LavaLakeLamb.com
Archived Ranch News
01/01/2006 - A New Year's Winter Day
Kathleen Bean
A New Year's Winter Day
The routine of the short, cold winter days at Lava Lake is really different from the long, hot, action-packed days of summer - winter is a time for planning, paperwork and giving tack and gear a little extra attention. But each day begins with the necessary ritual of feeding the dogs and livestock who are braving the cold - it's a chilly job, but sure gets the blood moving!
Just after dawn, Leroy Richards fires up the tractor, gaining the attention of the horses across the pasture who amble over to the fence to wait for their breakfast. Three tons of homegrown organic hay go on the ancient wagon, along with Melendez Orihuela and Leon Carhuaz, who flake the hay first to the sheep, then to the horses. When there is enough snow on the ground our two Clydesdales, Sophie and Lacey, will take the place of the tractor once in awhile. On the first day of 2006, when this photo was taken, we discovered that an early lamb had been born overnight. He (or she?) gamely scampered along with the other sheep through the snow, wagging a very long tail behind.
We were busy this fall building new lambing sheds at Lava Lake, and expect to have about 1500 organic lambs born over the next few months. We are very excited about expanding our organic lamb business to more restaurants across the west, and more website customers all around the nation. Look for pictures of new lambs on the website in February. And you can check the "restaurants and reviews" section of the website (under Lamb Products) for a listing of restaurants serving Lava Lake Lamb.
I'm always looking for easy recipes for meals that I know my family will enjoy and are a little break from the usual routine, and one of our favorites this winter is lamb meatballs and pasta. If you haven't tried using ground lamb for meatballs (or just loosely cooked in a sauce) you should give it a try - the flavor is richer than the usual beef, and they are really tender and juicy. For four people, use one pound of our ground lamb and add one egg, about a cup of bread crumbs, salt & pepper, a little dried thyme and oregano, and mix thoroughly. Shape into small meatballs and brown on all sides in a little vegetable oil. Drain, then simmer slowly with your favorite pasta sauce, either on top of the stove or in the oven. Total active prep time is about 15 minutes. Delicious!
That's the news for now. If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at customerservice@lavalake.net. All of us at Lava Lake Lamb wish you a happy, healthy new year!
