Lamburgers

A food blog.  Yeah, thats how I can get the word out about our grass fed lamb!  In just a few short weeks, our lamb will be made available, and being a relatively small farm, the lamb supply won't be around for long. 

With the kitchen remodel recently coming to a close, I couldn't think of a better time to experiment with lamb recipes, including my new favorite Lamburgers.

There are two parts to this meal.  First, there is the tzatziki sauce.  A simple greek yogurt sauce, it is truly what takes savory lamb to another level.  1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cucumber diced, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp fresh mint, 1 clove of garlic minced and salt and pepper to taste.

Secondly, the lamburgers themselves.  Take 1 pound of lean, grass fed ground lamb (available through http://www.windyknobfarms.com/) and with it mix in the following: 1/4 cup minced onion, 1/4 fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Now this time of year you can certainly grill them outdoors, or as I chose, broil them on a foil lined baking sheet for about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Finally, brown both sides of your whole wheat pita bread and stuff with romaine lettuce.  Place two "burgers" in a pita pocket (now halved) and top with a helping share of tzatziki sauce and cherry tomatoes. 

Whole wheat grilled pita and grass fed lamburger

Grass fed meats are becoming a regular on grocery lists all across the country.  But finding local lamb, let alone grass fed, in this area is sometimes a feat in and of itself.  Windy Knob Farms is pleased to provide grass fed lamb below market prices.  This lamb is born and raised right here in Northport Michigan and processed at a USDA certified facility just outside of Traverse City.  Support your farms and support your community, all while gaining the health benefits of grass fed lamb.  Contact us today to place your whole or half order, and you too can be grilling lamb yet this summer!

Infamous Llama

Thirty some sheep.  Three dogs.  A cat.  A Clydesdale. And two of us.  And some barn mice I suppose.

But the Llama is the legend.

I bust butt on sheep management, breeding, feeding and I even ride a Clydesdale for pete's sake!  Nothing.  Tell my students I have a llama, and it's "Oh my gosh! You have a llama!"

Quick recap.  St. Drogo, the Parishioner of Shepherds, we needed a guard llama for the flock.  He needed a name... hench Drogo. (Drah-go)

He looks at you with ginormous eyeballs, all pupil, dark as night; contrasted with his locks of bright white hair (former name White Lighting, yes I'm serious).  And on a good day, he rocks his emo bangs.    He is simply a character and a half.   He walks up to you slowly, whenever anyone approaches the fenceline.  Cautiously, two toes at a time, he stares through you.  Judging.  Oh he is totally judging you.  To the point one starts to question himself.  Is there something on my face? Do I smell bad? What is it? Why is the llama looking at me like that?

It's just Drogo.  So uber confident, he makes even the best of us question ourselves.

That's Drogo the guardian of the flock, where the new lambs often leave Mom just to follow the pied piper.  Countless times I have seen Drogo, with two or three lambs in tow, followed by restless ewes chasing after their young.  Drogo is a rock star.
So much in fact, that Drogo has now gone A list on us.  An event that takes place tonight (4-14) in the the Grand Traverse Region, highlights local fashion designers and their abilities to resuse materials (once heading for a landfill) and turn them into promising, wearable fashions.  It is quite the event!   DJ, lights, stage, runway, bands.  It's one of those, you have to see it once in a lifetime at least.  And to think of the work these students from all over the area put into their pieces, it is really cool.  Well, Trashion as it is called, will sell trendy t-shirts to all of the people that attend.  Retro, trendy, fashionable, all key words when selling the marquis wearable item from Trashion.  And this year's 5th Anniversary design?  Well, a pop art version of Drogo of course!

Did we really doubt his abilities?  I think it was just a matter of time.  So while some of us here at the 'knob are in it for our five minutes of fame, don't forget there are still a slew of us that are working for a living.  Our class act of ewes did wonderfully on the lambing season, giving us a tremendous group of lambs for 2012 (including a bunch of ewe lambs).  And our spring shearing gave us quite a variety of colors including signature Moorit, grays, a black and of course the classic white fleeces such as Vera Lyn's, which was photographed just before being skirted (cleaned of all secondary wool and vegetable matter).    We have plenty a supply of yarn and fleece products available, so please feel free to contact us for anything on your wish list including yarns, roving, raw fleece and of course, lambs!  All from right here, our home in Leelanau County.     

Vera Lyn's 2012 Spring Fleece

All in a weeks time.

Oneida and her ram lamb

Here we are, finding ourselves in the middle of March, and to think we have been under 20 inches of snow, causing fallen trees and snapped branches that left us without power for over four days; and warmer temperatures which then caused flooding followed by sunny days and temps in the mid 70s. Man, what a week. Yes. That all occurred in less than a week.

Lambing has been an ongoing process. I have to say it has gone well in that there have been lots of healthy lambs and ewes. Things have gone smoothly for the most part and the lambs are just doing outstanding in their growth and development. With the variety of colors and new additions to our flock (at least until the lambs head to new farms) one can only say things have gone well. However, have things gone as planned? Um, no. If things went as planned, lambing would have ended a couple weeks ago. I even started breeding earlier this year, and yet I still find myself barn checkin’ for the remaining three ewes that definitely are pregnant and yet aren’t ready to deliver. I can’t help but smirk. Even when I think I have things “scheduled and under control,” I really don’t, not even close.

