lamb stew

Can I just say that I am over the moon about this dish? Every January for years I'd go to the annual PA Farm Show and buy a container of lamb stew. I'd wait all year to be able to have a taste of this rich, hearty, and mildly spicy stew. Finally this year I decided to try to recreate the experience, and if I must say so myself, it's a success! Ah, joy, now I can have it any time I want. And I sure do want. So let's share the love, shall we?

Lamb Stew

• Take one onion and three ribs of celery and chop them into small bite-sized pieces. In a heavy stock pot, saute them in a bit of olive oil just until soft, remove from pan and set them aside.
• Now add a bit more olive oil and one pound ground lamb to the pot and saute until cooked.
• Add two cloves of garlic that's been minced to the lamb and saute briefly.
• Next add three tablespoons of flour and stir it around for a minute.
• Add four cups of beef broth, one quart diced canned tomatoes, and some salt and pepper to the lamb mixture. Give it a nice stir, then cover and simmer on low for an hour.
• Now you'll want to add your pre-cooked onions and celery, one pound of potatoes that have been cubed into large bite-sized pieces, two carrots that have been sliced, two bay leaves, two teaspoons of rosemary, one half teaspoon of sage, one half teaspoon oregano, and a half teaspoon thyme. Mix this deliciousness all together, cover once again and simmer on low for another hour (if you can wait that long). 

That's it! A one pot meal that is to die for. Thick, rich, hearty, and best of all, seriously tastey.

farm products

From time to time, I'll be posting about Tulip Tree Hill farm products that are available direct from me (the farmer) to you. This time it's lamb. The next time it might be machine-washable lambskins, wool roving for hand spinning, yarn, eggs (chicken or goose), live animals, or an assortment of fresh produce. For now it will need to be picked up here at the farm. Once I'm at market, we can make arrangements for pick-up there (except for live animals, never them there, if you know what I mean).

At any rate, I now have grass-fed lamb available for your freezer or dinner plate. Raised naturally on mother's milk, pasture, hay, free-choice sheep minerals, water, and sunshine. Weaned in their own time. That's it, no extra feed additives, hormones, grains, etc. If you buy an entire lamb (as burger, chops, and foreshanks), the cost is $8.66 per pound. If you'd like to buy individual cuts, the ground lamb burger is $8.00/pound and chops (shoulder, loin, and leg) are $12.00/pound. Processing was done at a USDA certified butcher shop and all meat is shrink-wrapped and quick-frozen for maximum freshness.

Now, I must say, here is something I wasn't anticipating...

That's right.

Eeewww.

I was told they're a delicacy.

Seriously.

I think I'll pass, thank you very much.

Now you just let me know if you'd like some nice grass-fed southern Lancaster County, PA lamb.

You can even have the boy bits if that would make you happy.