Save The Mater's & Cheese Results

Saturday morning our glorious IL weather netted our storm door (Oz style) clear out in the cornfield. After purchasing another and installing it in pouring down rain...all was some what well again. This morning as I read the forecast for the next couple days.....it sends me into yet ANOTHER anxiety ridden zone. Calling for more rain, lows in the 30's!!! (are you kiddin me?) with 20-30 mph winds. I had JUST put 24 tomato plants (that were barely hardened) and 20 some pepper plants out in the garden last week (as I do every year around Mothers Day). I worried THEN they would survive the transplanting, as it was an UN seasonable 90 some degrees for two/three days. They were NOT happy campers...but seemed to pull out of it. So after milking the goats at the butt-crack of dawn, with one cup of coffee under our belt, we set out to SAVE THE MATERS!!

Our tomato cages are homemade out of 6 foot metal fencing, staked a foot into the ground with fence posts, as full grown Fulkerson tomato plants would flatten commercial tomato cages totally into pancakes ;-) We always wrap plastic wrap a couple times around the bottoms of the cages (about a foot high) to get them off to a good strong start, especially with the spring winds, in the middle of a corn field, surrounded by industrial sized whirly gigs. So just HOW do you protect/cover a 12" or so tall tomato plant housed in THAT kind of contraption from upcoming cold and mini hurricane winds?? It ain't pretty... BUT you buy some more plastic wrap and start your husband completely wrapping cages on one end of the garden, while you wrap the few extra junk sheets/pillow cases you can find around the other ends cages. You pull out every extra 5 gallon bucket you can find (that doesn't have feed in it) and try to thread it through the top (of the taller than you) cage, without dropping it and smashing the plant lifeless. Did I mention already its blowing rain, colder than a rats ass, and mud is REALLY REALLY heavy when it accumulates in mass quantities on your boots?? A few hours later we come in to thaw out and cross our muddy fingers. SAVE THE MATERS!!!

The first attempt at the Chive & Garlic Chevre went O-K. Nothin to write home about in my book, as it was slightly runny and tasted sort of blazay after all the build up. It was edible tho and I got through my first batch without a scratch and nobody ate me. Determined not to be intimidated by CHEESE (of all things) I decide to make another batch and improve upon it. I find ANOTHER Chevre recipe with a little variation from the other and decide to try it. Well... it sets up in half the time other other batch did. hmmmmmm
I decide instead of garlic POWDER this time, I'll use garlic FLAKES in effort to give it a little more punch. I get back online and find how you convert the measurements from powder to flakes. UNFORTUNATELY math (especially fractions) has never been one of my strong points and the second batch of Chevre has been dubbed Garlic Breath Anyone? Edible by only the strong of heart.





This afternoon as I make the numerous trips to the barn (in the cold rain with a different set of boots) to check on Herd Queen Hope, the last one to kid this season....who I might add... ALSO refuses to kid on MY schedule....I decide to try my hand at Mozzarella cheese in between trips.

I choose the "quick/easy" recipe version. It WAS pretty easy (first clue Debbie) and it looked really good. After it set up in the fridge for about an hour we anxiously tried it. It has been dubbed:
Kyra's New White Rubber Ball

I LOVE my life...I do, I really do ;-)

Say Cheese!

Happy to blog that after two years we've finally hit one of our goals here on the Fulkerson farm. We're producing (actually the goats are...thank you GURLS!) more milk than we can drink or use in our coffee in a week. It is absolutely delicious and I refuse to waste a sweet drop, so its onto the next venture.....

Cheese Please!!

Taste testing different varieties of wine, cheese and tomato's over the years, has become one of my most favorite quirky things to do. Every trip to WI I've ever made has always included several off the beat and path trips to cheese suppliers in an attempt to taste all the 2000 different kinds. I think I've sampled probably around 327 of them, and of COURSE can't remember the name of a single one. (same with the wine and tomato's)

I've had NO clue most of my life what went into making cheese. I just knew that I LOVED it and its expensive. There ARE reasons for that I'm finding out. OMG. As I researched when time allowed what went into it, at one point I almost yielded ~Uncle~ and threw in my cheese cloth before I even got started. Maybe I should try goat soap instead?? There were cheese classes, workshops, seminars, books, and kits, cheese equipment, cheese terms, cheese cultures, cheese caves and on and on it went. I think cheese making is truly a craft and reading about it was a bit intimidating to THIS transplant from the city. The equipment/ingredient list alone was overwhelming at points. A good stainless steel pot, a couple high tech thermometers, a cheese press, cheese cloth, different molds, slotted ladles, strainers, waxes, wraps, measuring spoons, knives, 4 or 5 different cheese cultures from France, Rennet, citric acid, Lipase powder, and so on and so forth. Some of the terms they use in the recipes was like a foreign language to me....coagulation, Mesophillic, Thermophilic, Direct Vat Incoculants, pasteurize, whey, curds, curd breaks clean, flecks, follower, pressing, drying, and waxing. What the hell?? Sounded like a experiment gone bad in biology or science class to me.

