Sweet Garden Farm - Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats in Maryland

Breeding Has Begun -- Farm Updates

2011-10-23T12:57:00.000-04:00

Blossom and Treble were each bred to Toby on September 30 and October 1, respectively. Next up are Sara, Marsanne, and Lily who will be bred as soon as they come into heat, which should be this coming week. Sara and Marsanne are planned to be bred to Toby, but I'd like to breed Lily to Chaku. He has gone down to Ruby Run for a few weeks, so I'll need to transport her down there, so we'll see if that is convenient to do when she comes in heat.

I haven't decided yet what to do about my three youngest doelings. I would like to breed them this year to kid in Spring 2012. It looks like I'll be able to breed Amy, but Mellie is just looking too small, and Elise will probably be too young at the time I need to breed. So, I just haven't decided about that yet... As always, the most up-to-date information about that can be found on my website on the Kidding Schedule page.

The two large black pigs are growing very, very well. We expect they will be slaughtered in December. That's a really good thing, because I only have one package of pork chops left (and I've really been rationing them), one package of ribs (ditto on the rationing) and about a dozen packs of bacon. I do have lots of ground pork left and a good bit of scrapple. I guess we need to start having scrapple for snacks and stuff, and I need some more good low carb recipes for ground pork. I make a really nice Italian Sausage that I saute with onions and peppers, and I make a really good meatloaf with half pork/half beef. I recently made a pot of chili which called for three pounds of ground beef. I substituted one pound of ground pork in the recipe for one of the pounds of ground beef and it turned out great.

The winter garden is planted. Under the greenhouse we'll have carrots, onions, lettuce, cabbage, and spinach. Outside the greenhouse I have cabbage planted, that I think went in too late, so we'll see if I actually get anything from those...

I have lots of tomatoes frozen from the garden this year to put in soups and other recipes, and loads of carrots in the refrigerator. I still have peppers from the Summer of 2010 in the freezer, so I'm good to go on that until next year.

I picked lots of Strawberries and Blueberries from U-Pick farms this year so all of those are in the freezer too.

I've made quarts and quarts of yogurt, lots of chevre, ricotta salata, and mozzarella which is all in the freezer for the dark days ahead when there will be no milk... AND there are quite a few wheels of cheddar, swiss, and tomme aging. I'm still struggling with consistency on my hard cheeses. Some of them are quite good, others, yuk! I know that with the kind of operation I have, there will always be flubs, but I'd like to get to the point where the majority of my hard cheeses are good, with just an occasional bad one, as opposed to the other way around. LOL.

2011-09-15T13:21:00.001-04:00

Well, dear blog readers, again it's been months since I last posted. Things get so very busy here once the does start kidding that it really is impossible to keep up with this blog.

But, Fall is about to arrive and things are slowing just a bit, so it's time for an update.

As always, the most up-to-date information about the goats is on my website.

There were many changes to the herd over the past year. I have three senior does, five juniors, and two young bucks now. I expect those numbers will be stable until the Spring when the new kids start arriving.

The three seniors and hopefully four of the juniors will be bred this Fall to kid in the Spring. I plan to retain several does and perhaps a couple of bucks, but there certainly will be kids available for sale. Contact me for more information.

We have two new pigs here that we plan to slaughter in a couple of months. They are both full bred Large Blacks. We raised and butchered 50 Freedom Ranger broiler chickens this year. And, we have 23 Rhode Island Red layer chickens who continue to provide us and customers with fresh free range eggs.

I'm looking forward this Fall to breeding season for the goats as this is the first time I've had my own bucks. It's been fun planning the breedings. You can check out the plans (can always change until the deed is done) on my kidding schedule on the website.

Treble Kids!

2011-03-21T14:32:00.000-04:00

Treble kidded this past Saturday, March 19 with buck/doe twins. The kidding was pretty uneventful. The buckling was first, of course, and his head was a little big, so I helped him out, but the doeling slid out easily after the buckling.

They are taking their bottles well and starting to bounce around. They are in the house now for my convenience, but they'll move out to the barn in a couple of weeks. Pictures can be found here.

Next up is Blossom, a first freshener who probably will have a single or twins and then Melody who is HUGE. I expect a minimum of three kids from Mel, very possibly more.

And I have a buckling and doeling arriving from Massachusetts the second week of April. It's going to be a busy few weeks. The best places to find up-to-date information on kiddings are the Kidding Schedule page and For Sale page on the website.

More soon!

Waiting, waiting...

2011-02-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

This time of year the time just crawls as I count down the days (hours, minutes) until kidding begins. Tiny Town Treble is due first on March 21, so still seven weeks to go. She doesn't look pregnant at all, so I'm sure hoping she is. There's no reason to think she isn't as I haven't seen any signs of heat and I know she was bred back in October. I don't expect any more than twins. She seems just a tad thin to me, so I've begun supplementing her with a small amount of alfalfa and grain. Once she hits four weeks before kidding I'll begin increasing the ration up to close to where I think she'll need to be for milk production.

Sweet Garden Blossom is the next doe due on March 31. Blossom has looked pregnant since she was about six weeks old! She has incredible rumen capacity, which I hope will bode well for future milk production, but it's hard to tell what's kids, and what's stomach! Blossom is maturing beautifully with plenty of size and a grand, regal bearing. I continue to be confident of her potential, both in the show ring and in the milk pail.

Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes is due on April 1. "Melody" looks very pregnant, about ready to pop in fact. I'm expecting triplets at the very least, very possibly more.

Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette is due on April 15. She's maturing beautifully, but shows no signs of impending motherhood. It really is too soon for her. It's hard to tell with all of the hair, but she has a very level topline and is very smoothly blended. If her udder lives up to expectations she'll be a force to reckon with in the show ring.

The final kidding here will be Tiny Town Sweet Serenade, due May 12. I'm glad it's so far away as Sara is growing slowly and needs a good bit more size for my liking for a safe birth. She has three and a half months more, so all should be good. I have begun to supplement her diet with some alfalfa and grain to help, watching carefully to be sure she doesn't get over-conditioned. Fat first fresheners are a recipe for disaster!

Melody is now herd queen, the other four don't seem to have a clear hierarchy, although Blossom seems terrified of Treble. I'm not sure what happened there! Muzette and little Sara can hold their own with anyone except Melody.

I'm expecting 8-12 kids. I anticipate that all of the males will be sold as wethers, but I won't make a final decision until I see udders and the kids themselves. I plan to keep two doelings, so should have several for sale, depending on my buck to doe ratio! I have not done well the past two years, my totals for the two years combined: Does 3 -- Bucks 8. I'm certainly due a doe year. I'll be doing the doe dance as kidding draws nearer.

Eggs for Sale

2010-12-11T18:10:00.000-05:00

We are officially in the egg business. My plan is to post a sign on the goatyard fence whenever I am home and have eggs to sell. Since I only have 24 hens I won't have an unending supply, so I thought this would be a good plan. So, if you are in the area, stop by for some farm fresh, organic, free range eggs.

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Home Cured Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Omelet, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Grilled Grassfed Hamburgers, Glazed Turnips and Carrots
Evening Snack: Hardboiled Eggs dipped in mayonnaise, apple and peanut butter

Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm: bacon, eggs, goat cheese, gogurt, turnips, and carrots. The blueberries were hand picked about five miles from the farm. The grassfed beef is from Potomac, Maryland. Now if I could just get some apple trees and peanut plants I'd really be local!! :)

November 2010 Update

2010-11-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

Just a general update of all that is going on:

Goats - I continue to move towards a show herd. I now own the following goats:

Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes (Melody) - a terrific milker and a proven producer of show quality kids.
Tiny Town Treble - a solid milker with show potential in her own right.
Sweet Garden Blossom - maturing beautifully: deep, wide, and long. I expect big things from her next year.
Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette - A flashy blue-eyed doeling with potential for excellent milk production and outstanding conformation.
Tiny Town Sweet Serenade (Sara) - A beautiful white doeling with royalty in her blood. Hopefully this precious girl will live up to her pedigree.

I've posted a kidding schedule here: http://www.sweetgardengoats.com/Kidding_Schedule.html. Reservations will be accepted. No deposit is required.

Melody and Blossom have both been bred to NC Promisedland Peeping Tom.
Treble has been bred to Tiny Town Sunny Surprise.
Muzette has been bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria.
Sara will be bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria in a couple of weeks.

Tigger is still here, but will be returned to Tiny Town Goats in a couple of weeks. That will complete my plans for this year. Then I will just have to wait for all of the girls to kid next year and see what the stork brings!

I have also placed a deposit on a buckling and doeling from Rosasharn Farm in Massachusetts. Those additions should put me in good stead, along with my current does, to move forward towards a show herd with solid milk production.

Pigs - The pigs have grown and grown and grown, and now they are ready for the slaughterhouse:

Tomorrow evening we are taking them up to Mt. Airy Locker for slaughter. We'll bring them back down here, hopefully Wednesday, to butcher them ourselves. I'll have to report back later on flavor and how the processing went.

Broiler Chickens - we ended up processing about 75 broilers. They are all (except for the ones we've already eaten) in the freezer. We've been extremely happy with the chickens.

Layer Hens - the twenty-five Rhode Island Reds that we purchased in the Summer began laying a couple of weeks ago. I don't expect a lot of eggs until Spring, but I did collect eight eggs today. They are still mostly small eggs, with an occasional larger one.

Garden - The greenhouse is up. I have six squares producing lettuce, cabbage, Spring onions, Swiss Chard, and spinach. The root cellar holds turnips, kohlrabi, beets, and carrots. So, we're set for the winter.

