Busy, busy, busy

Sorry for the delay in posting!!!
Okay, life as a milkmaid is MUCH better. Cody is learning how to graze and I started separating them for a few hours about three weeks ago. It went to 8 hours separated last week and Bonnie is settling nicely into the routine. I get half a gallon a day now, YIPEE!!!!! She lets down her milk without having Cody in there nursing sometimes, but usually I have to use him. Mom has decided she likes milking so I'm the calf wrangler. I measured Cody, to figure his weight and he's around 135 lbs now. He's getting pretty shaggy, instead of fuzzy but he's still the cutest thing! His horns have erupted through the skin and are about half an inch long now. Lead training is going really great, most of the time!!
On memorial day the family, India and Phaedra went to Homer to meet the family who owns Bonnie's next baby-daddy. He's so beautiful!! I just LOVE Highlands! The family isn't "into" Highlands like Obsidian's owner and I though. They run a head of 30 Angus up on Kachemak Bay, above Homer. They have a few cows that spend all year by the house, the Highland, their Yak cow, a couple Galloway and some milk cow/Angus crosses that they use for milk. They really like the novelty of the Galloway, Highland and Yak. I had my camera with me but it never occurred to me to take a picture of any of their critters! I will take some while he's here, at the end of July.
Hm, so far this year we have pitiful grass, not enough rain and it's been too hot. I really need it to cool off and rain for about a week so the grass will get a move on and Bonnie can start putting on weight. Her milk is nice and yellow but she is too skinny.
The turkeys are breeding... sorta. One of the hens is nice and broody but the other one is injured somehow and she's not really in the mood to sit a nest. The tom is strutting around, flexing his wings and turning colors but his job is done for the year. I really need to get their pasture fenced off so he and the injured hen can run around outside and leave the nesting hen alone. Her nest was scattered today, probably by the tom but I gathered her eggs up and gave them back to her in the other nest box. Hopefully they didn't get too cold and will be fine. I'll candle them pretty soon also. I'm really hoping for a few poults this year.
That's all the new news I can think of for the moment so, until next time.
Later,
~Pam
AIN'T HE JUST THE CUTEST THING?!

This is three days worth of milk. The creamline is much better when she lets down without Cody.

Wow!!

Having a milk cow is very different than I thought it would be! Hopefully, it will get better. I have to keep reminding Dad that he's never been in this territory either!
Bonnie isn't giving much milk, but that's because she doesn't have much... yet. Her calf's name is Buffalo Bill (Cody). I call him Cody and he is a tremendous help when I'm milking. She stands very still while he's nursing, lets down great and lets me milk the other side. When he isn't nursing she is kicky, tail-swatty and cranky. I had to use the Kick Stop on her yesterday because Cody wasn't interested in helping me. I hope he's hungry today! When I get a halter for him I plan on separating them for a couple hours before milking, just to make sure he's hungry. I don't want to separate them for a long time since she doesn't have much milk and he needs the best start he can get. It's fairly common for first-timers to not have much milk. With each lactation, amounts go up so hope springs eternal.

~Pam

Happy Birthday!

The Arndt family farm has grown by four feet! Bonnie's bull calf was born at 12:35 am, today. She was in active labor for a couple hours and pushed him into the world standing up, completely silent, in six big pushes. He's fuzzy and adorable and nearly dry. I took him into the laundry room after seven hours because the temps dipped to freezing and it started snowing. He's almost ready to be reunited with his worried mother. She is calling for him and he's getting hungry. He had colostrum before I took him and she's got three more quarters ready and waiting for him. Hopefully he dries fast cause the window for the colostrum to be most effective is closing fast. Here's pictures of his first few hours:

He'd just hit the ground! She was more interested in the flashlight. Goofy cow


I moved him to a bed of hay, that he refused to stay on or near. He was on his feet in 15 minutes.


What on EARTH just happened to me?! He's fuzzier now and dried to a reddish-brown.

More pictures of him dry and them together to come soon.

