The Egg Hunt is Over

For the moment the chickens are actually laying their eggs in their nest boxes. I don’t know what made them decide to lay in their boxes instead of all over the hay barn, but no more daily egg hunt for me. And we are swimming in eggs. Maybe I should try freezing them.

IN THE PASTURES…

Three of the little Shetland lambs have found homes and will be leaving next month. I still have two ram lambs (soon to be wethers if not sold) and the two ewe lambs above available, as well as a proven gray kat ram.

IN THE STUDIO…

I’m weaving a set of towels in blue and white using a Swedish weave structure. It’s very pretty but rather tedious, changing colors every two picks. Do you see the blue ribbon on the left side? That’s how I track my weaving length. Each ribbon is cut to the length I want to weave, so when I reach the end I know it’s time to put in a divider and start a new towel.

As always, when I start a new project I immediately start thinking about the next project. Lots of ideas are floating around in my head, but I’m thinking just some simple stripes next time, maybe in gradient colors. Like a palette of greens or blues. Or maybe neutrals.

IN THE GARDEN…

French breakfast radishes

I don’t know what I was thinking and planted an enormous amount of radishes, so many that I’ve got several quarts fermenting on the counter. I haven’t tried fermenting radishes before, haven’t even tasted them to know if I’d like them or not, but I had to do something with them.

Everything is planted now… tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, peas, spinach, corn, eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes, onions, melons, beans, and pumpkins. The entire garden is covered in weed block this year. As a rule I like to avoid plastic whenever possible, but if I didn’t use it I’d be weeding for hours every single day and still not stay ahead of the weeds. And in the sweltering, humid summer that just isn’t going to happen. Life’s too short for that kind of misery.

Enjoy your day!

Tunis Lambs!

The first lamb of the year.

Lambing season in the Tunis flock was a bit disappointing this year. I used two rams, Jeb, a proven 4 year old, and Jett, a ram lamb. I’ve used ram lambs in the past with no performance issues, but that didn’t work for me this year.

Jett had a group of five ewes and he didn’t get any of them pregnant. He was too immature to get the job done, I guess.

That left me short on lambs. And even shorter on ewe lambs because of the lambs born only four were ewes. Every year I have a long list of buyers waiting for ewe lambs and I have none to spare this year.

The four ewe lambs are staying here to grow the flock, and our granddaughter will choose two to show at the county fair this fall.

Next year should be better, surely Jett will perform as a yearling, and if not it won’t end well for him. Jeb may or may not be here. If I find a buyer for him I’ll bring in a new mature ram (no more being burned by ram lambs!) and if not I can get one more year out of him before he absolutely has to move on.

Shetland Lambs!

gray gulmoget and black Shetland ewe lambs.

Tulip and Iris

Lambing season is finally finished and it was a long, drawn out affair this year. We started on February 20 and finished on April 18. I’ll focus on our Shetland flock this post.

I bred eight ewes and only four produced lambs. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

The yearlings did not get pregnant and this is what I think happened. Shetlands cycle in the fall when temperatures are consistently in the 60s. There are always exceptions, of course, and we’ve had many exceptions, until this year. I don’t remember that fall was unusually warm, and I had them in breeding groups for the same time frame I always do. The ram in their group, Stoli, is a proven ram and I left him in with them from September 24-November 27, but I think they just didn’t cycle early enough for him to catch them. Very disappointing. He did sire a single from a mature ewe.

I will try again this fall and leave the ram in longer, and I’ll be taking note to see if Stoli is possibly shooting blanks. Which would not be good for either one of us.

moorit and fawn gulmoget Shetland ram lambs.

Moss and Oakley.

Andrew sired six of the seven total lambs. The breakdown is four rams, three ewes. And I had zero problems, as usual, with these hardy little sheep.

All the rams will be offered for sale and at least some of the ewes.

I’ve sold Andrew, he’s with a new flock in Mississippi now, and I’m looking for a replacement this year. I need more white in my flock, so the perfect candidate will be white with a finer type fleece, dense and not too long. My experience has been a more open fleece collects a lot of VM, and a really long fleece sometimes will cot.

