Baby chicks and Baptisms

Hello ya'll 


It's been a while... we are now in full summer mode.  The garden is growing.  We are eating salad, arugula, spinach and radishes so far.  Can't beat fresh salad for supper every night.  One problem though.  As the garden grows so do the weeds.  We spend several hours daily when it is not raining removing the weeds so the plants can grow.

We have had a few new additions to our farm family.  We have six beautiful new egg layers in the chicken coop.  They are very colourful and much larger than our other chickens but unfortunately have not started to lay eggs yet.  I am waiting very patiently.

It was now time to make them truly free range.  We fenced in area for them and during the day they roam around the outside of the chicken coop, basking in the sun and eat fresh grass, dirt and bugs to their hearts content.  We bring them in at night for their safety and Cujo's and my piece of mind

Eleven day olds  have also been added to the barn.  They are so sweet and need to stay under a heat lamp for two weeks but in eight to ten weeks, our cute baby chicks will be full grown capons ready to harvest and roast.  So we now also have fresh free range meat chickens added to the Cacciotti menu!!

We have added another baby girl to our goat herd.  "Trinity" arrived on June 13th only two days old, abandoned by her mother and very ill with a cold.  Thanks to some patience, determination and a trip to the drugstore for some cold medication she is doing very well.  She has since been back to her old home to have her horns removed.

the black marks on her head is the medicine to disinfect where her horns were removed

I was two days away from completely weaning Nina and Fiona (now nine and a half weeks old)  and excited to put the baby bottles away only to start all over again but this little girl is worth it.  I still give the other girls a bottle at night time just until this week end though.  

bottle feeding begins again...Trinity 11 days old

Moomoo is getting massive.  We decided to put him in the front coral to give him more room and to graze to his heart's content.  He is way to strong to be so close to him.  He thinks he's playing but easily lifts me off the ground when I would go into his pen to tend to his needs. 

 In the front field I can feed and water him from the fence...much safer.  Katie went in to play with him today while I was in the next field picking clover.  I heard her scream and when I looked over he was so excited bucking and romping around she started to run and he chased her to the other end of the field.  It was hilarious!

Sergio bringing moomoo to his new hang out...Cujo is supervising!

We put up this shelter to protect him from the sun and rain.  He doesn't use it much.  He enjoys basking in the sun and loves his showers when it rains. 
 A funny story though.  The morning after his move, I took my coffee and went on the deck to check on him.  I couldn't see him.  I tip toed out to the coral with my camera to catch him sleeping but he was nowhere to be found.  I checked the whole coral and no Moomoo.  Panic set in and I started running around the farm looking for him.  Believe it or not he was in the barn, in Leroy's old stall with the door latched.  We still have no idea if someone played a prank or if one of our neighbours found him out and about and put him in the stall.  No one has taken the credit for saving a lost little cow so I am seriously thinking that Cujo may have herded him up there and somehow closed the latch.  Who knows maybe he is Super Farm Dog!!


We made cheese twice this month.  It was an awesome night cheese making with Jana and Grant both super enthused for the experience.

When we made our cheese we did something a little different.  We cut up pieces of olives and mixed it with the cheese.  It was delicious.

Yummy!!

We did a lot of non-farm things this month so far.  Three baptisms...
Congratulations to Adriano

Marika

and Carter on your special days.

Happy belated Father's Day by the way to any dads that may be reading.  I brought Sergio to Toronto to see WAR HORSE!!  It was fabulous.  Being a horse person, it was a very emotional experience as was the movie.  The horses portrayed in the theatre were puppeteered by some amazingly talented people.  .  The movements of the horse's ears and head were so life like I didn't notice the artists working them after the first scene.  Congratulations to the Princess 
of Wales Theatre the cast and those behind the stage to make this production one of my best theatre experiences so far.


Three days of work left till my summer vacation...from my day job that is!!!


Good night ya'll


Live Laugh Love

Making Goat Cheese

Hello ya'll


We had a great night last night.  We made the best batch of goat cheese so far!!  So exciting to share it with Kristofer, Lesley and Sergio's brother Ricky.  We did it old school, in the garage.


This is what we did ( Sonia's Goat Cheese Recipe) ADAPTED FROM POPS' RECIPE


 15 litres of fresh whole goat milk
2 tsp of rennet (purchased at Grande Cheese in Woodbridge, ON)
coarse salt

1. Using a propane burner,  add 14 litres to large stainless steel pot (we used the one Pops used-save one litre for later
2. Turn on the burner to medium heat
3. Insert the thermometer
4. Patiently wait until the milk reaches 125 degrees Fahrenheit
5. Mix the rennet with 1/2 cup water and gently stir
6. add the rennet mixture to the hot milk and gently stir
7. Shut the heat off, cover and wait 1/2 hour
8. Pour everyone some wine, light a good cigar and chit chat
9. After the half hour use a large whisk (we use Pop's homemade wooden one) and gently break up the large curds
10. Turn the heat back on low
11. Wait 5 minutes then wash hands
12. Reach in the pot and collect all the curds in the pot and press together in the pot until you have a large ball
13. Squeeze as much milk out as you can then transfer to a wooden cheese form (we have the ones that Pops used (soooo cool)
14. Press the cheese with your palms squeezing out the milk turning the form as to work both sides
15. Place on a plate and cool

The next step will give you at least to ricottas

1. Add the one litre of milk that you saved into the pot
2. Cover,  check occasionally until the milk comes to a gentle rolling boil
3. You will see the ricotta forming at the top
4. Let it gently boil for just a few minutes
5. Turn off the heat
6. With a slotted spoon gently pick up the ricotta at the top and place into drainable containers (I have containers that I have saved when I have purchased it in the store)
7. Do not squeeze or press
8. Let one drain on a plate
9. Take a spoon and some fresh bread at either salt and pepper. or honey and enjoy with wine and family
10. YUMMY

We had a great time sharing stories of how Pops used to make it and Sergio and  Rick's uncles made it in Italy.  The rest of the milk was poured into bottles and Kristofer had some and  I brought some to school for my lactose intolerant friend Cindy.  I saved some and added some dried bread as a treat for the chickens.  They loved that.

I did have a bit of bad news today..When I went to feed the rabbits, one of the baby rabbits had passed away.  Poor little muffin I felt so bad.  I think she had too many babies this time and was not able to feed the runt.  We will see how many babies there are when they start coming out of the nest.  That won't be for about a week.  I'll keep you posted.  The rest of the animals are doing very well.  The new baby goats had their horns burned on Sunday and are doing well.  I even got to give them their needles.  Maybe when I grow up I will be a vet LOL!!

Enjoy your evening ya"ll.