Good News!

Remember our bees! I worried about them with those freezing temperatures and all that snow. I would walk past the bee hives covered with snow and say a little prayer. Well, today the temperature finally hit 50! Felt like a heat wave hit Cincinnati. Actually went outside without 10 layers of clothes - how nice!

My friend the beekeeper, Kent Hatfield, called and said I should go look at my bee hives and, hopefully, see if there is any sign of life. With the warm temperature, the bees should be coming out of the hive. So very cautiously, I went out to the hives hoping for the best, but reluctant to look. The way our luck has been lately, I wasn't sure I really wanted to look! BUT . . . there they were . . . my wonderful little bees buzzing around. What a beautiful sight!!! Both hives were active! Thank you Lord! So, apparently, we did right in feeding like we did. B & D Honey, yes siree!!

And then there was a fox . . .

That about says it all! We thought we had weasel problems BUT it turns out it is a fox. Last week, we lost another chicken which brings the total to 3 chickens. Fortunately we had a fresh snowfall which gave us good paw prints. The paw prints were definitely not weasel. Weasels don't have claws and these prints showed signs of claws and they were too big for weasels. After a search on the Internet, looks like we have a fox visiting our chickens.

We happened to be up at the duck pen the next day and saw the same prints. He (or she) walked right pass the duck pen. So we followed the prints and lost them under our deck. Now won't that be a kick in the butt if the fox is living under OUR deck while feasting on OUR chickens!

So for the time being the chickens will have to be locked up in the chicken house. Apparently, Mr. or Ms Fox didn't like that very much and yesterday for the first time we had a duck attack and it wasn't pretty. We are now at war and the casualties are mounting. I can't afford to lose many more. So I made a few calls to a couple of my farmer friends. Today I go to pick up a live trap. To all the animals activists, I am sorry if this offends you, but this is my business and I have way too much money invested in these animals to be feeding them to Mr/Ms Fox. If we are able, we will get the "criminal" and "deposit" him/her out at East Fork Lake. But, if there is any chance that we will get bite while trying to remove him, well sorry folks . . .

Until then, all the animals will have to remain locked up. I hate doing that because I won't like being locked up. But I gotta do what I gotta do.

Back to work!

Whew! Survived the Christmas rush! Today I will attempt to clean my soap room which looks like a major disaster struck! When you are frantically making soaps and lotions, if something spills . . . oh well! So today it returns back to a "normal" room. Of course, it won't last for long. And I begin rebuilding my soap inventory which is at new all time low. So if you are looking for a particular soap fragrance, speak up! I know a lot of people were looking for Rosemary/Lavender Herbal Soap so that is first on my list. I am planning on making a lot of that. Since we had two goats miscarry this Fall, we will probably have a larger inventory of the herbal soaps.

To update you on "Opie" (my son). Yes, Opie will be leaving Mayberry sometime this summer to go to Boot Camp (or as it now called Basic Training). He will be "enlisting" in the Navy this week in the DEP program (Delay Entry Program) - which means that he is in the Navy but will "actively" join the Navy once he graduates from High School. Of course, I feel like someone dropped a ton of bricks on me. Fortunately, I found a neat support group called "Navy for Moms" on the Internet and found a bunch of other "weepy" Moms, so I am not alone. In the last week and a half, I have learned so much and "met" a lot of very nice Navy Moms. So now I don't feel as quite alone as I did.

Thank you all for your support in 2010! It has been quite a year! Somehow we survived it - got bruised quite a bit, but we are still standing and that is what counts! With the Lord's Help, 2011 will be better! May the Lord bless you and your families in 2011.

Goats!!!!

Just when I think I have goats figured out, they do something that completely baffles me. Remember last month, Ida, my black goat, miscarried. Well, today, Kallie, my BEST milker, miscarried triplets (thank you very much!). I found the tiny babies in the hay in the goat barn (boy, there are days when I really love my job!). Excuse me, I am just extremely frustrated. This year has just really sucked and it is ending badly. I don't drink, but this makes me think I might want to!

Then I sit down and think, God will get me through this. There is a reason for this. I just have to figure out WHY? Everything was going good until recently, so what changed? Bobby thinks it is my buck (boy goat). We got rid of my old buck and got a new one. The old one (well, he wasn't old, just had been here for a year or two) was related to several of the girls and we can't have him breeding with his daughters. So he got replaced. Won't think that would make that big of a difference, but I guess it could.

The thing that concerns me now is that I have lost two milkers and have three "potential" milkers left. With goats you are never sure if they are pregnant or not. You can see the "act" being done, but whether or not the buck "hit the mark" - we will find out in 5 months. If a goat is pregnant, she will develop an udder usually a week before she gives birth. I am sure my neighbors think I am some sort of pervert because I keep looking under my goats' tails looking for an udder.

Hopefully, 2011 will be better than 2010 was.

