Thursday, September 30, 2010

Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk




It has been one of those weeks. A week filled with inconveniences and minor upsets that add up and kind of make a person wish the week was over.

It started when somehow the key to our new car with all the fancy little buttons for different functions was dropped in the bottom of my purse (or if you are from the south "pocket book"). That's a good place for a key, right? It made sense to me. However, it turned out NOT to be the best place for the key.

When we got home from running to Lowes to pick up a few items, a share member was getting some items out of the garage. We waved, spoke, and I ran in the house to deposit my things and get the milker so that I could take care of the cows. I wasn't in the barn more than a couple of minutes when I heard Mike saying something about the garage door not opening. "That's weird", I shouted back to him. It worked fine when we first got home because so-in-so was in there and we saw the garage door shut when they left."

I ran back to see what the problem was but the door would only raise a few inches off the ground and stop. Back and forth we worked the door, up and down trying to get it to open. Finally I volunteered to crawl under the door but Mike was already on the ground looking underneath. What he said next just made me sick to my stomach. The only thing we can figure out is that the key in my purse somehow was activated causing the automatic hatch to engage and open about the same time that the garage door was closing earlier. The hatch and the garage door were scraping up against each other. The garage door would not open and with each time we tried to get it to open, we were just adding insult to injury. We used the remote to shut the hatch and then opened the door successfully only to find a very obvious and ugly perpendicular scratch on the hatch. It's not something that can be easily covered up and will have to go to the shop to be fixed. The car is less than a week old.

Already pretty bummed about that but trying to make myself feel better in light of the fact that it was just a material possession and did not involve any injury to a person or animal, I tried to put my best foot forward and go on with the week.

There were some other incidents that were inconvenient and aggravating like the fact the pigs got out (again) and this time would not be lured back to their pen with food. They were having too much fun rooting up the cow's pasture and running around like 200+ pound idiots. They would not come back through the electric wire even though it was off, because they had been shocked by it going through. So, we had to entice them all the way up the hill, through three gates, back down the hill, and into their pen. The pigs thought it was the best game they had ever played. Needless to say, we were not impressed.

Then, poor Mike was trying to help me with Butter who decided to poop. It's bad enough that she decided to poop in the stanchion, but she had been eating lots of grass and alfalfa hay and her manure was quite "liquid" at this point. I walked around the corner to find Mike with manure from head to foot and the whole milking shed covered in manure including the walls and the feed box.

I discovered later in the week that I had mis-calculated the amount of milk needed to get us through the week with the share program. I had dried one of the cows off (ButterCupp) who is due with a calf in November and had not taken into consideration how much milk I would need to get me through the rest of the week. After frantically trying to figure out a way to make things work, I finally had to contact some gracious share members who volunteered to wait until later in the week to pick up their milk.

Finally, last night I began to breathe easy as I put three gallons of milk in the freezer to bring the temp down quickly before transferring it over to the refrigerator. The weekend was on it's way and I had somehow managed to squeeze enough milk out of the cows to get us through! With thoughts of peace in my head I went to bed and slept soundly only to waken this morning in horror! The milk! I had left the milk all night in the freezer! Sure enough, the milk was frozen solid and the jars were busted.

The common phrase "There is no sense crying over spilt milk" keeps coming to my mind today. Wiktionary defines this common saying to mean "It is no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed."

So here I go, chin up, off to milk my cows for the evening. I refuse to cry over spilt milk, frozen milk or any of the other inconveniences of this past week!

Note: The phrase "don't cry over spilt milk" originated in America during the Great Depression because the price of milk as a commodity had fallen so low due to its overabundance relative to demand, that dairy farmers were subsidized by the state to destroy their surplus in order to bring prices back up to a profitable level.

The destruction of a commodity in order to alleviate the crisis of overproduction would be, in any system other than capitalist enterprise, utterly absurd. Hence the need for propaganda and a cute, memorable idiom like this one.

