It was three years ago this week that I opened the special delivery box and saw my little girlies, all fluffy and yellow and LOUD.
Eventually I managed a sweet little flock of five poofy hens, that
were more company than you'd think. However... one fact was a fly in the
ointment - I think the girls chased the fly down and ate it, but bare
with me here... I retired. When I got my hens I thought retirement was
several years off, but within a few months of getting hens, I was out of the work force, and every day was Saturday. Found myself with loads of time to travel and play, lots of vacation plans but no desire to leave my
hens. True, I had a neighbor who was kind enough to take care of the
hens for a few days at a time. If I planned a trip longer than five days I drove my flock 4 hours south to Monterey where my friend
Barbara could care for them. Still, I knew something had to change.
So, after much soul searching - and TONS of guilt - I decided it was time to find new homes for the girls. I broke the news to them.
"Adele... Babette. Mommy has to tell you something. Where are your sisters?
There you are, Lucy, Godiva. Where's Dove?
There you are Dove my love. Now. You all have to understand, Mommy loves you, and she values your contribution to the household - your eggs are AWESOME, but..."
Long story short, Robin, who runs Meridian Ranch was sweet enough to find homes for all of the girls. Their new hen-Mamas are lovely folk and my girls... I mean, their girls, are going to be happy and spoiled. And I gotta tell you, I'm going to miss those fresh eggs and that happy chicken song.
Ok, this post has the potential to gross some people out, but for me, it only makes my stomach grumble while I eyeball the clock to see if it's time to cook up some lunch or something.
My friend Robin, of Meridian Jacobs Ranch, raises Jacobs sheep for multipurposes. In the past I've purchased her wool (fiber) and even Jacob lamb pelts at the ranch, but I've always had my eyes on... uh... my stomach on... purchasing lamb meat. I finally put in an order, and to that end, yesterday afternoon I drove to Meridian Ranch, ice chest in tow.
I wasn't the only one on hand, members of the ranch's Farm Club were on hand to, to pick up their 'bonus' lamb. It was quite an operation. Earlier, Robin picked up the year's culled ram lambs, that is, ram lambs that didn't make the cut for breeding or sale purposes, from the local butcher. After loads of weighing of individual butchered lambs, we got one lamb onto Robin's kitchen island. In the first photo below Robin takes a picture of one lamb, of which I purchased half. That's a lot of lamb I can tell you!
Once the lamb meat was spread out, and divided into two whopping big portions, it was time to vacuum bag and seal up the meat. Robin had just the tool for the job. Ever see a new fangled item and then wonder how the heck you ever managed without one? Well, the vacuum sealer hit that spot for me, it was amazing! Robin fixed up empty bags, I packed each sack with what cut/quantity of lamb I wanted, then Robin vacuum sealed the bag. She says the bags can as easily seal wool (to keep out moths) and other goods, as well as food. Oooo gotta get me one o' dem!
Robin prepares an empty sack for meat storage.
Here is what my 1/2 lamb looked like when all vacuum bagged up and ready for my ice chest. I was drooling like a hound dog at a BBQ I can tell you!
Half that meat isn't even visible as the sacks are on top of each other in the middle - about 45 lbs - that's a LOT of meat!
Rusty, musing on if he will get a cut of the goodies - hey, he herded those buggers didn't he?
There are chops, shanks, flank, riblets and other cuts among the lot. On the way home I got the idea of flank steak in my head - that is my all time favorite cut of lamb. When I got home I carmelized some thin sliced onion, garlic & red pepper. I then pushed the veggies aside in my pan and added flank meat, some salt & pepper. After flipping the meat and cooking a bit more, I added maybe 1/3 cup of port wine, and a couple tablespoons of Pomegranate Molasses (a Moroccan specialty) and let the liquids reduce a bit. Oh, dear me, that was one amazingly delicious din-din. Hum... wonder if this method will work with riblets?
I know, I know Paul McCartney. Just a few months ago, that innocent little ram lamb leapt and cavorted happily in Robin's green meadows. Well Paul, the lamby had a short life, but a good and happy one: no stress, no cruelty and loads of fun times. There, there Paul... shut up and eat your tofu... there's a good Beatle.
Early - but not too early - I thanked Inez for her hospitality this week, and headed south on my favorite drive in California. I made a brief stop at Prairie Creek Redwoods - OK, it was a potty stop, but it has to be in the top 3 nicest potty stops Northern California has to offer.
Elk herd by the ocean, opposite the freshwater lagoon, south of Orick by Highway 101
While my trip north to Crescent City was disappointingly elk-free, my trip home was delightfully elk saturated. South of Orick I near skidded off the freeway to admire a beautiful herd of Roosevelt Elk.
Lovely herd with lots of skittering calves, a few still spotty, the ocean making a beautiful backdrop for them.
The herd moved slowly north, north being the direction the herd's bull pushed and prodded his mates toward. At one point, a gigantic calf, nearly as large as its mother, dropped to its knees to nurse. The bull had a thing or two to interject on the matter, which you can see here below. Oh! And pardon the music, it was either that or speeding cars and loud tourists.
To the rear of the herd, all by herself, was a cow elk. She looked heart-breakingly thin, and rather bedraggled. As the season is heading for fall and on to winter, you have to wonder if the old gal doesn't have a load of parasites or some such, keeping her condition on the edge. Still, she's one lucky cow, considering if she were in Yellowstone - land of Wolves, Grizzlies and snow up to yer arse, she wouldn't have much chance of surviving a winter. Here in Northern California, even if she goes, she won't have a pack of Wolves or a cranky Grizzly at her throat. She's probably more likely to get hit by a SUV.
Eventually I got in my car and reluctantly headed south again. It's a long drive home and you don't make it staring at pretty wildlife. It was tricky getting back onto Hwy 101, the freeway experienced a rather Yellowstone-ish wildlife car jam.
I don't think it was more than 15 or 20 minutes later I was toddling past the Arcata Bay, when I caught the pale flash of Elk behind down in bottomlands. More elk - and even more exciting than more elk, I was the only one driving by who seemed to notice the bruisers!
At first there seemed to be nothing much along the Arcata Bay
But movement amid the rushes gave the herd away, even to my eye
Again, the ocean set up a gray back drop to the herd, and again, although there was more than one bull Elk in the herd, there was one that seemed to be doing all the bossing around, and he too was moving the herd north.
I love viewing Elk in marshy areas - so exotic!
The cows of the herd thought I was FASCINATING!
As picturesque as this southern herd was, I soon headed south again. Stopped in Eureka for a coffee pick-me-up and I even indulged in some shopping. Picked up a new pottery soup mug to replace the one that saw me through college a b'jillion years ago, that broke a week or so ago. The new one is nothing like the big one, but it does hold twice as much - hum... maybe not the best decision I've made all month.
The shop 'til you drop' district of Eureka
After fueling up me & my car in Eureka, it was off south again where I enjoyed a leisurely drive through the Avenue of the Giants. Late afternoon I even made yet-another-out-of-the-usual protocol stop in Ukiah. I had a quick dinner at the Ukiah Brewery - fish & chips. Then it was on home to Fair Oaks, and my Crescent City trekking was over for this year.
Nasturtium in the rock piles at an obligatory stop, Chapman's Gem & Mineral Shop, on 101 t'wixt Fortuna and Rio Dell 101