Later,
~Pam

Springtime in Alaska

It's not pretty, or lush or gradual. Springtime in our part of Alaska is a three day event, beginning with sunshine and ending with rain. Okay, I exaggerate! But not by much. We've been in the 40's this week and I think spring has most definitely sprung. No calf yet, but she's getting closer and closer. More experienced eyes tell me she should go right on schedule but Bonnie is a contrary cow and can't make things easy on me. She'll probably calve on Easter, while I'm at church and Mom is in the house!!! I wouldn't put it past her.
Here are some pics from our place this spring... Enjoy!
~Pam

It's a stream of water, not an icicle... or snot



Dirt!!!!






They weren't doing anything cause he was more worried about me than her. She just refused to move when he stepped on her.

Milk Training!!

I was outside shooting another video for the series I'm doing on milk training and I got a really good video of Bonnie's calf rolling and flipping inside of her. I've never seen or felt it so distinctly.

~Pam

The rest of the month...

I intended to post the meals each day but... best laid plans of mice and men. Okay, here they are, again, missing a few because I forgot to take pictures.

Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut


Two showshoe hares, thawing. I cooked a chicken leg for my mother since she doesn't like rabbit.




Blaukraut is braised cabbage.


Maybe it's the German heritage, but I really liked this.

Spetsiota and Salad




Onion, olive, cucumber, tomato and feta salad. It's your standard, Big Fat Greek Salad and is a staple in Mediterranean countries.


Spetsiota (Halibut and Tomatoes)


Yummy!

Chicken Poutine

I spent hours trying to find the best way to make my fries crispy. I settled on blanching them in sugar water. The water's brown because I use succanat, instead of white sugar.


Brown gravy, made from scratch.


This was FABULOUS!! And so very worth the wait.

Meatloaf, baked potatoes and green beans


This is the only picture I took of this meal and it's the ingredients for the meatloaf. My bad!

Bao and egg noodles


I made my own five-spice mixture. I forget what's in it but it's an easy recipe to find.


The dough was really, really soft and very sticky.


I put them in this pan to rise, intending to steam them, as the directions call for but they stuck together. I put on an egg-wash and baked them instead. They still turned out wonderful.


If I'd had snow peas I would have used them instead but, anyway. I started preparing this meal at noon and had it done around 6:30. The dough needs three rises.

Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn


Dad's birthday meal.


I ate too much and hurt myself so badly. But, I remembered to make enough potatoes for leftovers!! I'm always bummed when there's no more potatoes.

Bouillabaisse


Get started about two hours early on this cause there are a lot of steps. Almost as many as the Bao.


I ate a couple pieces of toast, dipping it in the Rouille while I was making the toast.

Jerk pork, rice and peas

Sped steaks. That's the color of them!


Marinating overnight in the fridge.


Dad was the only one who liked this meal. I might try a different recipe for the marinade if I made this again.

Well, that's all so far.

~Pam

Last Week's Food

This is going to be very picture heavy and yet it will be leaving out a few meals cause I forgot to take pictures... oops. Enjoy!

Two packages of halibut and a package of black bass, thawing in the sink


I decided to make thick fries. They were thicker than this picture makes them seem.


My super, duper favorite fryer. I use it a LOT.


This is Dad's favorite fry mix. We can't get it here so a friend of ours (Jason) gets it from his mom in Michigan and brings it to us.


Fish and chips, Alaskan style. The dip is honey mustard since Dad dislikes vinegar and we didn't have mayo or sweet pickles to make tartar sauce.

Next, was Matzo Ball Soup, again, Alaskan style

I mixed the dough about four hours ahead of time and set it in the fridge. When I do it again, I'll make it the night before and mix it better.


Chicken, carrots, green beans and broccoli simmering away in stock.

When the carrots were nearly done I added the matzo balls and clapped the lid on for about half an hour... they were big matzo balls!

Yummy!

Next, is Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut but I'm having issues with the mouse so it may be awhile before I get those pictures posted.

~Pam

Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn

Since Mom fixed chicken strips and french fries last night I just couldn't bring myself to do the fish and chips. So, I did the ribs that were scheduled for tomorrow. Enjoy!


