Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend

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Cupcake died yesterday. Named Cupcake because she was given to me for my birthday, she lived up to the sprightly name. She was more than a dairy cow who gave our family delicious, healthy raw milk. Cupcake loved to wander up into the yard and hang out with Laura and Clay while they went about their play, and we had fun watching her from the back window acting the part of an over sized family pet.

I think the memories that I'll hold closest are those made when J.R. and I milked Cupcake together.  His two big hands bumped occasionally into mine and the peaceful sound of milk hitting the pail and creating a beautiful froth often compelled me to pour my heart and mind out to him.  Many times I've wished to write a poem or book entitled "On The Other Side Of  The Udder".  I could never quite get past it seeming too humorous a title, and  was sure I'd never be able to convey what I felt while milking a cow and talking with my husband. It makes me smile to think what you as the reader must be thinking now...The smell of fresh hay, the sound of Cupcake munching her feed, the milk hitting the side of the pail, a husband bound to a milking stool and forced to listen to a rambling wife.... :)  Once again, Cupcake has made me smile.

Laura's first butter from Cupcake's cream

J.R. praying for Cupcake when she was losing her calf

God made us to be over the animals and caretakers of the animals, not animal rights activists.  So for us, most farm animals come and go with nothing more than a mere, that's-the-way-it-goes-on-the-farm attitude.  Not so with Cupcake.  We'll miss her.  She's buried beneath the apple trees.

Momma, Can I Help?

She spoke with her beautiful brown eyes
I smiled
Glad she's home with me
Glad I'm her mother
...........her teacher
.............her confidant
...............her passage to womanhood
All in a slow paced world

Carefully, three cups of milk
Maybe a tad too much
Almost a whole stick of butter
Scooped from the crock
Plenty of molasses
Now? Tell me when...now?
Oh, some got on my finger
Yes, you can
Since it's just for us
But don't do that
When company is coming



Flour
...wheat grains soaked overnight
............salt
.....................yeast
Quantified with new hands
Unsure
But thrilled beyond measure

Kneading
The fun part
Fun, now
Later, fulfilling
Her family around her
Life sustenance pliable in her hands
Kneading
Shaping loaves
Warm smells from her kitchen
All in a slow paced world









"Momma, do you have time to...? Oh, never mind, I know you do. We live in the country, and have all the time in the world."
Laura -- January 2010



Recipe for Laura's Bread

3 cups milk
1/3 cup molasses
3/4 stick butter

Heat this to 120* and pour into the dry ingredients



Mix these three in prep for the wet ingredients:

3 cups organic white flour
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt

Add 4 cups fresh ground wheat which has been soaked overnight. (I will do a post on the health benefits of soaked grains soon.) Either an electric grinder or hand grinder work very well. It's nice to have both for when the electric one wears out...like mine did recently.



When the mixture is just manageable,




Pour onto a floured table





Knead until pliable and smooth. Spray with olive oil and cover with a cloth for 40 minutes.



Divide into two loaf pans, (preferably stoneware since the aluminum carcinogens can leach into your bread) score three cuts into top of the bread to help it rise, spray with olive oil again, and let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Cover loosely with foil. Bake on 350* for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake ten more minutes. Turn out loaves onto a wire cooling rack until completely cool. If covered too soon, the crust and inside will be too doughy. The bread needs to breathe. After cooling, cover with a bag to seal in the freshness...if you've managed to wait until the bread cools before eating it. :)

Beautiful Weekend

My grandmother has been visiting from Dallas for a couple of months. We've enjoyed her immensely!





Down at the creek:






Clay has a new enterprise with his worm bed made from a "pre-owned" freezer. As soon as he figures out his pricing, let us know when you're ready to go fishing or need worm castings for your garden soil. :) He tries to beat me to the kitchen scraps to run feed to his worms instead of the chickens getting them.


Clay harvested 31 gourds this year. He is drying them by the fire before turning them into dippers, scoops, birdhouses, and maracas.

Fresh From the Oven

Melt in your mouth Cinnamon Raisin Rolls





Recipe

1.5 cups warm milk
2 tsp (plus a tad more) yeast
4 cups flour
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 T softened butter separated
3 T molasses
1 cup raisins
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix warm milk and yeast. After the yeast activates, add two tablespoons butter and molasses. Set aside. Combine flour, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of flour and pour in the milk mixture. Bring the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Knead the dough until smooth. Let rise until doubled in size. Roll out to 1/4 inch in thickness on a floured surface. Spread two tablespoons butter over rolled out dough. Sprinkle raisins on top of butter. Roll up the dough tightly and pinch end of the dough to the roll to keep from separating. Slice roll in one inch segments and place on a cooking sheet. Place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Cook at 325* for approximately 12-15 minutes or until desired brownness.

While rolls are baking, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and warm water to desired consistency for glazing the rolls. As soon as the cinnamon raisin rolls come out of the oven, pour the glaze over the tops and sprinkle with powdered sugar for garnish.

Pure maple syrup is delicious as a glaze for those of us who try to avoid sugar. :) And of course, everything tastes better when it's made with organic ingredients.

Follow the Leader

Cupcake decided to act ornery this morning. J.R. enticed her up for milking with a hard-to-resist can of sweet feed.

Milking Time

Say Cheese!

I made mozzarella cheese and crusts with whey for our pizzas tonight. What a thrill!! J.R. is planning to make a cheese press so I can make hard cheese also. So far, I've made mozzarella and queso blanco which are soft cheeses and don't require the press. For those interested, one gallon of milk makes about one pound of cheese. I'm finding that we may need to invest in another cow to have enough to sell. Cupcake gives about three gallons per day, but with plain drinking milk,cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and the myriad other uses, there most likely won't be enough left to sell.

Farmer Boy

It's A Boy!

Cupcake had her calf 2/23/09. We are thankful for the raw milk and the health benefits it brings.

Cupcake the Cow

What "they" say is true: A dairy cow is truly the heart of a farm. Cupcake is a real sweetie-pie and our whole family is enjoying her charm as well as her antics. If I'm late feeding her, she comes and stands at my kitchen window -- staring a hole through me each time I pass. It's cute to see. We named her Cupcake because I received her for my birthday.




















Sitting down on the job.






























Cow Quotes :
Why butter instead of margarine? I trust cows over scientists.

Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures. (Thomas De Quincey)

Look at those cows and remember that the greatest scientists in the world have never discovered how to make grass into milk. (Michael Pupin)