If you’re raising your own sheep, and thus, lamb, you will
be delighted with the quality — and quantity — of your homegrown meat. Once the
hard work of raising the animals is finished and the bounty is in the deep
freeze, you may wonder what to do with all those different cuts.
Lamb is not common fare like beef or pork; it’s special, and
usually reserved for celebratory occasions or holidays, such as Easter.
nutrition.
Meat from pastured, grassfed animals is more nutritious than
commercially raised meat. Since farmers aren’t fattening them on grain and soy
(or sending them to a feedlot to be finished), the animals remain on pasture
their entire lives, where they forage on grass, forbs and woody vegetation —
their natural diet. Pasture-raising allows the animals to grow at a natural
pace and live low-stress lives. The animals are healthy, they rarely need
doctoring, and there’s never a need to feed them antibiotics or other drugs.
Organic, grassfed meat is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol.
It provides more good fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA), and fewer saturated fats than feedlot meat. It’s richer in
antioxidants, including vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene.
Grassfed lamb doesn’t taste anything like the lamb from the
grocery meat counter. It’s mild and tender with an ideal amount of marbling,
and it is best served medium-rare, so don’t overcook it.
In lieu of raising it yourself, purchase grassfed lamb from
a local organic farmer; if there isn’t one close to home, order it online from
a devoted producer like Rocky Mountain Organic Meats in Wyoming.
Now, for all those cuts of lamb in your freezer … here are a
few recipes that make use of a leg, a shoulder, a loin, chops, stew meat and
ground. Enjoy cooking with this most special meat; your family will love it.
GRASSFED LAMB RECIPES:
Lamb Curry Stew Recipe With Jasmine Rice
Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Grilled Lamb Chops Recipe With Strawberry Salsa
Lamb Pizza Recipe With Goat Cheese and Pesto
Lamb-Potato Gratin Recipe
Roasted Leg of Lamb Recipe With New Potatoes
Simple Delicious Lamb Loin