And that's my November 2010 update... Hopefully I'll have more time this winter for blogging, but Spring will come and along with that a heavy show schedule, milking, cheesemaking, gardening, and normal life responsibilities. It's all good...

Updates

2010-10-12T06:02:00.000-04:00

Well faithful blog readers, I apologize that it's been so long since I last posted. I've been spending time getting my new website up and running and making plans for next year.

In the late Summer I decided to move from a "just milk" operation to show goats. My reasoning is simply that I need to breed to produce milk, so I might as well breed the very best goats I can. And, if I'm breeding the very best goats I can I might as well show them and be able to sell these higher quality kids for a better price.

As you know, I had already rehomed Una as a pet. Tigger, my other original milk doe purchase, is still producing well and is a fine doe, but will never be a show goat and has proven not to produce show quality kids, so she is being retired.

Melody, the goat I purchased this year to add to my milk supply, is a proven producer of show quality kids, and a truly exceptional milk producer. I have also acquired her daughter, Treble, another good milk producer with show potential in her own right. She actually has one leg towards a championship.

I kept the doeling from Una this year, Blossom, who continues to mature and look really outstanding in her general appearance. I also purchased Tiny Town Sweet Serenade for her outstanding show potential. I believe I have one more junior doe on the way this week to add to my show string for next year. More details and pictures later about her.

These two mature does, Melody and Treble, and two-three junior does will form the foundation for my show string. I have also partnered with another breeder and purchased a buckling from Dills in Oklahoma, and I have placed a deposit on a second buckling for next year from Rosasharn Farm in Massachusetts. (These bucks will not be available for outside service.)

This should give me a good foundation to begin to build a premier quality Nigerian Dwarf goat herd. In order to achieve this goal without ending up with 100 goats, I will need to cull ruthlessly. Therefore, kids will be available for sale every Spring beginning 2011, and one-three adult does in milk will more than likely be available after each kidding season beginning 2012.

I've lined up a list of fairs and goat shows for next year, and plan to invest in a small trailer to house the goats for travel. So, I'm on my way.

Much thanks in helping me every step of the way to my friend and mentor, Jane Bailey at Tiny Town Goats. She not only advises, but has made every step of the way truly fun!

New Website!

2010-09-13T15:27:00.000-04:00

I have a new website! There's still a lot of editing and work to be done, but it's up and running. Check it out here: http://www.sweetgardengoats.com/.

Tiny Town Sweet Serenade (Sara) has arrived. Pictures soon! She's taking a good bit of bullying from the rest of the herd, but is doing very well.

Sweet Garden Petals - For Sale

2010-08-30T19:36:00.000-04:00

I've reached the difficult decision to sell Petals. Details are on the For Sale page.

I have purchased a new doeling, Tiny Town Sweet Serenade, "Sara", who will be joining my little herd within the next week or so. Watch here for pictures and more information. Sara will join Blossom in the show ring next year.

Blossom's First Win!

2010-08-10T17:46:00.001-04:00

Blossom and I attended the Queen Anne's County Fair yesterday. They have an ADGA sanctioned Dairy Goat show. Blossom won the blue ribbon in her class which was Intermediate Nigerian Dwarf Kid:

That's me on the far right with Blossom. Didn't she set up pretty! The goat kid in the middle is actually Tigger's granddaughter! When we went up against the yearling doe later in the competition we just couldn't compete though, so Blossom didn't win Junior Champion. Blossom is only four months old. We had a great time.

Pickles, Pickles, Pickles

2010-08-05T18:59:00.001-04:00

Pickles are everywhere! I've been making batch after batch. Last year I only had enough cucumbers to make half a recipe of Bread and Butter pickles. This year I planted plenty cucumber plants to make sure I had enough and they are going crazy!! I have sooo many little pickling cucumbers. But finally the plants are beginning to give out.

I don't like dill pickles, so I don't make those, just sweet ones. I make a Bread and Butter pickle recipe that was my husband's mother's, and a Virginia Sweet recipe from my mom. They both make old fashioned sweet, crunchy pickles. I haven't actually counted, but I have quite a few dozen pint and quart jars in the cupboard. Tomorrow I plan to make a double batch of Bread and Butter and slice and make the syrup for my last batch of Virginia Sweets. I think I'm about pickled out...

I also have pickled Golden Beets in the refrigerator, but that's another post. :)

Pigs Arrive !

2010-07-22T20:58:00.002-04:00

We picked up our feeder pigs on Sunday. The reddish one on the left is a Tamworth, and the black one is half Tamworth, half Large Black. Tamworth and Large Black are both heritage breed pigs that do well on pasture. Both breeds are known for their friendliness.

Although, I'm not sure I want them too friendly, and they are kind of cute..

We plan on enjoying delicious pork this winter.

Sweet Garden Crottin

2010-07-21T17:35:00.000-04:00

Mold-ripened Cheese Success!! I made three little cheeses two weeks ago, and here are the two remaining ones. We ate one Monday evening and I'm thrilled with the flavor and texture.

The little cheese was just starting to liquify under the rind. The taste is very similar to a Brie. Yippee!!

Farewell to Una

2010-07-14T18:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I know I said I planned to keep Una here as a pet, but I have changed my mind for two reasons. First, I want more milkers and every goat I keep that is not contributing to my milk supply is taking up the space of a doe that could.

Second, Una has been causing serious problems within the herd. She has been unreasonably harsh with Melody and the two kids. I had hoped that this would abate as Melody was here longer, but it has not, and I really do need Melody to blend in and be happy here.

So I have returned Una to the breeder I bought her from. She will find a pet home for her.

I'm sad about this and will miss Una. When it was just Tigger and her she was very sweet, but once she got the chance to be dominate over someone she simply became mean. Tigger, our herd queen, has not been nearly as harsh to the kids and Melody as Una has.

I guess this is one of those times when a goatkeeper has to decide whether the goats are pets or farm animals. I really have been thinking of them all as pets, but I probably should change my thinking a little if I want to be able to cull as necessary to have a quality herd. Sometimes these life lessons are difficult, but still they are an important part of the journey.

Here's Una about a week after she arrived here with Tigger in September 2008. Behind her you can see the framing for the barn which was not yet complete. Bye Una. I sure hope your new owner cares for you well and that you are happy in your new place with your new herd. Goodbyes are hard...

Five Goats on Spools

2010-07-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

I finally managed to get a good picture of all five girls on the spools. I really need a lighter background to show Melody properly, but I think it's a really good picture. I took quite a few to get this one. Isn't it cute how Blossom (on the left) and Petals are snuggled together?

And here's a really good shot of Melody. The one I posted here last week really doesn't look like her at all. This one does. She is all black with a little white on her head, ears and nose. She's smaller than either Tigger or Una. She probably weighs about 65 pounds.

I'm very pleased with her and hope she soon melds in with the rest of the herd. I like for all my girls to be happy.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Quiche, Sausage, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Italian Casserole, Green Beans
Evening Snack: Salami, Assorted Cheeses, Dark Chocolate and Wine

Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, cheese, milk, chives and garlic in quiche; gogurt; zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic in Italian Casserole; Green Beans; Assorted Cheeses for Evening Snack. The Blueberries with breakfast were picked locally about five miles from the farm.

Chicken Butchering (not for the faint of heart)

2010-07-05T18:04:00.000-04:00

We butchered our Cornish Cross Broilers in 3 batches, aiming for a live weight of 4 and a half pounds to get a dressed chicken of 3 pounds. Here's how it went:

The Condemned.

The Killing Cones.

Plucking feathers using a "Duck Naked Plucker."

Gutting.

On ice and ready for the freezer. These were just the first four. Yes, you are observant dear blog reader. Hubby did most of the work, and certainly all of the nasty work. I received a relatively clean little naked, headless, gutless body for a final rinse and pin feather removal. I weighed and recorded each bird and labeled and packaged them for the freezer. And, of course, I'm in charge of cooking them!

We would do this again. We know that we have way healthier chicken then we could buy anywhere. They are organic, pastured, and soy-free. These first ones were six weeks old at butchering. We did a second batch a few days later, and the final four at few days after that at seven and a half weeks old. We did well at our goal of a three pound bird.

We now have 26 Freedom Ranger Broiler chicks in the brooder. They will be one week old on Wednesday. We plan to butcher them in about 8-9 weeks, aiming again for a live weight of 4 and a half pounds.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Apple Gouda Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Chicken Casserole, Green Beans
Evening Snack: Assorted Cheeses, Salami, Dark Chocolate and Wine

Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs and Chevre in Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt, Chicken, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Basil, and Mozzarella in Chicken Casserole, Green Beans, and assorted cheeses.

Melody Arrives

2010-07-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

Announcing the arrival of Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes (Melody) at Sweet Garden Farm. I simply didn't have enough milk with Tigger and Una. Tigger is doing a great job, but Una just doesn't have any capacity at all. I believe that repeated bouts of udder edema at her freshenings have destroyed her udder. She was only giving a tiny bit of milk so I have dried her off.

Tigger is now joined by milker Melody. Between the two of them I am now getting about 3/4 of a gallon of milk each day. That should work for my cheesemaking plans, at least for now.

Melody is very submissive and nonconfrontational and I'm afraid that Tigger and Una have really been taking advantage of her desire not to get into any arguments. They have been pushing her around pretty roughly and she just runs away. She will have been here one week tomorrow and I think she is finally starting to settle in. Tig and Una were a little nicer to her yesterday and today. I don't think she's been eating as much as she needs to because of the stress of the move, so I've been taking her into the milk room several times a day so that she can eat without having to fight off Tig and Una. This is just a temporary help for her, I think that soon she will be chowing down just like everyone else. So, here's the whole team:

I tried to get a shot with everyone looking at me, but with five it's difficult. Eventually I'll get a nice herd picture of them all. I also need a head shot of Melody for the side bar.

