Milking

Loretta is our ADGA Nubian dairy goat.  She supplies all our milk, which in her first freshening, is just enough for a days supply. 

Loretta is milked twice a day; once in the morning after feeding and then again in the evening after feeding.

 

Hubby built this milkstand. 

Loretta is fed her grain only here, so she is very happy to jump right up to be milked because she know it's her special snack time.

We feed our goats and chickens feed from Countryside Organics.  It's full of nothing but wonderful, natural, organic goodness that they LOVE! 

Which in turn, produces nothing but wonderful,

natural, organic goodness that we LOVE!  Funny how that works, isn't it?!

We put freezer sticks in the stainless pail to cool the milk right away and then bring it in to flash pasteurize.  That's for another post though - I'm off to have some ice cold milk and Bailey's brownies (hey - everyone has a weakness!). 

It's noon, and.......

.....the Hydrangeas are in bloom,

Granola has been made,

mulberries are ripe for picking,

baby chicks are enjoying a stroll,

and fresh bread is rising in the warmed oven,

It's a glorious day on the faux farm!

Best Friends

Is there anything cuter than two best friends playing in the yard?

I hope you get to play outside with someone you love today.

Serious Weed Control

Weeds flourish here!  Our first summer on the faux farm, Hubby bought 2-4-D and killed nearly everything, including our rose bushes!  The following year, we tried Roundup and it worked pretty well, but was very expensive and we hate using chemicals since our chickens and now goats free range.  This is our third year here, and it's time we got serious!  After a little research, I decided to get The Weed Dragon. 

For those of you not familiar with The Weed Drangon, it's a 100,000 BTU propane torch kit that generates heat up to 2,000° F.  The Weed Dragon quickly hooks up to any refillable propane tank making it perfect for natural, organic weed control around the home, garden and small acreages. 

It arrived yesterday and not a day too soon; my gardens were seriously in need of some weed control!

Hubby got right to it

burning those weeds left and right!

I was in charge of saving the lady bugs from certain death!

Fly away, fly away - the Weed Dragon is coming!

Slick was in charge of the little cart the propane tank sits on.  I think he was bird watching here......

Sweetpea, Spud, Sprout and Squirt watched from inside, where it was safe and flame free!

Boz came to watch too

I have no idea what these are, but they were in bloom and thankful the weeds were finally being dealt with!

The chickens didn't mind all the commotion

They came closer for a peak

and then scampered off

It's too early to tell if this will be an affective weed control method (fingers are crossed!), but it sure is fun to use!

New Life

Spring is a time for babies, and there will soon be a new one here on our faux farm!

Yup, we are expecting - but not a human baby, a canine baby! 

Actually, our new puppy has already entered this big world, he was born May 3rd! 

Here is our little guy with his brothers at just a couple days old

Ours is the full masked runt, second from the left. 

And here he is today, at two weeks old!

We get to pick him up in June!  I'm counting down the days!  There is nothing sweeter than a brand new baby!

Can you guess what breed he is ???

I'll give you a hint - there are actually three names for his breed..........

The Master

This dough recipe is a staple in our house.  It's easy to make and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.  We generally have a batch sitting in our fridge for pizza on those days I just don't know what else to cook and need a quick meal. 

Start out by adding 1.5 TBSP of Instant Yeast to 3 cups warm water

and 1.5 TBSP of Kosher or Sea Salt.  I'm using Kosher here.  

Give them a good mix, and pour them in a mixing bowl. 

You'll notice my bowl here already has dough on the sides.  This is because I reuse the same bowl after it's empty and don't wash it.  After time, the aged dough in the bowl begins to turn into sourdough.  And when mixed with the new dough, lends the flavor!  If you LOVE sourdough like we do, try it, you won't be sorry! 

Once your yeast and salt is mixed, add in 6.5 cups of flour.  I'm using wheat here, but any flour will do. 

Mix

And Mix

Until you daughter looks at you like you've mixed enough,

And your dough looks like this

Then cover loosely and allow to rise at room temperature, approximately two hours, until it begins to collapse or at least flatten on top.  Letting it rise for longer, up to about five hours will do no harm. 

Pay no mind to the dough on the top of my pizza peel - this is a loaf of refrigerated dough I am rising.  I'm a multi-tasker! 

While you're waiting on the dough to rise, give your babies some yummy goat milk!  It will make them happy and in turn, make you smile!

Once the milk is finished, and the dough is risen, you can use a portion of it, all of it, or refrigerate it for later use.

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! 

I spent the day doing what I love, with people I love! 

It doesn't get any better than that!