Aspen.

Isn’t she gorgeous?

Have a wonderful day!

Smoked Leg of Lamb

This weekend kicks off summer for most of us, and I’ll bet you’re ready to fire up the smoker to celebrate. But instead of the usual Boston butts, briskets or ribs, why not try something different this year—smoked leg of lamb.

Tender, juicy and easy to carve, this simple recipe is sure to make you a fan of lamb. Allow about 1/3 pound per person.

Smoked Leg of Lamb

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4-1/2 hours

Serves: 12

Ingredients

5-7 lb boneless leg of American lamb

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup Dijon mustard grainy

1 lemon juiced and zested

5 cloves garlic thinly sliced

4 whole rosemary sprigs

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the marinade. combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, whisk to combine.

Marinate the lamb. Place lamb leg in a container, pour marinade over, seal tightly and regirgerate for 2-3 hours

Smoke the lamb. Prepare your smoker and heat to 225 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Place the leg of lamb directly on the grates, reserving any excess marinade, then insert probe. USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Baste the lamb. Baste the lamb with reserved marinade every 30-45 minutes. When at temperature, remove from heat and loosely cover with foil.

Rest, then serve. Allow meat to rest at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour, then thinly cut into 1/4 inch slices and serve.

Serving suggestions: Crispy roasted potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables.

Lamb Meatballs with Feta Sauce

This is one of my go-to ground lamb recipes—so easy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

· 1 pound ground American Lamb

· 1 extra large egg

· 4 cloves garlic, finely minced

· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

·  1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

· 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano

· 1 tablespoon dried parsley

· 1 ounce chopped kalamata olives

· 

Feta Sauce:

· 4 ounces feta

· 1/2 cup plain yogurt

· 1 clove garlic made into a paste

· 1 small lemon, zest and juice

· 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (dill, oregano, parsley, chives)

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and caramelize for 5-10 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and allow to cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.

Place lamb, egg, garlic, spices, zest and olives in a bowl. Use a fork to gently combine until the mixture comes together. 

Weigh out 2-ounce portions - You will have 10 meatballs.

Place meatballs on the wire rack of an air fryer and cook at 350F for 8 minutes per batch. If using the oven, cook at the same temperature for the same amount of time. For a medium temperature, the internal temperature of the meatballs should be 160F. Using tongs, carefully remove meatballs from the air fryer and place on a serving platter. Scatter with fresh herbs and serve warm with feta sauce.

 To make the feta sauce:

 Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Keeps in the fridge covered for up to three days.

Lambing Season Recap

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Lambing season 2021 has come to an end. As always, there were highs and lows, successes and failures.

Our first lamb was born March 8 and the last was born April 13. We have a grand total of 20 lambs between our Tunis, Shetland and Icelandic flocks. All are super healthy and growing like weeds!

We let the ewes choose where they give birth. Some prefer the pasture, some prefer the barn. After they’ve had their lambs and have cleaned them up some we bring them into pens we have set up in the barn for a day or two to give them time to bond without the distractions from the rest of the flock. The day after birth we tag ears and dock tails, then they go back out to the pasture with the rest of the flock.

REJECTION

A first for us this year was one of our Tunis ewes rejected one of her twins. I found her shortly after she lambed early one morning in the barn area. She was attentively licking a lamb and I thought all was good, until I noticed movement several feet away and on investigation found another lamb, wet and confused but on its feet. I put them in a stall, hoping she had just forgotten about the lamb and would begin caring for it, but apparently this ewe couldn’t count past one and totally rejected the little girl. She aggressively head butted her away any time she approached to nurse, to the point I was worried for the lambs safety. I had to tie her up and squeeze her against the wall in order for the little one to nurse.

Sometimes after a rejected lamb has nursed a few times the ewe will accept it. Not this one. I repeated the tie and squeeze thing every couple hours, but she continued to be aggressive toward the lamb. After a day of this I had Jon build a stanchion for her and we kept her in it for 3 days (she could stand, lay down, etc., just not hurt her baby), letting her out under observation a few hours each day.

