They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
We have decided to move our compost bin from it current location at the back of the garden, to a new location in the chicken yard. The current location is convenient to the garden, for moving finished compost, but it is not convenient for building the stack with raw materials, or soaking it, because there… Continue reading New Compost Bin
The lamb legs that were set down in salt last Saturday and the Saturday before (that is, February 21 and 28) were supposed to be rinsed and either hung or re-salted on March 7, but, alas, the National Guard continues to ruin everything. It was a drill weekend. So we didn't get to that project… Continue reading Salt Cured Lamb, continued.
Last week during lamb butchering I did something a little different. I harvested both kidneys with their fat caps. Not sure why, other than everything was going so smoothly, it seemed a pity to waste anything. (Don't worry, we still haven't attempted making haggis). But then, as often happens around here, we found ourselves with… Continue reading Steak and Kidney Pie
The last lamb we slaughtered was a difficult and frustrating process. The kill was quick and humane, but a single slip of the knife early in the dressing process resulted in slicing the achilles tendon and dropping the carcass, then a difficult skinning, which in turn delayed evisceration, resulting in the stomach falling and rupturing.… Continue reading Lamb slaughter and butchering, take 2
Monday morning, harvested 6 stalks of brussels sprouts. These have been let go a month too long, and some of the larger buds are starting to open. When that happens they lose some of the sweetness and become a bit tough, and they don't hold together for cooking or pickling anymore. So it was time… Continue reading Brussels Sprouts
For those wondering why all the excitement in our recent post about nursing, let me give you the back story that we didn't have time to post over the weekend. When Darla was born on Saturday, February 21, (that date needs to go into the record book, by the way [note to self]), Iris was… Continue reading Nursing Struggles
"Ryan, what are you doing?" "I am admiring my turnip." I mean, come on! That's the prettiest turnip I have ever grown! I think I am going to put that turnip and some lamb meat into a hand pie, with gravy!
This was Edna last night. This is Edna today: Meet Cookie, our newest katahdin lamb. https://youtube.com/shorts/InosfwkAVck? Now, before anyone gets attached, remember she was sired by one of our twin rams, which means that she is technically the product of inbreeding so her destiny is for the table in about a year, not for future… Continue reading Meet Cookie