We added one more cable spool to the barnyard, so now there are four. Petals and Blossom will share one with no problem so I think we are set!

In Memory of Katie

2010-06-21T12:52:00.022-04:00

Last night we put down our Golden Retriever, Katie. She would have been twelve years old this October. Just last week she stopped eating and became very lethargic. The vet did tests and xrays and informed us that she had a mass below one of her lungs. The blood tests were consistent with cancer. We brought her home with special food and instructions, but she quickly began getting worse. And now she is gone.

Katie was a wonderful pet and companion. She was technically my step-daughter's dog, but her first love was for my husband. He trained her and took her hunting, both waterfowl and upland birds. She was very smart, like most Goldens, and had those great expressive eyes they have. She was the easiest dog ever to house break. Since I'm the one who was home, I did a lot of the work in that regard, and man, was she easy.

When we got our French Brittany Spaniel, Maddie, three years ago, Katie let her jump all over her and cuddle with her. She was very, very patient with the annoying puppy. Our vet said at the time that she must have a very strong maternal instinct.

Katie was quite the traveller, by car or RV or truck, she was ready to go whenever we were.

She had that even temperament that Goldens are known for, and was stoic to the end. She never wimpered or cried out even as she became worse and worse the last couple of days.

Katie loved the beach and would jump in the waves to retrieve over and over again, or as long as someone would throw something out for her. She was at the beach many, many times and loved finding dead fish and interesting things to eat along the shoreline.

Life does go on, but it's lonely in the house today, knowing that Katie will never be here again. Our little pet cemetery is on the other side of the barnyard. Last night as we were walking back, after having buried dear Katie, Petals and Blossom came bouncing out of the barn "baaing" at us. We were reminded of the cycle of life. As Katie has moved on and finished her journey, so Petals and Blossom, only about three months old, have barely started theirs.

Katie was very, very much loved and will be very much missed; so long precious girl...

Chickens

2010-06-16T17:48:00.008-04:00

This is our movable chicken cage. The chickens are five weeks old and several of them look to be about ready for butchering. We will probably weigh a few tomorrow to see. We're looking for about 4.5 pounds live weight to get a 3 pound dressed chicken.

For lunch today we grilled the one that was butchered on Saturday evening. He was 2 lbs 3.9 oz. dressed. We ate all but one breast.

We let him "age" in the refrigerator for several days to see if he would be a little more tender, but there was no difference between him and the one we ate the day after butchering. The flavor is really great, and they are not tough at all, just more firm fleshed than supermarket chickens. We are very pleased with them.

We have 25 Rhode Island Red layer chicks in the brooder. They are very cute little things and are developing colorful wing feathers. Whenever we lift one of the lids on the brooder they run to the other end in a pack. It's comical!

In about three weeks or so they'll be moved to the chicken cage or a new coop if it's ready. We need the brooder for 25 Freedom Ranger Broiler Chicks that are arriving on or about July 1.

We've read a lot online about the Freedom Rangers, that they are just as tender as the Cornish Cross, but don't have the health problems and will forage for more food. They are suppose to take a little longer to get to butchering weight. We shall see...

Garden 2010

2010-06-16T10:40:00.007-04:00

The garden is producing very well this year so far. At left see a gorgeous display of carrots and golden beets picked several days ago. They looked so pretty in the basket I just had to take a picture!

See at the right savoy cabbage, kolhrabi, spring onions and sugar snap peas. Most of this has been harvested now.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Gogurt and Blueberries
Main Meal: Salad with Pecans, Spring Onions, and Shredded Ricotta Salata dressed with Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Grilled Chicken seasoned with homemade seasoned salt, Pickled Beets
Evening Snack: Assorted homemade cheeses and salami, goat milk ice cream

Ingredients from today's menu from Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, gogurt, lettuce, Spring Onions, Ricotta Salata, chicken, beets, evening cheeses, eggs and milk in goat milk ice cream

Catching Up

2010-06-14T10:10:00.002-04:00

I apologize blog readers for taking so long to get a new post written. It's been a busy time here at Sweet Garden Farm, but things have quieted just a bit this week, so there's time to catch up. With that said, here goes:

Senior Does - Tigger is milking very well, I'm pleased. She's giving better than three pounds a day in her third month of lactation. Una, on the other hand is giving just over a cup a day. I should be getting another doe for milk in a week or two. Once my new doe arrives I should have close to a gallon a day between her and Tigger and be ready for some serious hard cheese making. Once she arrives I plan to dry off Una. I also do not plan to breed Una again. She does not produce enough milk to make her worth milking, and she has delivery problems. Unless something changes, I plan to just let her live her life here in comfort as a pet.

Doelings - Petals and Blossom continue to grow and thrive. They get one bottle a day now, in the late afternoon. They are eating hay and alfalfa pellets very well, and picking at grain. They were recently moved into the main barnyard with Tigger and Una. They do have their own little area with their shelter, hay rack, food, and water. Tigger and Una can't get into the little pen because the doorway is too small. I have a gate for entry. Tig and Una have shown the little ones that they are very much in charge, but Petals and Blossom (especially Blossom) have learned to scuttle out of the way when necessary.

Laying Hens - The layers are not producing the number of eggs I was hoping for. They are about 22 months old and have never properly molted, so I wonder if that could be the problem. I did use artificial light this past winter to keep the egg production going, which worked, but it probably confused their natural rhythm for molting. Some of them appear to be "partially molting." They have missing feathers on the necks and some on their backs. I'm getting 3-4 eggs a day from my 8 hens. My "guard rooster" is doing a great job fending off predators. Or, at least, I assume so. I haven't lost any hens since he arrived. He's a very, very nice rooster. He lets me collect eggs and walk amongst the hens without being threatening to me at all.

New Layers - We have a batch of 25 Rhode Island Red chicks in the brooder right now. They were one week old yesterday. They will be our new layer flock. I should have enough eggs in the Spring for ourselves and a few dozen a week to sell.

Meat Chickens - Our meat chickens are growing well. They are five weeks old, so in about a week or so we will start butchering the largest ones. We did lose one chick the first week. He couldn't stand very well and was obviously not going to make it, so we helped him along. Then, while moving the rolling cage one got his leg broken, so we butchered and ate him last week. On Sunday we noticed that one had been injured, we think during the thunderstorm. His crop was split open, his thigh skin was broken, and a wing was damaged. So Eddie butchered him on Sunday. We are letting him age until tomorrow when we will put him whole on the grill.

The first one we ate had the right flavor, but did seem a little firmer fleshed than the chickens from the grocery store. We are not sure if that is because we didn't age it, or because they naturally get more exercise when raised in this manner.

There's more to say, but wouldn't want to bore everyone, and I can't seem to get pictures to upload, so let me work on that and post again. I still need to update on the garden and cheesemaking...

Baby Chicks Arrive

2010-05-11T11:57:00.003-04:00

We ordered 25 baby broiler chicks and they arrived yesterday. They are all settled in to their brooder set up in the garage. We've never raised broiler chicks before, so this should be interesting. We have butchered six layer hens, and of course, many, many game birds.

They all arrived healthy and thirsty, and immediately started drinking, eating, and sleeping. They are suppose to be ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks, and since we want them on the small side, we are planning on 6 weeks. It's hard to imagine that they will grow that quickly, but that's what is suppose to happen. I'll keep you informed!

Petals and Blossom on Playset

2010-05-06T17:01:00.005-04:00

Just had to share this precious picture of the girls on their playset. It was taken on May 4. I know they both look like they should be Tigger's daughters, but Petals, on the left is Tigger's kid, and Blossom, on the right, is Una's.

New Pictures

2010-04-16T17:50:00.003-04:00

Above is Blossom at exactly two weeks old. And below is Petals, just shy of four weeks old.

Both doelings are growing well and thriving. Blossom, the younger, is a sturdy little thing and loves to jump and play. Petals is more reserved, and is long and lanky. She feels more like a cat than a goat. She's not as coordinated or as adventurous as Blossom.

They have a large fenced grassy area in our back yard to call their own. They have an insulated dog box for a shelter, a plastic picnic table, a large plastic playset with ramps and a sliding board, a little shade shelter that has a flat black roof they enjoy sunning themselves on, and their own food, grain, and hay.

The girls actually do play on the playset and go down the slide! It is laugh out loud funny to watch. Blossom is better at it than Petals, but Petals does get up there and enjoy herself.

Sweet Garden Blossom

2010-04-04T18:15:00.004-04:00

Una kidded Friday evening, April 2, with triplets: two bucklings and one doeling. We are keeping this doeling, in addition to Petals, so, announcing the arrival of Sweet Garden Blossom!

Blossom was butt first and had some difficulty arriving in the world. I had to reach in and get her rear legs to pull her out. I'd never done that before. Una's entire delivery was very much a learning experience with many, many phone calls to my friend and mentor for all things goat. Thank you again Jane! I was very ably assisted in the delivery by my outstanding husband Eddie, friend Kathleen, and cousin Carrie. Thanks so much to all of you. It was quite a night.

Blossom was smaller on arrival than Petals, and so is considerably smaller now than her big sister who is twelve days older. She's steady on her legs and will be chasing Petals soon. She's nursing very well. In fact, she learned faster than any of the kids I've bottle fed.

Looks like we're set for now. The plan is to have four does in milk next Spring. I should finally have enough to make all the cheese Eddie and I need, or anyway, that's the plan... Stay tuned!

