Every farm needs a bamboo patch--small and kept in check.  Ours was planted eight years ago from a snatch of roots from our friend Gerald.  Our bamboo patch was now a little unruly, but we got it whipped back into its confines when we harvested it for our laying hen roosting area.  Bamboo is one of the most versatile plants as it is very sturdy and can be used for forts (lots of those for the girls over the years), a trellis for our pole beans, a hanger rod for intern cottage, and now the layer roosting area - a necessity for happy chickens (chickens like to perch up high at night by instinct).

 

Our roosting area was built for 700 hens, so it was designed in four sections of 12 feet long, 6 feet high with 4 nesting rods per section.  All of it was held together with recycled bailing twine (another useful item on the farm).   

Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup red wine

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice

3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 

 

Use a large cast iron pan (with lid).  Salt and pepper shanks and then braise in olive oil until brown on all sides (about 8 minutes). Add the rest of the ingredients, place the lid on the pan and simmer about 2 hours.

 

If it's cold outside, we use our woodstove and slow cook all day. Another option is to place all ingredients in a crock pot and again slow cook them all day.  Yumm!!!