Utah

I'm back from a trip to Utah. I hate to fly, but I was sorely in need of the break. The boys learned to ski while I spent a few days reading in the hairy-hide wing chair by the window. Occasionally I'd look up from my pages to see them ride the lift and come down the slope right out the window.

It was gorgeous out there. The people were so friendly.

On the way in, we sighted a moose on a mountainside. Then I saw Mitt Romney at ski school. No, I didn't give him a piece of my mind for not winning. He looked happy and relaxed with family. I was relieved for him. I imagine it'd be hard for the POTUS to take his grandson to ski school (though I have my suspicions that the current pres would just buy out the whole place for the week for his entourage at some enormous taxpayer expense).

But I digress....

I found the Wasatch Brewery and was able to get some of this yummy stuff to go. One of my dear friends had shared some with me after we butchered her chickens last spring. I've been dreaming of it since as it's not something I can get in the store here.

I managed to talk hubby out of an "I've tried Polygamy tee". Not something this wife wants her significant other sporting around town.

My MIL had me try on these boots. Aren't they gorgeous? I was glad that the 9 was a little too small or I may have been tempted. Waaaay out of my price range but I may have tried to rationalize it with the fact that lift tickets and ski school are way out of our price range and we have nothing but memories to show for that.

Returned home to more rain. And rain. And mud. Dirty eggs and dirty puppy. And neighbor's dog barking incessantly all day long when he leaves her out. Will definitely need to talk with him about that before I want to leave the windows and doors open to catch spring breezes.

Herd Sire

Little Raven's Haven N Magnum was born on Valentine's Day. We are going to go pick him up in a week or so.

I know that the breeder bottle feeds her babies, but didn't put it together that I'd have to bottle feed him when I get him. Duh. Not really looking forward to that one, but we'll survive. And hey, no running around two states trying to get goats bred next fall.

They're Gunning for your Guns

Missouri democrats have introduced a piece of legislation that would make law abiding citizens felons for exercising their second ammendment right.

Here's a part of the bill:

4. Any person who, prior to the effective date of this law, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine shall have ninety days from such effective date to do any of the following without being subject to prosecution:
(1) Remove the assault weapon or large capacity magazine from the state of Missouri;
(2) Render the assault weapon permanently inoperable; or
(3) Surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to the appropriate law enforcement agency for destruction, subject to specific agency regulations.
5. Unlawful manufacture, import, possession, purchase, sale, or transfer of an assault weapon or a large capacity magazine is a class C felony.

It appears that the same bill is being proposed in Minnesota.

It's getting ugly out there, folks. I encourage you to speak out. Join the NRA. If it's right for you, get a gun. Don't forget the ammo.

Prayer Breakfast Speech

Just in case you missed the National Prayer Breakfast speech by Dr. Benjamin Carson, here it is. I think everyone needs to see it. I promise you, it's well worth the half hour.

Tortillas

I decided to make some tortillas for the freezer. Why I decided to make a quadruple batch, I may never know. I was frying tortillas for 4 hours!

Here is the recipe I use:

1c All Purpose Flour
4c Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Flour
2t Salt
2/3c Olive Oil
1 1/2c Boiling Water

Mix dry ingredients. Work in oil with your hands. Add hot water and mix with a fork until absorbed. Pour out onto floured counter and knead until smooth.

Form dough into golfball sized balls. Cover with plastic and let rest at least 1 hr (or up to 8). Press and bake.

Still Not Bred

So Kat is in raging heat again today. I'm starting to wonder if she's ever going to get pregnant again. I think I'll bring Buddy home this week. March is just way too late to breed assuming she even goes into heat.

I'll just think positively that she'll get pregnant this time.

Pricing

 

My pocketbook has been feeling the strain of our (nonexistant right?) inflation. In the past year since I've started raising goats, a sack of dairy feed has gone up $2 and hay is up because of last summer's drought in the midwest. A friend sent me this article about the shortage of goat milk because farmers can't afford to operate at a loss.

