Noteworthy News ~

Attempts at cheese making resumed today and I actually had good results given this was the first time since last year. We started backing milking the first 2 does who delivered back in December. As I mentioned in Limey we've got Milk. We are milking only in the mornings. So it took a few days to collect enough beyond our drinking needs. I tried a new recipe to make a plain Chevre featured in Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll. Using plain unsweetened yogurt from the store as my culture medium. The texture turned out creamy with a slight tartness in flavor. I haven't decided whether I will season it beyond adding a little salt with some herbs. Leaving it plain would give us more options in its use. Though the herb flavor is mighty fine on crackers or sitting atop our salads.

While in the kitchen I put on a batch of yogurt too. Recipe came from the same book. I've made some before by a different method. But this one required keeping it going on the back of the stove on a low heat for 8 hrs. A real challenge for me to keep the temperature just right. I'm thinking more and more that a yogurt maker would be an easier way to go. It is sitting in the fridge now, doing its thing. Taste test come tomorrow, but I did sample the spoon I was stirring it with and it tasted good right now for plain yogurt. I plan to add a little natural sugar for sweetening and maybe a touch of vanilla extract. Mostly I eat it over a granola mix with fresh fruit, so it shouldn't need too much flavoring added. Next batch I'm thinking a little maple syrup would give it a yummy flavor. Possibilities are endless as to the uses ~ fresh fruit smoothie anyone?

Since I was busy making goat dairy products. I figured now would be a good time to sit down with the cheese making catalog and order the supplies I needed. Along with a few new ones I wanted to try. I have high hopes in mastering what everyone keeps saying is an easy process. We have visions of wheels of cheese resting in the fridge, for those spur of the moment snack attacks. Of grating fresh mozzarella over piles of hot pasta, tossing herb feta over salads and added to homemade pizza. Okay time to stop, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it all. Oh, I failed to mention I ordered a sweet culture to use in making a cream cheese spread for bagels and such. My first batch of bagels made the other day turned out good. I plan to hunt for some other recipes to try before I choose one to make on a regular basis though.

You can't have cheese without bread, so that was the next project of the morning. Lon has been wanting some sourdough for longer than I want to admit. It is suppose to be a fairly easy process, but one I haven't work into my schedule so far. Some of the recipes can be time consuming with all the steps of feeding and watching. But not long ago I found one that doesn't require much and just sits on the counter doing its thing for 5-10 days. It's called Grandmother Bread, what's not to love about a bread with that name? The plus side is you keep it in the fridge till your ready to make bread. Then a small amount is kept to start the next batch without having to start all over again. I'm sure he will be quite surprised when he finally gets a loaf and I'm excited about the prospects of having some fabulous grilled sandwiches made with the bread. Not to mention being able to serve warm out of the oven sourdough croutons for our salads. Yum, Yum!

Pulling my extra bag of flour out to start the sourdough starter, I noticed a recipe on the back. I am presently using King Arthur flours for all of our baking needs. They put interesting recipes on the backs of all their products. This one was for a High Rising Sandwich Bread. Having a good loaf for toasting and making grilled cheese sandwiches had been one thing missing in my baking. So since I was going to be spending lots of time in the kitchen anyhow. It seemed like the perfect thing to start one more project. Using my bread machine to mix up the dough helps to free up my time so I can multi task easier. When it was time to pull in out to shape, rise and bake. I wasn't too sure about this "high rising" recipe. The ball of dough was smooth looking but there wasn't much of it. Figuring I've gone this far, might as well continue I worked the dough and placed it in a greased loaf pan. Setting it to rise and about 30 minutes later I was astonished at what I saw. Given I had to use a larger pan than it called for. The dough had risen well over the edge of the pan with a satiny smooth top. Looking like something you would see on a bakery shelf. Another 35 minutes and I pulled a warm, picture perfect loaf of bread. Too bad, I forgot to take a picture though in my excitement. You'll just have to trust me on this. Slicing into it revealed a soft moist bread with a delicious flavor. Yep, just had to have a slice! I was so surprised that I had found such a great recipe on something that is usually thrown in the burn barrel.

