…that’s how I feel lately! A bit overwhelmed, with soooo much to do and so little time! This weekend is the annual Fiber Festival at Castle Farms, Charlevoix. You can find more here http://www.castlefarms.com/Michigan-Festivals-And-Shows/event-calendar/Fiber-Arts-Festival/ It’s worth the drive to beautiful Charlevoix, Michigan…and happens to coincide with the Venetian Festival (and Fly-Wheel event for tractor enthusiasts too!). I’ve been working diligently to put together an eclectic collection of sheepy & primitive hand-mades for the festival. There’s lots of fiber for the fiber enthusiast of all degrees, but my little booth offers simple ‘ewe-nique’ items…ready to enjoy! 

Needless to say, the shop will be closed this weekend. The ‘farm’ will be left in the very capable hands of Katie. I know I never tell her often enough how much I appreciate her! So, THANK YOU KATIE! We’ve been totally busy with the goats and prep for the Armada Fair…lots of 4-H projects to finish too.

The sheepies are growing by leaps and bounds! The oldest lambs are approaching 4-months, while my youngest lambs are 7-weeks old. It’s time to assess who’s staying and who’s for sale (I’d love to keep them ALL)…and completing their NASSA registration papers. If you’re interested in the addition of a wonderful Shetland lamb to your flock, drop me a line! I’d be happy to ‘talk’.

It’s been so hot, I steal away a little time in the wee morning hours to putz in the garden and too often of late, burn the midnight oil to work on un-finished fiber projects. Not to mention the time & effort spent on packaging, labeling, pricing and all the additional what-nots to prepare as a vendor for a show.  Hmmm, is it all worth it? There’s also much to be done helping with the care of my elderly parents – whom everyone faces at some point in their life…and I’m no exception.

So, I need more hours in the day…and shamelessly looking forward to putting this weekend behind me!

Right about now, I find myself feasting – eh, OvEr-FlOwIng - with my fresh goat’s milk. A dairy goat produces an average of 6 – 8 pounds (that’s  3 – 4 quarts) of wholesome milk per day…and I have two milking goats! Schaherezade’s twin bucklings have found a new home and moved on to greener pastures. Nelly’s doelings are eight weeks old TODAY, but, are still being bottle-fed. They enjoy three-18 ounce bottles of milk per day (in addition to a grain ration and all the hay/forage they can eat). The rest of my goat’s milk is ALL mine!

I’m often asked, what do you do with all that goat’s milk…besides make soap? Well, you CAN substitute goat’s milk for cow’s milk in just about every recipe. Of course, we drink it, make cheese, yogurt, ice cream…and Cajeta. While the government forbids the SALE of milk unless you’re a licensed Grade A Dairy, I provide most of my family with milk – if they come and get it. The exception is my mom – to whom I deliver!

Many folks with goats also raise beef and/or pork. They are fed surplus goat’s milk which results in exceptionally sweet and tender meat! Often, if offered, a doe may drink back her fresh milk – which is an excellent feed supplement for her! 

Katie has been working on a 4-H ‘cheese’ project for our local Armada Fair. We researched recipes using our goat’s milk ricotta and tested a recipe for Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes this past Sunday.

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes                         (Makes eight pancakes.)

1 cup goat’s milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

(Fresh blueberries or seasonal fruit).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Add blueberries.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used a 1/3 cup measure) to pour the batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown. Serve with syrup or fresh fruit.

Of course, there’s many derivations…so, modify the recipe to suit your family’s fav’s! YUM!

I also want to mention to my fellow Michigander farmsteads that we can now make ~~~ in our own kitchen for sale without a license ~~~ certain non-potentially hazardous food, that is, “baked goods, jams, jellies, candy, snack food, cereal, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, and dried herbs per House Bill 5837 which states:  

2010 House Bill 5837 (Exempt certain “cottage food operations” from licensure) 

• Introduced by Rep. Pam Byrnes (D) on February 17, 2010, to exempt a “cottage food operation,” defined as a person who annually produces or packages less than $15,000 worth of “non-potentially hazardous food” in a kitchen of that person’s primary domestic residence, from the licensure and regulation mandates that apply to regular commercial food producers. “Non-potentially hazardous food” would be defined as “baked goods, jams, jellies, candy, snack food, cereal, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, and dried herbs. It would not include home-canned low-acid or acidified vegetables, home-canned salsa, or home-canned food; food service items; ready-to-eat meals, meat, sandwiches, cheese, or custard pies; garlic in oil; food that requires temperature control for safety; and bottled water, home-produced ice products, and other beverages and products”.

