Angie: July 2007 Archives

The Scent of a Goat There is a scent associated with the goats. It is a goaty smell but not a stinky smell. Goats are not dirty stinky animals. They are clean and fussy but do have a scent. Each time I go out to milk the does I bring with me in my pink bucket of supplies a warm soapy cloth and a bottle of warm water. (I cannot use the hose and wet them with cold water. That is just so not fair!) I wash and rinse their udders and dry them well. This ritual insures that my milk will be clean and the goats won't get any udder problems. The washing and drying also helps to stimulate the udders so that the ladies will let down their milk for me. Afterwards they are moisturized and sprayed with an antibacterial spray for dairy animals to help prevent mastitis and whatnot. As I sit on the milking stool next to the milking stand the does will lean into my shoulder, rub against my arms and so I am left smelling not only of goats but of sweat from the hot humid days of summer. I kid you not, milking those does always leaves me dripping in sweat. So I stink. After milking, cleaning up, bringing in the milk and properly handling it for cooling and storing in the refrigerator I take a shower. In the afternoon I put back on the goat milking clothes and when finished I hit the shower and the clothes go into the washer. The goats arrived Thursday afternoon. So each and every morning and each and every afternoon I have followed the exact same routine. The girls have learned quickly and it is also their routine. Monday morning I am standing at the sink washing up dishes when I smell something that immediately registers in my mind as the scent of goat. I kept sniffing and asking myself WTF?!? is that goat smell. I have bathed, there is nothing that should smell. The bucket is clean, the milk doesn't smell, my clothes, the wash cloths and towels are in the washer. Yet, for over thirty minutes I am smelling goat. And then I realize I am NOT actually smelling my goats. (I should hang my head in shame but will let you laugh at me!) My animal antibacterial wash for their udders is being delivered tomorrow. So in the mean time I have been using the only soap I have available to wash the girls udders with. This is what my mind immediately associates as the smell of goat. Go ahead and laugh.

I want to tell you how meeting Mary was as natural as greeting an old friend that hasn't been seen in a number of years. We fell into comfortable conversation and laughter. She charmed my children and she brought them gifts. She settled into my kitchen just like back door friends should. Several times as she talked with my girls or played with Steven I could imagine how nice it would be to have her living close by. She could just walk over in afternoons and have a cup of tea/coffee or a glass of wine, daudling by the pool while we idled away our time waiting for husbands to arrive home from work. Or after a busy day at school I could offer her a(nother) glass of wine and tell her how lucky those children were to have her for a teacher. Yes, I played out an entire scenerio in my head. I also spent a huge amount of time regretting how messy my house was. Steve and I had spent the entire week getting the fields ready for the goats and my house fell to the wayside. I had spent the morning in the goat field. Then I hurried in to the shower and to make lunch. My house was also very messy. I kept telling myself Mary would understand and overlook the mess knowing we were trying to provide for the goats. While I could have bypassed the shower to do a little more cleaning she really would not have appreciated the scent of goat on my person. I was also hoping my cooking would impress her and she wouldn't have time to notice the dust bunnies, handprints on the glass doors and windows, laundry not yet in the washer and the unmopped kitchen floor. I plied her with diet coke, my zucchini lasagne, salad, red and yellow tomatoes with basil and fresh mozzarella, garlic bread and tapenade. Then I drug her outside to see the goats and my kids with the goats. I drug her through my chicken barn and watched the chicks peck her toes. I want to show her everything and tell her everything and the time passed so swiftly before I knew it she was leaving! The day was too short! (Read her version of the day here.) Mary is everything her writing lends you to believe. She is funny and smart. She is a shining light and her glow engulfs everyone around her. She is lovely and small framed and a tiny bit freckled with lovely auburn tinted hair that shined like brass in the sunshine. She has a wonderful rich voice and laughter. She looks very much like her brother. She is comfortable in her own skin. She is fiendly and outgoing. I can't imagine she has ever met a stranger. Josh is very lucky to have her. I did consider flattening her minivan tires and locking her in the cellar so I could keep her here with me awhile longer. How long could I have gotten away with that before someone noticed she was missing? In the end I let her go with a few jars of homemade jam and a long wave as she drove down out of sight. We have to find the time to get together again. Perhaps she and Josh need a weekend away in the country before school starts back. What do you say, Mary?

Last week I did something very impulsive and entered an exhibit in the county fair at the very last minute. Afterwards I held my breath. I was embarressed to tell anyone in case I lost. The judging was thursday. We finally went to the fair saturday afternoon to see if I even made it into an honorable mention. My damson jam won 2nd place in the exhibitors choice jam catagory. (The only set catagories they had were strawberry, peach and blackberry.) I was floored. I am also sort of giddy. I have NEVER won a ribbon for anything. 2nd place. WOOT! I am thinking I will frame the ribbon, the entry tag and a photo of my damsons to hang in my kitchen.

