Order Out Of The Chaos

2013 was a rocky and crazy year for us.  The chaos began around Thanksgiving 2012 and continued into the new year.  All year I felt as if I was on auto pilot.  There was so much going on in my life, I just automatically did what needed to be done every day...and every day more and more time slipped through my fingers as I tried to make sense of it all.  It was a cleansing year so to speak.  

After 3 years of CAE testing, carefully breeding, attending births, pasteurizing milk, and saying goodbye to some dear old friends...our doe herd is finally CAE FREE!  That was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and pray that I never have to make such grievous decisions with my precious girls again.  Now that we're negative, I am free to let mamas raise their babies if I choose....and unless a buyer reserves a kid with instructions to pasteurize, our kids will be raised on fresh raw milk.

Every doe was bred for 2013, including many that I didn't intend to breed.  Having so many kids was exhausting, and even more so because we retained 11 as replacements in our herd.  I spent nearly 500 hours during 2013 just pasteurizing milk.

We also went on DHI (Dairy Herd Improvement) milk testing in 2013.  This involves a good deal of patience, paperwork, and time.

We kept the homestead running smoothly every day, but it's been a struggle.  We struggled financially more in 2013 than any year that I can recall.  Pinching every penny and cutting back any place we could find.

On top of it all, I have struggled with some serious health related issues that compounded all of the other struggles.

I can honestly say that emotionally, physically, and financially this was one of the most difficult years of my life.  The result?  It has also been the greatest year of growth for me spiritually.  God has seen us through every step, every challenge, and He is there as the Great Comforter every day.  

Rough year, yes.

But I wouldn't change a minute of it.  I thank God for giving me every day.  I thank God for giving me another day.  Whatever challenges He has for me, I know that with Him I can get through....and I know that at the end of the day I've done my best.

So I am fully prepared to welcome in 2014.  I am no longer on auto pilot. If I feel like things are getting out of control I know who to lean on.

For 2014 our plans are:

Keeping the herd on DHI testing, freshening only 4 does

Processing our pigs in January

Expecting a new grandson on Jan 24

Brand new flock of layers that should commence with laying in the spring.

Raising 50 meat chickens 

Garden, ohhh myyy I want a nice garden this year!

Continuing the aquaponics, expanding our system to a 6 bed system

Repairing and replacing a lot of fencing

Building a new milking parlor

Removing 8 large trees from the yard

Putting a new roof on the house

Installing a woodstove

Rebuilding the pig pen

And the most important.....Trusting God every day, hanging on for the ride as He turns our chaos into order!!

Cleaning Freezers and Corning Beef Part 1

I have been plowing my way through our freezers in an attempt to get them cleaned for the first time in about 3 years.  The only reason I know it's been 2 years is because I've found meat that dates back to 2010.

If it's been properly sealed, the meat is still fine...but I am trying to get all the old stuff used up ASAP to make room for the new meat that we'll be harvesting over the next month or so.

So yesterday I thawed a whole, untrimmed beef brisket.  I buy these when they go on sale (usually for .99/lb).  Obviously we use them for BBQs but I also use the fat for making venison sausage, grind them for ground beef, and perhaps my favorite brisket use....corning.

I LOVE corned beef, and home corned beef is the best.  For this one I've trimmed the fat...

I'll be rendering the fat and making suet cakes for the chickens, but that's another post.

Once the bulk of the fat has been removed, I cut the brisket into 2 sections.  The leaner section will be corned brisket that I will be canning in a week or so.  The fattier section will be corned, then smoked to make a lovely pastrami.

Corning beef is very simple.  First you need a non-metallic container (and apparently a cluttered counter top)

Then you need water, Tender Quick, pickling spices, and garlic.  You must have lots of garlic even though I didn't manage to get it into the picture.

My recipe is simple.  For every 4 cups of water you need 1 cup of Tender Quick.  You can use salt and pink salt in place of the Tender Quick, but I really like this product for corning beef.  You need enough of the TQ/Water mixture to cover the meat well.  Mix it in the bucket until the TQ is dissolved.  Meanwhile I lightly toast the spices to bring out the oils.....

Then put the spices into the brine, add the meat, and cover with some sort of plate to weigh it down.  I got these really nice clear square plates at a garage sale this Summer and I love how well one fits right into the top of this bucket.  It's gonna be great for making sauerkraut this year!

Then stick the whole thing in the fridge.  The meat will have to be flipped every day, and it will be finished curing in about a week.

I'll keep you updated.

