pictures from the past days...

I started the kombucha I am so excited to try it in several days!

Here is the skirt that I got from J&N

I liked it so much that I made one out of some pieces of cotton fabric we had laying around. It turned out smaller because when I made the pattern I did not put any seam allowance. I think it turned out nice for a first, Like I said before I do not do much sewing but I like to do it.

Yesterday evening I made another skirt. This time I added seam allowance. I copied the pattern on paper so I can remember what shapes to do next time.The picture was taken at night so that is why it looks the way it does.

(and I am twirling around)

I have been making feta, It is turning out really good! Here it is in the cloth just before I hang it up to drip out the whey.

and this is it sliced and ready to age for a few days, the recipe that I use is: HERE

I am just about finished with my socks, I will probley finnish them by tonight. I will not be able to take a picture of them until tomorrow because Hannah took the camera with her to Rebecca's. I made some flat breads today and goat and pork shanks for dinner. The shanks are still in the clay oven so I better go and check and see if they are done. I am going to serve them with Wehani Rice. If you are ever trying to find a good rice that is the rice to get!

well better go...

late posting... So.. It might be a little rambling...

I made feta, and yogurt today. In between times of waiting for the cheese making, I did my nalbinding. I am almost done with the second sock. Last saturday my nalbinding teacher taught me a new stitch it is called the Åsle stitch( pro: ÅL ). The stitch that I am doing on my sock is one that I made up. The Åsle stitch is very fun to do so I am hurrying up on my sock so I can start somthing new with the Åsle stitch. I am thinking of doing a pair of socks for Izzy. Speaking of Izzy, My sister and bro-in -law (and the boys: Buddy and Izzy) came over this evening. She came to pick up a kombucha mushroom. I reacived in the mail this week two kombucha mushrooms from my friend Cora Beth. I am excited to try my hand at making kombucha tea! My sister also gave me some of her mold ripened cheeses to try out, They were really good. Me and her enjoy sharing cheese and cheese making tips and recipes that we come up with. It is alot of fun.

I have been locking up the kids in a triangular pen that I put in the fence. So then I can have full udders to milk in the morning. And now I have milk to make cheese! I got a order last week to make some cheese for some friends that we know. I am going to be making feta and other mold ripened cheeses. That is why I made yogurt today, for that is what I use for culture. Yesterday while at the market me and hannah and Olivia went yard-sailing. I found a really nice big pice of unbleached muslin. On the way home from the market we stopped at Junque&Necessities Shoppe. There I got a skirt and a shirt. then we stopped at the flea market to see if we could find a angel food cake pan. we did! And we got icecream there too. I got a really nice bowl there too.

When we got home I tried on the skirt it fit very nicely then I tried on the shirt and it was to small. so I let Hannah try it on and it was too small for her. So, today I gave it to my older sister when she came and it fits her! I told her it can be a early B-day gift from me to her. Her B-day is in a couple a weeks, today was a fine day. I had a slight sore throat last night and a little bit today. I ate some spoonfuls of raw honey and a clove of garlic and swallowed a C capsule. and drank lots of tea at dinner. Oh and should say that I might be making nan for a friend who has a food stand in T.C. I have been thinking about that and how it will all work out for me to get up there and help her out. I am going to be working for her on the 13 of June. There is a dairy fest at the commons that our family is going to be at. My friend is setting up her food stand at the fest and I am going to help her. She is going to be doing either Mexican,Armenian, or Indian foods. All my favorites! I really like making food and doing fun stuff with family and friends. So, I am really looking forward to that day! Well I better get to bed... Or do should I keep rambling on?... I am tired... But should I write more? Do you like this post? Comment please!!!!! Oh and one more thing: My friend Elizabeth( yes I am quite fond of that name and am quite fond of her ) has a blog and she really wants more people to visit and comment on her blog, so please go over there now and leave a comment. She is such a sweet friend. Go here@ leaningonjesussafefromallalarms.blogspot.com

The cheeses that my sis brought over for me to try

They were good!

