Frost is lingering in the air like an angry coworker peering through the cubicle at you. It's going to strike sometime soon, but all you feel right now is the chill in the air as your hairs stand on end.
I feel bad but I think I might be shearing the sheep now. I was soooo busy up until this point and now with CSA just wrapping up, I have more time. I think they'll make it. I guess there are blankets that I could fashion as sheep coats....
The pasture is loving that recent rain that we just got and has greened up again, almost comparable to the lush green grass of spring. The gardens are starting to slow down a bit, the tomatoes are kinda tumbling down their split frames and sparse foliage. The winter squash are peering out from their giant leaves as squash bugs slowly march along their stems, sucking the life right out of them.
I did get 17 more hens right about to lay which means EGGS! SWEET! I'll let you all know when. ;)
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
spring blossoms, lamb chops, and pink slime
The blossoms on all the spring trees have burst in a beautiful array of spring temperatures this year, which resulted in a very pleasant and successful lambing season. It's great to wake up and look out my window to see a ewe caring for her newborn that's barely coherent and trying to stand up. Within a few hours, they're dry and fluffy and nursing or running around.
It's amazing how they are born with their eyes open and the first thing they do after being catapulted into a new, very bright world, is to stretch out their legs and stand up.
Anyway, in the start to finish fashion of this place, I'm going to switch over the the finishing part of the life cycle at High Mill. Today I head to the butcher and pick up three lambs for a grill out taste test. This will determine what direction to go in order to keep the most delicious stock for future lambs.
To me, this step is incredibly important. Instead of breeding only for the giant-est, fast growing lambs that need a lot of antibiotics and a sterile environment to survive, I'm selecting the hardiest sheep that are able to survive minimal intervention with lambing or pasturing and without chemicals such as wormers or antibiotics. Then out of that stock, I now am selecting out the ones that give me the finest finished product. It's kinda like painting a portrait of my perfect sheep, only it's in slow motion over a period of many years, but with quite a few nice scarves and excellent dinners in the meantime.
I like sheep because they are small and easy to handle. They are very interested in watching me as much as I am interested in watching them. And I love replacing my very loud, gas powered lawnmower with these woolen lawnmowers who reduce my carbon footprint and replace my cable tv.
I also really like my butcher. I think the recent development of pink slime in meat really has reinforced this. I'm sure some young biologist was looking on paper and thought of an ingenious way to use all of those little bits that usually are scrapped for dog food and put them back into a low fat filler... plus a little ammonium hydroxide to keep it "safe."
I doubt that my butcher puts my trimmings in a centrifuge, but I like knowing that I could look him in the eye and ask.
This last trip the the butcher, I tried my hand once again at tanning hydes. This time, I was a bit more successful and it looks like I'm only 6 steps away from having some nice rugs.
Anyway, I've been so wrapped up in counting lambs that I haven't paid much attention to my beef cows that are starting to eat up this lush grass that's growing. I have also been reading about exactly why grass fed cows are healthier for you, and it's not just the leaner beef. There's been a lot of press around the good fats, Omega 3s. Whenever grass or a diverse diet replaces a grain fed diet, Omega 3s increase. CLA is another cancer fighting fat that increases with pasture raised animals.
I should have a few beef that are ready in early winter. Now I'm off to check for more lambs. We're up to 13 already!
It's amazing how they are born with their eyes open and the first thing they do after being catapulted into a new, very bright world, is to stretch out their legs and stand up.
Anyway, in the start to finish fashion of this place, I'm going to switch over the the finishing part of the life cycle at High Mill. Today I head to the butcher and pick up three lambs for a grill out taste test. This will determine what direction to go in order to keep the most delicious stock for future lambs.
To me, this step is incredibly important. Instead of breeding only for the giant-est, fast growing lambs that need a lot of antibiotics and a sterile environment to survive, I'm selecting the hardiest sheep that are able to survive minimal intervention with lambing or pasturing and without chemicals such as wormers or antibiotics. Then out of that stock, I now am selecting out the ones that give me the finest finished product. It's kinda like painting a portrait of my perfect sheep, only it's in slow motion over a period of many years, but with quite a few nice scarves and excellent dinners in the meantime.
