I made up a new recipe for a Christmas party we went to on Sunday, and it turned out very well. I wanted to use some ground lamb, and meatballs are a great party food. So I came up with these Mojito Meatballs using a basic meatball recipe and a delicious mint and lime sauce based on the mint jelly I made this summer.
Lamb Meatballs:
1 pound ground lamb
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 egg
1 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Mix all ingredients and form into 20 to 25 meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.
Mojito Sauce:
1 half pint jar of mint jelly
4 Tbs lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp jalapeno jelly
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Mix all ingredients to a smooth consistency. Pour sauce over baked meatballs and enjoy, or place meatballs and sauce in a crockpot to enjoy later in the day.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Progress
Progress on several fronts in recent days. We have framed the walls in the basement kitchen, next step is framing a box around the heating duct that runs along one wall. All of the Christmas gifts that I ordered online have been delivered, whew! I really enjoyed shopping online, especially in comparison to fighting the crowds in town last night for the final few items. But there was some anxiety involved with shipping times of "2 to 3 weeks." Thankfully the actual times were on the very short side of that estimate. We cut our Christmas tree this morning. A nice cedar from the pasture - killed two birds with one stone, frugal tree and one less to mow around in the field. Now with all of my shopping done and the scent of cedar in the air, I am starting to get a little Christmas spirit. I may start decorating the tree this afternoon, and if I get really inspired, I'll manage to get a picture of the dogs in front of it and print my Christmas cards too. Although I am not complaining one bit, the weather is not helping to make it feel like Christmas. Today, the first official day of winter, the shortest day of the year, and just 4 days until Christmas, it is forecast to be 62 degrees with a good chance of a thunderstorm.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Success!
After a very frustrating day of trying to accomplish something...anything...Saturday, we finally successfully leveled a spot for our scales this week and got reliable weights on all of our market lambs and on the ewe lambs we're keeping as replacements. Brian built an awesome platform that keeps the load cells from sinking into the mud and a scale box so the lambs have no room to turn around and no way to step off the platform. That cut the time for weighing at least in half, maybe even more. We separated the market lambs into three groups: ewe lambs, ram lambs over 70 pounds, and ram lambs under 70 pounds. With the big boys out of the way, the smaller ram lambs should be able to eat their fair share and grow a little faster, and everyone will waste less energy with the boys and girls in separate corners. This means it takes a little more time to feed, but about half of the lambs are almost to market weight. The goal for 2012 is to get them all to market by December. Saturday we did manage to separate the ewe lambs we wanted to keep and put them in a field with the new Dorper ewes. We also set up electronet at the farm in New Hope and everything is ready for them to move. Since Sunday we have been feeding this ewe lamb group a little bit of grain and trying to teach the Dorpers to come to a grain bucket (learning by our ewes' example). This morning they finally did it, and we will probably move everyone over to New Hope in the next few days. It's time to end the breeding season, so if we plan it right, maybe we can cut down on the number of trips and bring the rams home on the same day. We'll then have one group of mature ewes, one group of ewe lambs, and three small groups of market lambs.
We've been dreaming big this week, making plans for a barn and a covered working area where the scale will have a semi-permanent home. Nothing is determined yet, but we're thinking about a pole barn with curtain sides that can roll up or down from the center. I am really looking forward to having lambing jugs with a roof over them and real lights instead of headlamps. We also purchased some of the lumber and supplies for the basement kitchen project, which means my dining room table is one step closer to being cleared off.
We've been dreaming big this week, making plans for a barn and a covered working area where the scale will have a semi-permanent home. Nothing is determined yet, but we're thinking about a pole barn with curtain sides that can roll up or down from the center. I am really looking forward to having lambing jugs with a roof over them and real lights instead of headlamps. We also purchased some of the lumber and supplies for the basement kitchen project, which means my dining room table is one step closer to being cleared off.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thank you farmers!
My quick trip out to check on the sheep this afternoon made me want to say a big thank you to all the farmers out there who put food on our tables. Day in and day out, in rain, snow, mud, heat, dust, you name it, they work through it. I'm not sure how much rain we have had in the past 24 hours. In excess of 3 inches I'd bet. And snow tonight. All in a day's work for many in agriculture, but it just makes me want to curl up in front of the fire with a warm quilt and a good book!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
November, the month of...
...travel. Too much travel. The first trip was to Pennsylvania for the annual Penn State Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop that I manage. Before it got started I enjoyed a few hours of hanging out with my sister, shopping and gabbing. The conference is a 3-day affair, and we had record attendance of 566 people. It went very smoothly and was generally a whirlwind of activity. Particularly for a hermit who spends most of her time at the computer. If I'm not there, I'm in a pasture or in a flowerbed... neither get many visitors!