The "girls" have begun to step up production in the hen house. We are easily averaging 3 dozen a day right now. Since we are sure to have more to start laying this year. I thought it would be a good idea to inspire more people to buy our eggs. The egg fridge is only so big and can hold only so many eggs at a time. We try to keep them fresh for our customers by trying to keep them under a holding time of a week. Which is a LOT fresher than the 3-6 month old ones you buy at the store.

Most of our customers have been buying steadily through the winter months. Having a few new ones would be great to pick up the abundance sure to come! Getting the word out to them is the challenge. So I have started a small contest for my present customers who order each week/month. The name drawn from the hat gets a "gift from the farm" each month. The gifts will vary, but reflect some aspect of Heartland Farm. The plans came together rather easily and a newsletter was born the same day to keep everyone informed of the game results. Besides being educational, it will also offer updates about what is going on here at the farm. Writing the 2 page newsletter was a creative outlet for me and a lot of fun putting together. I printed out the debut copies today to send out with the March egg orders.

Last summer I was given the gift of some free day lillies from a neighbor down the road. I planted a good many in their permanent homes then. The rest of the clumps resided below the water faucet at the back of the house all summer. Well, they have begun to poke their heads out of the brown lumps that sat there all winter. In essence telling me it's time to find them a new home. So far I've moved a few to a new bed across the front part of the garden's fence. I can just see their bright faces nodding a greeting to us each time we enter the garden gate, come summer.

Reminds me of a storybook I read as a child of "Mr. McGregor's" garden adventures with a certain Peter Rabbit. I will have to see if I can find a copy for my granddaughter. She is her Nana's shadow when it comes to working in the dirt. I think some memory making is in our future.

Our new Brahmas that were my spur of the moment purchase recently (You can read about it in my CRAZY post) were moved out to the B&B yesterday. They are enjoying the freedom of a larger space to run around in. For now they look a little lost in such a big space, being numbered at 6, but it won't be all of theirs for long. Some neighbors will be moving in soon and help fill up the place. It will be interesting to see how many we can raise together in the brooder box before graduating some to the floor of the coop.

Busy hands & happy heart,

Deborah

Surprises

My parents drove down from North Georgia yesterday to spend a few days with us. They wanted to be here for my birthday tomorrow. It has been cool and a little rainy so far and I hope the weather will clear so we can spend some time rocking on the front porch. Daddy has been helping Lon with the chores and Mom helped feed the babies today.

The main project he and daddy are working on is trying to fix a washout on our driveway at the creek. The large amounts of rain we have been having is causing a gully of sorts to be cut across the drive. It seems the pipe under it has been stopped up and diverting the creek water to flow over instead of under. After digging out the mud and muck, they have hauled large rocks from different areas of the property to edge each side of the pipe area. Then brought extra gravel from off the drive to build up the top. It looks great and we are praying it will stop the problem from continuing. With the excess brush cut away from the area, I can envision lots of woodland flowers along the bank to add some color and make the creek sparkle all the more.

Lon brought in the eggs this evening and perched on top of the basket full was a mini egg. He asked me if I had sneaked in some doves or pigeons when he wasn't looking. It is the tiniest egg we have ever collected in the 2 years we have been raising chickens. I am puzzled by the size, not knowing if it came from a young pullet just starting to lay or what. All of last years babies should have been laying good size eggs by now. Or it could have come from one in too big of a hurry to let it develop into a normal size egg. Although when the food bucket comes out, they all scramble like crazy to get their share. The other surprise today was we collected 32 eggs and the second day in a row! I do believe the increasing daylight and the return of "buggie snacks" is making a difference. At this rate we may see 3 dozen a day this week. WOW!

Abounding in eggs, both big and small,

Deborah

It's Almost Christmas, Are you ready?

