Eerie Animal Moments

Perhaps it was prescience on the part of the animals that made them do it, just to unnerve us as they will undoubtedly be unnerved tomorrow evening.  Perhaps it was just a fluke.  Either way, this morning I fervently wished (30 minutes later!) that I had the camera in hand when I opened the back door to let the dogs out, and what greeted my eyes was a scene I’d never witnessed before.

Over half of our chicken flock was spread out in a long line along the fence bordering the back yard, all facing the back yard and not making a move or a sound.  I found this a little bit eerie.  This followed the first day in more than 20 months that not a single bird in our flock of 21 hens laid a single egg.  Something is definitely going on here.

Even the donkeys and goats were arrayed very quietly and barely made a sound. No donkey brays rent the morning air, nor did even a quiet bleat from a goat disturb the dawn.  It was very strange indeed.   My husband went out to feed and milk while I took care of the indoors events, and upon his return to the house said that they all quietly followed him into the barn.  Whatever spell was upon them dissipated when he tossed their scratch grains out. 

I’m a firm believer that our animals do communicate quite clearly if we pay attention to them.  They are far more honest than people ever will be, and something was up that had every farm inhabitant in a somber mood this morning. 

If only we could figure out what it was.

Whey Awesome!

With every batch of cheese we make there is one consistent result. Not necessarily great cheese, though that’s always our goal, but whey.  Whey is that funny greenish yellow leftover fluid, after one has convinced the solids in milk to all get married and cozy together plus live with the right kind of bacteria and turn into delicious edible-ness. 

There are only so many batches of ricotta cheese that I need, and though the dogs get a few spoons of whey on their meals, there is still a huge amount leftover.  I do hate to waste, and sometimes don't make it out to the barnyard to share it with the chickens and goats.  So, taking the advice of a friend of mine who suggested using the whey to replace the water in bread recipes, I did just that.  She’s a genius! 

That simple change made a basic white bread so tender and gave it such a remarkably richer flavor that I am going to have to start saving whey just for this purpose!  Can’t wait to do it with some bread in which we use spent beer making grains!  What deliciousness!

Easy Roasted Peppers

We can all probably agree that the best way to roast peppers is over a fire, and blacken the skin then pop them into a ziplock bag, close it and let them sweat.  Once they are cool, peel the skin off and toss the stems and you're ready. 

Sometimes that lovely open fire isn't a ready option or maybe it's raining or you really just don't want to fire up the grill to fire a couple of peppers.  Whatever the reason, you can roast peppers fast and easy in the oven.

Join a couple of sheets of aluminum foil and spray lightly with olive oil, then lightly spray your fresh garden peppers, wrap them in the foil so they are enclosed and put the whole package on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan.

Pop it into a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes, then take it out and let them them cool.  Peel the skins off, toss the stems and voila!

Try chopping these into long strips and tossing with some pasta and pesto and pine nuts!  YUM!

Farm Therapy

Ever wake up in the moring and you're already on the wrong side of life?  Some days that extra fifteen minutes to "hatch" as a good friend of mine puts it, would make an enormous difference in your outlook on life. 

Today was one such morning, but the puppies were early in their whining to go out. I turned over and nudged my husband hoping he would get up and let them out so I could hatch slowly.  I should have known better, because just turning over I was awake and irritated about it.  We've all been there - don't deny it! 

Skip forward a couple of hours through the morning farm chores of milking and feeding, and loving on the animals.  (That last one sounds like a real chore, right?!)  That's good therapy - and I find myself making the chocolate sauce again for homemade mocha capaccino's and have a batch of gouda cheese started.  My daughters are sleeping in, lucky gals, and my son is helping with everything I ask and a few things without being asked.  I have awesome kids! 

It's hard to hold on to irritation when you have farm therapy.  I'm already trying to figure out what kind of project my teenage son and I can get into today that will be both productive and fun for us. 

Have a beautiful day!

Just To Smile!

