New calf on the homestead

So this Wednesday Brown Cow delivered her calf, a healthy female Jersey calf. Cow's labor was short and  with out incident. After the year of the sheep stillbirths Rosie and I get a little nervous around lambing/calfing time, that was such a horrid experience that we are kinda scared by it. But everything went smoothly and after no more than about an hour the calf was born. Within an hour of the calf being born she was standing up and walking around and nursing.

As this is a female calf we will most likely be selling her off in a few months when she is bigger and not so attached to her mom. A mixed blessing to be sure, on one hand we could use the money to pay off some of the farm's debts on the other hand we where really looking forward to home raised ribeye steaks. But maybe we will set a little of the cow money aside and go out to a ribeye steak dinner to celebrate the sale.

We have not decided on a name yet for her, any ideas?

Tree hoarder

I have come to terms with the fact that I love food and thus have a tendency to hoard trees. I will, when presented with a good deal on a tree or the oportunity to propate from a tree, find a way to acquire said tree and plant it in the back yard. With luck my hoarding will help build up our fruit production in the backyard to the point where we are incapable of keeping up with the production of all the fruit.

Also, as I'm starting to experiment with grafting... the idea of having trees available for me to play with is very, very entising. I will have to see what our backyard turns out to look like. It might just be a freakish jungle full of awesome deliciousness, but I think I can live with that.

As an open plea, if you are playing with propagating trees or find a seed that has started I will gladly plant that tree in the backyard if you find that you cannot keep it. Or if you find that you just need to get rid of a gift certificate for Trees of Antiquity, feel free to send it my way. =D

Sheepy Surprises

Last year our Navajo Churros both lambed in March. I was thinking they were going to keep the same cycle as last year but it turns out they bred a month earlier than last year. Last night I was greeted at feeding time by an addition of a tiny baa. One of the NC had lambed yesterday during the wettest, coldest, windiest day we've had in months because that's just what sheep do. It looked like one big healthy lamb. We're very glad with the Navajo Churro sheepies as they have a tendency to lamb on their own without needing assistance and have big healthy animals. I'll go back out there tonight to see how it is doing but Jed said that it was fine this morning. We'll keep an eye out for the Darth sheepy to see when she will lamb. It makes me wonder if all the animals will birth around the same time. We'll keep you all posted with new animal updates.

The Economics of Food

Let me preface this by saying that many people have written about this topic. If you do research online you can find a lot of information on the economy of cooking your own meals. I think about food a lot, if you hadn't noticed, and I have a tendency to talk about it quite frequently. There are a few reoccurring comment that I hear from people that just stop me dead in my tracks.

1. I do not have time to cook. - By doing some of the meals at work in a short lunch break that is proven wrong and it shows that there are many, many meals that you can do in short order, sometimes even quicker than driving to a fast food restaurant and waiting to get poor quality food for what ends up costing you much more in food bills and medical bills. If it is just a lack of motivation, that is another topic which I cannot help with. If you have the motivation you will find a way to cook home meals.

2. Cooking at home is too expensive compared to fast food meals. This I have to dispute as this makes no sense to me. You can buy food at discount in bulk and that can last you from 2-50 meals depending on what the food product is.

Jed and I purchase rice and beans in large amounts. We have a tendency to eat rice in large amounts so the bag might last you a year or more, while for Jed and I we can go through it in one month. That bag can give you over 40 cups of rice. If you're purchasing that bag for $20 dollars (it's usually less and you can buy different types for different prices) then you're paying about 50 cents per every cup of rice you make. When you eat rice from a restaurant (Chinese or anything else) they usually charge you between $2.50 or more for that same amount. You can add it as a filler for many meals and you can make rice quickly while you are preparing the rest of your meal. Not only is the ingredient inexpensive, but the time you spend on it is minimal. If you're thinking about your time as money, then prepping rice to cook (white rice) is about a minute. You pour water into a pot and turn it on, wait for it to come to boil then add your rice, lower the temperature and set the timer. This takes even less time if you have a rice cooker: pour water and rice into bowl and it's done when it dings. The time you spent on a home cooked meal plus the money you would be paying someone else to cook that meal is all being pulled back into your income. You are saving in ingredients, in medical bills as you are not putting processed food into your (and your families) body, your time that you get to share with your family, and on money.

An example, today I made some linguica sandwiches. I purchased 12 buns for $2.59, 5 large links of linguica (each of which make two sandwiches) for $6.35, and a white onion for $.73. These ingredients (plus a little bit of oil and mustard) can make 10 sandwiches and if everyone is hungry and eats two sandwiches can feed 5 people, with two extra buns, or for people who don't want that much meat it can be divided into 12 sandwiches and 6 servings of two sandwiches. The total cost is: $9.67 making each sandwich cost about $.81. You pay $5 per sandwich if you go anywhere else or more if you add fries. A meal that is under a dollar can cost you 10 times that if you go out to buy it. This can feed your family for a couple of meals, making your food cost for a day fairly low.