Thawed ribs, ready for rub


Homemade BBQ sauce. I didn't care for it but everyone else said it was good. I didn't follow a recipe, just threw stuff in from memory.



Potato salad, ready for mixing

Yummy! I ate one rib since they are so big. Uncle Dave walked into the kitchen sucking BBQ sauce off his fingers, lol.

~Pam

February groceries

I managed to stay within my budget this month and I even have money left over! Not much but it's there so... there.

First stop was IGA for meat. It's not organic or free-range but since Dad has to have meat with every meal and prefers it red I do what I can.

Beef Burger, fresh, buy one, get one free- $29.62, for 16 packages of meat, when broken down.
Bay Scallops, frozen-$3.42 for a 1lb package
Shrimp, frozen-$1.80 for 8 oz. tub
Sea Scallops, frozen- $14.39 for 1.44 lbs
Mussels, frozen- $7.99 for 2 lbs
Chicken leg portions, frozen- $17.80 for 20 lbs

Total+ tax= $77.27


Save-U-More was the next store and I am more impressed with it every time I go in. A few years it was bought out and revamped. Their organic selection continues to get bigger and might rival Fred Meyer some day.

Balsamic Vinegar, organic- $5.39 for 18 fl. oz.
Coconut Milk, organic- $4.78 for two 14 fl. oz cans
Brown Rice Macaroni- $3.69 for 16 oz package
Chinese Noodles- $7.09 for 5 lbs
Mushrooms, sliced- $9.39 for a case of 12 cans
Decaf Coffee, organic- $6.59 for 1 lb
Olives- $8.91 for nine cans
Oysters- $22.32 for eight cans
Feta- $7.39 48 oz
Butter, organic- $8.29 for 2 lbs
Tomato Paste, organic- $6.79 for a case of 12
Diced Tomatoes, organic- $8.79 for a case of 8
Mozzarella- $12.99 for 5 lbs
Cheddar- $11.89 for 5 lbs
Corn, frozen, organic- $6.99 for 3 lbs
Almonds, raw- $11.99 for 3 lbs
Misc. animal foods and paper towels- $87.15

Total+ tax=$237.83


Fred Meyer was our last grocery stop.

Olive Oil, organic- $10.99 for 17 fl. oz
Potatoes, fresh, organic- $23.03 for 21 lbs
Pine Nuts, raw- $3.85 for 4 ozs
Cucumber, fresh, organic- $1.79 for one
Matzo Meal- $5.49 for 16 ozs
Cabbage, fresh, organic- $2.59 for one, green
Bell Pepper, fresh, organic- $2.58 for one, red
Hot Dogs, organic- $12.98 for 2 packages of 8
Chicken, organic- $20.72 for one, whole
Bulgur- $1.99 for 1 lb
Salad, organic- $3.98 for 10 ozs
Oranges, organic- $3.82 for 4 lbs
Garlic- $5.69 for 32 0zs, chopped
Onions, organic- $2.99 for 3 lbs
Carrots, organic- $2.99 for 2 lbs
Poblanos- $1.07 for 2
Clam Juice- $2.69 for 8 fl. oz.
Peanut Butter- $2.50 for 14 oz
Misc. pet items- $48.47

Total+ tax= $165.44

Total for the trip- $480.54

I have a line on a CSA just down the road for the summer and hopefully we'll get some moose. We get 5 doz. eggs, $4 a dozen, a week from a lady in Nikiski who pastures her birds and does not feed them soy. I refuse to buy milk anymore since I am sooooo close to having all I need. I think I could get raw milk in Homer but I refuse to pay $12 a gallon for it.
Well, there's the grocery list for perusal. Next, is our first meal of February.

