New roving

Here is my latest roving.  Its white BFL, mahogany brown alpaca, black alpaca, and black French Angora blend.  Its for sale  $5 per ounce.

Sesame Pasta Rabbit Salad

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 rabbit, cooked, boned, and shredded

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onion

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.

Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in rabbit meat, cilantro, and green onions.
Options:  
Cut back on pasta, and add slivered carrots and sno peas, thinly sliced yellow onions, chopped red bell peppers, boc choy, etc for a healthier and more colorful salad.  

Replacing the culvert!

Yesterday morning, there was a white line and the letters "OUPS" spray painted on the road at the culvert.  Hmmmm, a clue.  Digging....
In the afternoon, Chuck spotted county workers placing orange flags at the culvert.  He went down to talk to the county engineer, and was told they are replacing our culvert.  HOORAY!   A 4ft one was planned, but Chuck lobbied for a 5ft, and it worked, because they arrived this morning with a small dozer, a track hoe, and a 5ft culvert.  When I left at 7:30, they had already begun digging up the road, and plan to have it finished today.
Maybe this means an end to the flooding of our barn!

Two more yarn colors

Cornflower, lilac, lucerne

poinsettia, violet,cornflower

The latest Satin Angora litter

The redheaded stepchildren, Tinderbox and Cimmaron.  A red Satin Angora buck and doe
that are being raised by a foster mother.  

The rest of the litter of 11!  These are all chocolate agoutis like
their mother, Elizabar Ginger Hill.  The sire is Silvery Moon Sundance Kid.
That is mama Ginger in the background.  

Moroccan Lamb Tangine

Pinch ground saffron

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 T minced garlic

1 T salt

3 T olive oil

3 # lamb, cut into pieces

1 c  grated yellow onions

Freshly ground black pepper

3 c  chicken stock

2/3 c finely chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

1/3 c finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 #  green olives, drained and pitted

3 to 5 T fresh lemon juice

In the cup of a small food processor, combine the saffron, ginger, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Process until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, toss the shoulder with the above mixture. Mix well. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in large cast iron or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the lamb and sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the onions. Season with pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock. Add the herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Remove any scum that has risen to the surface of the liquid. Add the olives to the cooking liquid, increase the heat to high and boil for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is like a thick gravy. Stir in the lemon juice and re-season if necessary. About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the meat in a shallow ovenproof serving dish and cook until the meat is lightly crisped, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the lamb with the couscous. Garnish with parsley.

MidOhio Fiber Fair

Here are my dyed BFL locks.  These were the biggest seller at my booth this past weekend.

Here is my "neighbor" and good friend, Anne.  Her booth was next to mine, so we got to chat all weekend.  Its nice to have company and someone to watch over your booth when you need to get away for a few minutes.   Anne also has BFLs, and had white and natural colored fleeces, rovings, handspun yarns; and drop spindles and pottery buttons that her husband makes.  

Mid Ohio Fiber Fair

I'll be a vendor this weekend.  If you come, look for me.  Will have dyed BFL locks, yarn, and some rovings. My friend, Anne will be there too, and has natural BFL rovings and fleeces, as well as handmade clay buttons and other things her potter hubby makes.

August 18 and 19, 2012
The Reese Center (air conditioned building)
On the Newark campus of Central Ohio Technical College
and The Ohio State University Newark
1209 University Drive
Newark, Ohio 43055
Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General Admission $3.00 10 and under free
Featuring a raffle benefiting the Licking County Food Pantry Network

http://www.midohiofiberfair.com/
Be sure to check website for directions - GPS takes you to wrong building....

Rabbit & Summer Veggie Tostados

1# rabbit meat strips

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons canola oil 

1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)

1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) 

 1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup green salsa

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas 

Cooking spray

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over rabbit. Add rabbit to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until rabbit  is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup rabbit mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Sunday's "work"

3 more BFL ewe lambs

Here they are, waiting patiently to be let out to graze this morning.

Another Colorway

Looks like summer - cornflower blue/emerald/sunflower yellow

Summer Lamb Kabobs

2# lamb, cut into 1” cubes

3 T Dijon mustard

2 T white wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 green bell peppers, cut into large chunks

1 (10 ounce) package whole fresh mushrooms

1 (16 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 onions, quartered

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and juice reserved

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

In gallon baggie,  add mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, and garlic. Add lamb, and mix to coat meat. Seal, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat outdoor grill for direct heat.

Add marinated lamb, fruit, and vegetables to stainless steel or bamboo skewers. Reserve some of the juice from pineapple chunks and cherries. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and splashes of juice from the pineapples and cherries to create a basting sauce.

Place skewers on preheated grill, and cook about 12 minutes, turning and brushing with butter sauce.

My first 2012 Yarn colorway

Pink/Yellow/Orange
100% BFL lambswool.  250 yds, 3.5+ oz.
$17.00 each

Xcite and Xcel

They have grown so much this summer, and put on a lot of muscle.  They are easily 200+ now.  I was trying to get some good photos this evening, but as you can see, they are busy grazing, and I had the added problem of a LGD puppy sitting on my feet trying to lick my hands.   June has graduated to guarding the rams; mainly because we've found they don't take any crap and quickly teach sheep manners to young LGDs.   So far, June seems to be winning, because Xcel stamps at her, and she licks his nose.

Here is the "business end", with Xcite on the left, and Xcel on the right.

Xcel grazing.....

..........and Xcite, grazing.  

Let's all do the Hopperena!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7rbspKE20&feature=related

BFL locks

Dyeing locks in preparation for the MidOhio Fiber Fair.  I'll also be madly dyeing skeins this week and next.  Here is the website for the fiber fair:
http://www.midohiofiberfair.com/index.html

June update

June-bug is growing!   She is 4.5 months old now.  She LOVES the water, and plays in the creek all the time.  Right now, she is in the barn, helping Chuck built a water trailer.

New Satin Angora litter

These are Sundance and Ginger Hill's babies.  Ginger had 9 total; these 7 chocolate agoutis, and 2 reds.  The reds are with one of the meat doe's litter, since she had a small number in her nestbox.   They are all just now opening their eyes. 

Jerry and Alice

Two of my favorite "neighbors" at the farmers market.  Jerry is beside me, and sells furniture made from barn siding, and Alice is across the aisle, and sells hand quilted items.

Grilled Greek Rabbit

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 lemons, juiced

1 rabbit, cut into pieces

In a gallon baggie, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Place the rabbit pieces in the mixture,shake to cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place rabbit on the grill, and discard the marinade. Cook up to 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Smaller pieces will not take as long.

ITS HERE! BFL lambswool yarn

I mailed raw fleece to Stonehedge in MI on July 17th, and this yarn arrived yesterday.  No one does it better or faster!

250 yards, 3.5+ ounce skeins.  $15 each for natural white.  $17 for multicolored dyed skeins.  Watch upcoming blog entries for dye batches.

Another just weaned ram lamb - for Dustin

A twin, born to Potosi #17 Carrah  and Somerhill Xalt.