New Faces

Since we are milking again, Adam has taken on a little more work. These are just two of the four dairy cross bull calves he is bottle feeding. Sweet faces.......

At first, I called this girl, Belle. Since we have been milking and handling her for a week now, her name has changed....... she is definitely a "Bertha".

This sweetie pie is still "Bambi". She is smaller in size and much milder in temperament.

I still have a hard time believing that I have sheep AND Jersey cows.......

The cows still have very sore feet. I am still afraid that poor Bambi is not going to heal up. They are gaining a bit of weight-- which is good and bad. Good because they look and milk better but bad because it is harder for their sore feet to carry the added weight. Each day, they wander out a little farther grazing. Last night, they went too far and were unable to get themselves back to the barn for milking. Since they are not anywhere near full production, it wasn't a problem and it did not hurt them to skip a milking. I felt that it would be cruel to force them back to the barn so I let them lay out in the tall grass. This morning, they limped back over and were happy to come in. 

Tonight, they were still a good distance from the barn but managed to make it back on their own in time to be milked. Afterwards, I filled the feed bunk with alfalfa hay and they ate with gusto. They may not be much better physically but their attitudes and appetites are much improved!

"Chicken Cheese"

The milk barn is busy! I had not planned on milking more than the two late goats this fall. Honestly, I was considering starting to dry those two off after they were bred. That happened last week. Since the Jerseys have arrived, we are back to milking twice a day.

That is not a bad thing--- I am just not prepared for it! I have torn down, re-arranged and cluttered up the barn kitchen while remodeling things. I was planning on getting major stuff done to prepare for spring milking. Now, I barely have room to set the milk buckets. I really don't have a way to handle all this sudden influx of milk. It ends up being about six extra gallons of cow milk a day plus a gallon or so of goat milk.

So..... to help get rid of the extra milk with out pouring it out, I have been making "chicken cheese" at least once a day--- usually in the morning. While we are doing chores and milking, I put the milk left from the night before in a huge pot on the stove and let it be heating up. I keep a check on it and stir occasionally on my way by...... When it gets really hot ( too hot to touch), I pour in a dollop of vinegar, stir it and set it off the burner. By the time I finish up chores, it has seperated in to curds and whey. I dip off as much whey as I can and I give the laying hens the big lump of warm curds left in the pot. They LOVE a hot breakfast!

I then take the warm whey out and put it in the meat birds waterer. The barn cats get some, too. All of them are just glossy with good health! I am thinking that we will be butchering the meat birds in about two weeks.

I am hoping that I won't be making quick cheese very much longer. We still have one calf on the bottle and this afternoon, Adam bought two more bottle calves and also took in two more to raise as a job. So, we now have 5 calves on the bottle which will amount to about 5 gallons of milk a day.

I still will have a gallon or so to use for "house milk". That is quite a process in itself. Since these milk cows came from a commercial dairy, there is absolutely no way that I will use their milk raw until after their blood tests come back from the vet. Since they are so sore footed, it would be cruel to haul them the 15 miles to the vet's office and I am too stingy to pay the expensive farm call bill, I am double filtering and pasteurizing the house milk.

Nothing is ever easy around here....... LOL!    

My Friends Are Good To Me......

I haven't said very much about losing my beloved Holly. It has been a tough summer and I frankly just didn't want to dwell on her death....... my menopausal heart can only take so much hurt.

Recently, I was tidying up in the barn kitchen and found the Grand Champion ribbon that she won at the fair this summer. This may sound a little morbid but I plan to hang her skull up in the barn. I figured that I should hang her ribbon with her.

I have missed having her come to the gate and bellow for treats. I regret not taking more pictures...... Holly was old and her death is not a total shock but I very much grieve for the loss of the heifer calf that she was carrying.

I consoled myself with the thought that I still have Noelle...... ornery beast that she is. I decided that I would just push aside my "big cow prejudice" and go ahead and milk Salena's shorthorn cow, Wilma, next year, too.

I had talked about buying a young heifer still on the bottle to raise for a replacement but..... just didn't seem to do much more than talk about it.  

I have very good friends...... people who understand that my girls-- both bovine and caprine---- are not just livestock. They are not pets like the dogs are but something else...... something that I just can't quite describe at this point.