I like sheep because they are small and easy to handle. They are very interested in watching me as much as I am interested in watching them. And I love replacing my very loud, gas powered lawnmower with these woolen lawnmowers who reduce my carbon footprint and replace my cable tv.
I also really like my butcher. I think the recent development of pink slime in meat really has reinforced this. I'm sure some young biologist was looking on paper and thought of an ingenious way to use all of those little bits that usually are scrapped for dog food and put them back into a low fat filler... plus a little ammonium hydroxide to keep it "safe."
I doubt that my butcher puts my trimmings in a centrifuge, but I like knowing that I could look him in the eye and ask.
This last trip the the butcher, I tried my hand once again at tanning hydes. This time, I was a bit more successful and it looks like I'm only 6 steps away from having some nice rugs.
Anyway, I've been so wrapped up in counting lambs that I haven't paid much attention to my beef cows that are starting to eat up this lush grass that's growing. I have also been reading about exactly why grass fed cows are healthier for you, and it's not just the leaner beef. There's been a lot of press around the good fats, Omega 3s. Whenever grass or a diverse diet replaces a grain fed diet, Omega 3s increase. CLA is another cancer fighting fat that increases with pasture raised animals.
I should have a few beef that are ready in early winter. Now I'm off to check for more lambs. We're up to 13 already!
Monday, January 16, 2012
raise. shop. eat?
I like when winter slows me down enough that I can catch up on the world around me. Sometimes during the growing season, my hands are in the dirt, eyes are to the ground, and I'm tripping over a million things to do. It's good to refocus and figure out what's going on in the broad view of the world so I can remember why I put so much work into what I do.
Here are a few of my focuses right now:
Meat - To Raise or Not To Raise
The question haunts me after the dizzying whirlwind of getting the animals to the butcher and matching orders up with how much meat I end up with in the end and getting schedules all coordinated and making sure that my cost doesn't outweigh the price but that my price is still inkeeping with market prices, which are artificially deflated and don't match the actual cost. Will I do this again? Winter is the perfect time to work through this.
Here's what I know: I don't eat that much meat. When I do eat meat, I eat chicken. I failed miserably at raising chickens last year. I didn't eat any of them, except the one I found at the bottom of my freezer that wasn't marked, but I think it was a chicken? I finally got my chicken plucker. It works wonderfully, if I can actually get chickens to that size. Chicken feed prices went up as did baby chicken prices. Chicken mortality rates also went up. I need to charge more than $10 / whole chicken, but grocery stores sell rotisserie chickens for $5. That kinda grosses me out a bit. So I'm probably not going to raise meat chickens this year.
I love to eat my pork. Pigs scare me though. One bad pig really can ruin the whole bunch and Jason and I both are still terrified of pigs, including that cute pig on the Geiko commercials. Babe is now ahorror movie. But out of everything that was in my freezer, I enjoyed my pork the most and I miss it the most. So I'm not going to rule out pigs, I might just throw the offer for pork out there and see how many people want it and we'll go from there.
My beef is amazing. I had beef ribs slow roasted to the most meatie bliss I've ever experienced. My ground beef makes the perfect hamburgers, not too greasy but with a delicious flavor that just says 'I'm grass fed!' I'm quite proud of my beef. I also learned a very valuable lesson after picking up my beef sides from the processor - cows aren't as big as you think they are. I now know why farmer's price their beef based on hanging weight. Appropriately noted and now pressing on. I have 10 calves on pasture now. They won't be ready this year, but maybe the year after that. I'm working on getting some steers to put on pasture this year that will be ready in the fall. Mmm, beef.
I will raise lambs again. I don't eat lamb that often, but there is something inherently therapeutic about raising sheep and for that reason, I'll continue to do it. I'm excited for lambing season this year and I'm passing the tie making wool pillows... but that's another thought entirely.
Turkeys are for sure. Delicious. Easy... except when they decide to roam across Fulton Drive. But worth it.
So that's my plan for meats as of right now. I also should put in an order for more egg laying chickens and put my old hens in the soup pot... but I'm kinda a sentimental farmer, so I'll probably only go through with the first half of that statement.
What to buy - When did grocery shopping get so difficult?
I have a new routine when I go grocery shopping. I pick up a food and read it. Constantly. I no longer just grab whatever is on my shopping list. I pick up everything and look at it.