Mama made perogis

Me and hannah both found some really nice baskets at an estate sale on friday on way back from T.C. village market

Also at there, there was a spinning wheel that I tried out. I did not get it for it was a flax wheel and that spool was too small for the amount of yarn that I like to make at a time. But it was fun to try out, becouse the people had never seen a wheel used, so that was nice that I was able to show them. They enjoyed it. One older man comes up and the other older man says:" Look She's goin' ta make us'a blanket! "

Look at this beautiful raw cheddar. It tasted really good! Our friends were selling their own goat's milk cheeses at the market. They have a small goat dairy and cheese house and they are making some really great cheeses!

I'll probley be posting pictures of my socks when they are done. So until whenever...

Today's doings/pics

I got up early milked the goats and cow. I mixed up two batches of dough one rye/wheat and one all rye. Then I quickly ate some lentils and a glass of fresh warm milk. I hopped into the waiting truck and me and mama and Rebecca were off to her house. Hannah stayed home to take care of the household duties and do the pats and folds on the bread dough. Daddy got the clay oven going for me. I took care of my nephews while my sister Rebecca went to the dentist.

I had a lot of fun with them. Izzy is one year old now and he is trying to do everything that his older brother does. But then it's kinda funny because then Buddy sees the babyish things that Izzy does and tries to imitate them so I then will give attention to him. For example: Izzy tries to push a cushion of the couch (They were trying to make a house) and he does not have quite enough man power to do it, so he whimpers for me to help him, so I help him. Then Buddy does the same thing and imitates all the little baby antics that his younger brother does. So then I help him in the same way. Then he gives me a big smile. It is funny! The younger one trying to be big and the older trying to be little! They are the most adorable little children that I know! I love them so much. I made tortillas with Buddy. He really enjoyed rolling them out. We had them with scrambled eggs for lunch. He calls eggs "eet-eets" that is his name for chickens, you know the sound that chickens make? He does not call animals by their name. He calls them by their sound that they make. It is so cute. Cow is "moo", Pig is a sound that I do not know even how to write, he makes this sound deep in his throat and it sounds just like a pig grunting maybe like this "Roughuufgh". Horse is "eeEEEeee", cat is "Eeeeeeeew!" Dog is "wuhwa! wuhwa!" and the funny thing is the only animal that he will say the name is rabbit he says it like this "ravit". Rebecca brought me and mama home and she stayed for awhile and visited with us all. When we got home Hannah had the bread ready to be shaped and put into the baskets. I did that and looked at the fire in the oven to see when it would be ready. Then I helped the Enoch &Nathanael wash eggs for the market tomorrow we washed 15 dozen. David left early this morning to go to a class in T.C. I am sure he will be posting about that in the near future on his blog. You can get to his blog on my side bar. It was a class about holistic farming. He is going to go tomorrow on a farm tour and a cookout on one of the farms while we all are at the market selling stuff. After we got the eggs washed and my sister left with her family, I baked the bread. Then just as I was getting the bread out of the oven David came home. He had hitched a ride for there and back with one of our friends who works in T.C. so that turned out real well for him. After baking the bread, Oh and one of the reasons why I baked bread today is because last week on saturday someone at the village market asked me to baked them two loaves. And when I bake, I a bake for my family too, so I baked 9 loaves today. Ok, so after baking I heated up some soup that I made the other day and we had that with fresh bread and a salad from the garden. After that I went out and milked the goats. They were in the barn because it was raining today so Hannah brought them in there. Goats don't really like the rain, Sheep don't really mind it. We like to bring our goats into the barn when it is raining a cold and wind driven rain. After milking I strained the milk of course then I put the chevre in a cheese cloth.

I started some chevre last night, I can't have bread with no cheese if there is fresh milk around. Then I clear, rinsed, and stacked the dinner dishes. Came into the living room and read a few chapters in a Mr Tucket book to Nathanael. Loaded some pics onto blogger. Then prayed with my family. And now writing this post. and now publishing it and now Good night!