Opie Leaving Mayberry

My son, Nathan, will be graduating this Spring from high school. How can this be? It seems like only yesterday when Bobby and I went to Walgreens and jokingly bought a home pregnancy test (we were married!!) because I was "late". And when the little blue line appeared, you didn't know if you should say "OH S..t!" or "OH my!" Either way it was a surprise because the doctors said I couldn't get pregnant - guess they were wrong! So, here we are 17 years later living out in the country on a goat farm. And I have loved every minute of it!

This past Monday, Bobby and Nathan went to talk to a Navy recruiter. Nathan has been at odds about what he is going to do after graduation considering how bad the economy is. Currently, he is working part-time at a horse farm and does not consider that a career choice. The goats are of no interest to him. So "Opie" is thinking about joining the Navy.

Granted this is probably a very wise decision. He could learn so much. Not to mention the "free" travel. Bobby assures me that he probably won't see any military action. If he did, it would be from a boat and boats don't sink. Well, DUH remember the Titanic!!! Nathan tells me that he hasn't made up his mind yet, but I know my son and my intuition tells me that he is going into the Navy.

I am trying not to be a "Mom" about this. I want him to do what is best for him. BUT in my heart, I don't want him to go - I know I can't hold on to my little boy any longer. I am not ready for him to leave yet. I guess every Mom goes through this. I know sooner or later Opie must leave Mayberry, but I hadn't planned on it to be so soon.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

We are being hit with our second snowstorm of the year and it isn't even winter yet! Looks like we are in for a "fun" winter! My son is thrilled because this is his second snow day in a week and I think they are predicting more snow next week!

I quickly forgot what happens when it snows and had a painful reminder the other day. Went down to feed the chickens and put them back in their pen, when I found the body of a dead chicken. At first, I didn't think too much of it since it was one of my older chickens and I figured she had died of old age. Then my husband noticed her head was missing (sorry to be so graphic). Very close by was the body of another chicken, a younger one - in the same situation. Feathers were scattered around indicating these were not accidental deaths. The loss of the heads is the definite sign of a weazel attack. Weazels drink the blood of chickens and leave the bodies behind. Other animals will take the bodies away. With the cold weather coming on, the animals are coming out of the woods looking for food and chickens make a nice snack.

So now I will have to keep the ducks and chickens locked up until the winter passes or let them out while I am down there watching. I have too much invested in them to let them be weazel or fox food. It is extremely unusual for this to happen in the day, but I guess when you are hungry . . .

Oh yes, to update you on my shoulder - the doctor postponed my surgery on the 13th. It has been rescheduled for January 10th.

Life on the Farm in the Cold

Ah, the joys of life on the farm when it is cold - really cold. When the temps hit single digits is when I begin to rethink my career choice. Pretty much every single water bucket is its own ice skating rink. So that means hauling fresh water to duck, chicken and goat pens that now seem miles away instead of only several yards. Surprisingly the ducks don't seem to mind the cold very much. When I get their little ponds thawed out, it always give me chills to see them swimming in what has got to be ice cold water - doesn't seem to bother them a bit.

The goats hate this weather and won't venture out of the barn. They will stick their heads out to see what is happening and quickly disappear back into the barn - they must be part bear because they seem to hibernate.

The chickens do come out to see if they can find something to eat. Of course, they can't so they quickly retreat back to the hen house.

With regards to the goat baby situation (UGH!) - it is looking like my new Saanen, Elissa, is pregnant. At least, she looks fat. Can't really tell about the others yet. Ida, my black alpine goat, miscarried last month. Hated to see that but that shouldn't affect me too much. She wasn't a huge milk producer.

On a personal note, it is a "go" for my surgery on Monday. The doctor has been paid - you now have to pay the surgeon up front. I had my physical yesterday and passed that with flying colors. Now I have to do is show up Monday morning at Holmes Hospital.

Time to breathe!

Craft season is now over. Time to exhale! I want to thank everyone who believed in me enough to buy my products! I know times are tough - thank you so much for your support and your loyalty!

I do have a very limited supply of goat's milk soap. All our lotions and lotion bars are made to order so if you need it, we can make it for you. Just give us a call or send us an email. Our jams, jellies and fudge are also made to order, too. We still have plenty of herbal soaps - Oatmeal & Lavender, Peppermint, Patchouli, and Carrot - out of Beer Soap. Oh yes, we still have plenty of Silly Lilly Dog Shampoo! I will be out of "commission" on December 13, 14 and maybe the 15 due to the surgery on my shoulder but should be back in business after that.

I want to wish everyone one a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. We will be back at the Hyde Park Farmer's Market in May, 2011 and the Anderson Farmer's Market at the end of May, 2011. May God bless you and your family this year and in the new year.

