Smoked goat with chili sauce and cabbage

We had a fundraiser for Heritage Farm last week. We needed to raise money to pay L&I fines for alleged interns that were learning on the farm. The intern/apprenticeship arrangement is deemed wrong by the state because there are no taxes being filed for the intern/apprentice. Here's how the relationship usually works: all over the country there are young and old people alike who want to experience the farm life for a multitude of reason, they are willing to trade their labor for a learning experience or maybe sometimes a plain old experience. There's no degree at the end of the season. But one can come out of the arrangement with bundles of practical experience. that is basically it and everyone enters into the agreement of there own free will; there's no coercion. Big agribusiness is funneled loads of money to destroy our environment and these little farmers are working on a sustainable system with no hand outs and passing on there knowledge for free. And it is not just an "intern" that benefits it's the whole society. There's no value placed on farmers in our popular culture. They're usually deemed rubes, but these small time farmers, in my experience, are soldiers for the most just causes, they protect our food system and provide a healthier citizenry and society. The farmers in this country are aging at a pretty quick clip. the average age of a farmer is over 50 and who's going to replace them as they start to retire? It is important for this knowledge to get passed on. The apprentice system is invaluable.

So, we had a little party. I made a smoked goat, fresh pasta with pea and mint sauce, pickled beef tongue, liver pate, pickles, the best coleslaw ever, potatoes with garlic scape pesto, deviled eggs and lots of fresh bread and farm butter. The party was a pretty good success.

With the leftover goat I made pretty nice stew with chili and cabbage. Cara, you will recognize this. I've made this a few times with pork. But this was the best.

Smoked goat with chili sauce and cabbage

leftover smoked goat
stock made from the goat bones
dried chilis with seeds and stems removed
cabbage
radish
1 large onion
6 cloves garlic

Prepare the goat as in earlier "cabrito" post. After everyone has had their fill, separate the meat from the bones. Put the bones in a huge pot, cover with water, and simmer for 12 hours. Strain stock and cool. Remove fat and discard. Put one gallon of stock in pot and reduce by half. Then add the dried peppers with the onion and garlic. Puree this mixture and pass through a chinois. Add the goat meat and stew until very tender. You may need to add more stock to adjust proportions and to correct it for being too salty from the cure that the goat was in. Cut the cabbage into rough squares and add to pot and cook until very tender, also. Garnish with radish, cilantro, and mint.