Her time in lock up decreased her aggressiveness, but she still wouldn’t let the lamb nurse willingly… if she knew about it. Over the next week the lamb learned to “stealth nurse” by going at it from directly behind where the ewe couldn’t smell her or using her brother as a shield when they nursed together.

So, in the end it all worked out. The lamb outsmarted the ewe long enough for something to finally click in her brain that she had two babies and she’s been fine since then.

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A BOTTLE BABY

I did end up with one bottle baby this year. She was born to an older Tunis ewe who just up and died a week after having her. The ewe was in good condition, no health problems, and just died right at the hay feeder. We think she had a heart attack. So the lamb became mine to raise. I named her Daisy and she’s doing great.

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YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME

The little Shetland lamb pictured above was born with some sort of spinal defect causing her to be a little unsteady in her back legs, but the bigger issue was she wasn’t able to arch her back to squat and pee normally. She dribbled urine all day long and her backside was constantly wet with urine. The vet hoped a course of steroids might help, which did help her movement, but not the urinary problem. She would’ve suffered with urine scald and possibly even fly strike, so after a month of treatment and hoping she’d outgrow it, we had her euthenized. I can’t begin to describe the sadness in picking a happy little lamb up where she’d been playing in the pasture and taking her to the vet to end her life. It was the right thing to do, but still so very hard.

We also lost an older Shetland ewe who developed complications prior to giving birth. She had to have a C-section, which rarely ends well, and our case was no exception. We lost her and her twins.

One month old Tunis lambs

One month old Tunis lambs

Shetland lamb.

Shetland lamb.

So in the end we have 20 beautiful, healthy little lambs frolicking in the pastures. I could sit for hours just watching them play and showing their different personalities. Most will go to new homes later this summer, but for now I get to enjoy them.

Shearing Day Prep

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One of the most anticipated days on our farm is shearing day. This is the day we harvest the wool the sheep have been growing for the past year, which we then send to a mill for processing into yarn and roving that provides a small income for us.

Our shearer comes down from Kentucky and does a wonderful job with our girls. He’s very gentle and like any good shearer, he gets the job done quick with minimal stress on the animals.

To prepare for shearing, we pen the sheep up in the barn 12 hours prior and withhold food and water. If a sheep has a full rumen, it will press on the diaphragm while being held in the shearing position and can cause respiratory distress as well as panic, making the sheep fight more and causing greater difficulty and risk of injury to the shearer. Another reason we put them in the barn is so they remain completely dry. Even moisture from dew will make shearing difficult.

One of the best things about shearing day is that it’s a family affair. We are so fortunate our kids and grandkids take an interest and all come to help, and we have a job for everybody. We need someone to catch the sheep and bring to the shearing board, someone to carry the fleece to the skirting table, someone to sweep the shearing area, take the sheep back to the pen, skirt the fleeces, and tag and bag the fleeces. At this point we’re just doing a quick initial skirting to get rid of anything nasty. We bag each fleece individually with the name or number and will come back later for a more thorough skirting as well as to record staple length, fleece weight and any particular notes about that fleece.

This year my son-in-law, who has a broadcast/video/marketing background, will be documenting the whole shearing day process on camera. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and am really excited to see how it turns out!

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Sometimes we do hoof trimming along with shearing and other times we do that separately. After the sheep are shorn we can get a good look at them and assess body condition, take notes, worm if needed, etc. And then back out they go to begin next year’s wool growth.

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October is Breeding Season

Jethro “wooing” a ewe before being turned out with his group.

Jethro “wooing” a ewe before being turned out with his group.

Most sheep are seasonal breeders, meaning ewes only cycle in the fall when days become shorter and temperatures drop. Tunis do not fall into this category, however, and can breed throughout the year, which essential allows you to have lambs in the spring and fall if that’s what your market demands. We are only lambing in the spring at this point, which means October is breeding season for us. We have two rams, Jethro and Jeb, who each have their own breeding group. This allows us to have enough genetic diversity to avoid bringing in a new ram every couple years.