I think it was the weekend after the conference that Brian and I planted garlic, spinach, and lettuce. A bit late for the greens, but we'll see what happens. They all sprouted, so that's a good start. We mulched the garlic heavily with straw, and I am excited to have some fresh garlic next summer. We tried a hard neck variety for the first time this year. I couldn't believe the size of the cloves, very impressive. We had three inches of snow on October 28, and then had our first frost on the 29th, so we were actually pretty close to on time with the garlic planting. No snow in November or so far in December. And it's fine by me if it stays that way.
At the end of two cycles in the breeding season, we were looking great with all of the ewes but one marked. A few of them have been re-marked since then, so it looks like lambing will stretch out a bit longer than a month. In other sheep news, we purchased a starter flock of Dorper ewe lambs. Dorpers are a hair-type sheep, which means they do not grow a thick wool coat that has to be sheared. Instead, the grow a coat of hair that sheds out as the weather gets warmer. They are meatier and I like the looks of them better than some of the other hair breeds that are too scrawny and goat-like in my opinion. The other major advantage of the Dorpers over our current North Country Cheviot crossbred sheep is that the Dorpers are less seasonal in their breeding. We are hoping to breed them in March or April for an early fall lambing. This will allow us to use the same lambing area with up to twice as many ewes. The other item off the check list in November was drawing blood samples to have our ewe lambs tested for scrapie susceptibility. We only keep those that are not susceptible, and we are making progress on that front. Out of 29 ewe lambs tested, 24 are not susceptible and will be kept around for breeding next year. So with the new Dorpers and our home grown replacements, our ewe flock is now up to 96. That's a 50% increase from last year and one-third of the way to Brian's goal of 300. Stay tuned to find out how we handle this; it could be interesting!
They are cute, and in great condition. We were told they never received any grain. Must have been some amazing pasture. But we believe they haven't had grain. We can feed the other lambs and these girls barely notice. If they were used to grain, we would know by now.
Okay, so all that activity makes it sound like I was home for a long time. It was just 5 days. And we didn't actually draw the blood samples until the 23rd. My second trip of the month was to Live Oak, Florida for the Southern Regional Dairy Challenge. The contest went very well; congratulations to all the students for all of their hard work! Before going there I wasn't sure if a "live" oak was a type of tree or just the opposite of a dead oak. I discovered it is indeed a type of tree. It's evergreen and has longer, thinner acorns than the oak trees I was familiar with before.
I was fascinated by the sphagnum moss growing on the trees. This live oak tree is at the camp where we stayed, but all the trees were draped in this stuff. You can see a holly decked with moss in the foreground of this picture. Cool and fascinating by day. Creepy by night. (FYI: as with all my posts, you can click on the picture for a larger view.)
The chickens have slowed their egg production pretty drastically. Four to five eggs a day is a good day right now. But we're only two weeks away from the shortest day of the year, and after that the days start getting longer again. I know it isn't by much. But progressively longer is better than progressively shorter. My moods get dark in time with the seasons, so I prefer the longer days! Here are some cheerful pictures from the day after I returned from Florida.
The final trip of the month was back to Pennsylvania, this time to celebrate my Grandma Mowrey getting remarried at age 82. It was a beautiful day, and she and Bob looked very happy. All but one of my cousins was able to make it, and it was so nice to see everyone. Growing up we had so many family gatherings, now that I live farther away and have animals that complicate taking vacations, I really miss seeing everyone. We also celebrated Thanksgiving with my immediate family and attended our nephew Easton's baptism. I held Easton as much as possible during the five days we were there. He is a darling. Such a cute smile and a sweet personality. Even with our raucous laughter during the wedding reception, he just slept and slept.
So that was November. Surrounded by people most of the time and soaking up time with my niece and nephews, it was overstimulating for this hermit. Now I have to readjust to being alone. It's very quiet. I should get my Christmas shopping started and pull out the decorations. But I haven't found the motivation to do either one yet.
In these first few days of December, it's been more running, but closer to home. I enjoyed a beautiful holiday concert Sunday evening by the Celebration Singers. Six people from our church choir sing with the group, and it was a really nice selection of songs. On Saturday a friend of ours was ordained; it was a very nice service and a pleasure to be a part of that special day.
I think it was the weekend after the conference that Brian and I planted garlic, spinach, and lettuce. A bit late for the greens, but we'll see what happens. They all sprouted, so that's a good start. We mulched the garlic heavily with straw, and I am excited to have some fresh garlic next summer. We tried a hard neck variety for the first time this year. I couldn't believe the size of the cloves, very impressive. We had three inches of snow on October 28, and then had our first frost on the 29th, so we were actually pretty close to on time with the garlic planting. No snow in November or so far in December. And it's fine by me if it stays that way.