Hyde Park Farmer's Market

Back to "official" business . . . we will be returning to the Hyde Park Farmer's Market in 2011 (and the Anderson Market, also). It is now "official" . . . the Hyde Park Farmer's Market will be moving to the Hyde Park Square in 2011. The Market will be there from June through September. The pre-season market in May will still be at the US Bank parking lot and will return there in October and November.

Doctors and my shoulder

Went to see my Orthopedic Doctor on Monday for follow-up on my shoulder. Not much improvement so I will be having surgery on Monday, December 13. UGH!!! I am not looking forward to this at all.

So yesterday, for some reason, I started to think about my surgery and my mind drifted to what TV Doctor I would love to have do my surgery - I know when you are bored . . . ! For those interested, here is what I came up with (yes,I know I need to get a life!). I don't want McDreamy (Grey's Anatomy) - he loses too many patients and I don't like Meredith. I know ER is no longer on TV, BUT if it were . . . I would probably either want Dr. Greene (yes, I know he died of cancer BUT he would do the surgery BEFORE he died) or Dr. Carter. Of course, there is George Clooney (Dr. Ross) - I forget, he was a pediatric doctor - well, he could work on my kid ANY DAY! I thought of Dr. Kildare or Ben Casey but they might be too old (and probably retired) but at least they would be experienced! Marcus Welby would be another good doctor. What TV Doctor would you want?

Choo & Ella's Excellent Adventure

For those who don't know, Choo and Ella are our two Shih Tzu "puppies". Choo (short for Ah Choo) is on the left and Ella is on the right. They are sisters - both from the same litter.

Today I had to do some Christmas shopping. Well, I really didn't HAVE to go shopping, but I wanted to try to get some of it done. So I took them along. As a treat for them, we went to Petsmart. Petsmart lets you bring your pets into the store with you. Talk about puppy paradise! I think if they could have a Christmas list, their list would read "everything in Aisle 6 in Petsmart - if it squeaks, we want it!" And the best thing is that after you get done shopping, you get a free cookie (well, the dogs do, the owner just hands over the money!)

We spent about a half hour in the store. I think they smelled almost every toy in the store. We went over and looked at the birds. Hopefully, the canaries will recover! I am sure those birds are used to this by now (I hope!).

As we were leaving, a lady with a big boxer walked in. Choo and Ella always love meeting new friends. The boxer gave them a look and just stepped over them and walked on. Poor Choo and Ella! I do think they had fun.

The Pitfalls of Working with Goats

About two months ago, I was milking one of the goats, can't remember which one it was. She did not want to get off the milking stand. I can understand why - you get all the free grain you want and no one bothers you. So I tried pulling her off. She didn't like that and decided to let me know by giving me a pretty hefty pull. I didn't think too much of it at the time.

The next morning I woke up and my left shoulder was sore. You know how it feels like you overdid it the day before. Only problem the pain never did go away that day, nor the day after that, or the day after that and so on. At first, I took a couple of aspirins - didn't do much good. Got out the ibuprofen - helped a little. I figured maybe it was the onset of arthritis. So I went to the store and bought some "Icy Hot". That didn't do much good. Meanwhile the shoulder is getting worst - to the point where I can't sleep on it. Driving became next to impossible because I couldn't lift my left arm up to the steering wheel - time to go see a doctor!

Went to the doctor this week and had an MRI done yesterday. I have a torn rotator cuff - anyone want to buy a herd of goats? We are now off to see an Orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday. Talk about luck! The only surgeon available is the guy that is the doctor to the Bengals! So if he can fix the Bengals, I guess I am in pretty good hands!

So, Diane, what did you do on your Christmas vacation?

New Babies!

These are baby pekin ducks. Boy what an adventure their life has been so far! They were hatched Monday, October 25 and shipped from California to Cincinnati, Ohio. They arrived here this morning Wednesday, October 27.

I ordered 12 "straight run" baby pekin ducks. Straight run means you get luck of the draw - basically, you have no preference if you get either boys or girls. Hopefully, you get 50/50 and the hatcheries do try to give you that mix. The boys will be our "next generation" meat ducks and the girls will be our egg layers. So look for more duck meat this coming Spring! We will probably be ordering more meat ducks in March as the duck meat seems to be very popular. Also this Spring we will be offering meat chickens.

By the way, do you know how to tell the difference between a boy duck and a girl duck (outside of the "obvious"). A girl duck has a loud, obnoxious quack (gee, I wonder why?). The boy duck sounds like he has a bad cold and has a hoarse quack. Also, a boy duck has a feather that curls on his tail. So the next time you go to a duck pond, you can impress your friends by telling them which ducks are girls and boys!

The Bee Lady??

Yesterday a beekeeper came over to help me with our bee hives. The original beekeeper that placed the hives here has sort of abandoned us. He had cancer earlier this summer, but I know he recovered. We quickly figured out he was more interested in getting free eggs than helping us learn about beekeeping. When my husband reminded him of the original agreement, he disappeared leaving us with two beehives that we had no idea what to do with.