For tomorrow is another early rising day. I like market day! I look forward to it ever day of the week. I am going to bring the spinning wheel and ply the yarn that I have been working on.

Buddy

Izzy

washing "eet-eets"

rye/wheat

rye

close up of the rye

this one is going to be so yum with cheese!

I had hannah take these bread pics with the chalk board for the background because the numbers on there are my morning figures for the mix of the dough.

Good night Folks!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

kids and cheese recipes

Here is newest set of arrivals, a doe and a buck. Shwanli had them on sunday. They are so

cute! The other day I went to the barn to check up on them and I could not find the anywhere. I asked hannah if she knew were they were, she did not. We look and looked around all around the barn. Then I saw a little bit of white and this is where they were.

I got a request for the chevre recipe so here it is:

Things you need:

all words in green are links to where you can purchases the required things if you do not have them.

One gallon of raw milk freshly milked.

1 T. yogurt

1 drop of rennet deluded in a T of water

Very clean stainless steel pot and spoon. Thermometer* , butter muslin** ,and colander

Heat the milk to 100 degrees F.

Stir in the yogurt very well.

Add the rennet deluded in water

Stir with a gentle up and down motion for 1 min.

Let set in the pot for 12 hours

Now the milk is coagulated it should be thick almost like yogurt. If not let set a little longer.

Then take the colander and line it with the butter muslin.

tie up the corners and hang to drip out the whey for 6-7 hours. At room temperture

Remove the cheese from cloth and place in bowl. Weigh cheese then add 1% of the weight in salt. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*If you do not have a thermometer just warm the milk up to how warm it feels when it comes right out of the animal.

**. you can use a piece of muslin fabric that will fit in the colander and hang over quite a bit.

the sites that I gave the links to are the places that I get these cheese supplies. I would highly recommend getting both Thermometer and butter muslin .

Other things that you can do with milk is. Instead of adding just a drop of rennet add a 1/8 teaspoon of rennet deluded in a 1/4 cup of water.

Do the same as the recipe but it will make something more like a small cottage cheese.

Or another idea is add the same 1/8 teaspoon deluded in a 1/4 cup of water. But instead of putting the cheese into a cloth lined colander. Using a long-bladed knife,cut the coagulated milk in to vertical strips about 3/4 inch wide. Using a skimmer, cut through horizontally until you have cut it all into 3/4 inch cubes. stir gently for 5 minuets. Let stand for 10 minuets.

Ladle curd into a cloth lined colander and let drain in colander for 45 minuets.

Prepare a draining container by placing a rack inside. Then place a cutting board on top, follow by a cheese mat, then the molds. Using skimmer, fill molds with curds. Cover container and let drain for 3 hours at room temperature. Flip cheeses over in the molds and let drain at room temperature for 10 hours. Keep container covered to maintain warmth around the cheeses.

Unmold cheeses onto a clean cheese mat and replace on the rack in the draining container. Sprinkle top of each cheese with 1/4 t. salt. Cover container and let drain at room temperature for 6 hours. Turn cheeses and salt the other side. Cover container and let drain at room temperature for another 6 hours.

Transfer cheese to a clean cheese mat (traditionally a straw mat) in a ripening container. Let dry for 4 or five days at cool room temperature. Remove any collected whey from the container and flip the cheeses daily.

I also age these molded cheese in a ripening container for about 6 weeks and they get very delicious and earthy flavors. Keep flipping them and taking the whey out for 3 to 6 weeks in a 55-60 temperature dark room. After 3 or 6 weeks put the cheeses in the refrigerator. Eat them with bread and olives and that is so yummy!

Place a sprig of fresh savory on the cheese and consume immediately.

If you would like to buy cheese molds this is where I get them: Cheese Molds

For a cheese mat I use these: "Handmade Cheese Mats"

For a ripening container I use those big round cake containers. Here is a picture of the one that I use. "Cake container" it is the seventh picture down from the top.

Cheese making can be either something that you get into and spend a lot of money on supplies, or you can look around you and find things that you can use and make with your hands for cheese making. Try to recycle as much as you can and makeshift alot of your cheese making supplies and then you will save a lot but get the same kind of product.

