Until Tommy is finished with school.
Sigh...
1 month ago
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
SO disappointed... they took my milk away :(
Well, not fully away, but mostly. We get WIC from the state which helps us a LOT right now. We go through probably 3-4 gallons of milk a week. I was so excited last month when I posted that there is now local fresh milk in the stores from the SPOKANE'S FAMILY FARM. The stuff is fantastic, tastes great, low-heat pasteurized... I can't wait to make cheese from it.
But apparently the fact that it isn't homogenized makes it a no-go for WIC rules. So the month or so we've been drinking it, while it has been wonderful, we will now need to go back to drinking regular trucked-in storebought :(
I called the WIC office at the state, spoke with a supervisor, then I called Trish at the dairy. She was a gem and was just made aware of the situation. She is looking into it and I hope she can figure out a way to make it WIC OK. Apparently, they don't homogenize on purpose. I didn't know this before, but homogenization breaks up the nice round fat globules into teeny pointy ones that are more damaging to your heart. Think... tiny little pieces of fiberglass. Great.
Anyway, I'm gonna cross my fingers and hope that at some point, they find a way to make it work. Maybe by going kosher, they can solve that problem. We'll see. In the meantime, if we ever need to buy milk out of pocket, I know what I'll be getting! :)
Here's a reprint from a recent newspaper article about the dairy, from
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/20/udderly-fresh/.
“C’mon girls. C’mon,” Mike Vieira calls out his evening invitation to the ladies in black and white at Spokane’s Family Farm. “C’mon,” he repeats, walking into the pasture, “C’mon. Let’s go.” Visitors make the “girls” hesitate slightly, but they eventually oblige and line up behind the barn door for the evening milking. It’s a ritual repeated twice daily at the farm 13 miles west of Spokane where Mike and Trish Vieira bottle up to 2,000 gallons of milk each week. “This is what everyone thinks of when they think of a dairy,” Mike Vieira says.
The couple began milking cows a little over a month ago, after spending the winter retrofitting the 100-year-old barn with modern milking and pasteurizing equipment and preparing for the arrival of the Holstein cows. It’s a small operation, with just 30 animals in a state where the average dairy had 480 cows in 2007. Many of the state’s large dairy operations have more than 2,000 animals.
Mike Vieira worked as a dairyman near Othello, selling his milk to the Darigold cooperative, before coming to the Spokane area. Although he was known for being a top-quality producer, Vieira says the milk he produced was dumped together with that of the other 850 members and bottled. He longed for closer connection to the finished product.
So, the Vieiras decided to move near one of the state’s bigger cities to find a market for an old-fashioned dairy – where milk is produced and bottled on the farm and then sold nearby. The milk from Spokane’s Family Farm is no more than 72 hours from the cow and has traveled less than 20 miles by the time it lands on grocery store shelves.
“I have a lot of incentive to produce quality milk,” says Mike Vieira, who recently turned 38. “My name is right there on the label. It comes down to me.”
Spokane’s Family Farm uses low-heat pasteurization to kill the potentially harmful pathogens in the milk. It’s heated to 145 degrees and held there for 30 minutes before it is quickly cooled to prepare for bottling. Most commercial milk is pasteurized at higher temperatures (HTST) to kill the bacteria as well as other enzymes in the milk and extend the shelf life. Some milk is ultra-heat pasteurized (UHT), or heated to a temperature that kills almost all of the microorganisms and can be shelf stable if it is put in hermetically sealed packaging.
Food and Drug Administration researchers say the higher temperature pasteurization doesn’t significantly affect the nutritional value of milk. Others believe human bodies benefit from the natural enzymes that are left intact by low-temperature pasteurization. They also like the flavor better, and the remaining enzymes help with the fermentation of milk into cheese and yogurt.
The Vieiras like the taste of the milk and the “good bacteria” left behind. Although they like keeping the milk closer to its natural state, they don’t believe in selling raw milk. “It is a liability and it’s still a serious issue,” says Mike Vieira, who also worked for five years in dairy sanitation as a troubleshooter for Sunnyside Dairy Supply.
Spokane’s Family Farm doesn’t homogenize the milk, which means the cream rises to the top of the jugs. Most commercial milk has the cream separated out, and then sprayed back into the milk in a prescribed amount (1 percent, 2 percent or about 3 percent for whole milk). The cream is forced through tubes at high pressure to break up the fat so it no longer separates from the low-fat milk.
Milk from Spokane’s Family Farm averages about 3.5 percent fat. Shake the jug for creamy whole milk or, as the Vieiras suggest, store it in an iced tea dispenser with the spigot on the bottom. The milk that settles to the bottom has about 2 percent fat and the cream that rises to the top can be saved and made into butter, used for coffee or even whipped. It has about a three-week shelf life. The retail price is $4.29 per gallon. It is sold on the farm for $3.50.
