Why I May Never Eat Lamb Again
Remember when I told you I had some stories to tell you? Well here’s one.
It has very little to do with food. Or a lot to do with food, depending on what you eat.
A few weeks ago we made the 10-hour trek up to my parents’ house in Idaho. Since it’s lambing season on the sheep farms (and Dad’s dad used to be a sheep farmer), my dad thought it would be fun to take the kids out to a sheep farm to see the lambs.
We thought we were just going out to the sheds to pet the lambs, but we were invited (?) to ride out on the gut cart (yes, it’s really called that) to bring in the new lambs and mama sheep who had just given birth.
We got ourselves loaded onto the cart and out into the field we went.
This particular farm had 5500 sheep. Only half of them had had their lambs at that point, and they were popping them out around the clock. Can you imagine being around this many pregnant women about to give birth? It’s a good thing sheep don’t talk.
This mama sheep had her lambs not too long ago. So they were loaded onto the cart with Steve and the girls.
The lambs go in the middle compartment and they strap the moms to the outside. Those poor mamas probably could have used one of those inflatable doughnuts to sit on. *shutter*
While they were out on the cart (I say “they” because I stayed behind, just outside of the pen with Gramma.) they got to see a lamb coming right out of its mama. This guy up there is as freshly born as you’ll ever see. Not the cutest creature. But once he dries out and fluffs up…
He’ll turn into this. Seriously? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat lamb again.
Granted, the lamb you buy at the store comes from older lambs than these, but still.
This kills me! The same thing happened when I found out veal came from baby cows. I have a hard time not getting emotionally attached to cute things.
Lately the topic of childbirth and babies has been a popular one with my kids. They’d been asking how our new baby is going to come out for the past couple months.
I think it’s pretty clear to them now.
(A huge, ginormous thanks to my talented little sister for taking all of these photos!)
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Cookbook Queen — March 30, 2012 @ 5:14 am
I don’t eat lamb. I just can’t do it. Look at those cute faces, I mean really!!
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 7:54 am
I know!! I’m OK with adult animals, but the babies just tear me up!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel — March 30, 2012 @ 5:17 am
SO cute!
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Julia {The Roasted Root} — March 30, 2012 @ 7:14 am
The second I saw your first picture, I said in my head “oh man, I don’t know if I can eat lamb anymore either!” I very rarely do (typically only when eating out at an Indian restaurant) but wow, these little guys are CUTE! with their huge eyes. Looks like a fun trip even if it did make you lose your appetite for lamb ;)
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 7:55 am
Luckily I never been a fan of lamb (it’s got a weird taste that I just can’t get used to). Like you, I rarely eat it, and when I do it’s slathered in some kind of Indian curry. :)
See you this afternoon!!
Tracy — March 30, 2012 @ 8:01 am
I raise hair sheep (Dorpers, LOVE it NO shearing) I can sympathize with the ‘they’re sooo cute’, but that only lasts just so long when you’re raising them ;o) Make no mistake, my ewes are ‘my girls’, but the ram lambs that they produce have no place in my breeding program and unless I have an OUTSTANDING breed ‘specimen’ I don’t sell them for breeding purposes ………… Plus, if you have never tried hair sheep meat, you have NO idea what you’re missin’………. Hair sheep don’t have the lanolin that woolies do…….. Their meat is very lean, tender and mild…………. So, I love my babies while I can and then love them again on my plate………
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Tracy replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 8:49 am
Oh, and my ‘lambs’ are at least a year old before butchering…….. ( I wether my ram lambs) Hair sheep aren’t considered to have a ‘mutton’ stage ………. Check it out……………… http://www.blueeggfarm.com/about.shtml (this is not ‘my’ site but ‘explains’ the breed well)
Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
Thanks for all of the info, Tracy! I love that you can appreciate the animals both in the field and on your plate. I think more people should be exposed to where their food comes from!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking — March 30, 2012 @ 8:09 am
That first picture! Oh my goodness. I’m a huge hypocrite and don’t eat lamb, veal (which I inhaled before knowing what it was), duck or geese because of their cuteness. But I love eating adult cows and chickens and pigs. It just makes no sense. I have tons of lamb pictures on my computer and that first one is the cutest one I’ve ever seen. Thanks for sharing your trip to the lamb farm with us! I will pretend that this farm only farms lambs for their wool. :)
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 2:03 pm
Oh, I’m a hypocrite then as well :) Those little lambs just stole our hearts!
Laurie {Simply Scratch} — March 30, 2012 @ 8:17 am
I’m with you Natalie… not the hugest fan of lamb. Now after these photos… I may never eat it again! Ps… You’re family is adorable! Xo
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Chelsea A — March 30, 2012 @ 9:39 am
I have a friend here who claims vegetarianism (off and on) but we’ve really determined she’s more of a cute-itarian. She can’t bring herself to eat any cute animals, baby or adult.