So I take the intimidating plunge (and the hit in the pocketbook) and buy the good stainless steel pot. Then slowly start adding some of the rest of the goodies that I read that I need. Was pleasantly surprised and tickled with an early Mother's Day present of a cheese press from my Kentucky (cheese loving) kids a few days ago!

My favorite cheese has always been an aged sharp cheddar (probably because I can remember THAT name no sweat) and I decided to start my venture there. That was UNTIL I kept coming across these subtle warnings that if you're NEW to cheese making, MAYBE you should start with a soft cheese as they are easier. Always one to listen to whatever I'm told by those in the know (har-de-har-har) I am going to attempt a soft cheese known as Chevre (reminded me of cream cheese) for my first go around. To make it oh-so-special, I'm going to use a recipe that calls for Chives and Garlic that I currently have plenty of on hand.

So tonight I dip my toes into the cheese crafting vat and started my first batch. Hopefully we will have some yummy cheesy results in a few days, spread on a cracker, with a cheap wine back ;-) And should I get that down pat without too much brain strain... I may work my way up to that Cheddar before ~I'm~ totally AGED!
We'll see....

Gizmo Goat Bingo

Gizmo made his third public appearance last night at the Towanda Grade School fundraiser in a round of Goat Bingo. I was told he raised over $1000.00 for the school. The kids were fascinated with him and enjoyed feeding him by hand before we got started. I had to laugh at one city Mom in particular that followed the kids all around with the hand sanitizer. I dunno...maybe there is some new dreaded black lagoon goat disease that has cropped up that I haven't heard about ;-)

With the forecast of torrential rain RIGHT around the corner I held my breath that Gizmo would perform in a timely manner. Visions of walking around a school playground by myself in the rain for hours kept running through my head. The goal was for Gizmo to "deposit" a substantial amount of fertilizer ~three~ different times on the grass where they had spray painted a bingo board. One Mom casually asked me before we got started "Do you know how often they poop...is it like every 10 minutes or so?" Ummm....well.... I guess I never really paid that much attention to that detail. Guess we'll be finding out!

It actually took 20 some strategic like laps around the huge board and only 18 minutes for Gizmo to make his deposits official and garner a BINGO!! Oh Gizmo! I knew you wouldn't let me down. You're such a shit ;-)

I got an additional chuckle at the end...I think the crazed hand sanitation Lady was in charge of "clean up" of the board as well ;-)

Never Again

I know, I know...never say never! But if I have the least little say in the matter or there is a snowballs chance, we will NEVER again be SO far in the dark on a goats due date!! Especially with our doe Cinderella. For at least three weeks she exhibited EVERY sign of labor that I've ever read about or seen so far. One source even simplified it for me...If your doe exhibits anything out of the ordinary it could be a sign of labor. Well she doesn't ordinarily kiss and rub against our resident herd queen, or lay on her side in the middle of the outside pen appearing dead. She doesn't ordinarily raise her lips towards the wind for 10 minutes with her tail half mass. She followed every OTHER obvious written sign for weeks...the ligaments disappearing for two FULL weeks and then I SWEAR they re-appeared, and then disappeared again a couple days later, the udder blossomed up the size of Kansas for three weeks. And not to be too graphic...I thought for awhile she was going to present a prolapsed something or other, she had so much pressure and inflamation. And on and on she went...stranding me at home for weeks, wearing the tread off my boots, and putting a hole in my gut with worry. (literally I suspect ;-)

If my calculations were somewhat close she conceived the very first day she was put in the pen with Vinnie Barbarino. Must have been love at first site! After a quick we MUST get some errands run this weekend jaunt (of only an hour and a half) I came home to her crammed up in the shape of a bowling ball in the corner of the barn with her butt plastered against the wall, almost under the ramp to exit said barn. Okay Cindy, I believe you now...please get your butt un-plastered from the barn wall as gravity doesn't work real well that way, nor can I see a thing except jet black! After about 15 minutes she finally got to her feet and I gently guided her to the kidding pen. Within 45 minutes she had popped out Quads, with one being so small it almost took my breath away. Everyone seemed a little "sluggish" in comparison to Hope and Susies kiddings, but I'll be darn if "Lit'l Bit" wasn't the first one on his feet and the first one to the milk bar. I didn't think he would be able to handle her huge tits, but the little Stinker latched on right away. I'm still NOT breathing yet on him and he may end up in my living room before nights end.