Running a dairy is not easy work. Vieira wakes before 5 a.m. every day to feed the “girls” and get them ready for the 5:30 a.m. milking. Cleaning, sanitizing, bottling and other farm chores keep the couple busy until the evening milking. Most days are 18 hours long and sometimes end with the Vieiras delivering milk to stores that are running low.
“There is no pause button on these cows,” Trish Vieira says. Friends and volunteer hands on the farm like to tease them about the never-changing schedule, “They like to rib me. ‘What are you doing this weekend?’ they’ll ask,” Mike Vieira says.
The farm on Coulee Hite Road was used as a dairy until 1962. The Vieiras retrofitted it with state-of-the-art equipment, but it’s still what’s called a “flat barn.” Most dairy operations have a pit so that dairy workers are at eye level with the cows’ udders.
“You don’t have to bend over to milk cows anymore,” he says. “I still do.”
Actually, most of the time he’s squatting. For the first two weeks of operation, Vieira says he was sore from his toes to his ears.
“I’m in it because I love the cows,” he says. “It’s all I ever wanted to do. I think I started saying I wanted to be a dairy farmer about second grade.”
That was after a trip to his uncle’s dairy farm in California captured his imagination. His first job out of high school was as herdsman for a dairy. He recently told a group of veterinary students that if any of them were thinking about dairying, they needed to see a psychiatrist for at least a year. And then at the end of the year if they still want a dairy they should get a second opinion.
The Vieiras have five grown daughters in their blended family. They’ve been married for about two years and have a son, 1 1/2-year-old Kohl. There’s a playpen for him in the barn where the cows are milked, but on a recent evening he was perched atop the nightly feed ration in the wheelbarrow.
The dairy is not certified organic. The cows eat locally grown grains. Although the Vieiras wanted to reserve the right to treat a sick animal on the farm with antibiotics, they would never allow the milk to go into their tanks.
The farm is 160 acres, and they hope to eventually double the operation to 60 cows.
Mike Vieira takes pride in his contented herd, which he bought from an 80-year-old dairyman and his son. When he lets the first group of cows into the barn, they quickly assume positions in each of the milking stalls.
He quickly cleans each cow’s teats using an iodine and glycerin solution and then strips a bit of milk from each one before attaching the milking apparatus. The rhythmic sound of the machinery fills the small barn. The cows eat until the milking is complete, and the units automatically detach and are drawn back up into position for the next round.
Trish Vieira brushes the mud and dried waste from the hide of the cows while she helps with milking. She helps shoo the cows outside, and then they start over with the second group.
She walks outside while the milking and cleaning is finished. Tomorrow, they’ll start the whole process again.
“C’mon girls. C’mon.”
Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
From Trish Vieira, Spokane Family Farm. Vieira says when she made this with additional milk from the farm instead of cream to lower the fat, no one noticed.
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 1/4 cups Spokane’s Family Farm Milk with cream on top
5 fresh eggs, lightly beaten
5 cups whipping cream (can use whole milk for less fat)
2 tablespoons vanilla
Combine first three ingredients in saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk, cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, until thickened, stirring constantly.
Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Add whipping cream and vanilla to chilled mixture and whip with wire whisk. Freeze as directed.
For an electric home freezer, use approximately 2 cups of rock salt per batch and 1 1/2 bags of ice cubes. Vieira puts a little water into the freezer bucket (about 2 cups) to start the ice and salt melting process. Fresh fruit or chocolate cookie bits can be added to flavor the custard before freezing.
Yield: About 5 quarts
Homemade Yogurt
From Trish Vieira, Spokane’s Family Farm. This yogurt can be used in place of sour cream, she says.
1 quart whole milk
5 grams yogurt starter
Heat one quart of milk to 180 degrees and then cool down to 108 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dissolve 5 grams yogurt starter (or use unflavored yogurt) in small quantity of lukewarm milk. Then pour back into the quart of milk and mix well.
Incubate for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, or until yogurt has reached the desired firmness.
Refrigerate to stop incubation.
Fresh fruit or jam can be added to sweeten the yogurt. A yogurt appliance can be used to incubate the yogurt.
Yield: 4 cups yogurt
French Breakfast Puffs
From Trish Vieira, Spokane Family Farm. She says these are “simply divine.”
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup whole milk
Topping
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix just until blended.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir in flour mixture alternately with 1/2 cup milk.
Fill muffin tins two-thirds full with batter and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
While the puffs are baking, melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix together sugar and cinnamon.