Sweet Garden Petals

2010-03-23T15:18:00.007-04:00

Tigger kidded a text-book perfect quad delivery on Sunday morning, three bucklings and one doeling. She did a great job and I'm so proud of her. I plan to keep the doeling, so, ladies and gentlemen, presenting "Sweet Garden Petals."

Petals was the smallest and the last to be born, so she was pretty stressed afterwards. She couldn't stand and it was difficult to get her to nurse at all.

After some expert advice, I gave her some extra selenium, a shot of nutri-drench, and started feeding 1 oz. every two hours. By the last feeding last night she was sucking down 2.5 oz. Today she has gotten increasingly strong, now able to walk around and is nursing very well from the bottle.

Petals will join Tigger and Una as a milk doe for me next year about this time if all goes well. It's certainly hard to imagine the sweet little thing actually giving birth like Tigger did on Sunday!

I was getting pretty concerned about her yesterday morning, but she is really thriving now!

Welcome to the world Miss Petals!

I love Turnips -- Who knew?

2010-03-04T08:05:00.003-05:00

Eddie's uncle plants a large patch of turnips in the field behind our house every year. Since we built the root cellar last year, we decided we should really store up some turnips for the winter. So, my dad, Eddie's cousin Carrie, and I picked more than enough turnips to last us all through the winter and stored them in our root cellar.

I tried a simple saute with them, OK, but nothing great. Then I tried a turnip and apple saute, better. Next I found two other recipes, Turnip Supreme (turnips and cheese), and Glazed Turnips and Carrots... WOW! So good! The recipes both start the same way, then at the end you add either brown sugar or sour cream and cheese. Here's how it works:

Turnips Supreme or Glazed Turnips and Carrots
2 T butter
2-3 turnips, cut into small cubes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3/4 c. chicken broth (bouillion works fine)

For Glazed Recipe: 1-2 carrots, thinly sliced, and 1-2 T brown sugar
For Supreme: 2 T sour cream or yogurt, and 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in large skillet over medium low heat, pour in turnips (and carrots if making the glazed recipe). Stir until covered with butter, then let cook for 4 minutes without stirring. Stir, then let cook for another 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Take off lid, turn up heat, and let water cook off. When mostly dry:

For Turnips Supreme: Stir in about 2 tablespoons sour cream and 1/2 to 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Let cheese melt and serve. YUM!

For Glazed Turnips and Carrots: Stir in 1-2 T of brown sugar. Let melt and serve. YUM!

Eddie and I found that we did not like the leftovers from these recipes. The turnip flavor was way too strong in the leftovers. So, clean it all up at the first sitting!!

Little Tomme -- Vegetables

2010-02-23T16:04:00.005-05:00

I cut into the little Tomme this past Friday night. I'm very pleased with it. It is just a mild little cheese. I thought it would be a little softer, but it's nice and firm with a nice rind as you can see in the picture. It never developed any mold at all, so I never put vinegar on it or oil. It simply sat on my kitchen counter for three weeks. I've wrapped it in wax paper and put it in the fridge now to keep it from aging any more.

To the left see the assortment of vegetables grown right here that I used for our main meal today. The turnips I picked in the field behind our house. Eddie's uncle actually grew those. They've been in the root cellar with the carrots. The green, red, and purple sweet peppers are from the freezer. It's kind of like having a grocery store right here at the house!

Today's Menu:
Breakast: Quiche, Sage Sausage, Yogurt (yes, yogurt -- I've run out of frozen gogurt) with blueberries
Main Meal: Chicken Fajitas, Glazed Turnips and Carrots
Evening Snack: Beef Brisket with homemade mayonaise, apple with peanut butter, dark chocolate, and wine

Ingredients from Sweet Garden Farm: eggs, cheese, and milk in quiche, peppers and cheese in chicken fajitas, turnips (see note above), carrots, and eggs in mayonaise

Little Tomme

2010-02-07T15:10:00.005-05:00

I made a little Tomme on January 27. It's been drying/aging on my kitchen counter since then. It's developed a very nice rind and a lovely delicate aroma. I plan to cut into it the end of next week, or at about 3 1/2 weeks of age. I'm hoping that it is just a nice mild cheese.

I don't have any goat milk right now so I used two gallons of Trickling Springs milk that I purchased at Whole Foods. It is gently pasteurized, and not homogenized at all.

The Tomme hasn't developed any mold, probably because it is so dry in the kitchen. It is February after all, and we have a wood fire going all of the time in the room. I'm so anxious to taste it! Of course, even if it turns out great, it will be different using my own raw goat's milk. But, it would be nice to know that I have the process right.

Today's Menu
Breakfast: Apple Gouda Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Country Fried Steak, Steamed Green Beans with Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Pecans, and Shredded Ricotta Salata
Evening Snack: Salami, Cheeses, Melon, Wine, and Dark Chocolate

Ingredients from today's menu produced on Sweet Garden Farm: Chevre, eggs and milk in breakfast bake, gogurt, milk in gravy, ricotta salata and melons (all but the eggs were from the freezer). The green beans were picked at the farm next door last summer.

February 6, 2010 Blizzard

2010-02-07T13:56:00.002-05:00

We had about two feet of snow here in Maryland with the big snowstorm yesterday. Happily for Tigger and Una, Cousin Carrie dug pathways through the snow so the girls could move about. Tigger is six weeks from her due date, Una is seven and a half weeks from hers. I can hardly wait to have new babies and fresh milk!!

Just like last year, Tigger looked really big early, but she doesn't seem to be getting any bigger now, so she probably has triplets in there again. Una is definitely bigger than last year, so I'm still hoping for twins.

Guess How Many

2010-01-17T15:57:00.006-05:00

Here are Tigger and Una in pictures taken yesterday. Tigger starts her fourth month this Friday, Una starts her fourth month in about two weeks or so. What does everyone think? Tigger has had triplets I think the last four years or so in a row. Una had a single, then twins, then a single last year. My prediction is quads for Tigger (I really do think she's bigger than last year) and twins for Una. Post your predictions in the comment section.

Oh, also - Tigger, two doelings, two bucklings, Una, twin doelings. Last year was a buck year for me, three bucklings and one doeling, so I'm due for a doe year!!

Organic Chicken

2010-01-13T12:29:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to and follow the postings of Dr. Mercola at mercola.com. Yes, he can be a little annoying and too commercial, but I still think he's on the right track with most things. I also like that he changes his mind when new information comes out.

Well, not long ago he had a post where he said that organic meats are actually more important than organic produce. I grow most of my own vegetables. We eat fresh from the garden, or from the freezer and root cellar twelve months a year. So, the vast majority of our produce is organic. And, I've found an organic grass-fed beef provider that I am thrilled with, Nick's Organic Beef, but I haven't found chicken that I like so, I've just been purchasing the regular chicken from Whole Foods. It's hormone and antibiotic free, but not pastured or organic. The cut up organic chicken at Whole Foods is very expensive. So, yesterday at the store I decided to try something different. I purchased three organic, pastured whole chickens. They were $2.69 a pound. Yes, pricey, but way less than the skinless boneless nonorganic breasts.

The smallest of the three I put in the freezer to grill whole. I cut the other two whole chickens up into pieces. I now have two packages of skinless, boneless breasts, one package of leg quarters, one package of wings for buffalo wings, and two carcasses in a pot on the stove for making soup. I should get about five meals out of the two chickens. That comes to less than $4.00 per meal for pastured organic chicken. Works for me!

Updates: Mice, Pregnancy, Goat Nutrition and some Recipes

2010-01-11T18:02:00.006-05:00

Mouse Update: 54 mice killed in the barn since it was finished in the Fall of 2008.

Pregnancy Update: Tigger is looking very, very pregnant and she's not into her fourth month! She always has triplets, but maybe this year quads?!?! Una looks a little bit pregnant, not really much bigger than her normal tummy. She is about 10 days or so behind Tigger and is not likely to have more than twins. I'll be happy with one as long as it's a doeling and as long as Una comes through healthy and well. She had a difficult kidding in 2009.

Goat Nutrition Update: I've been working hard on my feeding program for 2010. I started with my two does in the Fall of 2008 and basically duplicated what the breeder had been doing. I did want to feed as organic and natural as I could, so I've made some changes. Last year's milk production, especially from Una, was less than I expected. I think some of that was my fault, due to ignorance. There are so many things that work together to unable each doe to live up to her full milking potential. This year I want to be very careful of my calcium to phosphorus ratio, using alfalfa and whole oats in proper proportions. I'll be providing kelp mixed with copper and selenium rich herbs, baking soda, and celtic sea salt (rich in minerals) free choice.

I'm right now trying to decide if an additional standard goat mineral supplement is necessary. I have received different opinions from experts, so I'm just not sure yet. I don't like the idea of giving my goats artificially produced vitamins and minerals, but I certainly will if it proves necessary.

Low Carb Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
1-2 organic garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 organic onion, chopped
3-4 cups chopped low starch organic vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and/or carrots)
1 can diced organic tomatoes (or 28-32 oz. fresh tomatoes)
about 3 cups water
about 3 t. Better Than Boullion
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
2 T organic butter, if desired
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef, garlic, and onion in soup kettle. Pour off grease if necessary. Add all other ingredients and allow to simmer for an hour or two. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. I like to serve this with a big block of cheddar cheese. YUM!

I made this recipe this afternoon. I used zucchini and tomatoes from the freezer, and carrots and cabbage from the root cellar.