And if you have milking animals and you are making a lot of cheese but you still can't keep up with the flow of daily milk income. Then get a pig or chickens and turn the milk into pork and eggs or grilled chicken.

I hope these recipes and ideas are helpful to you and that you make wonderful cheeses.

If you have any questions or if something doesn't make sense, just ask in a comment below.

The days doings here in my little corner

A spring lunch with sisters and nephews. Yesterday Rebecca invited me and hannah over for a visit. It was very enjoyable.

Me and three of my siblings and my nephews went to a garage sale. I got these two shirts. They are so pretty!

Making Chevre' The first goat cheese I made this year. The vest thing that I am wearing in the pic is another thing that I got from the sale.

carding wool

Leeks that I picked out in the woods this morning

Pickled Leeks

There was a very nice classical guitar at the garage sale for $150. We went to the sale on tuesday and bought stuff. Yesterday evening I decided that I would go the next day and look at the guitar some more and play it. I went this evening and the guitar was sold. The people said that the lady who has the ducks and goats just before the big hill bought the guitar. I am glad she was able to get it. She likes to sing and play so it will be a nice thing for her to have.

A thing to remember: "When you see something at a sale get it right away if you really want it".

Here is the recipe for the pickled leeks/ramps

20 small wild leeks/ ramps* (10 oz.)

trimmed to one inch of greens and cleaned well,

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup of Honey

1/4 cup of sugar

1 scant teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon whole black pepper

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1 bay leaf

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, add the ramps, and boil for 2 minutes. Drain immediately and plunge the ramps into the ice water to stop cooking.

2. In the same medium pot (emptied of water), bring the cider vinegar, honey, sugar,red pepper, peppercorns, fennel, coriander, and bay leaf to a simmer, and then remove the pot from the heat.

3. Put the drained ramps into a clean pint jar. Pour the hot pickling liquid into the jar. When the mixture is cool, cover it tightly and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before eating. The pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month.

*If you do not have wild leeks you can substitute 10 medium shallots, peeled, with root end trimmed but left intact

birth announcement, my morning thoughts, and spring pictures...

Three more kids joined the herd. On sunday Hopli had triplets and they are so adorable! Two does, one white and one grayish brown with dark brown markings, and a big white buck. The buck weighed seven lb. and eight oz. The brown doe weighed five lb. and four oz., and the white doe weighed six lb. two oz. All together Shneahopli was carrying nineteen lb. and four oz. I think that would be alot to hold! They are doing very well. They already want to run and play outside. It is a little cool out this morning so I am going to wait till it warms up a little and I will bring them out in the sunshine today. I took Hopli out to get some grass this morning. It was so pretty out there. The morning sun shining on the dewy grass as she ate. I sat on a stump and sang while out there watching her. One of my favorite songs to sing in the morning is Morning Has Broken. When I sing and give thanks and praise to God, everything that seems so big and overwhelming in this life melts away and I know it no more. I think this has been the most pleasant of springs ever. It is so beautiful and nice outside. David has been getting the fields ready for planting. Lambs and kids are running all around the barnyard. Robins hoping about the garden. Busy birds finding nesting materials. Freshly wash wool drying in the sun and wind. Clothes on the line. Wild flowers in the meadow and woods. Leeks and morels sprouting up in the woods and orchard. Geese trying to set on eggs. Ducks trying finding good nesting spots. Daffy-down-dillies a blooming in the ditch along the road. Crisp frost in the morning covering the freshly plowed earth. Beautiful little pink blossoms on the peach tree. Bright green catkins on the birch trees. Golden dandelions popping up there cheery faces everywhere. Barefeet running everywhere. Buds on the lilac bush. Compost piles steaming in the morning sunlight. New leaves on the rose bush. Bright new leaves on the maples. Forsythia bushes in full bloom. Wild cherry trees clothed in white blossoms like star clusters. Bunches of new onion plants to plant in the garden. Chickens scratching everywhere. Wooded hills covered with new growth. Rivers and streams flowing down where they are directed. Lower and lower still,ever singing, giving water and life to every thing they touch. This is my Father's world! A place that He has made for His pleasure. May every thing that we say, do and think be pleasing to Him. He has made us for His good pleasure.