Read more at http://www.michiganvotes.org/2010-HB-5837

Happy day!

Hello dear friends!

It’s been unusually HOT HOT HOT here in Michigan, and elsewhere!

I’ve been keeping a vigilant watch on all my critters! I lost my Jersey Wooly bunny (she was only five) earlier this week – I can only attribute her sudden death to heat stress?

I’ve been dragging out the garden hose to water the veggie garden – a ‘downside’ to raised beds – they tend to dry out very quickly! Katie and I managed to pick the red currants for jelly making…before the wildlife got them all! I spent the evening hours de-stemming the berries (a very time-consuming undertaking, but that’s the way I prefer to prep them for my jelly). If you’re not familiar with currants, they grow in little clusters.

I was able to extract enough juice to make several batches of currant jelly. However, due to time constraints, I put all the juice in the freezer…for jelly making LATER…perhaps a chore for the next rainy day? I hope it works!?

I found this awesome RASPBERRY jam label in a recent issue of Flea Market Style. It’s a FREE download from Heather Bullard at www.heatherbullard.com to see more!

What could possibly be more FUN than a get-together with girlfriends to make farm fresh jam, pickles, cheese or whatever happens to be in season??? What’s the old saying…many hands make light work?

I’ve been busy making cheese and doing a little experimenting with different cultures, pH and such. I have yet to try goat’s milk cheddar. But, more on that later.

Yesterday, we made CAJETA – a Mexican caramel-like treat from goat’s milk. I should have done more homework – didn’t realize it would require several hours of stirring over a simmering pot (in +90 degree weather!) before achieving the right caramel consistency! But, a worth-while endeavor! YUM!!! I love caramel topping over ice cream. I’ve heard it makes a nice fruit dip (for apples too). Don’t ya think a jar of Cajeta with string and a pretty label would make a delightful gift!? Just thinking out loud…

The recipe for Cajeta is quite simple. You’ll need 3 quarts goat’s milk (you may substitute fresh cow’s milk), 3 cups sugar, 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons corn starch (optional). Dissolve baking soda and corn starch into 1 cup milk and stir well to dissolve lumps. Add this to rest of milk and add sugar. Bring mixture to the boiling point, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low simmer and stir every 15 minutes or so until mixture is thick and looks like caramel sauce (several HOURS). Pour into clean jars, cool and refrigerate. Note: Jars may be further processed in a hot water bath. Tighten lids and rings and boil in hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from water bath and allow to cool undisturbed for 24 hours.

Here’s my ‘finished’ jar of Cajeta…recipe included on back of tag…inspired by Heather!

Enjoy!

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation.

Happy Independence Day! 

I…ah…WE survived another farmstead FIRST. It’s our third freshening (that’s when you breed a goat and she kids) and I’ve had the luxury of ‘the breeder’ castrating my buck kids for me. This freshening however, I had to fess up and perform the dastardly deed myself…castrating the buckling goat kids. You may think I’m cruel, but it is very necessary. While I do not own a buck (for breeding my girls), I get very attached to my goaties and much rather find good homes for my pet wethers…rather than putting them in the freezer.

A goat kid of either sex can be – that is ’physiologically’ speaking - fertile at 7-weeks of age (though they should not be bred at that age). Intact bucks and does over 8-weeks of age should NOT be kept together because a young buck can, and will, breed a female at 2-months of age, including his mother and 2-month old sister!

I know of two methods of castration:

Cutting: This entails cutting the bottom of the scrotum off and pulling out the testicles, and/or

Banding: This requires using a tool called an elastrator to put special heavy-duty little rubber bands around the scrotum leading to the testicles. The blood circulation stops and in about 10 to 14 days, the scrotum and testes will slough off ( ie. the scrotum and testes die, rot and eventually fall off).

I prefer the ‘cutting’ method – it’s immediate and after a day or so, the kids act as if nothing  happened (well, perhaps they’d tell you otherwise)?!! All went very well procedurally, although it was more difficult to grab a hold of those slippery testicles than I had imagined!!

I’d like to end on a good note! My wethered goat kids and Tinkerbelle’s twin ewe lambs have a wonderful new owner and home with Bonnie at The Lamb’s Tail. They’re only a few miles down the road…so I’ll get to visit them often…and browse the barn for great antiques too!

