In your share this month:

• Rabbit
• Beef Roast
• Pork Chops
• Bacon
• Italian Sausage
• Optional Bonus – Pork Bones

On the farm

The change in season is a welcome sight, the 2+” of rain we had last weekend is already causing our pasture to send up some fresh grass seedlings, and with more rain in the forecast for the coming week, we are crossing our fingers for some productive grazing in October. It’s also the time of year when we can finally start to see our daily chores diminishing ever so slightly – we just processed the last batch of guinea fowl for the year, our last batch of broiler chickens is in the field, and six more pigs will become bacon in a few weeks. But one of our dairy cows, Stella, is due to calve on October 6^th, when the twice a day milking will take a little longer. We’ve been low on milk for a while, so her extra production will certainly fill a need. We’ve not been super active on social media this year, but a new calf is always a reason to share.

Featured Recipe

This comes from the website of Hank Shaw, who’s an authority on all things hunting, gathering, and cooking of those things: honest-food.net, and I also recommend his podcast, Hunt Gather Talk.

We included the Italian sausage to complete this recipe, though I’m guessing his intention was to use links, but since ours is bulk packaged, I’d suggest lightly browning it prior to adding it in step 4.

Calabrian Rabbit with Red Peppers

Ingredients

• 1  rabbit, cut into serving pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, cut into large pieces (hot or sweet)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano or marjoram
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Calabrian hot pepper paste or 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into slices

Instructions

1. Cut the rabbits into serving pieces. For a primer on how to cut up a rabbit, go to Hank’s website: https://honest-food.net/how-to-cut-up-a-rabbit/. There’s lots of other great recipes there, too.
2. Find a wide, shallow pot. A large, high-sided saute pan is a good choice, but one of those earthen braziers is even better. Arrange the rabbit pieces in the pot and just barely cover with water. Bring to a simmer and add a healthy pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Skim any scum that forms on the surface of the water.
3. Simmer the rabbit uncovered for 1 hour, turning the pieces from time to time as the water cooks away; this keeps both sides moist.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Keep turning the rabbit and sausage pieces so they are coated in the sauce, and when it thickens enough — about another 10-15 minutes — you are ready to serve.

Bone Broth

To make broth with your pork bones, you can just cover them with water and let them simmer for a while, but to really bring out the flavor first roast them at 350 degrees for about an hour, then put them in a stock pot or slow cooker, cover with water, add chopped vegetables of your choice and simmer for 4-24 hours. Strain and transfer to a jar to keep in the fridge or you can put it in freezer safe containers and freeze in smaller portions.

Enjoy!