BREAK THE FAT HABIT - SWITCH TO RABBIT!

The movement in the United States and elsewhere around the world is toward seeking lower fat, lower, cholesterol, lower calorie foods which are still a good source of protein and yet actually taste good. Sounds impossible, right? Not if you consider one of the oldest sources of meat on the planet - the rabbit! 20 million coyotes can't be wrong.... Seriously, it will not be long in coming before health insurance providers require people to watch their weight and cholesterol levels or suffer a raise in insurance rates. You don't have to suffer soy burgers to accomplish this - rabbit is a fine grained, tasty, mild flavored all white meat which can be fried, grilled, braised, stewed, or roasted and is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories, and higher in protein than any other meat including chicken. As world populations rise and there is less land to raise quality food the rabbit will play an increasing role in our food supply. They can be raised by "backyard breeders" or larger commercial farm enterprises. One rabbit can produce over 300 pounds of meat in a year and are 6 times more efficient than a cow in turning feed into meat. They breed - well like rabbits! With proper nutrition and management a single rabbit can produce 6-8 litters a year with 6-10 bunnies per litter. At Chigger Ridge, we feel the rabbit may just be among the perfect "farm" animals - whether or not you own a farm.

RABBIT MEAT - Heart healthy alternative

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), after a good deal of research, has stated that rabbit is "the most nutritious meat available". Rabbit has 164mg of Cholesterol compared to Chicken at 220mg, Beef and Pork at 230mg. USDA circular #549 further states that rabbit has the highest percentage of protein and a lower percentage of fat and calories when compared to Veal, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Beef, and Pork. The percentages from this circular are presented in the table below.

Where can you get Chigger Ridge Rabbit?

This year we are proud to offer delicious domestic rabbit along with our lamb every other Saturday at the Clarksville Downtown Market: June 12, June 26, July 10, July 24, Aug. 14, Aug. 28, Sept. 25, Oct. 9, Oct. 23. For more information on the Clarksville Downtown Farmers Market please click here.

We are ALSO planning to attend the Dickson Farmer's Market this year in their new location near WalMart on Beasley Drive in the large sheds behind the EMS/Ambulance service where the old 84 Lumber business used to be housed. We are not sure on days and times we will be there at this time. Please e-mail us any questions. For more information on the Dickson Farmers Market, please click here.

How to Cook Rabbit?

Rabbit meat can be prepared in most of the ways that chicken can. Practically all of the rabbit is white meat.

Small young rabbits are termed fryers and may be fried like chicken, grilled, braised, roasted, or stewed. Fryers are $6.95/lb.

Slightly older larger rabbits are termed roasters and need longer slow cooking. They are best stewed or braised. They are $5.35/lb.

You do NOT have to treat our rabbits like a cottontail or wild rabbit when cooking. No marinades to tenderize or parboiling is necessary. Our favorite way is simply to thaw a fryer rabbit and throw it on the grill. One of our absolutely favorite heart healthy gourmet meals is barbecued rabbit and grilled pineapples - YUM!.

The above gourmet dish is all obtained from the Farmer's Market: grilled corn, fresh asparagus, our lamb kidney, and barbecued rabbit.... Delicious!

How are Chigger Ridge Rabbits raised?

Rabbits raised commercially are housed up off of the ground in self cleaning hutches and provided with an automatic watering system. They are thus one of the cleanest animals raised today. We feed our rabbits commercial rabbit food comprised of alfalfa and a mixture of other plants (without any antibiotics, hormones, or animal byproducts). We also feed hay to provide them with a more natural food and to give them occupation. Since rabbits are playful we provide them with sticks to chew and other toys if needed. Babies are kept in groups to allow for social interaction. Adults tend to be territorial so are usually housed separately, but all have close contact with their neighbors.

Why is Chigger Ridge Rabbit better than other rabbit?

Our experience with raising sheep molded our approach to raising rabbits. We found after years of experimenting that mixing the Katahdin hair sheep breed with a Siremax woolly ram gave us faster growing, meatier, hardier lamb than the Katahdin sheep alone. In rabbits, the New Zealand White is considered an optimal maternal breed of rabbit as they produce large litters, lots of milk, and have excellent maternal instincts. Many rabbit ranchers would stop there, but we searched until we found a commercial sire breed of rabbit called Altex, that was genetically selected for over 15 generations at the University of Alabama and University of Texas (A & M) to produce meatier rabbits at a younger age. We mix these two breeds to produce a superior meat rabbit.

Is it safe?

Our rabbits are packaged in a USDA inspected facility by knowledgeable and professional meat processors. They are a smaller family operation we can work with closely, with years of experience in rabbit processing. They have a brand new state of the art facility and were praised by their USDA inspector in writing when we contacted him for references. We have a State of TN. license for retail meat sales - including rabbit. Our storage operations are overseen and inspected by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.