It was a beautiful day and the cherry blossoms were all blooming on the show grounds, too:
These were the white blooms like we have at home. I don't know why I didn't get a picture of it, but across on the other side of the building were rows with gorgeous pink blooms. Either way, it was a beautiful walk inside:
Unfortunately, there were other big shows happening in the SE on the same weekend, so I was very surprised to see folks clearing out much earlier than I remember from previous shows. This is not a normal occurrence and the Fall show was packed, so the turnout should be great again next time.
One cool thing about rabbit shows is you can see and explore all the different breeds, including the ones that may normally only be found in pictures. I love seeing the varieties, so this is a big perk for me. For example, I was able to see the very rare Silver breed during show C judging. Although they are not for me, they looked so elegant and refined on the table.
We were also able to visit with our good friends at Urban Usagi Rabbitry that mentored me with English Lops years ago and are all around wonderful people. They still have EL's, but also raise incredible New Zealands now, with a focus on the new broken variety. We ended up taking 6 of their NZ home for the freezer to supplement our small litter sizes, but I had to laugh when I was going through the group because her culls are so much nicer than even my best keepers in type. It is absolutely amazing when you run your hand over them- just smooth and muscular through and through. My husband in particular seems quite smitten. He told me yesterday that they feel very firm with much finer bone as compared to the Harlies and today he said that the solid black NZs from the group have very pretty shiny coats. The real comparison for us as folks that seek to be more self-sufficent will be the dressing percentage, which we will post when we have the numbers. I am so curious to see the difference, but I suspect it will be quite amazing.
Sounds like a great time! I hope to be at the fall Conyers show. :) Do you think you will add NZ to your rabbitry?
ReplyDeleteBrandon and I were just discussing giving rabbit another try. I have cooked it a couple of times and it was gamey. I don't know if that was my fault or I'm just unaccustomed to the flavor.
I hope you can come! That would be great. :)
DeleteAs for the NZ, they are really nice, but right now we are kind of in a holding pattern. I'm trying to get some more kits from the Harlies and hopefully some more meat for the dogs and dinner table. We won't be able to breed over the summer, so whatever we get now will be it until Fall.
I'm sorry you didn't have good experiences eating rabbit before. I think blood can add a gamey taste to meat (and maybe diet I've read?). If it was store bought, it might just be totally different like goat's milk gets. I hope next time is more to your liking!