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