Yes, I am alive. The end of winter has gotten to me. Hope to be posting more as the sun shines and warms my gardens! We've had our first two litters of the year. Sally had a litter of six (we've lost one) and Ellie (Sally's daughter) has a litter of nine.
I am very proud of myself. My husband and I have officially butchered our first three rabbits and today I prepared my first rabbit meal! Now we are awaiting Sally's second litter to be born in about two weeks. I wish I had a picture of the meal to share with you, but hubby and I just dove right in and couldn't stop picking! The carcass is stewing now and I think I might make a batch of Garlic Soup with the remaining broth.
This recipe is adapted from an older book called Raising Rabbits by Ann Kanable.
Vegetable Stuffed Rabbit
1 whole roasting rabbit
1 T salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup cook green limas or English peas (optional)
1 cup coarsely cut-up celery
3 quartered large potatoes
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup melted butter
Poultry seasoning or your seasoning mix of your choice
Rub inside of rabbit cavity with combined salt and pepper. Mix all vegetables together, adding leftover salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity lightly with some of the vegetable combination. Arrange remaining vegetables around the meat in a roasting pan with a cover. Add the water and brush the upperside of the meat with the melted butter. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning or poultry seasoning works as well. Bake at 350 degrees until the meat is fork-tender (mine close to an hour to cook), brushing occasionally with the butter to prevent drying of meat.
Remove stuffed rabbit to a serving platter. Transfer extra vegetables to a separate serving dish. Be sure to save the scraps and bones to make some nutritious bone broth!
It's been an amazing process from bringing a rabbit to our home, taking care of her through her first litter, butchering the rabbits, and then preparing it. It makes me feel that much closer food, as it should. It's an experience I think everyone should undertake. And the meat is SOOO delicious! Can't wait for Sally to kindle and watch the next litter grow up!
I would assume this recipe is fairly versatile with seasonings and vegetables. I hope you get to try rabbit someday, it's very delicious!
One last thing, Friday is the last day to enter the Herbal Tea Giveaway and I only have 6 people who've entered thus far! Come on, that's pathetic! I know more of you that read my blog and would love to have you comment and enter for a chance to win some lovely loose herbal tea. You won't be disappointed! So please, head on over to this post and comment to win today!
I haven't updated about my rabbits in a long time! The "baby" rabbits are almost 15 weeks now and range between 5 lbs and 5 lbs 10 oz. Four of the five will be butchered in the next few weeks. We'll be keeping one doe as breeding doe for next spring. We're raising the Creme D'Argent breed.
I have been quite busy around the homestead, hence my sporadic postings! I wanted to share with you what I've been up to.
so I can put up some green beans and other not-so-acidic vegetables. I also have high hopes for this zucchini relish recipe. Yum!
The baby bunnies are now a week and a half old and getting bigger!
Looking at my home you wouldn't instantly think homestead, but I feel we transformed into a real homestead last evening. Sometime in the middle of the night, Sally kindled five precious kits! I realize fully they have a purpose, but I'm ogling in new baby newness!
Sally is due to kindle this weekend! We put in the nest box today. Send good vibes that she truly is pregnant and has a safe delivery!
Meet Sally, our Creme D'Argent heritage breed doe who was bred today. Hopefully we'll have babies in 31 days! She starts our official "meat department" on our homestead!
© Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
