Mom's is recovering nicely.
We have run into a slight problem; we did feel the need for a Super Bowl party at my parents home (they are the pastors of our church and only live a mile from the church sight). There are some people we to connect with outside the church and this seems a great oppurtunity.
But the tumor was so deep, mom's recovery isn't as fast as we expected.
This means the music for church, weekly Sunday potluck, AND preparing for the party all fall on me and my family (Dad's a great minister and knows when to delegate. He can't play an instrument and hates to cook, so he has delegated these parts of the church to my mom. She loves both, but doesn't mind delegating down either when necessary.)
The other women will be bringing things for the potluck, so I won't have to do too much except a pan of chicken (and our normal bread and desert) and putting it all together at the last minute.
My daughter, Joy (21), mom and I are the only piano players (well, I might could get my 18yo Jim to do it if I had to, but he never has before and really only knows two songs.) So this week Joy will pick the music and play the piano while I lead (most of the time, mom, who has more than 40 years of experience, plays the piano, I pick the music ahead of time, and Joy leads, but once a month we have been switching it all around to give Joy and I practice on the piano).
Now the party. I'll be making the shopping list with mom later this morning and the girls and I will probably go get the groceries. Unless I decide to have Jim drive Joy and I in Dad's car. Since Jim's driving test is tomorrow (in Dad's car) he might ought to have the practice.
The first book I would recommend to someone thinking of this hobby/lifestyle is Back to Basics. It is very shallow in its information, but it covers every aspect of homesteading. A reading of it can give you an idea of what areas you want to learn more about and what you really aren't interested in. It also helps to let you know what all you need to think about.
The second book I would recommend is Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living.
This book cover EVERYTHING! from how to live in a tent in winter with little kids while you build your house to how to butcher a beef calf. She lived this life and records her knowledge in detail, including recipes! Great book:-)
Talking to Daniel kind of makes me miss having a cow. We have decided the next cow we get will be a "real" cow, not a cull from the local dairy. "Real" cows cost three times as much so it will be a while before we can afford one.
Two of us can milk a three-teated cow (I told you they were culls, lol) in 20 minutes by hand. Now, we love spending the time with the cow and would not want to lessen that. The time in the outside fresh air is priceless. However, a "real" cow should produce 2-4 times as much milk. And when you are sick the cow still needs milking. So I also want a milking machine when we get our cow.
I found that processing the milk daily took as much time as milking. This meant filtering (hair, dust, hay, etc. Anything in the air in the milk shed) the milk when it first comes into the house (a large non-disposable coffee filter fits just inside the top of the jugs we were using for milk and was the absolute best method I found. It even worked better than a real milk filter. Of course, we were only dealing with a couple of gallons at a time.)
Home grown milk will begin to smell "milkey" after a couple of days. This is because it doesn't have chemicals added to mask its natural smell. If you have a cow, it's not really a problem. Just give anything more than a day old to the animals and drink the freshest:-)
The jugs we used have a nice big mouth for later cream removal and are easy to wash. Any soup ladle would work great to skim the cream with.
After filtering the milk, we put the new milk in the back of the fridge, take the old milk out and skim off the cream (we had Jerseys. We got a good 1 1/2-2 inches of cream [which equals about a cup per inch] off of every gallon:-) The milk went back in the fridge to be drunk (too thick to drink with the cream in it!) and the cream went into the blender. It took just 5-10 minutes to churn in the blender (faster when room temperature, but I am too distractable to leave it to warm up). It is so fascinating to watch it go from cream to whipped cream to butter! And Jersey cream really is YELLOW when it becomes butter. It is almost orange, it's so yellow.
You scoop the little balls of butter out, press them in a bowl and drain off the milk. Then you wash it in COLD water (hot water melts the butter and just makes a horrid mess). Press out all the water, salt and eat:-)
It wasn't unusual to get a pound a day.
Now this butter doesn't keep as good as the store bought stuff because it hasn't been pasteurized (killed). So if you aren't going to be able to use it in a couple of days, freeze it:-)
We usually gave the milk left from the churning to the dog or chickens, but occasionally I added it to the milk for yogurt or cheese.
Any milk more than a day old got processed into either yogurt or mozzarella. I tried other types of cheese but couldn't get consistent at it.
I have looked at yogurt makers, but my method works best. Bring the milk almost to a boil (180 degrees) to kill the enzymes in it. Cool it off. Divide it into quart jars (I did a gallon [week's worth] at a time). Add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt to each jar. Put the lids on and shake them. Set the jars on a heating pad set on medium and cover with a thick bath towel. Check it every couple of hours. When it tastes and smells sweet-ish and yogurt-y, it's done. It probably won't be as thick as what you buy in the store. (I have a friend who sets her quarts in an ice chest, covers them with hot water and puts the lid on. Her yogurt does taste better than mine, so it's worth a try).
We flavored our yogurt before eating it by adding 1 quart of yogurt and 1 small bag of frozen fruit to a blender. I like just a touch of honey or maple syrup, too, though my little girls prefer it without. I have been known to use a spoonful of Jello per cup, instead.
As far as cheese goes, my favorite recipe was 30 Minute Mozzarella (found here). I actually use the book Home Cheese Making but it's the same recipe.
Now, you can buy home pasteurizers, but here is my article why you don't want to.
:-)
We have run into a slight problem; we did feel the need for a Super Bowl party at my parents home (they are the pastors of our church and only live a mile from the church sight). There are some people we to connect with outside the church and this seems a great oppurtunity.