When puffs are baked, remove from the oven and immediately dip them in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with Dark Chocolate Rum Sauce
From Trish Vieira, Spokane’s Family Farm.
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
7 tablespoons cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup dark rum
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ¾ cups sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Blend in milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch pan.
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, brown sugar and 4 tablespoons cocoa.
Sprinkle over cake batter.
Pour hot water and dark rum over the top. Bake 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Yield: 1 (8-by-8-inch) cake
But apparently the fact that it isn't homogenized makes it a no-go for WIC rules. So the month or so we've been drinking it, while it has been wonderful, we will now need to go back to drinking regular trucked-in storebought :(
I called the WIC office at the state, spoke with a supervisor, then I called Trish at the dairy. She was a gem and was just made aware of the situation. She is looking into it and I hope she can figure out a way to make it WIC OK. Apparently, they don't homogenize on purpose. I didn't know this before, but homogenization breaks up the nice round fat globules into teeny pointy ones that are more damaging to your heart. Think... tiny little pieces of fiberglass. Great.
Anyway, I'm gonna cross my fingers and hope that at some point, they find a way to make it work. Maybe by going kosher, they can solve that problem. We'll see. In the meantime, if we ever need to buy milk out of pocket, I know what I'll be getting! :)
Here's a reprint from a recent newspaper article about the dairy, from
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/20/udderly-fresh/.
“C’mon girls. C’mon,” Mike Vieira calls out his evening invitation to the ladies in black and white at Spokane’s Family Farm. “C’mon,” he repeats, walking into the pasture, “C’mon. Let’s go.” Visitors make the “girls” hesitate slightly, but they eventually oblige and line up behind the barn door for the evening milking. It’s a ritual repeated twice daily at the farm 13 miles west of Spokane where Mike and Trish Vieira bottle up to 2,000 gallons of milk each week. “This is what everyone thinks of when they think of a dairy,” Mike Vieira says.
The couple began milking cows a little over a month ago, after spending the winter retrofitting the 100-year-old barn with modern milking and pasteurizing equipment and preparing for the arrival of the Holstein cows. It’s a small operation, with just 30 animals in a state where the average dairy had 480 cows in 2007. Many of the state’s large dairy operations have more than 2,000 animals.
Mike Vieira worked as a dairyman near Othello, selling his milk to the Darigold cooperative, before coming to the Spokane area. Although he was known for being a top-quality producer, Vieira says the milk he produced was dumped together with that of the other 850 members and bottled. He longed for closer connection to the finished product.
So, the Vieiras decided to move near one of the state’s bigger cities to find a market for an old-fashioned dairy – where milk is produced and bottled on the farm and then sold nearby. The milk from Spokane’s Family Farm is no more than 72 hours from the cow and has traveled less than 20 miles by the time it lands on grocery store shelves.
“I have a lot of incentive to produce quality milk,” says Mike Vieira, who recently turned 38. “My name is right there on the label. It comes down to me.”
Spokane’s Family Farm uses low-heat pasteurization to kill the potentially harmful pathogens in the milk. It’s heated to 145 degrees and held there for 30 minutes before it is quickly cooled to prepare for bottling. Most commercial milk is pasteurized at higher temperatures (HTST) to kill the bacteria as well as other enzymes in the milk and extend the shelf life. Some milk is ultra-heat pasteurized (UHT), or heated to a temperature that kills almost all of the microorganisms and can be shelf stable if it is put in hermetically sealed packaging.
Food and Drug Administration researchers say the higher temperature pasteurization doesn’t significantly affect the nutritional value of milk. Others believe human bodies benefit from the natural enzymes that are left intact by low-temperature pasteurization. They also like the flavor better, and the remaining enzymes help with the fermentation of milk into cheese and yogurt.
The Vieiras like the taste of the milk and the “good bacteria” left behind. Although they like keeping the milk closer to its natural state, they don’t believe in selling raw milk. “It is a liability and it’s still a serious issue,” says Mike Vieira, who also worked for five years in dairy sanitation as a troubleshooter for Sunnyside Dairy Supply.
Spokane’s Family Farm doesn’t homogenize the milk, which means the cream rises to the top of the jugs. Most commercial milk has the cream separated out, and then sprayed back into the milk in a prescribed amount (1 percent, 2 percent or about 3 percent for whole milk). The cream is forced through tubes at high pressure to break up the fat so it no longer separates from the low-fat milk.
Milk from Spokane’s Family Farm averages about 3.5 percent fat. Shake the jug for creamy whole milk or, as the Vieiras suggest, store it in an iced tea dispenser with the spigot on the bottom. The milk that settles to the bottom has about 2 percent fat and the cream that rises to the top can be saved and made into butter, used for coffee or even whipped. It has about a three-week shelf life. The retail price is $4.29 per gallon. It is sold on the farm for $3.50.
