Friday, May 11, 2012
Goats...
It seemed like a good idea at the time, as many of our ideas do. We wanted to recreate the feel of Italy and so we put in a vineyard. I wanted to make cheese and so we got our first goats. Both seem like quite a jump, don’t they?
The vineyard was easy. We like to grow things. We knew that we wanted blackberries and grapes. I hate snakes and wild blackberry picking is unpleasant because serpents can be lurking in the tall grass and then there are also the thorns. It is dangerous work, berry picking.
The vineyard idea solved several problems. By training the vines (both grape and blackberry) onto wires, we could manage the ground cover and I would be able to see if there was a snake nearby. The vineyard would also be visually appealing from the porch. We were even able to purchase thornless blackberries. Hurray!!!!
The vineyard idea happened quickly. One morning as we sat outside, I casually said (and I know all of you have said the same thing a thousand times…) “I think a vineyard would look nice there.” Jerry agreed and said that he had been wanting to put one in and so we did…in four days time.
The goats were a similar happening. I wanted to make cheese, but needed goat milk. Whole Foods has the only supply that I know of in the area. It is expensive to purchase goat milk, but still cheaper to buy the milk and make the cheese than to purchase the cheese. There was another option…get goats.
I don’t remember ever saying “I want goats” and I don’t remember Jerry saying it either. The goats seem to have sprung from both of our minds. One day we were gardeners, the next Jerry is scoping out goats on Craig’s List. Then we were building a barn and putting up a fence. Before we knew it, we were bringing Maggie and her twins, Molly and Max, home with us.
I would never consider myself to be an animal lover. Some folks just go gooey when they see an animal. Not me, although after our sweet female Corgi, also Molly, I understand just how attached one can become to a pet. Goats aren’t pets, though. They are barnyard animals, right?
Oh, how wrong I was…
Friday, May 4, 2012
wooops....
I don't want to count how many days have passed since my last post. I am pretty sure that my math skills would be put to the test. There have been some very cool developments in my cooking adventures.
The first is that we did purchase the perfect house that Jerry talked about in a post from January 2010. He mentioned a large kitchen and dining room. We have that now. He didn't mention land for a garden, but we were fortunate enough to find our kitchen surrounded by 23 acres.
We have done nothing to the interior of the house save painting the dining room. We have spent all of our time outside. We have a lovely garden inspired by the gardens we saw in England during our trip there to celebrate John's graduation from VCU. We built 25 4'X4' raised beds that are surrounded by ornamental beds on the the sides and corners. It is truly beautiful. It is also productive. Last summer we dined on fresh tomatoes, lettuces, okra, eggplant, peppers of every variety, but very little squash. We learned that humid weather introduces the black rot. Squash doesn't like black rot.
In the fall, we purchased and planted more fruit trees. In addition to the large apple that was already here, we have added three varieties of figs, more apples, peaches, pear and plum trees. We have also planted a bed of blueberries and elder berries.
Jerry and I are not afraid of a challenge. We decided that we wanted a vineyard and in the course of four days, we put one in. It isn't finished (we need to take cutting from our plants to finish off the rows), but it is a lot of fun. We planted four varieties of grapes (5 plants each) and three types of blackberries (five plants each). When they have matured, each of the grape vines will produce a gallon of wine. I can't wait to see how that turns out.
Last year we also had chickens and I did love the fresh eggs. Hurricane Irene blew through and left us without power for nine days and so the cooking was limited. The eggs were a blessing, but I am not fond of chickens. We had the miserable luck to have mean chickens last year. Come October, we were happy to give them away and I swore I would never have them again.
We presently have 11 chickens. They are sweet and docile (no more attacks and escape attempts when I go to collect eggs). We also have three goats and are in the process of purchasing at least one more milk goat. I love cheese and making cheese is a lot of fun. It seemed to make sense to milk my own goats instead of spending a fortune on goat milk. Maggie is the mamma goat and Molly and Max are her twins. Max is going to get "fixed" soon and they will both be weaned so that I can have the milk. Jerry built a milking stand the other night and I am gathering and ordering all my cheese ingredients and equipment. I don't know where this is going. One minute I am thinking that I need more milk and the next I am a bit afraid that I will be making cheese 24/7. That panic increased this past when when I returned from a visit with my former students.
Jerry called me into the office to show me something on his computer. Three things actually. Sheza Sweetheart, WD Caroline, and a year old little bull that we are going to name Super Studley were in their glory. We are finally going to start our Longhorn herd. They are enormous animals and are all registered. They will be beautiful in our pasture. Now, I have to decide if I am going to milk them...8 gallons a day per cow seems like a lot, but you never know when you are going to kick up cheese production and want even more than that.
Well, that is all for now. I have dough for 8 loaves of bread in the kitchen that need my attention. I am making fresh baguettes to go with the shrimp and grits that we will be enjoying tonight. I hope the rain holds off and that some cool air arrives so that there is also ample front porch sitting time with some very dear people tonight.
Have a great day and, for heaven's sake, eat something yummy!
Monday, July 4, 2011
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Summer 2011
It has been a while...
Jerry and I have been working like crazy on our garden (no photos yet). We have visions of summer meals dancing in our heads and we think that we will be canning and freezing as well so that we can eat "fresh" during the winter.
Last week, I made a cherry pie with the help of Jillian and Caitlin. The cherries were pretty small, but they were from our tree and that means they tasted like heaven to us. I didn't use a recipe for the pie, so I can't share however, the basic premise is that fresh fruit pie should taste like the fruit. I added a little sugar (the cherries are tart) and a little bit of butter and cooked them for about 7 - 10 minutes. The pie crust was homemade and we made a lattice top crust sprinkled with sugar instead of a solid upper crust. It was beautiful and tasty. The best part may have been that Jerry appreciated it so much. He is a fool for a pie and cherry is his favorite. I typically hate anything cherry, but fresh cherries do not in any shape or form taste like cherry soda, canned cherry pie filling, cherry jello, cherry chapstick, cherry limeades, and so on....
Jerry and I have been working like crazy on our garden (no photos yet). We have visions of summer meals dancing in our heads and we think that we will be canning and freezing as well so that we can eat "fresh" during the winter.
Last week, I made a cherry pie with the help of Jillian and Caitlin. The cherries were pretty small, but they were from our tree and that means they tasted like heaven to us. I didn't use a recipe for the pie, so I can't share however, the basic premise is that fresh fruit pie should taste like the fruit. I added a little sugar (the cherries are tart) and a little bit of butter and cooked them for about 7 - 10 minutes. The pie crust was homemade and we made a lattice top crust sprinkled with sugar instead of a solid upper crust. It was beautiful and tasty. The best part may have been that Jerry appreciated it so much. He is a fool for a pie and cherry is his favorite. I typically hate anything cherry, but fresh cherries do not in any shape or form taste like cherry soda, canned cherry pie filling, cherry jello, cherry chapstick, cherry limeades, and so on....
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