From Answers.com

Friday, September 24, 2010

Tell Us Your Farming Story




My online friend, Selden, wrote about this documentary in her blog post today. I wanted to share it with you all. So, please jump on over to Selden's blog and read today's entry.

Selden's post got me to thinking about something. I started thinking how neat it would be to have a guest blogger each week who would tell us a little bit about themselves, their farm, their animals, their crops, their gardens, and their future farming goals. Or perhaps, a guest blogger would like to share their farming dreams and how they hope to some day make these dreams a reality. I have "met" so many wonderful online friends and would love to be able to share some of those friends and their stories with those who read this blog.

So, how about it? Who will volunteer to be my first guest blogger? This is also a chance for some of you who do not blog, to have a featured spot here to share about your life. Those who blog and/or facebook, we can put a link to your blog so that folks can begin following your posts on a regular basis. Maybe you read my blog but have never corresponded with me in the past. This would be a perfect time to share not only with me but also with those who read my blog about about who you are and what agriculture means to you.

The way this will work, is I will designate one day a week as my "Guest Blogger" Day. If interested, send me what your autobiographical article, along with up to five pictures. Also include whatever methods of communication you are comfortable with so that folks can connect with you online. (ie: facebook, blog, forums, email, etc.) Please don't be shy! Everyone's story is important and you will be surprised how your life can be an inspiration to others. There may be someone else out there who needs to hear your story.

You can contact me in the comments section here on my blog if you are interested, or you can email me directly at tcuppminiatures@yahoo.com

Thursday, September 23, 2010

That's "NO BULL"



I can remember watching clips of Disney's Ferdinand the Bull as a child when I as growing up. This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. While Disney's version of a bull might lead us to believe that bulls can be sweet and love able, common sense dictates that bulls are dangerous creatures that have the potential to seriously injure and even kill. Every bull has this potential. There are ways, however, to increase the odds of raising a bull to be respectful. Temple Grandin, an expert in animal behavior and an advocate for animal welfare, has written an excellent article on raising and handling bulls in such a manner that will give these magnificent animals a chance to live as they were born to do and thus increase the chances that they will remain non-aggressive.


Preventing Bull Accidents
(Updated June 2006)
by Temple Grandin, Colorado State University

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The most dangerous dairy bull is a bull that has not been properly socialized to his own kind. When a young bull calf becomes mature at age two, he needs to challenge the top bull in the herd. If the bull calf has been raised alone and has not had the opportunity to interact with other cattle, he thinks he is a person and he wants to exert his dominance over the "herd". This can result in dangerous attacks on people.

Ed Price at the University of California found that bull calves raised in groups were much less likely to attack people than bull calves raised in individual pens. Bull calves raised on a cow were the least likely to attack. When they are raised with their own kind, they know who they are and they are less likely to think that people are part of the herd.

There is no such thing as a totally safe bull, but the risk of an attack can be reduced with proper management. When dairy calves are six to eight weeks old, they should be put in group pens. If there are no bull calves available for pen mates, a young bull should be raised with steer calves that are older and heavier. Any mature bull that charges a person, should be removed from a commercial dairy because he is too great a safety risk to the dairy personnel. To further reduce the danger, dairies that use bulls should consider raising bull calves on a nurse cow. Raising bull calves on a nurse cow will imprint them more strongly to their own kind and further reduce the tendency to attack.

Never play butting games with calves. It is cute when they are young but very dangerous when they grow up. Never allow a bull calf to push his head up against you. Tell him to get back. If you want to pet the calf, stroke him under the chin, on the rear, or on the withers (shoulder). Stroke him anywhere except the forehead. Pressure on this area will encourage butting.

The major causes of bull attacks are mistaken identity or improper behavior that has been learned. A bull will perform a broadside threat prior to attack. He will stand sideways so the person or other bull can see how big and powerful he is. Sometimes a person can make a bull back off by responding with the human variation of a broadside threat which for people is a frontal stance. Alternatively, the person may just back slowly away from the bull. NEVER RUN away and do not turn your back on him.

