Category Archives: Personal Stories

Olivia’s New Calf

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cinnamon-birth

This picture was taken about an hour after Olivia's calf was born.

Olivia, our Jersey cow, gave birth to a female pure-bred Jersey calf this morning! It was an unassisted birth. If you would like to learn more about Olivia please read Looking for Another Cow. This is Olivia’s second calf. Olivia’s calf is so beautiful. We are very excited!

It wasn’t easy hand-milking Olivia. Olivia has never been hand-milked before because she came from Wildfire Jersey, a commercial dairy in Armstrong, BC. Olivia has not let us touch her even after four months of daily care. In the past, if we come within touching distance she would always back off. Olivia would show interest when I brushed the other cows but she would never allow me to brush her. Olivia had even managed to partly remove her halter which hung from her neck for months because we couldn’t get close enough to fix it.

Shaen and I spent some time discussing if we should try to milk her now or wait until evening. We knew we had to milk her. Her bag was bursting and her teats were angled off in all directions with the pressure. We knew that Olivia would be uncomfortable with all the pressure in her bag. We also had experience last year with scour. We didn’t want the calf to become sick. We decided to try to milk her this morning. If you don’t know what scour is, please read Patty’s Second Birth for more information.

We took some time to game plan how we were going to handle Olivia. We got all of our equipment ready. We organized two 15-20′ ropes, each with an oval straight gate carabiner on one end. Shaen carried one and I carried the other. We dealt with all the other cows and got their feed ready. We got Olivia’s feed ready and her dairy “treats”. We knew she wouldn’t leave her calf so we used the calf to calm Olivia. One at a time we entered the pen. Shaen checked the calf. He petted and cooed over the beautiful calf. As he was checking the calf, Olivia was watching Shaen, and I clipped the carabiner on Olivia’s harness. I dropped the rope and let Olivia back-up. This was a very important step. If I tried to hold a spooked cow, she would drag me all over creation. I backed out of the pen. After Shaen checked the calf, he picked up the end of the rope and did two turns around a tree. I came back into the pen and walked behind Olivia and Shaen would take up the slack on the rope until Olivia was within a few feet of the tree. Olivia panicked but we got her controlled. Shaen put on another halter. I backed out of the pen and used a low whispering voice to “talk” with Olivia. Olivia was pulling against the tree the whole time Shaen milked her. Because she was pulling, she wasn’t kicking or stepping in the milk pail. The calf slept through the milking.

first-feed

This is Cinnamon's first feed. The chickens are trying to find any small pieces of placenta that Olivia hasn't eaten. Yes, it is a shock the first time you see a cow eating a placenta.

As I whispered calming words to Olivia, she would turn her ears forward in interest. Olivia looked more and more relieved after we got off some of her milk. We milked out 7L and she was still full. Olivia is going to be a high producer of milk. With this type of production, we will have to milk her three times a day. A cow’s first milk is called colostrum. Colostrum is very special. A calf needs colostrum for survival. People like it for its healing qualities. Here is what Weston A Price Foundation says about colostrum:
Cooking with Colostrum
Raw Colostrum Legal in California

Happy Birth Day!

Slaughtering Lamb & Hogs

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pigs-head

Here are two pigs heads, one partly skinned. Keep everything from the animal even when you aren't sure what to do with it. Learn how to make head cheese or split a head with an axe and fed it to laying hens in winter. This helps the hens produce better eggs. Use everything.

Early in December we slaughtered one lamb and two hogs. The lamb came from Jocko Creek Ranch. The hogs originally came from Ranfurly Farm but we fed the hogs up ourselves. Our neighbor Joe came over to help Shaen slaughter and process the carcasses. The men killed, bled, skinned and halved the carcasses. Shaen had a chance to use a butcher’s bone saw. He was able to cut each carcass in half very quickly. The carcasses will hang for a few days before cutting, wrapping and freezing.

I was in the kitchen and helped with cleaning and wrapping of the organs and heads. I washed the tripe over and over again. Most of my time was spent cleaning hair roots out of the hog fat. I have never eaten or made head cheese or tripe. I have looked over the books The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating and Beyond Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson and wondered when I would have a chance to try some of the more unusual recipes.

