Ranchlands Stay Archives

Planting A Simple Dye Garden

January 5, 2022 Edie Ure

Growing a dye plant not only gives you the source of color and a connection with the land, but natural dyes have some inherent advantages over chemical dyes, which have polluted the environment to a great extent. They present no health hazards, are very sustainable, easy to grow as herbs, and renewable. They add biodiversity to your vegetable garden, attracting pollinators and acting as great companion plants to repel insects and improve the wellness of neighboring plants.

Zapata’s Orchestra

November 22, 2021 Lindsey B. Davis

In southern Colorado, there are two canyons in the Sangre De Cristo mountains where the wind pushes sand beneath them in such an intense and persistent manner that great dunes are formed. All year long, they’re eroded and maintained in an endless cycle of air and mineral, forming a stunning and unique ecotone. It’s part alpine, part desert, part grassland, and its name is Zapata Ranch.

Teddy Roosevelt’s Strenuous Life Doctrine

September 1, 2021 Ed Roberson

Theodore Roosevelt had every reason to take it easy. To coast. But rather than drifting through a life of “ignoble ease,” TR did just the opposite. He worked maniacally hard, both physically and mentally, cramming several lifetimes of careers and adventures into his relatively brief sixty years.

What Edie Ure Learns from Plants

August 15, 2021 Anna LoPinto

In pursuit of color. How a high fashion career in London became the catalyst for foraging wild plants in Colorado.

Healthy Earth 80 Years in the Making

August 3, 2021 Anna LoPinto

António Garcia has been farming successfully for over seven decades. His guiding principle? Topsoil. Meet one of the local farmers whose produce supplies the Zapata Ranch kitchen.