I'm not a proponent of eating pesticides. If it's meant to kill an insect or fungus, I don't really want to eat it. The US does have testing to make sure that our chemical pesticides aren't too terrible and yes, they do degrade over time or can be washed off. Organic pesticides aren't always the best option either as a neurotoxin made from a plant is still a neurotoxin. In general though, I purchase domestic grown foods as often as possible.
Health and safety issues arising in trade are not always easily resolved at either the domestic or international levels. Domestic regulations that prohibit the sale of, for example, a toxic pesticide, do not apply internationally. “Goods that are restricted in domestic markets, on the grounds that they present a danger to human, animal or plant life or health, or to the environment, may often be legally exported. This may cause a problem for the importing country, where information is lacking on whether and why the product is banned: exporters may make false declarations, customs authorities (particularly in developing countries) may lack adequate product testing facilities.” from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trade_and_the_environment
I also am amazed at concentrated juice in the frozen food aisle. Look at them some time - contains juice from at least three contries. Wow. Our food web is so oddly interconnected.
I try not to purchase processed foods. I'm not sure how I feel about 'chemically separated' or 'modified' anything. And I'm alright with eating lard over crisco. http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food It feels like a whole animal fat is way better than
The more I look into food additives, the less I really want those oreos. I am even having trouble finding a soup base that doesn't have MSG or some chemically modified something. http://www.rense.com/general84/foods.htm and bouillon cubes no longer appeal to me.
Cooking Soup
So right now I've got a pork bone in the stew pot with the onions I've been saving from last growing season and some dried beans. I know the ingredients so far: pork bone, dried beans, onions, bay leaf, garlic, salt & pepper. I guess I'm not going to get those short cuts of bouillon cubes anymore, but the from scratch smell that's emanating from my kitchen is satisfaction enough and will keep me and my family fed for quite a few days.
I'm finishing off my delicious beans and broth by adding frozen spinach towards the end of the boil and then sauteing up more onions along with a ham steak cut into spoon sized cubes along with some french filet cut frozen green beans saute'ed in butter. Non-homogenized, of course. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_er_Pkf7Fdk&feature=related
Here are a few of my focuses right now:
Meat - To Raise or Not To Raise
The question haunts me after the dizzying whirlwind of getting the animals to the butcher and matching orders up with how much meat I end up with in the end and getting schedules all coordinated and making sure that my cost doesn't outweigh the price but that my price is still inkeeping with market prices, which are artificially deflated and don't match the actual cost. Will I do this again? Winter is the perfect time to work through this.
Here's what I know: I don't eat that much meat. When I do eat meat, I eat chicken. I failed miserably at raising chickens last year. I didn't eat any of them, except the one I found at the bottom of my freezer that wasn't marked, but I think it was a chicken? I finally got my chicken plucker. It works wonderfully, if I can actually get chickens to that size. Chicken feed prices went up as did baby chicken prices. Chicken mortality rates also went up. I need to charge more than $10 / whole chicken, but grocery stores sell rotisserie chickens for $5. That kinda grosses me out a bit. So I'm probably not going to raise meat chickens this year.
I love to eat my pork. Pigs scare me though. One bad pig really can ruin the whole bunch and Jason and I both are still terrified of pigs, including that cute pig on the Geiko commercials. Babe is now ahorror movie. But out of everything that was in my freezer, I enjoyed my pork the most and I miss it the most. So I'm not going to rule out pigs, I might just throw the offer for pork out there and see how many people want it and we'll go from there.
My beef is amazing. I had beef ribs slow roasted to the most meatie bliss I've ever experienced. My ground beef makes the perfect hamburgers, not too greasy but with a delicious flavor that just says 'I'm grass fed!' I'm quite proud of my beef. I also learned a very valuable lesson after picking up my beef sides from the processor - cows aren't as big as you think they are. I now know why farmer's price their beef based on hanging weight. Appropriately noted and now pressing on. I have 10 calves on pasture now. They won't be ready this year, but maybe the year after that. I'm working on getting some steers to put on pasture this year that will be ready in the fall. Mmm, beef.
I will raise lambs again. I don't eat lamb that often, but there is something inherently therapeutic about raising sheep and for that reason, I'll continue to do it. I'm excited for lambing season this year and I'm passing the tie making wool pillows... but that's another thought entirely.
