Meet some other animals!

     I often write of our goats, but we have other animals too!  I thought I might share with you about a different one each time until you get a chance to meet all of our creatures. 

     We have several cows.  We have two milking cows, a purebred Jersey cow, named Buttercup and a half Jersey half Holstein named Betsey.

     On our farm we also raise dairy heifers.  This makes it much easier for us to keep up with all the milk that two milking cows can give.  It also is nice when we can sell a young heifer for another family to have their own milking cow. 

    We make a lot of dairy products in our home.  A lot of milk gets used for making Kefir each day.  I use a full gallon of fresh milk and mix one cup of kefir from another batch and keep it warm in the oven with the light on.  In 24 hours I have another batch all ready for our family to drink.  I love to mix it with berries and other fruit.  I use Stevia to sweeten it, because it is quite sour.  I also mix special supplements in it for me, like Spirlina, Maca root, MSM powder, and little Pink Salt, also additional whey powder, and flax seed. 

     Our family loves fresh butter as well.  I make fresh butter in large amounts with my electric butter churn.  When we get it made up, we freeze it, for later use.  We also make soft cheeses that we use in place of sour cream in cooking and also to eat with crackers.  I love to add strawberries and sweeten it slightly and add a tiny bit of pink salt and process in the food processor.  Our family loves it!

     Using milk is a wonderful addition to our family farm.  We use milk and whey to feed pigs that we raise.  Chickens also love milk and benefit from the added protein.  Plus we feed calves that we buy from an organic dairy for future milking cows and beef. 

     Whey is a wonderful meat tenderizer, so if you make cheese and then wonder what to do with it, I cook chicken in whey and it is so very moist.  I also use it in bread making and whey is used in a refreshing drink.  Following Sally Fallon's book 'Nourishing Traditions' we make a wonderfully tasting drink with wild blackberries that we have juiced and add a little salt, sugar and whey with water (see her book for exact amounts) and then keep warm in the oven with the light on, and 24 hours later, you have a nourishing drink.

     I just want to encourage everyone in making choices for your family in growing food.  Food for our family is so important and nothing is more exciting than making it from your farm.  Being on a farm is also a fun way of life for children.  Our children have learned many valuable lessons being responsible for animals and their care.  God bless you all :)  Next time we will have our Katahdin Hair sheep to introduce you to.

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