Goats in the Snow

Here are Tigger and Una during the height of the big snowstorm yesterday afternoon. When bad weather comes I close the roof on the little porch and one of the doors to the barn so the snow/rain doesn't get in. They do like to stand at the door and look out.

They are nice and cozy inside with their own water bucket, hay feeder, bench and lots of fresh straw. They also have their mineral feeder inside with them with free choice kelp and baking soda. They stayed in the barn all day yesterday, but finally came out today when Cousin Carrie dug paths for them to walk to the gate and to their cable spools. They're all set now, but they do seem a little unsure of all of this white stuff...

Fresh Cheese

I made three little fresh cheeses for our church's women's Christmas Party as shown in the picture. They did turn out especially nice. The one on the left is flavored with smoked paprika, the middle one is garlic and chives, and the one on the right is cracked pepper.

These were done with a basic soft cheese recipe: starter culture, rennet, setting overnight, draining for two days in molds, salted and aged for one day, then served. The smoked paprika and the garlic and chive cheeses both had the flavorings layered within the cheese, but the cracked pepper was just on the outside. They looked so pretty on the plate. It was fun!

And Then There Were Two - Good Bye PJ!

As I posted here back in July, PJ was loaned to me by a friend because I needed more milk. It was a perfect arrangement for both of us. However, my friend decided to sell PJ, and, although I think she is a great goat and I'm very fond of her, I did not want to buy her. She really didn't fit into my long term plans. So, I have returned PJ to my friend as PJ has been sold. I am back down to just Tigger and Una.

It seems so quiet in the barnyard. Most of the head butting was between Tigger and PJ. There's not much action between Tigger and Una as Una pretty much lets Tigger be Herd Queen without argument. Three goats just seemed much more like a herd.

My friend says she will loan me another goat next year after kidding, so that should work just fine. And, of course, I plan to keep two doelings from next year's kiddings (if I get two), but they won't give any milk until Spring of 2011.

I switched to 1x a day milking this past Wednesday, and totally stopped as of today, so no more milk until the end of March. I'll miss the milk and I'll miss milking the girls. I really do enjoy it, but I guess we all need the break.

Bye PJ, we all miss you! I sure hope your new owner is good to you!

Chili Cook Off Champion!

My church had a fall themed gathering last night. It included a chili cookoff and dessert contests. I won first place in the chili cookoff, so I thought I should share my prize winning recipe. I started with a chili recipe that I found somewhere years ago, but I've altered it so much over time that I think I can safely call it mine:

Prize-Winning Chili

3 pounds ground beef (I used organic grass fed)
1 large organic onion, chopped
2 cloves organic garlic, crushed
2 pounds fresh or frozen organic tomatoes, peeled and chopped
a little olive oil
6-8 teaspoons "Better Than Boullion" Beef Base - (secret ingredient, shhhh!)
1 tablespoon raw organic turbinado sugar (second secret ingredient...)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
about 1 cup water
sea salt to taste

Brown ground beef, garlic, and onions in large skillet, drain grease and dump into slow cooker (I do this in two batches). Into same skillet place all other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes are tender and have fallen apart. Pour this combination over the ground beef in the crockpot. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. This makes a mild chili, which is what I like. Add more chili powder and cumin if you want it hotter. Enjoy!

New Clothes!

The girls have new collars. I've had them for a few weeks, but wanted to wait until Sam was gone before I "dressed" them. They'll get dirty enough soon enough without his help. Didn't the girls pose nicely for their picture!

Here's a closeup of Una showing the embroidery. It says "Sweet Garden" which is my herd name. I ordered them from http://goodcollar.net/. It's ok to spoil them a little bit...

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Sausage Links, Cheese Omelet, and Gogurt with Blueberries

Main Meal: Chicken Breast, Peppers, Onions, and Carrots sauteed in Mojo Sauce, Swiss Chard Bake

Evening Snack: Church Function Tonight - typical snack foods.

Ingredients in today's menu from Sweet Garden Farm: Eggs, Gogurt, Peppers, Carrots, Swiss Chard, and Cheese in Swiss Chard.