Turkeys are for sure. Delicious. Easy... except when they decide to roam across Fulton Drive. But worth it.
So that's my plan for meats as of right now. I also should put in an order for more egg laying chickens and put my old hens in the soup pot... but I'm kinda a sentimental farmer, so I'll probably only go through with the first half of that statement.
What to buy - When did grocery shopping get so difficult?
I have a new routine when I go grocery shopping. I pick up a food and read it. Constantly. I no longer just grab whatever is on my shopping list. I pick up everything and look at it.
I'm not a proponent of eating pesticides. If it's meant to kill an insect or fungus, I don't really want to eat it. The US does have testing to make sure that our chemical pesticides aren't too terrible and yes, they do degrade over time or can be washed off. Organic pesticides aren't always the best option either as a neurotoxin made from a plant is still a neurotoxin. In general though, I purchase domestic grown foods as often as possible.
Health and safety issues arising in trade are not always easily resolved at either the domestic or international levels. Domestic regulations that prohibit the sale of, for example, a toxic pesticide, do not apply internationally. “Goods that are restricted in domestic markets, on the grounds that they present a danger to human, animal or plant life or health, or to the environment, may often be legally exported. This may cause a problem for the importing country, where information is lacking on whether and why the product is banned: exporters may make false declarations, customs authorities (particularly in developing countries) may lack adequate product testing facilities.” from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trade_and_the_environment
I also am amazed at concentrated juice in the frozen food aisle. Look at them some time - contains juice from at least three contries. Wow. Our food web is so oddly interconnected.
I try not to purchase processed foods. I'm not sure how I feel about 'chemically separated' or 'modified' anything. And I'm alright with eating lard over crisco. http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food It feels like a whole animal fat is way better than
The more I look into food additives, the less I really want those oreos. I am even having trouble finding a soup base that doesn't have MSG or some chemically modified something. http://www.rense.com/general84/foods.htm and bouillon cubes no longer appeal to me.
Cooking Soup
So right now I've got a pork bone in the stew pot with the onions I've been saving from last growing season and some dried beans. I know the ingredients so far: pork bone, dried beans, onions, bay leaf, garlic, salt & pepper. I guess I'm not going to get those short cuts of bouillon cubes anymore, but the from scratch smell that's emanating from my kitchen is satisfaction enough and will keep me and my family fed for quite a few days.
I'm finishing off my delicious beans and broth by adding frozen spinach towards the end of the boil and then sauteing up more onions along with a ham steak cut into spoon sized cubes along with some french filet cut frozen green beans saute'ed in butter. Non-homogenized, of course. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_er_Pkf7Fdk&feature=related
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It smells more like spring.
The creek is high again.
This year has washed away the sides of the creek bank more than any other year. The rains come all at once and I'm happy to have the dam upstream hold up against this torrent of water. Our little bridge by the chicken house that's been there since I was about 6 has eroded away from below. The high waters came up and chipped away at the earth around it until there was just a crust on top that turned into a sinkhole when my dog stepped on it. I'm surprised I didn't lose her! She also has noticed that places in the creek she used to be able to walk across are now a swimming endeavor.
I'm on my second cup of tea, my fourteenth tissue, and still in my pajama pants debating where this day is going to go. My dad has the fedco tree catalog and keeps milling about thinking over the descriptions of the trees both with interest and incredulous disbelief. They actually tout the amazing properties of the locust tree! They describe how to turn acorns edible, and they sell unsexed ginkgo trees for city plantings. Ha! Nothing like some stinky fruit to give your city a very interesting nickname. I guess it could be a conversation piece.
I am contemplating ordering more kiwi vines. We've been planting them for the past few years with no fruit yet. I guess that's how my cranberries are too. And the blueberries, plum trees, cherry tree, aronia bush, serviceberries, gooseberries, and baby apple trees i've been nestling all over this little spot of ground i have. The pear tree that marks the grave of my sister's late great cat produced this year (the Jasper pear, as we'll call it) and the peach trees tried to produce baby peaches which were delicious, albeit rather tiny. Our strawberry patch went crazy this year. A week ago, my sister was back in there breaking up garlic bulbs and planting them among the mat of junebearing and the sporadic everbearing that still have little flowers and tiny fruit coming on.