We didn’t use everything. It is possible to make sausage casing from the intestines but we decided it was just too much work. Joe took the intestines home for processing. I was very sad not to be processing the skin of the lamb into a hide, but we don’t know anyone with tanning experience. I have been doing some research and may give it a try anyway. We gave the remains of the digestive system to the chickens. Shaen could not believe how fast the pile disappeared. The chickens considered the offal very good eating. We also saved certain organs, glands and scraps for pet food. Meadows, our cat, gorged herself on scraps during the slaughtering process. She then disappeared for a night and day to sleep off her feast.

Three days later, everyone got back together to cut and wrap the carcasses. Shaen turned on one of our large deep freezers which has a chill-down setting. This feature is found on some very large older freezers and was originally used by hunters wanting to quickly chill-down their kill. Joe brought his meat cutting band saw, which made short work of cutting up the carcasses. Shaen and Chris worked on the wrapping and labeling table. The men finished the cutting, wrapping and clean-up in about three hours.

Holiday Dinner Menu

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pumpkin-custard

This Pumpkin Custard is topped with an obscene amount of whipped cream, drizzled with bitter chocolate.

I wanted to share the menu I used for Christmas Dinner, but the menu would be good for any holiday dinner. All the ingredients came from organic sources. I have found a new source for organic herbs and spices, mountainroseherbs.com. I was very impressed with the freshness and quality.

This meal was fairly easy to prepare and took about four hours. I usually bake my desserts the day before a special dinner. If I do not have time, I will complete the desserts in the morning so the desserts have time to cool in the fridge before serving. I make the stuffing well in advance, so the flavors can meld together. I cut up all of my vegetables well in advance and set the vegetables aside for later use. I let the roast sit on the counter, seasoned, until I am ready to start my final preparations.

The meal was delicious. We made it to the first dessert with the ice wine but could not get down another bite. This meal served six but could easily have served eight people.

Salad Course
Grated Beets with Whole Seed Mustard Dressing
Green Salad with Whole Seed Mustard Dressing

Main Course
Roasted Grass-fed Lamb with sea salt, fresh rosemary and whole garlic heads
Spicy Yam and Sweet Potato Fries
Savory Nut Stuffing
Vegetable Medley with Raw Cheese
Homemade Red Wine

Dessert Course
Pumpkin Custard with Fresh Whipping Cream
Chocolate Brownie with Cream Cheese Icing
Christmas Butter Tart Squares
Local Icewine
Espresso

Roasted Grass-fed Lamb
Our lamb came from Jocko Creek Ranch. Shaen and Joe slaughtered and wrapped the lamb earlier in December. We used the leg for Christmas dinner.
5 pound grass-fed lamb leg
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1tsp unrefined sea salt
1 sprig fresh rosemary, from my indoor herb garden
1-2 garlic heads, in their skins
Allow the grass-fed meat to sit in the fridge for a few days before cooking for best results. The morning of the meal, remove the lamb leg from the fridge and place on the counter to warm to room temperature. Make small incisions into the leg to place the slices of garlic. Place the sprig of fresh rosemary under the leg of lamb. Sprinkle the unrefined sea salt on top. When ready to cook, place the meat thermometer into the leg. Cook at 325F until the meat gets to 120F. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and the temperature will rise. Peel the garlic cloves and serve with the meat. Slice the meat and serve immediately.

Spicy Yam and Sweet Potato Fries
This recipe is based on a recipe from mountainroseherbs.com. This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but might be a good recipe to try during the reintroduction phase.
1 large organic sweet potato
1 large organic yam
1tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
1tsp paprika
1tsp sea salt
1T organic extra virgin olive oil (optional)
3T pastured pork fat
Heat oven to 325F. Cut sweet potato and yam into French fries or wedges. In a large bowl mix the spices, sea salt and fat together. Add the cut tubers to the spice mixture and toss well. If you are using fats you may have to use your hand to get the mixture to cover the tubers evenly. Spread evenly over a glass oven pan and bake for 30 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Vegetable Medley with Raw Cheese
1/8c organic butter
1c organic onion, cut into rings
1c fresh organic mushrooms, whole
1/2c dried morels, crumbled (optional)
1c organic Brussel sprouts, cut in half
1c organic carrots, cut into wedges and julienned
1c organic broccoli flowers, cut into small pieces
some bone broth, juice from roasted meat or red wine
2c raw organic cheese, grated
1/2c organic parsley, chopped finely
This should be the last dish prepared before serving dinner. Have all the vegetables cut and ready for cooking. When the roast is ready, heat the butter in a large cast iron frying pan. Saute the onions and mushrooms until soft. Use a bit of bone broth or the juice from the roasted meat to avoid sticking. Add the Brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. Cook until vegetables are just tender. Stir well and top with raw cheese and parsley. I used Gort’s Gouda for the raw cheese. Slightly heat the cheese and serve.

