Image via WikipediaThis post doesn't really have anything to do with gardening. BUT, it does have to do with my quest for a higher level of self sufficiency.
One of our income streams here on the farm is meat sheep. Generally referred to as cross-bred lambs. These are different mobs to what we breed for wool.
We eat our own lambs. That sounds horrible doesn't it? And it did take me a while to really "stomach" the idea. But you get used to it.
Our lamb isn't completely "free" (we forgo what we would have gotten at the market for said lamb AND we pay a butcher to "butcher" it - although farmboy does know how to do it himself). But it does work out VERY reasonable.
However, as nice as lamb is, we don't eat it all that often. Unlike generations gone past who would eat lamb pretty much ALL the time, I tend to limit it to 1-2 meals per week.
My biggest concern?
The fat content.
Compared to chicken and beef, lamb seems to have a higher fat content.
Plus of course, we do like variety.
In recent times, Farmboy (my husband) has been experimenting with a different breeding program. That of South African Meat Merino's (known as "SAMM's").
So we decided to get one butchered to see what the meat is like.
The verdict?
FABULOUS!!!!
It actually tastes quite a LOT meatier and is more like steak in appearance and texture. It's still very tender though, like lamb.
It's just beautiful.
And I'm stoked because I feel like this brings us one step closer to being more self-sufficient.
Plus of course, from a business point of view, I can see this meat becoming VERY popular.
And it has the added bonus (which is a HUGE drawcard for farmers right now) that this particular breed doesn't require mulesing (which has had a lot of BAD press).
It looks like it could become a win-win proposition on all sides.
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3 comments:
The Weekly Times had an article on the SAMMs a few months back and they sounded like good value ;)
Now I'm curious. Is this meat available in our local butchers? Or would we have to ask a butcher to order it especially? I'd like to try it. I've given up on lamb because it is fatty and flavourless.
Jayne - that sounds interesting. It'll be good if word can continue to spread in regard to them.
River - you could ask. At the moment, SAMM's that are sold as SAMM's are cheaper than regular lamb. It will depend a bit on your butcher and how much say they have in what they get from their supplier.
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