What I do in the evenings with Gerie...

And the results of that labor

What Ms. Balvenie looks like at 6 months old

 And her sassy mama Ms Cindy  

Timing is Everything

Being in the right place at the right time can be staggeringly important. 

Last night I was having a lively discussion on the phone with my mother, and standing on the deck grilling chicken breasts for lunches the next day.  (I love talking with my mother, as she is both insightful and amusing and shares her experiences so freely!)  The chickens were settling in for the evening, and the mosquitoes were beginning to rise.  I couldn’t wait for that darned chicken to finish cooking, so I could go back inside.

The goats were being chased by Penny, and came tearing into the barnyard from the pasture, when Chester jumped into the feed tray that is in front of the stanchion located out there.  I turned back to the grill to turn the chicken over, when I heard a distressed sound from the barnyard.  Chester had managed to break through the bottom of the tray and was dangling out of it by one leg and crying pitifully. 

After an expletive (probably – I don’t really remember what I said, but knowing me it was probably colorful) I tried telling Mom I’d call her back, and thought I had ended the call before SHOUTING to my husband as I ran off the deck “BILL!  GET OUT HERE! I NEED HELP!!”  Out of all that, he only heard “Help”.

I was to the gate, in my jeans and slippers, trying to stuff the phone in my pocket when Chester managed to free himself and walked away as if to say “You saw nothing.  Nothing to see here.  Move along.”

Bill grabbed his boots and was out with me – Chester was checked over, and seems fine.  Bill removed the remnants of the tray while I went back to the chicken and realized that my phone was still in my hand.  And still on.  Poor Mom had to listen to all that!  We discussed the event without re-using the phrase “If there’s a way for an animal to get hurt, they’ll find it.”  J

I can almost guarantee that if we hadn’t been home, he probably would have been hung up much worse and ended with a broken leg or something. 

Tonight we will replace the tray with a sturdy 2x4 base and look (again) for any other spots of potential danger.  And we’ll be glad once again that we were home when it happened. 

A Worthwhile Goal

With each day where the chaos of the workplace threatens to consume me, and I find solace with my family and farm – especially those days that I head to the barn and tell everyone to let me have some time alone – I draw closer and closer to the land, and overthink how the office jobs are damaging to us. 

I’m a tough mama, in that we have fun but I have no tolerance for lies or pettiness or misbehavior.  As a result, my kids love to laugh and we have game nights and they are polite, helpful and respectful people on the whole.  It’s my job as Mom to raise them to be happy adults who can be positive influences and make responsible decisions as adults.

My animals are well cared for and come running to see us as soon as they hear us come out of the back door, knowing they are safe and loved and well-tended. 

Each species on our farm serves a specific purpose, in addition to enriching our lives.  The chickens provide eggs and meat.  The goats provide milk and meat.  (Though only males who don’t sell and aren’t worthy to keep for breeding will be slaughtered.)  The donkeys protect everyone in the barn yard.  The dogs protect the kids, house and yard.  The ducks – well, they make me laugh.  That’s a purpose too!  When we someday have turkeys, they will provide meat and eat grasshoppers.  (They are grasshopper eating machines, folks!  Really!)

We make and sell soap from the goat milk, and make cheese and dairy products for home use.  Every day in the office at my daily job I contemplate at least a little bit how to make this little farm, this beautiful little dream, grow in the right way, and at the right rate, that someday it can be my real job. 

Believe it or not, I really would take sweating outside when it’s 110 degrees or layering up for those days it’s 20 degrees out, over just about any other job in the world.  It’s dirty, and sometimes it breaks your heart while other days are filled with elation, but it’s honest and natural and at the end of the days spent that way, I feel like what I’ve done is really worthy.  I took action that made a life better, or healthier or happier.  That in turn makes ones’ own life more enjoyable. 

How do you go from where we are now to sharing that passion and knowledge and those skills and those products with others, and make a living out of it?  That’s my worthwhile goal.