At the end of two cycles in the breeding season, we were looking great with all of the ewes but one marked. A few of them have been re-marked since then, so it looks like lambing will stretch out a bit longer than a month. In other sheep news, we purchased a starter flock of Dorper ewe lambs. Dorpers are a hair-type sheep, which means they do not grow a thick wool coat that has to be sheared. Instead, the grow a coat of hair that sheds out as the weather gets warmer. They are meatier and I like the looks of them better than some of the other hair breeds that are too scrawny and goat-like in my opinion. The other major advantage of the Dorpers over our current North Country Cheviot crossbred sheep is that the Dorpers are less seasonal in their breeding. We are hoping to breed them in March or April for an early fall lambing. This will allow us to use the same lambing area with up to twice as many ewes. The other item off the check list in November was drawing blood samples to have our ewe lambs tested for scrapie susceptibility. We only keep those that are not susceptible, and we are making progress on that front. Out of 29 ewe lambs tested, 24 are not susceptible and will be kept around for breeding next year. So with the new Dorpers and our home grown replacements, our ewe flock is now up to 96. That's a 50% increase from last year and one-third of the way to Brian's goal of 300. Stay tuned to find out how we handle this; it could be interesting!
Okay, so all that activity makes it sound like I was home for a long time. It was just 5 days. And we didn't actually draw the blood samples until the 23rd. My second trip of the month was to Live Oak, Florida for the Southern Regional Dairy Challenge. The contest went very well; congratulations to all the students for all of their hard work! Before going there I wasn't sure if a "live" oak was a type of tree or just the opposite of a dead oak. I discovered it is indeed a type of tree. It's evergreen and has longer, thinner acorns than the oak trees I was familiar with before.
The chickens have slowed their egg production pretty drastically. Four to five eggs a day is a good day right now. But we're only two weeks away from the shortest day of the year, and after that the days start getting longer again. I know it isn't by much. But progressively longer is better than progressively shorter. My moods get dark in time with the seasons, so I prefer the longer days! Here are some cheerful pictures from the day after I returned from Florida.
I love these Barred Rock hens. Their bottom feathers look like petticoats, especially from behind.
Ah, home sweet home.
Yes, I'm a little nutty too.
The final trip of the month was back to Pennsylvania, this time to celebrate my Grandma Mowrey getting remarried at age 82. It was a beautiful day, and she and Bob looked very happy. All but one of my cousins was able to make it, and it was so nice to see everyone. Growing up we had so many family gatherings, now that I live farther away and have animals that complicate taking vacations, I really miss seeing everyone. We also celebrated Thanksgiving with my immediate family and attended our nephew Easton's baptism. I held Easton as much as possible during the five days we were there. He is a darling. Such a cute smile and a sweet personality. Even with our raucous laughter during the wedding reception, he just slept and slept.
Windmills are popping up all along interstate 99. These were somewhere in the vicinity of Tyrone. Not a bad picture considering it was taken from the truck window while driving on the interstate. I love how the sunset was glinting off of the windmills.
The gorgeous wedding cake, made by Robin, my sister in law.
My Dad and his brother and sisters with Grandma and Bob.
My parents, aunts and uncles with Grandma and Bob.
All the cousins and their children (except Suzy and Aurelia).
All the cousins and their spouses and children (except Jerry; Suzy, Michael and Aurelia).
Another of Robin's creations. This is a turkey cheese ball, which was gorgeous AND delicious!
So that was November. Surrounded by people most of the time and soaking up time with my niece and nephews, it was overstimulating for this hermit. Now I have to readjust to being alone. It's very quiet. I should get my Christmas shopping started and pull out the decorations. But I haven't found the motivation to do either one yet.
In these first few days of December, it's been more running, but closer to home. I enjoyed a beautiful holiday concert Sunday evening by the Celebration Singers. Six people from our church choir sing with the group, and it was a really nice selection of songs. On Saturday a friend of ours was ordained; it was a very nice service and a pleasure to be a part of that special day.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Frosty morning, frosty thoughts
Yesterday morning was one of those aggravating mornings that make you want to crawl back in bed. I was up early and got an early start to the chores, which turned out to be a good thing because I needed the extra time.
When I fed the lambs they all ran out of the pen. Luckily they followed me back in; the lure of grain was no match for freedom. As they were mobbing me, I realized I was hearing a lamb calling from much farther off. At first I thought it might be the new ewe, who is penned up in isolation behind the barn. But it was not quite the right timbre and not coming from quite the right place to be her. As I was pouring out the lambs' grain I saw two things. First, the source of the bawling was a lamb on the outside of the fence who was not able to get back in (funny how that works, you can get out, but not back in). Second, Leroy the llama was making his escape out of the field through the open gate. I was not close enough to do anything about either of these events immediately. It was one of those slow motion, no-this-can't-be-happening moments.
