Last week during lamb butchering I did something a little different. I harvested both kidneys with their fat caps. Not sure why, other than everything was going so smoothly, it seemed a pity to waste anything. (Don't worry, we still haven't attempted making haggis). But then, as often happens around here, we found ourselves with… Continue reading Steak and Kidney Pie
Category: Gardening and Homesteading
Lamb slaughter and butchering, take 2
The last lamb we slaughtered was a difficult and frustrating process. The kill was quick and humane, but a single slip of the knife early in the dressing process resulted in slicing the achilles tendon and dropping the carcass, then a difficult skinning, which in turn delayed evisceration, resulting in the stomach falling and rupturing.… Continue reading Lamb slaughter and butchering, take 2
Seed Starts
Brussels Sprouts
Monday morning, harvested 6 stalks of brussels sprouts. These have been let go a month too long, and some of the larger buds are starting to open. When that happens they lose some of the sweetness and become a bit tough, and they don't hold together for cooking or pickling anymore. So it was time… Continue reading Brussels Sprouts
Nursing Struggles
For those wondering why all the excitement in our recent post about nursing, let me give you the back story that we didn't have time to post over the weekend. When Darla was born on Saturday, February 21, (that date needs to go into the record book, by the way [note to self]), Iris was… Continue reading Nursing Struggles
Iris and Darla enjoying some green grass
Turnip
"Ryan, what are you doing?" "I am admiring my turnip." I mean, come on! That's the prettiest turnip I have ever grown! I think I am going to put that turnip and some lamb meat into a hand pie, with gravy!
Meet Cookie
This was Edna last night. This is Edna today: Meet Cookie, our newest katahdin lamb. https://youtube.com/shorts/InosfwkAVck? Now, before anyone gets attached, remember she was sired by one of our twin rams, which means that she is technically the product of inbreeding so her destiny is for the table in about a year, not for future… Continue reading Meet Cookie
Butchering a Ram
Saturday was the day we butchered and wrapped one of our katahdin rams. We started out by enjoying the hangar steak, the heart and part of the liver for breakfast. Stirfried with mushrooms and onions. Topped with havarti. That will stick to your ribs. And some of our ribs need more sticking than others. We… Continue reading Butchering a Ram
Thursday
Busy runaround day, last Thursday. Seppi, Daddy and Winnie started out with a run to the dump to drop off trash. We managed to rub the sidewall of the tire up against something and rip a flap in it. We will need to change that this coming week. Seppi helped Daddy build a prop for… Continue reading Thursday