As always, God intervened and last week, a beekeeper showed up at my door wanting to know how my hives were doing. Thank you God!! I explained our situation to him. So yesterday, he showed up with two "bee suits", a "smoker" and various "bee gear" and we opened our two bee hives. To say, I was apprehensive is an understatement, but it was kind of neat too.

After several hours of cleaning out hives, the verdict is very good. We have two very healthy hives (yeah!!!). The original hive has about 30 pounds of honey in it - this is what the hive will live on during the winter. The beekeeper said this hive will definitely produce enough honey for me to harvest by next July (let me see . . . B & D Honey, B & D Bees . . . no, I think B & D Honey sounds better).

The second hive is not as productive. He told me I need to "feed" the hive. Now how in the heck do you "feed" a hive. It is not like you go to Kroger's and get bee food. The beekeeper wasn't too specific on this part - just get some sugar water and spray the frames. Yeah right. That means opening up the hives and removing the frames that are covered with buzzing (and sort of ticked off bees) and spray a sugar water solution. And, it gets even better, we need to do it by this weekend. The beekeeper did offer to help if I can't find anyone else to help me. I did get the name of a lady out this way who does "bee rescue". So I am going to give her a call this morning to see if she will come feed my bees. Never thought beekeeping was so complicated.

At a crossroads

Where do we go from here? Age-old question. This certainly has been a rough year, not only for us, but for the rest of the country. So I know it is not just me and my poor sales are just a reflection of what is going on with the ecoonmy. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Don't you sometimes wish you had that magic ball that you could look into to see if you were making the right decisions. Where is that Ouija board that I used to have as a kid - I am sure that will give me the right answers!

OK, this is where we stand now. My sales at the Anderson Market were pretty bad. They started out bad. Of course leaving the market early because my husband got sick didn't help my sales either. But they never did pick up after I came back. My sales at Hyde Park are down also. So I am guessing the economy is to blame.

The interesting thing is that my goat products aren't selling as well as they used to. My lotion sales have almost died.

Our options - sell the goats, increase the chicken and duck flocks, and start an herb farm. I would continue to make herbal soap but would drop the goat's milk products. Another option is sell some of the goats and continue doing what we are doing. But, if I sold the goats, I would probably have to leave the Hyde Park market since the only reason I am there is because of the goat products.

I will continue to pray on this. I know God will lead me in the way that I need to go. If He is closing this door, I know He will open another.

Reflections

For some reason, I am in a reflective mood today. Maybe it is because my husband and I will be celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary in September. It started me thinking where was I when we got married. Boy, what a journey that has been! If you would have told me then what I would be doing now, I would have laughed in your face.

19 years ago, I was working for the Procter & Gamble Company in the Health & Beauty Care Sales Division. See!! Who would have thought! Yes, I wore the "power suits" and high heels (how on EARTH did I ever wear those heels???) I tried a pair on a while back - I must have been nuts!! I did have a neat job at the time. I provided computer support for the Health & Beauty Care Sales Division and would travel to the various district offices. Anyway, there were cutback and downsizings - you all know how that goes. I transferred to the International Division and was eventually "downsized" out in 1994.

It just made me think about how amazing God's plan is for us. As I said, who would have thought 19 years ago I would be a goat farmer. It certainly wasn't something I had even thought about. Makes me wonder what else He has up His sleeve for me?

Farmer's Market Dinner

Last night I made a really good dinner. It was a "recipe" one of my friends at the farmer's market gave me - real easy to make. He gave me two large zucchini. Split the zucchinis in half and scoop out the seeds. Brown some ground beef (or ground turkey - I used pork sausage) with onions. I threw in some mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, garlic and oregano. After it was all cooked, I added some tomato sauce. Divided this between the two zucchinis and sprinkled mozzeralla cheese on top. Loosely wrap the zucchini in aluminium foil and bake at 350 for about 35 to 45 minutes. Even our teenage McDonalds-addict ate it!

Add some french bread or a toss salad and you have a really great meal! The thing that is great about this recipe is that you can let your imagination go wild and add almost anything - a little eggplant, maybe some jalapenos for some heat, instead of the tomato sauce use spagheti sauce . . . whatever strikes your mood at the time.

Taste of the Market - August 7

Anderson Farmer's Market will be having "Taste of the Market" on Saturday, August 7. Several of the vendors (including me) will be bringing goodies made from their farms. We will be serving goat chili. Yes, I know August is not your typical chili month, but that is the best I could come up with on short notice. So please stop by and get a sample of chili!

Of course, if you are not in the mood for chili, you can always buy a bar of soap or a bottle of lotion!

Anderson Farmer's Market

We will be returning to the Anderson Farmer's Market (without goats!) on Saturday, July 31. Please come and see us. We will be located right next to the Gelato guy. The market opens at 9:00 and is located behind the Anderson Town Center. See you all on Saturday.

