Rugosa Paddocks Chevon: Lisa tries her hand at goat herding in the Riverland region of South Australia
Early morning and Emily James is on her weekly delivery round to pubs and restaurants in the mid-north. Emily runs Rugosa Paddocks Chevon, and the goat meat she produces is a regular feature on the menus around these parts.
She's carved Rugosa Paddocks out of the mallee scrub near Mount Mary, about 40 kilometres west of Morgan in the Riverland. To the uninitiated this country is all about heat, flies, dust storms and endless tracts of good for nothing saltbush. But to Emily, it's an opportunity to put her theories about sustainable farming into practice.
With a little help from her mum, Joan and dogs Tess and Leon, Emily runs about 100 goats along an old stock route. The 190-hectare farm is divided into 6 paddocks - and that's where the sustainable aspect of Rugosa Paddocks comes in.
Emily James, Rugosa Paddocks Chevon: "We have small paddocks and keep them in a paddock for just a month. We push them onto the plants, they crash graze and then we take them of again and move them into the next paddock."
Goats have had a lot of bad press and rightly so - left to their own foraging devices they can wreak havoc but properly managed they are well suited to this country and thrive on the wide varieties of salt bush and blue bush.
Emily James, Rugosa Paddocks Chevon: "This is a naturally occurring saltbush in this country and it's actually flowering at the moment - it's got these little tiny bracts on it that carry the seed. So that's good to see - we like to see things flowering and regenerating - that's one of the things we actually look for.
"This one's called Goose Foot and it's not normally picked by grazing animals so it ends up being a dominant plant. But we have found the goats really enjoy it so we are quite happy for them to graze on it and keep the plants of the area balanced."
The goats love it and back at the Mount Mary pub the diners do too. Goat is a regular part of Annie Dennis's popular menu. But it doesn't stop there - the sweet meat is suited to a variety of dishes including Annie's popular platter of goat cheese, terrine and even a goat leg ham prepared by Menzel's Meats of Kapunda - Emily's local butcher.
Emily James, Rugosa Paddocks Chevon: "Goat meat is a naturally sweet product so it lends itself to ham really well. He just brines it and then smokes it over redgum chips and we've got a product that is lovely for people who are watching their cholesterol."
Chevon meat comes from goats under a year of age so it's tender, sweet and juicy - and because of the saltbush, the taste of Rugosa Paddocks Chevon is generally sweeter and leaner than lamb. Emily would like to see more people enjoy goat meat - for its health benefits and for the environment.
"Goats naturally come from dry countries like northern Mediterranean areas and the middle east and they're actually a dry climate sort of animal so this is perfect - it's ideal."
If you would like to sample it for yourself Emily is a regular supplier to the popular Adelaide Farmers Market at the showground on Sundays and the Barossa Farmers Market on Saturdays. It also features in a number of restaurants around the city. Or you can order online. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Rugosa Paddocks Chevon
Available from:
Adelaide Farmers market
Barossa Farmers MarketPublished 1st March 2009