(I wrote the above at 8:24 AM this morning)

Here are some pictures from today:

my nephew's flowers

planting peas

pounding in a stake

smiling sisters

Fun!

Big Smile!

This morning me and Hannah visited with Rebecca. Daddy,David and the boys had to go to a farm and pick up some bees for David. Hannah and I were going to go to the library but it was closed so we had Daddy drop us of at our sister's. We helped her plant peas and onions in her garden. It was very fun. Then Daddy came and picked up some bales of hay that my sister's husband said we could get. We visited for a little longer then we left. Went to the library and checked out some books. Last night I finished the book "The Meeting Place" by Janette Oke ,and I had to get the sequel. If you are a book worm like me then you know just how it is. When you finnish a good book and it says at the end that there is a sequel to it and that sequel is 9 miles away on a library shelf you just have to get it in the fastest possible time that you can. Then when we got there I saw that there are even more sequels to that sequel so I got three more books all in the same series. On the way home we stopped and got more hay from a neighbor. We are still feeding our animals hay as the grass is still growing.

When we came home I got the clay oven started and mixed up a batch of natural leaven dough. I had taken a little brake from baking bread on the clay oven. The reason why? Well go to this link HERE and you will see something that I made. I was so mad I could not even blog about it at the time. At least someone was able to laugh at what happened! The oven was too hot and I was getting tired as it was getting late in the evening. I put the bread in too soon and that is the result, burnt dough!. In that picture you can see Daddy in the kitchen. He is scraping off the burnt part of the other charred lump of dough.

I hope this time it turns out very well.

I am going to do chicken for dinner. So I must go and get stuff ready for that.... enjoy the spring!

Today's doings/pics

Me...

...my younger sister and younger brother when out to the woods with Daddy to cut down some fire wood.

Here is my sweet sister

and my dear brother measuring and cutting marks for Daddy to cut with the saw

The tree was 63 years old

My Marilla Cheeses

Second day

"Beautiful country" is in the ripening container

"Graviera" is drying for a couple days on the kitchen shelf

The cheeses are a day old

G. on the left and B. on the right

This is how much I have done on the sock I am working on for my older brother

~This Is My Father’s World~

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;

He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:

Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,

And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.

I open my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”

This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,

The Beloved One, His Only Son,

Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad?

The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad.

This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,

For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.

No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.

In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.

This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam

Whate’er my lot, it matters not,

My heart is still at home.

Pictures from yesterday and today

Today I made a cheese mat for the cheese I made yesterday

I made it out of broom corn stalks(left over in the garden) and grain sack string.

This is the first time I have ever made one. I have always wanted to,

but now that I needed one, here I have made one!. It is so neat that when I woke up this morning I did not even have a cheese mat. Right when I needed one I did not even call to order one or go to town to buy it. That is amazing to me! This is what is going to have start happening when every thing falls apart in this nation, people are going to have to start using their minds how people used to. When they want something they will have to make it even if they don't know how. Our hands have been given to us with a purpose in mind from the one who created us. Let us not keep this purpose buried but let it grow and flourish and spread, whether in the small things or big things. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.Eccleiastes 9:10

Here is some very delicious soup that me and my sister made yesterday

Making ravioli for the soup, this was the first time I ever made ravioli

Can you see the ricotta? It's on a plate in the back ground. I made it from the whey after cheese making. I am using it here as the filling for the ravioli.

I made two kinds of cheese Bel Paese^ this is an Italian cheese whose name means "beautiful country" it is soft, fast-ripening, sweet and mild. This is first the time I have made this cheese.

Graviera^ This cheese is also a first for me. It is a larger cows milk cheese originating in Greece. This recipe is similar to Swiss Gruyere. The addition of some goat's milk gives this cheese a spicy flavor. It is in a salt brine right now.