The lovely goats (that are yeilding about a quart of milk in the am and pm) were from the private stock of a latin teacher. How I became aquainted with said latin teacher is an equally as lovely tale - not tail. Latin Man is the brother of the sassy MizS. It was Mary who wrote of her brothers wonderful handraised goats and my wishing for wonderful handraised goats that Mary offered to put me in contact with her beloved brother. After a few email and a phone call it was arranged for us to have some dairy goats. Mary had offered to take her van to her brothers summer cabin and actually bring me the goats! I love her silly self for the being so willing to stinkafy (stink - ah - fi) her van with smelly goat and many little goaty pooh balls in my effort to obtain well cared for goats. However, after convincing Steve that two was not enough and three was not enough and him (Steve) saying I could have four and then upping the anty to the I could have six (6!) limit, Tom offered to hitch up the wagon and deliver the goats. Saving Mary quite a bit of trouble and not to mention in the least a whole shit load of shit in her van! Not really, we would have never let her use her van to bring us goats but the idea was very funny. Goats! In a minivan! On I-95! Just imagining the looks and stares and potential wrecks by overwhelmed motorists gave us a bit of a chuckle on more than one occassion. So on thursday we got to spend a couple of hours with Tom and his absolutely GORGEOUS daughter Alissa (Alyssa?). When Tom came cruising up the driveway with the loaded goat wagon the girls swarmed into a blur of moving arms and legs. A cry went up into the air "they are here! They're here!" It was better than any reaction we have ever witnessed on a Christmas morning. So, Tom and Alissa off loaded the goats. We sat in the pasture with them and talked. We toured the barns. We got a refresher course on Goat Milking 101 by a latin prof. After cokes with ice and giant hunks of chocolate brownie it was soon time for Tom and Alissa to make their journey back home. We watched our lovely new goats. Played with them. Brought them into their evening stall and went through the motions of milking both of the does. Lilah is sooooooooooooooooo much more easy to milk than Cindy. It is kind of odd to call that goat by the name "Cindy". It is even weirder to say her name while fondling her udders and attempting to get milk from her. (She is nursing 2 babies now.) Why is it so weird you ask? My sister's name is "Cindy". Hahahahahaha! I'll tell you about the very special visitor we had to the farm yesterday in the nextpost. We are off now to the county fair where I made a last minute exhibit entry. I am scared to go see the results of the judging because I don't want to be a loser. :/

The reason Steve got electric fencing for our anniversary is because we added a few new members to our family herd. I'll tell you the whole story tomorrow. Here's a few photos of our new dairy goats. From left to right Lilah, Cindy, Penny, Wattles, Sally (who is now Bonnie) and Anna (who is now Violet). Steven can herd them all by himself. Lilah enjoying tomatoes, squash and peas. I love them already. They were brought by a very special person. Another VERY special person is visiting the farm tomorrow. I am so excited!

I have beautiful tomatoes. Red, Yellow, Pinks - gorgeous colors. They are also delicious by themselves or in other recipes. With an abundance of peppers, cilantro, and the availability of local grown fresh onions I have put together a top notch salsa. Select the best ripe tomatoes. Melt a little salt in fresh squeezed lime juice. Crush a handful of garlic cloves. Finely chop a large sweet vidalia onion. Finely chop a few jalapeno peppers. Finely chops a few hot green chilis. Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes. Chop a nice bunch of cilantro. Mix and let it set to cure in the refrigerator for several hours. I freeze mine I do not can salsa in a hot water bath because after 15 minutes in a hot water bath the salsa is cooked. I do not like mine cooked. I like it fresh. I made a batch of nachos last night topped with the salsa. Not one bit was left on a full size baking sheet. Fingers were messy with sour cream, gaucamole, salsa, chips, cheese, black olives, ground beef. Yummy!

Yesterday was our anniversary.It seems like we have been married forever but it has only been 3 years. That number surprises me. It should be more like 13 or 30. I feel like I have been with Steve all of my life even though I know in reality I have not. He came in yesterday afternoon bearing pink roses. Two colors of pink roses. He knows I love pink roses. I know he is going to bring me pink roses for special occassions. I anticipated the roses all day. They are gorgeous. Sometimes I don't think he hears me when I am talking a mile a minute. Yesterday he surprised me. He also brought me a small tiller for my garden. WOOT! I scored big time! It is something I really wanted. And he listened and retained that information for a long time. In return he is getting electric fencing. Yes, it is something he really wants. Aren't we the nerdiest little farmers you ever met?

My mother was a beautiful bride. She was excited. A little nervous. But most of all - very happy. We are home. The train was great. The weather was HOT and HUMID. I have 5 gallons of tomatoes, 1 peck of snap beans, 3 gallons of potatoes and umpteen cucumbers to finish today. I made salsa yesterday. It is awesome! Home grown tomatoes, jalepeno peppers, hot chili peppers, cilantro and onions with purchased garlic, lime and salt. Did I say it was hot? Yeah, the weather and the salsa. P.S. I don't think my mother looks 60. Does she?

My mother is getting married Saturday. I am taking the train down tomorrow and will be back Monday evening. I have things to share! See you all then!