Hyde Park Farmer's Market on the Square

(picture courtesy of the Hyde Park Farmer's Market)

For the 4th of July, the Hyde Park Farmer's Market was invited to set up on the Hyde Park Square. What a neat experience that turned out to be! Now there is talk of making that a permanent home for the market! If you would like to see this happen, stop by the market tent (the very first tent at the market) and sign the petition. Somehow the Farmer's Market just seemed to belong there - is was a perfect setting for the market! Everyone I talked to loved the idea (including the farmers!).

A Visit to the Anderson Market

We will be visiting the Anderson Farmer's Market on July 10 and bringing a couple of the goats (maybe a few ducks and chickens, too). Please stop by and see us. Our plans are to bring Kara and Kelsey, two of our dairy goats. They are sisters. Kara was born this year. Kelsey is her big sister and a first time Mom and milker. We are hoping Kelsey will be on good behavior and will let us do a milking demonstration (keep your fingers crossed!). Both are very friendly and will let you pet them. It will be nice to see all our friends again at the Anderson Farmer's Market!

We are back - sort of !

Have you wondered where we have gone? All the talk of new markets and then we disappeared. Hopefully, I can explain what happened.

It has been a very rough year. We had a family emergency. So I put the business on hold for the last several months. To make my life as simple as possible, I dropped most of my farmer's markets except Hyde Park. Life is slowly returning back to normal and I am going to try to rebuild the business. Please be patient with me as my soap and lotion inventories are very low and I will frantically be making soap as fast as I can. If you drive past my house, you might see bubbles comning out of the chimney.

If there is a particular scent you are looking for, give us a call or send us an email. We might have it in stock, if not, we can always whip up a batch for you. Thank you for your patience!

The Goat Lady

Hyde Park Farmer's Market

The Hyde Park Farmer's Market is now running their pre-season market. Though there is not a lot of produce available, you can find lettuce, eggs, pasta, vegetable and herb plants, Blue Oven Bread, and Hazelfield's beautiful flowers. Stop by and see us every Sunday from 9:30 to 1:30. The Hyde Park vendors are some of the nicest people I have met!

The market "officially" opens on June 6 and will run through the end of October. Come see why Cincinnati Magazine named the Hyde Park Market the best market in Cincinnati!

New Market

Last night we went to the first meeting for the Madeira Farmer's Market. Had a really great turnout. Several of the vendors I know from the Hyde Park Market - so it should be a really good market.

The market will be every Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 on Dawson Road - right in the heart of Madeira. There will be a nice variety of products to choose from - several meat vendors, a lot of veggie farmers, a lady selling snow cones (those should be nice in July and August!!), a lavender farmer (oh how I would love to have a lavender farm!), a bread baker, a beekeeper with plenty of homegrown honey and, of course, me . . . The Goat Lady!

The Hyde Park market will start this weekend - weather permitting! Though it doesn't sound very encouraging. I think they are expecting rain all weekend. The Anderson market doesn't start until the end of May.

It will be so nice to be back at the markets!

A New Adventure

We are trying something new here on the farm. To give you a bit of background on the events that lead us to where we are now . . . One of my egg customers is a beekeeper and we have been swapping honey for eggs. Great deal for me since I eat honey in my oatmeal every morning and I bake with it alot!

The other day, Al (the beekeeper) was talking with my husband and mentioned that he is always looking for new places to put his hives - light bulb!!!! Why not here? If this turns out to be a good spot, maybe I can set up a hive or two of my own. Al said that he would show me all the "ins" and "outs" of beekeeping.

Our bees and a brooder box were delivered this morning. This is exciting! I will keep you all informed of my adventures as a beekeeper (fortunately, I am NOT allergic to bee stings!!!)

Aspects of my job that I don't like!

We took Chloe to the butcher's this morning - the hard part of raising animals for food. I had no choice. She has become extremely difficult and hard to manage (in fact, I believe she may have killed two goats). She started out as a good breeder. But the last two years, she has been a terrible Mom. This year, she gave birth to her babies and left them in the snow - I found them dead later that morning.

She also has learned how to get out of the pens. We have 4 pens for the goats - the first pen is our "baby" pen, the second pen is for our dairy goats, the third pen is for our meat goats and the last pen is for our bucks. Chloe has learned how to get out of each - I have run out of pens. And I can't have her wandering around unattended particularly since we live on a very busy road. She could also teach the other goats how to get out and that would be a major disaster!

Yes, I could have sold her but I won't sell a problem goat - makes me look bad as a breeder. I want people to know that when they buy a goat from me, they are getting a great goat.

I won Chloe in a 4-H raffle 6 or 7 years ago. Never won anything before and here I win a goat! Thank you Chloe for being part of our herd. I am sorry things turned out badly but I am assuming that you are now in the big pen in the sky. Enjoy!