Pumpkin Custard
I remember the first time I had pumpkin “pie” using whole pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin. I was surprised at the flavor of real pumpkin. The canned pumpkin I used to buy, had “pumpkin” as the only ingredient, but the canned pumpkin had a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. It was then I realized labeling laws are deceptive and allow for the addition of sugar and spices to some given percentage without having to include this information in the ingredient list. I started distrusting labeling. Nevertheless, I would never go back to making pumpkin-based desserts with anything but whole pumpkin. The end product tastes so delicious.

The secret of great pumpkin pie is fresh spices and using a sweet “pie” pumpkin. I always use whole spices and grind them with a mortar and pestle just before use. I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate as needed. Since I am using organic ginger I grate skin and all.
1 small organic sweet pumpkin, pre-cooked by baking or steaming, skinned
1/4-1/3 raw local honey, adjust to sweetness of pumpkin
pinch of sea salt
1tsp organic cinnamon
1tsp organic ginger, freshly grated
1/2tsp organic allspice, freshly ground
1/2tsp organic cloves, freshly ground
1/2c whole organic cream, or more
1T Brandy (optional)
In a food processor, smooth out the pumpkin into a paste. Add honey, sea salt and spices and taste for sweetness. Add extra honey if needed, but remember the pie will become sweeter after cooking. Add cream to smooth out the paste. It should be thick but not stiff. Fill 6-8 oven safe glass custard cups and place into a large glass baking dish filled with warm water. Cook at 325F for 30-45 minutes until custard is slightly browned. Cool in the fridge and serve with fresh whipping cream.

Are you a producer or a consumer?

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handmade-doll

I made this little doll for Sonja. It is made of 100% wool felt and yarn. The stitching is made with 100% cotton embroidery thread.

I was just reading the afterward in the third edition of The Unsettling of America. As always, Wendell Berry never ceases to alarm as he enlightens. He was talking about smaller assumptions that support the larger philosophical assumption that the world is a machine. Here are the smaller assumptions:
1. If the world and all its creatures are machines, then the world and all its creatures are entirely comprehensible, manipulable, and controllable by humans.
2. The humans who have this power are experts.
3. Experts are made by education.
4. Education only happens in school.
5. Experts are smarter than other people.
6. Thinking is best done by experts in offices and laboratories.
7. People who do work cannot be trusted to think about it.
8. People who work would prefer not to work.
9. Human workers are inefficient machines, encumbered by extraneous needs and desires, and they should be replaced by more efficient machines or by chemicals.
10. In general, the human machine is better at consumption than production.
11. A farm is or ought to be a factory in which plant and animal machines serve the economic machine in the most efficient way.
12. Efficiency has nothing to do with human or biological needs and desires.
13. Farm bankruptcy increases agricultural efficiency.
14. All farmers actually dislike farming and are secretly glad when they go bankrupt, because that gets them out of the sticks and into the bright lights where they have a chance to become experts.
15. Conventional agricultural science (like all conventional science) is disinterested and objective and serves no interest other than the advancement of human knowledge.

What caught my attention today was number 10: “In general, the human machine is better at consumption than production.” I found myself confused by this statement. It brought on the question: Am I better at consumption than production?

I found myself looking around my home. What artifacts in my home have been made with my own hands? A higher standard would be: What artifacts in my home are made with my own hands and come from materials in my local environment?

doll

This doll may be handmade but only the wool stuffing came from a local source.

As I searched my house, I found some drawings, but the art paper and drawing utensils came from some unknown place. I found a few toys I have made for the girls but all the materials came from somewhere else. 99.9% of the artifacts in my household come from somewhere else, produced in a nameless factory.

When I looked into the daily consumables of my household, I did a bit better. I found some food my family has produced on the property. Nevertheless, most of my food comes from local farms and ranches. My dried stores, even though certified organic, come from faceless sources.

I have to say, after my household inspection, I am indeed a better consumer than a producer. I find it interesting that something so mundane and obvious has escaped my notice for so long.

It makes me wonder what type of world I would live in if most of my household artifacts came from people I knew. What would it be like to make most of the artifacts in my household with my own hands from materials from my local environment? I wondered if I would be more connected to my possessions, or less. I could see both as possible, because if I can make something, there is always more where that came from.