We are fast approaching the eve of our Christmas celebrations, with only a few days left for preparations. There is much to be done just in preparing a place for Anna to give birth. Not knowing her exact due date has us trying to stay one if not several steps ahead of her. But I think is would be great to have Christmas babies in our home made manager of sorts. A need for some mulch hay will have to be seen about today in order to make it soft. Amongst the other assorted farm chores, a fact that seemingly never ends. Our firewood supply is nearly gone with all of the sub-freezing nites we have been having. Searching out some dry pieces has been moved to the top of the to-do list. My focus for today is outside the house. Leaving all the inside preps for later on next week. Mom, Dad and Jason will be here starting on Thursday. At some point it would be helpful to start some of the cooking for our family meal on Christmas day. I want to spend more time with my family than in the kitchen. I haven't really thought about how this Christmas would be. So I don't have any expectations about it to be fulfilled. Will just let it unfold instead as it occurs. But I have realized it feels different and is different. Is this mindset due to our moving to the farm , a reflection of the economy we are all facing or simply a sign of aging, of our priorities changing? Something I believe that needs to be pondered by more and embraced more fully. In order to grasp it's depth and be lived out to it's fullest.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas,

Deborah

A busy day lies before me. I am not sure if I have the energy for all that needs to be seen about. Guess it is one of the good things about just working at home. No schedule to keep other than meeting the livestock's needs. All the other things, if I can't get to them today, they will be waiting for me tomorrow.

We visited a local church yesterday in our search for a new church home. It happens to be the one that some old friends attend now. It was good to see them and we enjoyed the music and welcome we received from the congregation there. We even received a call welcoming us from the Pastor later in the afternoon too ~ impressive. We are still praying and looking for the one God would have us serve at and become members of. I wish it were easier than it is and missing our old church doesn't help when looking for a new one.

Egg production was way down yesterday with only 2 being laid. Or is it that something is helping it's self to our free range eggs. I wonder too if the 90 plus degree heat is playing a part in this poor showing? We have yet to find any of the turkey eggs we know are being laid by the Royal Plam hen. Since letting them free range with the chickens, we have no idea where she is stashing them. They were good eating too. Their large size would equal about 1 1/2 - 2 regular hen eggs.

Right now it looks like it will be next year before we can raise any turkeys for ourselves. There are so many animals I would love to add to the farm. But the reality is that we are not set up for them right now and so they will have to wait. Funds for the needed fencing project looks like they will be available for us to start, which is a praise. Simplifying our goat care and giving us some added time for other things into our day a bonus to it's presence in the pasture. Top on our priority list right now is to find some summer harvest to preserve until next year's garden comes into play. That is if we can ever find a cool enough time to pick up rocks and enrich it's soil with manure. Can you say back breaking, sweaty work? I keep reminding myself how good the fresh from our garden will taste. . . . one rock at a time.

Deborah

Looking Back To 3 Days in August:

Tuesday, August 19,2008

Multiplication

My days always start good when I can get some quiet time in on the front porch and today was no different. It is the place I love to spend with God as I read over His word and put some inspirational words to the pages of my journal. He shows me so many wonders at the break of day when my heart and mind are rested from a night’s sleep. A cup of warmth to sip and I am ready to be a student at His feet. To say that it is still amazing to me when shown a new concept or truth after all these days is not hard. I still stand amazed in His presence.

I hope to be able to share what I am shown and still learning with others who are seeking Him as well. One tells one, who tells one and so it goes till the truth has multiplied to many. All from a source of one on one with the Lord. Hopefully the pages I write in some way will reach those also who I may never get to speak to face to face.

Leah is at present my most eager student to pass my knowledge and wisdom to. Sitting together this morning on the porch reading and watching the birds eating just a couple of feet from us is thrilling to her and blesses my soul. I hope she grows up with a love for God and an appreciation for His creation. Walking in the steps of her Nana as I try to reveal God’s love for us and my love for the outdoors. Reminds me of a little song Daddy taught me that my grandmother used to sing to him.

“Little Feet Be Careful”
Little feet be careful
Where you take me to
Anything for Jesus
Only let me do.

Multiplication came early this morning as the girls started laying early and by 10 am had given us 3 eggs. A record set for such an early delivery. I guess they are getting in the swing of things and taking careful notes of how it is to be done. Lon was surprised and thrill at the news when Leah and I called to say “guess what?” But we were even more astonished when about lunchtime I heard a cackle from a different hen and upon checking on her discovered she had blessed us with an egg as well. 4 count them FOUR eggs in one day and by lunchtime! I had already let the girls out to roam the yard for morning munchies. Little miss found her way back to the coop to drop off her gift while playing in the yard. We had not expected her to lay yet as there are others who look more mature than her. Guess she knew better than we did.