Bronchitis has slowed me down a bit today and I'm back to curling up and watching the cooking channel, planning winter soups and trying to use up all the winter squash that I've squirreled away. Jason made winter squash enchiladas, which were amazing. He boiled the winter squash until tender then cubed it along with some summer squash, carrots, and made a sauce with garlic, cilantro and onions and some chili spices and butter. He mixed that all together and stuffed a soft shell tortilla. He topped it with sauteed garlic, onions, butter, and rooster sauce put in the blender and baked it. A little sour cream on top and I really didn't miss the meat at all! It was slightly sweet but still spicy and completely delicious!!!!
Now my task for the day is to figure out a winter vegetable storage plan. I have my root cellar (aka a corner of my basemet) cleared out and now I've just got to figure out the best way to store the surplus of winter squash that I've collected along with some apples, onions, beets, and other random veggies.
I know that apples must be stored completely separate because they give off something that accelerates the rotting of other fruits and veggies, which is why they shouldn't be placed in a functional fruit bowl.
So now is a good time to share a tip that I've learned about storing fruits and veggies - there are two requirements to consider when cellaring fruits and veggies ::: temperature and humidity. Think of the difference between moist loving veggies like turnips or cabbage vs onions and winter squash. Your turnips would turn into dry little shrivels if they were stored dry and your cabbage would split without high humidity. Meanwhile, your onions would get that annoying mold under the skin at high humidity and your winter squash would get squishy.
So here's a list from Root Cellaring that gives a basic outline of what fruits and veggies should be stored at.
Cold & Very Moist:
Carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, celery, chinese cabbage, cereriac, salsify, scorzonera, winter radishes, kohlrabi, leeks, collards, broccoli (short term), brussel sprouts (short term), horseradish, sunchokes
Cool and Moist: potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower (short term) apples, grapes (yeah right, not for very long), citrus, pears, endive, cucumbers, sweet peppers (45-55) cantalope, melons, eggplant, ripe tomato
Cool and Dry: garlic, onions, green podded soybeans
Moderately warm and dry: dry hot peppers, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, green tomatoes
So now I've got to get my winter squash out of the basement and into the living room by the fire and my potatoes are going to the basement and I'm suddenly really hungry for brussel sprouts and apple pie. I'm going to put the goats in the garden to try to mow down the weeds that have all gone to seed as I shake my head and hope that next year works out better as I shovel dirt into the holes in the eroded bridge while enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. I love the smell of mud, but I fear my brain is getting tricked into skipping winter entirely and thinking it's spring already. I know my lilac is tricked into leafing out already. Oops. I'm sure we'll see the snow fly by next week and all will be back to normal... well, as normal as Ohio weather ever is.
This year has washed away the sides of the creek bank more than any other year. The rains come all at once and I'm happy to have the dam upstream hold up against this torrent of water. Our little bridge by the chicken house that's been there since I was about 6 has eroded away from below. The high waters came up and chipped away at the earth around it until there was just a crust on top that turned into a sinkhole when my dog stepped on it. I'm surprised I didn't lose her! She also has noticed that places in the creek she used to be able to walk across are now a swimming endeavor.
I'm on my second cup of tea, my fourteenth tissue, and still in my pajama pants debating where this day is going to go. My dad has the fedco tree catalog and keeps milling about thinking over the descriptions of the trees both with interest and incredulous disbelief. They actually tout the amazing properties of the locust tree! They describe how to turn acorns edible, and they sell unsexed ginkgo trees for city plantings. Ha! Nothing like some stinky fruit to give your city a very interesting nickname. I guess it could be a conversation piece.
I am contemplating ordering more kiwi vines. We've been planting them for the past few years with no fruit yet. I guess that's how my cranberries are too. And the blueberries, plum trees, cherry tree, aronia bush, serviceberries, gooseberries, and baby apple trees i've been nestling all over this little spot of ground i have. The pear tree that marks the grave of my sister's late great cat produced this year (the Jasper pear, as we'll call it) and the peach trees tried to produce baby peaches which were delicious, albeit rather tiny. Our strawberry patch went crazy this year. A week ago, my sister was back in there breaking up garlic bulbs and planting them among the mat of junebearing and the sporadic everbearing that still have little flowers and tiny fruit coming on.