Tink and her lovely Shetland gray katmoget ewe lambs…

…best wishes!

XOXOXOXOXO

Many of my gardens are centered around themes. Today, I thought I’d share one of them…my ‘Moon’ (or white) Garden. Moon gardens are particularly enjoyable at night. It was created to disguise our well head (see the pipe that’s pictured in the center). Yes, in the ‘country’ we have well water – NO access to a municipal water supply.

My Moon Garden consists of an inner and outer circle; most plants have star-shaped or white flowers or foliage to best reflect the moonlight, fragrant - great for evening entertaining? The iron piece in the center is a folk-y half-moon and stars constructed of steel plate and rods…virtually indistructable!

The ’path’ is lined with crushed oyster shells – also white. HINT: It’s a calcium supplement for chickens available at the feed supply. We borrowed the idea of using oyster shell when we visited Colonial Williamsburg many years ago. Since oysters (along with other shellfish) was a dietary staple and in large supply on the east coast, frugal colonists used crushed shells as a sort of ‘paving’ material. Pretty nifty!

Also important in a garden – seating – a bench of some sort? You don’t think I actually ever SIT in it???

A few plants in my moon garden are: lamb’s ears, lavender, cone flower, artemisia silver king (which I’m in the process of replacing), snow in summer, germander, lychnis or rose campion, baby’s breath, globe amaranth, monarda. The silver king is a very nice perennial, drought tolerant, fragrant, dries well for wreath-making, but, weeds infiltrated it’s ‘bed’ (after 20-years) and it was simply easier to ‘re-do’ that section than to pull weeds! EEK!

I’ll probably replace it with rose campion/lychnis, an old-tyme cottage garden favorite.

Plants must meet several criteria to ‘reside’ in my garden: If I can’t EAT it, then it must be drought tolerant (since I don’t spend ANY time watering), heirloom, self-seed or perennial, native or hardy.

BTW, wanted to mention that it’s time to harvest lavender. The lavender buds have swelled and a bloom or two is evident. If you wait ’til all the buds bloom, it will fall off the stems as the lavender is drying. Harvest in the a.m. after the dew has dried. Air dry lavender in small bundles secured with a rubber band hanging from a peg, drying rack, etc (or the back of a chair) or lay fresh-cut stems on an old screen – out of direct sunlight – where there’s good air circulation.

Here’s a few of my volunteer clean-up crew…anxiously awaiting a hand-out of their morning ‘greens’. Never enough comfry, mint, lady’s mantle, rosemary and such. YUM! Don’t worry, the goats share the goodies with the sheepies too!

On a happy note (I guess), my bucklings and Tinkerbell’s twin ewe lambs will be moving to their new home this weekend at The Lamb’s Tail. More on that later…

WOW…where did the time go?!!!!

Down on the farm, in my garden, there’s an outhouse… that serves as a handy tool shed.

The term outhouse originally referred to an outbuilding, or any small structure away from a main building, used for a variety of purposes, but mainly for activities not wanted in the main house. Outhouses are used for storage, animals, and cooking, to name a few uses.

Usually when you hear ’outhouse’, you think of a privy – a small enclosure around a pit that is used as a toilet. Most outhouses had one or two holes. No, these old vintage structures weren’t usually doing double duty. Rather, most contained two holes of different sizes – one for adults and one for children. Don’t think those kids wanted to sit on the bigger hole and risk the consequences. However, that being said, some large families would have multiple holes for use at the same time.

Crescent Moon: The crescent moon cutout and the star cutout on the door of many outhouses goes back to Colonial times. In a time when few people could read, the crescent moon was the symbol for women while the star cutout was for men.

Toilet Paper: Considered a luxury by most rural families, newspaper or pages from old catalogs was more often used.

Average Outhouse: Usually they were 3 to 4 feet square by 7 feet high with no window, heat, or electric light. Due to the odor, most were built between 50 and 150 feet from the main house, often facing away from the house.  Many people left the door open while they were using it so that they didn’t have to smell the unpleasant odor… a difficult habit to break with the invention of indoor bathrooms!

My garden outhouse provides handy storage for gardening essentials…close at hand.

 

…and lively conversation with many visitors to my garden!

When I think of cashmere, I imagine soft luxurious sweaters, high-priced outer apparel and soft, exceptionally warm blankets and pashmina shawls. If you’re a fiber enthusiast, you’re thinking goats…ALL goats downy undercoat… or ‘underwear??’  ~~~  is what we call cashmere!