At this rate I will be able to stop buying store eggs and rely on “fresh from the farm” yummy organic ones instead. They are small in size, but for beginner eggs they are delicious. With a few more months under their wings I know the girls will produce regular size eggs. Soon I will be able to share their bounty with friends and family. Some have offered to pay for the fresh eggs, knowing the healthy goodness of range-free eggs. To turn a small profit would help off set the price of feed and treats we buy for them. Maybe even build a small “nest egg” for some more hens next year or a dairy goat for the homestead living we are trying to live out in our little neck of the woods.


They are coming to be one of the best birthday presents I have ever received, even if I did have to ask for them. I love to watch them scratch around the leaves and do their waddle dance when they run across the yard. Seeing them in the yard causes a quietness to flow over my being, making me smile just at the sight of them. They have a language all their own but will share a type of purring with me when I sit near by them. Gathering one or two into my lap to stroke their feathers and sing a little song that only they understand.

Deborah




Sunday, August 24, 2008

Life and Death

Life for one of our own began 27 years ago today in a hospital that used to stand nearby before it was removed.

A place where both of my sons were born. Does the fact that it no longer stands erase the fact that they were born there? I think not, even though there is no physical structure to point to and say that is where I was born. The footprints you leave in the lives of others is evidence enough that you had a beginning somewhere, even if the actual building is no longer standing. That particular hospital had a lot of firsts for our young family, along with the births of our offspring, it was the place where I started my nursing profession. But that is another story for another day.

Brian was born on this date of August 24th and has been my baby for all of his 27 years. There is something to be said of being the baby of the family. You get to benefit from the learning curve of the first born. Each child holds a different yet at the same time, the same place in a Mother’s heart. Always will. It is surprising to think that he has reached the age that he is. Time passes both slow and fast depending on who is doing the looking. I am sure that for Brian, he probably thought his adult years would never come as a teenager. Now he is a daddy to a sweet little girl, named Leah. With the years passing from our youth comes the added responsibility of adult and parenthood. A fact not deeply considered during the “I love girls/boys” stage of youth. It seems to be reserved for the “latter” years, when one often thinks that life really gets serious.

For me he has stayed in the youthful range for a very long time. Do you ever get to the point where you see them in a way otherwise than how you remember them being ? I was reminded of how much of his future lies before him yesterday at his birthday dinner, at the tender age of 27. Even though he bemoaned the fact that he is now in his “late twenties”. Oh to be at that stage of life and have the wisdom I’ve had to learned through my own 52 years.

Life never stands still that’s for sure, so you better have your moving shoes on. Though at times it feels ever so good to kick them off after a long day of working around the home front. Or when the tiny blades of newborn grass emerge in the spring. Just begging for someone to wiggle their toes in the soft green of new growth. Leah has finally come to terms with the green carpet in our yard and readily runs around in it barefoot. Something she highly detested at the start of Summer. All that outdoor playing has toughen up her tootsies so that now she enjoys the feel of nature under her feet.

Death came calling last Friday as I went out to check on my girls that morning. Only to discover that one of our Light Brahmas had died just inside the door. Looking as if she had just sat down and died, almost like she was waiting on some one to come and rescue her from a natural fact of life. Everything and everyone will die at some point. It is a law of God that is not skipped over like hopping over mud puddles. It was sad to see another one die and not know what had happen or why.

The first pullet we lost was due to a dog attack while the girls were enjoying being out of their exercise yard this past Memorial day. Happening so fast we were at a lost as to where to start looking for the survivors. Round them up Jason and I tried, finding most, but eventually waiting for the rest of them to come home on their own at dusk. Finally the stragglers came and glad I was for their inborn instinct to “come home to roost“. Just like each weary member of a family does when away on adventure or at the end of a work day. We too look forward to coming home to “roost” for the night. HOME is such a comforting word, it speaks of a place of rest, refuge and refreshment for the soul.