I totally understand that thought process. I think the whole ‘eat meat sparingly’ really goes a long way when you see them from birth to table. And I think society as a whole would be more prone to use more of the animal (like many other cultures do) if they raised the animals themselves.
Thanks for sharing the amazing pictures! Perfect for the Easter season.
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 2:02 pm
Exactly. We’re so disconnected with where our food comes from and maybe don’t appreciate the whole “circle of life” aspect of it. Have you read Omnivore’s Dilemma? I loved the chapters about this topic… I think you would, too :)
Jae — March 30, 2012 @ 9:55 am
Lambs are cute, but call me cruel, lamb gyros are just too tasty. ;) I still love seeing little lambs. I wish they’d put out more lamb things (plushies, chocolate, etc) for Easter. A bunny is fine, but lambs are definitely cuter. Thanks for sharing cute pictures of them, especially this time of year. I guess it brings home the point strongly of why the image of a lamb is used in connection with the savior. They look far too innocent to be harmed (which I guess is the point). And your girls are adorable as always! :)
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 2:01 pm
Lambs are DARLING and I agree with you — I think they’re underrepresented at Easter. Especially when the symbolism with the Savior is so apparent!
Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe — March 30, 2012 @ 9:56 am
I’m Armenian, so I grew up eating lamb, but I know what you mean. My brother-in-law can’t stand the thought of it, so my sister and I sneak some in when he’s away. Shish Kebab just isn’t the same with beef.
Your story reminded me of my Mom and her sister when they were kids. Their Dad came home with a turkey one day, so they named him and made a pen for him in the basement. Of course Thanksgiving was several months later, and when they found out their pet was on the table, they couldn’t bring themselves to eat. I wouldn’t have either! :(
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 1:59 pm
Funny how when we give things names and think of them as pets we’re no longer detached from them. I don’t think I’d be able to eat a turkey that had spent a lot of time in my backyard!
Elodie Amora — March 30, 2012 @ 9:57 am
Exactly the same reason why I stopped eating veal meat…
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Bev Weidner — March 30, 2012 @ 11:01 am
THAT IS THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN AND I’M RUINED FOR LIFE.
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Monica B. — March 30, 2012 @ 12:23 pm
I’ve never had lamb or veal. I don’t know if I dare try it. They’re too cute!
P.S. I thought you were pregnant? There’s no sign of a pregnant belly in any pictures.
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Natalie replied: — March 30th, 2012 @ 1:58 pm
Oh, I am. I’m not really trying to hide it. My children just strategically place themselves in front of my stomach :)
Cathy @ Noble Pig — March 30, 2012 @ 4:41 pm
Love it.
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michelle — April 1, 2012 @ 6:07 pm
The lambs are adorable. We once had one wandering around in church for Easter Sunday thanks to a local farmer. This looks like a wonderful family outing. The mama sheep look a little bemused strapped to the back of that cart; like a hospital wheelchair.
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Joanne — April 1, 2012 @ 7:28 pm
And…now you see why I will probably never eat meat again. SO CUTE!
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Alison — April 1, 2012 @ 10:35 pm
Oh dear. I might not be able to eat lamb again either!
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Radhika @ Just Homemade — April 3, 2012 @ 8:38 pm
Beautiful!
The very reason why I choose to be a vegetarian (that I have been all my life)!
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Tracy — April 6, 2012 @ 6:28 am
Nobody butchers cute babies for your gyros or Easter dinner. The “lamb” that goes to slaughter has been sexually mature for 4-7 months and you wouldn’t be able to tell it from an adult. So, please continue to enjoy lamb as you would any other kind of meat.
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Sheri replied: — July 29th, 2012 @ 4:32 am
Hear hear !!!!!!
Anna — April 7, 2012 @ 1:21 pm
I invite you to think over the fact tht it could be hypocrite not to eat lambs and eat other animals… open your eyes: all animals deserve to live…
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Natalie replied: — April 7th, 2012 @ 2:24 pm
Thanks Anna. First, I don’t eat lamb primarily because I don’t like how it tastes. And like I said above, lambs are far older when they’re slaughtered for meat. They don’t look like these newborns. Second, I also invite you to open your eyes. If everyone suddenly stopped eating meat there would be millions of domesticated animals tossed out into the wild to face starvation and being hunted by wild animals. That’s a far worse death than the quick ones the slaughterhouses try to impose.
Robin "Lilredhippie" — April 9, 2012 @ 11:34 am
Trust me, those cute little lambs become onery, frustrating, very large animals way too soon. We raise as much of our own meat as we can, so lamb works well for us. The cute wears off soon after they find ways out of the fenced in pasture and into the garden.
We enjoy lamb/mutton. We rarely buy any meat and venison, that my husband hunts has replaced beef for us for several years. All of our turkeys, sheep and chickens are raised out on pasture, have clean water, shelter from weather and protection from predators.
Yes, young lambs, like most food animal babies are cute. But when they are grown, we are grateful for the meals they provide for our family.
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