This past weekend we spent a couple hours sorting the two breeding groups as well as separating the ewe lambs out as we don’t breed them until they’re yearlings. We introduced the rams and will leave them with the ewes until December 1. The gestation period is 147 days for sheep. I like to lamb in March or early April for a couple reasons. The pasture is starting to come in then and that helps cut down on the amount of alfalfa hay the ewes will need while lactating. The temperatures are still cool and that means less stress on the ewes. We remove the rams on December 1. Everyone has gone through two heat cycles by then and should be bred. Any later than that and I’d have May or later lambs and I don’t want that.

We can’t forget about the “woolies” either…the Shetlands and Icelandics. They are true seasonal breeders, so the only time to breed them is in the fall. I have 7 Shetland ewes but am only breeding 4 because we just don’t have a good market for the lambs. As cute as they are and as fun as it is to see what colors we get, that’s not enough to justify adding to the sheep population. I will breed 2 of my 3 Icelandic ewes also, but this may be the last year we do that as we’re probably going to phase out of Icelandics by just keeping the ones we have for fiber only.

Lots to look forward to next spring!

Lamb Burgers

Instead of the usual hamburgers for your Fourth of July cookout, how about trying Lamb Burgers instead this year? Here’s one of our favorite recipes:

INGREDIENTS

For the Lamb Burgers:

  • 1 ½ lbs ground Leatherwood Creek lamb 

  • kosher salt

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 burger buns

Herbed Yogurt Sauce (tzatziki):

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

  • 3 Tbsp fresh dill finely chopped

  • 2 Tbsp fresh mint finely chopped

  • 1 tsp lemon zest

  • 1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

  • ¼ cup cucumber minced

  • 1 clove garlic minced

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Topping Suggestions:

  • pickled red onions

  • arugula or mixed greens

  • kalamata olives

  • feta cheese

  • thinly sliced cucumbers

  • nonstick spray or oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS

To make lamb burgers:

Divide ground lamb equally into 4 portions weighing roughly 5 ½ ounces each. Flatten into uniform rounds, then use your thumb or finger to make a small indentation right on top in the center of each patty (see note below).

30 minutes prior to cooking, sprinkle each patty generously with kosher salt (about ½ tsp per burger) and freshly ground black pepper (about ¼ tsp each) on both sides.

To make herbed yogurt sauce:

Combine all sauce ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

To cook lamb burgers:

Preheat a grill, cast iron skillet, or griddle over medium-high heat. Coat with nonstick oil spray (if grilling) or a couple tablespoons olive oil (if cooking indoors). Cook each burger patty for 5 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 150 F is reached (for medium). Allow burgers to rest 2-3 minutes before serving on buns with herbed yogurt sauce and additional toppings.

 

Lambs!

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We were surprised in early February with a set of twin Shetland ram lambs. I say surprised because I was expecting them more like April time frame. Shetlands are late season breeders, meaning they normally don’t start cycling until temperatures drop into the 60s for daytime highs, and in our case that wasn’t until mid to late October last fall. I had kept the ram in with them all summer but hadn’t noticed any breeding activity at all. Apparently I missed something.

Two weeks later we had a second set of twin ram lambs. All four boys are doing great, very fat and healthy. It looks like three are dark brown and one is black, but Shetland colors can change up to a year old. One has some frosting on his ears so I’m sure he’ll look a lot different within a few months.

Two of them are friendly and come running when they see me. They love to have their necks scratched and massaged. The other two want nothing to do with me.

So, lambing season 2020 is underway, with lots more babies to come in the next few weeks!

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Lamb Chops in Red Wine

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and you might be tempted to celebrate with dinner at a nice restaurant like so many other people. But why go out and fight the lines and crowds when you can have a goumet meal at home without much effort? Here’s an easy lamb chop recipe you can cook together and have on the table in 20 minutes. Your welcome :)

Lamb Chops in Red Wine

8 Leatherwood Creek lamb chops, 1 inch thick, about 7 ounces each

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbs chopped parsley

Heat 1 Tbs olive oil and 1 Tbs butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Sear chops about 5-6 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Medium rare is best for lamb. Remove to plate and keep warm. Add wine and thyme to pan. Boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits, until reduced to about 2 Tbs. Add parsley. Pour sauce over chops.