Last night when I got home from my trip to St. Louis, one of my friends called me and told me that he was bringing something to me. He also told me that I needed to open the gates over at the barn.... He unloaded two first freshening Jersey cows that needed lots of TLC.

I am not going to post pictures of them. I have taken some just to use to remember how this project started.

They both injured their feet and are not able to get around very well. Living on concrete at the dairy just did not allow them to heal and they are very thin. My friend was visiting the dairy and saw them...... he said that he knew just where they needed to go.....They needed me and I needed them. He is going to maintain ownership and we are going to split the milk. He told me to breed them and get my heifer and stop just talking about it.

The poor things are sooo incredibly sweet. Seth and I milked them this morning with very little effort. This evening, they limped into the barn on their own. They spent the day easing around my barn lots grazing for all they were worth and already look much better.

I have named them "Belle" and "Bambi".

Just thinking about this kindness makes my so full that my eyes overflow....... 

Baetje Farms

At 4:00am on Monday morning, I was sitting in my truck at my neighbor's sheep dairy. It was dark, the wind was blowing and I could barely make out the outline of the guard dogs making their patrol around the barnyard. I was waiting for Veronica Baetje ( pronounced Bay-gee) to come wheeling in with her big refrigerated van/truck to pick up her monthly supply of sheep milk ----- and me, too!  It didn't take long for things to start stirring at the dairy as the hired hand flipped on the lights and started moving around. Soon, the farm owner, my friend Chester drove up, too. He handed me his camera and told me to take lots of pictures. Before long, Veronica arrived and they loaded up two pallets worth of frozen sheep milk in to the truck. By a little after 5;00am, we were on the road and heading for Bloomsdale, Mo! It took just a little over 7 hours for us to get there. What a wonderful time we had visiting and catching up!

I met Veronica several years ago at an American Dairy Goat Convention in Kansas City. It was the one and only convention that I have ever attended. At that time, starting an artisan cheese making operation was still in the planning stages. She and her husband, Steve, have worked grueling hours and make tremendous sacrifices to accomplish this. It is still a small business but I count it a resounding success. Her world class, award winning cheeses are.........beyond description!!

This is where she took me:

The original part of this beautiful barn was built from a Sears barn kit. The additions on the right were built since the Baetjes bought the property. The additions look as if they are part of the original design.

                                       See those big open doors??? This is what is in there:

They milk somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 Saanen does.

Now, I want all of my goat lady friends to join me in drooling with envy over this spotless milking parlor. .

How about a quick look at the bulk tank room?

At this point, I had had about all that I could take in. We unloaded the frozen milk into their freezers and Veronica and I gave the truck a quick wash out. After that, we both had to have a long nap.

Much later, I got a chance to visit and get to know Steve while I followed him around doing the chores. After a supper, Neil finally arrived to pick me up. Unfortunately, he ended up taking the scenic route-- very scenic--- in the dark---- to get there. It only took us about an hour to drive to our hotel in St. Louis. 

Next morning, after breakfast, I hopped back in the truck to drive to Baetje Farms and Neil stayed for his conference. I managed to get through early morning rush hour traffic in St. Louis without an incident or a nervous break down.  My goal was to get there in time to help set up for the bus tour that was supposed to arrive at 9:00am. I was early enough and they were a bit late.

It was cool and rainy but the three bus loads of ladies still had a good time sampling cheeses and taking a look around. It was an action packed hour and half and sales were brisk. Since I have never met a stranger and enjoy conversation--- I had a ball!

After all that fun, it was time to go to work. I finally got to get into the cheese plant.

                                      Not even Angelina Jolie would look good in a hair net!!!

I am not even going to try to explain how all of this works but I will show you some of the pictures.

            I got to help put the curds into these molds to drain. This variety is known as Bloomsdale. 

                    This is what it looks like when it is aging. The dark stuff is Pine ash...... from France.

They make several varieties of aged cheeses. Veronica has to move them everyday on the cheese mats to help them keep their distinctive shapes. Some of the other varieties have to be "washed" everyday with a salt water brine.

Then there are the fresh cheeses.... Chevre in different flavors.

This is what I brought home--- chives!!

I had a wonderful visit. I learned a tremendous amount. I have no intention of ever working as hard as Steve and Veronica but I definitely came home with lots of ideas and plans for our farm.

I had to make my way back to St. Louis before the evening rush hour to go out to dinner with the folks at the conference. After dinner, I sparingly shared my cheeses with them. We had our own little tasting party in the lobby of the Double Tree Hilton.

My hat is off to these wonderful people who have dared to make their dream come true!

Out Of Pocket..... Again!

I love that phrase. I had a friend in Georgia who used this phrase when ever she was not going to be at home or busy somewhere on a project.

This is where I am going tomorrow: http://www.baetjefarms.com/

Veronica and I met at an ADGA convention several years ago and really hit it off. We sort of lost contact with each other over the years. Recently, I realized that the "lady from St. Louis" that was coming down to buy sheep milk from my neighbor to make fancy cheese was Veronica!!

 Neil is going up that way to a conference for the next few days. It is a nice opportunity for us to get away as a couple for a few days. While he is at the conference, I am going to see Veronica's farm and cheese plant.
As it turns out, she is coming down to pick up milk in the morning..... very early in the morning. I am going to ride home with her so we can visit during the ride and Neil will pick me up later in the evening on his way through.

I am leaving at about 4:00 am. I am hoping that Adam will survive a few days with his older brothers.......

Handy Fellow To Know......

My Seth has been working off farm quite a bit lately but today he stayed home. He had things that he wanted to get done.

Adam and I ran into town to the laundry mat to use their commercial machines for our big comforters, blankets and sleeping bags. When we got back, this is what I found:

When we moved in, we found a huge stack on kiln blocks in the garden shed. The previous owner had planned on building a fire ring south of the house on the rocks. We agreed that this was a wonderful idea..... but somehow, nearly 2 1/2 years have passed and we still hadn't gotten it done. For some reason, Seth decided that today was the day!

He carefully measured and calculated while he set the blocks. It looked beautiful but.......

when he got to the end, there was a slight problem..... I was still very impressed. Considering that he was using only a tape measure and calculating in his head, it was pretty darn close.

A little reshuffling all the way around and it came out just right.

 

All ready for hot dogs this weekend!

A Bit Here, A Bit There........

I have not been doing much exciting around here for the last few days but I am getting things done. I think that I prefer this slow, steady, unremarkable progress over the break neck pace that I had all summer.

I am still cleaning on the auction items. I can't adequately tell you just how very dirty these things were. I forgot to mention that I also bought an upright freezer at the bar auction. I needed another one because at least one of the freezers in the garage is going to quit soon...... the door doesn't catch as it should and the alarm often goes off. I figure that it is just a matter of time before we have a mess. So, I really had a good excuse to bid on it but I must admit that after reading the sign stuck on the front, I knew that I just had to have it.....
It said, " $50 Fine For Fighting! The Manager". I figured that it would just fit right in around here......

Many years ago, I bought a kitchen island to use at our old farm. The kids were much younger and thought that it was really cool that it was called an "island". As a joke, we named it "Madagascar". This was long before the movie came out. Since the big move, Madagascar has been over in the barn kitchen with a tablecloth spread over it. I stored a few items in it and used the top as a counter while making soap. As hard as I have tried, I just can't seem to get this lovely kitchen in the house to work....... I have re-arranged things, sorted, culled stuff, hung up a pot rack and even built those storage/pantry cabinets. It still just doesn't WORK. This kitchen is designed to heat up frozen dinners and make popcorn in the microwave. It just doesn't flow well for a serious cook. So, I decided to import Madagascar. I had to modify it a bit and remove the drop leaf but after much scrubbing, Neil hauled the island to the house.

It is like having an old friend back. It had been so long that we had to explain to Adam about the name.....
Just having a handy place to put the cutting board and the cookie sheets has been worth the effort.

Over at the barn, I am slowly cleaning up the garden shed/bachelor pad and moving the soap shop in there. Hoping to get the big new sink in the kitchen this weekend but it will take a major cleaning to get the space cleaned out enough. I have a portable dishwasher stored over there (also from the old place) that I may try to fit in there to clean up all the milk processing stuff. (You all know how I feel about washing dishes....) Still trying to plan just where the new refridgerater/cheese caves are going to go. 

Today, the wind is blowing fiercely. I had thought that I would take a break from all this domestic duty and spread ryegrass seed for winter grazing. I decided against that because this stiff wind would send it  everywhere but where I want it planted......