They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. Isaiah 49:10
We were fortunate enough to be given elk (steaks, burger, and sausage) from my cousin’s husband, Rob. We made good use of some of it over the weekend and the past couple days.
Friday was elk burgers for dinner.
Saturday we had elk burgers and steaks for a late lunch served with tortilla chips and homemade salsa. We ate Hebrew Nation hotdogs for dinner.
Sunday we had deer steaks and farmer’s market red potatoes fried in coconut oil and butter in a cast iron skillet. They were the best potatoes ever (if I do say so myself)!
Monday we had elk sausage patties on the grill with farmer’s market red potatoes fried in coconut oil and butter in a cast iron skillet. I also cooked some cabbage in the skillet after the potatoes were done. It was ready in time for dinner, but was added to the leftovers for lunch today.
Tuesday, we totally cheated and grabbed fast food. We had to sort sheep last night after work and just caved. I bet I only eat fast food about 6-8 times a year (including pizza), so I don’t think that’s too bad. Just defending myself! *However today I feel awful and regret eating out last night. Ugh!
Wednesday, we are having liver, onions, and mushrooms. We were supposed to have rice, but just remembered as I’m typing this I forgot to soak the rice this morning. Luckily mom sent home a box of summer squash and zucchini someone gave to her, so we will have lots of veggies tonight.
As hot as it has been, as much as we have to do in the evenings, and as tired as we are, I believe next weeks menu will consist of egg sandwiches and grilled cheese. I’m not even kidding. Last night (fast food night) was nice because we got chores done early and had time to do other projects (vacuum the pool, put away solar pool cover, and tend to the garden a bit).
I pulled a package of grass-fed steaks and another package of deer steaks out of the freezer for this weekend. I’m also headed to the farmer’s market today for more yummy potatoes and anything else I can get my hands on.
*I soak all my meat (not including burger/sausage) in apple cider vinegar and water. I use approximately 1 tablespoon per steak and cover with water while it thaws in the refrigerator. The liver is soaking in lemon water.
Last night we sorted off ewes to “dry off” (their milk supply). Removed the bale feed from the ram lambs hay. The little guys would not eat the hay with the feeder on it. The minute Randy and I pulled the feed down they were all over it. We have a ram lamb acting puny, so we will keep a close eye on him tonight and possibly try to doctor him if he can give us any sign of what is wrong other than just being lethargic. Everyone else seems to be doing well, eating well, and growing okay.
We finally have some takers for lamb if we decide to grow some to butcher weight next year. We thought we would do it this year, but it is just mot going to work this year. We also thought we would breed some of our Dorper ewes to one of Dad’s Dorper bucks for December lambing, but I don’t believe that will happen this year either. It won’t happen next year because we will hopefully be thinking Nepal travel, maybe the following year.
We just ran an ad in the High Plains Journal to sell some of our ewe lambs and ram lambs. Pray we are able to sell a few to help pay for our feed this winter. We have too many sheep for the size of pasture we have for them. We continue to look for land, but with the economy and jobs the way they are we still aren’t comfortable taking that leap. If real estate was better, and we thought we could sell our house if we got in a bind it would be different. Gone are the days of flipping houses! Eventually we will have to get brave and expand. Hopefully when that time comes the economy has recovered a bit and jobs are more secure.
Have a great day!
A Simple Prairie Life 