Ordering Lamb For The Table

Why purchase lamb from us?

1.  When you buy lamb from Big Ash Farm you know your meat was raised with love, care and concern from the moment it arrived on this earth to the moment it departs.  We feel strongly that it's our responsibility to give the animals we consume nothing but the best. This means individual attention every day, healthy food to eat, cool clear water to drink, safety from predators, comfortable shelter from the elements and room to roam/play all day, every day!  

2.  Our sheep are raised in our pasture, supplemented with hay when needed (from the neighboring fields).  Alfalfa is their treat along with veg' from Big Ash Farm's garden and the occasional orange! 

3.  There is little to no waste - nearly everything is put to good use!  If you do not want the bones for stock (YUM!) or the organs such as the liver, etc (dehydrated liver, etc are a big treat for dogs) we put them to good use for you!  Sheepskins provide warmth and comfort and skulls/horns are used for home decorating by those who fancy that style.   

4.  You're buying local and from a small farm.  And we partner with local and small businesses and farmers too!  There are so many reasons to buy local and small.  We aren't just a farm or a small business - we truly are your neighbors.

why icelandic (as in the breed) lamb?

For the TASTE!  Icelandic (as in the breed) lamb is considered a gourmet variety of lamb as it is finer grained and much more mild than other common meat breeds.  It's not uncommon for someone who has not liked lamb in the past to change their mind after trying the Icelandic breed of lamb!

You also support a wonderful breed of sheep when enjoying our Icelandic lamb on your table!  Icelandic sheep are a primitive breed which are wonderful providers of not only tasty meat but wool and milk as well!  

i’m so in! HOW do i place an order?

1.  Secure your reservation with a $50 deposit:

• WHEN: As soon as possible - supply is limited and reservations fill up quickly!

• WHAT: Let us know the following bits of info:

  • your desired order (1. whole or half and 2. how many; and any add-ons)

  • your preferred processing date

    • We are so excited to be offering on-farm processing this year! Been a long time coming! No transport is so much nicer/less stress for the lambs which translates to even better meat! Processing for 2024 is TBD.

• HOW:

  • Send us an email at bigashfarmboulder@gmail.com or text us at 303-908-5863.

  • Deposits can be paid using Paypal, Cash App, Venmo, Cash or Check (details below)

2. Provide payment to Big Ash Farm:

• WHEN: We will let you know the final weight, price (less your $50 deposit) and tag number for your lamb no later than a week prior to your processing day.

• WHAT: Provide payment of your remaining balance for the lamb (price, less $50 deposit) to Big Ash Farm.

• HOW: We accept the following payment methods -

  • Paypal: paypal.me/bigashfarm (bigashfarmboulder@gmail.com)

  • Cash App: $bigashfarm

  • Venmo: @bigashfarm

  • Cash (give us a shout and we'll coordinate a date/time to meet up!)

  • Check (please make payable to Big Ash Farm)

3.  Decide how you’d like your meat prepared and packaged!

• WHEN/HOW: following receipt of your deposit we will send a form via email for your to fill out that documents how you’d like your lamb cut/packaged. We’ll want your feedback on that by TBD fpr 2024.

• WHAT: There's a standard/default approach you can always default to but you have the option of getting more creative with a custom processor!  For example you can specify how thick you want your chops cut, how many steaks per package you prefer,  if you like more ground versus stew, etc.

4.  Pick up your meat and provide payment to the processor:

• WHEN: on your assigned pick up date

• WHAT: When you pick your meat, you will pay the processing fee to the processor directly.  The processing fee for this year’s on farm harvest is $TBD/lamb. which includes hanging of the meet for one week, cutting, grinding and wrapping, etc.  Your meat will be in bundles of wrapped packages ready for you to transport to your freezer!   Half orders will be charged half of the processing fee.

what to expect

Tasty goodness!  Seriously.  You're going to love it!  We have non-lamb lovers change their minds after enjoying our lamb. It’s that good.

For those not familiar with purchasing a half/whole direct from farm for processing, the weight of the meat you pick up from the processor will be less than the weight on which payment was based because it will not include the trimmings that typically aren’t consumed (some of which can be set aside for alternate uses). Unless you request those to be returned to you, we will collect them and ensure they are used and do not go to waste (e.g. tanning the skeepskin, cleaning the skull for use as a decorative piece, etc)  

The costs associated with buying direct from our farm are as follows:

• cost of the lamb - TBD fpor 2024/lb live weight. The Icelandic breed of sheep is smaller than your typical US meat breed so you're looking around 60-80 lbs live weight.

• cost of processing/butchering - you pay the processor directly, 2024’s on farm processing will be by TBD. Yes, a little more than offsite alternatives, but we think keeping their one bad day the least stressful as possible is totally worth it!

So, based on a 65 lb lamb you'd be looking at ~$TBD all in.

The net weight of your pick-up will be less than the live weight because it won't include the bits folks don't consume. You can expect to pick up on average 45% of the lamb's live weight. So in the example above - a 65 lb lamb - would net approximately 29.25 lbs for an approx price/lb of $TBD/ lb.

prices and key dates (2024 delivery)

• 2024 Delivery Prices

  • $TBD/pound live weight.

  • Buyer responsible for processing costs.

• 2024 Timeline

  • TBD