Rabbit Season...

Our plan for this year was to get the garden up and running, and make it productive.  If all goes according to plan, our next step will be raising meat rabbits.

I have never raised rabbits, and frankly don't really care for them as pets; that may be why I found it easy to make the jump to the idea of rabbits as a food source.  They are ideal for urban homesteads, since they are quiet and don't need much space.  Their manure makes an excellent fertilizer (it is the only manure that won't "burn" plants if put directly into the garden), and their pelts are nice too.  Apparently they are relatively easy to kill and dress, which makes them an excellent starter animal.

But there was one problem - we had never eaten rabbit before.  That seemed the most important thing to consider if we were seriously considering them as our first livestock.  Luckily the last time I was at the Farmer's Market the Amish man was there (don't get me started on the Amish man's booth... I spend at least $10 more if he's there than if he isn't.)  He sells cheese, eggs, granola, and meat... lo and behold, he carries rabbit!

I found this recipe online (combined a few, actually... most called for heavy cream soups or sour cream, and we're trying to be more healthy...)

INGREDIENTS:

• Rabbit meat, dressed.
• Herbs and Garlic
• Worcestershire sauce
• Plain yogurt
• 1 can vegetable or chicken stock
• Carrots and Potatoes, quartered and rinsed.

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.  Meat should be under or nearly submerged in the broth - add water to mixture if the broth isn't high enough.

This was really tasty!  Rabbit tastes a bit like a VERY lean pork to me - there was virtually no fat, which means that the meat can run a bit dry (most people fry or slow cook it for this reason), but it also means that if you're picky about fat on food (Husband and I both HATE to eat a piece of fat...) rabbit might be the meat for you!  The meat fell right off of the bone, and most of it was edible.  I think next time I might coat the rabbit in the yogurt before the spices, as this might keep more moisture trapped in the meat.

Overall, if more people ate rabbit (or other low-impact livestock) and kept the cows for the special occasions, the planet (and our bodies) would be in MUCH better shape right now!

Blueberry Muffins with Honey

One of my biggest goals this summer is to improve the quality of the foods Husband and I eat.  I love living in a town that has an amazing Farmer's Market (see past raves about that...), and there are several smaller-scale markets nearby.  The problem, of course, is what do you do with all of this bounty once you've made the purchases?  Too often my compost bin bulges with all of the fruits and vegetables I had every intention of using... until the idea of ordering a pizza seemed more appealing.  

That being said, I plan to really make the most of fruits and vegetables this season.  My homesteading plans are underway, the plants and herbs are in the ground, and now I need to make sure that I will make use of them!  Anyway, here's a favorite family recipe for amazing blueberry muffins!

INGREDIENTS: 

1 Egg (Beaten)

3/4 Cup Milk

3/4 Cup Blueberries

1/2 Cup Oil

2 Cups Flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

3 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 Tsp. Salt

Brown Sugar to Top

Rinse your blueberries under cold water!

Mix all wet ingredients.

I used 3/4 cup honey instead of 1/3 cup sugar to sweeten the muffins.  I love the subtlety of the sweetness... and honey has amazing health benefits and NEVER goes bad!  

Add the dry ingredients and blueberries.  I added 1/2 of the blueberries, mixed them in, and then added the rest... it makes some of the berries mushy and flavors the batter, and others whole.

Bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes.  When the muffins have been baked for a few minutes, pull them out and top them with brown sugar.  This makes a lovely crusty top!  I waited a bit too long with this, my first batch, so the sugar didn't stick as well as I would have liked.

This is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes - and it's actually Husband's favorite dinner!  I found it in the back of my mom's recipe box and added a few of my own twists... When I cook, it's very free-form - all numbers are flexible and to taste.

Veggie Curried Rice:

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Minced Garlic

2 tbsp mild Curry Powder

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

Dash of Black Pepper

1 Zucchini

1/2 Green Pepper

1 cup Raisins

1 Carrot

1/2 lb Chicken Tenderloin

Sautee Garlic in Olive Oil until fragrant - add curry powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Mix into a sauce, and add Chicken.  Cook through.  

Dice vegetables.  Add carrots to chicken to cook until tender.  Add zucchini, pepper, and raisins, coat with sauce.

Add to rice.  I used instant white rice because it is fast and easy, but this would be yummy with brown or basmati rice as well!  This can easily be a vegetarian dish.

Typically we have this with Naan (I'm so glad Meijer carries it now!), but a few nights ago, I attempted a stuffed chicken recipe that I wasn't altogether pleased with, and I had some leftover stuffing.  I made a sort of  improvised, very American Samosa...

American Samosa:

1/2 cup Ricotta cheese 

1/8 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/8 cup Spinach, Diced

1 stalk Celery, Diced
1/2 Carrot, Grated

2 pieces of Fried Bacon
1 egg

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

Sea Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients, place inside a halved flour tortilla (this was what I had available at the time).  Pin tortilla shut with a toothpick and deep fry until golden brown.

This was surprisingly delicious (You can see it in the upper left corner of the picture above.  The original stuffing was pretty bland, so I added the Cayenne which spiced it nicely but not too much.  I am a well-known spice baby.  I think if I make these again I'll really embrace the Samosa idea and add some chunky cooked cauliflower and eliminate the Parmesan altogether.

Anyway, that's what's for dinner!