Homemade Almond Milk

Step 1:  Measure out 1 cup of almonds

Step 2:  Cover almonds with filtered water and soak for 48 hours in the fridge

Step 3:  After soaking for 48, drain & discard the water, rinse the almonds

After rinsing

Step 4:  Add almonds & 4 cups of filtered water to the blender

Step 5:  Blend on high for 2 minutes

Step 6:  Strain - I put a towel inside the mesh sieve for a fine strain

Step 7:  Squishing all the milk out of the meal

After its drained, I put all of the almond meal into the towel, bring the edges up to create a pouch,

twist the towel to create a tight pouch and squeeze, twisting the towel.  This will get the rest of

the almond milk out of the almond meal.

Step 8:  Pour into a glass jar (I used a 1 qt mason jar), store in the fridge for 4-7 days.  If it starts to smell

funny, discard.

Almond meal - I have plans for this ... stay tuned!

Here's your garden sign

Plant peas, beets and lettuce when the first leaves appear on the lilac bush. 


Plant corn, beans and squash when the lilac blooms. 


Plant cabbage when the dogwood is in full bloom or when the apple blossoms bud.


Plant corn when oak leaves are the size mouse's ear or elm leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear. 


Set out tomato transplants when the first ladybugs appear. 


Beans, carrots, cauliflower and beets do well in close quarters. 


Plant radish with your lettuce..flea beetle will stay away. 


Plant carrots and onions close, keeping the carrot fly away. 


Cabbage away from tomatoes and celery. 


Cucumbers are improved when beans are grown between them. 


Turnips like to have some peas nearby. 


Beans and sweet corn do well in alternate rows. 


Plant beans on top of your potatoes to keep the potato bug away. 


Marigolds throughout the garden...all over the place!

Incubator's running full speed ahead! February's hatching percentages

We started putting eggs in 2/23.

2/23
IN - 8 duck eggs
HATCHED - 6 (as of 3/22/12, with a couple more days of possible hatch since duck eggs take 30-35 days depending on breed)
HATCH SUCCESS = (6/8) 75% (this number could change)

2/24
IN - 5 chicken eggs
HATCHED - 4
HATCH SUCCESS = (4/5) 80%

2/25
SOLD

2/26
IN - 10
HATCHED - 9
HATCH SUCCESS = (9/10) 90%

2/27
IN - 19
HATCHED - 17
HATCH SUCCESS = (17/19) 84%

2/28
IN - 7
HATCHED - 6
HATCH SUCCESS = (6/7) 86%

2/29 Caught the dogs eating eggs, the coop gate was open =o(
IN - 2
HATCHED - 1
HATCH SUCCESS = 50%

So for the 6 days in February that we incubated and hatched eggs, our success percentage is 78%. We did lose 4 of the chicks after putting them in the brooder.

Spring is in the air!

Turkey hens like snappy male accessories such as wattles and combs. These toms are sure showing their beauty!

A few fun facts:
*Only toms (male turkeys) gobble, the hens make a cluck sound. Our toms tend to follow the leader tom, if he gobbles, they all do!
*When the toms strut, they are showing off, or posturing, for the hens. They puff up their feathers and fan their tails out while shaking their body feathers.
*The toms have a large skin flap down its neck called a wattle, below that are small, wart-like structures called the caruncle. These will turn a bright red to attract females and a pale blue to cream when he's not in the mood. The flap of skin attached to the top of the beak is called a snood. This is used to attract females during strutting (mating ritual). It will become elongated and distend when the tom is aroused and will contract at other times.

Blue Slate hen, Bourbon Red toms

A lesson in death and a mama cows love

I mentioned the other day that we'd bought 2 bottle babies, Pearl & Dash. Sunday evening our friend called and said that he'd lost a newborn calf, that half of a hay ring had fallen on it, crushing its head. The mama cow stood next to it, licking it. Our friend raises black Angus cattle. We drove over so that Mr. Wild could help move the ring and the calf.

The next day Mr. Wild was over there and they checked on the mama cow, she was standing in the same spot in the field only now, her udder was huge. They started talking about bringing her into a stall in the barn to see if they could milk her. Our friends son mentioned putting a calf on her, if she would accept it and did anyone know of any new calves for sale. Our friend said he knew someone that had a new bottle baby.