Goat's Milk Ricotta Cheese

Boy, it is so good to be making homemade cheese again! Life is good again! This recipe is so easy to make (for some reason, it doesn't work with store-bought milk -you need whole milk).

Goat's Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 gallon whole goat's milk (doesn't have to be pasturized)
1/4 cup vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
3 T butter (melted)
1/2 t baking soda

1) Heat the milk to 195°F. (Do not boil; this will result in a "cooked" flavor.)
2) Slowly stir in the vinegar a little at a time, watching for the clear separation of the whey. If the whey is still milky when you have added all the vinegar, increase the heat to 205°F. (Adding too much vinegar will give a sour taste to your cheese.)
3) With a slotted spoon, gently ladle the curds into a colander lined with butter muslin or several layers of cheesecloth.
4) Drain for 1 minute. Place the curds into a bowl.
5) Add the butter and baking soda and mix well. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I put the ricotta on a salad last night - yum! so good!

FINALLY Goat Cheese!

Yesterday I made chevre cheese - boy, do I love that cheese! First batch of the season, so you know I am going to savour this! And it is so easy to make!

5 T cold water
2 drops of veggie rennet
1/4 t culture (I get mine from the Dairy Connection)
1 gallon goat's milk

Heat goat's milk to 72 degrees
remove from heat
add 1/4 t culture - mix well
Add the 2 drops of rennet to the 5 T cold water
Add 2 T rennet water to milk
cover and store in a warm place (I put mine in the oven with the oven light on)
8 hours later you should have a large circle of curd swimming in whey
Drain the curd in cheese and let hang until the whey stops dripping
Add salt and/or herbs - enjoy!

Babies and Other Stuff

I think "baby season" is now over. The two boer goats (Sahasa and Cooper)I thought were bred (pregnant), apparently are not. I am a little disppointed, but those things do happen. Remember last year where only 2 of my dairy goats got bred. Life on the farm! The 8 babies we got this year are all doing fine - growing big! And I am getting a lot of milk from my dairy goats. Haven't had much time to experiment with cheese and am trying to get motivated to make soap.

Too many things going on in my life right now. My husband collapsed this past weekend at the New Richmond Easter Festival and we spent Easter weekend in the Cardilogy Unit at Mercy Anderson Hospital. He goes to his Cardiologist today and probably will have a ton of tests to find out what happened. He is OK - I think he looks very tired and pale. But, God will take care of him. I believe things happen for a reason. God wanted him to stick around here for a while, so let's get him fixed up!

We continue to have problems with our neighbor who seems determined to make our life as miserable as possible. Why do people do that? He has taken to throwing trash on our property and took a chain saw to one of our trees (definitely on our property). We called the police. When we met him, he told us that he did not want anything to do with us and was going to build a barrier between the two properties. Since that time, he has cut down almost every tree - so much for the barrier. If he doesn't want anything to do with us, then leave us alone. I do pray for him - that is all I can do.

The Easter Bunny did bring us something special this Easter (well, not the Easter Bunny exactly, more like my son Nathan). We now have a German Shepherd puppy named Nikki. Apparently, someone abandoned Nikki and a couple of Nathan's friends found her. They were going to take her to Dog Pound (where she would mostly like be put to sleep). Instead, Nikki is now sleeping under my chair. We needed another dog like . . . Oh well. What is one more animal!

Gardening at last!

I cleaned out part of one of my raised garden beds and planted several varieties of lettuce and some spinach. It felt so good working in the soil. I missed my gardens during the winter. IF we had flat land and the money, I would love to have a greenhouse so I could grow year round. Maybe next year, we (meaning my husband) could build a cold frame.

Good news is my asparagus came back from last year and growing fantastic! I planted them all wrong (it helps to read the instructions!). But, whatever I did, it worked. You are supposed to dig a trench to put the roots in and eventually fill in the trench as the plants grow. I dug a small trench and completely covered the roots. When I realized my mistake, I decided to make mounds instead of trenches (which was probably a good thing as our soil is mostly clay). Anyway, I didn't kill them and it looks like we will be having fresh asparagus!!!

I am going to try horseradish again this year. For some reason, my son would always mow my horseradish plant last year. This year we are putting up the "invisible fence white flags" around the plant so he knows exactly where it is.

Enjoy the spring!

One more girl!

The girls are making a comeback - well, sort of! Kelsey had her very first baby yesterday afternoon, a little girl. Real pretty. Since she was born the day after St. Patrick's day, I named her Kelly. Now we are down to our last goat, Sasha. Then kidding season is over.

This is a much better year than last year where only 2 of my dairy goats got bred. This year everybody did!! That means lots of cheese, fudge, and ice cream!

FINALLY, another girl!

Cirrius decided to give birth to twins this morning. Yes, another boy BUT also a little girl. Boy, is she tiny but so cute! Now we have 2 girls and 5 boys. Still one more dairy goat and boer goat to go, then we are done with "kidding" season.

