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Post by mnjrutherford on Mar 2, 2013 19:43:53 GMT -5
I'm not happy hearing about the "no rain" situation back home. We have made it through by the hairs of our chinny chin chins, but just.
I'm very VERY surprised to hear of wabbits eating garlic... Here, the wabbits totally bypass the garlic to eat the onions!!! GRRRRR We might discover the truth of wabbit/chickweed pie yet!
Thanks Wolfcub! You better believe I'm enjoying the snow and for that very reason! We've had a second year with a house full of flies. It's past irritating, I promise you!!!
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Post by Drahkk on Mar 2, 2013 22:26:54 GMT -5
Davida (and anyone else interested), you should check out Farina Allen's book, Forgotten Skills of Cooking. It's full of old, mostly forgotten tricks and methods and recipes that use them. Among many other things, there are 40 pages dedicated to dairy. These contain subsections on how to make and use sour milk and buttermilk, how to separate cream, making sour cream, making clotted cream, making different types of butter, making yogurt, making many cheeses, and plenty of recipes for all of the above. I love the little tips she includes in the sidebars too, such as milk from cows milked just before dawn being significantly higher in melatonin, and therefore the best for giving children (or adults) just before bedtime. I also particularly enjoyed the section on preserving and the 60 pages dedicated to foraging for wild greens, flowers, fruit, nuts, mushrooms, etc. A very good all around reference book for anyone looking to learn how things were done when self sufficiency was part of daily life. Totally different subject: I spent today playing lumberjack. Specifically, I took down three trees: two dead ones that needed it and an old sycamore that Rhonda has hated since we moved in. By the time I got done disassembling them the pile was taller than me and will probably burn through the night and most of tomorrow. And I'm sore in places I'd forgotten I could be. Still a lot of projects I want to finish before full spring gets here, but I'm glad to see that one done. MB |
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Post by davida on Mar 3, 2013 23:02:06 GMT -5
Davida (and anyone else interested), you should check out Farina Allen's book, Forgotten Skills of Cooking. It's full of old, mostly forgotten tricks and methods and recipes that use them. Among many other things, there are 40 pages dedicated to dairy. These contain subsections on how to make and use sour milk and buttermilk, how to separate cream, making sour cream, making clotted cream, making different types of butter, making yogurt, making many cheeses, and plenty of recipes for all of the above. I love the little tips she includes in the sidebars too, such as milk from cows milked just before dawn being significantly higher in melatonin, and therefore the best for giving children (or adults) just before bedtime. I also particularly enjoyed the section on preserving and the 60 pages dedicated to foraging for wild greens, flowers, fruit, nuts, mushrooms, etc. A very good all around reference book for anyone looking to learn how things were done when self sufficiency was part of daily life. Totally different subject: I spent today playing lumberjack. Specifically, I took down three trees: two dead ones that needed it and an old sycamore that Rhonda has hated since we moved in. By the time I got done disassembling them the pile was taller than me and will probably burn through the night and most of tomorrow. And I'm sore in places I'd forgotten I could be. Still a lot of projects I want to finish before full spring gets here, but I'm glad to see that one done. MB Drahkk, I have Ms Allen's book and agree that it is a great book for homesteading. Can I ask how you found this book? I did not realize it was well known. David |
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Post by Drahkk on Mar 4, 2013 1:29:27 GMT -5
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Post by mnjrutherford on Mar 4, 2013 7:25:48 GMT -5
That is an interesting little tome there. I might have to get it.... Thanks!