Serving suggestions: Risotto, crusty bread, roasted broccoli, and my favorite wine with lamb is a Shiraz.

Lamb Stew

Here in Tennessee we’re starting to see signs of spring already, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to put away my favorite soup and stew recipes til next winter. We generally eat soups or stews once a week all year round. It’s a great way to use those tougher cuts of meat and to stretch your meat. This is my favorite lamb stew recipe and pretty much the only one I use now. What really makes this special is using lamb stock instead of beef stock, the flavor is just incredible! And although I haven’t tried it yet, I think mushrooms would be an excellent addition. This recipe is made in an Instant Pot, but you could easily adapt it to a slow cooker or oven method.

Lamb Stew

1 lb Leatherwood Creek lamb stew meat, 1 inch cubes

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbs flour

2 Tbs olive oil

1 cup carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup celery, diced

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 cup red wine

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups potatoes, 1 inch cubes

1 bay leaf

1 cup lamb stock or beef stock, plus 1/4 cup

1/2 tsp rosemary

Pat dry the lamb, toss with salt, pepper and 1 Tbs flour. Turn on Instant Pot to saute function, add olive oil, and when hot sear lamb til golden. Set aside. Add garlic, celery, carrot, onion and pepper flakes. Saute til softened. Add tomato paste. Add wine. Add potatoes, lamb, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and lamb stock. Fasten lid. Hit cancel, then hit meat/stew function and adjust time to 40 minutes. When complete hit cancel and release pressure. Remove lid and turn on to saute function. Combine 1 Tbs flour with 1/4 cup lamb stock, add and stir til thickened.

Making Lamb Stock

When you buy a whole lamb from us, you have the option of getting soup bones with your meat. I always encourage our customers to take that option, not only because we want to see all of the animal used, but also because it makes delicious and nutritious stock that is so easy to make.

There is a lot of research out there on the health benefits of homemade stock. It’s full of minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium. If you use enough bones the stock will form a jello-like consistency when chilled. The gelatin in this acts as an aid to digestion. There’s research that suggests stock can benefit people with anemia, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, and some types of cancer.

Even if you’re not concerned with the health benefits, make it for the taste! Adding it to your soups, stews and sauces will earn you the reputation of an excellent cook.

Here’s how I make it. Note: I usually cut this recipe in half to better fit in my stockpot.

Lamb Stock

About 7 lb of a variety of bones—meaty bones, marrow bones, neck bones, etc. I will freeze the bone from a roasted leg of lamb until I’m ready to make stock and add that too.

Water to cover by a couple inches or more

1/2 cup vinegar (this helps draw out minerals from the bones)

3 onions coarsely chopped

3 carrots coarsely chopped

3 celery stalks coarsely chopped

Several sprigs of thyme tied together

1 teaspoon green or black peppercorns, crushed

1 bunch parsley

Place marrow bones in stock pot, cover with water and add 1/2 cup vinegar. Let stand 1 hour. Meanwhile, place meaty bones in roasting pan and brown at 350 degrees in oven. When well browned add to pot with vegetables and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, remove scum as it comes to the top. Reduce heat and add thyme and peppercorns. Keep at a bare simmer for 12-72 hours and add parsley at the end. Remove bones and strain. Let cool in frig and remove fat that rises to the top (you can feed this to the birds outside). Portion into freezer containers and freeze.

I use this in lamb stews and also any recipe that calls for beef stock.

Memories

I’m participating in a sheep and wool related Instagram challenge (#wovember2019) and today’s prompt was “memory.” In terms of wool, memory refers to how something made of wool that when stretched, will return to its original shape. Crimpy wool has more memory than less crimpy wool. But I chose to use the common definition of “memory” and that got my mind racing with all kinds of sheepy memories over the last three years, starting with the day we got our first sheep, three beautiful ewe lambs from a farm in East Tennessee.