Beautiful Spring Day!

Taking a short break from baby goats (don't worry, they were all feed this morning).

Last Fall, my husband bought me a used purple mountain bike. I used to have a 10-speed bike when I was younger (much younger) and I loved to ride it. I missed riding, so he went on Craigslist and now I have a purple bike! I am sure the neighbors have something to say about the crazy goat lady on her purple bike. By the way, I do love purple!

Since it was such a beautiful morning and I could hear the birds singing, I dusted off that ole bike and took a nice long ride. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow (maybe later on today!). Going down our road was a whole lot easier than coming up. Boy, am I out of shape! But, give me a month or two!

What a great day to be out in nature - makes you really appreciate living in the country and just how good God has been to me.

It is a Buck Year!

Buck #5 was born yesterday afternoon. For those who don't know, a buck is a boy goat. The count is 5 bucks and 1 girl. Not exactly what I had hoped for, but most of them are healthy which is good. One of the little boer goats that was born on Wednesday is not looking too good and probably won't make it. Both of them are awful small and this one is not eating (not a good sign). I still have 2 more dairy goats and 1 more meat goat to give birth. Here's hoping for another girl!

Rough Day on the Farm

Chloe, one of our boer goats, apparently, had her babies during the middle of the night. Not sure what happened, but I found the babies this morning laying in the middle of the pen dead. She had cleaned them off, but it looks like she abandoned them. Chloe is not one of our best Moms. Last year, she won't let the babies nurse on her, so I had to bottle feed them. She also has a tendency to be nasty to the smaller goats.

I am afraid it is time to take Chloe to the butcher's. I can't milk her and can't use her as a breeder. I am hesitant to sell her to another farm since she can be nasty. And, I can't afford to have a "pet" goat. Sometimes life on the farm involves difficult decisions. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

And then there were 5 . . .

Pee Wee, one of my boer goats, gave birth to 2 little bucks Wednesday evening, March 3. This now brings the total to 1 lone little girl and 4 boys! Looks like it is going to be another "buck year". Last year we had 3 girls and 13 boys. I guess we are going to have a lot of goat meat this coming year.

Baby Count!

We now have 3 babies - 2 boys and 1 girl. This is Spot - his Mom is Haley, our sole nubian doe. You should see the long legs on him!

I have 3 more dairy goats and 4 meat goats yet to have babies. At least, we are back on track. Last year, my goats did not have their babies until late into the season. Fortunately, this year they waited until the snow was gone!

BABIES!!

Finally, the babies are here! This picture was taken when they were only about an hour old! Kallie, my best milking alpine doe, gave birth to triplets this morning. Unfortunately, the little one didn't make it, but the other two are very strong and healthy - a boy and a girl. The "proud" Papa is a nubian buck - so these will be "nuplines" (a combination of nubian and alpine).

Mozzarella Cheese

I learned how to make mozzarella cheese today! What fun is that! No, it was not made from goat's milk, but store bought milk. I've tried making mozzeralla cheese a couple of years ago without much success. Now, I have a good recipe in hand and I ordered the necessary ingredients from New England Cheesemaking (www.cheesemaking.com). So I should be set! Once the goat babies come, I should have more than enough milk to try goat's milk mozzeralla. For the time being, we will have to settle for store-bought milk mozzeralla cheese.

Duck eggs!

After taking a 3 month "vacation", my ducks have decided it is time to get back to work. We are currently getting 3 eggs a day (yes, I know that is not huge!) but, 3 duck eggs is better than no duck eggs. We have about a dozen ducks, so we should have more duck eggs to offer in the near future. We are planning on expanding our duck flock this year.

Duck eggs are wonderful in baking! People who cannot eat chicken eggs, usually can eat duck eggs with no problem. I have also heard that duck eggs are good for people going through chemo-therapy.

2010 Farmer's Markets

Just got done filling out the paperwork for the Hyde Park Farmer's Market and I just realized this will be my fifth year at the market. Time really does fly when you are having fun! Hyde Park is such a great market - all the vendors are the nicest people! And what great customers I have. I have meet so many nice people through this market and many of the customers are now steady egg customers! Looking out my office window and seeing more snow flurries, makes me wish that market season would hurry up with its warm air!

The Anderson Farmer's Market is sending out their paperwork this weekend. This will be my third year at Anderson. I remember when I read the annoucement about Anderson opening the market and debating whether I should quit Milford and join Anderson. I haven't been back to Milford since. Anderson is also a great market. Nancy Downs and her group of volunteers do such an exceptional job at running the market. It is still going through some growing pains, but every market goes through that. Look for great things happening at Anderson this year!

We are still debating on whether or not to do a third market. We have talked to the people at the Mt. Washington Market and, now I hear of a market developing in Montgomery. I've also had some interest from the Earth Mother's Market in Kentucky. Decisions, decisions!

