Meet the Farm animals

 As of today: 16 farm animals at High Tide Farm.  Each morning starts with letting the animals out of their overnight shelter and starting breakfast,  The day is theirs to enjoy life and then in the evening comes dinner, a little time spent with each one and then all get tucked in to bed with a good night story.  Not all are good listeners.  LuLu has been known to eat the pages of the book I read to her.  Ha Ha!  

Here they are:

Poppy and her mama LuLu - yes  Poppy is a goat not a cow

Poppy with a chicken on her back

Watching over everyone is Charlotte, a Great Pyrenees and guardian livestock dog

Baby Rose is interested in my earrings.  Rose is 2 weeks old in this picture but is now 3

Rodney is a feral turned friendly cat.  He gets along with everyone and is a funny little guy

LuLu (Eloise when she is bad - but she never is.  LuLu came with me from Denver and is now 8 years old.  She likes to hang out on tree stumps and in wagons.  Oh she likes her bedtime stories

Firecracker.  She's just lost her tail feathers and is beginning to molt but when she is laying she lays a beautiful blue egg.  Thank you Firecracker

Pippin.  I don't know where he came from - across the street i think- but figured out where the free meal was served and now is a part of the farm.  I've yet to touch him.   See the heart on his side?

Eclair - one of my newest flock.  Eclair is an "Easter Egger" chicken and is now at 5 months just starting to lay hr eggs.....a pretty blue one

This is Lily.  Lily is also a youngster.  She is a lavender Orpington and her egg is brown.

This is Croissant.  She is Eclair's twin but does have a look of her own.   She is quite a talker and when you hold her she will gently tell you a story....she waits for your verbal response and then she adds a bit more,  Her egg will be either green or blue like Eclair's

Bullet is my only male goat.  He has been castrated and is called a wether - no longer a buck.  He is very funny,  Don't you love his blue eyes?  He also has wattles (little pendulous skin under his throat) which add to his adorableness  Bullet weighs about 60 pounds.  The does weigh about 45

This is Lacy.  She is a golden laced Wyandotte chicken and lays a brown egg.  Lacy is getting old - about 5

Butterscotch.  Also one of my old girls.  She sometimes needs a little help getting out of bed in the morning but don't we all sometimes?  Scotchy  lays a blue egg.  She is an Aracauna.

Jolene.  She is a silver laced Wyandotte and lays a brown egg.  Jolene is the head hen in my flock

LuLu in the chicken yard

Rose today.  She is 3. Rose is a tiny goat even for a Nigerian Dwarf.  She gets pushed around a lot but has developed skills that keep her strong and happy.  She gets a little mixed up when she wants attention.  While the other goats in the herd nestle up to me when they want attention Rose gives me a head butt.  Just a little one but that's really not the way to ask for attention Rose

Meet Spiderman.  She had a different name at first but she started to look just like the first chicken I had in Denver.  Kate had named the chicken Spiderman and she was terrific.  This Spiderman is an excellent Japanese beetle catcher.  She will chase them around the barnyard and when they dare get low enough she grabs them.  Way to go Spiderman!  This chicken is an Aracauna and lays and beautiful green blue egg.  It's actually too bg to fit into an egg carton

Last but not least is Violette.  She is a lavender Orpington and has not yet started laying but soon.  Her egg will be brown.

Today's eggs: Spiderman's, Jolene's, Eclair's & Lily's

This makes a total of 1 dog, 4 goats, 9 chickens and 2 farm cats.

Life is good on the farm.  I'm a lucky girl to have these fabulous animals around me each day!

All things LAVENDER

 My very favorite subject:  Lavender

No calories in the newest lavender projects:  lavender infused oil and sketch painting

French lavender - Provence

Lavender Augustifloria

lavender and sage on new quilt

Both are culinary varieties and so versatile.

The question is "What new item can I make with lavender this year?"

I've made Lavender Jelly

lavender jelly  https://messyroomstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=lavender+jelly

Lavender wands:

Lavender wands  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvzz-RiSluV69yZDk5mFECpGU-Pt9BWbrj5t5R3okmfSeoKav5wieA4Im6ZO0oooyy7p8XuHlftrknVdqJWn9HOO-pVajAe1gVK84mTHx9-HpGaIQeuF5PXH5Vx_weE1oewX3FRhS5TV2/s1600/dozen+wands.jpg

Lavender ice cream

lavender ice cream  https://messyroomstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=lavender+ice+cream

Lavender filled eye pillow:

lavender filled pillow

Lavender fields rock  painting:

Lavender lemonade....what no photo?  later

So this years projects:  lavender infused coconut oil

and lavender thread painting:

First collect the best lavender

Then turn the upside down to dry for about 2 weeks:

Then remove the buds and place in a large - 1 quart- jar

Add the oil - any unfragranced oil will  do but I used fractionated coconut oil.  Fractionated coconut oil remains liquid and is often used as a massage oil

infused oil after 6 days

Then I strained the buds out and bottled it.

lavender infused oil in lots of plastic jars

My favorite use of this oil is a nighttime application on my arms and legs.  Lavender does help you relax and this little stip helps you to get to sleep a little kinder and quicker.

