Baaaah....

That's all I hear today. Baah, bah, baaaaah. I moved the bucklings into their own pen yesterday. I knew it was time (they're 2 1/2 months old now), but that was confirmed when I saw Ike trying to mount his mama.

I would have moved them a week ago, but we went to the Braves game this weekend and I needed those kids on their mamas so I could go since my farm sitter is on a mission trip. Yesterday was the start of twice a day milking. The break was nice, but the extra milk should be nice too. I really need to put up some hard cheeses.

Look how huge Ike is! That's him next to his mama, Phoebe. I'm going to breed him to Scilla before he goes to freezer camp.

In other news, I put up a batch of mead with my entire summer honey harvest. Talk about all your eggs in one basket (or honey in one bucket). It was only a gallon and a half. I got 3 gallons in June last year, but this weather has been so weird.

I found this recipe for Sima, a Finnish lemonade. I'm going to try making some today.

Celebrate the arrival of warmer weather by preparing Finnish Spring Mead, a lightly fermented lemonade. If you drink this sparkling beverage as soon as the raisins float, it's fine to serve to the kids as well! But be warned—Sima transforms from being slightly bubbly to being slightly intoxicating the longer that it ferments.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon water
• 2 large lemons
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar plus sugar for bottles
• 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 25 raisins

Preparation:

Bring the water to a steady boil. In the meantime, use a lemon zester or a potato peeler to remove the outer yellow rind of the lemons in strips, placing these in a large glass or plastic (non-metal and heat-proof) container. Peel or trim off the bitter inner white rind of the lemons and discard. Slice the lemons and place in container with the zest, adding brown and white sugar. Once the water boils, pour it into the container with the lemons and sugar. Let cool to lukewarm, then stir in yeast. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours (and up to 48 hours), or until surface begins to bubble slightly. Strain the liquid into clean glass bottles, quart jars, or plastic containers. Add 5-6 raisins and 1 tsp. sugar to each bottle. Seal tightly and refrigerate for 2-5 days, or until the raisins float at the top of the bottles.