Preparedness for when

bluebag

pricew1970 wrote: »

What do you mean they are not food........I think a fearie just died somewhere

I always feel so guilty eating a pot noodle, I feel I should eat it furtively in a locked bathroom or something! I mean, I could make a corned beef hash for four with the same money.

Wow how sad when a pot noodle is a guilty sin.

I have no morals where licorice is concerned tho.:D

bluebag

jk0 wrote: »

Seriously, you have to wonder, don't you?

I have lost my television viewing glasses for a fortnight. I am presently using some I got in 1986. I know very well that if I go and buy some more, I will find my others the next day.

I am hopeless, I buy two of something just to have a spare, lose the original and forget where the ballyhoo I put the spare.

I need help.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks for the link to the crofter's programme:beer: ( just put the link on the daydream thread on the greenfingered board)..

Loved the programme:T:T I am in love with their kitchen:cool: basic and rustic... hopefully our whole house will be like that, exposed stone, and rustic:D

bluebag

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thanks for the link to the crofter's programme:beer: ( just put the link on the daydream thread on the greenfingered board)..

Loved the programme:T:T I am in love with their kitchen:cool: basic and rustic... hopefully our whole house will be like that, exposed stone, and rustic:D

I don't know if I am just an awkward cuss, but I felt it was quite hard on those kids.

I understand the lifestyle choice, it does have some merits, but the kids had no choice and I thought it was hard on them to have a life devoid of electricity,( homework in a noisy room by candlelight) really long travel times to and from school (2 hours a day) and full of very hard manual labour.

ALIBOBSY

Well our half lamb has arrived, currently a massive bag of meat "parts" is taking up the whole of the bottom shelf of the fridge whilst I work out what to do with it all lol.

Haven't pulled it all out yet, but appears to be 3 "leg" pieces, a bit that looks like a traditional leg of lamb ala the normal butchers/shops, a shoulder bit and a piece that looks to me like the lamb equivalent of a ham shank-so I assume is the bottom bonier part of the leg?

There is a square piece of "ribs" with the meat in between-I assume you treat these like pork ribs?

Then a massive pile I need to sort through of various sized and shaped steaks and chops.

Just need to work out best way to use/cook each bit and package stuff for the freezer.

Would appreciate any tips from others who have had half lambs?

Plus if I wanted to mince some, which part would I use?

Off to do alot of research online lol.

Ali x

PS was around 15-16 pounds so they charged us £45 (a flat £3 a pound).

katieowl_2

bluebag wrote: »

I don't know if I am just an awkward cuss, but I felt it was quite hard on those kids.

I understand the lifestyle choice, it does have some merits, but the kids had no choice and I thought it was hard on them to have a life devoid of electricity,( homework in a noisy room by candlelight) really long travel times to and from school (2 hours a day) and full of very hard manual labour.

Prefer to think of it as character building LOL

Yes I guess, but you know a loving and supportive family, and freedom to run wild in such a beautiful place is worth a lot. I wish we'd been able to afford to move here when my kids were small.

All their kids will grow up being resourceful I think?

I loved the programme too BTW spent a happy hour watching it yesterday, thanks for posting the link to the programme Tryingtobethrifty!

Kate

ALIBOBSY

May be more leg pieces as I think I can see 2 "shanks" and what looks like more stuff underneath. Plenty of various sized chops etc.

Will have to pull it all out later and lay it out to work out which part is which.

Ali x

westcoastscot

This is really interesting reading
http://www.readyscotland.org/media/68251/preparedness_in_scotland_-_research_report_final.pdf

WCS

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Alibobsy, that lamb will be beautiful. We bought a whole lamb to go in the freezer alongside our own pork...

Looking into buying 2 live lambs next year, and rear them on for the freezer..

You can def taste and see the difference in home reared meat, and once you have tasted it ( def with pork) you will never buyer the supermarket carp again..

Don't forget the crofters did have electric, but via a generator and they had a computer etc.

Some people might think it was hard on the kids, BUT those kids didn't know any different, plus to me they had good old fashioned respect for things... and most of all common sense.

Also people are saying they got a hard life.... I personally think kids brought up in high rised flats, with gang culture around them have a harder life/environment to live with

DawnW

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Well our half lamb has arrived, currently a massive bag of meat "parts" is taking up the whole of the bottom shelf of the fridge whilst I work out what to do with it all lol.

Haven't pulled it all out yet, but appears to be 3 "leg" pieces, a bit that looks like a traditional leg of lamb ala the normal butchers/shops, a shoulder bit and a piece that looks to me like the lamb equivalent of a ham shank-so I assume is the bottom bonier part of the leg?

There is a square piece of "ribs" with the meat in between-I assume you treat these like pork ribs?

Then a massive pile I need to sort through of various sized and shaped steaks and chops.

Just need to work out best way to use/cook each bit and package stuff for the freezer.

Would appreciate any tips from others who have had half lambs?

Plus if I wanted to mince some, which part would I use?

Off to do alot of research online lol.

Ali x

PS was around 15-16 kilo so they charged us £45.

The ribs bit you can either cook as a joint or cut into chops, if it is the top part of the ribs, nearest the animal's back - or is it quite flat and fatty looking? If so it is the breast, and you can either cut it up for stewing meat (lovely cooked with Moroccan spices as a tagine) or bone, roll and stuff for stuffed breast of lamb which needs to be cooked slowly or pot roasted. It tends to be tougher than pork ribs, but if you wanted to cook it like pork, I would slowly precook before finishing off under the grill or hot oven with BBQ sauce etc.

You can mince any of it, but probably doesn't make sense to do so with prime joints or chops. The stewy bits in a lamb are the neck and the breast. Some people like to mince the shoulder, but I think this part makes the nicest roast.

The shank bit will be a lamb shank, which will also need to be casseroled or stewed slowly (google for recipes, there are loads). You might need to buy more if you want to do this, as you usually serve one per person (for adults) though really big ones will do two. These are delicious and very popular restaurant food. You can get extras from butchers, including the ones in supermarkets, but they are rarely cheap. If you don't want to do this, just chop up and add to your stewing pile.

Feel free to post photos of any unidentified bits - OH and I have been dealing with carcases for years.