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I thought I was going to be able to write about how quiet December was on the farm - our livestock numbers are down quite a bit. We're down to just cattle (Kurt would argue that it's not "just cattle"), two pigs and our layers. However, December has kept us hopping between a trip to Indianapolis, Christmas preparations, pork pick-up, family visits and of course, the beginning of the birthday season.
Kurt and I spent 4 days in Indianapolis at the ACRES conference. We had a great time. This was the first time we had flown in a long time and except for the threat of being snow bound and only 15 minutes to change planes in Cleveland, everything went very smoothly - even carrying our bags on. We were able to find our "bus" from the airport to Downtown Indy and walked everywhere - except one frigid evening we caved and hired a cab. Kurt and I talked this week and tried to think of a highlight to share and there were several. I think the best part of the week was having our thinking challenged by people who are doing the same type of things as we are. The diversity of the conference attendees was vast and while there was a great variance in religious/political beliefs, sizes of operations, experiences, geographies. . . there was a sense that everyone there was interested in doing agriculture smarter, healthier, safer and raising good food to nourish people.
One of the highlights for me was getting to hear Shannon Hayes speak - twice! She has written 2 cookbooks and Radical Homemakers. Very thought provoking sessions and I have her keynote session on CD if anyone is interested in listening.
Because we flew, we weren't able to pack any of our own food - many attendees did - and ended up eating most of our meals out. We missed our kitchen! One evening we went to the Weber Grill Restaurant. This was our ONE nice meal out. To give a bit of history, Kurt has owned a Weber kettle-style grill for almost 20 years - he can give the actual date of purchase - and loves it dearly. When we camp, the grill goes with us because the camp site grills don't measure up. And, rather than replace it, Kurt has welded handles back on and made other repairs over the years. When a small tornado took down a tree in our back yard - the Weber remained standing - with ashes still in the pan. Kurt estimates (yes, he really did the calculations) that he's cooked around 1000 meals on the grill. Sorry to rattle on - just needed to set up the love affair Kurt has with Weber grills and why it was so cool to eat there. The grills used in the kitchen were about 4-5 feet in diameter and grill lids were used as part of the decor throughout the restaurant. Kurt ordered a hamburger and I tried pizza on the grill. While both were good meals, they didn't hold a candle to the food Kurt prepares on our old Weber - I think it's a combination of ingredients and cooks.
One of Kurt's favorite sessions was led by Cody Holmes, a rancher in Missouri. Cody spoke about mob grazing and has a new book out called Ranching on Three Hours a Day. The idea being that a good deal of your work should be spent reading, learning, planning and not necessarily working hard for 12-15 hours a day.
While Kurt and I had a great trip, life was a little rockier on the home front. This was the longest Kurt and I had been away from the girls - EVER. We divied up child care duties while we were gone. My mom stayed with the girls 2 nights - one of which Anna had the flu. The next 2 nights the girls stayed with Kurt's folks and Allison and Natalie got sick - it's hard to be sick when you're not at home and your momma's gone! We may never get to leave the state again! We were so grateful to have grandparents who took such good care of the girls. Thankfully, Kurt's folks never got sick. My mom, Kurt and I were not so lucky.
Our trip to Indianapolis gently nudged us to finally make some big changes. As of now, we are no longer in the hay grinding business are slowly moving out of the hay business. We (really Kurt) will use the cattle to graze more forage and hire out one cutting of hay per year. So far, Kurt has sold a tub grinder and a hay rake - there's no turning back now. Interested in a John Deere 4850 tractor (that's read forty-eight fifty for you tractor neophytes - years ago, I would have called it a four thousand, eight hundred fifty. Let me tell you, Kurt hee hawed for weeks over that) or a baler? Let me know and I can set you up.
Our beef stores are a little lower but we are well stocked up on pork - chops, hams, roasts, bacon (it's amazing - we have to ration ours) and various sausages. We have two more hogs to take to the processor in February and we're going to try some beer brats, zesty breakfast sausage and German sausage. We'll also be taking two beeves in February to restock our all beef brats and jerky supply. We're also going to have some beef sticks made.
We are now out of whole chickens. There are still cut up chickens and wings, thighs, breasts and drumsticks left. I also have three bags of carcasses that would make the most excellent broth - perfect for a soup base this winter.
