Woolgathering

My dictionary.com word of the day is woolgathering. It means: Indulgence in idle daydreaming.

Fitting!

Lamb Ragout

This is a really great lamb recipe. Serve it over noodles (even spaghetti) or rice.

Lamb Ragout

1 lb. boneless lamb, cubed
1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary needles
1/2 cup merlot or dry white wine
1 can beef broth
3 tbs. tomato paste
4 roma tomatoes, chopped

Heat oil and butter and brown lamb over high heat. Add garlic and rosemary, stir slightly. Add wine, broth and tomato paste and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or transfer to crock pot. Great with onions too! This recipe is awesome simmering on the back of a wood stove all day.

All Smiles Rabbitry, Poultry, Sheep and Wool ~ Great Falls, MT

Joshua Pecukonis is a Freshman at CMR highschool and has been in 4-H for 7 years. He has several large 4-H projects, one of which is a flock of Navajo Churro Sheep where he runs 3 to 4 different lines at all times. They are registered and he sells lambs, fleece, rovings and we are just trying some pelts this fall.

Josh also has his own rabbitry. He is breeding Dutch, Mini Rex, Californian, Jersey Wooly, Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarfs. He has bunnies available year round. His motto is Show bunnies for 4-H prices.

As a third project, he has 50 breeding ducks and hatches the eggs. He currently has 17 breeds, most of them rare and continues to help keep these breeds from extinction. He also has peafowl, guinea fowl in several colors, 4 geese, and 3 silver penciled hamberg chickens.

In addition to all of the animal projects, Josh also has a very large gardening and flower project. He has a 20' x 36' greenhouse as well as a 10' x 12' which are both packed with his plants.


All Smiles Rabbitry, Poultry, Sheep and Wool
Joshua Pecukonis
49 Cove Lane
Great Falls, Mt. 59404
406-727-7230
apecukonis@msn.com

Belgrade, MT ~ LaVonne Stucky

LaVonne has been raising Shetland and Shetland/Romney Cross sheep since 1996 near Belgrade. She has freezer lambs for sale as well as roving, yarn and quilt batts. You can read more about her place at http://www.montanacountrypickins.com/, click on the Serenity Sheep page or keep up with her antics at http://www.homesteadblogger.com/serenitysheepfarm

Serenity Sheep Farm
LaVonne Stucky
knefla@aol.com

Great Falls Producer ~ Lisa Wilson

Lisa produces sheep for fiber and meat: Shetland X, Rambouillet X, Churro, naturally raised on pasture and locally grown hay. Lambs sold on the hoof, can be delivered in the Great Falls area or to your specified butcher.
Fiber from llamas and Angora goats. Check her out on the web at http://http://www.fiberfrontier.homestead.com/


Lisa Wilson
The Fiber Frontier
55 Marmot Lane
Great Falls, MT 59404
406-452-1655
fiberfrontier@aol.com

Small Producers of Small Lambs

You may be wondering why I decided on the title Montana Small Lamb Producers. Well, that's exactly what we are. We are a small group of mostly women who are raising small breeds, like Shetlands. Shetlands do not physically mature until they are 2 years old and therein lies the problem. It's just not economically feasible to keep lambs that long unless they are for breeding stock. Each year we are faced with a surplus of small lambs to sell and no (or a small) market for them. Shetland is not the only breed we raise and almost all are cross bred with something else. We are here to tell you the benefits of eating fresh, local lamb, purchased directly from the farmer and to try to dispell a few myths.
We think their size is perfect. They are perfect for us because we can handle them ourselves. Most of us are also fiber producers, so our lambs are very well taken care of in order to insure a lovely fleece. It benefits the lamb and the producer. The fleece and the meat are premium. Their small size is perfect for 1 or 2 people, especially if you only have a small freezer (like the one above your fridge).
The added benefit, and the reason most of us have them in the first place, is their fiber. We sell that too! Hand spinners and those who sew LOVE our fleeces, roving, quilts batts, etc. Our main push is to BUY LOCAL!
Did you know different breeds of sheep have different flavors? Just because you've tried lamb once and didn't like it doesn't mean you'll hate every cut of lamb out there. Shetland is a very mild lamb. After eating my lamb, I've had people tell me, "That's how lamb is SUPPOSED to taste!" Great compliment! I've also had people tell me they hated lamb until they tasted mine.
Lamb is lamb until it's 12 months old. After that it's considered mutton. With that being said, I've eaten my own lamb after 12 months old and age doesn't affect the flavor of a Shetland, unless it's a ram. We've all had those comments like, "Lamb? They're so cute! How could you possibly eat them?" Well, once they are about a year old, and you have A LOT of them and their purpose is to go in the freezer, it's easy.
My lambs & sheep are entirely grass fed. They are on pasture from May until October. After that they are fed alfalfa that is grown right here. I could go on about the benefits of grass-fed lamb, but I will save that for another post.
I do want to say, if you're buying lamb at Costco, you're buying New Zealand lamb. Think about the miles that lamb has to travel to get to your plate! Do you know the farmer who raised it? Do you know what it was fed?
BUY AMERICAN LAMB or better yet, BUY LOCAL LAMB!

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life: Books: Barbara Kingsolver,Camille Kingsolver,Steven L. Hopp

I will start out by recommending a great book that chronicles the life of one family eating only local foods. This book will change the way you look at your food. It gives you something to think about! She has an excellent writing style and it's loaded with information that will make you jaw drop and your head shake!

Amazon.com: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life: Books: Barbara Kingsolver,Camille Kingsolver,Steven L. Hopp