Milk. It does a body good (and a winner) July 7, 2008

home pasteurization

At this point I am pasteurizing the milk with the low and long heat method. 145 degrees for 30 minutes, then 24 hours in the fridge for the cream to fully rise.  I then scoop the cream to a separate container and pour the milk into bottles, unless their is more than 5 (1/2 gallon bottles) in the fridge already, then I freeze the milk instead.  Although milk can last 7 - 10 days in the fridge it hasn’t stuck around more than 2.  We will most likely stop pasteurizing soon, but with the cows being new to our farm, a one year old, a 3 year old and me being pregnant Aba and I felt we should be on the extra cautious side.

Milking is still a 2 person job we have to continually switch off to give our hands a break, and it takes us 40 minutes and an hour depending on how much milk we are getting, how patient Belle is, and how tired our hands are from farm chores.  I am frankly amazed at how the old lady we bought her from milked out 3 quarts in under 15 minutes ( but then she was raised on a dairy farm milking ashieres, so…).  Aba’s hands are killing him from the milking, at times it is difficult opening and closing his hands, but we just can’t justify the expense for a milking machine at this time (even though it would help a lot), and so Shasta has yet to be milked.  We just don’t have an extra 2 hours to put into milking her; but her calf is keeping her supply up for now, so until she weans him we will at least have the option of milking her.

Belles milk is super yummy, we have been getting 1 1/2 to 2 quarts per milking for the past 2 weeks now  and out of that we have enough cream to make 3 cups of butter and 2 cups of buttermilk.  the old owner was getting 3 quarts of milk per milking, and while we have managed to duplicate that we are happy with the amount we are getting.  We have plenty for milk at every meal, butter, buttermilk, milk for cooking and then some.  We even tried to make a batch of ice cream.  It all tastes really well, I was a bit surprised when I saw the cream for the first time ( I thought I did something wrong) because it was so think!  Almost like whipped cream cheese.

Oh and the winner of the Fairy Foals book is Jinman28!  Please email me with your address so I can get that out to you!

Buyer Beware July 5, 2008

They now think it is the jalapenos not the tomatoes making people sick.  Personally, I don’t think they have a clue what is going on. 

But that is not my point for the day, I just discovered something that I find very disturbing, well at least misleading.  See I was always under the assumption that produce sold at roadside stands, small on farm stores and farmers markets was grown by those farmers.  By the farms in the community, by locals working hard to earn a living from the land, but it is not so!  Some farmers markets allow “vendors” to purchase the food they sell, many farm stands import crops they know their is a demand for, and road side stands?  The produce is shipped up by truck! 

Many people are pulling the wool over our eyes with out our knowledge.  I challenge you to ask your local “farmer” if they grew what they are selling and you to would be shocked.  While speaking with a fellow farmer at market on Wednesday he revealed he ships in corn from delaware (because it is ready sooner), he buys  berries and fruits from various states to round out his road side stands as well as anything he thinks will sell.  I was aghast!  That is dishonest, misleading, and foul!  Today on the way home from birmingham I saw a small stand had popped up in front of a house on the 12, I stopped to take a look, they had a small garden plot and could have grown the amount of squash and corn shown, as well as the few berries and tomatoes displayed.  But I stopped, remembering what I had learned on Wednesday and asked “did you grow these?” his reply ( I kid you not) ” Nah, 50 Mexicans picked them on a farm down in Florida.”  He revealed that everything he sold came from over 1000 miles away in the midst of harvest season in a farming community!  I was taken back, and chose not to purchase anything.  As I walked away I explained I was looking to buy local & he didn’t even care.  

I had no idea this went on, I feel lied to, for so many years my family has gone out of their way to purchase from the small road side stands, to visit area farmers markets and try to support local farmers even before it was the cool or hip thing to do (we even did this when I was a child in the early ’80’s My father would drive out of his way to buy strawberries at the fruit stand instead of the store, my mother visited the farmers market weekly).  No one ever thought to stop and ask if they grew what they sold.

I now understand why all the farmers we speak to ask if we are growing everything our selves, and then kinda laugh, apparently their is a short cut we were not aware of, let others grow it for you and pass it off as your own.  While this is tempting, it is not right, and we will not practice this on our farm.  Consumers should have the right to know where their food was grown, a choice to pay a premium for truly local produce, & to see with their eyes wide open.

I

half baked July 3, 2008

20 weeks to go

Well, we are half way through number 5 with 20 weeks to go (give or take a few days) and Aba had to help me break out the maternity clothes finally.  I was down to 1 pair of work pants that kinda fit and shirts that didn’t even attempt to cover my ever growing belly, and nothing acceptable to wear into town or out.  I will keep wearing my regular work clothes for as long as possible and then I will give up and buy a pair of overalls that hopefully will last through the growing season and babies arrival.. 

1st market July 3, 2008

organic heirloom green onion bunches

I started out with high hopes and 25 bunches of green onions. I was slowly deflated through the morning, as I failed to sell anything. By the end of the day I had made a whopping $3. Not even enough to cover the gas to market. I returned home pissed off and upset at those who did not follow the markets rules, and myself for not selling more. It will be a few weeks before I return to market, and next time I am going to the big market, not the local market, hopefully I will have better luck next time, but until then we are eating green onions at every meal; in tuna fish salad on mashed potatoes, and in eggs and cheese.