Q - Why is the payment broken into two parts - I pay you for the lamb and then pay the processor when I pickup - why not just one payment ?
A - The amount due for the lamb is paid to the farm at a set price. The amount paid to the processor for slaughtering, cutting, wrapping and freezing the lamb can vary. The processor's fee is typically a standard rate but some folks want extras. If you have your lamb wrapped in paper vs plastic it can save money on the fee. If you have your lamb smoked, cured (lamb ham) or sausage made, it will cost a little more. Some customers want the lamb left whole to roast on a spit - this costs about half of what it costs to cut and wrap each individual cut. You can also have the lamb quartered and make futher cuts (fabricate crown roasts or mock duct roasts, etc) at home. So the processing fee can cost from $80 to $150 depending on services requested. Charging everyone a set price would overcharge some folks. A typical cut and wrap is about $100.00. You are welcome to call and ask the meat processing company (and visit their website) to confirm what services they offer and the cost.
Another benefit to the multi-payment system is splitting up the cost over time -
The initial deposit of to reserve a lamb. After the 5 months gestation, growing the lamb on pasture takes another 8 to 10 months minimum.
Then the balance due when we haul the lambs to the processor.
and then the fee to the processor when you pickup your meat - about $100.00. After we deliver the lambs, it takes about 10 to 14 days for the meat to be ready. After the meat order is ready, most processors want you to pick it up within 7 to 14 days as they have limited space in freezers.
This takes place over a few months time period, unless you are ordering late in the season. We hope that spacing out the cost this way will help more folks afford our product.
Q - Is it possible to purchase an individual cut of your lamb, prior to commiting to an entire lamb order ?
A- If we have it available, yes. Sometimes we sell out of lambs and have no individual cuts on hand. .
Q - Is your grass-fed, pasture raised lamb tender ?
A - If you were raised on feedlot, 100% grain-fed meat you will find all "real" meat raised free-range on pasture to be "tough" or firmer/chewy - if you try and cook it like feedlot/grainfed meat. Our grass-fed lamb cooks up tender in a crock pot and for chops you intend to grill, you need to marinate them first.
Our lambs exercise at will - running, jumping and head butting - they are not held in small, crowded pens resticting movement while being force fed grain.Our sheep are hair sheep (no wool, no shearing) they have fur coats just like a cow or goat. They originated in the tropic zones where wool would be a liability. They taste better than wooly sheep but take longer to grow - one of the heritage "slow food" animals.
Q - Do you always have lambs available for processing?
A - Not always, lambs are seasonal - we do tend to sell out between lambing cycles - as we are a small farm and not a giant lamb factory. We can notify you via email when we have scheduled a processing date. We typically have a late Spring date and a late Fall date.
Q - I use a lot of ground meat. Can I have it mixed the way I want ? How do I get the most ground meat from a lamb ? Will the processor mix "Paleo Ground" ?
A- The processor can mix the ground with as much or a little fat as you would like. Use the legs and/or shoulders for ground meat to maximize quantity. Ribs, shanks and chops (from the rack) are best left as cuts, as you loose so much when they are de-boned for ground. Paleo or organ grind is gaining in popularity due to the awareness of the added nutritional value. The processors have not had an issue making it for our customers. We recommend adding the heart to your ground meat, but only a small portion of the liver (unless you have done this before). It also depends on how much ground meat you are making from the lamb. If you want more info check out nosetotail.org The last time I looked they had info on mixing ground and organs.
Q - Do you sell your lamb at any "retail" stores, farmer's markets, etc. ?
A- No - When products are of a seasonal nature, it makes it more difficult to find stores that will stock them. In the past we have attended various farmer's markets but now so many market managers have no real experience with the farming cycle. So they fill the market booths with vendors selling craft items and odd stuff that can fill a booth all year. This excludes the real farmer/rancher that may have only seasonal items to offer a couple weeks out of the year. That's how local, seasonal growing works ! And that's why you see just a few "real" farmers at the market and you will never see the total true seasonal abundance that all your local growers have to offer.
Q- How long will my lamb be good in my freezer ?
A - Most freezers estimate frozen lamb storage at 9 months. This is actually a good question for the processor - storage life is also determined by pacakaging type. If you need something to store, say for a year, ask the processor which type of packaging options they offer. A whole lamb can range from 35 to 45 pounds of packaged meat - hopefully it would be eaten (even by one person) long before it would freezer burn.
Q- I have not found it easy to utilize a leg of lamb or whole shoulders - any suggestions ?
A- Leg of lamb and shoulder are just large roasts. They can be cut in half to make smaller roasts to fit in a crock pot or dutch oven. Other options to utilize them are -
Sliced(chops) - Both the leg and shoulder can be sliced into chops. Just tell the processor how thick and how many to wrap in each package. These are easy to cook and are a great bone-in meat for roasting or stews. They are typically called leg steaks and shoulder chops.
Ground - The leg debones better (less waste) than the shoulder for ground. The shoulder has a more complex bone pattern that is better used sliced and cooked as bone-in stew meat. However, if you prefer ground, it can be done.
Stew meat - Boneless stew meat can be cut from the shoulder and/or leg. Remember to ask for the bones so you can use them for soups/stock and/or pets to chew.
Q- What about cooking grass-fed lamb, is it similar to cooking grass-fed beef ?
A -Lamb typically cooks a little faster than beef. A meat thermometer is your best friend when it cooks to cooking any type of meat. All grass-fed meats cook differently than feed lot meats. Make sure cuts are completely thawed prior to cooking and some suggest that they be at room temperature. If you want to grill or skillet fry chops, marinade them first to help keep them from drying out and to tenderize them. A better way to cook grass-fed, lean meat is to sear (brown) it quickly on both sides and finish cooking with low heat. All cuts of pasture raised lamb do well in crock pot cooking.
Q - What is the difference between lamb meat, hogget, mutton and sheep meat ?
A - Lamb is a sheep less than a year of age. A lot of sheep meat is referred to as lamb to fetch a premium price. If you think of veal and beef, the relationship is similar to lamb and sheep.
Yearling lamb is the cutoff for what should be labeled as lamb. The animal is older and larger than a young lamb.
Hogget is sheep meat from a slightly older lamb - anywhere from 18 to 24 months. Hogget is the best kept secret in red meat that I'm aware of. The meat is darker red than lamb meat.
Mutton - Muttons are mature sheep - 3 to 4 years of age, grown specifically for prime meat. They are typically wethers (castrated males) and harvested in the Fall. They are not readily available in the US due to our farming techniques - fast food vs. slow food. Lamb is popular and cheaper due to the lack of time it takes to get it to market.
