Today is a cold and rainy day. Usually on a day like this we would have lambs to care for. For 5 years we had lambs in the winter. We bred them in the summer for winter lambing, that way they would be ready for market by spring. We sold off all of the sheep in July so we have no lambs to worry about this year. One very cold winter morning, about 2 years ago, we had about 3 inches of rain and 6 lambs were born, 3 sets of twins. I knew the lambs were coming with the rain, they almost always did. Whoever was the first one out to feed in the morning would come running to the house for towels yelling "We have two more and they are still wet." We would spend the morning watching the Ewe and the lambs to make sure the lambs would latch on. This year we haven't had the excitement and I kind of miss it. It is an amazing thing to watch a new life come into the world. They work so hard to stand right way and the Southdown breed have these boot like legs that are way to cute and they all look like old men. I miss the sound of the mommies bahhing low, talking to their babies, encouraging them to stand and to eat, bonding with them. Amazingly, I also miss the smell. It is a very earthy, musky smell of dirt, sheep, blood and hay. It sounds nasty but I got use to it and it smells like life.
Yesterday, I made braised Lamb Loin. (Yes, we are still able to eat them after all that we went threw with raising them.) We were given some wine for Christmas so I used the white wine in the braising which really made all the difference. The fats reduce down, the alcohol burns off and leaves the sugars that caramelize. It was the best lamb I have ever eaten. It took all day to cook but it never dried out. D-licious! In the freezer I found the last of the corn on the cob from the summer garden and squash as well, that with some brown rice cooked in my spectacular nrice cooker (thank you, Lisa, I love it) we had a great dinner that was 75-80% home raised.
Very satisfying.
El Patron was so impressed and enjoyed it so much that he is thinking about getting sheep again. We gave two of our Ewes to a friend and if we get a ram then we can keep some sheep for food without having so many sheep. One time we had 35 sheep. That was a bit tooooo much. We could do 3 or 4. We all miss the sheep, even J. who didn't like helping with them. So maybe more sheep will be in our future.
4 comments:
Those pictures are soooo cute. And let me say, for the record, that I'm very impressed with the 80% home-raised meal. You always rock my socks.
Wow, what a cool life you guys lead. I can't imagine what it would be like to raise animals like that.
I have learned that I LOVE food that's cooked with alcohol. It just adds so much.
I agree with Jacki, those pictures are precious.
There are so many parallels with your sheep and the things that matter so much in life.
The pictures...So dang CUTE! Makes me want some of my own! I can't believe you had 35 at one time. Where was I? That would have been a true GAUCHO experience. Get J in a gaucho outfit, your dogs out and the sheep all in one place; I bet Uncle Daniel would be in HEAVEN. You know how he feels about his heritage.
LOVED THIS POST!!! I need to make brown rice. I love it, but people around here gawk at it, so I hate cooking for gawkers. Maybe I'll have to figure out how to do one cup in the microwave.
PS: That was really funny to read your comment today on Jacki's blog. You are witty indeed.
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