I went after the lamb first because I had no idea how I was going to get the llama back. The little lamb refused to come through the fence where I took it down, despite the large, inviting opening. No, instead she ran straight into the netting and proceeded to get her head and all four legs tangled up. Luckily, that tends to slow down an otherwise athletic young lamb. I grabbed her before she tore up the fence, disentangled her, and released her so she could run pell-mell down the hill to get her share of the grain.
Sheep that have recently been tricked into following a bucket for a delicious grain reward can sometimes be hard to trick again. You have to wait at least 10 minutes. I'm only partly joking. Nonetheless, while I was helping the lamb caught in the fence, the only possible scenario I could come up with for catching Leroy was to move the whole group to new grass. That was on my to-do list anyway, I just hadn't planned to do it while it was 20 degrees and frosty. So, I opened up a section of netting and called for the lambs, who by then had polished off their grain and were beginning to wander around, soon to be scattered to the four corners of the paddock. Thankfully they came at a trot and Leroy sauntered in behind them. It almost didn't work because the whole group started to come back through the fence, as if dismayed that they had been tricked into thinking I was giving them more grain. I got enough of the fence back up to turn them around, and they wandered off into the new pasture to eat crown vetch. Whew. My thought at this point was that Brian sure knows how to pick when to drive off into the sunrise and leave the morning chores to me.
I fed the chickens and went back to the house for some coffee, planning to return when the temperature got above freezing to move the lambs' water tub and refill it. Shortly after I sat down at my desk to begin my day, the neighbor called and wanted to know if I had lost a chicken. Now, surely somewhere there is a farmer who knows exactly how many chickens she has at every moment. But that is not the case here. The occasional predator has made me lose track, plus chickens are hard to count. Especially when they are basically free ranging. Ours do not always have the run of the place, but right now they do. Apparently one of the young hens did not come back to the coop the night before and was caught somewhere in the night by something. My neighbor assured me it wasn't his dogs since they weren't out overnight and the chicken was stone cold when he found it, although he would be glad to make restitution if I thought it was the dogs. Conversations with this man are maddening and you never know if he really has any idea what he is saying or if he will remember it two minutes later. I declined restitution for the chicken since it is a free ranging bird-brain that was probably getting broody and her not coming back to the coop to be locked up for the night was not the neighbor's fault. Probably should fence the chickens again, and I'll put that on my list.
At lunch time I went down to move the waterer for the sheep. As I was unhooking the fence I encountered the neighbor who again offered to pay for the chicken and let me know he had put the chicken aside so Brian could see it when he got home. When I told him Brian wouldn't be home for a couple of days, he wanted to know if I wanted to see it, and reminded me to ask him for help should I need anything. No thanks, on both counts. I thought to myself, I am not some helpless female and really you are the last person I would ask for help. I had moved the tub, set up four hoses, and started the water running. I went back to grab the mineral feeder, and just as I got to it, the four wheeler sputtered and died. Out of gas. I considered asking the neighbor for help. Decided against it and walked up the hill to find a gas can. All three were empty.
I repeat, I am not some helpless female, but at that moment I was really wishing that Brian had filled the gas cans. Isn't that a man's job? Oh, wait, I am not some helpless female. Drat.
So off to the gas station I went. Came back, filled the four wheeler up, and finally finished my morning chores at about 1 pm. Although it didn't get off to a great start, there was a bright spot in the day when I fed the ewes and checked on the rams' progress. I found that just one week into our breeding season already a third of the ewes have been marked.
When I fed the lambs they all ran out of the pen. Luckily they followed me back in; the lure of grain was no match for freedom. As they were mobbing me, I realized I was hearing a lamb calling from much farther off. At first I thought it might be the new ewe, who is penned up in isolation behind the barn. But it was not quite the right timbre and not coming from quite the right place to be her. As I was pouring out the lambs' grain I saw two things. First, the source of the bawling was a lamb on the outside of the fence who was not able to get back in (funny how that works, you can get out, but not back in). Second, Leroy the llama was making his escape out of the field through the open gate. I was not close enough to do anything about either of these events immediately. It was one of those slow motion, no-this-can't-be-happening moments.
I went after the lamb first because I had no idea how I was going to get the llama back. The little lamb refused to come through the fence where I took it down, despite the large, inviting opening. No, instead she ran straight into the netting and proceeded to get her head and all four legs tangled up. Luckily, that tends to slow down an otherwise athletic young lamb. I grabbed her before she tore up the fence, disentangled her, and released her so she could run pell-mell down the hill to get her share of the grain.
Sheep that have recently been tricked into following a bucket for a delicious grain reward can sometimes be hard to trick again. You have to wait at least 10 minutes. I'm only partly joking. Nonetheless, while I was helping the lamb caught in the fence, the only possible scenario I could come up with for catching Leroy was to move the whole group to new grass. That was on my to-do list anyway, I just hadn't planned to do it while it was 20 degrees and frosty. So, I opened up a section of netting and called for the lambs, who by then had polished off their grain and were beginning to wander around, soon to be scattered to the four corners of the paddock. Thankfully they came at a trot and Leroy sauntered in behind them. It almost didn't work because the whole group started to come back through the fence, as if dismayed that they had been tricked into thinking I was giving them more grain. I got enough of the fence back up to turn them around, and they wandered off into the new pasture to eat crown vetch. Whew. My thought at this point was that Brian sure knows how to pick when to drive off into the sunrise and leave the morning chores to me.
