Alan Kim | Roanoke Times

At the hoop house where the rabbits are kept, a doe nibbles on fresh cut grass and clover while Cedric and Sarah Shannon tend to the other rabbits. The droppings, unlike other farm animal manure, do not require additional composting before using as fertilizer. A doe, shown with her kits of seven below, can give birth to as many as over a dozen. When they are six weeks old the bunnies are weaned and put out to pasture for grazing on grass until they are 12 weeks old and ready for processing

CHECK -- Here at Weathertop Farm, the Shannon children -- Natasha, Sami, Aaron, Andre and Nadine -- have all the eggs they could ever want to hide under the gnarled branches of the old apple tree and in the grassy pastures of their 56-acre Floyd County spread.

Trouble is, the eggs are brown. Not good for dyeing brilliant hues of green, orange or violet.

Here, too, the children have more floppy-eared, fuzzy, bouncing bunnies than they can count. Big bunnies, bitty bunnies, black bunnies, white-as-snow bunnies, multicolored bunnies, even beige bunnies.

Bunnies, bunnies, everywhere.

Trouble is, they're for eating.

Cedric Shannon -- father of the five children and head rabbit-raiser at Weathertop Farm -- grew up eating domesticated rabbit. His Swiss mother, Elsbeth, was raised on it, too.

But it was in the Congo -- where his father, Ralph, worked as an ophthalmologist -- that Cedric Shannon got his first taste of the white meat that has been called "the most nutritious meat known to man."

"We often went through Switzerland on our way to Africa," Cedric Shannon said. "Everyone there has a rabbit hutch in their back yard."

He was just a child when his parents started breeding rabbits for food in the Congo, where the 32-year-old man was born and raised.

His wife, Sarah, did not share her husband's early culinary experience.

She first tasted rabbit four years ago, when Cedric Shannon decided to start raising the furry critters in the back yard of their suburban Chicago home, much to their neighbors' bewilderment.

Using her mother-in-law's recipes, she soon started preparing rabbit for the children and dinner guests.

"Our friends were like, 'Is this chicken?' " she recalled.

"No," Cedric Shannon piped. "It's better than chicken!"

Actually, rabbit has been a popular meat for generations. Hunters, of course, found that wild hares provided an easy and cheap meal. Domestic rabbit, however, dates back as a meat source as far back as 1500 B.C.

Historically speaking, rabbit meat only recently fell out of favor during the 20th century with the baby boomer era.

Jennifer Grannis, an analyst with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, published a detailed profile on America's rabbit industry in 2002.

Grannis noted that Americans consumed only .02 pounds of rabbit meat per capita in 2000.

"The two most important markets for commercially produced rabbit are retail grocery stores in metropolitan markets and high-end restaurants," she reported.

"Increased imports of frozen rabbit from China are competing for grocery store and restaurant markets, and winning shelf space because of their comparatively lower price."

Three years ago, the Shannons packed up their four kids (3-year-old Nadine was not yet born) and headed out of Illinois' metropolis for the mountains of Southwest Virginia.

Alan Kim | Roanoke Times

Cedric and Sarah Shannon, shown with their youngest child Nadine, raise chickens, rabbits and pigs at their 56-acre Weathertop Farm in Floyd County. The pastured animals are raised for meat and eggs. The farm generates more of its income from pastured poultry than rabbits, with 1,300 to be sold as broilers and laying hens that produce about 10 dozen a day.

Sarah Shannon had family here, and she dreamed of raising her children on a farm.

"We had some friends who turned us on to sustainable agriculture," she said. "We read some books, visited some farms and got really excited."

"I had wanted to do farming for a long time," Cedric Shannon added, "but modern agriculture -- factory farming -- really turned me off."

The Shannons wanted to raise chickens, pigs, turkeys and rabbits the old-fashioned way -- no antibiotics, no hormones. Just good feed and plenty of pasture for grazing without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers.

Cedric Shannon remembers leaving Chicago in a U-Haul with one male and eight female rabbits.

Sarah Shannon remembers, too.

"We didn't have a place to stay yet. The rabbits had a place before we did."

Green acres

The Shannons bought Weathertop Farm in partnership with Sarah's brother and sister-in-law, Sami and Marianne DiPasquale. The DiPasquales live in Texas but hope to move to the Floyd County farm one day.

They help with the farming operation from afar by handling some of the business details and maintaining the Web site (www.weathertopfarm.com).

Cedric Shannon's parents, Ralph and Elsbeth Shannon, left the Congo and retired here. They're near their grandchildren -- and the chickens, pigs, turkeys and rabbits.

They help with all aspects of the farm work, and Elsbeth still prepares her Swiss mother's tasty Ragout de Lapin.

"I love to cook it but I also love to eat it," Elsbeth Shannon said. "Growing up, rabbit was a special treat all year round."

"Americans are not really rabbit eaters. It's mostly international," said John Hoven, a native of the Netherlands who emigrated with his parents when he was 16.

Now 69 and living in Roanoke County, Hoven said he was excited to learn about Weathertop Farm while dining at Floyd's Oddfellas Cantina with his wife, Judith.

"It's the healthiest meat for you," Hoven said of rabbit meat. "I used to have my own rabbits. It was too much work."

Hoven made a trip to Check recently to buy four rabbits from the Shannons.

At $4.25 a pound for the processed meat, he believes the price is reasonable.