But the tumor was so deep, mom's recovery isn't as fast as we expected.
This means the music for church, weekly Sunday potluck, AND preparing for the party all fall on me and my family (Dad's a great minister and knows when to delegate. He can't play an instrument and hates to cook, so he has delegated these parts of the church to my mom. She loves both, but doesn't mind delegating down either when necessary.)
The other women will be bringing things for the potluck, so I won't have to do too much except a pan of chicken (and our normal bread and desert) and putting it all together at the last minute.
My daughter, Joy (21), mom and I are the only piano players (well, I might could get my 18yo Jim to do it if I had to, but he never has before and really only knows two songs.) So this week Joy will pick the music and play the piano while I lead (most of the time, mom, who has more than 40 years of experience, plays the piano, I pick the music ahead of time, and Joy leads, but once a month we have been switching it all around to give Joy and I practice on the piano).
Now the party. I'll be making the shopping list with mom later this morning and the girls and I will probably go get the groceries. Unless I decide to have Jim drive Joy and I in Dad's car. Since Jim's driving test is tomorrow (in Dad's car) he might ought to have the practice.
Talked to my nephew
about off-grid living and farming yesterday. Sure was fun:-) The entire concept has been a hobby for me most of my life. We do have chickens, rabbits and a pathetic orchard and garden. But that is as close as we've been able to come right now. Hubby isn't as interested, so we mostly dream and then enjoy the luxuries of the on-grid life:-DThe first book I would recommend to someone thinking of this hobby/lifestyle is Back to Basics. It is very shallow in its information, but it covers every aspect of homesteading. A reading of it can give you an idea of what areas you want to learn more about and what you really aren't interested in. It also helps to let you know what all you need to think about.
The second book I would recommend is Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living.
This book cover EVERYTHING! from how to live in a tent in winter with little kids while you build your house to how to butcher a beef calf. She lived this life and records her knowledge in detail, including recipes! Great book:-)
Talking to Daniel kind of makes me miss having a cow. We have decided the next cow we get will be a "real" cow, not a cull from the local dairy. "Real" cows cost three times as much so it will be a while before we can afford one.
Two of us can milk a three-teated cow (I told you they were culls, lol) in 20 minutes by hand. Now, we love spending the time with the cow and would not want to lessen that. The time in the outside fresh air is priceless. However, a "real" cow should produce 2-4 times as much milk. And when you are sick the cow still needs milking. So I also want a milking machine when we get our cow.
I found that processing the milk daily took as much time as milking. This meant filtering (hair, dust, hay, etc. Anything in the air in the milk shed) the milk when it first comes into the house (a large non-disposable coffee filter fits just inside the top of the jugs we were using for milk and was the absolute best method I found. It even worked better than a real milk filter. Of course, we were only dealing with a couple of gallons at a time.)
Home grown milk will begin to smell "milkey" after a couple of days. This is because it doesn't have chemicals added to mask its natural smell. If you have a cow, it's not really a problem. Just give anything more than a day old to the animals and drink the freshest:-)
The jugs we used have a nice big mouth for later cream removal and are easy to wash. Any soup ladle would work great to skim the cream with.
After filtering the milk, we put the new milk in the back of the fridge, take the old milk out and skim off the cream (we had Jerseys. We got a good 1 1/2-2 inches of cream [which equals about a cup per inch] off of every gallon:-) The milk went back in the fridge to be drunk (too thick to drink with the cream in it!) and the cream went into the blender. It took just 5-10 minutes to churn in the blender (faster when room temperature, but I am too distractable to leave it to warm up). It is so fascinating to watch it go from cream to whipped cream to butter! And Jersey cream really is YELLOW when it becomes butter. It is almost orange, it's so yellow.
You scoop the little balls of butter out, press them in a bowl and drain off the milk. Then you wash it in COLD water (hot water melts the butter and just makes a horrid mess). Press out all the water, salt and eat:-)
It wasn't unusual to get a pound a day.
Now this butter doesn't keep as good as the store bought stuff because it hasn't been pasteurized (killed). So if you aren't going to be able to use it in a couple of days, freeze it:-)
We usually gave the milk left from the churning to the dog or chickens, but occasionally I added it to the milk for yogurt or cheese.
Any milk more than a day old got processed into either yogurt or mozzarella. I tried other types of cheese but couldn't get consistent at it.
I have looked at yogurt makers, but my method works best. Bring the milk almost to a boil (180 degrees) to kill the enzymes in it. Cool it off. Divide it into quart jars (I did a gallon [week's worth] at a time). Add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt to each jar. Put the lids on and shake them. Set the jars on a heating pad set on medium and cover with a thick bath towel. Check it every couple of hours. When it tastes and smells sweet-ish and yogurt-y, it's done. It probably won't be as thick as what you buy in the store. (I have a friend who sets her quarts in an ice chest, covers them with hot water and puts the lid on. Her yogurt does taste better than mine, so it's worth a try).
We flavored our yogurt before eating it by adding 1 quart of yogurt and 1 small bag of frozen fruit to a blender. I like just a touch of honey or maple syrup, too, though my little girls prefer it without. I have been known to use a spoonful of Jello per cup, instead.
As far as cheese goes, my favorite recipe was 30 Minute Mozzarella (found here). I actually use the book Home Cheese Making but it's the same recipe.
Now, you can buy home pasteurizers, but here is my article why you don't want to.
:-)
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