I have seen 16% layer pellets go up by over $2 as well, but have been able to keep my costs to about $12 a sack by traveling to nearby rural feed stores and buying in bulk. As a comparison, the same product is $15.49 at Tractor Supply. Let me tell you, it's painful to shell out $300+ on chicken feed.

The 22% protein feed for the meat chickens is also up from $12.49 to $14.49 a sack last time I looked. The cheapest I can get it is $14.25 by buying 20 bags at a time (there's another $300 out of pocket). When these guys get to their last few weeks of life, we go through a bag a day.

As much as I strive to provide affordable, clean and healthy food to my friends and neighbors in the community, I simply cannot function at a loss out of the goodness of my heart. So I went out looking at prices around the country for the same items I offer.

At the high end, I found Real Food CSA in CA.

Goat milk is $7.25 a quart +$1.50 bottle deposit.
Pastured Eggs- $7 a dozen
Duck Eggs- $10 a dozen
Pastured Chickens- $29-32 for a 4lb bird.

Country Garden Farm in Newnan wants $5 a dozen for eggs at their farm. $6 at the market. Duck eggs $8/doz.

Chickens from localharvest.org range from $21.98 to over $50! That $21.98 bird is not fresh. It is flash frozen and shipped in from Minnesota.

I had a tough time finding any goat milk out there. I know many herds are just coming back into milk after spring freshening. Here's St. John Creamery in WA $10.59 for a half gallon. Even the nasty Ultra Pasteurized stuff is over $5.00 a quart. Vinyard Farms in Powder Spring, GA is asking $6/ half gallon for goat milk.

Pastured Chickens in WA are $4.95/lb. In North Carolina $3.98. Rising Fawn, Georgia $5.00/lb.

I have tried to hold the line, especially in this economy, but I am not operating a charity. I can't work this hard to break even or lose money.

 In light of that, here is my new price list.

Goat milk (when available and for pet use only, of course): $4/qt, $7/half, $12/gal. There will be a $2 deposit on each jar or bring your own!

Free Range Eggs: $4/ dozen

Pastured Broilers: $4/ lb

Running, Running, Running

I am slow to get moving today, and I suppose it's little wonder why. I have been running like crazy since Saturday.

Dear husband and I had a big day planned for last Saturday. We were going to fell a tree for firewood at a wonderful friend's farm (she offered me any oak in her forest- so generous) and then off to get hay from Mr. Harry (pregnant goats are eating me out of house and home). Their two farms are about 35 minutes north of us and only a few minutes from each other.

On Friday night, we got a call from my aunt. She'd just gotten back from a trip and found a tree across her driveway. So Saturday morning after milking, we loaded up and headed east to her house to cut the pine up before we went north to get the oak and hay.

 

 



The tree looked healthy on top, but its roots had rotten away. Scary.

We got a decent sized oak cut up, but will have to go back up to my friend's to get it. We needed the truck bed for hay!

Then it was off to Mr. Harry's for the hay. He also surprised us with half a dozen cabbages and all this bread! I try to bake my own bread, but sometimes I just run out of time. I'm not going to turn down free! It was 8:30 before we got home and the goats were stopming their hooves at me!

Sunday it was church, grocery store and cooking for a Super Bowl get-together we hosted. Monday we needed to get caught up on some school. Yesterday. running around with kids' activities.  Today, finally, I'm going to get the vegetables I bought last week planted. It's supposed to be sunny and 73. Just the perfect day to do it!

Skeeter Pee

Just a few more weeks until it is done. Yum! I am just waiting for it to clarify. Then we back-sweeten, wait to see that no new fermentation is taking place, and bottle.

Here is the recipe.

For Greater Glory

Dear Husband and I watched "For Greater Glory" last night. What a powerful movie and a very good insight into how easy it is for an overbearing government to take away people's freedom -religious and otherwise.

Pregnant Goat

I snapped this picture of Trixie last night. She has 2 months to go and I swear she's as big as a house!