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Our lambs are sold by the animal or by the piece at our farm store. You can purchase a whole lamb, and we also sell ground lamb and stew meat packaged frozen in 1-pound packages.
Our sheep are humanely processed nearby in western Massachusetts at a state-of-the-art, USDA-inspected meat processing facility which utilizes strict quality control standards to provide only the highest quality, freshest meat that exceeds USDA requirements. Our products are vacuum sealed in Cryovac® bags to preserve freshness while still allowing you to see what's inside.
We have tried to anticipate any questions you may have about purchasing lamb from us. Please feel free to e-mail or call if you have specific questions that are not answered below.
Q: What do whole lambs cost?
A: Please ust the Contact Us link at the left to ask for current prices.
Q: Is delivery included?
A: No. You may pick up at the farm depending on the season. We can also meet you at a local place such as a library, post office, or parking lot at no charge. If we are coming your way, there will be no charge for delivery. Sometimes we come to Boston (Kristin’s sister lives in Dedham), so you may be able to meet us there for pick-up. Mark frequently travels to eastern Massachusetts for his business.
Q: Should I bring a cooler when I pick up my lamb?
A: This depends on the weather and how far you have to travel with your frozen lamb. Use common sense. In the summer, definitely yes.
Q: What will my lamb look like?
A: Your lamb will be frozen and sealed in Cryovac® vacuum bags. They will be labeled with cut of the meat marked on them. The individual packs will not have individual weights per pack. You will receive 2 to 3 large bags of meat.
Q: What will my lamb weigh?
A: Our goal is to slaughter our lambs at approximately 100 pounds liveweight. An average 100-pound lamb will yield approximately 30 to 35 pounds of frozen meat.
Q: What do I get?
A: Here’s how the sample lamb pictured above finished out. Note: Not all lambs will weigh the same going in and coming out of processing. A lamb is an organic thing - everyone weighs slightly differently just like humans.
The following is an example of how we normally have our lambs cut. After almost 30 years of eating our own animals, we have determined these cuts to be the best for our family. Your family may have different needs and we are willing to accommodate your needs with appropriate notice.
This sample animal yielded approximately 33.5 pounds of meat, which averages to about $7.20/pound.
Loin and Rib Chops
Chops are cut approximately 1" to 1.25” thick. This lamb yielded 24 chops, about 8 pounds.
4 shanks
A shank is the bottom part of a leg. There are about 2.5 pounds here.
Legs
The back legs of the animal. Two legs with bone in weigh approximately 5.5 pounds. Boned legs are available by special order.
Shoulders
The front legs of the animal. Two shoulders, both are boned and tied here, are approximately 3.25 pounds.
Ground Lamb
3 to 3.5 pounds of ground lamb
Stew Meat
5 pounds of stew meat cut from various pieces
Organs
2 packs of lamb livers, about 1.25 pounds
2 kidneys, about 0.25 pounds
1 heart, also about 0.25 pounds
Q: Can I get special cuts?
A: If you would like special cuts, they are available by special order.
For instance, if you want the loin as a “rack of lamb” they can be supplied whole. French cut is not available – French cut is the fancy cut restaurants serve with the little curled papers on the bones.
If you want the legs boned, this is possible. Obviously, the boned legs weigh less than with bone in. Boned legs are perfect for butterflying for the grill in the summer or for stuffing.
Thicker chops are available by special order but obviously you will receive fewer chops.
Shoulders can also be cut into shoulder chops or stew meat. After many years of eating our own lamb, we have decided we prefer our shoulders boned. A shoulder roast can be stuffed and roasted or cut it into stew meat. The shoulders have quite a bit connective tissue and benefit from a very slow, low temperature, long roast or simmer or braise.
Q: What do your lambs eat?
A: Grass during pasture season, homegrown and harvested hay during the winter. Milking mothers and young lambs receive grain supplements for about two months in the winter before the pastures kick in. The grain that we feed has no added hormones or antibiotics, but it is not certified organic.
Q: Do you give your sheep any antibiotics or hormones?
A: No.
Q: Are your lambs certified organic?
A: No, but they live free, happy lives on our farm.
Q: Can I get my lamb fresh, not frozen?
A: Yes, this is possible, but you must be ready to pick up exactly when we specify to avoid spoilage.
Q: How do I pay?
A: We prefer personal checks or cash. If you must pay with a credit card, we will process it through Paypal. There will be a 3% surcharge for Paypal payments. Contact us in advance if you will be paying this way so that we can send you a Paypal invoice with instructions for how to use your credit card. The Paypal transaction must be completed before pick-up.
Q: Can you ship my lamb?
A: Not quite yet because we’re just learning the ropes. Maybe someday.
Q: Can you supply restaurants?
A: We can supply restaurants with ground lamb and stew meat at the present time.
Q: Can I buy just a leg or a shoulder?
A: If you come to our farm, you can purchase the cuts available in our farm store. Not all cuts are available all the time and the supply will vary. Contact us if you're looking for something specific.
Q: Can we come to visit your farm to see the animals?
A: Yes, but we are very busy farming and may not have time to chat, although we will try. Please set up an appointment. You can visit our self-service farm store any time for lamb purchases.
Q: Can I buy mutton. I just read an article about it in the New York Times and I would love to try it.
A: Yes, we will have some mutton later in the summer. Contact us if you want to be on the Mutton List.
Q: Can you suggest any good books for learning about cooking meat and about grass-fed animals?
A: There are more and more good books coming to the market as the grass-fed meat trend continues to grow. Here’s a short list:
Meat by Hugh Fearnley-Whittenstall, published by 10 Speed Press.
This book comes from one of the gurus of the “where does your food come from?” movement in Great Britain. It has been recently printed for the US market. Hugh has several other great cookbooks that often feature lamb recipes. These include River Cottage Year, The River Cottage Cookbook, and others.
Check out his website: www.rivercottage.net
The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook by Shannon Hayes, published by Chelsea Green
All Flesh is Grass by Gene Logsdon, published by Swallow Press
Q: Can I purchase a live lamb?
A: Yes, call for availability.
Q: Do you sell wool?
A: Not yet. We are working on it.
Q: What breed are your sheep?
A: Our base flock is Romney, a dual purpose breed that originated in England and is very popular in New Zealand. Over the years, we have introduced Dorset, Dorper, Shetland, and Border Leicester, usually by purchasing a ram and using him for breeding the flock. We continually try new cross-bred combinations to develop an animal which works well with our management system and within the local ecology of the pastures we graze.