For lunch today we had this:

Low Carb Chicken Fajitas
Olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast, cut in strips
Fajita seasoning*, to taste
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1-2 cups shredded cheese, Monterey Jack or whatever you have on hand

Brown the chicken breast in the olive oil in a large skillet. When the chicken is no longer pink, add the onion and peppers on top. Sprinkle on the fajita seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender crisp. Taste for seasonings. Turn off the heat, sprinkle cheese all over the mixture and cover for a minute or two until the cheese melts. Serve with salsa.

I used a red and green bell pepper from my freezer, and homemade mozzarella cheese. I served it with carrot salad made with carrots from the root cellar and mayonnaise made from our chicken eggs.

*Fajita Seasoning
4 T chili powder
2 T cumin
2 t. oregano
2 t. garlic powder or garlic salt

Mix all of the above together and use in place of Fajita seasoning in any recipe. You'll need to add salt and pepper to taste. I keep this mixed up and ready to use in my spice rack.

Just a Menu

2009-12-21T17:43:00.003-05:00

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Bacon, Over-Easy Eggs with Cheddar, Gogurt with Blueberries
Lunch: Mache Salad with Green Onions, Pecans, Grated Ricotta Salata, and Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing; Cod in Cream Sauce
Evening Snack: Leftovers - "Fried" Chicken Breasts, Cole Slaw, Green Beans, Dark Chocolate, and Wine

Ingredients in Today's Menu from Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, Gogurt, Mache, Green Onions, Ricotta Salata, Cabbage, and Carrots

Goats in the Snow

2009-12-20T14:13:00.006-05:00

Here are Tigger and Una during the height of the big snowstorm yesterday afternoon. When bad weather comes I close the roof on the little porch and one of the doors to the barn so the snow/rain doesn't get in. They do like to stand at the door and look out.

They are nice and cozy inside with their own water bucket, hay feeder, bench and lots of fresh straw. They also have their mineral feeder inside with them with free choice kelp and baking soda. They stayed in the barn all day yesterday, but finally came out today when Cousin Carrie dug paths for them to walk to the gate and to their cable spools. They're all set now, but they do seem a little unsure of all of this white stuff...

Fresh Cheese

2009-12-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

I made three little fresh cheeses for our church's women's Christmas Party as shown in the picture. They did turn out especially nice. The one on the left is flavored with smoked paprika, the middle one is garlic and chives, and the one on the right is cracked pepper.

These were done with a basic soft cheese recipe: starter culture, rennet, setting overnight, draining for two days in molds, salted and aged for one day, then served. The smoked paprika and the garlic and chive cheeses both had the flavorings layered within the cheese, but the cracked pepper was just on the outside. They looked so pretty on the plate. It was fun!

And Then There Were Two - Good Bye PJ!

2009-12-13T14:37:00.015-05:00

As I posted here back in July, PJ was loaned to me by a friend because I needed more milk. It was a perfect arrangement for both of us. However, my friend decided to sell PJ, and, although I think she is a great goat and I'm very fond of her, I did not want to buy her. She really didn't fit into my long term plans. So, I have returned PJ to my friend as PJ has been sold. I am back down to just Tigger and Una.

It seems so quiet in the barnyard. Most of the head butting was between Tigger and PJ. There's not much action between Tigger and Una as Una pretty much lets Tigger be Herd Queen without argument. Three goats just seemed much more like a herd.

My friend says she will loan me another goat next year after kidding, so that should work just fine. And, of course, I plan to keep two doelings from next year's kiddings (if I get two), but they won't give any milk until Spring of 2011.

I switched to 1x a day milking this past Wednesday, and totally stopped as of today, so no more milk until the end of March. I'll miss the milk and I'll miss milking the girls. I really do enjoy it, but I guess we all need the break.

Bye PJ, we all miss you! I sure hope your new owner is good to you!

Chili Cook Off Champion!

2009-11-16T14:17:00.003-05:00

My church had a fall themed gathering last night. It included a chili cookoff and dessert contests. I won first place in the chili cookoff, so I thought I should share my prize winning recipe. I started with a chili recipe that I found somewhere years ago, but I've altered it so much over time that I think I can safely call it mine:

Prize-Winning Chili

3 pounds ground beef (I used organic grass fed)
1 large organic onion, chopped
2 cloves organic garlic, crushed
2 pounds fresh or frozen organic tomatoes, peeled and chopped
a little olive oil
6-8 teaspoons "Better Than Boullion" Beef Base - (secret ingredient, shhhh!)
1 tablespoon raw organic turbinado sugar (second secret ingredient...)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
about 1 cup water
sea salt to taste

Brown ground beef, garlic, and onions in large skillet, drain grease and dump into slow cooker (I do this in two batches). Into same skillet place all other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes are tender and have fallen apart. Pour this combination over the ground beef in the crockpot. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. This makes a mild chili, which is what I like. Add more chili powder and cumin if you want it hotter. Enjoy!

New Clothes!

2009-11-14T15:46:00.007-05:00

The girls have new collars. I've had them for a few weeks, but wanted to wait until Sam was gone before I "dressed" them. They'll get dirty enough soon enough without his help. Didn't the girls pose nicely for their picture!

Here's a closeup of Una showing the embroidery. It says "Sweet Garden" which is my herd name. I ordered them from http://goodcollar.net/. It's ok to spoil them a little bit...

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Sausage Links, Cheese Omelet, and Gogurt with Blueberries

Main Meal: Chicken Breast, Peppers, Onions, and Carrots sauteed in Mojo Sauce, Swiss Chard Bake

Evening Snack: Church Function Tonight - typical snack foods.

Ingredients in today's menu from Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, Gogurt, Peppers, Carrots, Swiss Chard, and Cheese in Swiss Chard.

Samurai Comes to Visit

2009-11-09T16:34:00.006-05:00

It's breeding time at Sweet Garden Farm so the girls have a suitor, NC Promiseland SAI Samurai. Sam arrived on October 20. As of this past Wednesday, November 4, he had bred all three does. I was actually ready to return him to his home this morning and saw him mounting Tigger! So, he'll be staying a few more days to make sure that Tigger doesn't come back into heat. I do want to be sure of this pairing for Tigger as I plan to keep two of her doelings if she has two. Sam is related to several national champion milkers, and Tigger is my best milker, so I'm hoping the combination will be good. Tigger has the capacity, but not the form. Sam should bring capacity and form. Click on his picture in the sidebar to go to the website for his herd, Tiny Town Goats.

For those of you who are new to goats and their ways, Sam is actually completely white. During rut the bucks pee on themselves, especially their front legs and faces. This scent is supposedly very attractive to the does. Really! He does smell though, so I'll be happy to get rid of him, although he is an extremely well behaved boy, and no problem at all other than the odor. :) He was a bottle-fed baby, just like my three girls.

I hope to have kids the last of March and first of April. I will certainly have some available for sale, as I plan to keep only two doelings, but should have a total of five to seven kids.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Bacon, Simple Fried Eggs, Gogurt with Blackberries
Main Meal: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Homemade Seasoned Salt, Cheesy Kohlrabi, and Cole Slaw
Evening Snack: Cheeses and Salami, Grapes, Wine, and Dark Chocolate

Ingredients in today's menu from Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, Gogurt, Kohlrabi, and Cabbage

Seasoned Salt
3 T Coarse Sea Salt
1 T Paprika
1 T Celery Salt
2 t Garlic Powder
1 t Raw Sugar
1 t Onion Powder
1/2 t Cayenne
1/2 t Tumeric

Mix all ingredients and then pour into small shaker bottle. Shake on pork chops or chicken thighs before baking or grilling. YUM!

Link to Kohlrabi Recipe: http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/11783/summer-kohlrabi.html
I added about 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese to make it "Cheesy Kohlrabi."

Kid Update

2009-10-21T16:51:00.014-04:00

Here are WillYum and Woobie (Tigger's two sons) at home. Looks like they have lots of forage to choose from and lots of room to run. Also looks like they are totally spoiled; goats do hate rain...

BlueBell (Tigger's daughter) and her bunk mate Moon Lily are shown on the right. BlueBell is to be bred this Fall for a Spring delivery. Yes, that's standard to breed a young doe to kid for her first time when she is one year old.

Breeding season has begun for me. Yesterday my chosen Buck arrived and is now in the yard with Tigger, Una, and PJ. So far he's shown considerable interest in PJ, but none for the other two. He'll be here until he's bred all three which might only take a couple of days, or might take a couple of weeks.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Goat Cheese Quiche, Uncured Kielbasa, Gogurt with Blueberries

Main Meal: Grilled Chicken with Homemade Seasoned Salt, Creamed Swiss Chard, and Pickled Beets

Evening Snack: Salami, Cheese, Grapes, Wine and Dark Chocolate

A Tale of Mice

2009-10-10T17:52:00.003-04:00

I have officially killed thirty-six mice in the barn since it was built. I've been keeping track by putting marks on the wall.

When I realized that I was going to have mice out there, and that I really couldn't ask my husband to bait the traps and dispose of them for me, I decided that I better learn to do it myself. So, I bait the traps, and when I catch one, I dump the body in the field (outside of the barnyard) and reset the trap. I do wear gloves!

There's really no way to keep them out of the barn, there are so very many ways they can get in. But, I sure don't want them setting up house in there.

I've devised a strategy that seems to work pretty well. I use to put traps all around the milk room, but the mice would steal the bait and not get caught. So now I set up kind of an ambush. I put five to six traps in a circle. In order to eat the bait off of one trap, they have to stand on another. Sometimes one mouse will get caught by several traps. That's fine. I do want to be sure that they are dead. And they are, thirty-six so far...

