Even though this day will be filled with all sorts of wonderful foods, football and firearms (for some people : ), it behooves us to remember the origin of Thanksgiving. Here is a great article (written by my Dad) on the Pilgrim Fathers and the first Thanksgiving.
Some time ago, I recieved a request that Field to Foodie (meaning Me) would investigate the mysteries of the butchery. Well I finally had opportunity to do so, due to the generosity of Vesterbrook Farms.
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow.
Yes it was a little lambkin. : )
[WARNING! The following pictures may be disturbing to some people who probably don't read my blog. Actually, if the sight of blood makes you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this post. : )]
We set up shop in Mrs. H's kitchen, and went at it with vigour. Neither of us had done this before, so Mrs. H set her laptop up on the counter, and we watched video's on how to butcher a lamb.
Me cutting a shoulder roast.
Cutting something...
Discovering how the joints and ligaments work.
Wonderful Mrs. H
(she keeps us laughing!)
We had to use this mallet and cleaver to cut the chops to the proper size.
Cutting lamb chops with a fillet knife
"The Butcher"
Kinda creepy sounding isn't it : )
Well, that's all on the butchering part. Now we have to decide how to cook it. Ideas?
Benjamin Serven, Foodie
P.S. We were just given some venison from some friends of ours. (I don't hunt. I just cook) Can anyone give me tips on how to prepare venison? Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures of it before it is all eaten. : )
This is a really easy recipe. In reality it isn't a recipe at all, but a form that constantly changes. But here is what we like to put in our Fajitas. You can really add anything that you want. But this is the basic recipe.
And if you don't already have the recipe for our season salt, here it is. (We use this in just about everything. In the salad pictured, we used it in our home-made salad dressing. It was also used in cooking the green beans.)
Season Salt
1 c. Salt 1/3 c. granulated onion 1/3 c. granulated garlic 1/3 c. pepper
Mix. Store in glass jar so no moisture gets in.
We also made our own tortilla's. They are so much better that the ones you get from the store! I'll put up the recipe in another post.
I had borrowed this film from a friend, and put off watching it, and kept putting it off, and putting it off, until I was stuck in a car for 3 1/2 hours where I was not the driver. Not any reason to not watch it right?
OK with you Mom? You're the driver.
Alright, we'll put it in.
I was glued to the screen for the rest of the trip. That is, until I got motion sickness from watching it to close up and went to sleep. (I finished the rest of it today : )
This is a really great film that really clearly exposes the dangers of Genetically Modified Organism's. It talked about the way that GMO seeds will pollenate and spread to the surrounding fields of the same type of the crops.
I really never understood the importance of saving seeds before. I will definitely have a garden next year. Maybe not a big one but I will have one. I think that that is really the essence of it. The diversification is neccesary, for the seed lines to continue.
There are also some really interesting sections of the film on "seed patenting". Honestly this seems to be a very dangerous idea, because just as in a regular patent, the owner controls all use of the patented item.
Please take some time to watch this trailer, even if you feel like you don't have time. It is really an important film for you to view. Buy the DVD here.
For those of you wondering if government-controlled health care means that government may someday decide old people are expendable because it is cheaper to deliver health care to younger, healthier people, here’s food for thought:
Today, after learning my local health department now has swine flu vaccine for adults with certain conditions like asthma and heart disease, I decided to get a shot because I have heart disease, having had heart bypass surgery. So I called the health department to find out when I could come down for a shot.
“How old are you?” the health worker asked.
“Sixth five,” I said.
“You’re not eligible,” she said. “The cutoff is age 63.”
So there you have an indication of what is in the future. There is now enough vaccine for all the children, pregnant women, and adults “who qualify,” but because swine flu vaccine is government-controlled, bureaucrats have decided my age has disqualified me.
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