Preparing for winter

As summer winds down and we creep into fall I start to think about what needs to be done to get ready for the end of the year.  Winter is NOT my favorite season, in fact I despise the cold.  I thank God that I live in Texas and that He gives us mild winters....although anything below 50ºF is absolutely frigid to me, and frost and snow are unbearable for more than 1 day in a row.  Whether it's due to my achy bones, or due to growing up in the South I don't know.  All I know is that I hibernate during the winter months, and do a lot of prep in the fall so that I can afford that luxury.

Of course there is still plenty of work to do during the winter months as well, but the work is cyclic.  I do much more cooking, baking, and sewing during the winter months while I'm trapped indoors.

One of our biggest concerns each winter is having enough hay for the animals to get us through Jan and Feb;  about 60 bales that must be bought, stacked, and stored...because both money and hay are scarce during those months, and the goats will never survive without plenty of hay to keep their bellies warm.  My goal is to have 100 bales by the end of Nov, which gives us the 60 needed for Jan/Feb and 40 to use for Dec and March that should get us through till the spring grasses emerge.  Our primary hay source during milking season is alfalfa hay in the form of Chaffhaye, but during the winter they need the long stemmed grasses in their rumen to generate body heat and keep their unborn kids growing.

Of course it looks much better once it's stacked in the barn...

Speaking of kids.  I have no idea what kidding season is going to be like this year.  Not that it's ever all that predictable.  I believe that Holly and Rita are both bred.  They should be our only first fresheners.  I think Tina is bred, and she should be first to kid.  And I bred Joy and Faith to Ditto.

However as we do nearly every year,  we've had 3 occasions with lovesick bucks escaping their pens.  Each time was marked on the calendars so that we can back track and determine parentage and due dates in the future.  We're still on milk test until Jan 1, so I'm planning to milk the does through without breeding if possible.  Joy should be the only milker to freshen.

I am hoping to keep kidding season a bit light next year since we have a new grandson due Jan 24.
I've also been filling jars and filling the pantry.  There are a lot of good sales going on this time of year, and we've got a lot of empty jars since I didn't do much canning over the summer.  We put up potatoes last week...I found them for $.30/lb and they were nice spuds...

So I bought about 50 pounds to put up and get us through the year...for a total of about $15.  Not too shabby.  I always can my potatoes in chicken stock....

Next on the list was chicken.  Our grocer had split chicken breasts on sale for $.99/lb which is a great score since I can remove the skin and bones for making stock....and then can the meat.  I'll be doing a lot of chicken since we use a LOT.  A pint jar of chicken breast makes a great casserole, soup, or salad...and will easily feed 6 people or more if you stretch it.

I am doing them in batches of about 25#.  First I remove all the meat ... the skin and bones goes into an open roaster and cooked in a 350º oven until dark golden and caramelized...

Then the bones are added to a large stock pot with onion, garlic, celery, and carrots....covered with water and kept at a simmer for about 20 hours.  Once strained and canned....I try to make GALLONS of this every year and use it for cooking most every day.

When I cut the meat up for canning I try to remove as much fat as possible...and the meat is cut into cubes.

$25 worth of chicken made 13 quarts + 1 pint of stock; and 12 pints of meat.

I'm pressing to get this all done because we'll start processing our own meat in just a couple of weeks.  Our pigs Biscuit and Gravy are getting big.  Gravy (the dark one) is already about 200# and will be first.  Biscuit has always been a little smaller and we'll give him a couple of extra weeks to grow.

This little guy keeps me from blogging as often as I'd like, but maybe now that we're indoors more I will be able to post more!

My Favorite Fungus

I found some mushrooms marked down at the store yesterday...

So I bought 6 packages......saving 1 package to use fresh....these 5 are going through the canner.  

We love mushrooms.  I buy them any time I can find them at an affordable price, and preserve them accordingly.  If I'm in a time crunch, I dry them...but my preferred method is canning.

With Button mushrooms, sometimes you can find enough small ones to can whole.  Most of the time, they need to be sliced....but anything smaller than these can be canned whole...

So first I sort them...those small beauties can be used for a great meal if you only have a tiny bit of meat.  Slice the meat (beef or venison) very very thin.  Sautee with a jar of  whole mushrooms and make a thick gravy.  Serve over rice, noodles, or over a thick piece of bread.

Most of them will be sliced for canning.....

I get the jars ready....half pints and pints....

Put the mushrooms in a pan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.....

Then they are ready for the jars.

I always prepare more jars than what I think I'll need. These are ready, but first I add salt.

1/4 tsp for half pints 

1/2 tsp for pints

Process at 10# for 45 minutes.  

I'm Sorry, I Can't Come To the Phone Right Now....I'm Dressing My Gourd

I need to blog more.  I know.  I have gotten back on Facebook and that is the killer of all blogs.

