We were on our way to Santa ID to go meet Cissy today when we spotted this little diner on the side of the road. The lady who owns it serves Yak burgers, made from the meat of the Yaks she raises on her farm.

So far we tried Buffalo burgers, Indian Tacos and Carnitas during this trip, so we thought tasting a Yak Burger was in order. It was delicious.

That’s what is so much fun about traveling, you get to meet very interesting people, out of the blue. This lady started raising Yaks only 2 years ago, her partner had very bad kidney problems, he even had a kidney transplant a few years ago, which led him to search for a very lean source of protein in order to eat healthier, when he learned about Yaks, he knew he had found his answer.

Yak farm seen from the road leading to Cissy’s house.

The population of Yaks in the US today are descendants of animals imported from the Himalayas about 100 years ago, nowadays, it is impossible to get a yak from Tibet or China, not even the sperm, they won’t let anything related to Yaks get out of their country. About 10 years ago, the population of Yaks in the US was down to about 2500 specimens, some people decided to raise them on farms, and in the last five years, their population has doubled. Yaks love altitude and low temperatures, they can die of heat strokes.

Their meat is very lean, has no fat veins running through it, and is good source of low cholesterol lean proteins.

She was very passionate about her Yaks and invited us to go visit the farm after her work day was over. Of course we accepted the offer!

We went in the field and visited with Lucy, the mother of the brand new Yak twins (the first twins born on the farm). Mommie was a bit protective of her babies, so I couldn’t go pet them, but she did allow me to get close enough to take some good pictures. The twins don’t have a name yet. “Yakmom” (as I affectionately call her since I couldn’t remember her name even if my life depended on it) has a name for all of them. I asked her how she managed emotionally when she had one slaughtered, she said that the probability of having a cow slaughtered is very low, they use the bulls for meat, not the cows.

Lucy and her twins

Yaks are about 1/3 of the size of bovines, they have long silky guard hair, and two layers of undercoat, one medium length and one short. “Yakmom” combs their hair (when the cows are in the mood for it) and saves it, then sends it to Prince Edward Island to have it cleaned and spinned into yarn. The yarn is soft and reminded me of Alpaca yarn. She is also thinking about milking the cows and making soaps and lotions containing the very rich Yak milk. The only problem right now, is getting the milk. Since their herd grew, they are trying to find outlets for Yak by-products apart from their meat.

I finally was able to pet one of the cows, (we had to bribe her with a few treats)

Our visit ended with a big hug from “Yakmom”.

If you are in the mood for Yak Burgers, Smokey’s or Yak Jerky, all 90% fat free, give her a call at 208-245-1349 or go visit her in Santa Idaho. She should have some yarn available for sale in October 2007.