Today's Menu
Breakfast: Uncured Bacon, Scrambled Farm Eggs, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Large Salad with Garden Lettuce, Garden Tomatoes, Garden Green Peppers, Onions, and Shredded Ricotta Salata Cheese, dressed with Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing; Grilled Chicken Thighs with Homemade Seasoned Salt; and Pickled Garden Beets
Evening Snack: Grapes, Assorted Cheeses and Salami, Wine, Dark Chocolate

First Fall Cabbage

2009-09-22T18:54:00.003-04:00

I made cole slaw today from our first head of fall cabbage. It's a small savoy cabbage called "Minuet." It's very tender and delicious. The fall garden is coming along nicely

I made soft goat cheese yesterday afternoon which has to sit at room temperature overnight. Then during the day today I drained it. From one gallon I got two pounds of soft goat cheese. It's in the refrigerator now. I'll move it to the freezer in the morning.

I picked several dozen tomatoes; I'll freezer those in a couple of days.

I cooked up 6 packages of zucchini and onions that went in the freezer, and cleaned and froze about two dozen sweet peppers.

A good day's work.

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Pork Link Sausage, Over-easy eggs, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Sliced Tomatoes with Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, and Ricotta Salata, Cole Slaw, and Grilled Pork Chops sprinkled with Homemade Seasoned Salt
Evening Snack: Salami with Soft Goat Cheese and Hot Pepper Jelly, Crustless French Silk Pie with Real Whipped Cream

Fall and Winter Gardening

2009-09-10T12:55:00.004-04:00

Most of my fall garden has been planted. For the root cellar I've planted red beets, golden beets, carrots, kohlrabi, cabbage, and celeriac. In the unheated greenhouse area (it's open now but will be covered up after we start getting frosts) we have six squares. I've planted one square of swiss chard, one square of fall lettuce, and one square with some scallions and spinach. I plan on another square of spinach, and two squares of winter lettuces. Lettuce and spinach grows very, very slowly in the winter so I'll need a lot planted. I learned this last year. I've also planted a few brussels sprout plants. They are out in the open and will be fine until January or so.

The book I'm using as a guide for winter planting is called Four Season Harvest and is written by Eliot Coleman. It's been invaluable in learning about winter gardening.

Last year Eddie built a portable greenhouse that covers six of our raised beds. We put it up in November and took it down in March. We ate spinach and lettuce all winter long from the greenhouse. I'm hoping it will do even better this year. The soil is in better shape from all the great compost we've been making, and I have a little better idea of what I'm doing.

Right now we're still enjoying lots of tomatoes, some cucumbers, melons, incredibly delicious zucchini, peppers, eggplant, and carrots. We had our first fall lettuce yesterday. It was tender and delicious!

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Uncured Pork Bacon, Over-easy Fried Farm Eggs, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: No-Noodle Lasagna, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Fresh Melon
Evening Snack: Shrimp Cocktails, Wine, Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce

No-Noodle Lasagna

1 lb. grassfed ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil

Step One: Put a little olive oil in a large skillet and heat to medium. Add crumbled ground beef and all of the above ingredients. Cook and stir until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain if necessary.

1 28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Step Two: Add the above ingredients to the meat and vegetable mixture in the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and let cook until the other components of the dish are ready.

1 lb. of ricotta
2 eggs
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning

Step Three: Combine the above ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

8-12 oz. shredded mozzarella

Step Four: Assemble - Put half of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, cover with all of the ricotta mixture and about 1/3 of the mozzarella. Then cover that with the rest of the meat mixture and all of the rest of the mozzarella.

Step Five: Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and a little brown on top.

Variation: You can leave out the green pepper and eggplant. If you do, cut the spaghetti sauce down to half a jar and assemble in a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.

Enjoy!

"Chenna"

2009-08-19T13:21:00.004-04:00

I tried a new cheese called "Chenna" a couple of days ago. It turned out really good. Here's what you do:

First you make "Panir" (also called "Paneer"):
1 gallon whole milk
8 T lemon juice or 2 t. citric acid dissolved in 3/4 c. hot water

In a large pot directly heat the milk to a gentle boil, stirring often to prevent scorching. Reduce the heat to low and drizzle in the lemon juice (or citric acid in water). Cook for 10-15 seconds. Remove from heat and stir gently until large curds form. Let set for 10 minutes. Ladle curds into a colander lined with butter muslin (I use old sheeting). Tie the corners of the fabric into a knot and hold the bag under a gentle stream of lukewarm water for 5-10 seconds. Twist the top of the muslin to squeeze out extra whey. Hang the bag to drain for 2-3 hours or place fabric covered curds in the colander and place a heavy object on top and press for 2 hours at room temperature. Eat right away or store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Chenna
1 recipe Paneer
Noniodized salt to taste
herbs, pepper, garlic to taste
Olive oil, for shallow frying

Follow directions for Paneer up to rinsing under lukewarm water and squeezing out excess whey. Put wrapped cheese in colander, place a 5-pound weight on top and press for 45 minutes. Unwrap the cheese, break apart and press with a clean cloth to remove any remaining whey. Knead the cheese like bread on your counter or cutting board for about 10 minutes until it is light and smooth, without any grainy texture. Add salt, herbs, garlic, etc. in any combination desired. Shape cheese into flat patties and shallow fry them in olive oil. Store in refrigerator 1 to 2 weeks, fry just before serving.

I added salt to the whole recipe, then divided the "dough" into 4 balls. I put different seasonings in each one: one I left plain, just with salt added, one I sprinkled with a mixed Italian seasoning blend and pepper, one I mixed with herbs de provence, and one I mixed with fresh garlic and dried chives. We've eaten all but the herbs de provence patty. They all turned out delicious!

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Homemade Country Sage Pork Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Raspberries
Main Meal: Grilled Pork Tenderloin marinated in garlic, dijon mustard, and honey; Tromboncino Zucchini and onions sauteed in olive oil and butter with crumbled Ricotta Salata; Fresh Garden Honeydew Melon
Evening Snack: Leftover grilled chicken, Chenna cheese with herbs de provence seasoning, grapes, wine, dark chocolate

We've been thrilled with the Tromboncino Zucchini. See a picture here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/31890/. I've given some to my parents and to my friend Carolyn and they are also very impressed. The seeds are only in the bulb end, but they don't get big. The squash sautes beautifully and doesn't get mushy. Today we had it just with onions, but I've also included it in mixed stir-fries with eggplant, carrots, etc. and it's just delicious. This is one plant that I will definitely be planting again. The vines grow very long though. I have one that must be twenty feet long. I've got it tied to my fence.

Milk Production

2009-08-13T17:14:00.003-04:00

I tried to get a picture of all three goats on the spools, but when I come near the fence they usually stand up and run towards me. They are so cute each laying down on a spool. It took PJ a week or ten days to figure out that one could be hers, but she's up there just as much as Tigger and Una now.

Earlier this year (when I just had Tigger and Una) my milk production seemed to really be plummeting. I posed my question on a Nigerian Dwarf yahoo group I belong to and the consensus was either a copper deficiency or subclinical mastitis. I thought the copper deficiency, or perhaps just a general mineral deficiency made sense, but decided to pursue both a copper deficiency and subclinical mastitis as possibilities. Several people on the group recommended that I contact Kat at Fir Meadows (www.firmeadow.com) to get some recommendations.

She recommended that I start with a liver cleanse, and then for the copper use kelp with an herbal blend high in copper and selenium. She recommended a salve for the possible subclinical mastitis. I purchased all of these items and began using them around July 20. Within about two weeks there was a marked improvement in my milk production. Tigger, my best milker, is up about 30% and holding nicely at that new level. Una is up just a slight bit. I haven't noticed any change in PJ. PJ is not receiving the salve or the liver cleanse. She does get the free choice kelp with herbal blend. I decided to kind of use PJ as my control goat. I don't want to experiment with her anyway, since she belongs to someone else, so that works out nicely.

I know that Tigger and Una have not been eating the minerals I have had out all Spring and Summer. I've replaced them several times, but they just aren't eating them. I think the whole bag is stale. All three goats have been gobbling up the kelp like they are starving for it, but especially Tigger and Una. I've gone through five pounds of kelp since July 20 with just these three little goats. I think Tigger and Una especially were mineral depleted and that may have been what caused the drop in milk. Una never really got up to where I would have expected her to be, she's still at her maximum production. Tigger is now, according to the charts I've seen, about where she should be when starting her sixth month of lactation.

So, I'm thrilled with these results. I'll continue the liver cleanse through the Fall, as Kat has instructed. I've used up all of the mastitis salve. I'll continue with the kelp with copper and selenium herbs. Kat has also made some other suggestions about feed in answer to my questions. When I get rolling on that I'll post that too, but enough for today.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Uncured Bacon, Eggs Scrambled in Butter with crumbled Ricotta Salata, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Fresh Garden Tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and crumbled Ricotta Salata; grilled Red Peppers, Carrots, Onions, and Eggplant; Marinated and Grilled Sirloin Steak
Evening Snack: Fresh Garden Melon, Manchego Cheese dipped in Tapenade, Wine, Dark Chocolate

PJ Comes to Visit

2009-07-23T15:38:00.005-04:00

Miss Broody Update: Finally I put Miss Broody in her own cage in the barn. She had to stay there all day long. I did give her food and water, and after three days I set her free. She's cured! So, all ten hens are back in business.

Other news: I have a new goat. Well, she's not really mine, she's a loaner goat from my friend and goat mentor. I haven't had as much milk as I wanted, so my friend is loaning me a doe. I'll return her in the fall. (See PJ's picture in the sidebar area.)