Randy actually made it in time for THIS kidding (gawd knows HOW he could miss it according to ME, with her in LABOR for three weeks straight), in the event he ever has to step up his chores to include goatie mid-wife and he did real well. At one point as he stood outside the pen looking in, he politely asked if he could come in too....I said SURE and threw him a couple towels ;-) As Lit'l Bit flew out of the shoot (3rd) I casually and oh so confidently and proudly stated...Oh yeah, thats GOTTA be a doe as its SO small. After everyone was dried off and on their feet I decided to peek at sexes. Big big black=Buck, Smaller black=Buck, Bigger brown=Buck, and I almost fell over into the feed bucket as Lit'l Bit=BUCK as well. I checked all 4 THREE times and eventually had Randy run up to the house to get my glasses, just to be sure. Love those bucks... however I still haven't figured out a way to get milk outta them yet.

We MAY have one more kidding to go with Queen Hope, I'm not sure yet on that one either. (sigh again) But hopefully we will have the Barn Cam up and running when the time comes and comes and comes.....

Randy's homegrown "Chicks" are going through their gawky stage with new feathers. All eight are thriving and have been transferred out of the wading pool into the real world. (or the floor of the quarantine pen anyway). I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the two blue ones!

This guy...again one of last years FREE "exotics" I supposedly swore off from the Hatchery if you order 25 or more, while pleasing to look at, is going to end up in the STEW pot if he doesn't cool his jets here soon on my feather foots. He's been stalking me as well and the first time he LOOKS like he is gonna peck my eyeballs out..... (there is a REASON we have SMALL Bantams ;-)

Our first outing in the SUN!

There's That 3 Again!!!

So about THREE weeks ago I say to Randy...Did the chickens stop laying eggs again?? (as he hadn't brought in any in what seemed forever and I had to buy them at the store last week) He said "No..they're laying them all underneath the nests and there are THREE hens sitting on them. I want to try and hatch them." I just shook my head and sighed as we've tried this numerous times before with no success, that ended up with nothing but a stinky chicken coop. I also thought it was far too cold the previous weeks, I didn't care HOW many hens were sitting on them. Briefly looked online into an incubator for him for his birthday.

So this morning at the buttcrack of dawn he goes out to do feed the chickens and the bucks and I go out to check on the new goat babies and feed the rest. Meet him back at the house and he's dancing a jig like a little kid ;-)

WE HAVE CHICKS! I SAW ONE!!

Are you kidding me??

Nope! I saw one peek out from underneath one of the hens! Okay (smilin ear to ear)...I gotta go to work.

Ummm, not so fast Buster. We have to get a chick setup ready with a heat light, bedding, food and water. We can't just let them hang low with all the BIG chickens all day and I've got the Granddaughter due any minute.

So we slam together a chick setup and he goes underneath the hen and pulls out this itty bitty churping chick. He says... I think there is another one and hands the first one off to me. Hands that one off and sure enough....there is number THREE hiding up underneath her wing!!

Whoa...I need coffee!!

But of COURSE on the 3rd around 3 oclock...

the first kids of the season make their appearance! Above at half an hour old.
(The number 3 "thang" again...I should have known ;-)

This was the first kidding for Susie and I have been slightly anxiety ridden over her to say the least. On the small side anyway....I couldn't even tell if she was pregnant until a couple days ago when she started to blossom an udder (and then I read that doesn't always mean diddly either). She appeared more like a bowling ball from all the LOVE=ALFALFA she was given while I was away. Unlike Hope last season, that obviously appeared to be carrying several kids. I also had no clue WHEN she was due.


I checked ligaments a couple or more times daily the last week and this morning I was rushed as Granddaughter was here. I didn't feel ANYTHING and just thought I couldn't find them (duh) along with she was RAVENOUS for her grain, so I didn't push the issue TRYING to find them and fed everybody. Thinking (ahem) that she would go off her feed if she was close.



Around noon I did a quick look-see into the pen and she was standing over by the feeder chowing down on greens. No mucus plug, no appearance of dropping and I went back inside and fed Kyra and around one put her down for her nap. Around 1:30 I heard this gawd awful bleep in one of the TWO baby monitors and I KNEW it wasn't Kyra and I knew it wasn't a familiar bleep either. Sprinted down to the barn and there Susie was laying in the middle of the pen. Two little hooves protruding out. OH CRAP!! Ran back to the milking room and got my handy dandy kidding kit and sat down behind her. Within a minute or two out came the first one! Itty Bitty but strong. Without inspection...I thought a doe. Two minutes later out came the second. Sized a bit more to my liking and without inspection I suspected.... a buck.

Susie immediately started working on the first born and I helped clean up number two and handed that one over to her as well. She finally stood up and we all went to the nursery pen under the heat lamp, as it was pretty cold out today. As I dried them the rest of the way, I finally inspected and as suspected.... one doe and one buck. The doe has wattles like her Daddy Vinnie and in looking at the pictures when I got back inside, I'm wondering if she might have blue eyes. (I'm hoping not and Randy is hoping she does) I went back out a bit ago to look and with the red heat lamp I can't tell one way or the other.

I CAN tell they are beautiful (and am definitely gonna need help with colors on these two) along with Susie is an excellent Mommy ;-)