Roast Leg of American Lamb with Potatoes & Lemon

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bone-in leg of lamb, about 5 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 12 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
  • 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 pounds yukon gold potatoes, quartered
  • 2 organic lemons, cut into eighths
  • 3/4 pounds shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS

The night before cooking, use a paring knife to make 24 1-inch punctures around the leg of lamb. Rub it inside and out with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place ½ clove of garlic inside each puncture. Cover and refrigerate the leg overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tbsp salt, oregano, rosemary, and ½ tsp black pepper.

Toss together the potatoes, lemons, shallots, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and ⅔ of the spice mixture in a large roasting pan.

Rub the leg of lamb with the remaining spice mixture, and place it on top of the veggies in the pan. Pour the vegetable stock, lemon juice, and white wine into the bottom of the pan.

Place in the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the lamb leg reaches 140 degrees F, about 90 minutes, using a metal ladle to spoon the pan juices over the vegetables every 30 minutes.

Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving + serving.

Assessing Soil Health on Grazing Lands Using a Shovel and a Knife

Posted on April 8, 2022

By Justin Morris, NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist

Did you know you can do a soil health assessment on your own pasture without having to send in soil samples to a laboratory? And this assessment costs only your time because it requires no special tools. Using the senses of sight, smell, and touch, along with very simple hand tools — a shovel and a knife — you can determine the health of the soil in your pasture in less than 30 minutes.

The goals of the pasture soil health assessment are to:

  • Become more familiar with the soil that supports the plants that feed your livestock
  • Determine the current state of soil health at the time of the assessment when compared to a nearby area of high soil health
  • Determine whether soil health is improving or worsening based on at least two assessments conducted in the same spot at two different time periods
  • Gain insight on whether past and/or current grazing management efforts are making a positive or negative change to soil health

I created a video to demonstrate how to conduct a soil heath assessment, where you’ll learn:

  • Where to conduct a soil health assessment
  • How to conduct a soil health assessment beginning with the condition of the soil surface
  • Indicators of good or poor soil health
  • How grazing management affects soil health

Click the play button below to watch the YouTube video on how to do the assessment. Have questions? Feel free to contact me at justinm@ncat.org or 406-494-8664.

Related ATTRA Resources: 

Soils & Compost

Soil Health 101: Principles for Livestock Production 

Soil Health 101: Cover Crops and Water Infiltration  

Soil Health 101: Grazing and Soil Health with Jody Reye

Other Resources: 

Soil for Water

This blog is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

How to Shear a Sheep and Why It’s Important Video

I have been a member of the Livestock Conservancy Organization for years. This year we will be adding some heritage breeds to Solace Farm in support of their work.
Please take a the time to check out this great video they have produced and their website
sheep shearing video banner
The Livestock Conservancy is thrilled to announce the release of our short film, How to Shear Sheep & Why It’s Important. Directed by Jody Shapiro, the compelling 12-minute film showcases the beautiful dance between sheep and shearer, the importance of sheep shearing to the health and well-being of sheep, and the impact that Slow Fashion and local wool have on the economy and local community.
 Watch How to Shear a Sheep & Why video
The film begins with an introduction by Dr. Temple Grandin, award-winning author, animal welfare advocate, and Lifetime Member of The Livestock Conservancy. Throughout the film, viewers willMeet expert shearers and rare breed sheepLearn tips on the best way to shear humanely, including preparing sheep for shearing and best tools for the jobUnderstand why shearing is important for the health of the sheepWatch the art of humane sheep shearingDiscover how you can support a sustainable industry and help save rare sheep breeds from extinction. (Hint – it’s by supporting those that raise them, shear them, and make products from their fiber)We hope that after watching this film, you will feel an appreciation for the art of humane sheep shearing and why it is so vital to the health of sheep. Please watch and share this video with your communities. We need your help spreading the word about why shearing is an important part of conserving rare breeds!
To learn more about our work with rare breeds and why conserving them is important for maintaining biodiversity and food security, visit our website at https://livestockconservancy.org/.

Thank you to Isabella Rossellini, Executive Producer of the film and Ambassador for The Livestock Conservancy for her generous gift that made this project possible. 
 ###The Livestock Conservancy is a national non-profit membership organization working to protect more than 150 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction.

Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Initiative
Interested in helping save rare breed sheep from extinction? Want to support shearers, shepherds, and the slow fashion movement? Sign up as a Fiber Artist to craft for a cause. This initiative encourages knitters, spinners, weavers, felters, and other crafters to use fiber from rare breed sheep in their projects. Using their wool puts sheep back to work on farms across the U.S. Enroll online at https://livestockconservancy.org/get-involved/shave-em-to-save-em/

Why is genetic diversity important?Like all ecological systems, agriculture depends on genetic diversity to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Genetic diversity in domestic animals is revealed in distinct breeds, each with different characteristics and uses. Traditional, historic breeds retain essential attributes for survival and self-sufficiency – fertility, foraging ability, longevity, maternal instincts and resistance to disease and parasites. As agriculture changes, this genetic diversity may be needed for a broad range of uses and opportunities. Once lost, genetic diversity is gone forever.What are Heritage Breeds?Heritage breeds are livestock and poultry breeds raised by our forefathers. These breeds were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to the local environment and they thrived under farming practices and cultural conditions that are very different from those found in modern agriculture.Heritage animals once roamed America’s pastoral landscape, but today these breeds are in danger of extinction. Modern agriculture has changed, causing many of these breeds to fall out of favor. Heritage breeds store a wealth of genetic resources that are important for our future and the future of our agricultural food system.

Harmony of Farm Life

In the bustling world of a family-run farm, the age-old adage “Many hands make light work” is not just a saying—it’s a way of life. This isn’t just about chores and checklists; it’s a symphony of shared responsibilities that creates a unique rhythm, harmonizing work with education, and duty with delight.

The farm is a living classroom, where every task is a lesson waiting to be learned. Here, children and adults alike find that weeding the garden or washing the dishes aren’t mundane tasks, but moments filled with song and conversation—a chance to grow more than just crops, but relationships as well. It’s where homeschooling transcends books, allowing grandchildren to inherit wisdom along with the land they till.

A smiling girl with shoulder-length hair, wearing a colorful jacket and rain boots, sits on a blue stool surrounded by playful lambs, holding a black and white lamb in her arms.

From arithmetic to zoology, the farm teaches it all. It’s a place where reading is learned from seed packets as well as storybooks, where science is understood through the life cycle of a plant, and where math is practiced in the measuring of feed. Every day is a problem-solving adventure, demanding creativity and resourcefulness, as the family strives to make the most of their resources.

The day begins and ends at the family table, a sacred space where planning and reflection bookend the day’s labors. It’s here that each voice is heard, sharing triumphs and trials, laughter and lessons. This ritual of reflection is more than just talk—it’s a cornerstone of resilience, a daily reinforcement of the family’s collective spirit.

A young boy wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt, blue shorts, and black rubber boots stands in a grassy field, holding a yellow water bottle. Mountains are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

And then, there’s Sunday, a day of rest and reverence for the work done and the work yet to come. It’s a gentle pause in the cadence of farm life, a necessary respite that renews the spirit and readies the hands for the week ahead.

This is the story of a family where life is a tapestry woven from threads of hard work, learning, and laughter. It’s a testament to the fact that on a farm, hands do more than work—they teach, they bond, and they love. It’s a reminder that in the right hands, work isn’t just light—it’s luminous.

A young girl hugging a brown pony in a sunny outdoor setting with straw in the background.

Building Strong Foundations, Part 1. Soil Health: Your Grazing Foundation

Part 1 of 3

Taking care of your land.
Wondering how to get started with livestock? In the first of a three-part series for beginning livestock farmers, NCAT specialists introduce the principles of soil health and explain how healthy land is the foundation of successful livestock production. Presenters explain the concepts of minimizing disturbance, maximizing biodiversity, keeping soil covered, maintaining living roots in the soil, and including animals. Find out how grazing affects the plant, soils, and livestock and learn the importance of grazing plants at the right time and allowing full plant recovery before re-grazing. By respecting the soil health and grazing principles, you can take better care of your land.

Find Part 2 here.

Find Part 3 here.

This video is produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG. For more sustainable-agriculture resources, including podcasts, publications, webinars, videos, databases and a free “Ask an Ag Expert” hotline, visit the ATTRA webpage at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

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