Another example is making home granola, you can get as fancy as you want or as plain as you like, either way, you will end up paying a lot less than if you were to purchase already made granola. Today I picked up 5lbs of rolled oats at $.69 a lb, 3lbs of 8 rolled grains at $.89 a lb, raw mix of seeds, nuts, and raisins at $3.59 a lb for 1 lb. You'll need honey for your granola and that can add a little more if you don't have honey already, or just use some that you purchased in large quantities and the cost will be less. In total we'll end up with a little over 9lbs of granola for $10.71 (added a dollar for honey as I buy it in large 5lb containers for $13, which I won't use that much for this quantity) meaning each lb of granola I make at home (for this batch) is about $1.19, which you will agree is much less than anything you can purchase already made at the store, even in bulk. This way you'll know exactly what is going into your granola, you get to enjoy making it, the heat of it will in the oven will heat your house, you'll spend time with your family or friends, and you get to enjoy great tasting granola for a while.

You can do it. If you look at ways to bring things home you'll understand how much better it is to cook your own food and to create your own meals. Enjoying time with friends and family is an added perk to the process, but the main goal is to understand that your efforts are helping you save money and enjoy great tasting food that you made. Next time you are about to pick up a hamburger or a hotdog, think about how much cheaper and delicious that meal would be if you made it, or for any other food for that matter. You can cook at home or in the office, all it takes is a little effort. Your time is definitely worth it.

The Lunch Hour - Linguica Sandwiches

It would be a sad work fridge indeed if it did not have some cheap yellow mustard. With this as the beginning I was able to go online for a bit, go shopping for ingredients, cook my sandwiches and eat them in peace before the end of my lunch hour, so you know this is a quick meal.

Ingredients:
Sandwich rolls of choice
One link of linguica per two sandwiches
Onion - sliced in thin rounds
1 tbsp of oil
Cheap yellow mustard

We have a tiny 6"x6" electric skillet at work, which I used for this recipe. Add oil to skillet and heat to hot. Add onions and saute for a bit. Cover onions periodically to help soften them up. Cut you linguica in half, then slice those two halves lengthwise and add then to the onions. The linguica will begin to cook and leak out its juices which will help caramelize the onions. Once your onions are done take them out and let your linguica cook until you are satisfied. I would highly recommend placing the lid on your skillet to diminish smoke and steam that can set off the buildings sprinkler system. While these cook place your rolls in the toaster oven to toast. Once the meat is done place the linguica in your rolls, cover with onions, and then add your mustard. There are many variations to this recipe, feel free to experiment, but above all enjoy! (Ok, above all don't set your building on fire or set off the sprinkler system. )

The Lunch Hour - Thai Beef Salad

I have two notes for the following recipe.

1. I would not recommend this recipe if you are in a small kitchen with sprinklers and no ventilation. The smell permiated the whole building and we got some complaints and many more hungry people ready to join our lunch. You cook the steak in high heat so you can end up with some smoke. We'll not be able to cook this recipe at work again, but everyone enjoyed it who tried it.

2. If you are new to fish sauce, do yourself a favor and do not smell it. You will learn to appreciate the smell after a while, but it is the flavor that you want that makes it worth while. Jed and I really like the smell of fish sauce and it is a very common condiment in our home, but for those of you still starting out - take it easy. Jed's mom is still hesitant to use it in cooking, but we use it every time we go over to cook for them.

This is a simple summer recipe that Jed and I eat on a fairly regular basis. The short version is: You make a paste for your steak then grill that, place the thinly cut steak over greens and pour sauce over it. Ta-da!

Paste for the steak:
About a cup of cilantro stems (save the leaves as you'll use those for the salad a bit later)
2 tbsp of oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of salt and freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in the blender(or something similar) and blend until it becomes a paste. Cover the steak with the paste and leave until you are ready to cook.

Salad:
1 head of red leafy lettuce (I use 2 because I love the lettuce)
3 good sized tomatoes quartered into bite size pieces (I usually end up with 8 pieces if the tomato is big)
1 good sized cucumber sliced into thin-ish (1/4 inch) rounds
cilantro to place after the meat is mixed into the greens

Notes on steaks:
You want something a bit thick. If you prefer your meat well done then use a steak that is about an inch thick (or slightly less) otherwise use something thicker. The meat should be rare in the center. Once you have the salad ready then place your steak on a hot skillet that has a little bit of oil, cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done take out and let it cool a bit on a cutting board. Once cooled then slice the meat thinly and place onto the salad. Sprinkle with cilantro and pour sauce on top.