Seasonally, as autumn approaches, all goats ’grow’ a soft downy undercoat that help to insulate and keep the goat warm through winter. The guard hair is the visible outer coat. The ultra-soft cushy ‘cashmere’ is normally shed out in Spring. The owner of the goat usually combs the goat out during several combings (goats rarely shed out all at once) to ‘harvest’ the cashmere for processing. The average goat yields 4 to 6 ounces of cleaned, de-haired cashmere per year.

Cashmere goats are not a breed per se; they are a type of goat that’s selected due to their supreme cashmere production. My Pygmy goat, Oreo, produces a very fine ‘cashmere-like’ undercoat compared to my dairy goats! Cashmere goats come in all colors and usually produce white, cream-colored, light-browns and gray cashmere/undercoat.

Today, China is the largest producer of commercial cashmere. Thanks to the development of the North American Cashmere goat breed standard, you can find some homegrown cashmere finery right here in the U.S.

Is there a cashmere goat in your future?

Did you know…?

Ricotta is usually made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. Ricotta ‘cheese’ is a creamy by-product of the cheese manufacturing process and thus is technically not really a cheese.

‘Ricotta’ means “re-cooked” because the product is cooked twice, once during the original process and then again to make the ricotta. It is created from whey, a watery substance left over from the milk, which is drained off when making hard-cheese such as provolone or mozzarella.

Ricotta cheese most likely originated in Rome, Italy, where the people invented many entrees and desserts featuring the fresh, soft cheese. Ricotta is most often used in Italian cooking, typically as cheese filling for cooked pasta dishes such as lasagna, manicotti and ravioli. The cheese blends well with tomato sauces. It also makes great dips and spreads and dessert fillings for cannoli and blintzes. It is the main cheese used for cheesecake.

 

Goat’s Milk Ricotta (makes 2 pounds)

In a large stockpot, heat 1 gallon whole goat’s milk to 195 degrees F. Slowly add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and stir gently with slotted spoon until separation occurs (about 2 minutes). HINT: You may place the pot directly over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally – OR – place in a double boiler so you don’t scald the milk!

Gently ladle the cheese into a strainer lined with fine mesh cheesecloth and allow to drain over a large bowl for 20 minutes. Discard the liquid. Add salt to taste. Store the ricotta covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Another ricotta recipe to try…

Goat’s Milk Ricotta (makes 2 cups)

In a large stockpot, combine 2 quarts whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the pot over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a strainer lined with fine mesh cheesecloth and allow to drain over a large bowl for 1 hour. Discard the liquid. Store the ricotta covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Katie, my daughter, made the ricotta for a 4-H project and decided to use it to make manicotti for dinner last night. (Katie is 15 years old! WOO HOO Katie!)

Here’s our fav manicotti recipe:

Manicotti Sauce: 6 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 medium onion (minced), 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, 32 ounce can whole tomatoes, 16 ounce can tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, dash pepper, 1/2 teaspoon basil.

To prepare sauce, heat oil in saucepan; Add and saute with garlic, onion & parsley. Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Manicotti (pasta) Filling: 15 ounce ricotta cheese, 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella, 1 Tablespoon parsley, 3 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1 package manicotti pasta ‘shells’.

To prepare filling: Combine all filling ingredients (use 1/4 pound mozzarella) except manicotti pasta ‘shells’. Fill UNCOOKED pasta ‘shells’ with cheese filling. Pour a thin layer of sauce into bottom of glass 9X13 inch baking pan.  Arrange filled manicotti in single layer in pan and add remaining sauce until completely covered. Cover baking pan with parchment and tin foil to create seal.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and add mozzarella to top and return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh salad greens and garlic toast. Enjoy!

 

Yum!

Well, I didn’t take my spinning wheel along to spinning guild last night…BUT, I did manage to embellish and complete two little ditty bags from my unfinished fiber stash.

I began wearing a little ditty bag slung over my shoulder as a vendor to fiber art fairs. I can easily tuck inside a few business cards, sticky notes, pen, moo-la, cell phone, etc..all while managing ‘hands-free’. Folks began to inquire if I had any more for sale? As you can imagine, sheepies are popular at fiber shows! So, I’ve been creating them ever since.

The little ditty bag is a simple knit in the round, machine felted, a handle and vintage button attached as part of the finishing ~ along with a needle felted sheepy motif! There you have it!

Feels good to actually do some fiber’N again!