Mint Pesto for Lamb Chops

1/2 c mint leaves
1/2 c fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

No farmers market this week - the Washington County fair runs through the weekend, taking our space. 
When we move back into the building, I plan to sample lamb chops with this pesto on the side.

Somerhill Nethy Bridge

Yearling ram, Titus/Loyalty bloodlines.  Proven sire, twin, scrapie codon tested ARR/ARR
Good purebred herdsire prospect.  Has tremendous length and style, with a strong topline and level rump.  Good on his feet and legs, and super disposition, halter broken.  Good fleece coverage, nice even lock formation.
Ready to breed for you this fall!   $350.00     SOLD  into the mountains of western VA.

My drying rack

This is the rack Chuck built me right after we moved to this farm.  We had several aluminum window screens from the old farmhouse, so he built a wooden frame for them to slide into.  There are 14 screens about 4" apart, so it dries a lot of wool in a fairly small space.  Its full of BFL wool that I washed last night.  These nice dry late summer days are perfect for drying.

More fun Dyeing

This stuff is amazing!   Yellow with gold highlights.

This was hanging in the window drying last night just as the sun was setting.  It glowed just like the sky.  I have 4 skeins of it.  I'm working on getting most of the 60+ skeins of BFL lambswool yarn dyed and ready for A Wool Gathering next month.

Beer glazed lamb fajitas

1# lamb leg steaks
1 lime juiced (reserve half the juice for additional seasoning)
2-3 drops Worcestershire
1 pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 ounces Negra Modelo or other dark beer

Season steak with half of the lime juice, Worcestershire, sugar, salt and pepper.
Heat vegetable oil in pan on high heat. Pan sear steak for two minutes on each side.
Deglaze the pan with Negra Modelo, keeping the steak in the pan and maintaining high heat to reduce beer to a sauce. Check for seasoning and add more lime juice, sugar or salt to your taste.  Remove to plate &
let steak rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain.
Serve in flour tortillas and top with salsa, fresh chopped ciliantro and your choice of peppers.

Redtail?

This time of year, the hawks soar over the pastures, giving a wild, eerie cry.  

More dyed locks

This is one of my favorites - a blend of Jaquard russet and Cushings Plum, its really lovely!

Words to live by

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

     New International Version (NIV)

....and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Saw this on a friend's blog, and thought it was so appropriate

Belgian Style Rabbit

1 rabbit, cut into 6 pieces
1/4 olive oil
sugar
1 large onion, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, cubed 
1 apple, cubed
3 sliced smoked bacon, finely diced
1 bottle dark beer
salt
thyme 
bay leaf
1 T brown mustard

Brown the rabbit pieces in olive oil in skillet.  Sprinkle a little sugar over all and add all ingredients except the mustard. Cover with lid and let simmer about 2 hours until rabbit is tender.   Take rabbit pieces from sauce, increase heat, add mustard and simmer until sauce is reduced.  Pour sauce over rabbit and serve.
(the original recipe suggested with fries and applesauce).

Mystery Lilies

These things are weird.  They just pop up in the matter of a day or two.  And we've never had any in this area of the lawn before.  In fact, its been a couple years since any have appeared anywhere in the lawn.
Guess that is why they are called Mystery Lilies. 

Grilled Lamb Steak Bruschetta Salads

1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup creamy Dijon-style mustard blend
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 lamb leg steaks, cut 1-inch thick
12 1/4-inch-thick slices baguette-style French bread
4 cups arugula
1/4 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 small red onion, sliced
Snip any large pieces in preserves. In bowl combine preserves, horseradish, mustard blend, and lemon juice to make a dressing. Set aside.
Sprinkle lamb on both sides with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. For charcoal grill, grill steaks on the rack of uncovered grill directly over medium coals, turning once. Allow 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare doneness (145 degrees F), 12 to 15 minutes for medium (160 degrees F). Grill bread slices with steaks during last 2 minutes, or until bread is toasted; turn once. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce to medium. Place steaks on rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)
Divide arugula among 4 serving plates. Top with bread slices. Drizzle with dressing. Slice steak; arrange on bread. Top with red peppers, onions, and blue cheese.

What I did yesterday

The table is white, so you can tell the color is off in the photo.  :^(  These are the three new colors of dyed BFL locks I did yesterday.  I stayed home to use up some of my comp time I've been building up.  I still have 4 DAYS left to use before October, or lose it.....  I love the color on the right - its plum/lilac/magenta. 
Besides dyeing, I also wormed the BFL lambs, and ended up driving in to the office in Cambridge anyway, since we had our quarterly BFL board meeting in the early evening.  We use a teleconference service to meet, so I use Chuck's cell phone to use up some of his minutes (rather than pay long distance charges on the land line) and our cell phones don't work out here in the wilds of Ohio.  So I go to work so I have access to a computer if necessary. 

"If the US Government was a family, they would be making $58,000 a year, they spend $75,000 a year, and are $327,000 in credit card debt. They are currently proposing BIG spending cuts to reduce their spending to $72,000 a year. These are the actual proportions of the federal budget & debt, reduced…to a level that we can understand." - Dave Ramsey

Not this again!

Y'all be careful out there - stop running down possums!  
Interesting how black these are compaired to all the others.

Rabbit-Zucchini Salad

2/3 cup fat-free or reduced-fat mayonnaise dressing

1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
4 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill or tarragon
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups shredded cooked rabbit (1 pound)
1 stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 zucchini or yellow summer squash, chopped (1-1/4 cups)
1 small fennel or kohlrabi bulb, trimmed, chopped (1-1/4 cups)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (1/2 cup)
Salad greens, torn
Orange slices

1.Combine mayonnaise dressing, lemon peel, mustard, lemon juice, dill or tarragon, orange juice concentrate, and pepper. Set aside.
2.Combine rabbit meat, celery, zucchini, fennel or kohlrabi, green onion, & carrot  in a large bowl. Stir in mayonnaise mixture until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
3.To serve, line six to eight plates with salad greens. Stir  mixture; season to taste with salt and pepper and place atop greens. Garnish with orange slices.