Raising rabbits, Cedric Shannon concurred, is a rather costly and time-consuming vocation.

Twice a day, he feeds them and cleans their cages. He also transports them in portable pens to fresh pasture because he believes grass is the basis for the best meat. With 13 breeding does and two bucks, the Shannons market more than 500 rabbits each year. They are usually processed as fryers when they are 12 weeks old.

Cedric Shannon doesn't like the word "slaughter," opting for the more euphemistic term.

"We use the word 'process,' " he said, explaining that a quick pop to break a rabbit's neck is his method.

There is no madness in his method, he insists.

"I love my rabbits, but I still see them as food. It's part of the circle of life. When you start elevating them to rational beings, you get in trouble."

Sarah Shannon said the couple has received hate mail for the killing of cute, cuddly bunnies.

"People are so concerned about how we kill them," she said. "We're more concerned with how they live."

Bunny money

Rabbits are way down the scale when it comes to income-providers on Weathertop Farm.

Pastured poultry is the bigger enterprise. This year, the Shannons will raise about 1,300 chickens to be sold as broilers at $2.05 per pound. Their laying flock brings in the egg money, producing about 10 dozen a day at $2 per dozen. Thanksgiving turkeys and hogs sell for $2.05 in the package.

The couple isn't able to make a living solely by farming yet. Both Cedric and Sarah have part-time jobs, but they're hopeful that their future will be devoted to full-time farming.

Alan Kim | Roanoke Times

At Weathertop Farm, Sami (left) and Aaron Shannon enjoy the afternoon after coming home from school. Bunnies are weaned at six weeks of age and put in moveable cages on the pasture where they can graze on grass for additional growth until they are processed for the meat when they are 12 weeks old.

"There's this whole movement of people who are trying to do things right -- for our grandchildren," Cedric Shannon said, explaining that his family's effort is directed at holistic sustainable animal husbandry, land stewardship, soil conservation and composting.

"This area is great for it because there are so many people who understand the issues," he added.

Sadly, though, people still don't understand rabbit meat.

"We still struggle with our rabbit because rabbit is not a familiar product," Sarah Shannon said. "For people who are new to rabbit, it takes some courage to try it. They're so stuck in the mentality of rabbits as pets."

"We thought for sure some restaurants would really jump on it," Cedric Shannon added. "The chefs are excited but they have a hard time selling it."

The Shannons process and package their own rabbits because processing companies charge $5 per rabbit. Their chicken and pork is processed locally at the Willis Village Mart.

Unlike chicken and pork, rabbit meat does not require inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As Grannis noted in her report, USDA inspection is done only at a few processing plants nationally because rabbits are not classified as livestock. Imported rabbit, however, is inspected by the Food and Drug Administration.

Elaine Lidholm of Virginia's Department of Agriculture said the state does not have an accurate count of the number of rabbit producers because mandatory inspections are not required and voluntary inspections are quite expensive.

"The hourly inspection fee is around $50," Lidholm said. "Most people do not choose to have rabbits inspected."

Because their rabbit meat is not inspected, the Shannons are not allowed to sell it by the cut.

Whole rabbits are available through direct sales and Internet orders.

The Shannons have considered the idea of bringing rabbit meat to the Blacksburg Farmers Market, but for now they're happy with the customers who come to them.

"We'd rather keep it that way," Sarah Shannon said.

The Shannon children don't mind that the rabbits on their farm are raised for food, not pets.

Natasha, the oldest at 10, said she likes to eat rabbit because it tastes good.

Her favorite part?

"The part without bones!"

On the Web: www.weathertopfarm.com

Too chicken to try rabbit?

Domestic rabbits produce all-white meat. Compared to other meats eaten in the United States, it’s high in calcium and protein but low in fat, cholesterol and sodium, making it one of the most nutritious. A 3-ounce portion contains 167 calories, 24.7 grams of protein and 6.8 grams of fat.

Domestic rabbit meat is considered superior to wild rabbit of olden days. The fine-grained, tender white meat is popular in dishes typically made with chicken. Rabbits sold here are usually crosses between New Zealand and Belgian varieties, imported Chinese rabbits or Scottish hares.

Inspection of rabbit meat is voluntary. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the USDA requires inspection of swine, cattle, sheep and goats. Under the Poultry Products Inspection Act, domesticated poultry inspections are for chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, ratites (ostriches, emus) and squab. Congress, however, has not mandated inspection of rabbits.

There are two types of rabbit meat commonly available: fryer (young rabbit) and roaster (mature rabbit). Fryers are usually less than 3 months old and weigh 1½ to 3 pounds. Roasters refer to rabbits over 4 pounds and more than 8 months of age.

Fresh rabbit meat should be refrigerated immediately at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If not to be used within two days, it should be frozen. It’s best to use frozen whole rabbit within a year and pieces within 9 months.

Thawing should be done in the refrigerator, the microwave or in cold water. Rabbit — and all other meat — should never be defrosted at room temperature.

Frying, braising, simmering, grilling and microwaving are all good ways to cook rabbit. Meat is done when you can pierce it easily with a fork and the juices run clear.

Try slow cooking a fryer over the barbecue, then basting it with a spicy marinade of blackberry jam, pineapple juice and ketchup. Older roasters are great for stews or ground meat. Bunny burgers? Yum.