Terrabyte Farm

Last spring we bought a Romney-Hampton cross wether.  Our intention was to let him graze on our pasture all season and then bring him to the butcher in early winter, after having taken care of processing our beef, pork, and poultry.  We picked a dark colored lamb because we also knew that we wanted to have his hide turned into a sheep skin rug, and in our household, brown is the ruling color in our “decorating scheme”.

Last Sunday we brought him to the butcher.  He was about ten months old.  He and the two goats had been hanging out in the garden the last few weeks, eating what leftovers they could find.  He was easy to load, we just put down a scoop of grain and then slipped the dog leash around.  We loaded him into the back of the Blazer and headed off in the snow.  Jackson rubbed his nose and sang him songs during the three mile trip.  He was easy to unload, and we all said goodbye to him as well as the other cows and pigs waiting in the holding area at our local butcher, Maurice’s in Canterbury CT.  They are a lovely family run business and we are so happy to work with them.  We stayed and chatted for a while as it was a slow day for the livestock handler (usually trucks are lined up, but with the snow, people were getting a slow start).

On Thursday we went to pick him up.  The most striking aspect of the carcass was how different the fat was compared to the pigs and steer.  It is very hard fat and you can understand why it is so highly prized.  We watched as the butcher expertly pieced out the lamb into all of the best cuts.  Jackson got to help out by passing the wrapped packages to Mike and telling him what each contained.  Charlotte and I played with one of the butcher’s young toddlers and chatted about good lamb recipes with the other workers.

Here is what we ended up with:

Hanging weight of 60lbs (we don’t know what his live weight was, but probably about 100-120lbs)

Retail cuts = @50lbs

• Loin chops= 5.5 lbs
• Ribs = 4 lbs
• Shoulder chops = 6 lbs
• Stew Meat = 2 lbs
• Ground Meat = 6 lbs
• Soup bones = 3.5 pounds
• Rack of lamb = 2 lbs
• Rump chops = 3 pounds
• Shanks = 4 lbs
• Legs (2) = 12 pounds
• Heart, kidney, liver = 2 lbs

[FYI, the lamb cost @ $100 to buy, the butchering fees including the fee to salt the pelt and set it aside was $90.  He may have eaten a total of 5-6 bales of hay, so figure another $25.  That makes a total of $215, or a little more than $4/pound for organic lamb.  It looks like it will be about $40-50 to process the hide, plus shipping which could add another $20 or more, depending on the final weight.  That will be for @ a 3' x 5' rug.  I think compared to retail costs for the meat and rug, we are well ahead of the game in both respects.  Also, you just can't get the type of meat or the type of rug we have unless you raise your own or know a breeder, as our lamb was not a common cross, certainly not a cross that is raised commercially.  Next year, we hope to have 1-2 lambs of our own from our sheep, so our only fees will be butchering, tanning and whatever hay they eat.]

The butcher had also salted the hide and the kids and I went out to the hide shed to pick it up.  It was really amazing, each hide from the animals they process is salted with rock salt, sorted, and stacked.  The hides are sold to a processing plant in NY and turned into leather.  Our pelt was much larger than I thought it would be, I have not yet measured it, but at its longest and widest, maybe 3′ x 5′.  We brought is home, added some fresh salt, and laid it out in the basement.  It needs to dry cure for another week and then we will mail it to a tanning facility in PA that specializes in sheep skins that are all natural and machine washable.

We froze most of the meat with the exception of one pack of ribs and 4 lbs of the ground meat.  Mike and I have not eaten a lot of lamb, we both love Shepherd’s pie and have cooked leg of lamb.  We have had lamb at both Greek and Indian restaurants. As with everything else, we consider this to be another experiment.  If we like the meat, we will undoubtedly raise more lamb, if not, we will have a nice spinners flock to keep the pasture neatly clipped.  As it happened, the meat was divine.  The ribs were so good, and the ground meat was turned into Shepherd’s pie.   The biggest bonus was how much the kids loved it.  They like most foods, but you never know when something new is introduced.  Jackson especially loved the lamb, saying it is now his favorite.

Here are the two “recipes”

BBQ Lamb Ribs

• 2-4 lbs lamb ribs, all but a few streaks of fat removed
• 1 pint bbq sauce (ours is a homemade version that is really a spicy ketchup)
• 1 half pint ginger-peach chutney (or whatever type of chutney you like)
• Place together in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning the ribs half way for even cooking.  You can add a little water if they look dry.
• Eat, enjoy!  We eat ours on toasted hotdogs puns with slices of pickles we canned this summer from our crop of cukes paired with cheese fries and a romaine salad.  A hardy meal for wintertime activities.

Shepherd’s Pie

• 1-2 pounds mashed potatoes (or a mix of potatoes and cauliflower)
• 1 med onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 lbs ground or minced lamb
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup stock/water
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Prepare your mashed potatoes however you prefer them.  Chop the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until soft.  Add the lamb and cook about ten minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes then add the stock/water, herbs, salt and pepper.  Place this mixture in a 9″ pie plate, spread the mashed potatoes on top, and cook at 400F for 30 minutes.  About five minutes before the end, sprinkle of the cheese and allow it to melt and bubble.  Serve warm.

Try to find something you haven’t ever eaten and experiment in your kitchen.  You may be very surprised by how much you like it!