Oh, one more story from Indianapolis I almost forgot. Kurt talked to Mrs. Holmes about a milk cow! We're not ready to get one yet - Kurt has been adamant about not wanting to milk and I'm not sure if I'm brave enough yet. But the fact that he started a milk cow conversation with someone (while I was not present) is a huge breakthrough. I'll keep you posted.
Once again, we desperately need moisture - the forecasters keep teasing us with the possibility. Nothing yet though.
Christmas on the farm was good - all three girls got new-to-them bikes. At first, I was uneasy about giving them "previously owned" bikes. Kurt found out about some program that cleans up abandoned or confiscated bikes and gives them away. No reservations now. The girls have been outside move in the last 5 days than the last month! Allison is gaining confidence and Natalie is about to be an independent rider with training wheels.
The highlight of my Christmas dinner was the turkey - Kurt's was the gravy! Next year we'll raise a few more turkeys for us to savor throughout the year. We were able to enjoy Christmas dinner with Kurt's parents, four of his brothers/sisters and their families and my mom - I think there around 20 at the table.
Next week my kitchen should be back to normal and we'll be done doing dishes by hand - I'm counting the days!
Today begins the birthday season at our house - 3 birthdays in 3 weeks! Natalie is sure her birthday is first and will argue with anyone - hers is first after Christmas but not first in the calendar year. This morning, Natalie woke up and began issuing edicts in third person: "The Birthday Girl would like pancakes for breakfast." "The Birthday Girl is ready to open presents." "The Birthday Girl would like some milk." You get the picture. A couple of days ago, "The Birthday Girl" took a few friends roller skating - oh my. Kurt and I worked hard trying to keep everyone on their feet!
Anna will turn 3 in two weeks and assures me she's not little any more - hopefully 3-year-olds are big enough to move their training potties into the bathroom!
In 3 weeks, Allison will be 10 - double digits! She started basketball practice this week and is excited about the pee wee season.
Hope this newsletter finds you healthy. Many blessings in the New Year!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
November 2010
Yep, this is the November edition of The Cattle Rattle. I've sat down a few times this past week and all I could do was stare at a blank piece of paper - maybe the after effects of tryptophan? Oh, and yes, I'm dated. With all the technology available, I still sit down and write our newsletter long hand and then type it up. Old school, I know but it's how I learned to compose many moons ago and it works for me.
And, the writer's block hasn't been my only obstacle the last few days. The chaos unfolding in our kitchen - the center of our home - has put a few hiccups in my ability to focus. Tuesday afternoon, I discovered water leaking from our dishwasher (that's what I get for getting on the floor and scrubbing it). Apparently, it's been leaking for awhile now. Kurt pulled up some flooring and we've had a fan going while we've waited for the insurance company. I'm still trying to breathe deeply and am very thankful we still have almost full use of our kitchen (unlike a dear friend of mine who experienced a deluge in her kitchen last month). I'm about to swear off dishwashers for life and am contemplating what would fit in the hole left by the dishwasher.
Tuesday was a frustrating day for me between partial deconstruction of the kitchen floor and the passage of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2010. Others have written more eloquently about the problems with this bill and I suggest you do some reading. We are thankful that the Tester-Hagan amendment was included and the bill still has to make it through the house - so contact your representatives. If this Act does become law, we'll keep you posted on how it will affect our ability to provide you with safe, clean food. (Update since I wrote this a few hours ago. Apparently, the senate wrote an unconstitutional bill - they tried to raise revenue with the bill and that's a big no no. Interesting to see what happens from here.)
Enough gloom and doom in this season of thankfulness and celebration. We had a very quiet Thanksgiving at home which was exactly what we needed after handling turkeys, beef and pork in the last 2 weeks. Not to brag, but we had the most amazing turkey this year. We brined one of own turkeys and then roasted it Thanksgiving day. I stuffed it with apples and rubbed olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper on it. Natalie and Anna kept sneaking pieces of turkey while we were getting the meal on the table. I think they ate more ahead of time than they did at the table! Best turkey I've ever had. Pretty sure I should have saved one more turkey for us to enjoy later this winter. Looking forward to the one my mother-in-law will have at Christmas.
We were very pleased with our turkey harvest this year. We were better prepared and had a better idea of what to expect. Kurt and I worked 4 days and processed over 1/2 the birds ourselves - we were a pretty good team. We also did a much better job of gauging weights this year and I think the staggered harvest helped. Two days before Thanksgiving we cleaned the last of them for those customers who wanted a fresh turkey. We had some extra help and all went smoothly. If you had a Dale Family Farms turkey for Thanksgiving, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Dale Family Farms will have pork for sale in about 2-3 weeks. Check out our price list to see what we have to offer. If you're interested in a ham for Christmas, let me know and we'll see what we can do. We also offer some great sampler packages and gift certificates if you're looking for the perfect gift.
