Guest post by Kristianna Gehant Siddens of Prarie Coteau Farm

You want to feed your family healthy, local, and delicious grass-fed lamb, but with so many cuts to choose from, it's hard to know where to start.

I know exactly how you feel, and I'm here to show you!

I'm Kristianna, and along with my husband, Nick and our two daughters, we raise grassfed lamb at Prairie Coteau Farm in Astoria, SD.

Years ago, a health crisis compelled me to add meat to my mostly vegetarian diet.  Grassfed lamb was the natural choice because of its excellent nutrition.  Plus, it’s juicy and tender while delightfully rich in flavor.

Since we were already garlic farmers, we decided to raise sheep to improve the health of our farm, ourselves, and our customers.

Health benefits of grass fed, grass finished lamb:

• Excellent source of B vitamins, especially B12 and niacin, which promote nervous system health.
• Provides high amounts of zinc and iron.
• Rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
• High in conjugated linoleic acid which aids in fat loss, builds lean muscle and may fight some cancers.

If you’re like most people who are new to lamb, you want to be sure to cook it right.

I get it. I had to learn the basics of cooking lamb too.

But today I can prepare delicious, wholesome meals with any cut.  Here's one of my favorite recipes.

Citrus Lamb Shanks in Slow Cooker

Adapted from The Stay at Home Chef

• 2 T high heat oil or butter
• 4 lamb shanks from Prairie Coteau Farm
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 naval orange, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp salt

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear the shanks on all sides until browned. Remove from the skillet and place in slow cooker.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, tomato paste, vegetable broth, salt, and the lemon, lime and orange zests and juices. Pour over the lamb shanks in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until tender and almost falling off the bone. Serve hot with vegetables and sauce from the slow cooker.  A green salad makes a great accompaniment.