In dairies where bulls run loose in the cow pens, managers should be trained to notice aggressive postures. The bull should just move away along with other cows when the milkers approach. A bull that does a broadside threat to milkers should be culled. Even if a bull calf is reared properly with other cattle, an adult bull is usually safer if he spends most of his adult life penned with other animals. Bulls that are penned alone for long periods of time may be more likely to attack people. However, steers and heifers can be safely penned alone.

Understanding cow and bull behavior will help to reduce accidents. There is no way that cattle can be made perfectly safe, but the use of behavioral principles will reduce the risk. Attacks by bulls are the number one cause of fatalities which occur while handling livestock. Dairy bulls are often more dangerous than beef breeds. Castration of bull calves at an early age will greatly reduce aggressive behavior.


Over the past five years that I have raised Miniature Jerseys, I have been "blessed" with the opportunity to raise many bull calves (as we have been statistically challenged with bulls far exceeding heifer births on our farm). Having put Dr. Grandin's methods to practice, I can attest to the fact that it is possible to raise non-aggressive bulls. However, let me also say, that in order to raise and/or own bulls one must always have a "NO BULL" mentality when it comes to dealing with these magnificent creatures.



Photo and movie courtesy of Disney.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Going for the Gold~ Making Apple Sauce (Reviewed and Updated September 2023)























Ginger Gold is a relatively new variety of apple that was originally found growing at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nelson County, Virginia.  It is a cross between the Golden Delicious and Albermarle Pippin. I have always preferred the Golden Delicious for making applesauce, but have found that the Ginger Gold makes a tasty and beautiful sauce as well. 

I use only the basic tools and don't even bother to take the time to peel my apples when I make sauce. In fact, leaving the skins on the apples adds a natural pectic which helps to thicken the sauce.  Of course, you want to wash thoroughly to remove all sprays and residue.  Better yet, find organic apples that have not been sprayed. I simply cut, cook, and run the apples through my antique sieve.  Sugar can be added if desired but typically, I don't find it necessary.  

Apple sauce can be frozen in containers or bags or canned by the hot water bath method. Process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes.  

Monday, September 20, 2010

Apple Pie Filling (Reviewed and Updated September 18, 2022)

















4 1/2 cups White Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Clear Jel
 (Original recipe called for 1 Cup of Corn Starch.  See note at the bottom of the page.)

2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon 
(Adjust to taste.  I like a lot of cinnamon and hubby, not so much.  We have compromised at 2 teaspoons.)  

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 
(Adjust to taste.  I have seen recipes call for as much as 1 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons Salt

10 cups of Water. 
 (Half water and half apple juice can be used if desired.  I just use water.) 

3 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Approximately 20 pounds of apples (Enough to fill seven quarts)

1. Mix sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large pan. Add water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.

2. Sterilize canning jars.
 
3. Peel, core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
 
4. Fill jars with hot syrup covering apples and make sure to leave the 1/2 inch of head space.  

5.  Gently remove air bubbles with a knife.

6.  Wipe rims to make sure they are clean.  
 
7. Place lids and rings on the jars.  Screw down finger tight.   

8.  Place in canner and process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Note:  

My original recipe called for 1 cup of cornstarch.  The USDA now says that using cornstarch is unsafe when canning.  In spite of the warnings, I have continued to use cornstarch when I do not have Clear Jel available.  The USDA currently (2022)  approves the use of Clear Jel for canning recipes.  Typically, the conversion from cornstarch to Clear Jel in a recipe is 1 unit (cornstarch) to 1.5 units (Clear Jel).  In addition to the warning about safety, cornstarch in a canning recipe gets cloudy over time and the jars will no longer look pretty sitting on the shelf. Whether or not to use Cornstarch in a pinch is up to the reader.  