~Pam

February Menu

I decided to post the really nice menu for February, finally. I've been meaning to post this stuff for many months but am just now getting to it. I think I finally got a handle on the "out of control budget" so I'm going to try some new dishes this month. I get $500 a month for groceries. For those of you who don't live in Alaska this may seem exorbitant but this is just barely enough to make it, and it's even more tight since I buy mostly organic food. I got tired of the same old food so, in the interests of accountability and comparisons, I'm posting the menu, the grocery list, the receipts, what ingredients are local and I'll post directions and pictures of the dishes as they get made. Enjoy this gastronomic journey through the month:

1- Coming from England, it's the classic Fish and Chips. We eat this at least once a month but we use halibut that was caught during the summer.
2- Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn The ribs come from the pig that Dad got in Ninilchik and the eggs are pastured, soy-free form Nikiski. I'm going to made BBQ sauce for the ribs.
3- Matzo Ball Soup I don't make this exactly right. I make a chicken noodle soup and use matzo balls instead of noodles. I'm not Jewish so I don't really care if it's kosher or not I just love the taste of them.
4- Spaghetti, Green Beans, Mozzarella Bread I started using buckwheat noodles last month, even though they have more phytic acid than rice spaghetti. The buckwheat noodles are cheaper and organic where the rice ones aren't either one. I use sausage from our pig. I am going to make the bread for the mozzarella bread.
5- Hasenpfepper, Spaetzle, Braised Cabbage I'm using snowshoe hare that my father harvested... with the van. Eggs for the Spaetzle are from Nikiski and the flour is fresh ground at my kitchen table.
6- Pizza It's UFC night but I'm thinking I might make a couple pizzas instead of going to Papa Murphy's.
7- Corn Dogs, Tater Tots I found recipes for both of them and they're really easy to make in a healthy way.
8- Fried Macaroni, Peas Classic dish from my childhood
9-From Greece, Spetsiota, Tomato, Cucumber and Olive Salad I'll do the bread crumbs myself and use halibut that was caught during summer.
10- Salmon Lasagna, Corn I use home-canned salmon from my own pantry to do this and it's better than it sounds.
11- French Canadian fast food, Chicken Poutine I can't wait to have this!
12- Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans Standard fare at our table
13- Bear Stew, Sourdough Bread We have some black bear left that the neighbor shot and this is a really easy thing to do with is.
14- I talked Mom and Dad into going out for Valentine's Day so I get to scrounge this night!!
15- Chinese Bao, Egg Noodles Steamed dumplings I'll stuff with some sort of pork product. I'm not sure if I can find the egg noodles. Stay tuned for a menu change if I can't.
16- Dad requested Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli for his birthday. I'll also make a mayonnaise cake, with home-made mayonnaise.
17- Chili, Cornbread I'll use bacon from our pigs and maybe sausage, maybe not. Eggs for the cornbread are from Nikiski.
18- Jamaican Jerk Pork, Rice and Peas I can't make it as hot as genuine because Mom can't handle hot but I think I can get close. I'll use our pork.
19- French Bouillabaisse, Gratin Dauphinois(maybe, maybe not, depends on what Dad wants) Using chunked halibut from summer, and maybe some rock fish. I might get scallops, oysters and shrimp from Homer if they aren't asking ridiculous prices this time of year.
20- From the Middle East, Musakhan, Tabbouleh I'll probably have to make bread for this dish.
21- Crock pot Pork Chops, Green Beans this is for Sunday and Mom requested something easy. Again, the chops are from our pigs.
22- Omelets This is the start of our GAPS week. We decided to do one week a month on GAPS since we can't really afford to do it all month this time of year. The eggs are from Nikiski.
23- Bacon, Scallops, Wilted Salad I can't wrap the bacon around the scallops cause the bacon's too thick but they still get put on the same plate. The bacon is from our pigs.
24- Stuffed Cabbage Will probably use sausage form our pigs
25- Salmon Salad Similar to tuna salad but with home-canned salmon. Salmon was caught last summer and eggs for mayo and egg chunks in salad are from Nikiski.
26- Lentil... Something Lentils are allowed on GAPS and I have a lot of them that I need to do something with them. Any suggestions?
27-Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, Csipetke, This is the end of GAPS week.

We will shopping for March's menu on Saturday so the last day of February is blank, depending on what's left over at the end of the month. I hope you enjoy this journey and get some ideas from it. If you have suggestions or ideas please feel free to tell me.

~Pam