Running a dairy is not easy work. Vieira wakes before 5 a.m. every day to feed the “girls” and get them ready for the 5:30 a.m. milking. Cleaning, sanitizing, bottling and other farm chores keep the couple busy until the evening milking. Most days are 18 hours long and sometimes end with the Vieiras delivering milk to stores that are running low.
“There is no pause button on these cows,” Trish Vieira says. Friends and volunteer hands on the farm like to tease them about the never-changing schedule, “They like to rib me. ‘What are you doing this weekend?’ they’ll ask,” Mike Vieira says.
The farm on Coulee Hite Road was used as a dairy until 1962. The Vieiras retrofitted it with state-of-the-art equipment, but it’s still what’s called a “flat barn.” Most dairy operations have a pit so that dairy workers are at eye level with the cows’ udders.
“You don’t have to bend over to milk cows anymore,” he says. “I still do.”
Actually, most of the time he’s squatting. For the first two weeks of operation, Vieira says he was sore from his toes to his ears.
“I’m in it because I love the cows,” he says. “It’s all I ever wanted to do. I think I started saying I wanted to be a dairy farmer about second grade.”
That was after a trip to his uncle’s dairy farm in California captured his imagination. His first job out of high school was as herdsman for a dairy. He recently told a group of veterinary students that if any of them were thinking about dairying, they needed to see a psychiatrist for at least a year. And then at the end of the year if they still want a dairy they should get a second opinion.
The Vieiras have five grown daughters in their blended family. They’ve been married for about two years and have a son, 1 1/2-year-old Kohl. There’s a playpen for him in the barn where the cows are milked, but on a recent evening he was perched atop the nightly feed ration in the wheelbarrow.
The dairy is not certified organic. The cows eat locally grown grains. Although the Vieiras wanted to reserve the right to treat a sick animal on the farm with antibiotics, they would never allow the milk to go into their tanks.
The farm is 160 acres, and they hope to eventually double the operation to 60 cows.
Mike Vieira takes pride in his contented herd, which he bought from an 80-year-old dairyman and his son. When he lets the first group of cows into the barn, they quickly assume positions in each of the milking stalls.
He quickly cleans each cow’s teats using an iodine and glycerin solution and then strips a bit of milk from each one before attaching the milking apparatus. The rhythmic sound of the machinery fills the small barn. The cows eat until the milking is complete, and the units automatically detach and are drawn back up into position for the next round.
Trish Vieira brushes the mud and dried waste from the hide of the cows while she helps with milking. She helps shoo the cows outside, and then they start over with the second group.
She walks outside while the milking and cleaning is finished. Tomorrow, they’ll start the whole process again.
“C’mon girls. C’mon.”
Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
From Trish Vieira, Spokane Family Farm. Vieira says when she made this with additional milk from the farm instead of cream to lower the fat, no one noticed.
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 1/4 cups Spokane’s Family Farm Milk with cream on top
5 fresh eggs, lightly beaten
5 cups whipping cream (can use whole milk for less fat)
2 tablespoons vanilla
Combine first three ingredients in saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk, cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, until thickened, stirring constantly.
Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Add whipping cream and vanilla to chilled mixture and whip with wire whisk. Freeze as directed.
For an electric home freezer, use approximately 2 cups of rock salt per batch and 1 1/2 bags of ice cubes. Vieira puts a little water into the freezer bucket (about 2 cups) to start the ice and salt melting process. Fresh fruit or chocolate cookie bits can be added to flavor the custard before freezing.
Yield: About 5 quarts
Homemade Yogurt
From Trish Vieira, Spokane’s Family Farm. This yogurt can be used in place of sour cream, she says.
1 quart whole milk
5 grams yogurt starter
Heat one quart of milk to 180 degrees and then cool down to 108 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dissolve 5 grams yogurt starter (or use unflavored yogurt) in small quantity of lukewarm milk. Then pour back into the quart of milk and mix well.
Incubate for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, or until yogurt has reached the desired firmness.
Refrigerate to stop incubation.
Fresh fruit or jam can be added to sweeten the yogurt. A yogurt appliance can be used to incubate the yogurt.
Yield: 4 cups yogurt
French Breakfast Puffs
From Trish Vieira, Spokane Family Farm. She says these are “simply divine.”
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup whole milk
Topping
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix just until blended.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir in flour mixture alternately with 1/2 cup milk.
Fill muffin tins two-thirds full with batter and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
While the puffs are baking, melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix together sugar and cinnamon.