Lambing isn’t a negative thing of course; it’s just a lot of work (and I’m not even the one delivering the twins so really, who am I to complain). The work and 2am checks can add up and lead to stress, but I have to say there are moments that simply make lambing gratifying. Yesterday was one such moment where rolling up the driveway in the truck, I made the usual turn around the bend where I was quickly met with the usual view of the barn and backdrop of westerly views. Today however, every ewe, lamb and llama was out of the barn enjoying the unseasonably warm weather as much as anybody. The ewes were soaking up the sunshine, and with them, curled up in each of their bellies, was one, maybe two beautiful little lambs, just as content as they could be. What a site it was. I simply rolled down the window, propped my arm on the door and just sighed.

Black is the new... black?

Round Alaina

One of the many things that Windy Knob Farms prides itself in is its attention to details in breeding.  Having a background in the sciences and teaching genetics to high school students has paid dividends when it comes to selection and breeding programs with my sheep.  I will go as far as to say I am obsessed with the genetic possibilities.  While some mothers lay in labor hanging on the excitement of what lamb will pop out, I am yelling numbers at them and saying 'cmon 50% chance of a codon 171 with 25% chance badger faced ewe!  And yes. I do find that funny.

Last year there was one single black sheep on the farm.  Our amazing Alaina.  Her fleece is tremendous and to think its naturally colored that dark of black is truly amazing.  I hoped to bring that black color around in our flock, but time and time again I was getting variegated blacks and grays rather than solid black.  Until last spring when we had one black ram lamb our of Lisa.  His name was Peterson, after my favorite Peterson Park in Northport.

He of course became a keeper.  And I couldnt wait to use him in the flock breeidng managment, which I did this past fall. 

Helga only minutes old

Fast foward to last Tuesday, when Alaina became the first Ewe in labor and low and behold TWIN BLACK EWE LAMBS!  Wahoo!  I felt like Rosalyn Franklin, like I discovered something, not like Watson and Crick who just stole the idea.

Then came Rosalyns Baby.  A black ram.  Ella's Lamb? Black ram.   Holy cow people- I have black lambs running around all over the place!    Uh nice job Peterson.  Black is a gene that is hard to come by, but once you understand it and manage it in your flock, it truly is quite valuable and appearently predictable. 

Proud mom and her twins Ursula and Helga

We are now halfway in our lambing season, and things have gone quite well thus far.  Please visit us at http://www.windyknobfarms.com/ where you can contact us to be placed on our list for desired breeding stock of both registered and naturally colored Corriedales.    By the way, the theme this year is a throwback to our heritage.  This year you will find traditional slovak and german names.  Pavol, Bratislav Fritz and Helga just to name a few!

Barn Door.

It's hard to believe lambing season is upon us.  The weather somehow is a cross between late October and early March, topped with the dark nights and mornings of January; confusing to say the least.  With or without a foot of snow on the ground, the ewes of Windy Knob are about to begin lambing season.  Normally early March, this year we shifted the season a few weeks earlier in an effort to time the lamb growth with the pastures prime season.  We just so happened to pick a mild winter to do so, but trust me, I'm knocking on wood and counting on the worst just to be sure we're ready.  Though still a week and a half a way, the lambing jugs were all assembled and fresh straw spread all around in anticipation of the next best thing to Christmas.

There is a lot that goes into properly preparing for the lamb arrivals.  Simple things like ear tags, docking bands and iodine are all necessary components for a sucessful season.  And while I feel much more confident heading into the season, I do find myself a bit lackidazical about the prepartation.  My Type A personality that had everything lined up and organized a month ahead of time, has somehow been replaced by the oh yeah,  almost forgot that, alter ego. 


Other preparations include increased calorie loads for the ewes the last few weeks before delivery.  The rams across the hall at WKF dormatory are left with the not so exciting usual flakes of hay, however the coeds are so full in the belly with their lambs, they can't quite get the nutrition necessary to maintain their health and those of the lambs inside.  We supplement their hay with upwards of a pound of grain per day.  And let me tell you, as crazy as it sounds, I have to remind myself it's sheep food; these oats and grains covered in molasses smells so sweet! To tell you the truth, I swear it looks like the granola bars in my lunch. 


Mary Jo awaits her buffet



The sunshine today brings a smile to my face.  It's one of those days where farm chores couldn't be more welcomed.  Putzing across the mud soaked driveway, dropping bales of hay from the upper loft, and spending some time with the girls in the paddock; not bad for an afternoon's work.   Mary Jo, our ambassador of peace (and food) waits in line as she associates my presence with a trough full of grain. 

