Monday, March 29, 2010

Reasons Today was Great

  • I ordered seeds for this years garden
  • Lilah looks beautimus in her new dresses
  • We were invited to Earth Munch
  • I saw Granny and Jim
  • We hopefully will be feeding the masses at the Nelsonville Music Festival
  • Lilah napped
  • I sold cheese curds to Jackie O's !!!!!
  • We donated cheese to a great cause.
  • I talked to my wonderful cousin Kristine
  • My mom told me she got me a new skirt.
  • Potato Soup
  • We were named peoples choice favorite creamery at the IFO conference. (this didn't happen today, but I did find out today)
  • I caught up on emails and changed the inflations on the milkers. both overdue.
I am ignoring all of the reasons today wasn't great, and still trying to wake up Nick so I can top it all off with The United States of Tara.

Night all
Celeste

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Food Freedom

I took the time to look through the most fabulous seed catalog I have ever seen and I am so excited I wanted to share. It is the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog. Oh My. It is beautiful and it makes me yearn for late summer. I can't say enough. The pictures and some of the quotes are inspiring. We have picked out our melons and green beans, there are so many varieties this could take forever to decide. I pledge to not over think this and just make some decisions, get everything ordered by Monday. I can't wait to get the peppers started, we are going to grow all of the peppers to put in our pepper jack this summer. I can't wait to taste the results.

I tend to get overly ambitious when planning the garden every spring, anyone else? It's not as if I forget everything it takes, it is just that it all looks so good. The days get longer, that means there is more time right?

On another note. Ants? Already? Give me a break.

Celeste

"What is is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
-Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Monday, March 8, 2010

Goals

Nick and I have been talking about plans, goals, and priorities; I thought I would share them. Where to start?

*In no particular order

Organic In order to be certified organic our cows need to eat 100% organic food for one year. They are currently eating 80% organic feed and 20% conventional. We are planning to grow enough corn starting this season and to feed the herd year round. That will enable us to feed 100% organic feed without having to transport feed from up north. Goal: to be certified organic by fall of 2011.

Sales Our goal is to be selling 2000 pounds of cheese per month at local farmers markets, restaurants, and other retail locations.

Charity When we reach our sales goal we will begin to give 3% of our gross sales to three local organizations. I am currently researching which three.

Cheese I want to continue to develop my cheesemaking skills, and produce a wide variety of fabulous cheeses that reflect the seasons, the weather, the grass, the cows, the kids and calves and love, everything that is our farm. Our cheese is going to grow and change and progress, like our family, like me, like you and yours. Together. Better.

Green I want to be able to improve and get more efficient, at everything. We make as many sustainable and ecologically sound decisions as possible, we grow most of our own food, cloth diaper, drink tap water, compost, recycle, use a sustainable woodlot, but there is so much more we would like to do. We have the capacity to grow a fuel/feed crop, make biofuel, feed the byproduct to the cows, and have a carbon neutral fuel to produce and distribute our cheese. We plan to harness the hydro power of Raccoon Creek to generate our own electricity and get chickens. We also would like to use methane digestion to heat our boiler and our home.

Homeschooling maybe


Night all

Celeste

PS: I made* poutine, so should you.

*and photographed, but I’m rural and have to wait until I’m in town to email pics from my cell phone.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Pizza Night


Thought I would try a pizza (or three) with a couple of our new cheeses, Farmsteader and Chedgar.



Shredding the cheese just takes a minute, I'm experienced with a box grater.



The crust was easy, a package with some flax seed mixed in.




Sausage, yum. Raised, butchered, seasoned, ground, fried and eaten all here on the farm.




Olives and Mushrooms, need I say more. Oh, how bout I'm too lazy to walk to the freezer for banana peppers.



My pizza assembly man, young man.



Ready to go, except I forgot the sausage. Taking pictures throws me off. I got it on before it was too late.



Ready to eat.



Him too.



Me too.