Recently, my mother reminded me of the year I swore I’d become a vegetarian. “Now look at you,” she said as I gave a quick overview of the animals we had lined up to process. For me, rabbit took a little getting used to. The first time eating it there was a mental block that prevented me from really enjoying the flavor. But the second time? The second time we ate rabbit I turned to Bodhi and said," Now this, this is better than chicken!”

In Hawaii, rabbits cannot be raised on the ground. Fears of escaping rabbits overrunning the islands are not so far fetched when you look at Hawaii’s history with invasive species. At Sugar Hill Farmstead, we cut grass from the pastures each day and fill their raised hutches with a variety of grasses, weeds, and the occasional organic vegetables from the garden.They also have organic alfalfa available at all times. We keep our mama rabbit, called a doe, with her babies, known as kits, for a little longer than more conventional producers to allow self weaning, and choose to give does a recovery cycle so they aren’t constantly reproducing. Between the quality feed and humane handling it’s no wonder that our rabbit is so tasty.

Meat rabbits were once a staple in the Hawaii household. They reproduce quickly, don’t need much room, and are high in protein making it an easy homegrown local meat source.

Quick and easy recipes are essential at our house. If I can set something in the oven for an hour it gives me just enough time to answer an email or two, feed a few animals, and prepare side dishes. This honey and mustard roasted rabbit recipe can be prepared either with a whole or quartered rabbit. You can use either a stone-ground or smooth mustard like Dijon or Spicy Brown. The acidity and bite of the mustard goes well with our award winning honey, or your favorite local honey. It is just as good as leftovers as it is right out of the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 rabbit- whole or quartered

• 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary

• 1/2 tsp chopped thyme

• Freshly ground pepper and Chocolate Ghost Pepper Salt (optional)

• 2 heaping TBS of your choice of mustard

• 2 TBS honey

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Place rabbit in oven safe dish. Sprinkle rosemary, thyme, generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper over the rabbit. Then generously coat the rabbit with mustard. You may need more than 2 TBS. Drizzle honey over the mustard coated rabbit. Place in the center of the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until internal meat temperature reaches 160F. Remove from oven and serve. Goes great with ghee carrots, wilted kale, and crispy skillet potatoes.