I was just describing lambing season to a friend of mine.  It's the only time, where getting up at 2am has its perks- starts with throwing on the Carhartt jacket, somehow still stiff after several years of use, and stepping into my oversized snow boots; never tying the laces, only tucking them inside at best.  I reach for the door handle, grasping the air several times because my eyes still haven't adjusted quite yet.  I stumble down the stairs and head towards the barn where the glow from the porch light is now out of reach.  Down the sloped driveway, where the only way I know I'm avoiding the drop off is if I hear gravel under my boots, meaning I'm still on course.  If it is a good night, the moon will be reflecting off the snow, enough that the barn door handle has a luster that shines a little brighter then the old wood of the door itself.  At this point there is a bit of anticipation, where I put my hand on the handle, take a deep breath and slide the metal rollers down along the track.

If the trip is worth its troubles, I know right away.

Quietly, I shuffle past the parked tractor and listen for the bellowing of the newest, youngest Windy Knob-er.   Now I rush over to the stall and peek over, getting my first glimpse at the lambs that had been delivered since the previous barn check only a few hours ago. 



Maternity ward at Windy Knob



What color? What pattern?  How many?  Boy or Girl?  All questions answered within a pick up and a few roll overs.  Momma ewe will be watching my every move; instincts tell her no, but somehow she knows I'm not there for trouble.  A swipe of iodine on the belly's navel, and perhaps a cut of the cord, I then weigh the lambs and record who's who.  I usually end the greeting with a "good job mom." 

One last glance over my shoulder before turning off the lights.  I'm off to bed; see you ladies at 6.

Occupy the Bathroom.

The grout is old and could use replacing. We had already done a “touch up” job on the bathroom, it looked “nice” (shutter, cringe). Basic, but nice. The grout though, needed some work. The plan was to scrape out the old grout, maybe retile the shower and move on to lambing season which is four weeks and counting.

And then I got this.

The room went from functional full bathroom to large closet at best in no time flat.
Scrape, pull, lift, swing, slam, smack and thud. Done.   And yes, thats masking tape on the old existing windows to model the 3 x 1 divided lights, because that's how I roll. 
So now, apparently, we are redoing the bathroom.

You know I love this stuff. I thrive off of it. The designs, the materials, the look, the authenticity. I love researching the period and the purpose of the items. I’ve graduated from just mimicing a photo of some classic timeless room, to now pushing it a bit; going for something unique and creative. But I will always love the period details.

A friend of mine recently went through a massive renovation of her house. A big beautiful California home with Arts and Crafts details. We communicated via facebook; sharing ideas and feedback along with citing catalog page numbers of the items that appeared in each of our perspective remodels. Like therapy, we came to realize our obsessions with restoration and remodeling. Anyway, she suggested I read a book titled House, written by Michael Ruhlman who is known more for his culinary expertise than restoration.

A book about remodeling old homes! IN!

The book is great in that it sums up the anticipation of shopping for a home, negotiations, the scary inspection and then goes on to talk about the process of his family’s purchase of an old Cleveland home. He then goes on to research all the previous owners and their stories. Somewhere in between those two storylines however, he cleverly dropped a bomb on me.

“What was so strange about work on the house once the contractors were gone was how unpredictable it became. We have far more to do in our lives than there’s time for. I will never be able to read all the books I want to, write all the stories, cook all the dishes, see all the movies I want to see, let alone have enough time with my children and wife, not to mention the places we might go, new work we might pursue. So, given limited time, I determined to be organized about life, always have a plan, always to be accomplishing something. What drove me crazy was that it was impossible to plan on this house. The house did it for you—suddenly it ate your weekend. It demanded your attention, as if it were a living creature, as if it had a plan of its own.”

It was awesome to read someone else’s words that expressed my thoughts exactly. I don’t have children but I do run a farm; no wife, but share a home. I don’t write, but I don’t have contractors either damn it! So there are some congruent lines we share. But it’s the truth that he writes. This house consumes me. I let it, but that’s not the point. I am beginning to feel like it defines me, and yet oddly enough, I’m okay with that. As mentioned earlier, a simple grout job turns into half a cast iron tub and pile of debris. Shoot, even my shower walls are gone (imagine a nice stand up glass surround – will. be. amazing.).

I’m heading towards my four year anniversary here at the ‘knob, and I’m just now starting to figure it out. To roll with it. To drop the type A, plan everything and be organized speal, and just roll with it. Now whether I am capable of that realization will be what determines if I’m in this house six months from now. But it is worth a shot because places like this don’t come about often in a lifetime.

I work hard. Probably “too much” in that it gets the best of me sometimes. But life is way too short to sit tight, at least the way I see it. Like the author said, have a plan and always be accomplishing things; truly where it’s at for me. Now, I hear the church choir licking their thumbs to flip pages, and yes I know accomplishments aren’t applicable in every case of success. I’m just saying here; right now- for me. When I have a world of options, and I find myself getting overwhelmed with all that is around me, I can start by finishing this right here.

And that ladies and gentlemen, I believe is called a metaphor.

Since the last time I wrote, we have a new adoptee on the farm.  Her name is Ada, and she is a 5 month old shepherd mix.  I will write more about her and all the other animals this year develops, and of course lambing season is around the corner.  I promise not to bore you with house remodels every time.  Thanks for the support, I need a kick in the pants from time to time.  Nice to know you guys read this, and care enough to let me know.