Ella has told me this is also good for your skin and hair.   There's a big jar on your way, sweet Ella>

OK Thread painting...also known as creative stitching.  I have treated myself to a new sewing machine.  My old one has died and repair is no longer a good investment.  I have been doing my best to just use my little basic Little Gem (Janome) but if I ever want to finish my unfinished quilts or make a new one I just had to purchase a new one.   The first chore I needed to do was to quilt the border of a quilt I started 15+ years ago.  Ella and I named this quilt "Lavender and Sage" because of the colors:

lavender sage quilt 

I harvested some of each to check the compatibility   Yep!!!

Then I loaded my new machine with some sage colored thread.  I pencil sketched on the purple fabric of the border and then sketched on the lavender image. 

lavender sketch painting

I am happy to say that I have finished two quilts that I started over 15 years ago.  I've promised myself to finish all those I started and got sidetracked from with life.

lavender augtifloria growning in my front yard

Available lavender eye pillows:

Apricot Abundance

 Yes It's been a while since my last post but I've been busy...with the farm:  soil prep, weeding, planting, weeding, early harvest, weeding....and the weeding is winning.  Despite my biggest adversary the garden is in and so far very plentiful,  Spring gives me sugar snap peas, kale, chard, radishes, beets and fragrant sweet peas.  In early March I planted my tomatoes and I'm getting a few beauties already.  Soon I will be on a caprese salad diet.  But I want to post about my apricots. 

Gold Kist apricots grow in my zone.  I planted this tree 5 years ago and have had a huge harvest the last 3 years....too many really making me a slave to the apricots for the last 4 weeks.  The first bite of the first ripe fruit is heaven  You just can't get a flavorful apricot at the market.....maybe a Farmers Market.  At about week two I went out to pick up what had fallen on the soft grass that day and found this:

Over 50 had dropped since noon.  I actually had nightmares about what to do with all of this fruit.  I shared with my neighbors and friends and then I got to work:

First I made a batch of jam:

I find most of my successful canning recipes from Food in Jars.  This one starts with 8 cups of apricots and 3 1/2 cups of sugar plus a vanilla bean and lemon zest and juice.  About an hour later I have 3 pints of delicious jam.

So far I have jarred 16 pints and 8 half pints.  Jam anyone?

Last year I froze my extra but I didn't want to do that this year because I still have some in the freezer so I decided to can the apricots in quart jars.

Nineteen (19) quarts and a few pints of apricots.  This should get me through the winter

OK next I got out my dehydrator.....a must for anyone blessed with a bountiful harvest.  I used my vacuum sealer and produced 26 bags of dried apricots.  These will last quite a while.

Yesterday I celebrated baking with apricots and strawberries (also a good yield this year.  I went to Ina Garten's crostata recipe  for summer fruit and used 2 pounds of apricots and one cup of strawberries

Place in the center of a sweetened pastry (pate sucre)

Add the crumble topping and fold up the sides

Bake for 25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Crostatas can be made with any fruit.  It's simply a pie without the pie plate.  The pastry dough is rolled out; fruit tossed with flour, sugar and 2 Tbs of orange juice is then placed in the center leaving 1-2" of dough.  The dough edges are lifted up and gently over the fruit.  Go to Ina's recipe for specifics.

Most of you that know me know I consume very little sugar or flour or any processed foods at all but once in a while I treat myself to my own baking.  This was a treat.

I have maybe a day or two left of harvesting apricots.  My Anna apple is feeding me and my goats now and soon peaches.  But for today I am going to enjoy the last of the fresh fruit from my beautiful and generous tree.

Bon Appetit!

2024-- A New Year - a new start -Eat Your Vegetables (and fruit)!!!

Happy New Year!  Cheers!

We are 3 weeks into 2024 and many of us have set our goals for the new year.  I wish for all of us abundance, joy and good health so let's start out with a great resolution:

I will eat more vegetables!

It's not hard....don't reach for the Balance of Nature jars.  Reach for tomatoes, eggplant, sugar snap peas, grapefruit, cauliflower, peppers, celery, beets, carrots and beyond.

I started out the year by making a big leap of faith and planting two avocado trees.  I had help from my great niece, Teagan, and great nephew, Kellen

Bacon Avocado, Teagan and Kellen

Teagan is 6 and Kellen is 3 and this little Reed avocado is half Kellen's height so it has a long way to grow before its fruit lands up in a guacamole.  