I fed the chickens and went back to the house for some coffee, planning to return when the temperature got above freezing to move the lambs' water tub and refill it. Shortly after I sat down at my desk to begin my day, the neighbor called and wanted to know if I had lost a chicken. Now, surely somewhere there is a farmer who knows exactly how many chickens she has at every moment. But that is not the case here. The occasional predator has made me lose track, plus chickens are hard to count. Especially when they are basically free ranging. Ours do not always have the run of the place, but right now they do. Apparently one of the young hens did not come back to the coop the night before and was caught somewhere in the night by something. My neighbor assured me it wasn't his dogs since they weren't out overnight and the chicken was stone cold when he found it, although he would be glad to make restitution if I thought it was the dogs. Conversations with this man are maddening and you never know if he really has any idea what he is saying or if he will remember it two minutes later. I declined restitution for the chicken since it is a free ranging bird-brain that was probably getting broody and her not coming back to the coop to be locked up for the night was not the neighbor's fault. Probably should fence the chickens again, and I'll put that on my list.
At lunch time I went down to move the waterer for the sheep. As I was unhooking the fence I encountered the neighbor who again offered to pay for the chicken and let me know he had put the chicken aside so Brian could see it when he got home. When I told him Brian wouldn't be home for a couple of days, he wanted to know if I wanted to see it, and reminded me to ask him for help should I need anything. No thanks, on both counts. I thought to myself, I am not some helpless female and really you are the last person I would ask for help. I had moved the tub, set up four hoses, and started the water running. I went back to grab the mineral feeder, and just as I got to it, the four wheeler sputtered and died. Out of gas. I considered asking the neighbor for help. Decided against it and walked up the hill to find a gas can. All three were empty.
I repeat, I am not some helpless female, but at that moment I was really wishing that Brian had filled the gas cans. Isn't that a man's job? Oh, wait, I am not some helpless female. Drat.
So off to the gas station I went. Came back, filled the four wheeler up, and finally finished my morning chores at about 1 pm. Although it didn't get off to a great start, there was a bright spot in the day when I fed the ewes and checked on the rams' progress. I found that just one week into our breeding season already a third of the ewes have been marked.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Let the breeding begin!
Tuesday we officially began our breeding season. It's always an exciting time, probably even more so for the rams since this is the only time of the year when they get to run with the ewes. 51 days of heaven. Our dog Dixie is in heat too. Poor Jackson (our other dog) is beside himself with excitement, but thankfully can't do anything about it (he's neutered). The testosterone is so thick in the air you can almost feel it! But I digress...
Last Saturday morning I spent some time labeling all of my dahlias in anticipation of the first frost. I gathered these flowers for one last fresh bouquet. Now that this has been in the house, the grass heads have fuzzed out, it is really neat looking. We did have a frost Saturday night, but a pretty light one at just 29 degrees. Apparently this is not enough to completely kill off the plants, (Brian says 28 degrees is a killing frost) because the cannas are basically fine, a little brown around the edges, but fine. And, many of the dahlias survived too, especially if they were even a little bit protected by surrounding plants or structures. That is the only frost we've had, nearly two full weeks behind "normal;" however, it is currently snowing. We are only supposed to have flurries, but they are calling for up to six inches at elevations above 1500 feet. We're right on the border of that, so you never know!
The frost last week did zap the vines on the sweet potatoes. So we dug those and have a good harvest in the basement now. We also picked the cornmeal corn sometime in the last week or two, and it is drying in the basement too. It is an old variety called Bloody Butcher that has beautiful red kernels. Interestingly, we made some corn bread using meal from this corn and some of our home grown wheat. The corn bread was blue. Unexpected, but pretty (tasty too)! With the corn and the sweet potatoes harvested that was the end of our garden along the driveway. Brian tilled it and the garden here at the house and planted some cover crop barley along the driveway. We still need to get garlic, spinach, and lettuce in the ground. I am not giving up on that this year! Does it seem to anyone else like I am using an inordinate amount of exclamation points? Sorry, I will try to tone it down.
Last weekend we also had an outing with our young adults group from church. We went to Showalters Corn Maze in Mt. Solon. This was the first time in a corn maze for several of us, and it was quite fun. We took turns leading the way from station to station, and made it through with only slight confusion. A good lesson in trust when you are at the back of the line. The two photos here are from the bridge near the end of the maze. Looking out over the field you can see it was a gorgeous fall day.