I know.

But FB does keep me aware of the world around me.  It gives me links to information that I need to know.  Specifically, I need to know what is going on in our country and what I can do as a citizen to do my part.

This country is in turmoil because the citizen no longer feels that they have a voice.

Okay there were like twelve paragraphs I just deleted.

So back to my point.  IT IS   F A L L ! !

Fall is our reward for all the work we've done this year!  

Today  Gourdy goes from her summer wear to her fall apparel.

Gourdy was a gift to me from a friend that I miss very much.....

By the way, if you think this is strange, you should see what the dogs are wearing.  

Milk, No Milk, Love Stinks, and Homecoming

I finally started weaning goat kids, which means now we have plenty of milk to put back.  I need to run at least 3 canner loads a week in preparation for next spring.  See, by canning the milk now....when the does freshen in the spring the babies can drink the canned milk and we can drink the fresh milk.

Last year was so hectic I didn't put near enough milk back, which explains why it's the end of August and we're just now having milk for us.  Well, that and the fact that we retained 11 kids.  

I am still giving the doe kids milk twice a day, just because I think it gives them a good start.  But the bucklings got weaned cold turkey over the weekend.

That's what happens when you are over 70 pounds and turn into sir humpsalot.  No manners whatsoever.  So now they live in the buck pen.

Their days of full buckets of warm milk and grazing in the lush grass of the front yard ended when they started blubbering and ..... other things.

With the does producing 4 gallons a day, there is plenty of milk for us to drink, plus feed doe kids, fatten pigs, and feed the pup.

But a priority right now is canning.  I do it in quart jars, hoping to get 3 canner loads/week which would be 21 quarts per week.  Very doable.  We'll be milking until Jan 1, so we should have a very good supply for kids when they start to arrive in Feb and March.

I do all of the milk in the pressure canner.  I start with warm milk fresh from the goat, fill sterilized jars, cap them and pressure can them at 15# for 10 minutes.

At that temperature the milk caramelizes a little, and it changes the color and consistency of the milk.

The milk is quite safe, but it looks unappetizing.  The goats drink it just fine, and I have even used this for making caramel sauce and creamed gravies.  I wouldn't want to crack open a jar and drink it though.

Once it settles on the pantry shelf it begins to separate.

This is also normal.  I usually box up the canned milk, mark the dates on the boxes, and use them in first in first out order.  They keep well for 6 months, but after 6 months I would only use it for animal feed.

So we've started breeding plans.  Something that is very difficult this year with Pete gone.  I thank God that I kept 2 of his sons this year.  We haven't actually bred any of the goats as of yet.

Since we're on milk test and we started testing late, we have to keep milking until Jan 1.  Which means that the milking does don't need to be bred until the last week of Sept or first week of Oct putting their due dates the end of Feb/earlyMarch.

Besides the 5 milkers, I plan to breed Tina, Holly, Rita, Faith only if she chooses (she'll be 9 in Jan, I'm not pushing it), and the currently visiting Ginger.  (as a side note, I sold Ginger this year to a great family only on the condition that we breed her to Ditto and I get to keep a doe kid.  Ginger is my last link back to Angel so this kid is very important to me.  I only placed Ginger because I knew this family could give her the extra TLC she needed at the time, and they have done a fantastic job with her!  She is here for a couple of weeks so that we can breed her.  Unfortunately she is a bit modest and shy, very unlike her grandmother Legacy who tended to be a bit of a trollup.  So we're working on Ginger's time.   Once she's bred, she will go back home to be with her family.)

Okay, so I planned to breed these does in August.

Tina

Holly

Rita

Ginger

Guess how many of them came into heat.  You got it.  NONE.

However, every one of the milkers are in heat.

This is why my friend CB calls "breeding plans" .... "happy thoughts"

One last note for today.  Aegis was AWOL for a week.  I got so worried I went out searching on the 3rd night.  I spotted him with another dog, and he continued on it's path.

I waited another couple of days and then went by the local dog pound to be sure he wasn't incarcerated.

Saturday night our prodigal son returned!!  He's lost at least 10 pounds and he's a bit rough around the edges, but in good health.  I am SO HAPPY to have him home again!

I have been calling to him every day several times a day in hope that he'd come home.  Late Saturday night Reserve and Farouk started barking.....when I went out to see what was going on I could hear Aegis howling and coming up through the woods.  We all howled back and I had tears in my eyes as I saw him coming up the yard.  This is a picture I took of the greeting of the pack.

I love these dogs, and all of their primitive ways.  Thank you, Lord for answering our prayer and bringing our boy home safe.

One Year

One year ago we let go of a very special goat way too soon.  

