Transport Available

I can get rabbits or sheep delivered between here and Raleigh NC (along I-77 and I-40) over the Labor Day weekend. If you are interested in sheep, contact me immediately so we can get health paperwork done.

Satin Angoras available

1 red doe, 1 red buck, born May 26th. Sire is AE Maximo (red) and dam is my grand champion doe, Somerhill Mandalay ( chocolate agouti)
Doe is $65, buck is $50.

Kofta Kebabs

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground lamb
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
28 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions
Mash the garlic into a paste with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Mix the garlic into the lamb along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper in a mixing bowl until well blended. Form the mixture into 28 balls. Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; repeat with the remaining skewers. Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium. Serve with yogurt, flat bread, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

My 2 favorites

SHF Rhiannon (Lanark x Aislinn)
SHF Marisol - by SHF Lanark AI (CH R1) out of SHF Wynne AI (Titus)

Couldn't be more different. Marisol is fine fleeced, extremely long, very fancy type.
Rhiannon is BIG, heavy boned, heavy muscled, with a heavier, slightly coarser fleece - just a big, robust lamb.

More ewe lambs

Somerhill Dessa, out of SHF Vivace AI (Titus) by SHF Lanark AI (CH R1)
Somerhill Rosalie, out of SHF Arleen by SHF Lanark AI
Somerhill Valley, by SHF Lanark AI out of SHF Ballad.

From Beryl at the Farmer's Market

Aren't these beautiful ?! There is a fresh flower vendor next to me at the farmer's market, and she gave me a bouquet to bring home.

A couple of BFL ewe lambs

Somerhill Rhiannon, by SHF Lockerbie AI (Titus) out of SHF Aislinn AI (Loyalty)
Somerhill Joni, by SHF Lanark AI (CH R1) out of SHF Bijoux
(named for Joni Eareckson-Tada)

Farm Babies

Penn at 13 weeks. Smile, Penn!

Monkey.....you can't see me, I'm death in the tall grass.
Fred. (I need a home! - if interested, please email my humans)

Rabbit with Zucchini Blossoms

Ingredients:
1 rabbit
Small onion, finely sliced
¼ c celery, minced
The needles from a sprig of rosemary, chopped
A bay leaf, crumbled
A sprig of thyme, chopped
6 walnut meats, ground
1/2 cup red wine
One dozen zucchino blossoms
1 egg
1 c flour
1/2 c beer
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for deep fat frying

Preparation:
Wash and pat dry the rabbit, and cut it into pieces.
Pour 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, and sauté the onion and celery with the herbs. When the onion has browned lightly, add the rabbit and cook over a brisk flame. When the meat has browned, stir in the nutmeats and the wine, and reduce the heat.
Simmer the rabbit for one hour, adding chicken broth or water to it as necessary to keep it from drying out; keep in mind that the sauce should be abundant and fairly thick.

Meanwhile, make a batter with the egg, flour, beer, and a pinch of salt. Carefully wash the zucchino blossoms and pat them dry, then dip them in the batter and fry them in hot oil until they are golden brown.
Serve the rabbit with its sauce, and the fried blossoms on the side.

Penn & "The Boss"

He's getting BIGGER! (Penn, not Chuck) :^)

p.s. Weighed 24# at the vet's on Monday night. He walked on a leash, went inside a building, and sat on Dr John's feet. That means he likes you.

p.p.s. Yes, now I am talking about Chuck...... hehe

Sesame Rabbit - this is really terrific!

Notes: I think you could simplify things by marinating in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing and adding some sesame oil. And I just dredge the rabbit meat in Bisquick mix before frying in a skillet with some oil in it. The sauce gives off a very biting odor when its boiling, but never fear, the finished product is delicious!
Ingredients:
1 rabbit, cut into pieces
2 T raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)
Marinade-
1 tsp chicken base
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ tsp sugar
1 T raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)
Batter-
½ c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ c water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 T cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 T vegetable oil
Sauce-
3 T honey
2 T sugar
salt (to taste)
2 T ketchup
1 T white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:
Combine marinade ingredients in gallon baggie, add rabbit pieces and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the rabbit but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of rabbit from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the rabbit in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown)
In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
In the wok or in a serving dish coat rabbit with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
Serve over rice.

Special on Chicken at Reisbeck's

You know you live in a small town when you see this in the grocery store parking lot.

Sunset on Cobb Ridge

The hill on the left in the center ground is the high point at the back of our farm. This view looks out over Chapel Drive toward Hoskinsville, site of the "famous" rebellion in March of 1863.

Chunky Monkey and Fred

Wondering............

.....if this is the guy who ran into me last fall and caused $1900 damage to my Explorer. As far as I know, he survived jumping into the front fender, breaking off my side mirror and putting dents, dings and scratches all down the driver side.

Successful lamb recipe

Was going to post a photo of the Grilled Lamb Pasta Salad I made for the Summerfest at the farm market yesterday, but got in a rush at home. Next thing I knew, the bowl was empty but for the fresh smell of dill and one piece of pasta.........

Rosemary lamb chops with blackberry jam

Ingredients

Berry Jam

* 1 cup blackberries

* 1/2 cup blueberries or seasonal berries

* 1/4 cup full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet or Shiraz

* 1/3 cup sugar, or to taste

* 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Lamb

* 4-8 lamb chops

* 2 sprigs rosemary

* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

* Salt and white pepper, to taste

Preparation

To make the jam, place berries, wine, sugar and pepper in a small saucepan. Heat, mashing the berries, until the mixture starts to simmer. Cook over medium low heat about 15-20 minutes, until it reaches a jam consistency. Set aside. The jam can be served warm, or made a day ahead and served cold or room temperature.

For the lamb, preheat a covered grill to medium high. Brush lamb rack generously with olive oil and season to taste. Snip rosemary and rub over lamb.

Place lamb on the grill and brown on all sides; then pull down the cover and continue to cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes for medium rare, or until cooked as desired. If cooking indoors, preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in pan and sear lamb on all sides over high heat. Transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes

Penn the wonder puppy

10 weeks, 18#.

Can I try on your hat, Grampa?

A thankyou note from the birds

This is the sunflower the birds planted for us at the corner of the smokehouse.

Swamp-rose Mallow or Rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)

These grow in profusion along Rt 7 just off I-77. They are in the ditch surrounding the Shoney's restaurant. We had breakfast there this morning, and admired them.

The BFL yarn is HERE!

Just arrived from Stonehedge this PM. I mailed the grease BFL lambswool out on May 22nd, so it was a fast turnaround, too. :^)
42 skeins, 2 ply, 250 yards, 3.5+ oz.
White $14 ea
Dyed $16 ea. I'll post photos as I dye batches