Our cow Popeye had been with the bottle babies 2 and a half days and Pearl (the baby Angus) still wouldn't nurse, she only wanted the bottle. We were milking Popeye before Sasha and Dash nursed. Pearl was also timid and would stand in the corner, alone.

Mr. Wild, our friend and his son started talking about how they could get the mama cow to accept Pearl. Our friend said he'd heard about putting a dead calfs hide onto another calf to trick the mama. The son asked if he'd ever tried it, none of them had. They called our other friend, an old farmer who is full of so much knowledge! He said they'd done it a few times when he was younger and it had been successful. So they decided to give it a try.

They loaded up cattle panels so they could isolate the mama cow from the herd, so they could load her into the trailer. They set the panels up and drug the calf into the middle. The mama cow put her nose almost to the ground and followed the scent, into the ring of panels. They pulled the trailer up, backing up to the circle. Mr. Wild drug the calf into the trailer and again the mama followed. They drove her up to the barn to put her in the stall. They had to pull the calf through the stall to unload her. She stood in the stall snorting and pawing at the ground. They hung the calf to skin it. Mr. Wild came home to get Pearl.

I was in the barn with Pearl, Dash & Sasha when he got home and told me what they were doing. I told him they were going to traumatize Pearl for life, he just laughed. I told him I was staying home, that I didn't want to see it. I also asked him to please get Pearl out of the stall if the mama cow acted like she was going to hurt or kill her.

He took Pearl over and they put the hide on her. It covered her from her shoulders back. They put her in with the mama cow. She started sniffing it, at her head and then the tail. They said she did this for awhile then she started licking her! At first Pearl was skittish and would run to the corner, but the mama kept licking her, nuzzling her. Pearl had only had her morning bottle, so she was really hungry. She started sniffing and licking the mamas udder and teats, they were so swollen that she would flinch and Pearl would run back to the corner. They decided to leave them alone for awhile.

A few hours later they went back up to the barn to check on them and Pearl was nursing on the front quarter! When she would nudge the rest of the udder, the mama would flinch. The mama was still licking Pearl and was very protective, she'd moo and stomp/paw and rush the wall of the stall when they would look over. They had put in a huge bucket of water and grain before putting the mama in, so she was set for the night.

The next morning I went with Mr. Wild to check on them. Pearl had nursed all 4 teats and was nuzzling against the mama when we looked over the stall wall (we had to stand on ladders to see in). The mama was still protective, pawing at the ground when she saw us. We put a hose over the wall into the buck to give her water and put hay in.

This morning we went to check on them again and also to take the hide off of Pearl. The mama cow has settled down, Pearl is nursing and munching a little on the grain and hay. Mr. Wild went into the stall and took the hide off. The mama cow started licking her again (I was worried about that because the hide had started to smell and I didn't know if the mama would reject her because of it). We gave them hay, fresh water and some grain.

Pearl has a mama that loves her as her own and the mama cow has her baby back.

The beauty of a kiss

Sasha (Jersey heifer) & Dash (Holstein/Angus bull)

Yesterday we brought home 2 bottle babies since Popeye is making so much milk. We've been getting about 6 gallons a day and that is WITH Sasha nursing. We've been giving some to the hogs, the cats, the dogs and some for us, we've frozen tons and we still have so much! So we decided to get a couple of babies. We brought home a 2 week old Holstein/Angus bull calf and a week old Angus heifer calf.

Sash (Jersey heifer) & Pearl (Angus heifer)

After we introduced them to Popeye and Sasha we hung out in the barn watching to make sure things went smoothly. We also needed to teach them how to nurse, because they both had been on bottles from birth. I was in the stalls with them and Popeye working on helping them find the right end (lol) and then the teats. After a few minutes I stood back and let them sniff around on their own.

Sasha came over to me and started nuzzling and rubbing against my leg, so I reached down to pet her. Pearl (the Angus calf) came over on my other side and quietly stood there. I knelt down to talk to her and continued to rub Sashas side. I slowly brought my hand up to scratch Pearls back but she put her head under my hand and then started licking my fingers. Sasha leaned forward and stuck her face in my face, licking my cheek. I looked up at Mr. Wild and smiled. I was filled with such gratitude and love. I told him never in my life did I think I would experience a moment like this, being loved and kissed by 2 baby cows. I can't picture my life any other way.

Popeye update 2/04/12