We still have chicken in the freezer - most of the whole chickens are gone but we still have cut up chickens and other pieces if you need some to last you the winter.
We enjoyed the most heavenly fried chicken last week. After processing our 1st 2 hogs of the season, we were able to procure 2 pints of rendered lard from the processor. Kurt talked me into frying a chicken using lard for the fat - oh my goodness! I found a great recipe and it was amazing. My great grandma would have been proud. A little tidbit from my research on lard: if you get the temperature of the lard high enough (somewhere around 350 degrees, I think) the coating on the chicken seals in the chicken and very little grease is absorbed. You should end up with about as much lard in the pan as you started with. I also used lard in my pie crusts and rolls for Thanksgiving - both received high praises from my most important food critics - my family. "Momma, you're the best cooker!" Good food starts with good ingredients. The most exciting piece of this whole "lard saga" is that I get to make my own from our hogs. The processor is going to save the fat from the 4 hogs we took and I'll render the lard at home. Laura Ingalls here I come!
Who knows what other "crazy homesteader ideas" Kurt and I will come home with after next week's ACRES conference - beekeeping, a milk cow, cold frames for the garden. Oh wait - I've already had those ideas! We're really excited about going to Indianapolis next week and expect to be fully overwhelmed by the information available. Kurt's strategy is to avoid sessions where he's not familiar with most of the terms used in the description. I think it's a good plan. I am sure we will have travel stories to share next month. Kurt and I haven't flown in over 10 years and are trying to travel as economically as possible. Right now, a minor point of contention is whether we should check our bags. At $35 per bag, I "won" this battle. I'm confident we can pack smart and make this work - it's only 3 and a half days. Kurt won't be able to pack his 10 pairs of spare undies though. Not sure how many times I've heard "That $35 will seem cheap at some point next week." Such an optimist. We have cordially agreed to concede defeat when the other one is proved right.
The farmstead seems pretty quiet now that the turkeys, meat birds and 2/3 of the hogs are gone. While we're ready for a break from the chores, some of our entertainment is gone until spring. Whatever will we do to keep us out of trouble?
Wow! For suffering a mild case of writer's block, I sure had a lot to share. Quickie family updates:
Anna is no longer my baby and daily finds ways to express her independence. She's quick to smooth ruffled feathers with lots of extra hugs.
Natalie is almost reading! She can sound out lots of words and given the right text, she can read whole sentences. It's been so cool to watch her grow as a reader - she's worked hard at it.
Allison is looking forward to the beginning of Pee Wee basketball - I'm not sure if she enjoys the activity or the fellowship more!
Kurt has been busy cutting firewood, grinding hay and tearing up my kitchen. He's so good about coming to the rescue when I need help. I think I'll keep him.
And me, I'm spinning my wheels as we prepare for our trip and for Christmas. Every time I'm ready to tackle something on the to do list, some other emergency seems to pop up. Guess my house won't be spotless for the holidays.
Praying that these weeks of Advent help you to prepare for the coming of the Savior.
Blessings!
Andi
And, the writer's block hasn't been my only obstacle the last few days. The chaos unfolding in our kitchen - the center of our home - has put a few hiccups in my ability to focus. Tuesday afternoon, I discovered water leaking from our dishwasher (that's what I get for getting on the floor and scrubbing it). Apparently, it's been leaking for awhile now. Kurt pulled up some flooring and we've had a fan going while we've waited for the insurance company. I'm still trying to breathe deeply and am very thankful we still have almost full use of our kitchen (unlike a dear friend of mine who experienced a deluge in her kitchen last month). I'm about to swear off dishwashers for life and am contemplating what would fit in the hole left by the dishwasher.
Tuesday was a frustrating day for me between partial deconstruction of the kitchen floor and the passage of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2010. Others have written more eloquently about the problems with this bill and I suggest you do some reading. We are thankful that the Tester-Hagan amendment was included and the bill still has to make it through the house - so contact your representatives. If this Act does become law, we'll keep you posted on how it will affect our ability to provide you with safe, clean food. (Update since I wrote this a few hours ago. Apparently, the senate wrote an unconstitutional bill - they tried to raise revenue with the bill and that's a big no no. Interesting to see what happens from here.)