Thinking about her today as I looked at her 3 daughters....

But especially when I look at Glory....I see Lace's face...

Lace will always hold a special spot in our herd and our heart.

Fun With Food

My favorite grocery store is remodeling.  They have been remodeling for WEEKS.  It's really making me crazy because every time I go in there, stuff is moved.  

The upside to this mess is that they have discontinued some things, which means that stuff I usually wouldn't buy is now at irresistible prices.  Stuff like a really cool Panini griddle that usually costs $40.  I would never ever spend that much on something as frivolous as a Panini griddle.  It's a one-shot wonder, right?  I don't like gadgets that only do one thing.

But this particular tool has peaked my interest for quite some time.  Now that it was marked down to $19.99 I took the plunge.

This one is really cool since it also opens flat so that it can be used as a griddle top.  

Along with the griddle I bought some bread.  I got some plain Bolillo rolls (sub sandwich type) from the bakery for $1.99 for 8 rolls.  So now that I'm spending money like I have some....I picked up some fresh mushrooms and cheese. 

Last night I grilled some chicken, onions, sauteed some mushrooms and put it all in a bun with cheese and made some yummy paninis.

But I could not leave it at that.  I just can not bring myself to use a kitchen toy tool for just a single purpose.

Today I made pizzas.

Starting with one of those same sub sandwich rolls, split it in half....and brushed it with olive oil.  (note: what I should have done is slice some garlic really thin and place it in some warmed olive oil to use for this step, but what the heck I'm trying to see what this machine can do and wasn't thinking clearly...there's always next time!).

So I put the bread into the handy machine and made pizza crust!

The bread flattened out and crisped up perfectly!  This gives you an idea of the thickness...

A little sauce (which is why I make half-pint jars of marinara when I can tomatoes), some cheese, leftover mushrooms and onions.......and 12 mins in the oven.

PIZZA!

The Test Results are In

Well, our annual CAE test results are in and I'm very happy to announce that ALL of our adult does are negative!  We also tested Holly and Rita, and they are negative as well.

We will test the other babies as they get old enough for accurate testing.

This means that pasteurization is DONE !!  That procedure uses up 4 hours of every day and now that I know we don't need it......We're going back to raw milk, baby!!

And, while it's still unofficial......Joy has earned her milk star for butterfat production!!!

53# at 180 DIM.....Not bad for a Recorded Grade!

Congratulations Joy, I knew you could do it!!

The Lord has brought our herd to goals this year that I never would have thought we'd reach.  I give Him every bit of the Glory!!!

Pete

We lost our big boy Pete this morning after a lengthy illness. Pete was such a gentle giant, and one of my all time favorite bucks. He waited for me to sit with him this morning and I was blessed to be able to love on him as he passed away at 9:49am under the shade of the mulberry tree. We love you sweet Pete.

Fame

About 5 weeks ago Fame foundered.  Weeks of treatment did very little to relieve her pain.

We made the decision that enough was enough.

I am very thankful that we have her daughter in our herd to carry on....but she will be missed.

Just Peachy

Fruit is ripening late here this year.  Peaches are about 6 weeks late.  Our favorite place to get peaches is the same farm where we buy our Christmas trees.  The farm was hit hard this year, only having a 50% crop.  I thank God we were able to get a half bushel of peaches to put up.

This year I'm doing all slices and in pint sized jars.  We can use these as snacks, in baking, or making pie filling.

New Flock

A couple of weeks ago we stumbled across some Dominique chicks at the feed store.  Dominiques are a heritage breed and it's the first breed of chicken we owned after we got married back in 1986.

I remember them as being a quiet and gentle breed, and good layers.  We'll know soon since we picked up 6 pullets while we were there.  

Oh, and just to top it off we got a couple of Americana pullets to go with them.  You have to have a couple of the easter eggers in the flock right?

We kept 4 chicks that kept from spring hatching are nearly mature.  We ended up with 1 rooster and 3 hens.  I'll get pics of them soon.

Spiced Fig Preserves

I was gifted some figs this morning so I decided to make one of my favorites, spiced fig jam.  These figs were pretty ripe so I had to get them done today.

I start by pulling off the stems and running them through the food processor on pulse just enough to chop them up good.

From there I put the puree into a heavy deep saucepan and then add spices.  My favorites are cinnamon, nutmeg (fresh ground), and especially clove.  I also add a couple of capfuls of lemon juice and a splash of vanilla extract.

Then I add sugar and bring the whole batch to a boil.  Boil until it reaches 200º.

Then put it in jars and process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

That partial jar in front is going on some home made bread one day this week.  Am hoping to make a batch of chevre to go with it.  Not much better than this!