One of the very best things I have learned to do is make yogurt at home in my very own kitchen. The kids eat about 1.5 quarts every day or day and a half. They have it for breakfast, make smoothies or have it for a snack. What is left in the jar gets scraped out and fed to the chickens as a cool treat in this hot, hot weather we are having. (It was 101 today! And we need rain so very badly right now.) You will need: A couple of clean quart jars with lids and ring A couple clean dish towels A cooler Boiling water A candy thermometer (Or a digital one) Milk Dry powdered milk Yogurt culture Boil a large pot of water. Pour it into your empty cooler to allow the cooler to begin heating up. Close the lid and let the cooler sit while you work on the next steps. This is your incubator. You are going to grow all of the beautiful and healthy bacteria that makes milk into deliciously thick and creamy yogurt. You can make more than 1 quart at a time, just remember to keep the ratio - (2 quarts milk, 2/3 cup dry milk powder, 4 tbsp culture) - (3 quarts milk, 1 cup dry milk powder, 6 tbsp culture) - (4 quarts milk (1 gallon), 1 & 1/3 cup dry milk powder, 8 tbsp culture). I make 3 quarts at a time. To make 1 quart of yogurt - 1 quart of milk 1/3 cup dry milk powder Mix well. Place over medium heat. Stir to prevent scalding. Heat milk to 185 degrees F. Watch it carefully. Don't let it boil and don't scorch it. In an ice bath begin to cool the milk down to a temperature of 110 degrees F. Sometimes it will drop very quickly. Other times it might take awhile. It depends on your type of pot and how much ice in your water bath. While your milk is cooling take the time to boil some more water and fill a couple of quart jars, wrapping them in a dish towel to insulate the heat. At 110 degrees add 2 heaping tablespoons of your yogurt culture to the milk mixture. Stirring well to mix. You can buy a yogurt culture in powder form but that is not what I use. I buy a very good organic PLAIN yogurt from the grocery store. Stoneyfield Farms to be exact. It has 6 different cultures in it and it one of the best on the market available in commercial form. You must use a plain yogurt. No flavors. None of that with the fruit already in it. Plain. Once your culture has been added pour your milk into your quart jar closing the lid hand tight. Wrap it in a towel. Pour the boiling water out of your cooler. Put the yogurt and hot water jars all in the cooler and close the lid. Don't open for 10 to 12 hours. When the yogurt is set move it to the refrigerator. Allow it to get cold before serving. If you make it in the morning it can incubate throughout the day and go into the refrigerator that evening. The yogurt will be perfect for breakfast the next day. I serve the girls a plain bowl. They top it with fruit, honey and granola. 3 quarts every 2 days. It must be good. I promise you it is good. Better than anything you can get in a grocery store. The homemade yogurt doesn't have a bitter after taste and it isn't as sour as its store bought cousins. You can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar to the milk in the beginning if you prefer a sweeter dessert type of yogurt. If all you can find is the large containers of plain organic yogurt go ahead and buy it. You can spoon the yogurt into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Pop them out and keep them in a freezer bag. To make another batch of your own yogurt just set the number of cubes you need of the frozen yogurt out on the counter and let it thaw. In the beginning whne you mix your milk and dry milk powder you can also add a couple tablespoons of instant pudding to flavor it. Once you accomplish the basics of making the yogurt you can experiment and create your own custom flavors. This is one of the easiest, healthiest, best things I have taught the girls to make this summer. Next we are tackling mozzarella cheese. Go on. I dare you to make a quart.

Two little ducks went out to play, over the hills and far away. Momma duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack� And two little ducks came waddling back. We let them swim in the kitchen sink every evening. They love it! They are 6 day old muscovy ducks. The video is from my phone so pardon the quality.

I have had a lovely crop of bell peppers this year. This is the first time I have really had bell peppers that grew to much of any size. I have planted red, yellows, greens and purples. Right now we are getting the greens and one red. I made peppers steak one night for supper and it was delicious! Green bell peppers usually give me the worst heartburn. But not the home grown kind. They are sweet and mildly flavored. The pimento peppers have really surprised me as well. I have never had much luck with them but this year that are supplying me with plenty. I am still getting plenty of yellow squash. I put 11 quarts up this weekend. We have had them sauteed with banana peppers a few time. That's good eatin'. The hot peppers are abundant this summer. I have done two jars of pickled peppers, hot chili peppers and jalepeno. They both have good heat packed into them. They will be awesome this fall with collards. I have squash and beets waiting to go in the freezer. I'll try to show those to you tomorrow. I have so much to share. My new silkie chicks and polish crested chicks. My new guineas. My new turkeys. And my baby ducks. The ducks are great at three days old. I fill the kitchen sink and let them swim in there for 15 or 20 minutes. They love it. Are you intrigued? If you saw the photos of my first little chicks you may be surprised to see how quickly they have grown. This is my white wyandotte rooster at the ripe old age of 5 weeks old. How cool is he? All of the farm work has been good for Steve. Isn't he looking buff and hunky these days? LOLThis is one of my buff orpingtons. They are sweet and gentle girls. The kids and I go out often and hold and pet them. They come running to the door when they hear us approaching the barns. Steven usually takes a seat by the feeders and waits for them to come to him. More tomorrow. Goodnight.