When puffs are baked, remove from the oven and immediately dip them in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with Dark Chocolate Rum Sauce
From Trish Vieira, Spokane’s Family Farm.
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
7 tablespoons cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup dark rum
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ¾ cups sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Blend in milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch pan.
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, brown sugar and 4 tablespoons cocoa.
Sprinkle over cake batter.
Pour hot water and dark rum over the top. Bake 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Yield: 1 (8-by-8-inch) cake
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Mediterranean Farfalle with spinach and feta cheese
Made this last night, I kinda threw it together to use up a costco-size container of baby spinach but it was a big hit!
1 lb sausage (we used kielbasa, but you could also even use chunks of chicken or any other meat, or even omit)
1 box (8 servings) of mini farfalle (bowtie) pasta
10 oz baby spinach
2 cans of garlic diced tomatoes
Feta Cheese (amount depends on your taste)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Greek seasoning blend
In a skillet, cook the sausage with a little olive oil and a generous amount of the greek seasoning blend. When it has browned, add the tomatoes, some of the feta and balsamic vinegar. Cook until reduced.
In the meantime, begin the water for the pasta.
When the sauce is reduced to the right consistency (whatever you want!) turn off the heat and add the spinach. Mix the spinach into the sauce and cover until the pasta is done. When the pasta is done, toss with the sauce & spinach and top with the remainder of the feta cheese.
1 lb sausage (we used kielbasa, but you could also even use chunks of chicken or any other meat, or even omit)
1 box (8 servings) of mini farfalle (bowtie) pasta
10 oz baby spinach
2 cans of garlic diced tomatoes
Feta Cheese (amount depends on your taste)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Greek seasoning blend
In a skillet, cook the sausage with a little olive oil and a generous amount of the greek seasoning blend. When it has browned, add the tomatoes, some of the feta and balsamic vinegar. Cook until reduced.
In the meantime, begin the water for the pasta.
When the sauce is reduced to the right consistency (whatever you want!) turn off the heat and add the spinach. Mix the spinach into the sauce and cover until the pasta is done. When the pasta is done, toss with the sauce & spinach and top with the remainder of the feta cheese.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Milky goodness
The other day I was at the grocery store and I needed to get milk. I was walking through the aisle and as I was approaching the milk section I noticed something different. A strange new brand of milk was next to my normal Darigold. As I walked closer, I started to be able to make out the words on the label.
The music swelled as the chorus sang "Hallelujah!" There it was, on the jug's label - "Spokane's Family Farm."
I was stunned in disbelief. I picked up the jug, cradled it lovingly in my arms, and inspected the label closely. Yes, my eyes had not deceived me. Something I had been looking for since I moved here - locally produced milk! I immediately filled my cart with three gallons. We do go through about 2-3 gallons of milk per week (Eleora loves milk). I've been buying 1% but all they have is whole. I'm making the switch entirely, and I'll just drink less myself to compensate for the calories.
The best part? It's not homogenized. It is pasteurized but it's cream-on-the-top whole milk and so I'm THINKING and HOPING that I will finally be able to make a decent cheese. We'll see!
The music swelled as the chorus sang "Hallelujah!" There it was, on the jug's label - "Spokane's Family Farm."
I was stunned in disbelief. I picked up the jug, cradled it lovingly in my arms, and inspected the label closely. Yes, my eyes had not deceived me. Something I had been looking for since I moved here - locally produced milk! I immediately filled my cart with three gallons. We do go through about 2-3 gallons of milk per week (Eleora loves milk). I've been buying 1% but all they have is whole. I'm making the switch entirely, and I'll just drink less myself to compensate for the calories.
The best part? It's not homogenized. It is pasteurized but it's cream-on-the-top whole milk and so I'm THINKING and HOPING that I will finally be able to make a decent cheese. We'll see!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day weekend
And what a weekend it was!
I did have to work a half day on Saturday so after I got off work we packed up the kids (OK after they woke up from naps) and went to the 2009 Garden Expo. I wanted to see if I could get my Mother's Day gift there and then maybe pick up a couple blueberry bushes.
They had TONS of cool stuff there. Totally not what I was looking for, though. I think next year I'll have to force my mom to come with me. There were lots of great booths with all kinds of outdoor decor, furniture made from thin saplings, antiques refinished (a FABULOUS potting shelf or two or hundred), tons of plants and veggie starts, etc. It was really fun! Except there was only one place to buy rose bushes and they were like $17 for one small stem (unique ones, though).