But things start small and with nurturing, sunlight and a place to shine they grow.

Sugar snap pea planted 3 months ago and ready to nibble on

"Cheddar" cauliflower start planted this week. Estimated harvest: April

And after 2 1/2 months of no eggs my hen, Joleen< gave me a beautiful gift.

So let's get started.  All of my January veggie dishes are inspired by what my farm gives me in the Winter month of January.  All are meatless.  Most are packed with fruits and vegetables and all are delicious and nutritious 

Caponata

This vegetarian dish is native to Sicily and is very similar to ratatouille but with zucchini out of season and an abundance of eggplants and tomatoes this was my choice

Caponata served on crostata* with a chicken looking on

Based on the recipe from Love and Lemons blog  (click on link for full recipe) I added about 1 cup of chopped fennel

mis en place

veggies:  Let's count them: tomatoes*(1 pound), celery* (2 ribs), roasted eggplant* ( 1 1/2 pound), 1 bell pepper, 1 chopped onion*, garlic ( 3 cloves), parsley *,capers, fennel (1 cup chopped) and cranberries (not a veggie)

Roasted eggplant

About 1 1/2 eggplant cut into about 1 " cubes tossed in olive oil and seasoned salt and roasted at 425 for about 15 minutes or until tender

 

Vegetables sautéing in a copper pot

The ramekin in the mis en place picture above is capers, dried cranberries and sherry wine vinegar which add a nice contrast of flavors.

Caponata is easy to assemble and cook and tastes better the second and third day so perfect to make ahead 

Next dish

Cauliflower gratin

This recipe came straight from Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris"   Here's the recipe https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/cauliflower-gratin

You can make a classic gratin with any veggie.  I love zucchini when it is in season but this gorgeous "cheddar" cauliflower was in the market so I grabbed it.  Gratins are basically Bechemel sauce and a crumble of cheese and bread crumbs popped into a hot oven (375 deg) until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts.

mis en place...only veggie in this dish : cauliflower

Cauliflower start

Steamed "cheddar" cauliflower (5-6 minutes)

Bechemel sauce

Speaking of classic French

Quiche Lorraine:

A classic French quiche is a pate brise (basic unsweetened pie crust) baked unfilled and then baked again with a custard filling over sautéed onions and Gruyere cheese with bits of bacon tossed in.  There are many recipes available for quiche Lorraine but I used this one from Food Network: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/quiche-lorraine-7077405

The crust part is very flaky and more like puff pastry.

  

I did not set up a mis en place but only have the final pic:

Quiche Lorraine

veggies: onions* made with High Tide Farm goat cheese and gruyere 

Quiche for one 

Chinese chicken salad:

Oodles of veggies in this salad and so delicious  I roasted bone in skin on chicken breasts and pulled the cooked chicken off the bone. I always use the bones for a little stock making before throwing them in the trash.

salad mis en place: 

veggies: broccoli slaw (Trader Joe's), chopped Napa cabbage (Trader Joe's), red cabbage (already planted in the garden), cilantro, cucumber, peppers, radishes, sugar snap peas, slivered almonds (TJ), sesame seeds, 3 oz chicken breast, won ton noodles and salad dressing

Salad dressing recipe:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce or Hoisin 

3 Tbs honey

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup peanut oil

3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed

1 1/2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated fine.

I used my mini food processor to homogenize this dressing but you can also just make sure the ginger and garlic and in very small pieces and just put all ingredients into a jar and shake well

I have a pint of this dressing in the fridge so that I can chop whatever veggies I have and assemble this salad quickly

The wonton noodles are optional but add a nice crunch

If your watching your protein intake with 3 ounces of chicken and the sesame seeds (toasted) and almonds added this salad has 26 grams of protein...almost half of my daily intake so even though it's a lot of prep it's a nutrient dense salad.

Paloma cocktail:

Since I'm pushing fruits and veggies let's add a cocktail:

A Paloma is a cocktail made from grapefruit juice and tequila.  It's sweet and sour and a little smoky.  If you like a Margarita no doubt you'll like a Paloma:

Start with a juicy grapefruit.  I picked this one from my tree literally 5 minutes ago

Paloma recipe:

per serving:

grapefruit juice* - 2 oz

tequila, 2 oz

sparkling water - 2 0z

lime juice* - 1 Tbs

agave or simple syrup - 1/2 Tbs

smoked sea salt

mis en place, agave skipped the photo shoot

Paloma cocktail

Cheers to a very Healthy and Happy New Year! 

And of course lots of love!

*** all grown and harvest at High Tide Farm