Another question that comes to mind is, who are the producers?

What we are working for, I think, is an authentic settlement and inhabitation of our country. We would like to see all human work lovingly adapted to the nature of the places where it is done and to the real needs of the people by whom and for whom it is done. We do not believe that any violence to places, to people, or to other creatures is “inevitable”. We believe that the industrial ideology is wrong because it obscures and disrupts this necessary work of local adaptation or home making.
Afterward 3th Edition, The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry

Just One Sit-Down Family Meal

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heirloom-tomatoes

One of the pleasures of growing your own food is having a change to try heirloom varieties. These pear and cherry tomatoes do not travel well but have amazing flavor. You wont find these tomatoes at a grocery store but your local farmer's market will have them in season.

This is a post I wrote back in early October. It is quite a contrast from today, since we are pulling out our winter boots, snow pants and jackets after the first snow of the year:

Shaen and I spent the afternoon working at cutting back the tomato plants. We removed leaves and extra green growth from the tomato plants in an attempt to encourage the plant to put its energy into ripening the tomatoes before the first killer frost. Shaen found a monster eggplant and numerous hot peppers hiding in the greenhouse. Sonja worked on pulling up beets and baby carrots. Erika found a potato plant and dug up the tubers. Erika danced through the garden collecting ripe cherry tomatoes like some sort of fairy nymph. The girls cleaned and processed their vegetables.

For dinner, I made a mixture of baked vegetables in a glass baking dish. Most of the vegetables came from Farmhouse Herbs an organic farm that sells at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market. It hasn’t been a good year for our garden and Farmhouse Herbs has supplied my household with much of our vegetables. The vegetables included: parsnips, onions, green onion tops, garlic, beets and carrots. (By the way, those golden beets were the best beets I have ever eaten.) I added herbs gathered by the garden nymph, and mixed in sea salt and fat from my grease bucket. Please read The Great Grease Bucket: Something for Nothing for more information. In another glass baking dish, I cut the freshly dug potatoes and added sea salt and fat. I used our own garden carrots, lightly cooked in butter and dressed with fresh garden parsley.

When Shaen came in at the end of the day, he cooked three chuck steaks on the barbecue. Chuck steak is normally not grilled because it is considered a tough cut of meat but these steaks were tender and very juicy. We got the grassfed veal from Jocko Creek Ranch last winter. For more information please read Grassfed Veal and Cooking With Grass-Fed Meat and Fowl.

When we sat down to our meal, we each enjoyed a glass of fresh cow’s milk. There was a salad of sun ripened cherry tomatoes and herbs. The girls loaded their potatoes with raw butter I made last year. (I privately thanked Patty, our Jersey cow, for the wonderful dairy products.) It was a delicious meal. The meal was wonderful because so much of the food came from our own land or from the land of people we know and trust. We were hungry after working the afternoon in the garden. What also made the meal special is that we ate it together and enjoyed each other’s company.

I just wanted to tell about one sit-down family meal. It wasn’t a special meal but the way we eat normally. This meal might seem odd to the modern eater, rushing between the office, take-out, and home but this meal would have been the norm a generation ago.

Oven Baked Seasonal Vegetables
4-6 large carrots, cut into large 3″ pieces
4-6 parsnips, cut into large 3″ pieces
2 orange beets or turnips, cut into wedges
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1-2 leek tops, cut into large 3″ pieces
2-3 large garlic cloves, cut in half
1T fresh rosemary, chopped
1tsp sea salt
1tsp fresh growing black pepper
1T grease from the grease bucket
1-2 potatoes, cut into wedges, optional
The trick to this meal is to use the best seasonal vegetables you can find. Cut all the vegetables into pieces about the same size so they will cook evenly. Use a large glass baking dish and mix all the cut vegetables together with the grease, black pepper, sea salt and rosemary. Cook at 350F and stir every 15 minutes for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.

Sun Ripened Tomato Salad
2-3c sun ripened cherry tomatoes, whole
1/2c garden parsley, finely chopped
1/4c red onion, finely chopped (optional)
Add all ingredients together in a wooden salad bowl. Add 2-3T of Whole Seed Mustard Dressing. The recipe can be found in Making Homemade Lacto-Fermentation Whole Seed Mustard.

Hey farmer farmer
Put away the DDT now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell