Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Princess & the Holsteins




These Holstein playmates are only a month older than Princess who is 1/2 Standard 1/2 Miniature Jersey. Notice the big difference in height.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Making Clabber (Reviewed and Updated January 6, 2023)


  


MAKING CLABBER FROM SCRATCH:

 (a) Allow a cup of fresh raw milk to sit covered with a flour sack cloth at room temperature until it has clabbered.  This may take several days. 

(b) Now, place 1/4 cup of the clabbered milk in a pint mason jar, add a cup of fresh milk, cover, shake to mix, and allow to sit at room temperature until clabbered. 

(c) Repeat this process until the milk dependably clabbers in 24 hours. 

(d)  You can now use this clabber to start larger batches, saving back a little each time to start your next batch. 

Note:  It is possible to have milk clabber under perfect conditions within 24 hours or less.  If your milk clabbers quickly and tastes and smells good, then you do not need to move on to steps b, c, and d. For many years, the conditions in my kitchen were perfect for clabbering milk without using a starter.  When we moved to the mountains, I experienced a difference in how quickly my milk would clabber and had to use other methods. 

MAKING CLABBER USING PURCHASED BUTTERMILK:

Use 1 cup of buttermilk with live cultures purchased from the grocery store per 1/2 gallon of raw milk.  Use milk fresh from the cow or heat milk to around 70 degrees to expedite the culturing process.  Clabber that sets up quickly produces a better flavor.  (Once you have a good clabber, reserve a little back each time to start your next batch.)

MAKING CLABBER USING MESOPHILIC STARTER:

Use fresh, strained, unrefrigerated milk straight from the cow, or heat your refrigerated raw milk to around 70 degrees.  Sprinkle the tiniest bit of mesophylic starter purchased from your favorite cheese-making supply store on top.  Allow a minute or two to dissolve, then, mix thoroughly.  Cover with a flour sack cloth and allow to set at room temperature until clabbered.  Should not take more than 24 hours and typically occurs within 12 hours.  A sprinkling of mesophilic culture will help to clabber several gallons of milk.  

Notes:

Technically, buttermilk is the milk that is left over once the cream has been agitated, the solids removed, and the skimmed milk is left over and cultured.  The culturing of this milk left over after butter making is done when the mesophilic starter is introduced naturally or by introducing the culture.  There is really no difference between cultured buttermilk and milk clabber.  

One can also use this clabbered milk or buttermilk as the mesophilic culture needed to flavor certain types of cheese.  I would caution you, however, that if you are just beginning your cheese journey, it's probably worth the expense to buy the powdered cultures and learn to make cheese using the exact amounts listed in the recipes.  When I began making cheese, I did not want to have to buy the cultures, wanting to be as self-sufficient and independent as possible.  While I had some successes, I also had a lot of cheese that just wasn't exact.  There was a variance in flavors depending on how strong the clabber that was used for a starter.  Once I began using powdered mesophilic cultures, I began to consistently have the same flavors each time in the cheese I prepared from a particular recipe.  In a pinch, I know that I can use clabber or buttermilk, but for the most consistent results, I use a powdered mesophilic starter.  

And, in case you have ever wondered what it was Little Miss Muffet had when she consumed her curds and whey, I am sure you will be happy to know that it was clabbered milk.  





Saturday, February 21, 2009

A dedication to Alissa











There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold

You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away

Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time
You'll find the way

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you


I love you, Alissa! There is a hero inside of you.

Mom

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Dixie and Calves Find a New Home


Dixie, the Jersey, is a sweet, sweet girl. She has been nursing her own calf and three others for me a total of three months since she freshened. She is also a sweetheart in the stanchion.


I believe it was a "God-thing" when last Friday Mike was getting some hay for an established hay buyer that live right down the road from us. She and Mike were talking and she was interested in getting another Jersey. She had owned Jerseys in the past and loved them dearly but had to give them up because of some bumps she encountered on the road of life. The time was right for her to replace her Jerseys and she was interested in seeing my girls. She was also interested in the two steer calves that we had for sale. Mike and I talked about it and I felt that this was meant to be and that this lady would give Dixie a wonderful home. So, we settled on a price for Dixie and the two calves and Monday we delivered them to their new home.


In case I needed any confirmation that it was the right thing to do, my feelings were validated when the lady impulsively threw her arms around my neck, gave me the biggest hug, and said, "Thank you. Thank you Tammy for my Jersey".


Of course I cried when I left them there, but I know they have a wonderful home and they live just down the road from the farm. I will be able to visit them anytime.


So with five of my animals (one cow, two heifers, and two steers) going to new homes in a matter of three days, I am left feeling the "empty nest". Mike is worried about how I am going to fill it up again!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

It's Hard to Let Them Go




I must be the craziest person in the world. I love animals but I just can't keep them all. I have to sell some of them from time to time. I try to find the very best homes for them, but I still can't help but feel tremendously sad when I see them go. I take care of them every day and love on them. I won't even go anywhere because I am worried that someone else won't take care of them like I would.
Today, Scarlette and Sugar left for their new home in West Virginia. I know that they will be loved and well taken care of, but I can't help but be sad. It was all I could do to keep from crying when they went down the road in that trailer!
I have more of my babies leaving Monday, but I will save the details until then.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Spencer & Willie


Willie is what I call the last male puppy from the last litter that Hope had. Willie is going to Missouri to live as soon as he can get a ride. In the mean time, here he is with his best buddy, Spencer!

Monday, February 09, 2009

Miracle Butter


Some of you may remember that my cow, Butter Cupp, went down a while back. We never did find out what was wrong with her, but we suspect an injury of some sort. After lifting her with a hip lift and slowly nursing her back to health, she has been going strong every since. We were not even able to milk her for a few days because we could not get her up. She did not develop mastitis and has gone from almost nothing back to 3-4 gallons a day. She really is a miracle girl. Today, just topped everything. I had the vet out for a routine type visit and while he was here, I had him palpate Butter. I assumed that being short bred when she went down, that she probably lost the calf. However, the Vet confirmed today that she is about three months pregnant!
Also, my little heifer Nelly was confirmed pregnant and she is about four months along!
Time to start thinking of baby names!
(Picture of Butter and her BFF Dixie taken last summer.)

Memories of Shaved Heads, Black Olives & Boiled Eggs

It's funny the memories that come at the strangest times and the overwhelming grief ensued.

Shaved heads.

Fuzzy, closely shaved heads.

Josh always wore his hair short and I loved to rub his head. "Awe, Mom, do you have to rub my head?""Yes," I would reply. I HAVE to rub your fuzzy head. He would roll his eyes but smile. I would smile. I miss rubbing that fuzzy head.

Ripe Olives.

He called them "thumbs". When he was little, he would place them carefully on each finger and then eat them off, one at a time. He didn't know they were called "olives", he simply called them "thumbs". As a teenager, he would still do this trick and I would roll my eyes and he would smile.

Boiled eggs.

Josh didn't liked them deviled, but loved them boiled and whole. Every plate of eggs I made, I left a few whole in the center just for Josh. I made deviled eggs this weekend, but there was no one here to eat the whole ones.

I miss you, buddy. I miss you so much!

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Without a doubt................Pregnant!

This girl is sporting a wide load. She is due the first or second week in March!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Locally Grown Lasagna

We had Lasagna for supper tonight and it was such a great feeling knowing that most of it was made from scratch and home-grown! The hamburger was from our own beef herd and I made the sauce from tomatoes I had canned this past summer. I included three types of cheese that I made from the milk from our Jersey cows..........cottage cheese, ricotta and Derby. I also made some home-made bread using our milk, butter and honey from the bees on our farm. Delicious!
.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese/ Queso Blanco








Recipe makes about four cups of cheese.

Ingredients:

One gallon of milk (whole or skim)
1/2 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)

~In large pot,heat the milk until foam forms around the edges and the milk is steaming, almost to boiling. (If you don't heat the milk sufficiently, the curds will wad up and resemble mozzarella.)

~Remove from heat, pour in the vinegar and stir until the curds separate from the whey.

~Drain curds in a colander.

~You may use the curds as they are, whip them in a blender to make them smooth (adding a little of the whey back to get the right consistency), or shape into a ball to serve as table cheese.

~I like to salt my curds. Ricotta also freezes well. You can add herbs/spices to your liking to make a nice cracker spread from the Ricotta cheese.

Edited 4/24/2010: It recently came to my attention that in spite of the fact that this recipe was listed as "Whole Milk Ricotta" and that I have been calling it Ricotta for over a year now, it is actually Queso Blanco. I have also read where folks use lemon juice instead of vinegar to make this cheese.

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