Home Learning - Naturalist Assignment

This is my home learning article on Lamb to the Slaughter .

Before you start breeding sheep , you must be able to provide food and shelter for them . Sheep need a cool , dry place , draft-free if possible , to live in .

Rearing a flock of sheep does not always mean you have to build a barn house for them . Simple ways of shelter may also work , such as fencing off a section of the farm to contain or separate the sheep . Fence panels can also help to keep wild predators away from them . Cover the area with a tarpaulin and they will have a dry , shady place to call home . But this only works in dry seasons . If the climate of that area is cold , it will take some form of enclosed shelter to prevent the sheep from freezing to death .

Sheep need different nutrition compared other livestock , but many people underestimate the quality of feed that they need . In fact , many people think that sheep and cattle can eat the same kinds of food . This is a wrong opinion , since sheep need far higher quality feed than cattle . While cows only need ordinary dried-grass hay , sheep should be given mixed hay . This is because mixed hay contains a higher nutrient level , which is more suitable for sheep .Using pasture is an important part of sheep raising . Using good quality pasture will be very helpful in maintaining the number of your sheep . Unfortunately , pasture alone may not provide enough nutrition , especially during the autumn season , when the quality of the field falls . If required , sheep should be given extra nutritional hay .


A leg of lamb is , as its namesake , a lamb's leg . Leg of lamb is quite tender although it is made up of different muscles . There are many shapes and sizes for a leg of lamb . A bone-in leg of lamb is the cheapest ; One containing the hipbone will be easiest to carve . A boneless leg of lamb can be stuffed or spread with paste , then rolled up or tied ; A boneless leg of lamb without the shank is most tender . A boned, rolled and tied or netted leg is very easy to roast .

A normal leg of lamb usually weighs about four pounds . A standard 3 ounce serving of lamb contains around 162 calories , 6.6 grams of fat , 2.4 grams of saturated fat , 76 milligrams of cholesterol and 224 grams of protein . Mary Maloney might have used the following recipe to cook the leg of lamb :


Roast Leg of Lamb

Ingredients :
3 tablespoons of coarse-grained mustard
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 to half a teaspoon of crushed , dried rosemary
Half a teaspoon of black pepper
1 leg of lamb , well-trimmed , boned , rolled and tied (about 4 pounds)

Preparation :
1. Combine mustard, garlic, rosemary and pepper . Rub the mustard mixture over the leg of lamb . Place the roast on a meat rack in a foil-lined shallow roasting pan . Preheat the oven to 400°F . Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F , then roast for about 20 minutes per pound for medium or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F when tested with meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast.

2. Transfer roast to cutting board , and cover with foil. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Internal temperature will continue to rise 5° to 10°F during stand time.

3.Cut strings from roast and discard . Carve into 20 slices. Serve .

This recipe contains :

121 mg of sodium
25 g of protein
Less than 1 g of fiber
1 g of carbohydrates
78 mg of cholesterol
2 g of saturated fat
7 g of total fat
37% of calories from fat
172 calories

Well , that's about it for my Naturalist assignment .

Sources :
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/farming/23056
http://www.chow.com/ingredients/212
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/roast-leg-of-lamb-a-recipe.htm