Day 126: If you've been following along for any length of time, you might recall that I've mentioned having had a small flock of sheep at one time. I raised them largely to supply myself with wool for spinning, but also sold some of it to Pendleton Woolen Mills for a good price. I ran both Romney and a Corriedale-Suffolk cross, the latter affording the best of both worlds in fiber and meat. Typically, I would keep them until they were 18 months old and through a mature shearing. Then I'd truck them off and...well, the less I knew about it, the better...when I got them back, they were in the form of lamb-burger with the occasional package of mutton (on the young side) for stew. Chops and legs never particularly appealed to me, whereas burger was more versatile. It was a sad day when I had to give up my flock due to moving beyond the range any good shearer was willing to travel for only two or three sheep, but my taste for lamb and mutton has never dwindled. Recently, I learned to make Scotch pies, a hot-water pastry filled with ground lamb and seasoned with onion, garlic, mace, Italian herbs and extra rosemary, and served up under a lavish application of cornstarch gravy made from the drippings. Sheep! It's what's for dinner!
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