Preserving the Harvest

Our carrot harvest for 2021 was a bumper crop.  Unbelievable!  We planted three rows of carrots this year.  Carrots will fool you.  The seeds are so tiny.  They are a little hard to plant.  In the fall when we sow the crop, I pinch some seeds between my thumb and forefinger and sprinkle them down the prepared seed bed.  They are hard to see, and I often overplant.  Once they are established, I struggle with the act of thinning them out for some reason.  This results in large carrots nestled by smaller carrots on the same row that were crowded out.

We posted earlier about how we harvested a lot of the big carrots and ate a bunch, blanched some, and gave a bunch away.  Carrots, with their vibrant green shoots are a gorgeous crop.  This weekend, I decided to go ahead and harvest a bunch more.  On two of the rows, some had grown too big and started to soften on the ends - some were not fit for eating (by us).  The cows, however, loved them!  Here are some of the crop all washed up and ready for processing.

Some of the shapes of the carrots are interesting.  We pulled some that had two "legs" that looked like someone running.  This carrot looks similar to a woman with an hourglass figure.  One of her legs is quite swollen, though.

We take them inside and cut off the tops and the bottom.

We save the tops and bottoms for the goats.  They are like candy to those goats.  They'll quickly eat them all and beg for more.  Nothing, and I mean nothing goes to waste.

Using my knife, I cut the carrots into chunks - not too big and not too small.  These are all placed in a tub for further processing.

Tricia bought this contraption years ago that speeds up the cubing process.  It has a sharp blade, so you must be very careful.  You lay the carrot cubes on the blade and pull a handle down with force.  This pushes the carrot through the blade and into the container below.

Quicker that you can say, "Peter Rabbit," the container is filled.  Then you repeat the process again and again.

These cubed carrots are poured into a pot of boiling water.  The timer is set for two minutes.  Once the timer goes off, the blanched carrots are poured into a colander and drained.  The water is returned to the pot and the process is started again for the next batch.

The blanched carrots are thrust into chilled water to stop the cooking process.  When they are cool, we pack them in quart-sized freezer bags for storage in the deep freeze.

When all was said and done, we had 29 quart bags of carrots to put into the freezer!  That's a big supply of carrots.  We'll be eating on carrots for quite some time.  And we still have half a row to harvest.  Note to self:  Next year only plant 1 row!!  

He Is Risen!

 Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Image Credit

What a beautiful day it was!  We worshipped at church with brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrated Jesus' victory over sin, death, and the grave.  Then we enjoyed a perfect day with family, spending time with one another and making memories. 

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.  Matthew 16:21

  

Trying A New Thing

Exodus 12

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

So each year for almost 20 years, we've celebrated Passover but from a Christian perspective.  We posted about it before - about how Jesus' blood atoned for our sins.  His Blood applied to the "doorposts of our hearts" frees us from the burden of sin.

We read from Scripture and feast.  One of the centerpieces of the meal is roasted lamb.  Normally we get a leg of lamb.  This year we had difficulties finding it and settled on a rack of lamb.  We had never roasted a rack of lamb.  'Twas a new experience for us.  First, we 'frenched' the rack by removing the fat from the rack, exposing the bones.  

Then we made criss-cross cuttings across the cap and rubbed liberally with olive oil.

Then we rubbed the rack with sea salt and pepper and sprinkled herbs like thyme and coriander over the top and sides.

Then we went and picked some fresh rosemary and chopped it up.  Our rosemary was once a small thing.  Now it is a big bush.  It is happy in our herb patch.  Rosemary atop the rack really smelled nice.  We rubbed that in as well while the oven pre-heated.

We covered the bones in foil so that the bones wouldn't burn, placed on a roasting pan and put in the oven.

When the meat tested 140 degrees, it was ready to eat.  We cut the rack into individual lamb chops.

And then we feasted!  We were so ready to eat, I didn't get photos of the sliced chops.

Passover is always a memorable event - a family tradition we look forward to each year.

Another Eggstra Special Thing About Spring

We are in that rare time that we enjoy so much - Spring.  It doesn't last long.  It is not cold, but it is not hot - YET.  We relish these days, working in the yard, enjoying the green growth, smelling the earthy scent of the soil, hearing the buzz of honeybees and the sound of chirping birds.  It is as if creation has come alive.

The live oak trees have dropped their leaves and fresh, kelly green growth appears on the branches.  Almost simultaneously, the flower of the live oak tree appears.  They aren't showy or pretty.  They are small brown tassels and they drop to the ground in thick mats, carpeting the ground.

They are full of yellow pollen that cover the ground and any hopes of keeping a vehicle clean are suddenly an impossible feat.  This yellow pollen wreaks havoc on my sinus and enrich the makers of ibuprofen and Peppermint essential oil.  The pollen will pass in time.

One really nice thing about spring are the fresh country eggs.  The hens are laying in abundance like they always do in the spring.  We have a sign out by the road announcing "Fresh, Free Range Country Eggs For Sale."  Passersby stop in and purchase.  Spring eggs are rich in taste.  The yolks are a darker color.  We had eggs and bacon and potatoes for supper tonight.  It is good to have breakfast for supper from time to time.

The eggs from the young hens are still a little on the small size, but they are getting larger.  We've been collecting about 30 eggs each day.  Some of the new hens lay their eggs in all sorts of strange places.  We find hidden nests all over the place.  One "Easter Egger" hen had to be quarantined in a cage. She had taken a liking to sneaking in to the garden and scratching.  In the process, she buried a tomato plant and dug up my Dixie Speckled Butterbeans and cucumbers.  I'll have to replant them both.  Argghh!

