Monday, November 25, 2013

WINTER MILK!!!

This is the time of the year when we would usually start winding down and preparing for the impending approach of shorter days and not so farmfriendly  weather. The dairy goats would start to slack off in their production, the cows would have been bred to be turned dry to prepare for early Spring babies, and the luxury of sleeping in for a few mornings was not just a pipedream. But as the demand for fresh milk does not just disappear with the warm weather, we have been anxious to see if our plan for winter milk was a success. YIPPEE!!! With our rotation breeding, and our plan to calve and kid  during certain months, and just bucking up and accepting the idea that we can milk when it is pitch black outside and when there is ice and snow on the ground, we have pulled it off this year. We will have milk on through the winter months, goat and cow. The quantity will be a little less than normal, but with careful preplanning, and calling ahead for availability, all should be able to get what they want throughout the winter season. MARKET HOURS : Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM . THANKSGIVING WEEK, CLOSED FRIDAY, OPEN SATURDAY. Also, for those that purchased cow milk last week, we have contacted most, but the Farmer has made a confession that will affect you. In order to make sure that the girls have enough protein and minerals in their diet, when the freezes come and all of the grazing is gone, we supplement their hay and dairy ration with mineral tubs. We obtained some from a new source, put them out, and within three days they were polished off. Normally they should be put out one at a time, over an extended period, so that they could lick and nibble on them. The Farmer wanted to make sure they got all they wanted. Our cows were like kids in a candy store. The little gluttons! I am sure it was the molasses that tempted them so.  Needless to say, it gave the milk an off taste for a few days. So Sorry, we will gladly replace it for you, now that all is back to normal. The Farmer has learned that all things in moderation even pertains to cows.  From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

OLD DOG WITH NEW TRICKS!!!!

Why have I not done this before???? A dear customer came for milk this past week, proud as punch that she had delved into the great unknown and purchased some suet for rendering tallow. The word suet just sounds fatty. Birds eat it in the winter,  the meat processor is told to trim it all off of any beef we have processed, soap was made from it in the "Olden Days". The early settlers made candles with it.  Why go to all of that bother for some thing to cook your French fries in, when you can buy oil at the market? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but fact checking was going to do be done, on what would happen to arteries and cholesterol if beef tallow was used instead of other cooking oils. SURPRISE!!!!  Am I the only nitwit that was under the impression that if you ate beef fat, you would shorten your life by years? Quite the contrary. Tallow is a healthy fat, with Omega 3s, that actually fights bad cholesterol, promotes good heart health and makes food cooked in it taste really good. The process to render the suet into tallow is quite simple, a bit smelly, but worth the time and effort. If you are not quite up to the task, there will be some jars of fresh beef tallow for sale in the market this weekend. MARKET HOURS: Friday and Saturday from noon until 4:00 PM. From our farmstead to your table, thank you for all of your support!!!