So afterwards we went to Big R and I picked out my rosebush :) And for those of you who think it's weird for me to get my own gift... well yeah. This is the first year we've implemented what will become our Dasko family tradition. Every year for mother's day, my dad used to get my mom a fuchsia hanging basket. I like that tradition, but wanted roses instead. T didn't have a chance to get one earlier this week and then when we decided to go to the Expo we just assumed they would be there. Apparently not. So I got a beautiful cream-colored rose with red edges. Similar to my old favorite Double Delight but a different type. I'll put it into a large container and then in a few years when we move to the property I'll plant my roses (at that point there will probably be several) in a permanent spot.
In the garden news, I planted more radishes yesterday with Eleora. She was a great help. I poked holes in the dirt, and gave her one seed at a time to drop in. We did 12 in a square around the outsides of a couple holes where I'll be putting in a tomato plant. I think we planted a total of 36. We'll be rolling in radishes soon! The 2 squares I planted a few weeks ago are coming up strong. Right next to them I have my first batch of spinach coming up. The lettuce is also coming up and the onions are really gaining strength. I do think, however, that I will be getting some starts from the nursery still. The strawberries have put on a ton of new growth.
On Friday, the girls brought home some marigolds potted in cups for Mother's Day. They went into the garden on Sunday. Eleora always talks about "Mama's special flowers" and finally she has some she can call her own! Still haven't seen any sprouts from the other herbs I've planted or my carrots.
The plant starts are still doing well. The Tomatillos are growing so fast, though, I think they are outgrowing their container. Next year I'll plant those a little later. One of them even has a bloom! I have all my starts potted in little 9 or 12oz cups (I can't remember which size). Next year I'll be doing soil blocks so I think it will be easier to keep them in the correct size.
I didn't turn my compost pile... I realized i'm gonna need another container to turn it INTO since I put the bolts on backwards (and therefore can't take the "bin" off the pile while it's standing like I should be able to). So I'm gonna see if I can get another one. It's still nice and warm and I've got lots of coffee grounds waiting to be mixed in.
I did have to work a half day on Saturday so after I got off work we packed up the kids (OK after they woke up from naps) and went to the 2009 Garden Expo. I wanted to see if I could get my Mother's Day gift there and then maybe pick up a couple blueberry bushes.
They had TONS of cool stuff there. Totally not what I was looking for, though. I think next year I'll have to force my mom to come with me. There were lots of great booths with all kinds of outdoor decor, furniture made from thin saplings, antiques refinished (a FABULOUS potting shelf or two or hundred), tons of plants and veggie starts, etc. It was really fun! Except there was only one place to buy rose bushes and they were like $17 for one small stem (unique ones, though).
So afterwards we went to Big R and I picked out my rosebush :) And for those of you who think it's weird for me to get my own gift... well yeah. This is the first year we've implemented what will become our Dasko family tradition. Every year for mother's day, my dad used to get my mom a fuchsia hanging basket. I like that tradition, but wanted roses instead. T didn't have a chance to get one earlier this week and then when we decided to go to the Expo we just assumed they would be there. Apparently not. So I got a beautiful cream-colored rose with red edges. Similar to my old favorite Double Delight but a different type. I'll put it into a large container and then in a few years when we move to the property I'll plant my roses (at that point there will probably be several) in a permanent spot.
In the garden news, I planted more radishes yesterday with Eleora. She was a great help. I poked holes in the dirt, and gave her one seed at a time to drop in. We did 12 in a square around the outsides of a couple holes where I'll be putting in a tomato plant. I think we planted a total of 36. We'll be rolling in radishes soon! The 2 squares I planted a few weeks ago are coming up strong. Right next to them I have my first batch of spinach coming up. The lettuce is also coming up and the onions are really gaining strength. I do think, however, that I will be getting some starts from the nursery still. The strawberries have put on a ton of new growth.
On Friday, the girls brought home some marigolds potted in cups for Mother's Day. They went into the garden on Sunday. Eleora always talks about "Mama's special flowers" and finally she has some she can call her own! Still haven't seen any sprouts from the other herbs I've planted or my carrots.
The plant starts are still doing well. The Tomatillos are growing so fast, though, I think they are outgrowing their container. Next year I'll plant those a little later. One of them even has a bloom! I have all my starts potted in little 9 or 12oz cups (I can't remember which size). Next year I'll be doing soil blocks so I think it will be easier to keep them in the correct size.
I didn't turn my compost pile... I realized i'm gonna need another container to turn it INTO since I put the bolts on backwards (and therefore can't take the "bin" off the pile while it's standing like I should be able to). So I'm gonna see if I can get another one. It's still nice and warm and I've got lots of coffee grounds waiting to be mixed in.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Watching grass grow...
This morning Tommy came in all excited and said "Hey come look! Come look! My grass is growing!"
