Raw Milk

Yes, we drink our milk straight from the cow - not pasteurized. We know she's healthy, eating good quality feed and that our milking system is clean. There is a lot to say concerning raw milk and I don't have a personal mission to convert all milk drinkers to raw, unhomogenized milk. Some people seem to think that as organic farmers it is our role to educate consumers about everything from organic growing methods to the health benefits of organic food and perhaps especially about the faults of modern conventional food production. I don't see that as my role. We're busy enough running our farm and raising our family. We feel that when people see our farm & produce and taste our food they will start to understand. A bite of a real tomato has a much greater effect than a lecture of you shoulds and you shouldn'ts. So if you want to know more about raw milk check out the links on the sidebar.

Winter Visits

Yes, the new pictures on the slideshow are of our farm. And of course the beautiful girl is our Beatrice. Our winter is cruising along with morning animal chores and random wintery tasks. This week we met with another farmer to talk shop a little bit -Jonathan, hired a part-time summer worker-Jonas, had a drop in visit with our other summer part-timer Rachel and had a visit with ex-apprentice Alissa and her friend Megan. Winter is a good time to catch up with fellow farmers. During the season we don't have much time to shoot the breeze. Usually when we are in touch it is about a crop issue or a quick touching base to make sure everyone's surviving ok.

Woops!

I've been working on getting some pictures and a slideshow up, but haven't worked out all the kinks. Apologies to those who saw some unsightly pics here. Please be assured, they weren't mine! I imagine I'll have real pics of our real farm shortly....

Yogurt & Butter.

As expected Patches has settled down nicely and is getting used to her new routine. I've been milking by myself and since I am a little more focused, I think that helped her to settle in.

We are making our first batch of yogurt as we speak. It is really easy and the only special equipment that we use is a thermometer. We eat up the milk to about 150 degrees. We've heated to lower temps but the yogurt seems thicker when we go up to 150. Then wait for it to cool to about 115, add some yogurt and stir it up. We use about a cup of yogurt to a gallon of milk. You don't need any special yogurt culture, just the kind you usually eat - plain, no sweetners etc. Then we wrap up our pot in a towel and put it in a pie basket by our woodstove for about 5 hours. If you don't have a woodstove you could use the warmer of your Aga. Unfortunately here in New England there aren't too many Agas around.... I could get on a huge tanget about the wonderful Aga cookers but I'll spare you all for now. Anyhow if you don't have woodstove you might want to invest in a yogurt maker. I'll get some links together about yogurt makers and post them when I get a chance.

Yogurt making is a little bit like making bread. The milk has to be warm, but not too hot or you will kill the cultures. If the milk is too cold, it won't get going. Also, there is a wide range of variables that may make the yogurt thicker or thinner or more sour. Through trial and error we've come up with a routine we like.


We also made our first butter yesterday. My dad, Corey, was here and I skimmed some milk for him. What a great opportunity to make a little butter! I poured the cream in a jar and we shook it up for about 10-15 minutes and viola! Unfortunately I didn't have any cheese cloth on hand to really squeeze out all the extra liquid but it was fine. Bea drank up all the buttermilk with her supper. Eventually I hope to make some real quantities of butter. I hear you can use your cuisinart with the dough blade so I'll try that.

Welcome Patches & Coco Rose

Yesterday our new cows Patches & Coco Rose came to our farm. Patches is a sweet little Jersey who we are going to milk and Coco Rose is her geriactric companion. She's an old girl at 10, but a real lovey of a cow. I think they may have some home sickness for Debra & Local Farm but I imagine they'll settle in soon. Lulu, our ewe, seems a little miffed. I'm sure she'll soon realize the cows are nothing to be afraid of.

This morning was our first milking and I was pretty excited. Unfortunately it didn't go as smoothly as I expected. Whenever I milked Patches at Debra's it was always a breeze. She was pretty unsettled this morning and put her foot in the bucket twice! Ack! Then it seemed like she stopped letting her milk down although it seemed she still had milk. I asked Dan to see if he could strip her out, being paranoid of not getting all the milk- and causing mastitis. She seemed to let down a little more milk for Dan at the end. We took home a little more than a quart. Which means we spilled about a gallon when she kicked the bucket over.

I'm sure tomorrow will be much better. I can't blame Patches for needing some time to adjust. Bea was champ and sat for a long time across from Patches and watched patiently.

It is such a big change to have cows at the farm. For us, it is a huge lifestyle change. Especially for me - it is really grounding - connecting me to the farm in a way I haven't been before. (The veggies are really Dan's realm.) But I don't mean just the chores and the milking. Each animal has a different energy. I'll write more on this later... It is almost supper time! We are so happy to have these lovely creatures with us. I can't wait until tomorrow morning!

What is Farmwifery?

I'm often asked what my role is on the farm or for that matter in life. Folks can look at Dan, my husband, out in the field and say to themselves "farmer". He's the guy that grows our vegetables. Usually folks don't see me at the farm, or it is in passing as I am chasing our 2 year old Bea around, trying to pick up some food for dinner, or touch base with Dan about the day's events. So maybe they don't see me and say, "farmer" which would definitely be accurate. So what is it that I do? After asking myself this question often, especially after becoming a new mom I've realized that "farmer's wife" is the answer. "Farmwifery" is the art of being a farmer's wife.

Don't get me wrong, this is not just stand by your man. I kind of see the farm as a part of our family. Farming is not just a job, it is really a lifestyle. We grow vegetables for about 175 families and sell at 2 farmers' markets. This blog will be a little bit about growing the veg, but mostly about all the other things that are going on behind the scenes - CSA membership, running a business, nutrition, eating locally, our farming community, our 2 year old Bea's adventures, my adventures in mothering, attachment parenting, keeping a family cow, making cheese & yogurt, what to cook for supper, preserving food for the winter. And some other fun stuff like family, friends, quilting, books...etc. And generally what life on the farm is like.

Why blog?

I know a bunch of other women who do this same work and so little of it goes unnoticed. The blog is a way to support those other women and shed light on what happens behind the scenes. I was happy to come across Joann Grohman's website and enjoyed reading here diary. Not only to gleen information about her experience with keeping a family cow, but simply to hear another woman's stories about living this lifestyle. I found it really grounding. http://www.real-food.com/
So hopefully I will find the time somehow to keep this going and share lots of info about farm life and other resources. Looking forward to a great new year and lots of new adventures!