I picked her up yesterday. There's been a lot of head butting between Tigger and PJ. (See picture above.) They are trying to establish a herd queen. So far Tigger is definitely on top, but it remains to be seen what will happen once PJ settles in. She's found the food, water, and minerals, and she was very well behaved on the milkstand this morning and last night, so, so far, so good.

I need more milk so I can make gogurt, mozzarella, ricotta, and soft cheese enough to last me through the winter when the does are dry, i.e. when I have no milk. Right now I have very little in the freezer. I just can't imagine going back to store bought after having these delicious goat milk products, made right here. Yes, I'm spoiled.

Today's Menu

Breakfast: Pork Sausage, Egg, Onion, and Cheese Scramble; Gogurt with Raspberries
Main Meal: Mixed Green Salad with Garden Lettuce, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Chopped Walnuts, Shredded Colby Cheese and Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing (salad dressing recipe in the June 8, 2009 post); Cheesy Kohlbari and Smoked Ham Casserole
Evening Snack: Cheeses, grapes, salami, dark chocolate and wine

Miss Broody

2009-06-30T17:55:00.005-04:00

Well, we have a broody hen. This means that the hen has decided it's time to hatch some eggs. So, she keeps trying to sit on the eggs that the other hens have laid each day. There are a couple of problems with this. First, the eggs are not fertile (since we have no rooster) so they will never hatch. Second, because she sits more than she roams, eats, and drinks, she probably isn't laying very many eggs herself. Third, she's taking up one of the next boxes, and the other hens get annoyed because they can't get in to lay their eggs.

I looked on line for some remedies. I've tried most of them. First, keep taking her off of the nest. Then, put ice cubes under her. Put her in a separate cage so she can't get on the nest. With this one you are suppose to put the cage up in the air so that the wind blows under her. The last one I saw was dunk her bottom in ice water. I've tried all of these except for the separate cage, because that makes more work for me, providing separate food and water for her. Yes, I even dunked her bottom in ice water, twice. She did not like it at all, but shortly thereafter she was back on the nest.

I'm ready to have her for dinner. I'm open to suggestions, though.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Eggs Scrambled with Spring Onions and Grated Cheese, Uncured Bacon, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: "Spinach" Salad with Onions, Carrots, Chopped Pecans, and Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing; Grilled Pork Chops seasoned with Homemade Seasoned Salt; Peas and Minced Garlic Sauteed in Butter and Olive Oil; Apple with Peanut Butter
Evening Snack: Salami, Cheeses, Grapes, Wine, and Dark Chocolate

It's "Spinach" Salad because it's made with a spinach imposter. Spinach does not grow well in the Summer, in fact, all of mine has bolted. But this year I tried something new, called New Zealand Spinach. It's suppose to grow all Summer without bolting, and taste like Spinach. So far we like it. It has a little greener taste than Spinach, but the plants are growing well, and it's tender and nice. I like it very much with this Honey Mustard Dressing.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

Mix all ingredients together. Chill.

Why Raw Goat Milk?

2009-06-27T18:08:00.001-04:00

One of the things that I have become convinced of over the last several years is the over processing of our food. Virtually everything Americans eat comes from a box, can, or package. I believe that the additives and preservatives added to the food, genetically modified ingredients, pesticide and herbicide residues, among a host of other things, take most of the goodness out of our foods. This applies to milk as well. Milk that you purchase at the store has been heated quickly (pasteurization) and pushed by strong force through a tiny screen (homogenization). This creates a liquid that is dead, and that needs to have vitamins added back because they are destroyed by the processing. Many experts believe that the pasteurization and homogenization of our milk is contributing to the high rates of heart disease, cancer, allergies and other illnesses. I'm sure no expert, but I've researched this and am convinced. Here's more: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/Raw_Milk_FAQ.html.

The problem with all of this is that raw milk is illegal to buy or sell in Maryland. So, I bought my own goats. I can have raw milk, raw milk yogurt, raw milk ice cream and raw milk cheeses, both fresh cheeses and aged. Also, because I control how the goats are fed and handled, I know the milk is as good as it can be. And it is. It tastes like melted ice cream, especially early in the girls' lactation, when the fat is extra high. Nigerian Dwarf goats are prized for their especially sweet milk with high butterfat. My girls sure live up to their reputation.

I chose goats over a cow because I would have needed a lot more pasture for a cow, and I would have had way too much milk. Also, I didn't like the idea of having to handle a large animal. I chose miniature dairy goats because I have a very small pasture for them (only 1/5 of an acre) and I wanted them to have plenty of room. They do. I really love my little goats that only come up to my knee and weigh about 60-70 pounds. When one of them accidentally steps on my toe, it's no big deal. And that does happen. It would be a very big deal if a full grown cow stepped on my toe!!

The next event on our goat calendar is rebreeding in late October for Spring kids. Every year the does have to be bred in order to "freshen" the milk for another year. I'll give them two months off when they are "dry" (no milk), the last two months of their pregnancy. Then they'll give birth in the Spring, and I'll be off again for another year of delicious milk!

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Uncured Bacon, Over-easy Eggs fried in butter, Gogurt with Fresh Blueberries
Main Meal: Green and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Crumbled Pecans, Sliced Spring Onions, and Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing (see June 8, 2009 post for recipe); Grilled Chicken Thighs with Homemade Seasoned Salt; Swiss Chard Bake
Evening Snack: Leftover Grass-fed Pot Roast (see June 9, 2009 post for recipe), Fresh Garden Carrots and Celery dipped in Sour Cream Ranch Dip, Wine, Goat Ice Milk with Chocolate Syrup

Swiss Chard Bake

1 1/2 lbs. Swiss Chard - cleaned, ribs removed, cut into small pieces
1/2 onion, minced
2 T butter
1 cup eggs, well beaten
1 cup whole milk
1/2 t. salt
few drops of pepper sauce
2 cups (4 oz) shredded cheese, or 8 oz. soft goat cheese

Melt butter in large skillet, add Swiss Chard slowly until all is in the pan and it has wilted. Cook for a few minutes until just tender. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Place the cooked Swiss Chard in the dish, sprinkle the onion over, and cover with the cheese.

Mix together the beaten egg, milk, salt, and pepper sauce and pour on top of the Swiss Chard, onions and cheese. Bake about an hour or so at 350 degrees until lightly browned and set.

Note: I like this recipe because I can use the abundant Swiss Chard from my garden along with my own onions, eggs, milk, and cheese!

Barnyard View

2009-06-22T17:13:00.003-04:00

Tigger and Una spend most of their time on their spools. They love being up in the air. Eddie collected these spools for me from different construction sites he has visited. I actually have one more, but we're keeping that one in reserve for when these rot. They aren't made of pressure treated wood, so they won't last long.

My dad built the ladder last year when I first got the goats, and that worked fine for awhile. But when they each got a few months pregnant in the winter they had a hard time getting up on the spools, so I asked him to build the steps. They learned very quickly that even with their very big tummies they could get up on the spools easily with the steps.

The girls are extremely friendly. They usually run to the gate to greet me when I go out to check on them. When visitors stop by they are always amazed at how tame my goats are.

I milk twice a day. This time of year it's usually around 6:15am and 6:15pm each day. I don't like milking in the dark, so when the days get shorter I'll milk later in the morning and earlier in the evening.

The goats get all the hay they can eat, loose vitamins and minerals, baking soda, and water. They get a measured portion of grain when they are milked.

They are happy, playful, and affectionate animals who give the most delicious milk I've ever tasted.

Chickens

2009-06-12T18:11:00.006-04:00

The brown chicken is a Partridge Plymouth Rock, the white chicken is a Delaware, the light brown and white is called Salmon Favorelle, and the black is an Australorp.

We have two of each except for the Salmon Favorelles. We have four of those.

Here are our ten chickens. They are "multi-purpose breeds" meaning that they are suppose to be good layers and good to eat too. We have found, at least so far, that they are fine layers, but that they aren't very good to eat unless you cook them exactly right.

We originally purchased sixteen chickens; we've eaten six of them, ranging from pretty tough to yummy. The last two were yummy after my eighty-nine year old mom told me how her mom use to cook the live chickens they use to get. She said to boil them first until tender, let them drain, then roll in flour, salt, and pepper, and brown in oil. That worked nicely.

And the eggs are great!

Menu and a Recipe

2009-06-09T18:18:00.004-04:00

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Goat Cheese Quiche, Uncured Pork Kielbasa, Gogurt with Raspberries
Main Meal: Caesar Salad with Shredded Ricotta Salata, Grass Fed Crock Pot Roast with Carrots and Leeks, Apple with Peanut Butter
Evening Snack: Salami and Assorted Cheeses, Grapes, Wine, Soft Goat Cheese with Strawberries

Grass Fed Crock Pot Roast with Carrots and Leeks
Bacon drippings
1 1/2 to 2 lb. Grass Fed Chuck Roast, sliced into two steaks
3-4 carrots, cut into chunks
1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed and sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped or sliced
2 T white flour
1 t. Herbs de Provence
1 c. beef broth (I use "Better than Boullion") - hot
Salt and Pepper to taste (be sure and taste first, as the bacon is salty so you might not need any salt)

Melt about 2 T of the bacon drippings in a large stainless steel skillet until hot. Brown the chuck steaks on each side and then put in a 3 or 3 1/2 quart crockpot. Put more bacon fat in the pan and brown the onions, leeks, and carrots, and then put in crockpot with chuck steaks. Melt another 2 T of bacon fat in skillet until hot and slowly stir in the 2 T flour until bubbly and smooth. Very slowly stir in the 1 c. of hot beef broth. You should have a nice thick gravy. Add about a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence and pour the gravy over the meat and vegetables in the crockpot. Using a spatula, pull the two steaks up so that the vegetables are at the bottom of the crockpot with the steaks on top. Cook on "high" for about three hours or until a fork goes easily into the meat. If you are using a chuck roast that is not grass fed it will probably take a little longer. Check your seasonings. Serve the steaks with the vegetables on the side. One or two small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters could be added with the vegetables. Enjoy! Makes 2-4 servings, depending on your appetite!