But to discover another one dead on Saturday morning in their play yard was a heart blow to these new chicken farmers. “Bertha“ , our largest Orphington was laying dead by the fencing inside the play yard with obvious destruction to her lifeless frame. Question flew out of our mouths quicker than we could take in the whole scene. It goes without description that something had played a part with her death. But was it before or after her untimely departure? The fencing looking secure which only lead us to conclude that she had probably died of natural causes as well. But the nagging thought remained, 2 chickens in 2 days?

Do we have an unseen culprit lurking in the hen house? Some disease of sort that is snuffing out the lives of our unsuspecting fowl? I pray not, but that it is only a sequence of events that happened close together. One that serves to teach us the facts of life and death, a natural function of life on any farm.

A different sort of death came about at the working of our own hands Saturday, as we cut down a large maple tree that had graced our yard with beautiful fall leaves since we built the house 24 years ago. But had grown up too close to the power lines necessary for our connection with the power grid we so readily rely on. I will miss the touch of color it gave to the yard but accept the fact that our tiny orchard will benefit from the additional sunlight that will be available now that it’s lofty shade has been removed. Leah on the other hand gave much heart felt dismay at “it’s falling down”. On some level it made her sad at the destruction of it. Probably due to the shock of seeing one fall during a severe storm last month right before the nose of the car she and her mom was traveling in.

To see life through the eyes of a child is a great gift, which we all possessed at one time. A place before we became to old to get down to the level of an innocent heart of a two year old. Oh, how they must bless the heart of God.

“Let the little children come unto Me, and do not forbid
them, for of such is the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14

Life will continue despite the two ladies missing in the hen house as the girls have stepped up once again and blessed us with 6 eggs on this Sunday. New fruit trees will be planted in the empty space of the Maple, to bring forth fruit in due season for our family to enjoy. And birthdays will continue to roll around like the hands on a clock, to remind us of the goodness of years passed and the joyful anticipation of ones yet to be lived.

Added: Before going to bed I went out to check on the girls and found another Orphington dead just inside the gate. That makes 3 chickens in 3 consecutive days very hard to grasp. Obviously we have some form of a night time bandit feasting on our chickens. Makes for a sick stomach to go to bed on.

Deborah

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Size

Does size matter in the large scope of things? Some one argue the fact the bigger the better, where others would counter that sweet things come in small packages. It is apparent that it depends on what you are referring to. As is most issues in life.

The small holes around the gate to the chicken yard were evidently large enough to allow a villain in to do it’s dirty work last Sunday evening. A defect that will have to be remedied today. The lost of the future layers we had hoped to have laying soon is a dark cloud in our eyes right now.

Not only did we loose 3 girls but we discovered another White Rock that had an injury from yesterday. One that caught the attention of the rest of the gang, who were picking it into a bloody mess. Clara Belle had a nasty wound from her right ear and down across her white cheek. She was happy it seemed to be rescue from the bad manners of the others, but not too happy being isolated in our sunroom until we could arrange better living quarters for her hospital room. From what I’ve read I believe she will recover if we can keep it from getting infected. Hopefully it will not cause a hearing loss or disfigure her sweet face.

Holes big or small can create their own set of problems if not addressed and size does matter in these kinds of things.

Small verses Large is another issue of size to consider. No, I am not talking about weight or clothing size or any other debated subject in the life of humans

Though in the life of chickens they will always give you what they can. For almost 3 weeks we have been getting small eggs from the girls at an ever increasing rate, presently up to 6 a day. What they lack on size they make up in flavor with those rich golden-orange yolks. Even in the midst of tragedy the past weekend someone laid a surprise for us yesterday. As Lon reached in to gather the morning eggs, he could not believe what his hand rested upon in one of the nesting boxes. For there lay a full size egg, revealing that one of the girls is coming into her maturity. The consensus is that it is “Girlie Girl”, one of our Rhode Island Reds. She was the first one to give us the “baby” eggs as we call them, back on the 6th of August.

As excited as we were about the new discovery, we still ate the “baby” eggs for breakfast yesterday. Even though Lon thought we should celebrate it’s arrival by putting it in the pan.

Deborah