Snow and more snow!

The latest snow storm dropped about 7 inches of new snow. Here is a picture of our backyard with a total of 12 inches of snow! It is so funny watching Choo and Ella (our two shih tzu puppies) try to navigate through the snow. Ella loves it, Choo doesn't. Of course, all the schools are closed again. I thought for sure my goats would kid (give birth) today, but so far, my luck is holding out. For some reason, they always decide to give birth on the worst possible day.

Goat's Milk

It seems like goat's milk is gaining popularity FINALLY! Today on Martha Stewart she had a "candy historian" demonstrating how to make caramels using goat's milk butter, honey, etc. They looked really good - guaranteed to pull out any loose fillings (unfortunately!). Also, in a lot of the magazines, I am seeing recipes calling either for goat's milk or goat's milk cheese. Maybe people are beginning to realize how good this is for you. Unfortunately, the government isn't. In order for us to sell our milk and cheese, we need to be a Grade A Licensed dairy, have a commercial kitchen, a $17,000 pastuerizer, and comply with about 30 pages of regulations. We looked into it but the start-up costs are astronomical! It would take forever for us to recoup our initial investment. In the state of Ohio, there are only 3 licensed Goat dairies - one near Oxford and the other two are up in the Cleveland area. Now, how sad is that!

I believe the only way goat farmers can sell their milk is through herd shares. BUT, here you are walking a very fine line. Ohio has been trying to outlaw herd shares, but hasn't had much success - so far the courts are ruling in the farmer's favor. I have to investigate herd shares further, it might be worthwhile doing.

Anyway, I saw the sun today!!! YEAH!

Spring?

It is hard to think of Spring when you have 5 to 7 inches of snow on the ground. Yesterday was a snowy day, my son had our truck, so I was pretty much stuck in the house. So I baked some cupcakes and started some seeds in the garage. Getting out those seed packets lifted my spirits! I love watching the seeds sprout into little plants.Yes, someday soon I will be able to plant these in my garden.

Latest news

I think the buck finally figured out what he was supposed to do. Kallie, my best milker, looks like she is pregnant - YEAH!!! She didn't get bred last year which really hurt. Also, it looks like her daughter, Ida, is also pregnant. I can't tell if Cirrius or Kelsey are bred. I am pretty sure Haley, our nubian doe, isn't. So we might be having baby goats next month. I love when the babies are born. Yes, it makes my life very hectic, but they are so much fun. Anyone interested in bottle feeding a baby goat and learning how to milk a goat, just drop us a line.

This weekend, I also ordered my seeds for my gardens. Makes me yearn for Spring! I ordered a lot of herb seeds - basil, chives, cilantro, lavender - and several peppers - jalapenos, poblanos, bell peppers, paprika. I have a gro light set up in our garage and also a small greenhouse. This year I am also growing garlic and asparagus.

I really miss my farmer's market. I have met the nicest people at those markets. If you haven't taken the time to get to know the farmers, you should! A great bunch of people. And, I miss all my customers that I have gotten to know over the years. Several of them still buy eggs from us during the winter.

Check back for news of baby goats!

Goat Meat

Yesterday morning, I had to take a goat over to the butcher's in Brookville, KY. This is one aspect of goat farming that I don't particularly enjoy. But, you do raise meat goats for a specific purpose - to provide meat. I am sure the goats know what is going on, which makes it even harder. I try not to get attached to the ones that will eventually end up at the butcher's. But, every once in a while, there is one and yesterday Tipper (the goat) was that one.

Normally, when we take the goat into the pen at the butcher's, I try not to look around at the animals in the other pens. Yesterday, one cow caught my eye and my heart melted - some country girl am I! If you have ever seen the movie Pauley (it is about a parrot's adventures trying to get back home). Anyway, there is a scene in that movie where Pauley escapes into an animal-testing laboratory and he frees all the animals. For a fleeting moment, that urge crossed my mind. I am sure if I did that, I would be looking for a new butcher (and USDA butchers that processed goats are very hard to find).

Goat's Milk Soap

Due to extremely poor sales, we must cut back on some of our goat's milk soap fragrances. If you have a favorite, speak now or forever hold your peace. We are all feeling the pinch of this poor economy and many of us are forced to make undesirable choices. With God's help, maybe 2010 will see the economy turning around.

Update on my son, Nathan

This is what happens when you try to do something stupid like clear 3 jumps (the length of the entire building) with your quad!

Nathan was extremely lucky - this could have been a far more serious accident. We were at the Orthopedic Surgeon's office yesterday. The bones are healing nicely and looks like he won't need surgery. YEAH!!! He will probably have to wear the cast for another 4 to 6 weeks. Today it snowed and "someone" would love to go skiing but can't because of the large "green thing" he has on his arm. Life is rough! Hopefully, he will learn his lesson, but if he is anything like his father, he won't.