Summer Hairdo's

2009-06-08T18:59:00.009-04:00

Tigger and Una got their summer haircuts yesterday. They were shaved down to 1/16th inch most everywhere, a little shorter on their feet and udder.

(That black thing above Tigger's back is part of a chicken.) We brought the milkstand out of the barn and set it up in the garage. Tigger was an angel, standing most all the time patiently while Eddie and I both worked on her. Una was a bit more of a challenge. She really does not like having her back legs or her udder shaved!

The goats are shaved so they can be cooler in the summer and so that we can check their skin for any problems. With their hair nice and short the sun can get to it and dry up any sores they might have. It also helps if they have acquired any lice over the winter, but we didn't see any evidence of any bugs.

We had planned to give them baths also, but decided it just wasn't necessary. They don't smell at all, and aren't dirty. Funny, we have to give our dogs baths every several weeks during the Summer or they really stink, but the goats just don't... I guess that's a good thing. Regardless, here they are with their new hairdo's.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Uncured Thick Slice Bacon, Over-Easy Fried Eggs, Gogurt with Blueberries

Main Meal: Spinach Salad with shredded Ricotta Salata and Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Grilled Chicken Thighs with Homemade Season Salt, Sliced Apple and Peanut Butter

Evening Snack: Blackberry Wine Coolers, Shrimp Cocktail, Goat Milk Ice Cream with Chocolate Syrup

Sweet Oil and Vinegar Dressing

1 T raw sugar

1 T red wine vinegar

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T water

salt and pepper to taste

Measure all ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Wisk thoroughly with a fork. Add salad greens on top and toss. Will dress two large plate size salads. Enjoy!

Sights Around the Farm

2009-06-06T20:33:00.023-04:00

Finally the rain has stopped and I can enjoy some of the sights around Sweet Garden Farm: the freshly harvested garlic, drying by the rear of the house, the Vegetable Garden Gate with the view of the neighbor's barns and fields beyond, and the Portulaca I have growing in a pot on the picnic table on the back patio. In the distance behind the Portulaca you can see Eddie's sister's house.

The Stella d'Oro Daylilies are doing well this year.

The Hosta Garden, above, turned out really pretty. It's a shady area we could never seem to decide how to plant. And at left my garden angel sign, welcoming one and all to the vegetable garden.

Right now I'm harvesting Leaf Lettuce, Romaine, Spinach (although that is about done), Sugar Snap Peas, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Cabbage, Spring Onions, and Carrots. The beets are almost ready. There will be a time delay before the regular Summer crops start producing.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Homemade Sage Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Cherries

Main Meal: Caesar Salad with Shredded Ricotta Salata, Chili and Sugar Crusted Salmon, Snap Peas and Carrots sauteed with Garlic and Spring Onions

Evening Snack: Blackberry Wine Coolers, Assorted Cheeses and Salami, Dark Chocolate

Chili and Sugar Crusted Salmon

2 6oz portions of skinless wild caught Salmon Fillets

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

Salt to taste

2 T chili powder

2 T raw sugar

Mix together the 2 T chili powder and 2 T raw sugar. Set aside. Melt the butter and olive oil in a small stainless steel saute pan until hot over medium heat. Add the salted salmon, smooth side down. Cook for three minutes. Turn Salmon over. Sprinkle Chili and Sugar mixture over top of Salmon to form a 1/4 inch thick crust. Cook for three minutes. While cooking, spoon some of the melted butter and olive oil in the pan over the top of the salmon. Pour any remaining butter and olive oil over the salmon in the serving dish. Makes 2 servings.

This and That

2009-06-03T16:45:00.007-04:00

My dad was over this morning, working to finish the small hayrack he built in the barn for when it rains. Usually the goats go to the large free-standing hayrack he built which is out in the barnyard, but when it rains or snows they've been stuck in the barn with no food. So, I asked my dad to build a small hay rack under cover. It's working out great.

I picked more peas, some leeks that overwintered, leaf lettuce, and spring onions today. The garden is looking really nice, just a few bugs on the pole beans and cabbage; quite a few bugs on the eggplants.

I sent my dad home with a head of cabbage, a couple of salads worth of Romaine, some spring onions, and a dozen eggs.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Homemade Pork Sage Sausage, Pumpkin Breakfast Bake, Gogurt with Cherries
Lunch: Leaf lettuce salad with spring onions, strawberries, crumbled goat cheese and oil and vinegar dressing; Cod sauteed in butter with leeks and garlic and finished with a simple white sauce; Peas and Leeks sauteed in olive oil and butter
Evening Snack: Crudites with a ranch goat cheese dip, General Tso's Chicken (from Whole Foods), Wine, Dark Chocolate

This afternoon I trimmed the goat's hooves. They DO NOT LIKE TO HAVE THIS DONE! They try to pull their hooves away, but I hold on until they stop. (I can't let them think they are in control.) I trim their hooves every 4-6 weeks. They get up on the milkstand and I feed them, but it's just not enough to keep them happy. It's a real workout for me, holding on!

I collected eight eggs today, so far. Sometimes I'll get one late in the day, but most of the eggs are usually laid by early afternoon. I have ten chickens, but only two nest boxes. They usually all try to get in the same one. Sometimes there are three chickens in the one box at the same time. It's really comical.

Pumpkin Breakfast Bake:
1 regular size can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
8 oz. soft goat cheese (or cream cheese)
1 cup of eggs
1 t. liquid Stevia (or 2/3 c. Splenda Measure)
1/4 c. raw sugar (if using the Stevia)
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

Combine all ingredients using a mixer. Pour batter into a buttered glass pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until center is done.

I cut this into eight servings, then freeze meal-size packages. I take it out the evening before I need it and then microwave it in the morning so that it's warm. YUM.

The Way We Eat

2009-06-02T16:08:00.005-04:00

Eddie and I eat, as much as is reasonable a whole foods diet of no grain or starches, limited sugar, organic, free range, and grassfed. Most people would say it's too expensive to eat this way, we contend that it is too expensive not to eat this way. Both of us are much, much, healthier now since we changed our diet. Both of us have eliminated long term prescription drug use, neither of us has had a cold or the flu in years, and we both feel great. We eat lots of eggs, full fat dairy, meats, vegetables, some fruit (especially berries, apples, and melons in season), dark chocolate and wine. Eddie drinks coffee and water, I drink hot and iced teas, no sodas for either of us.

For the summer, while Eddie is working on the house remodeling, we've been having our main meal in the early afternoon, with just snacks and wine in the evening. Here's today's menu, a pretty typical day:

Breakfast: Thick sliced uncured bacon, Goat Cheese Quiche, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Caesar Salad, No Noodle Lasagna, Sauteed Swiss Chard
Evening Snack: Assorted Cheeses and Salami, Grapes, Wine, Strawberries with Goat Milk Ice Cream

We usually share an apple at the main meal too, dipped in peanut butter, but were too full today to have that.

Many of the things we eat were produced/grown right here: the eggs, cheese, and milk in the quiche; the yogurt; the Romaine and the Ricotta Salata cheese in the Caesar Salad; the Ricotta and Mozzarella in the Lasagna; the Swiss Chard; some of the cheeses in the evening snack; the strawberries; and most of the ingredients for the Goat Milk Ice Cream.

Needless to say, I spend an absolutely enormous amount of time in the kitchen. That's OK, because I really enjoy it. I spent several hours this morning picking and preparing produce for today's menus and making the lasagna. This afternoon I made a one gallon batch of Ricotta Cheese which I will press overnight to turn into Ricotta Salata, a hard cheese which can be sliced or grated like Parmesan, but takes way, way, less time.

We're trying to reach the place where virtually everything (within reason) that we eat is produced or grown right here. Obviously we'll always need to purchase some spices, oils, salt and pepper, etc. We have a long way to go, but half the fun is the journey!

First Post

2009-06-01T16:36:00.001-04:00

I decided to start a blog to document the comings and goings here at Sweet Garden Farm. We just decided on the name a few weeks ago. Right now we have a large vegetable garden, two Nigerian Dwarf milking does and ten chickens. I gather between six and ten eggs each day, usually seven or eight. We eat a lot of eggs! And right now my two goats are providing about a half a gallon of milk each day. That is low, actually. I'm working with their feed trying to figure out how to increase production. I purchased the goats and chickens last fall, so I'm new to this. So far it's going pretty well...

We have a rabbit trying to set up house in the vegetable garden. She's dug three holes so far, in the leaf lettuce, under the beets, and under the Romaine. We put some fencing over the gate so that she can't get in. Hopefully this will discourage her from nesting in the produce...

This morning I made Crustless Goat Cheese Quiche. Turned out great. It's made with my farm fresh eggs, homemade soft goat cheese, goat milk, minced garlic, chives, salt, pepper, and butter for the pan.

I was pleased today at lunch. We had a delicious salad made with lettuce, spring onions, and strawberries, all from the garden, with crumbled goat cheese on top. We also had the first snap peas of the year, sauteed in butter, olive oil, and garlic. Yum.

I spent some time today cleaning up the yard, weeding and trimming trees. I also tied up the peas again, they are about five feet tall so far.

I plan to chronicle what I'm planting, cooking, etc. Hopefully someone will find my musings interesting!