A couple weeks ago he spent a lot of time under the spruce tree in our backyard raking up years worth of accumulated pine needles that were choking the soil. It is a pretty much bare spot that would only grow the occasional weed and we wanted it to be grass. So he raked up the needles, replanted some grass seed and raked it in with compost, manure and peat moss. He's been faithfully watering it for a week or 2 and this morning he was so excited to finally see little blades of grass. It seemed like they came out of nowhere although they were in some places an inch long, so I know they have been there for a little bit but we just didn't notice them.
When we came back inside, he remarked that now he knew what it felt like for me showing him all the new sprouts in my garden :)
And in terms of the garden, here's the latest. My radishes (2 squares) are up. I'm going to plant another 2 squares this weekend. One of my potato bins has 2 potatoes showing. Some of my onions are going strong but since I never hardened them off a lot of them have died. I think I'm going to stop by the local nursery tomorrow or whenever I have a chance and get some onion starts. I could go by seed also, since I have plenty left, but I want to get the head start that I would from starts.
My compost bin is heating up! Although I don't think the entire bin is heating up... more like just in the spots where I've been adding my kitchen scraps. I make myself a lot of crudites to take to work for snacks and so I generate quite a bit of fruit and veggie waste. Today it was the peelings and trimmings from 4 large carrots, 4 large stalks of celery, one kiwi, a half a cucumber and the tops from about 6 or 7 large strawberries and 5 radishes. Add to that a banana peel from breakfast, Eleora's leftover toast you've got a good plateful of scraps already, and that's just the morning. We do this every day.
So the other day I went to take out the day's scraps and when I was burying them I noticed HEAT! My first time ever. Of course I was excited and made Tommy come out and see. I even dug a bit around so he could feel the heat and see the steam. The whole pile is definitely not heating up, though. I did see a couple sunken spots where I'd put scraps so I think it's just those localized areas. We'll see.
I've started picking up coffee grounds from the local Starbucks. I don't particularly like their coffee or support the big business enterprise... but as lame as it is, I haven't found one locally owned coffeehouse that is willing to save grounds for their customers. On the other hand, Starbucks even has a bin inside the store where they put them, they have a system set up that makes it easy for us. I've got quite a bit on hand already and will be checking for grounds in the mornings before work, since they are on my way. This weekend I'll turn the compost pile and add all the grounds that I'm able to collect. I know my pile isn't heating up enough just because I don't quite have enough greens... so that's the easiest source for me of a large amount of greens. This morning I got at least a kitchen trash bag size full of grounds, and yesterday I got 2 5-pound coffee bags full of grounds. I'll just keep collecting through the week and by Sunday when I actually do the turning I'm sure I'll have tons. That oughta heat up the pile pretty good and give me some finished compost pretty soon. I've been cold composting since all last year but I am ready to start working on heating it up and getting the right balances. I have a garage full of bagged leaves that I got in the fall (seriously, I have about 25 bags) and so that and the coffeegrounds, veggie scraps, garden waste, etc. will probably allow me to make enough compost this summer to top off the beds this fall.
And as far as my started seeds, my cucumbers. basil and marigolds are up so far. I admit I haven't checked in about 2 days so the other plants might be up also. I've been hardening off my other plants (the wrong way, I might add... I didn't start them as slow as I could have). I plan on planting them outside in the 17th, so they have a good 2 weeks to get used to being outside before being set out. Once all the rest of the plants downstairs germinate I might just let them go outside too. The seeds I have downstairs are 3 types of cukes, marigolds, basil, million dollar melon (I thought I got Charentais but couldn't find them) and also my Jarrahdale pumpkins.
My garlic yesterday was looking a bit yellowed, kinda like Granny's, and so I was thinking I should make some cornmeal tea (that's what you used, right?) but then this morning they looked green and strong. It did rain pretty hard last night so maybe they just needed a drink. I've got most of the hoses cut for my irrigation system, I mostly just now need to put them all together and install it in the garden. That will make it a lot easier to water it. I was going to get it done this weekend but didn't have the time... and really, I figure as long as I can get it in by the time most of my plants will go in (2 weeks) I should be fine. I still have few enough plants that I can water using a watering can at this point.
A couple weeks ago he spent a lot of time under the spruce tree in our backyard raking up years worth of accumulated pine needles that were choking the soil. It is a pretty much bare spot that would only grow the occasional weed and we wanted it to be grass. So he raked up the needles, replanted some grass seed and raked it in with compost, manure and peat moss. He's been faithfully watering it for a week or 2 and this morning he was so excited to finally see little blades of grass. It seemed like they came out of nowhere although they were in some places an inch long, so I know they have been there for a little bit but we just didn't notice them.