Bronchitis has slowed me down a bit today and I'm back to curling up and watching the cooking channel, planning winter soups and trying to use up all the winter squash that I've squirreled away. Jason made winter squash enchiladas, which were amazing. He boiled the winter squash until tender then cubed it along with some summer squash, carrots, and made a sauce with garlic, cilantro and onions and some chili spices and butter. He mixed that all together and stuffed a soft shell tortilla. He topped it with sauteed garlic, onions, butter, and rooster sauce put in the blender and baked it. A little sour cream on top and I really didn't miss the meat at all! It was slightly sweet but still spicy and completely delicious!!!!
Now my task for the day is to figure out a winter vegetable storage plan. I have my root cellar (aka a corner of my basemet) cleared out and now I've just got to figure out the best way to store the surplus of winter squash that I've collected along with some apples, onions, beets, and other random veggies.
I know that apples must be stored completely separate because they give off something that accelerates the rotting of other fruits and veggies, which is why they shouldn't be placed in a functional fruit bowl.
So now is a good time to share a tip that I've learned about storing fruits and veggies - there are two requirements to consider when cellaring fruits and veggies ::: temperature and humidity. Think of the difference between moist loving veggies like turnips or cabbage vs onions and winter squash. Your turnips would turn into dry little shrivels if they were stored dry and your cabbage would split without high humidity. Meanwhile, your onions would get that annoying mold under the skin at high humidity and your winter squash would get squishy.
So here's a list from Root Cellaring that gives a basic outline of what fruits and veggies should be stored at.
Cold & Very Moist:
Carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, celery, chinese cabbage, cereriac, salsify, scorzonera, winter radishes, kohlrabi, leeks, collards, broccoli (short term), brussel sprouts (short term), horseradish, sunchokes
Cool and Moist: potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower (short term) apples, grapes (yeah right, not for very long), citrus, pears, endive, cucumbers, sweet peppers (45-55) cantalope, melons, eggplant, ripe tomato
Cool and Dry: garlic, onions, green podded soybeans
Moderately warm and dry: dry hot peppers, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, green tomatoes
So now I've got to get my winter squash out of the basement and into the living room by the fire and my potatoes are going to the basement and I'm suddenly really hungry for brussel sprouts and apple pie. I'm going to put the goats in the garden to try to mow down the weeds that have all gone to seed as I shake my head and hope that next year works out better as I shovel dirt into the holes in the eroded bridge while enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. I love the smell of mud, but I fear my brain is getting tricked into skipping winter entirely and thinking it's spring already. I know my lilac is tricked into leafing out already. Oops. I'm sure we'll see the snow fly by next week and all will be back to normal... well, as normal as Ohio weather ever is.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
sick slipping into fall
Oh man. I feel funny.
I think I need to find a really good book to dive into. I think I've been running for so long that the cool air that hit me this morning really knocked me back and hit me really hard. The wet rain is lingering on the leaves a little longer and the dark cool nights are creeping in. I have that twinge of -where did the time go- feeling in the back of my mind. I'm not ready for winter.
I think these feelings are compounded by the knot in my throat. I think I'm getting sick. And when my head gets cold with these cool nights, I have more bad dreams. It's too early to start sleeping with a hat on!
Anyway, I had a wonderful time down in North Carolina. I like learning and having someone so amazingly knowledgeable and fun to follow around, I really feel rejuvenated and excited about making wine from start to finish.
I like working constantly, eating really good food, chatting with other wine people, and meeting some great new friends too.
My mentor down there is terminally ill. It makes me really try to capture and freeze every minute that I can. I'm super happy to have met him, but also painfully sad at the same time. I came back with this feeling of -wow, what a great trip- mixed with a twinge of regret for not staying longer, not helping more. I'm already planning my next trip.
So in this Ohio chill, I'm looking at my ewes this year and quite excited for next years lambs already. I can't wait to get a good ram! Oh crap, I should probably email that lady back and confirm that I'd love to get one of her excellent ram lambs.
I'm very excited about this year's rugs and lamb chops. Anyone know about tanning? I guess I'd better learn soon.
I think I need to find a really good book to dive into. I think I've been running for so long that the cool air that hit me this morning really knocked me back and hit me really hard. The wet rain is lingering on the leaves a little longer and the dark cool nights are creeping in. I have that twinge of -where did the time go- feeling in the back of my mind. I'm not ready for winter.
I think these feelings are compounded by the knot in my throat. I think I'm getting sick. And when my head gets cold with these cool nights, I have more bad dreams. It's too early to start sleeping with a hat on!
Anyway, I had a wonderful time down in North Carolina. I like learning and having someone so amazingly knowledgeable and fun to follow around, I really feel rejuvenated and excited about making wine from start to finish.
I like working constantly, eating really good food, chatting with other wine people, and meeting some great new friends too.
My mentor down there is terminally ill. It makes me really try to capture and freeze every minute that I can. I'm super happy to have met him, but also painfully sad at the same time. I came back with this feeling of -wow, what a great trip- mixed with a twinge of regret for not staying longer, not helping more. I'm already planning my next trip.
So in this Ohio chill, I'm looking at my ewes this year and quite excited for next years lambs already. I can't wait to get a good ram! Oh crap, I should probably email that lady back and confirm that I'd love to get one of her excellent ram lambs.
I'm very excited about this year's rugs and lamb chops. Anyone know about tanning? I guess I'd better learn soon.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
cathartic cleaning
It's a little late for spring cleaning. But that's what I feel like doing now. Cleaning. Donating clothes and stuff I've accumulated over the years with that "maybe I'll use this one day" mentality. If I haven't used it, it's going. One garbage bag full of donations already.
It always amazes me how much can collect in one house. I only use 1/10th of it in a year. Old art supplies, movies I watched and hated, records with no record player....
I think I'll feel better once I get rid of most of my stuff. Kinda like how happy I was without a backseat to collect junk when I moved from a car to a truck. No backseat equals no carrying around 10 extra shirts and 5 extra pairs of shoes and boots where I would lose one of them (I swear my dog hides all my left shoes so I can't leave her) or other books and magazines I collected with the lofty dream of having enough time to one day having a minute to sit down and actually read them.
Each donations bag is cathartic. I like the question -what do I need? Like trimming the fat off a pork chop. Not that I live an extravagant lifestyle or am tied to a lot of things. Just thinking about spring cleaning.
Also cleaning out the barn of the sheep that don't obey the fence. Anyone want lamb, just let me know.
It always amazes me how much can collect in one house. I only use 1/10th of it in a year. Old art supplies, movies I watched and hated, records with no record player....
I think I'll feel better once I get rid of most of my stuff. Kinda like how happy I was without a backseat to collect junk when I moved from a car to a truck. No backseat equals no carrying around 10 extra shirts and 5 extra pairs of shoes and boots where I would lose one of them (I swear my dog hides all my left shoes so I can't leave her) or other books and magazines I collected with the lofty dream of having enough time to one day having a minute to sit down and actually read them.
Each donations bag is cathartic. I like the question -what do I need? Like trimming the fat off a pork chop. Not that I live an extravagant lifestyle or am tied to a lot of things. Just thinking about spring cleaning.
Also cleaning out the barn of the sheep that don't obey the fence. Anyone want lamb, just let me know.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
I think my eyeballs are sweating
Oh July, you are cruel sometimes.
I know it's only been a few weeks of 90 degree heat, but I'm already considering moving more up north. I'm not sure where, just a little more north. Somewhere colder. Somewhere cloudier.
I guess I should just remind myself that this is sweet corn, tomato, and melon growing weather. I'm pretty sure my eyeballs are sweating though.
I'm at an odd spot in the gardens. The early crops have kicked off and now I'm just waiting for the "45 days" the backs of the seed packets promised me for the next wave of harvest. Come on little veggies. You can do it! Grow grow grow!
I think the heat might have taken the wind out of my sails, or I'm just a bit exhausted, but my brain is in slow motion now. I'm just going to call it a heat haze. My dog is asleep, my sheep are being baaaad, my goats are constantly complaining, and as soon as I get out of the water, I want to jump back in and go swimming again.