Here's Thorne with his ladies. He has a group of 17 mature ewes this year.
Bruce and Dalton are in one group with 34 mature ewes. Although it may look like a confrontation is imminent, so far they have both marked all of the ewes that are marked. Apparently they are sharing. I don't care, as long as they all get bred. Good progress so far. When I checked everyone on Wednesday evening, there were two marked in Thorne's group and three in Bruce and Dalton's group. There were another two in Bruce and Dalton's group last night, so we're moving right along.
We spent several hours this week working the ewes and sorting them into breeding groups and then hauling the rams over to New Hope. All went well, except for a flat tire on the tractor when Brian was trying to bush hog the pasture. Thus the tall brown grass in the picture above. There's green in the understory, promise! We decided not to put any of our ewe lambs in the breeding groups this year. That has turned out poorly every time we've tried it. So, we're trying something else and letting them get a little more mature before exposing them to the rams next fall.
The frost last week did zap the vines on the sweet potatoes. So we dug those and have a good harvest in the basement now. We also picked the cornmeal corn sometime in the last week or two, and it is drying in the basement too. It is an old variety called Bloody Butcher that has beautiful red kernels. Interestingly, we made some corn bread using meal from this corn and some of our home grown wheat. The corn bread was blue. Unexpected, but pretty (tasty too)! With the corn and the sweet potatoes harvested that was the end of our garden along the driveway. Brian tilled it and the garden here at the house and planted some cover crop barley along the driveway. We still need to get garlic, spinach, and lettuce in the ground. I am not giving up on that this year! Does it seem to anyone else like I am using an inordinate amount of exclamation points? Sorry, I will try to tone it down.
The intrepid maze crew!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
October
As promised, the October update.
As with so many things, it begins with food. Saturday, October 1st I gathered up apples from the old tree in the pasture while Brian stalked white tails in the opening day of archery season. The tree was positively loaded with fruit this year, and I picked up 7.5 buckets of good looking apples. Brian didn't bring home a deer.
I don't know the variety of these apples, but they are tart and make great applesauce. I don't know what I was thinking picking so many apples so close to my departure for World Dairy Expo, but I was concerned that if it frosted they would be lost. And once I started picking, I just couldn't leave any! I managed to can 34 quarts of applesauce before leaving for Madison on Tuesday.
My trip to Expo was primarily because I am on the board of directors for the National Dairy Shrine. So, most of my time in Madison was occupied by the board meeting and scholarship banquet. As far as meetings go, it was a really positive one; such great people with a passion for the dairy industry! The coolest thing I saw at Expo (keep in mind I'm a calf person) was this disposable feeder called the "Perfect Udder." It was originally designed for feeding pasteurized milk, but the folks at APC have adapted it and are now selling their colostrum replacer in these bags. There's a window with a line that shows how much water to add. You simply add water, mix, and screw on a nipple or an esophageal tube. What a great idea!
Of course I also had to stop in and see the World Dairy Expo staff and catch a bit of the Brown Swiss show. Great job to all; it was a really nice event! And the weather couldn't have been better; it was actually warmer in Wisconsin that week than here in Virginia.
The trees in Madison were in full color, and I saw some amazing scenery from the plane. The top ridges of the mountains were aflame with orange and red. It was quite spectacular. Interestingly, the children's story at church the following Sunday talked about God's coloring book. Makes me think of one of my favorite lines from a Lonestar song that talks about seeing "paintings from the air brushed by the hand of God." When I got home the fall color hadn't quite reached its peak here. I'd say the peak was last week, although there are still plenty breathtaking scenes as you drive around the county. Here are some shots from around our place the week of October 10. In between taking these photos and frantically getting things ready for the Penn State Nutrition Workshop, I canned 18.5 pints of apple butter. At that time every jar in the house was full. We've used some things since then, but I still bought a few more quart jars and hope to get the last of the apples (2.5 buckets!!) processed into juice here soon. In the meantime, they are storing nicely in the garage.
If I summed up September's weather as rain, I'll have to say October has been wind (and rain). But it sure makes the grasses beautiful! I love the sight and sound of wind rustling through tall grass.
And I'll end this post the same as I began it -- apples and deer. This time two deer eating apples, which they seem to be doing a lot lately. Although this doe appears to be playing peek-a-boo, she's really gobbling up apples and only pausing slightly as I crept close enough to get this shot. Good thing I already picked as many as I want! We counted eight deer in the field the other night, all does. Management hunt anyone?
As with so many things, it begins with food. Saturday, October 1st I gathered up apples from the old tree in the pasture while Brian stalked white tails in the opening day of archery season. The tree was positively loaded with fruit this year, and I picked up 7.5 buckets of good looking apples. Brian didn't bring home a deer.