As I was walking back through the garden with my basket full of eggs, I set it down in the carrot patch.  You can see there is lots of oxalis in the carrot patch.  Tricia told me it is edible and she was munching on some oxalis.  She said it tastes like sorrel.  Anyhow, I thought the basket of fresh eggs made a nice photo against the greenery.  I bought this old egg basket off of e-bay many years ago.  Its wire construction coated with a rubberized coating helps guard against breakage.  

You can see the Easter-egger's eggs.  They are the blue and green and pink ones.  When we package eggs for sale or giveaway, we always try to put a blue or green egg or two in the carton.  It makes for a nice looking dozen of eggs.

Nice to look at and delicious to eat!

A Close Call for Clarabelle

Here is Clarabelle.  She and Rosie were just led back into the pasture after eating more grass, clover, and wild geranium in the back yard.  She is pregnant (we're 90% certain) and she should be calving in mid-April.  She looks fat and happy.  Well, fat at least.  I'm not sure cows ever look happy.  

This morning things were a bit different.  Tricia walked out to the barn this morning to take care of the morning chores and found Clarabelle in distress!  Rosie and Clarabelle have gotten in a habit of sleeping right next to the barn, under the overhang that protects them from rain.  It is dry and built up high. The hens will dig holes in this dry spot bordering the barn and "dust" themselves to take baths.  You can probably see the holes where the chickens have created a slope that goes downward, directly to the barn.

Clarabelle slept last night right beneath the window.  (We've moved the wagon so she can't sleep there again.)  Anyway, when Tricia walked out, Clarabelle was out of breath.  No telling how long she had been like that, but she was struggling to get up.  She was situated in such a way on the sloping ground that she couldn't lift her head, could not get herself up.  She had kicked around on the ground in her struggle and had even pooped all over the side of the barn and bent the tin walls of the barn in her struggling.

She was very, very weak when Tricia found her.  Tricia thought she may lose her, but after much work pushing and pulling, Tricia was able to get her up.  Clarabelle was flustered and out of breath, but she's gonna be okay.  We hope her calf will be fine, too.  So this afternoon, while Rosie and Clarabelle were eating grass in the yard, we positioned an old wagon that doubles as a hay bale feeder over the hen dust baths.  We don't want any repeat performances.  You can see the poop on the walls from the commotion.

Who's to say what would have happened had Tricia not gone out when she did to do chores?  We could have possibly lost both Clarabelle and her baby and chickens would have been the perpetrator.  Oh well, All's well that ends well.

Talking With An Ol' Girl

Yesterday when the cows were eating in the yard, we noticed something.  Maybe you can too?  Rosie is in the background and Clarabelle is in the foreground.

It is early, yet, but we think we can see Clarabelle's bag just barely starting to "bloom."  Others say that cows "start bagging up."  It just means that their udder begins to swell, indicating that they'll be calving.  We aren't sure, but when a cow is dry, you can definitely tell.  Her bag is just beginning to get a little bit bigger.  

Now, we haven't had the veterinarian come out and palpate to tell us definitively, so this could be a false alarm.  But it excites us.  With both of the cows dried off, it has been a welcome break to not milk cows twice a day, every day, but we do miss the fresh milk.  A spring calf would be nice.  Getting to share some of the milk is nicer!  Clarabelle's bag is enlarging, but I see nothing from Rosie.  We're hoping that will be a little later.

So while both cows were together, I pulled them together for a little conference.  "Listen," I told them, "You've given us nothing but bull calves the past several pregnancies.  It is time for some heifers.  We want some girls!"  Rosie and Clarabelle looked at me with dull confusion.  They didn't understand a word I said.  I'm not really going to complain about bull calves, because our freezer is full of meat, but we are looking forward to a heifer!  Hopefully, we'll find out in a month or so.

Firing Up the Lawnmowers

It is springtime in South Louisiana!  Everything except for the pecan trees are putting on leaves.  Winter grass is growing in the yard, along with white dutch clover, and all sorts of weeds.  Except, we really don't consider them weeds.  The cows don't at least.  Before I crank up our gas-powered lawn mower, I put our "grass powered lawn mowers in the yard!  I have a Gallagher solar fence charger, some poly wire on a reel and some temporary step-in posts.  I'll make several paddocks in our yard and cycle the cows through.  They are so happy!  You ought to see them go.  Heads down, munching grass.

You can hardly see the strand of electrified fencing, but it is there, and they respect it.  Neighbors have stopped to tell us that the cows were out.  Others have given us compliments on our lawn mowers.

They are pretty efficient at their jobs.  By the time they are finished, they've snipped the grass down to the ground.  Then I'll make another paddock adjacent to this one and move them a little farther until they've eaten all the grass in the yard.

Once done, this is all that remains, only live oak leaves litter the ground.  But wait, that will not be wasted.  It definitely won't be bagged up and thrown away.  No sir.

When I move the cows to the next paddock, then I will mow the section of land that the cows were just on and rake up the finely chopped leaves and grass.  I have many uses for this.  Just below you can see where I've mulched all around the potato plants with the chopped leaves.  As the potatoes grow, I'll work in more mulch.  This organic matter will increase fertility, make a great environment for earthworms, and eventually turn into soil.

Everything works together: grass, leaves, cows, and the people living on the land.  It is a beautiful system.