(Big) Cedar Coasters

Meet the newest items in our shop. Coincidentally, they are also the best smelling items in our shop.

There's just something magical about the smell of freshly cut cedar.

The coasters are all handmade from locally obtained Big Cedar Cedar. They all feature the iconic purplish-red heartwood and have been varnished to preserve them.

They were a lot of fun to make.  But not as fun as these:

Shot glass coasters!

I mean, come on.

Both sets are for sale on our website and Etsy page!

Big Things Are Happening

That's right, Copper Sky Ranch is hosting it's first annual Big Cedar Fall Festival!
We are beyond excited and have been working nonstop to get everything ready.

It's going to be a fun-filled day of live music, games, and delicious food.  Want more? Good, because there's more!  There will also be a Bigfoot photo booth, Chili Cook Off, and a Cake Walk. 100% of the proceeds from the Cake Walk will be donated to Christ's Food Center here in Big Cedar, Oklahoma and festival attendees who bring a canned food item for the center will receive a free chili sample ticket!

We are still currently accepting vendor applications so if you're interested in selling food or participating in the craft fair, flea market, or chili cook off download one of the forms below and get it back to us:

Vendor Application
Chili Cook Off Entry Form

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at Carlastroh@gmail.com

Big Cedar is one of the most amazing spots in the country and we are so excited at the prospect of both honoring the area with its locals and introducing its beauty to newcomers.

Ode To Vanilla

I feel like I owe an apology to vanilla. It's so ubiquitous in cooking and baking that I spent years taking the flavor for granted.  To me, "vanilla" was just another word for "plain". 

Oh vanilla, I'm so sorry.

These days, I know better.

Vanilla is one of the most expensive food items in the world (it's price per ounce is second only to saffron) and while vanilla flavoring from the store can be cheaply obtained, the pure stuff, the better stuff is going to cost you.

Luckily, making your own vanilla is an option. It's also a lesson in patience but we'll get to that later.

Start with the beans.  There's a lot of great places to get grade A vanilla beans. I get them from Beanilla. There is also a number of different types of beans to choose from. I use Tahitian because their description includes the words "Chocolate" and "Caramel". Sold.

Cut the beans in half and distribute them amongst your containers. I used eight half-pint mason jars and put about six pieces of bean sticks in each one. 

Next, fill each jar with your favorite brand of vodka (because I know you have a favorite brand of vodka), put the lids on tight, and give each jar a good shake.

Now comes the patience-testing part: put the jars in a cool dark place (the back of a pantry works great) and shake the jars once a week...for three months.

The vanilla is okay to be used after about a month of jar-shakings and back-of-cabinet-sittings but at the three month mark the flavors will be at their strongest.