In early 2018 my husband and I purchased True North Jerky and Foods in Chelsea, MI. The last year has been a complete whirlwind as we learn the ins and outs of small business ownership, run the farm and raise our three kids. We feel beyond blessed as we venture down this new road.

At our small shop we make smoked meats and fish, authentic sausage recipes from around the world, many grill-ready bratwurst flavors and hot dogs, snack sticks, pulled pork, shredded turkey, ground meat mixes & patties; and deliciously crafted varieties of beef, turkey, chicken, pork, elk, bison and venison jerky to satisfy every palate. We also carry specialty cheeses, cheese curds, steaks, roasts, specialty game meats, fish, chicken and a line of authentic Polish foods. Our spices, sauces and marinades selections are eclectic and appreciated by many.

If you get a chance to stop by the shop and visit us, we'd love to say hi and offer you a sample of our amazing jerky or snack sticks. If a visit isn't feasible, check back here, I plan to be blogging much more frequently about our farm and food focused life!

Our life is currently very sheep focused, to say the least. Lambing kicked off in high gear with 11 lambs being born on the first day! It was quite the surprise after waiting rather impatiently for things to get started - as they say "a watched pot never boils", but when we looked away, yikes (it was just for 30 minutes of swimming lessons)! In 17 days we have welcomed over 70 lambs to the world. 

Despite the short nights, extra work, and cold temperatures (except for this blessed week of spring-like weather) lambing season is my favorite time of the year for farm work. The most peaceful and fulfilling times for me on the farm are when caring for new lambs and their moms' just after the lambs are born. I love getting to see the lambs grow stronger by the minute as they figure out - with the help of their moms' - how to breathe, communicate, stand, walk and eat. 

It is no small miracle that a slippery little bundle made up of long, spindly legs and short, curly wool can be born in Michigan in the winter and begin to thrive within minutes. Something interesting - newborn lambs smell like rain. I just so happen to love the smell of rain. 

 
In my previous job I traveled far and often, becoming rather adventurous in my food choices - sometimes by choice and sometimes through courteous obligation. I have not always been adventurous about food. I'd been raised on a pretty typical mid-west diet and was none too keen to step outside my comfort zone, at first. The first time I ate lamb I was at a 4H event and I was nervous. I hesitantly took a few small bites of roast lamb smothered in barbecue sauce, it tasted good but it never came across my plate again until I met my husband.

Upon introduction to my husband's family - long time sheep producers - I had the pleasure of eating a wide array of lamb dishes: Lamb and cheese pie (a quiche recipe shown below), barbecued lamb, roasted lamb (oven and full sized spit), lamb chops, a chutney based curry, spaghetti sauce with ground lamb, and a number of others. Each and every dish was delicious, much to the credit of my mother in-law, a very skilled cook. 

Lamb has become a staple in my diet, nothing to be feared. I encourage everyone to take a step or two outside their food comfort zone from time to time. If you've not tried lamb, please give it a try. I recommend for most Americans to try American raised lamb first, it's less dramatic to the taste buds than that raised in another country, like Australia or New Zealand (more on why in a later blog).

I am sharing with you all a favorite recipe of ours. It is pretty easy to prepare (especially if you buy the pie crust) and tastes great at any time of day, whether cold or hot. It can also be frozen; I have three in my freezer right now. The recipe is not one of my own invention, I never would have thought to incorporate ground lamb into a quiche dish. This particular version of this recipe is sourced from the following book, copyright 1970. 
 
ngredients:
Single pie crust (its the purchased rolled up package on the right), one pound of ground lamb (or other ground meat), four (or five or six) eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, milk, and parsley (which is not pictured because recipe photography is harder than I expected). 
 
Prepare a pie plate with a single crust, flute or crimp the edges as you please.


Next, brown one pound of ground lamb, drain drippings.
 
Beat the eggs slightly. Sometimes I will add an egg or two to the recipes, depending on how many people I'm feeding.
Add the egg, milk (or water), salt, pepper onion and 1 1/2 cup of cheese to the ground lamb, stirring until combined. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate. Sprinkle with parsley.

