| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| BadgerFace |
One Butt too many !!Yesterday, one of my Badgerface rams butted the OH rather too hard - very lucky he only removed the skin off the OH's bare shin, could easily been a broken leg ! Now he has pushed his luck and is a liability, so he's booked for pet mince on wednesday - lucky dogs, or kebabs anyone ? He has fathered over 100 pedigree lambs for me, so not all bad.P.s. I had to post this, to stop me backing down (old age has made me soft) 
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| Mutton |
Our Soay ram was a regular butt-er - until we discovered he hated having water squirted in his face. Carried a washing up liquid bottle full of water when walking through his field and if he chose to come charging over, would squirt his forehead and he'd spin on the spot and charge off.
Found the run up and butt behaviour had some uses - want to catch him, stand in the field and he'll thunder up to you. |
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| Shan |
Our Ram has not butted us yet but I keep on expecting him to. Hopefully he stays nice and docile. | ||||||
| Gervase |
Our Lleyn ram is an evil beggar in that respect (as a result of too much human contact when he was a lamb, I fear). I find the only safe way to deal with him is never to turn your back and, if he does put his head down, to close in fast and get a hand under his chin to turn him away. A sharp whack with a piece of alkathene pipe also does the trick. | ||||||
| jinglejoys |
"Pet" rams have no respect.There have been more people killed by rams than bulls 
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| judith |
Yep. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my Evil Ram went on his last journey. I also took great satisfaction in eating him - I earned it with my bruises! | ||||||
| BadgerFace |
Well he went off early Wednesday morning, I have to say I did feel slightly guilty as he loaded good as gold into the trailer. The OH went with him all the way at the other end, just to make sure to behaved himself !
His butting got worse as he got older (and always worse with the OH and other men) - the last few weeks he's even been butting the quad , to the point where the OH refused to deal with him any longer. I didn't want the liability, if for some reason I had to leave my daughter or someone else farm sitting for a few days. Plus we have another senior ram who is a perfect gentleman 
I collect him next week as pet mince - I think a 7 year old ram would be a little too 'rammy' for shepherds pie
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| Mutton |
Our old butting wotsit became no more earlier this year - died in his sleep. We took him on late in his life anyway - someone told us that he was probably fed sheep nuts every time someone went in his field and the result was that he smacked us every time there were no sheep nuts or once they ran out. However water in the face did work.
His two sons that we are raising we have been very careful not to befriend. No hand feeding or taming at all unlike the ewes. They will come up to a few feet away from us but are spooky. They'll be 18 months old this Autumn and lined up for their first working season. See how they are then and whether our cunning plan has worked! |
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| BadgerFace |
Well he's back ! Made 28kgs of mince. The Butcher said it was great looking mince and we should try some, rather than feeding it all to the hounds. So I fried some up just to test it - and it's tastes just fine, not rammy at all. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised; I can see a moussaka in the making
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| judith |
If you like spicy, then give merguez sausages a go too.
I don't bother with the skins - just make little patties instead. They even cook well from frozen, so it's worth making a big batch. |
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| BadgerFace |
Ooo they sound lovely, thanks for the idea. My daughter is having a A level celebration/commiseration BBQ at the weekend - I think 'Badger Face' merguez patties will go down a treat
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| Bebo |
Want some aubergines? They aren't very big but I've got dozens of them. |
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| BadgerFace |
Wow that would be great, I'll do you a swap - aubergines for Badger Mince
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| Bebo |
I'll swop you some mince on condition that you take a marrow or two as well. |
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| BadgerFace |
 Oh go on then, I'll take a marrow or two Actually I don't have any marrows this year, and I do stuffed marrow !
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| judith |
There's going to be none of this mince left for the poor dogs at this rate.
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| BadgerFace |
Just eaten the lovely merguez sausages ! Ooo they are tasty
Didn't have any Harissa paste, so used Bebo's lovely fresh chilli's (those big fat round red chilli's are bloody lovely). But the jury is out on the ram mince - bit like marmite, you either love it or hate it ! No complaints from the hounds though. We also made a giant moussaka with Bebo's aubergines, really tasty. Fed me, the OH and growing gang of teenagers for days
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| Bebo |
I've just used up about 3 dozen of those round chillis, but there's loads more ripening on the plants if you want more of them.
Have you had the green chillis yet? They are habaneros and much, much hotter. Treat them with care! Haven't got round to trying the ram mince yet, but I'll let you know how it goes down once I get round to making something with it. |
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| BadgerFace |
I'm saving the habaneros for a rabbit curry
I gave some ram mince to my curry buddy - he teaches me to cook real curries, in exchange for me providing the meat ! He loved it, but his wife thinks it tastes like old goat (bearing in mind all curry evenings start and end in a drunken state !) So I'm taking no responsibility, for goaty shepherds pie 
I'm making chilli oil & vodka with the long thin red chilli's you gave me
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| Bebo |
Chilli vodka! Two of my favourite things. Let me know how it turns out and I might have a go at it myself. |