Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Payoff


Wanna see what 180 pounds of lamb looks like?

Kristin had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb . . .

Except they weren't little--they were big. Big enough to fill four boxes. The butcher was so impressed with A.'s lambs that he couldn't stop talking about how exceptional they were, and how inferior all the other lambs he's seen this year were in comparison. A. was so proud he nearly busted the buttons on his rugged flannel shirt.

The darker packages in the box on the left are all liver. Ew. I did not ask for the liver. I do not like liver. But apparently, the butcher will give you the liver whether you like it or not. Also the kidneys. Luckily, A. and the MiL do like liver. Unluckily, only the MiL will actually cook the liver, and since I do most of the cooking, that means we still have a ton of beef liver in the freezer. Add to that the lamb liver we just got and what do we have? FAR TOO MUCH LIVER. Gross.

I took out a couple of packages of lamb chops for dinner tonight. Do you know how much lamb chops sell for at the grocery store? Like eight or nine dollars a pound. So I was standing there, looking at these boxes and trying to calculate what the retail value of this meat might be. Of course, I was unable to calculate such a thing because A) I didn't weigh it all, and B) I suck at math. I'll just say that we could never afford to buy this much lamb at the store, and yet, for the price of some feed and mineral, it's all ours. Amazing.

So let's hear it for A., who brought all of his lambs from conception to the table. He raised the best lambs in the county this year. The Good Shepherd indeed.

at

8 comments:

  1. Tina PostSeptember 30, 2008 at 7:09 AM

    I know, I know, not pets. But I still have to say--poor little lambs.

    Obnoxious farm family vegetarian over and out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sweet BirdSeptember 30, 2008 at 8:24 AM

    I just paid eleven dollars a pound for boneless leg of lamb at Whole Foods this weekend.

    You suck.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2008 at 8:42 AM

    Your own lamb will taste so much better than the tasteless stuff from the store. I saved all the liver from the lamb and goat (purchased on the hoof from a local farmer) and the chicken we raised for my nephew. His favorite food is liver. I have to admit that the livers from these animals is so much better tasting than anything I've ever bought from the store.

    Sheila Z

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's meSeptember 30, 2008 at 9:42 AM

    Quite the haul. Wow. You should be proud.
    BTW, I hate liver, but love tongue and heart.

    ReplyDelete
  5. milSeptember 30, 2008 at 10:33 AM

    Lamb tongue is considered a prime delicacy in the Middle East. I think that our butcher was good enough not to know that--and we are spared. Tongue is too much, even for me.

    As to the "little" lambs, constant c., they had gotten big, smelly, and (not having been castrated) coarse. And yes, it is sad, but at least they didn't have to spend the rest of their lives butting heads. Think of the migraines.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2008 at 12:59 PM

    My boyfriend likes both liver and tongue (stop with your dirty mind) and yet I continue to date him. I guess he has other redeeming qualities.

    And I had to laugh at sweet bird, even as I concur with the sentiment. -sigh- Yummy lamb chops. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. FinnyKnitsSeptember 30, 2008 at 2:02 PM

    WOW NICE!

    Except for the livers which are gross. I'm sure Susan can give you some good recipes though.

    Woman knows how to make something from anything.

    Please post photos of your chop feast.

    ReplyDelete
  8. moiSeptember 30, 2008 at 4:39 PM

    Ewww...liver...the body's toxic waste dump. I'm with you on the organ meat...

    ReplyDelete