I don't know the variety of these apples, but they are tart and make great applesauce. I don't know what I was thinking picking so many apples so close to my departure for World Dairy Expo, but I was concerned that if it frosted they would be lost. And once I started picking, I just couldn't leave any! I managed to can 34 quarts of applesauce before leaving for Madison on Tuesday.
My trip to Expo was primarily because I am on the board of directors for the National Dairy Shrine. So, most of my time in Madison was occupied by the board meeting and scholarship banquet. As far as meetings go, it was a really positive one; such great people with a passion for the dairy industry! The coolest thing I saw at Expo (keep in mind I'm a calf person) was this disposable feeder called the "Perfect Udder." It was originally designed for feeding pasteurized milk, but the folks at APC have adapted it and are now selling their colostrum replacer in these bags. There's a window with a line that shows how much water to add. You simply add water, mix, and screw on a nipple or an esophageal tube. What a great idea!
Of course I also had to stop in and see the World Dairy Expo staff and catch a bit of the Brown Swiss show. Great job to all; it was a really nice event! And the weather couldn't have been better; it was actually warmer in Wisconsin that week than here in Virginia.
Wide angle view of the coliseum show ring.
The theme was "Around the World of Dairy in 5 Days" and this earth hot air balloon idea was really neat.
The trees in Madison were in full color, and I saw some amazing scenery from the plane. The top ridges of the mountains were aflame with orange and red. It was quite spectacular. Interestingly, the children's story at church the following Sunday talked about God's coloring book. Makes me think of one of my favorite lines from a Lonestar song that talks about seeing "paintings from the air brushed by the hand of God." When I got home the fall color hadn't quite reached its peak here. I'd say the peak was last week, although there are still plenty breathtaking scenes as you drive around the county. Here are some shots from around our place the week of October 10. In between taking these photos and frantically getting things ready for the Penn State Nutrition Workshop, I canned 18.5 pints of apple butter. At that time every jar in the house was full. We've used some things since then, but I still bought a few more quart jars and hope to get the last of the apples (2.5 buckets!!) processed into juice here soon. In the meantime, they are storing nicely in the garage.
We had another rainbow, and a double one at that. This was mid morning on October 13. I couldn't decide which shot I liked best, so here are several.
Friday, October 21, 2011
A long absence
Wow, I just realized that my last blog post was my 100th entry. Apparently I was so overwhelmed with that milestone that it took weeks to recover! Well, here's to a new century of blogging (a centiblog?) and a renewed commitment to keep up with my journal writing.
So, let's catch up on September and October. Looking back at my canning journal, still handwritten and updated regularly, I recall that Labor Day weekend we picked grapes. We had the first quantity of any kind on our grape vines this year and were able to pick one 5-gallon bucket full. I say vines, but it's just one plant. We started three several years ago, but only the one survived. We hope to get it trellised over the winter, because that would sure make picking easier. Plus I'm sure it is better for the grapes. We also picked 3 5-gallon buckets of grapes at Brian's parents. That didn't even put a dent in their grape crop, but it was all we wanted. As it was, we were up very late picking the grapes off the stems, heating them, and juicing them. I put the strained juice in the fridge overnight and spent all of Labor Day canning. But all that work paid off in a big way with 35 quarts of delicious juice. Considering we are still drinking our way through the 2008 grape juice (all 50 quarts of it) and still eating jelly and drinking wine from that year, I figured 35 quarts was plenty!
We also got our first ever lima bean crop in September. It wasn't much, but it was better than any other year. Again, trellises are our friend. Trellises are our friend. If I repeat it a lot, do you think it will sink in?
Next up was butchering chickens, which went very well except for the discovery that there were fewer than expected. It was really hot when we started this batch, and I am not sure if that was the cause, but we lost more than I'd like during that first two weeks. The ones that survived did turn out quite well, dressing out right at 5 pounds. There's nothing better than home grown food, I'm not sure what exactly it is, but there's a difference in the flavor and there's definitely a satisfaction that comes from caring for a plant or an animal from its beginning to its end.
Honestly I don't remember what else we did in September. Surely there was more, but I have lost it. Wasn't that the whole reason for starting this blog? Oh, we did work on the basement kitchen a bit. We straightened up the cabinets and painted them with a fresh coat of clean white. I cleaned all the drawer and door pulls, what a transformation! And we replaced the sink with a deeper one. The cabinets are still sitting where we left them, but we'll get back to them as the weather turns colder. Speaking of the weather, one word can sum up September 2011: rain. We had our share and then some. This kept us from tilling up the garden, so no fall crops have been planted yet. We are still hoping to put out garlic, lettuce, and spinach.
A garden tour on September 30 found some of the following blooms:
Does anyone know what kind of salamander this is? I am assuming it is a salamander. I see them pretty frequently in the fall, but I haven't taken time to look them up. One thing is certain, he's very well camouflaged.
