Lava Lake Lamb at Central Market

To anyone who’s gone through the doors of a Central Market, to say that they’re making an effort to feature some of their finer foods from far off places might seem a little redundant – after all, Central Market itself could be considered a foodie find!

But among the thousands of artisan items, amid the specially-sourced seafood and farm-fresh produce are the products that are particularly enticing to even the highest-level of foodie. And the experts at Central Market, representing just about every department in their stores, have reached out, researched and reconned some far-off places in discovering specialty items worthy of being a Central Market Foodie Find. From Brooklyn to Belgium, Canada to Chile and all points in between, Central Market’s in-house Chefs even got into the Foodie Find spirit, creating their own unique recipes.

It is a particular Foodie Find, though, that has grasped our attention. It’s called Lava Lake Lamb, and while the meat market at Central Market has beef and chicken and pork galore, it is these cuts of lamb from just outside of Sun Valley, Idaho that have our rapt attention.

On nearly one million acres of rangeland, the story of Lava Lake begins with a focus on preserving the beautiful land where sheep graze and caring for the sheep in a way that has been done for centuries: there are no fences to be found at Lava Lake, and in fact there are very few roads. And no roads are needed – the bands of about 1,000 sheep have the right of way in this area of Idaho.

A team of experienced horse mounted shepherds and a trusty group of border collies and Great Pyrenees help guide the sheep from the south base camp the 125 miles into the northern mountains. This trek allows the lamb to graze freely on the clean, wild grasses and herbs coming to life in the late spring and early summer which keeps the animals extremely healthy, as well as allowing the natural habitat to not be vastly depleted by over a short period of time.  The team at Lava Lake has a deep commitment to conservation and restoration of the entire Pioneer Mountain region. You can read more about their environmental commitment on the Lava Lake website.

The 100% grass-fed lambs are never given antibiotics or hormones, and drink mother’s milk all their lives which results in a fit, healthy animal with a distinctive, mild flavor, that is also very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E and beta-carotene, and lower in fat than grain-fed meat. But for all its health and taste benefits, there is one downside to these special animals – fresh Lava Lake Lamb is only available from July to September, giving you just a few more weeks to head to Central Market and find it.

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