When we came back inside, he remarked that now he knew what it felt like for me showing him all the new sprouts in my garden :)
And in terms of the garden, here's the latest. My radishes (2 squares) are up. I'm going to plant another 2 squares this weekend. One of my potato bins has 2 potatoes showing. Some of my onions are going strong but since I never hardened them off a lot of them have died. I think I'm going to stop by the local nursery tomorrow or whenever I have a chance and get some onion starts. I could go by seed also, since I have plenty left, but I want to get the head start that I would from starts.
My compost bin is heating up! Although I don't think the entire bin is heating up... more like just in the spots where I've been adding my kitchen scraps. I make myself a lot of crudites to take to work for snacks and so I generate quite a bit of fruit and veggie waste. Today it was the peelings and trimmings from 4 large carrots, 4 large stalks of celery, one kiwi, a half a cucumber and the tops from about 6 or 7 large strawberries and 5 radishes. Add to that a banana peel from breakfast, Eleora's leftover toast you've got a good plateful of scraps already, and that's just the morning. We do this every day.
So the other day I went to take out the day's scraps and when I was burying them I noticed HEAT! My first time ever. Of course I was excited and made Tommy come out and see. I even dug a bit around so he could feel the heat and see the steam. The whole pile is definitely not heating up, though. I did see a couple sunken spots where I'd put scraps so I think it's just those localized areas. We'll see.
I've started picking up coffee grounds from the local Starbucks. I don't particularly like their coffee or support the big business enterprise... but as lame as it is, I haven't found one locally owned coffeehouse that is willing to save grounds for their customers. On the other hand, Starbucks even has a bin inside the store where they put them, they have a system set up that makes it easy for us. I've got quite a bit on hand already and will be checking for grounds in the mornings before work, since they are on my way. This weekend I'll turn the compost pile and add all the grounds that I'm able to collect. I know my pile isn't heating up enough just because I don't quite have enough greens... so that's the easiest source for me of a large amount of greens. This morning I got at least a kitchen trash bag size full of grounds, and yesterday I got 2 5-pound coffee bags full of grounds. I'll just keep collecting through the week and by Sunday when I actually do the turning I'm sure I'll have tons. That oughta heat up the pile pretty good and give me some finished compost pretty soon. I've been cold composting since all last year but I am ready to start working on heating it up and getting the right balances. I have a garage full of bagged leaves that I got in the fall (seriously, I have about 25 bags) and so that and the coffeegrounds, veggie scraps, garden waste, etc. will probably allow me to make enough compost this summer to top off the beds this fall.
And as far as my started seeds, my cucumbers. basil and marigolds are up so far. I admit I haven't checked in about 2 days so the other plants might be up also. I've been hardening off my other plants (the wrong way, I might add... I didn't start them as slow as I could have). I plan on planting them outside in the 17th, so they have a good 2 weeks to get used to being outside before being set out. Once all the rest of the plants downstairs germinate I might just let them go outside too. The seeds I have downstairs are 3 types of cukes, marigolds, basil, million dollar melon (I thought I got Charentais but couldn't find them) and also my Jarrahdale pumpkins.
My garlic yesterday was looking a bit yellowed, kinda like Granny's, and so I was thinking I should make some cornmeal tea (that's what you used, right?) but then this morning they looked green and strong. It did rain pretty hard last night so maybe they just needed a drink. I've got most of the hoses cut for my irrigation system, I mostly just now need to put them all together and install it in the garden. That will make it a lot easier to water it. I was going to get it done this weekend but didn't have the time... and really, I figure as long as I can get it in by the time most of my plants will go in (2 weeks) I should be fine. I still have few enough plants that I can water using a watering can at this point.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Staying home...
Yesterday Eleora brought home a note from the daycare director that her teacher was leaving because she has the opportunity to now stay home with her kids. I am really happy for her, but it also makes me melancholy.
Now that spring is here especially, it seems like every single day I wish I could just stay home with my kids and hang out with them, teach them how to do stuff outside, get my gardening done, cook decent suppers where we can all sit together around the table (more than just on the weekends), keep up on laundry, the kids can get the proper amount of sleep in their naps, and so many more reasons.
Only one more year... actually about 13 months till Tommy is done with school!
Now that spring is here especially, it seems like every single day I wish I could just stay home with my kids and hang out with them, teach them how to do stuff outside, get my gardening done, cook decent suppers where we can all sit together around the table (more than just on the weekends), keep up on laundry, the kids can get the proper amount of sleep in their naps, and so many more reasons.
Only one more year... actually about 13 months till Tommy is done with school!
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