There was a nasty storm that rolled across Illinois yesterday and I was right on the bottom edge of it. All we got was a little bit of rain mixed in with some sleet briefly. This morning, the water isn't frozen so we missed all the nasty for sure. Muddy, yes but ice? Nope! Dolly goat was kind of kiddy last night. She's a stand offish goat and she was following me and she was standing in places she normally avoids. Her milk bag is huge too. I can't remember ever seeing her bag that big before and she's given me twins before.
I'll be doing all the last minute floor scrubbing soon, the cheese class starts at 11 this morning. The milk is already on the stove, heating up for the culture. I whipped together a new cheese press yesterday. It's not exactly what I had in mind but it's close. 1" pine doesnt take the hole drill as well as I was hoping it would. It will work tho and that's all I'm worried about at the moment.
Last night, I took a neighbor of mine to town so she could get prescriptions filled and pick up some groceries. Of course, just like the majority of people in this area, she wanted to go to Walmart. OMG, you all know how much I HATE wally world! But, being to good neighbor I am, I put up with it. After a few minutes of her filling up her cart with that nasty, pre prepared frozen food, I had to walk away. I couldn't take it anymore. So, I wandered over to where wally world normally has the seasonal stuff and it was full of cheap chinese crap on clearance. It depressed me as I wandered thru the isles where I was expecting gardening stuff. WOOHOOO, paydirt! on the back end of each isle was a hanging box of garden seed! It was all Burpee seed so the majority of it was hybrid but I did pick up some bunching onion seed, some fennel (which I have never planted before) and replaced some seed that I had crop failure with last year (melons). I was feeling pretty darn good now since I satisfied that urge to have new garden seed and I picked up one of those candles that smells like wild roses too ;) As it burns, it makes the house smell like the wild roses I dug up from the roadside and planted out front of the house a couple years ago. The goats munched them last year, I hope they come back from it. I met back up with my neighbor and tried not to look at all the crap food she had stuffed in that cart and just reminded myself of how much I love being a homesteader!
Sissy goat slept all night, (thank you Sissy goat) and this morning, she's bouncing around, drank half a bottle, peed on the floor and left me a pile on the towel. She's warming herself in the space heater. She turns from side to side so she can warm up evenly, LOL. What a little dandy she is! I'm sure she's going to be a distraction come cheese making class time, LOL. Just too cute!
I have been prousing the net for a good "make it yourself" cheese press list of supplies. .... . do you have one? I am wanting to make a simple press that will work. They are so danged expensive to purchase one. Have a fun class!
ReplyDeleteYes I sure do. Email me (mmpaints@yahoo.com) and I'll send you a bunch of pictures of this one I just made and the first one I made that is even more basic and simple. I think I spent $15 on wood for this one I just made and it took 45 minutes to build.
ReplyDeletethe big ole wally world makes me nauseous...here in the little town i live nearby there is still one of those itty bitty original forty year old wally worlds..but, i absolutely hate the place. i have yet to find one item i have ever gone in there to look for and purchase. i do have some luck sometimes when i buy some of the discounted plants they have not outright killed... we have had really strange weather this week in n.e.miss. we have had lots of rain, then a sunny day, then 80degrees for two days then rain and cold again. it is enough to frost your preserves, let me tell ya.
ReplyDeleteLOL Anon, yep, it's been like that here too! I worry it's going to affect the coming planting season and possibly not kill of the bugs etc. I saw a skeeter 3 days ago! I smooshed him on the truck window.
ReplyDeleteI live within 150 miles or less of NE MS. It was 68 degrees at 3 am. I had to turn on the ac. Later in the morning, it was 43 degrees. I noticed the spring grass is greening.
ReplyDeleteThe cheese press interests me, too.
The mosquito that tried to get me was promptly squashed but it flew off. It was a monster, Tiger mosquito, transplanted from Japan.
PP, don't those Tigers carry malaria etc? I'll post more pictures of this new design when I get the cheese out of the press.
ReplyDeleteOh I sooo miss my goaties! I used to love sitting up in the barn in the evening, just taking in the grunts and the warmth, the smell of the hay, even the cud breath when a lady belched at me. I used to make 'bag' cheese because I didn't have a press.
ReplyDeletePour the curd into an old thin dish towel or diaper, gather the corners and twist all the clothe above the curds until the whey starts to run out, tie it up and hang over a pot to drip. Rearrange and retwist a few times over the first day. Makes a funky round ball of cheese...
Hi Mary! Oh yah, I love being out there with the critters too. LOL, to me, any cheese is good cheese!!!
ReplyDelete