And I leave you with another random insect photo. The same day I took all these flower shots and some of the salamander shots (there were nearly 20 different ones, I winnowed them down for this post!) when I walked back to the house there was the white spider on one side of the steps and this katydid on the railing at the other side. A fascinating break from work that day!
That is the September update. October will have to wait for another day. At least I now have all the pictures downloaded from my camera. Yesterday when I put the memory card into the computer I discovered I had 186 pictures to sort through. I have been diligent at capturing interesting scenes, but there's a lack of follow through in getting them to the blog.
So, let's catch up on September and October. Looking back at my canning journal, still handwritten and updated regularly, I recall that Labor Day weekend we picked grapes. We had the first quantity of any kind on our grape vines this year and were able to pick one 5-gallon bucket full. I say vines, but it's just one plant. We started three several years ago, but only the one survived. We hope to get it trellised over the winter, because that would sure make picking easier. Plus I'm sure it is better for the grapes. We also picked 3 5-gallon buckets of grapes at Brian's parents. That didn't even put a dent in their grape crop, but it was all we wanted. As it was, we were up very late picking the grapes off the stems, heating them, and juicing them. I put the strained juice in the fridge overnight and spent all of Labor Day canning. But all that work paid off in a big way with 35 quarts of delicious juice. Considering we are still drinking our way through the 2008 grape juice (all 50 quarts of it) and still eating jelly and drinking wine from that year, I figured 35 quarts was plenty!
We also got our first ever lima bean crop in September. It wasn't much, but it was better than any other year. Again, trellises are our friend. Trellises are our friend. If I repeat it a lot, do you think it will sink in?
Next up was butchering chickens, which went very well except for the discovery that there were fewer than expected. It was really hot when we started this batch, and I am not sure if that was the cause, but we lost more than I'd like during that first two weeks. The ones that survived did turn out quite well, dressing out right at 5 pounds. There's nothing better than home grown food, I'm not sure what exactly it is, but there's a difference in the flavor and there's definitely a satisfaction that comes from caring for a plant or an animal from its beginning to its end.
Honestly I don't remember what else we did in September. Surely there was more, but I have lost it. Wasn't that the whole reason for starting this blog? Oh, we did work on the basement kitchen a bit. We straightened up the cabinets and painted them with a fresh coat of clean white. I cleaned all the drawer and door pulls, what a transformation! And we replaced the sink with a deeper one. The cabinets are still sitting where we left them, but we'll get back to them as the weather turns colder. Speaking of the weather, one word can sum up September 2011: rain. We had our share and then some. This kept us from tilling up the garden, so no fall crops have been planted yet. We are still hoping to put out garlic, lettuce, and spinach.
Beautiful caprese towers with home grown tomatoes and basil and home made mozzarella. De-licious! All of the tomatoes are gone now; I just cleaned up the garden this week, but we sure did enjoy them.
Random photo of a cool white spider. I love the contrast of the white against this purple ruffles basil.
Those peaches lined up on the table in my last post? Converted to many jars of sweet, sticky goodness. And a cobbler or two...We put up a total of 31 quarts of peaches plus this interesting juice called 'golden nectar' that had peach, pineapple, and cantaloupe in it.
The grapes mentioned above (these are the ones in our back yard).
The chickens at 5 weeks. They packed on a lot of weight in the last two weeks, but you can see how huge the breasts are in this top photo, and one of the reasons for the weight gain (all they do is eat!) in the photo below.
A garden tour on September 30 found some of the following blooms:
I think this is Wild Horses reblooming daylily; it didn't bloom this spring, but it is sure putting on a show this fall. I planted this last fall in Luke's corner of the garden. That bed has been so beautiful this year.
One of my fall favorites, Autumn Joy sedum. It had very rich color this year and inspired me to get some more plants. I put out two Autumn Fire sedum, so there will be even more to enjoy next September.
Possibly my favorite dahlia, but they are all so beautiful it is hard to choose! This one is Maki.
This beautiful yellow dinner plate type is called Kelvin Floodlight. Even in the shadows, it lights up the garden.
And this perfectly symmetrical white dinner plate is Fleurel. I love the creamy white center and it looks so nice with these mums in the background.
I do not know the variety of this one, but it is also a favorite because it was my mom's. She entrusted me and my sister with all of her dahlias when it became too hard for her to dig them every spring and fall. Some how I ended up with only purple and white varieties, and they are never the same from one year to the next. This one came out with a beautiful purple tint this year.
Mums from Char and Matt's wedding last September. They overwintered very well! I think Char and Matt overwintered well too...congratulations on your first anniversary!
That is the September update. October will have to wait for another day. At least I now have all the pictures downloaded from my camera. Yesterday when I put the memory card into the computer I discovered I had 186 pictures to sort through. I have been diligent at capturing interesting scenes, but there's a lack of follow through in getting them to the blog.
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