On the loose

We released Arnold the pig this morning.  She's so happy to be free... and me too.  Then we found Tuffy on top of the tool tent... 8 feet off the ground, napping.  And finally, here's some of our new meat chicks.  We've got 50 in the brooder right now, and are taking orders for finished birds this fall.  Cheers!

Unbrined feta

Mmmm, there's not many things that put a smile on my face quicker than a bite of our fresh feta.  As a soft cheese, it takes longer to make than most others... but the time spent is well worth it.  And it requires minimal equipment which is a bonus for those who want to dabble in cheese without big expenditures.

Gather a double boiler, 3 gallons of raw milk, 1/2 tsp of mesophilic starter, a floating dairy thermometer, 1/4 teaspoon of lipase powder and 1/2 tsp of double strength rennet.  You'll need a slotted spoon for turning curds, and a knife for cutting them, plus two draining bags.

Sterilize everything to be used in the process and heat your milk in the double boiler to 86 degrees.  Add mesophilic starter, stir gently, and let sit covered for 1 hour.  Next sprinkle lipase over the surface, and also add the rennet which has been diluted in 1/4 cup of cool water.  Stir gently, and let sit covered for 45 minutes.

With the temperature still at 86 degrees, cut curds into 1 inch cubes and let sit 5 minutes.  Stir gently for about 20 minutes and now drain the curds, splitting them between the two bags.  Hang to drain for 4-8 hours or longer.  Remove feta from bags and sprinkle kosher salt over the surface.  As the salt soaks in, more whey will be released and your feta is ready to eat.  Voila!

And the standing disclaimer... Remember, raw milk products are highly perishable.  They require careful handling and should be kept in the coldest part of your refrigerator to be consumed in a short period of time.  

Lovin' our life

Things feel like they're finally falling into a rhythm around here.  It's about damn time.  I'm not getting alot done on the garden front this year, but I'm at peace with it.  The livestock end of our farm has grown exponentially in the last 6 months, and something's gotta give.

Our first intern, Steve is here and settled in.  He's got a good handle on the daily chores and is hungry to learn more about organic farming.  He's an Aussie who's been living in NYC for the last 5 years, and all of this kind of living is new to him- but he's doing well.  I hope the next interns are as easy going.

Thanks to the break created by our electric milker, and the help of my rolfers and acupuncturists, my hands and forearms are healing up from a major brush with carpal tunnel.  Getting enough rest is obviously key to the situation and is always a challenge in the summertime.

The animals are happy and healthy... I love not being able to find the sheep and goats because they are off in the bushes feeding themselves what they're hungry for, instead of dining on pricy, imported alfalfa.  The birds are laying eggs everywhere and each day is an easter egg hunt.

Beginnings and endings of days are always marked by milking and feeding, but the middays are sort of up for grabs.  Wednesday is my Monday, with 10 hours of driving and meeting with shareholders on the agenda.  Thursday is my Sunday, when I try to rest up from the hectic day before.

Fridays are random... who knows what I'll fill the middle of the day with.  Saturdays and Sundays are cheddar making days.  Monday is often for feta and sheep cheese.  Tuesday it's crunch time, making yogurt, chevre, cream and sour cream and getting things ready for the big tomorrow.

Of course, there's always other things to take care of... trimming feet and other basic management tasks like moving the pig again.  This time she'll go down below the chicken house to turn fresh ground for a future garden.  

Oh, and we're getting ready to plumb the dairy shack with modified running water to make cleanup easier and more self-contained.  Always always building and improving.  And such is the life of a homesteader.

So, it's all good.  Absolutely lovin' our life up here on the mountain.  You should come visit.  We're pretty doggone busy during the week, but try to squeeze in visitors between 11 and 5 Friday through Monday.  Hope to see you here!

Just Leave Us Alone

Please take a minute and read this post on Liberation Wellness... it says it all.  

Now after you read that, go to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and join the ranks.

And thanks for supporting your local farmer.  We can't do it without you.

Quick news

I can't believe its been almost three weeks since I got the pump going.  Summer is such a crazy time in the land of the midnight sun.

Well, Iris finally kidded.  She gave us a 10 pound buckling and an 8 pound doeling.  They're big already!  And Yesna dropped a 5.5 pound buckling the other night.  So now we're all done with new babies for this spring.  Oh, and we added another doe to our herd- Wings came up the mountain a few days ago.

Other news is that our first summer intern is here!  And Ben is home for another week or so, before taking off for summer work.  So between us we should be able to get some work done.

Did I tell you we have an automatic milker now?  What a huge change, to go from milking 10 animals twice a day by hand, to this.  When it's fully set up, it can milk 4 goats at a time.  Zowie.

I guess that's all the big news in a nutshell.  Finding the time to sit down at the computer is a challenge, when there are gardens to plant, building projects to work on, etc.  Already dreaming about skiing through the dim silence of winter...