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Pileated Woodpecker



I lived just eight miles from the Canadian border in North West Montana the first time I saw a Pileated Woodpecker. He was gorgeous. Several times I saw him sitting on the deck railing. I was able to easily observe his brightly colored head and marvel at his size. Of course, I was familiar with the smaller species of woodpeckers having observed them throughout my life, but I had previously never seen a woodpecker as big as the Pileated.

Imagine how excited I was when I began to see Pileated Woodpeckers here on our farm! They have a distinctive call and I often hear them before I see them. Their sound always makes me smile as I look to the sky searching for them.

In the fall and winter, for the last several years, a pair have flown overhead every evening as I am milking. They announce their presence by calling back and forth to each other. They fly over the open fields and pastures to the edge of the woods where, I am sure, their nest must be.

In the summer, I don't see them as much. I am not sure if it is because I am too busy to notice, or if it's because, like farmers, they make seasonal changes in their schedules, allowing our paths to cross on those fall and winter evenings.

(Photo courtesy of Wikepedia)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Pigs Update


































I sorely neglected my blog over the summer. Now that it is fall, I have made a resolution to get back on a somewhat normal blogging schedule. What that means, is my regular readers are going to be forced to put up with my attempts at finding relevant daily information. I don't promise to get a post written every day, but I am going to try to do better. I thought I would use this entry to update everyone on the pigs. In case you don't remember, we bought two different groups of pigs. One group of pigs we got in Georgia and they were a mixture of three different breeds. (York, Hamp and Duroc, if I remember correctly.) We brought four of those pigs home and then stopped in Bedford to pick up six Red Wattle and Red Wattle cross pigs giving us a total ten. Some friend's of ours wanted some non-commercial pigs as well, so they came and picked out four of the pigs leaving us with six to raise........two of the males from Georgia (York,Hamp, Duroc cross), and four females from Bedford. (Two of those being Red Wattle cross and two of them being pure bred Red Wattles.) We had a time with those pigs getting out in the beginning, but finally found a set up that works pretty well for us. Although they do still get out from time to time and for various reasons. (We ended up using cattle panels and putting electric wire around the bottom of the panels so that they could not root under them.) Then, we had an leg injury to the runt pig, a Red Wattle cross. We actually thought that we were going to have to have a pig roast and eat her because she seemed to be in such pitiful shape. We ended up moving her temporarily into the area that has been used for everything from dogs to goats, until she was able to walk on her leg again. During that time, she became very spoiled. She loves for the humans to scratch her back and she demands (in a very loud voice) that she have clabber rather than any other type of feed. We started calling her Miss Piggy. And dance.......boy can that pig dance. She loves to be sprayed with the water hose and when you spray her she shakes her head and shakes her butt and dances all over the pen. Her Majesty continues to have her own domain because the other pigs are a lot bigger than her and want to pick on her. She lives right next door to the other pigs, sees them, communicates through the fence, but has her own private living quarters. Except for Miss Piggy who is considerably smaller than the others, the five remaining pigs are very close in size and we estimate them to also be close in weight. We are guessing their weight to be around 200 pounds. There is a marked difference though between the Red Wattle/Red Wattle cross pigs and the pigs we brought from Georgia. The difference is that the Red Wattles are a longer and leaner looking pig. Most of the pigs have been spoken for and will provide pork for several different families, and we plan to butcher one for ourselves. The pigs that are going to the processor will go the first of December and we will probably butcher ours around that time as well. I have to say that pigs are the first animal that I have raised that I won't have a hard time eating. I did get attached to Miss Piggy in a way, but not so much that I don't dream of pork chops, bacon, ham and lard! We do plan on keeping one of the pure bred, Red Wattle females so that we can use her as a breeder. (The first picture is of Miss Piggy when she was still hurt. The second picture shows her just a few weeks ago. The other photos are of the remaining Red Wattle and Red Wattle Cross hogs.)