Diary of a Farmer's Daughter
He said she said cont…
Mema and Papa got a new Amazon device.
Daddy: Have you used the new speaker in here at all?
Papa: No, I don’t know what I’d use it for
Me: She can play music, play games, tell you the weather forecast, the news, or jokes.
Papa: What kind of jokes?
Me: Alexa, tell me a joke
Alexa: Have you heard the one about the man who tried to walk up a hill without a watch?….He had neither the time, nor the inclination
Papa: Well she's about useless. What’s the point in a joke if it isn’t funny? I don’t think I’m gonna play jokes with her.
The room: burst out with laughter…Papa does not care for silly technology
New cooking
Running out of ways to cook Chuck roast? Here’s a new, very simple idea. Season the roast with your favorite bbq seasonings. Put it in your crock pot on low for 8-10 hours. Take out the bones and it should shred very easily. Drain the juice (maybe into a jar to keep it for a soup). Add enough bbq sauce to lightly coat all of the meat. Chop some spinach. Put it all in a soft tortilla. DELICIOUS!!!
Papa-ism #1
Talking about generation names
“All I know is, I was born at just the right time…right when tractors come out!”
God bless him, he knows his priorities…he’s gonna farm for the world until the day he dies.
He said, She said
Do you ever have a conversation with someone that has a different accent than you? One where you often cannot figure out what they are saying?
This morning I was talking with my grandfather. Here’s how the conversation went:
Papa: Your momma and daddy looked so cute the both of them plying (supposed to be plowing) yesterday
Me: I’m sorry, what were they doing?
Papa: Plying!
Me: I don’t know what that is
Papa: PLYING…the garden…with the tiller
Me: OHHHHH P.L.O.W.I.N.G…
Papa: Why you always gotta make fun of me?
Me: Oh Papa, I’m not meaning to make fun of you. I truly don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m sorry
Papa: Isn’t that what they call bullying? You shouldn’t make fun (all in jest)
Me: (exasperated) I'm not making fun of you! I really don’t understand you half the time.
Papa: (Lovingly) I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t have you to make fun of me…
Oh my goodness…who on this giant earth thinks making fun is loving????…My Papa…Gotta love him!
Work
Sometimes it’s on a computer. Sometimes it’s in the dirt. Sometimes it’s with cows. Today, was a little bit of all three. Cheetoh wanted to help. He lurks on top of the pin barriers managing our cattle work. Cows needed separating to go to the right bull, or the right pasture. And doesn’t this garden prep look good?! Sally has done a fantastic job planning and prepping this garden that will hold the seasonings we prep for our future spice line.
Recipe of the Month for February
Low Carb Shepherd's Pie
INGREDIENTS
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar, divided
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Drain well, pressing with paper towels or a clean dish towel to remove as much excess water as possible.
2. Return cauliflower to pot and add cream cheese. Use a potato masher to mash cauliflower until smooth. Add heavy cream, 1 cup cheddar, and half of the green onions and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. In an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add tomato paste and stir to coat veggies. Add ground beef to skillet and using a wooden spoon to break up meat, cook until no longer pink, 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer 2 minutes.
4. Top skillet with cauliflower mash, then top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar. Bake until top is golden and cheese is melty, 20 minutes. 5. Top with more green onions to serve.
Pretty and cute
There are so many things on the farm that pictures simply can’t do justice. I opened a gate this morning, and turned to chain it in place. I could see the most beautiful contrast of sun and clouds. Then after the clouds cleared out, these adorable baby goats were out playing and jumping around. The pictures just don’t show the true beauty I could see, or how cute the babies were. But I tried!😊
Ice ice baby
What do 3.5” of rain and sub-freezing overnight temps mean?
High lakes, icy puddles, and frozen bridges! It may not be great driving conditions in town, but out here, it’s really pretty.
Poor Little guy cont…
Our sweet little baby calf did not make it. We aren’t sure exactly what went wrong. We did everything in our power to keep him alive. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough. We are very sad to have lost him.
Cold Front
Anyone have pictures from the weather today? Please share them!
Poor little guy
We think this last week was just a little too cold for this cute baby. Thankfully, we recognized the problem and were able to get him and momma to the barn. Momma doesn’t let us get close to him to help him nurse, so we have to put her in the chute and hold him under her. He doesn’t quite have the strength to do this on his own just yet. John, Sally, and Mel all went out this morning and made sure he got to nurse again.
Beef Bundles
Foggy Days
Fog can be bad, but it can be so very beautiful. As can so many other views on the farm.
Training Day
Training a new employee can be stressful, entertaining, fun, and tedious. Our new employee is picking things up quickly. It is very important for cow hands to learn to treat the cattle with tenderness, swiftness, and a low stress as possible. This new calf went through the chute, got a vaccine, castration, and ear tag. Our trainee, Sally, prepped the materials, gave our little baby a tag and a respiratory nasal spray. She moved animals all over the property, returned the baby to momma, put out a new game cam to watch our resident beaver. I don’t think she’s named him yet. Any ideas on a good beaver name?
New Year
“New Year New You”, isn’t that the saying most companies use to suck people into buying their product?
Well, we are hoping this is true for us. For starters, my mom will be retiring from her teaching job in June, so we will have a new face on the team. We always have a new stock of calves being born at the end of the year, so we have a bunch of super cute little babies running our terrorizing momma cows. Besides new faces, we are making a few changes, and adding some new products, information outlets, and events.
Look out for the new corn maze! We started this event last year, but we didn’t get enough rain through the summer to hold the event. There will be multiple picture opportunities, challenges, and games. Watch for our newsletter at the end of each month. We are starting a blog now too.
Hope everyone has a great year in 2020!