Austin Campbell, and their two children, she might be feeding livestock, checking windmills and water tanks, cleaning corrals, tending the garden, or an array of other chores to keep the operation running smoothly. At the end of the day, she looks forward to sharing a home-cooked meal filled with fresh, seasonal ingredients grown on the ranch with her family, friends and neighbors.
“As a rancher, cooking and working go hand-in-hand,” says Poett. “There is always a ton to do, but having a simple, nourishing meal is the best way to end a hard-working day.”
Poett’s show Ranch to Table, broadcasted on the Magnolia Network, offers a window into her life on the ranch and in her kitchen. In October 2023, she also released her debut cookbook, The Ranch Table, and embarking on a book-signing tour. The cookbook chronicles the seasonal work, harvests and celebrations on the ranch, including a branding day lunch and autumn’s cider press potluck, through rich photography and related recipes.
“My hope with my cookbook and show is that people across the U.S. can feel more connected to the ranching and farming communities that raise and grow our food,” she says. “I’m very proud to be involved in agriculture and hope that my path might inspire more young people to get involved in ranching and farming.”
Here, the culinary cowgirl chats about her recipes and vision for the cookbook. For more information, visit theranchtable.com.
Q&A with Elizabeth Poett
Western Life Today: At what age did you start cooking and what types of meals did you make?
Elizabeth Poett: I can’t really remember when I wasn’t cooking. Being in the kitchen has always been a huge part of my life, even in childhood. My mom would give me jobs, and of course I loved being involved. When I was young, I especially enjoyed baking cakes, mainly because I wanted to decorate them with flowers.
WLT: Where do you get your recipes?
Poett: My recipes are usually inspired by what’s in season and what I’m craving. I’m a pretty relaxed cook, so most of my recipes develop with me adding things together and then grabbing paper and pencil to quickly jot everything down. I was also gifted my grandfather’s recipe index cards, which inspire me to cook different types of dishes.
WLT: How did you spice up your cookbook?
Poett: I wanted this book to stay true to who I am and the ranching culture. I wanted everything to be rooted on the ranch. Everything we used came from things I found or from my personal collection, and all the photos were taken on site, other than an outing to the beach not far from where we live along California’s Central Coast. There were no studio images or props, just snapshots of how life, food and family weave together here. This was an important and intentional decision. I wanted to show how food is woven into our everyday stories and foundational to our memories.
WLT: What do you hope readers take away from the cookbook?
Poett: My hope with this cookbook is that it will inspire others to cook more, take more risks in the kitchen, and ultimately have fun. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the details and trying to make everything perfect that we lose the enjoyment. I want people to see that cooking is not about being perfect, it’s about having fun, enjoying a meal with those you love, and taking time to be together.
| Spiced Honey Apple Pie with Ginger Crust 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the pieces of pie crust dough into a ¼-inch-thick circle that is 16 inches in diameter. (Keep the other piece of dough in the refrigerator.) Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (If it’s hanging over the edges by more than ½ inch, trim it.) Refrigerate the dough. 3. Peel and core the apples and cut them into ½-inch-thick slices (you’ll have about 10 cups). Put the slices into a large bowl with the lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; mix well. 4. Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator and pour the apples into the pie crust, mounding them up in the center. Drizzle the honey over the top. Cut the butter into ½-inch pieces and scatter it across the filling. 5. Remove the other half of the crust from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust dough out into a ¼-inch-thick circle. Lay it on top of the pie and tuck the edges of both the upper and lower crusts under the lower crust, then pinch the dough shut. 6. Cut a small hole in the center of the crust with a paring knife, then cut five vents, each about 2 inches long, radiating out from the center of the pie (to mirror the star shape you get when you cut an apple in half horizontally). Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush it over the top of the pie with a pastry brush, then sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the crust. 7. Bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is golden brown and the sugar has begun to caramelize. (If the crust starts to brown too much, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.) Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes. |
This article about Elizabeth Poett appeared in the October 2023 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