I highly recommend covering the edges of the pie with foil while it is baking to prevent burning.

Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes or until set (ovens vary, I start checking at 25 minutes when using an unfamiliar oven.
The original recipe

I divert from the original by substituting water for milk to make the dish fluffier and do not sprinkle cheese on top because it typically turns brown and my children will not eat brown cheese.

​1/18/17
Shearing ewes is a BIG event on our farm. Each December local shearers, family and friends come to the farm to help us shear our ewes in preparation for lambing season. The help of others is a true blessing and a cherished farm tradition. Nothing shows your friends how much you care quite like putting them to work in a livestock barn in December! Thankfully, most of them keep coming back.
Despite the county we live in having a long history of sheep production, shearers are a little hard to come by. Thankfully we have a group nearby that has been around for decades. Over the years we have moved from six down to only two shearers but the experience they bring is both effective and captivating. The maneuvering of a 200 pound ewe sitting on her rump with her full fleece smoothly peeling off in one piece is mesmerizing. They shear quickly and safely, taking approximately two minutes per sheep. During the majority of their ‘hair cut’ the ewes are sitting on their rump. The ewes are generally content in this position, though it looks a little funny. It’s unusual for sheep to be cut by the clippers during the shearing process, if they are we treat the nick with approved topical medication (typically a 7% solution of iodine). In addition, the sheep’s lanolin, which is a naturally occurring oil in the wool, also works to heal any nicks or cuts.
Shearing is an important step in sheep production, well at least for breeds with wool instead of hair. Sheep cannot shed their wool, like a dog sheds it’s hair, and since it is always growing it must be shorn. This necessary cycle helps the sheep remain comfortable and healthy. While wool is an amazing fiber (and worthy of a blog post of its own) it can collect manure and moisture resulting in an unhealthy environment for the sheep. When ewes with a long fleece give birth the extra wool can make the birthing process more difficult and even worse, lambs can and will starve when they mistaken a tag of wool for a teat. This last issue, making certain young lambs have clear and clean access to colostrum and solid nutrition, has been my selling point to the time of year in which we shear. 


In all, shearing 2016 was a success! The ewes look great as we quickly approach their due dates. We are beyond grateful for the help of our family and friends throughout the year. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue this family tradition and overjoyed that it is entrenched in agriculture. The hands of many make for light work and especially fantastic potlucks!

In my pre-sheep life, the months of January and February always dragged on. Not anymore! Nothing makes a winter fly by like the birthing of lambs. January is the month we prepare for lambing and February marks the beginning of our lambing season, which is the most important time of year in regard to the sheep. After all, each LIVE lamb on the ground equates to income for the farm. If we were accountants, call this 'Tax Season'. 

The ewes are doing their part to get ready for their lambs by getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy and varied diet of pasture based forages - including but not limited to turnips, free choice hay, and a daily grain snack. For our preparation we shear the ewes (more on this in my next post), organize the barns to easily move lambs and ewes, stock the 'office' with lambing supplies, stock up on freezer meals (WE still need to eat well), and talk a lot about the weather.

Speaking of weather, the wind today has been crazy! We had some colder temperatures last month but today's wind really kicked it up a notch. I had wind-induced tears frozen to my cheeks by the time I was through with the afternoon chores. Despite the wind and cold, the animals are taking everything in stride. 

The chickens did refuse to leave their coop for more than a few minutes at a time today but continue to lay eggs and treat one another nicely. The very pregnant ewes happily walked a half mile one way to their turnip pasture three times, stopping along the way for bites of alfalfa and other forage-goodness between their barn and those much loved turnips. The ewe-lambs and rams spent plenty of time outdoors as well, alternating between eating and playing. In all, the animals are doing well, even the elusive stray barn cat of unknown gender seems to be thriving. The kids are also well despite having to begrudgingly do chores from their seats in the truck today - I'm pretty sure the youngest would have looked like Helen Hunt in Twister.

Come back for our sheep shearing post.