Polypay Sheep | Shady Side Farm Holland Grand Rapids Michigan | Local Organic Sustainable

Use Wool in Your Garden

I know you’ve been looking at seed catalogues lately. It’s still plenty cold outside, but now is the time to dream. And as you plan, I’d like to encourage you to consider incorporating wool in your garden. Why you should use wool: Conserves water. Wool holds 20-30x its own weight in water and releases it…

Amazing Lamb Shanks

We definitely eat differently in the winter. More oven, less grill. More low and slow, less eat and run. And in my humble opinion, lamb shanks are best saved for fall/winter eating. Although they are an easily overlooked cut, you will be surprised and delighted once you try them. This recipe is a little work…

Sheep Shearing–the Number One Question

Years ago I had an online conversation with someone about sheep shearing that made me realize that there are a lot of misconceptions. It was a startling conversation, and no matter what I said, I couldn’t help the other person to understand that what she believed about the process didn’t match reality. At all. It…

Asian Red Bean Salad

Asian Red Bean Salad 1/2 lb. Amethyst or Painted Lady or Spanish Tolosana beans, cooked 2 oz. soy sauce 2 oz rice vinegar 3-4 scallions, thinly sliced 1 oz. sesame seeds, toasted salt, to taste Follow soaking and cooking instructions for beans. While beans are cooking, clean and slice scallions. Toast sesame seeds in a…

Heirloom and Bean Feta Salad

Heirloom Bean and Feta Salad 1/2 lb. Fort Portal Jade or Painted Pony beans, cooked 1/2 red onion, sliced thin 1/4 cup olive oil 1-2 lemons, juiced salt, to taste 2 oz. feta cheese Follow soaking and cooking directions for beans. While beans are cooking, clean and slice onion. When beans are finished cooking, drain…

Wool 101 and Shearing Day

(Read all the way to the end for information about our annual Shearing Day open house!) When it’s cold outside, my thoughts turn to wool, and what a great resource it is. Here’s a quick Wool 101 class. Wool is renewable. Sheep are shorn once a year, providing a good supply of new wool all…