This is the point in the season, middle of planting, where I just need to re-focus and get back on track. Concentrate. I still need to plant shelling beans, second round of lettuce, kale, beets, broccoli, kohlrabi, onions, get all the rest of the tomatoes in the ground and peppers and herbs... and here's where I lose focus again. It must be the heat. Concentrate, janeé.
Ah, concentrate. Good thinking. I'm finishing up my last round of meat birds and probably going to stop doing them. I need to focus and I can't charge people what it actually costs to raise them... especially with my losses to predators this year. Dang dog found out she's rather sleep inside than guard the birds, and I can't blame her for that. So no more meat birds.
I also lost an insane amount of baby turkeys this year. I hope to have just enough for my returning orders and my family, but it's been a rough year. Boo raccoons.
I have to admit though, I loved the burgers I just cooked up from my beef. The roasts are amazing and I think that might be the one meat that I'm going to keep on the menu. I'm still toying with the idea of pigs, but not this year. Chickens are too much work. Turkeys think dying is a sport. Sheep are a pain to fence. But man, grass fed beef is delicious.
My sister took some down to my aunt, who bought the biggest hand made buns from the bakery ever. So my sister, not knowing the fat content of my beef, made massive pattys... but the actual fat content was so low that they didn't shrink at all, but were massive, medium well, and delicious. I just had Monday night taco night and holy cow, that was good.
So, CSA, beef, and maybe turkeys. And maybe a new -not so lazy- dog. Sorry Pepper. You're retiring at the ripe old age of.... 3?
Oh, and CSA members, I'm starting to post the newsletter and recipe on the CSA blog if you happen to miss it or if it rains to the point of non-readability. Email recipe ideas or anything that you'd like to plant for this year still. There's still time, I've just got to get out there and keep planting!
I know it's only been a few weeks of 90 degree heat, but I'm already considering moving more up north. I'm not sure where, just a little more north. Somewhere colder. Somewhere cloudier.
I guess I should just remind myself that this is sweet corn, tomato, and melon growing weather. I'm pretty sure my eyeballs are sweating though.
I'm at an odd spot in the gardens. The early crops have kicked off and now I'm just waiting for the "45 days" the backs of the seed packets promised me for the next wave of harvest. Come on little veggies. You can do it! Grow grow grow!
I think the heat might have taken the wind out of my sails, or I'm just a bit exhausted, but my brain is in slow motion now. I'm just going to call it a heat haze. My dog is asleep, my sheep are being baaaad, my goats are constantly complaining, and as soon as I get out of the water, I want to jump back in and go swimming again.
This is the point in the season, middle of planting, where I just need to re-focus and get back on track. Concentrate. I still need to plant shelling beans, second round of lettuce, kale, beets, broccoli, kohlrabi, onions, get all the rest of the tomatoes in the ground and peppers and herbs... and here's where I lose focus again. It must be the heat. Concentrate, janeé.
Ah, concentrate. Good thinking. I'm finishing up my last round of meat birds and probably going to stop doing them. I need to focus and I can't charge people what it actually costs to raise them... especially with my losses to predators this year. Dang dog found out she's rather sleep inside than guard the birds, and I can't blame her for that. So no more meat birds.
I also lost an insane amount of baby turkeys this year. I hope to have just enough for my returning orders and my family, but it's been a rough year. Boo raccoons.
I have to admit though, I loved the burgers I just cooked up from my beef. The roasts are amazing and I think that might be the one meat that I'm going to keep on the menu. I'm still toying with the idea of pigs, but not this year. Chickens are too much work. Turkeys think dying is a sport. Sheep are a pain to fence. But man, grass fed beef is delicious.
My sister took some down to my aunt, who bought the biggest hand made buns from the bakery ever. So my sister, not knowing the fat content of my beef, made massive pattys... but the actual fat content was so low that they didn't shrink at all, but were massive, medium well, and delicious. I just had Monday night taco night and holy cow, that was good.
So, CSA, beef, and maybe turkeys. And maybe a new -not so lazy- dog. Sorry Pepper. You're retiring at the ripe old age of.... 3?
Oh, and CSA members, I'm starting to post the newsletter and recipe on the CSA blog if you happen to miss it or if it rains to the point of non-readability. Email recipe ideas or anything that you'd like to plant for this year still. There's still time, I've just got to get out there and keep planting!
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