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Post by davida on Mar 4, 2013 13:46:09 GMT -5
MB Seems you lead an exciting and interesting life. So glad that we get to meet in the 'forum' world. I was designing and leading trips to Europe when the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die" was first published. Ireland and Italy had some great places to visit and the book was a great promotion for the trips. So we had the opportunity to have lunch at Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland and Ms. Allen's cooking school looked so exciting. So I was thrilled when the book was published. What are your thoughts on the second book that you mentioned: "The Lost Art of Real Cooking: Rediscovering the Pleasures of Traditional Food One Recipe at a Time" ? David |
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Post by Drahkk on Mar 5, 2013 1:37:54 GMT -5
Nothing so exotic here; I'm just your average Joe. I'd love to see Europe one of these days, but on my budget it's not in the cards anytime soon. Last year's Carnival cruise was the first real vacation Rhonda and I have had since our honeymoon, and will probably have to last us that long again. I just try to never stop learning, that's all. I mentioned that book because I remembered buying them at the same time, but now that I go back through it I remember being less than impressed. The recipes take some getting used to as they're all written in paragraph form rather than ingredients first like most folks have gotten accustomed to, although it does explain why in the first chapter. As far as content, it's full of wholesome concepts, but light on unique information. It might be helpful to someone just starting out, but not nearly the quality of reference that Ms Allen's book is. As far as straight cooking knowledge goes, I would say Shirley O'Corriher's Cookwise is probably the best text I own. The one linked is newer than mine and probably updated, which it could use. For example, my copy still calls for barley malt syrup for some of the bread recipes, and these days malt is added to most bread flour already. Still, the concepts are sound, and once you spend some time reading it and experimenting with recipes, you'll start really understanding how ingredients interact. It feels good to be able to look at a brand new recipe and know (1) that it will fail as written and (2) exactly what you need to do to improve it. MB |
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 7, 2013 16:31:36 GMT -5
So, this morning, just as I was about to drive off, there was a fire on the farm. Yesterday was my nephew's birthday and they got him some baby chicks and set up a little coop with heating lamps. The chips got too hot and the whole thing went up in flames. The chicken coop caught the shed on fire. The chicks perished in the flames. The blessing of the whole thing was this fellow you see right here. He was driving by and saw smoke and knocked on the door. I saw him and looked to where he was running and ran out the door without my shoes. I got the hose and my sister-in-law got a hose, he moved cars and we had the fire contained before the fire department got here. It was shooting 20 feet into the sky. Had the fire started 10 minutes later, both me and my sister-in-law would have not been home. This photo is just across the driveway from my house and barn. It's not too much to say today that I'm thankful for yet another narrow escape. The morning was still which helped us contain the fire. Much of what was in the shed will be lost. But thanks to this anonymous stranger, who's name we didn't even catch, our houses and barns were saved. And a blessing on you, whoever you are. And Leo, last week changed out this hose for me from a 50' to a 100' hose...otherwise, we would not have been able to do fire battle. I'm going to go have me a good lie down, just as soon as I go feed my own chickens. Attachments:
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Post by davida on Mar 7, 2013 17:17:52 GMT -5
Holly,
So glad that you are OK and the farm and barn survived. What a terrible scare.
David
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 7, 2013 19:48:33 GMT -5
That must have been scary. I'm so glad that everything ultimately turned out okay.
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Post by steev on Mar 7, 2013 20:43:51 GMT -5
What a remarkable confluence of "coincidences", even that you missed knowing your benefactor. Shit happens, but sometimes just after you've bought a big-box-pak of TP.
I've no doubt that you are all better for the excitement; blows the plaque out of the arteries. Sorry to hear your loss of chicks and shed; glad it wasn't your house, your cats, or your seed stash.
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Post by davida on Mar 8, 2013 18:42:58 GMT -5
Moved the last round bale of hay to Peaches today. Certainly hope that we do not have a spring blizzard like we have had in the past because we are out of hay. The 525 pounds of winter wheat that we planted last fall for winter pasture did not germinate because of lack of moisture. Some of it is beginning to germinate now so maybe we will have some spring pasture and even set aside some to harvest. I grew up in church singing "Bringing in the Sheaves" and think it would be neat to make sheaves of wheat with the grandchildren singing "we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves". We try to have as much joy as possible on the farm. Minimize the negative, focus on the positive and have some fun.
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 8, 2013 18:53:16 GMT -5
Today I weed 3 rows of garlic. Whew. And then I went to the post office.
David, I still haven't put together your package. Next week. But Ilex yours and Lieven's went out, Joseph a wee something for you, and Steev, get the beds ready....they'll be there tomorrow. You need to get a post box at the farm, so I can send things direct!
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Post by steev on Mar 9, 2013 0:35:46 GMT -5
Holly, if I had a mailbox on the farm, stuff would sit in the mailbox up to a week, baking, unless some drunken dildo ran into it (happens not infrequently enough, I assure you). Really, I'm in town (dammit) and the farm is the cream that I skim as best I can. Besides which, things that need to be seeded and nurtured are impossible on the farm. Some day....
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Post by raymondo on Mar 9, 2013 1:37:27 GMT -5
Holly, fire is a scary event. Glad to hear no one hurt, chickens aside, and no serious damage.
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