Enough gloom and doom in this season of thankfulness and celebration. We had a very quiet Thanksgiving at home which was exactly what we needed after handling turkeys, beef and pork in the last 2 weeks. Not to brag, but we had the most amazing turkey this year. We brined one of own turkeys and then roasted it Thanksgiving day. I stuffed it with apples and rubbed olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper on it. Natalie and Anna kept sneaking pieces of turkey while we were getting the meal on the table. I think they ate more ahead of time than they did at the table! Best turkey I've ever had. Pretty sure I should have saved one more turkey for us to enjoy later this winter. Looking forward to the one my mother-in-law will have at Christmas.
We were very pleased with our turkey harvest this year. We were better prepared and had a better idea of what to expect. Kurt and I worked 4 days and processed over 1/2 the birds ourselves - we were a pretty good team. We also did a much better job of gauging weights this year and I think the staggered harvest helped. Two days before Thanksgiving we cleaned the last of them for those customers who wanted a fresh turkey. We had some extra help and all went smoothly. If you had a Dale Family Farms turkey for Thanksgiving, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Dale Family Farms will have pork for sale in about 2-3 weeks. Check out our price list to see what we have to offer. If you're interested in a ham for Christmas, let me know and we'll see what we can do. We also offer some great sampler packages and gift certificates if you're looking for the perfect gift.
We still have chicken in the freezer - most of the whole chickens are gone but we still have cut up chickens and other pieces if you need some to last you the winter.
We enjoyed the most heavenly fried chicken last week. After processing our 1st 2 hogs of the season, we were able to procure 2 pints of rendered lard from the processor. Kurt talked me into frying a chicken using lard for the fat - oh my goodness! I found a great recipe and it was amazing. My great grandma would have been proud. A little tidbit from my research on lard: if you get the temperature of the lard high enough (somewhere around 350 degrees, I think) the coating on the chicken seals in the chicken and very little grease is absorbed. You should end up with about as much lard in the pan as you started with. I also used lard in my pie crusts and rolls for Thanksgiving - both received high praises from my most important food critics - my family. "Momma, you're the best cooker!" Good food starts with good ingredients. The most exciting piece of this whole "lard saga" is that I get to make my own from our hogs. The processor is going to save the fat from the 4 hogs we took and I'll render the lard at home. Laura Ingalls here I come!
Who knows what other "crazy homesteader ideas" Kurt and I will come home with after next week's ACRES conference - beekeeping, a milk cow, cold frames for the garden. Oh wait - I've already had those ideas! We're really excited about going to Indianapolis next week and expect to be fully overwhelmed by the information available. Kurt's strategy is to avoid sessions where he's not familiar with most of the terms used in the description. I think it's a good plan. I am sure we will have travel stories to share next month. Kurt and I haven't flown in over 10 years and are trying to travel as economically as possible. Right now, a minor point of contention is whether we should check our bags. At $35 per bag, I "won" this battle. I'm confident we can pack smart and make this work - it's only 3 and a half days. Kurt won't be able to pack his 10 pairs of spare undies though. Not sure how many times I've heard "That $35 will seem cheap at some point next week." Such an optimist. We have cordially agreed to concede defeat when the other one is proved right.
The farmstead seems pretty quiet now that the turkeys, meat birds and 2/3 of the hogs are gone. While we're ready for a break from the chores, some of our entertainment is gone until spring. Whatever will we do to keep us out of trouble?
Wow! For suffering a mild case of writer's block, I sure had a lot to share. Quickie family updates:
Anna is no longer my baby and daily finds ways to express her independence. She's quick to smooth ruffled feathers with lots of extra hugs.
Natalie is almost reading! She can sound out lots of words and given the right text, she can read whole sentences. It's been so cool to watch her grow as a reader - she's worked hard at it.
Allison is looking forward to the beginning of Pee Wee basketball - I'm not sure if she enjoys the activity or the fellowship more!
Kurt has been busy cutting firewood, grinding hay and tearing up my kitchen. He's so good about coming to the rescue when I need help. I think I'll keep him.
And me, I'm spinning my wheels as we prepare for our trip and for Christmas. Every time I'm ready to tackle something on the to do list, some other emergency seems to pop up. Guess my house won't be spotless for the holidays.
Praying that these weeks of Advent help you to prepare for the coming of the Savior.
Blessings!
Andi
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