Our first Tunis lambs.

Our first Tunis lambs.

We had experience with dairy goats and cattle but not sheep, so these three ladies taught us what we needed to know. Mostly that sheep are super easy to care for! We discovered we loved sheep and our starter flock of three has now grown to 29.

Another favorite memory was the first lambs born on our farm. The anticipation was almost unbearable, but the babies finally started coming and our ewes proved to be excellent moms with no help needed from me. I sat in the pasture every day watching those sweet little lambs play.

The first Tunis lamb born on our farm.

The first Tunis lamb born on our farm.

As I think about my favorite sheep memories, I realize how fortunate we are to be creating memories for our grandchildren on the farm as well. Our oldest granddaughter loves the sheep… playing with the lambs, helping with chores, and even has a little “vet bag” complete with stethescope, thermometer, etc., that she’ll carry around if we’re doctoring anybody. Doesn’t get any cuter than that.

Lamb kisses!

Lamb kisses!

What about you? Do you have any favorite farm memories?

Grilled Lamb Chops

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Our beastly hot and humid summer here in Tennessee doesn’t want to give up. With temperatures still in the mid 90s (but at least lower humidity) my passion for fall soups and stews has been put on hold. It’s just too hot to eat those fall favorites. Instead of heating up the kitchen, we’re still grilling and enjoying dinner on the deck as it cools down in the evening. Lamb chops are quick and easy, requiring very little other than a quick sear on the grill. Here’s my go-to lamb chop recipe.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Oregano and Lemon

(For 4 people)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large handful chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 Leatherwood Creek lamb chops

1 lemon, sliced

Combine the oil, oregano, salt and pepper flakes. Pour over the lamb chops and turn to coat, then add lemon. Marninate at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate for several hours. Bring to room temperature before grilling. Preheat grill to hot and grill 4 inches or so from heat, allowing 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

5 Health Benefits of Eating Lamb

Have you been wanting to feed your adventurous side by trying lamb?  Or maybe you’re already hooked on it but are wondering if it’s a healthy choice?  The answer is YES!  Read on to learn the health benefits of this nutrient-dense red meat.

1.       Iron.  As a red meat, lamb is an excellent source of iron, providing 12% of the RDA, helping prevent iron-deficiency anemia.

2.       Vitamin B12.  A 3 ounce portion of lamb contains almost half the RDA of vitamin B12, an important vitamin for nervous system health.

3.       Zinc.  Zinc is needed for a healthy immune system, and a serving of lamb contains a whopping 51% of the RDA.

4.       Healthy fats.  Pasture raised lamb is a rich source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which helps aid fat loss, improves muscle mass and is a potential cancer fighter, especially breast cancer.

5.       Protein.  Lamb is a protein powerhouse, containing around 23 grams of protein in a 3 ounce serving.  And this is a complete protein, containing every amino acid, which means our body can use it more efficiently than incomplete proteins to encourage lean muscle mass, the growth and repair of cells, and higher levels of satiety.

On top of all this, lamb is incredibly tasty!  Lamb fits well into a Mediterranean diet, which is one of the world’s healthiest (and most delicious) cuisines.   

Are you ready to  give lamb a try (or eat more of it)?

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Why Wear Wool

Shearing time is fast approaching.

Shearing time is fast approaching.

One of the benefits of raising sheep is that not only do we get delicious lamb to eat, we also get a lot of wool.  We use our wool for hats, scarves, mittens, socks, blankets, pillows, crafting, and a host of other things.  We wear wool pretty much every day, year round. 

 

Wool Is:

1.        Sustainable.  Sheep grow a new fleece every year.

2.       Biodegradable.  Wool breaks down without harm to the environment.  .

3.       Odor resistant. 

4.       Moisture wicking.  Wool absorbs 30% of its weight before you feel wet.

5.       Temperature regulating.  Thin fibers allow tiny air pockets in the fabric to trap your body heat, which provides superb insulation. As moisture evaporates on hot days, the air in these pockets cools and keeps you feeling comfortable.

Leave a comment below and let me know how you wear wool!