It was a busy week-end but wonderful as always. Saturday morning we slept in until 7:30. What a treat that was but all our little muffins were mighty hungry. Moomoo now stays out every night and enjoys his little shelter. He is grazing and eating his grain regularly now but he was aching for his bottle. As he saw me walking towards his pen he began jumping and bucking. He is absolutely adorable.
The baby goats are doing well. They are still eating 2 bottles twice a day. The pedialite and peptobismol worked like a charm and she does not have loose stools any longer.
The bunny cages and chicken coop got a thorough cleaning and of course masses of fresh grasses were cut fresh for them.
After all the chores were completed off we were to visit our dairy goat farmer friend in Sturgeon Falls. He called us late last night about a 7 week old female that broke her leg and asked us if we wanted to try and save her leg. With a little convincing we thought we would give it a whirl. If we couldn't save the leg we would let her grow a bit more and harvest her for her meat.
It is a lovely drive. Beautiful pastures, cows, horses and gorgeous pines and spruce decorate the highway. When we arrived she was waiting for us. What a pretty little girl too. While we were there we picked up two carboys of milk to make our cheese and ricotta. Yum yum!!!
When we arrived home I gave the baby goat (I think I'll call her Sophy) a shot of bute which is a pain reliever for horses. I adjusted the dosage for her and put it in a syringe with water and administered it. We waited a bit for it to take effect before we set her leg. This was the interesting part. We used 2 paint sticks cutting them into 4 6 inch pieces. We spaced them on a piece of packing tape so it would be easier to place it around her little fragile leg.
We then used a medicated soft cast that we had in the barn left over from an injury one of the horses had. We carefully wrapped it then placed the wooden paint sticks around her her leg.
We then used an elasticised vet wrap to hold it in place. Sophy co-operated like a trooper and voila.
We called my cousin Michael to see if he was available because he has been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to watch the cheese making. My cousins love great authentic food. He showed up with his two sons Joe and Gabe. The kids loved the animals and the new additions and then explored the farm while we started the cheese making event. The cheese turned out lovely and like always out came the wine, bread, prosciutto,cheese, olives and bread. We feasted on fresh ricotta and the fixings talking about old times my dad, my father-in-law, his grandfather and all the cool "immigrant" things they used to do.
The beaver trapper came and in total caught 4 beavers but one is still out there and evading the traps. Now that the traps are gone we decide to go dam breaking. We have contacted the City, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment to see if someone could help us with the dams because they are blocking a major artery that flows in to Whitewater Lake but they all told us that we are responsible. Sergio had gone out late last week to bust the first dam. I had to stay home and keep Cujo in the house so he wouldn't get caught in the traps. He was not happy about being in the house while his daddy was out in the back field. The term busy beavers is an understatement. When we approached the dam he had rebuilt it. So the tedious job of busting it began. Beavers are amazing engineers. The way they build their dams is astonishing. We used a pick axe and we took turns breaking a small portion of it to allow the water to drain.
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| See the other two dams in the background |
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| Cujo loving the water |
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| Here comes the water |
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| and more water |
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| and more |
We went to the second dam and broke that but when we went to the third one we couldn't believe it. It must have been 50 ft long and so wide it already had grass growing on it. Incredible work busy beaver but not good for our fields though. We didn't even attempt to break the big dam. We'll have to devise another plan for this one.
It's 8:30 now and I still have to make another batch of cheese. The bugs were really bad so we decided to make it inside. This time we used a vegetable based rennet that we purchased at the health food store. We used a different pot over the stove with a different rennet, and it was late and I was tired so I wasn't as excited as usual. It took much longer for the milk to reach 125 degrees and the rennet took longer to set. But it all worked out. I form of cheese and three ricottas. I used the rest of the milk to feed the cow and I soaked old bread in the warm milk for the chickens and the barn cats. They love it. Off to bed exhausted but a very fulfilling day. I always sleep well spending the day outside.
After barn chores Sunday morning we had an unpleasant task to do. Our last Baby buck needed to be harvested. The little muffin served his purpose and his time here was done. This little buck had great colour on his coat so I googled how to save a goat hide. We skinned it very carefully and the washed it very well. I hung it to dry and then used two boxes of regular table salt and the curing process began. I really hope it turns out so I can keep all future pelts and maybe make a a quilt to keep us warm when we sleep at the cabin which is about 2 km in the back yard. the following pictures may not be popular but remember this a hobby farm and we got to do what we got to do.
After this difficult task it was time to cook the organs for the dog. Lucky puppy. He enjoyed it. I then cooked the goat head with potatoes, a delicacy for my honey. There is alot of tender meat on the face and the brains is the special part for him.
Goat Head and Roasted Potatoes
- one goat head halved
- olive oil
- rosemary
- thinly sliced garlic
- salt
- pepper
- 4 potatoes wedged
Cover the roasting pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the goat head exposing the inside of the head. Sprinkle rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Add potatoes and spice. Pop in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. ENJOY!!
After a late lunch out we went out and tried to get the horses into a different field. The new hay wasn't going to be delivered until Tuesday and the poor darlings are dying to eat the fresh stuff. One at a time we lead them through the front yard and into the unfenced pasture. We tried to put some temporary fencing to keep them from wandering off but then we just decided to leave them in the outdoor riding ring that is now grown over. It was a process I'll tell ya. Horses are herd animals and they don't like being apart. While we were transferring horses one at a time they were all stressed out and unco-operative but when they were all together and saw realized there was fresh grass they were so excited. They were running with their tails up, nickering and snorting. I thought I had it videotaped but again I pressed the wrong button and missed that heavenly experience. I can't wait until the seeds we planted grow so my horsies can graze day and night.
The kids came over for Sunday dinner and we put them to work. We needed to fence in the goat pen and prepare the foundation for the gate. That worked out very well. We had it done in no time.
Now it was time for dinner.Thanks to mom she started supper while we were still working. The main dish pasta with broccoli and fresh ricotta. It is delicious and so easy to make.
Pasta with Broccoli and Fresh Ricotta
- 2 heads of broccoli cut up in fair size pieces
- 1 bag of pasta (any kind- fresh pasta is the best but there was no time today)
- 1/4 cup of butter
- fresh ricotta
- salt
- pepper
Fill a pot with water and add salt.
Bring to a boil.
Add broccoli and pasta. When pasta is al dente drain. Place in a large serving bowl. Add the butter and mix. Then add the fresh ricotta and gently toss and serve topped with a sprinkle of pepper. ENJOY!!
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| Easy peasy and yummy
A busy and tiring week end but I wouldn't have it any other way. Good night ya'll.
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