Pictures and It’s a long list! Goats, Lard, Halloumi cheese…
1 Get up at 4:45.
2 Get hubby off to work for 5:30.
3 Feed dogs and cat
4 Make Chia yogurt for Larissa and me for breakfast at the #CanalDistrictFarmersMarket
5 Go out at 5:45 to feed/milk goats
6 Bottle milk
7 Back out to feed horse, chickens & rabbits, new barn cat
8 Pack car for farmers market
9 shower
10 Pack breakfast, coffee, water, let dogs out, pee, dogs back in, lock up
11 Head to farmers market at 7:45
12 Market 9-12
13 Pack up at noon- literally on highway for 12:11
14 stop at The Pet Barn in Holden for canned cat food to bribe new barn cat
15 Home, let dogs out, unpack car, re water everyone outside (it’s 95 degrees out)
16 Take in process lard render pan out of fridge back on stove (ugh, it’s 95 degrees outside and I’m rendering #WalnutKitchens organic lard for soap- on day 3 !)
17 take bone broth (our own chicken!) that’s been cooking since last night out of instant pot, jar, clean pan, shut off lard
18 go pick up other set of displays at 2:10 from helper 15 minutes away
19 get home unpack car, turn lard back on
20 drain two bowls of soaking soy beans, put in Instant Pots (I have two, you’ll see why) one for Natto and one for Tempe (we eat tons of fermented foods). Pressure cook, 20 minutes, keep straining lard
21 Strain last nights Kefir, add new milk to strained grains, drink kefir, strain lard
22 let dogs out again, make coffee, talk to friend in Colorado, strain lard, watch 2 YouTube videos (Again) one on Tempeh and one on Natto as a refresher, strain lard
23 drain one pot of soybeans, make Tempeh, clean pan, strain lard (getting hot in here even with AC now- gas stove)
24 go out milk/feed goats
25 come in house, strain milk into InstantPot pan, add rennet, feed dogs & cat since Ian has tripped me 3 times wanting to eat, strain lard
26 go back out, feed horse, chickens, rabbits, bribe new barn cat with new food
27 husband comes home- back in house, cut curds in milk I just added rennet to (been sitting longer than I like, but it will come out ok), finish lard (11 quarts over 3 interrupted days- enough for 3, maybe 4 batches of lard soaps)
28 strain soybeans in other instant pot, continue to make Natto
29 husband gets sick of my enforced tv watching/cool off (he was in a Hot Hell for 12 hours) and requests a game of Rummy
30 my deal, play a hand, take cheese curds out of instant pot and ladle into cheese mold (husband patiently reads email on phone waiting for me to continue to play game) struggle with makeshift cheese press, set timer for 20 minutes, put water on to boil for brine for cheese -Did I mention I’m making Halloumi?
31 play game, get up when timer goes off, struggle with makeshift cheese Press again to flip cheese, struggle again to set the pressure (remember I broke my old sink recently with a barbell weight messing with this damn cheese press? and replaced with a $300 huge stainless job- honestly, would have been cheaper getting a real press- though this new sink is The Bomb!)Turn on instant pot to 190 for final cook of cheese
32 my deal, hubby cleans a bit while I’m shuffling and makes me a decaf
33 instant pot gets to temp, stop game again, struggle with freakin cheese press again to unmold & cut cheese and add to IP, set for 30 minutes, take boiling water from previously boiled water, add to container to cool for brine
34 continue with game, Its back and forth, mostly Chad winning
35 timer goes off, place cheese on rack to cool, strain whey, add to hot water
36 back to game, Chad beats me by 25 points, Chad goes into dark living room, on couch, snoring in 5 minutes
37 Write this blog while waiting for cheese to cool
38 salt cheese all sides with #HippyPilgrims herbed salt blend I got #AttleboroFarmersMarket 3 weeks ago (yup, I too, take short cuts, but their blends are kick ass and makes me look like a genius at making Halloumi)
39 wash pans while cheese forms a skin from the salt
49 place Halloumi in brine, put in fridge, eat the little bit of soft cheese I’ve strained off from the whey- PURE HEAVEN, warm, slightly sweet, and melts in my mouth- my reward for a long day, I don’t save any for hubby (he never knows he misses out on this delicacy!) wake hubby
50 bed by 11 as 4:45am isn’t far away- Freedom Ranger Chickens to process on the morrow while Chad’s at work (Another day off from soap making, but the chickens are a week over due and starting to crow- my POOR NEIGHBORS! Screaming goats and 20 roosters trying to crow- they sound like boys going through puberty! At 5am!)
#bonebroth from our organic chicken- will be solid gel tomorrow
#JustAnotherDayOnTheFarm
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