Sauce:
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (use less if you wish but do not add more soy)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar

Mix everything together until the sugar is dissolved and pour over your salad. Toss salad if desired and eat with rice on the side. I would highly recommend Jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Oh, and as with most of my recipes - I remembered to take a picture only after we had finished the whole bowl of salad.

Birds as far as the eye can see

Many of you have visited when we have a plethora of feathered friends running around the back yard. The first year we picked up ten Amauricana and we were getting more eggs than we know what to do with. Now we have a lot more chickens, but they have a tendency to lay all over the backyard, sometimes even just stopping and laying eggs right in the middle of the paths. We have set areas where we can find eggs, but it would be nice to not have to go looking all over the place. Jed and I are thinking about a couple of different strategies to our excess of birds. The set number of birds we would like to have are: 2 geese (mating pair), 3 turkeys (1 male, 2 female), 4 ducks (1 male, 3 female), and 6 chickens (possibly all female). This would be a low number until we are able to get all the the plants growing at a healthy rate and still maintain a healthy bird population. This would provide all the eggs we need with the addition of meat from our flock but at a more reasonable quantity. Our goal will be for family production and not for sale. This way we can focus and balance out the food intake as well as the meat and egg production without too much waste. They will also provide the much needed fertilizer without the overkill of some of our larger flocks we've had in the past. We're hoping the lower quantities will also make for a quieter environment. Our goal will be to grow our meat production from spring to fall (or whenever they are ready) and then slaughter them so that we do not overwinter any extra birds. The plucker will help us with this process and I'm sure the second plucker will help us that much more as we have worked out many of the kinks of the first plucker.

We've have set numbers of birds that we know that they can hatch out: Geese (12-25), turkeys (12-20), ducks (6-20), chickens (12-22). We're not sure if we would like to have additional meat chickens as the Amauricans are tiny and do not provide that much meat. We might do some large chickens and some egg chickens so that we have a mixture of both. It is interesting to see the dynamics of the bird flocks and see how we wish to change it. As with everything else in the farm, we learn by doing. We'll see what works for our property and we'll see what we can do to make it work well. We'll probably post more in the future, as with all topics, but for now I think our goal will be to decrease our bird numbers to a more managable quantity.

The possibility of turkey

As many of you know, we have horrible luck keeping male turkeys on the farm. For some reason all the predators love the taste of male turkeys or once they are grown they are too dumb to keep themselves from committing suicide. (FYI - jump attacking Jed is a form of suicide.) We were thinking about picking up another set of turkeys next year, but luckily we had the good fortune of going to one of the local nurseries and it turns out they have a heritage breed tom. They said that they used to have a pair but that the female was eaten by predators, which left them with a lone male turkey. We're going to see about picking him up and seeing if he can aclimate to our homestead, at least long enough to farther some new baby poults and then we can take him back. We were thinking about keeping two females and a male turkey to hatch out new turkeys for us. At first Jed thought that might not provide enough turkeys until we realized that they have a tendency to hatch out 15-25 eggs at a time, which means we'd end up with 20-50 turkeys (accounting for bad eggs and such) a year. That's a lot of turkey. I don't think we can eat a turkey a week, but we can definitely try. Turkeys have turned out to be the best keepers of our homestead, so who knows, we might end up just keeping tukeys and lowering our chicken count.


Image from http://www.porterturkeys.com/narragansett.htm

 The tom looked to be a narrangansett, which is what some of our birds are. The rest of our turkeys are Bourbon Reds.

Extending the berries - currants

Image from Cornell Fruit page

Our first order of currants was a Wilder and a Crandall Black. The Wilder is still growing in the front with the blueberries and is throwing out more shoots. The poor Crandall was squashed to death in the Great Piggy Debacle of 2011. Thanks to the Tree Man and Bay Laurel I was able to pick up a second Wilder (from Bay Laurel) and two new Blacks from the Tree Man as well as a second set of Red Lake. The Wilder is considered a pink (It's light red!) so I thought I'd get some of the reds to match the sets. These all went in near the citrus along the garage as they get a good amount of sun but they are also shaded through most of the year, which helps keep their temps low. Our mandarin and our blood orange are still growing in that area (Keep fighting little ones!) but I thought I'd surround them with other vegetation to help keep their winter temps a bit higher. I've also interspersed some Pixwell gooseberries so we'll see how they produce in the next couple of years. I'm thinking about lining that whole fence line with some of the cooler berries such as currants and gooseberries to help fill in that area and to make it a bit more productive. And since apparently six currant bushes is not enough I ordered another 2 bushes of white currants from Trees of Antiquities to add to the mix. I have not yet pruned them, but Ivan and I have a date with our currants and gooseberries tomorrow so that we can whip them into shape. If all works out well we'll have 8 currant bushes in production with red, pink, black, and white currants coming in each year and we'll add the four gooseberry bushes to that blend and we'll just have to see what awesome jams, syrups, pies, and food stuff we can produce with these beauties.