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Always expect the unexpected on a farm
Posted 6/25/2010 7:45am by Leslie Cooperband or Wes Jarrell.
Farm News
This week's news could easily be about the weather. This time of year, farmers lament the rain, the heat, the weeds, the resultant crop disease, the ritual onslaught of Japanese beetles decsending upon the berry bushes, the drop in milk production due to the weather, etc. However, this week's news is about a birth. A BIRTH, you ask; isn't it kind of LATE in the season for does to be having babies?? Well, Peppermint Pattie, the doe who had to undergo an emergency cesarean (C) section last year when we couldn't extract an enormously large buck kid from her, decided to go into labor Monday night, just as Aaron (our herdsman) was finishing up the milking chores. The kid was presented normally--front legs and head first, that is, but she was clearly having trouble birthing him. So, on go the OB gloves, betadine and OB lube and in I go. The first thing I notice is a ring of extra tissue in the birth canal. I imagine that this might be scar tissue from her operation last year. It is extremely rigid and inflexible. I think, "there is no way she can dilate properly." So, I try the usual tricks of massaging and tugging the kid to no avail. We decide to call our trusted vet to get some advice. She suggests letting Pattie keep pushing and trying to stretch this scar tissue. So, we let her try a bit longer and I go back in to stretch the tissue. All of a sudden, I feel the birth canal expanding and I am able to pull out the kid's head. Out slithers the rest of his seemingly skinny body. It's a healthy boy. We clean him up, milk out Pattie and then she drops back down to the ground to deliver the second kid. This time, we're not so lucky. It's a 3 lb buck kid that takes a breath and then dies. He is much too small to be viable. This happens sometimes. The happy ending of the story is that a doe who we weren't sure would ever be able to get pregnant again and be a productive part of our herd, is now on the milk line with the other does. We have one very cute little buckling to show for her efforts.
Cheese news
We decided to try a few experimental cheeses with our sheep milk last week and this week as we wait out the rogue wild blue molds on our Ewe Bloom and Krotovina. Last week, we made a batch of sheep milk feta (it is aging in brine right now, so stay tuned) and this week we decided to make sheep milk ricotta. So, for those ricotta fans out there who keep asking us to make ricotta more often, your wish has been our command. We're pleased with the results-delicate and delicious--excellent drizzled with some local honey and fresh fruit. We will sell it in the same way we sell the goat milk ricotta--1/3 to 1/2 pound portions.
We are attending four farmers' markets this Saturday: Urbana, Bloomington, Green City Market and Oak Park. The weather forecast sounds good (morning at least) so come on out and shop for some fantastically fresh local foods to accompany the cheeses you'll buy. Here's what we plan to have for you:
Fresh chevre--we made extra batches this week, so we should have plenty--the usual suspects--plain, herbes de Provence and cracked black peppercorn
Angel Food--nice and gooey brie-like--limited quantity, so arrive early if this is your favorite cheese
Little Bloom on the Prairie--continues to have a nice clean milk flavor--goes great with all those local fruit jams you're probably making right now.
Ewe Bloom--beautiful yellow core surrounded by those white, blue and green molds on the rind. It is quite yummy and I have been suggesting to our customers that you try it on a burger--veggie or meat.
Krotovina-the creamy flavor of both goat and sheep milk separated by vegetable ash--delicious!
Roxanne-our raw goat milk brebis style, still reflects early lactation milk but now has notes of pasture in it.
Red Dawn--the soft ripened goat milk disc dusted with smoked paprika--we have VERY limited quantities of these, so again, come early.
HAPPY SUMMER EATING!
This week's news could easily be about the weather. This time of year, farmers lament the rain, the heat, the weeds, the resultant crop disease, the ritual onslaught of Japanese beetles decsending upon the berry bushes, the drop in milk production due to the weather, etc. However, this week's news is about a birth. A BIRTH, you ask; isn't it kind of LATE in the season for does to be having babies?? Well, Peppermint Pattie, the doe who had to undergo an emergency cesarean (C) section last year when we couldn't extract an enormously large buck kid from her, decided to go into labor Monday night, just as Aaron (our herdsman) was finishing up the milking chores. The kid was presented normally--front legs and head first, that is, but she was clearly having trouble birthing him. So, on go the OB gloves, betadine and OB lube and in I go. The first thing I notice is a ring of extra tissue in the birth canal. I imagine that this might be scar tissue from her operation last year. It is extremely rigid and inflexible. I think, "there is no way she can dilate properly." So, I try the usual tricks of massaging and tugging the kid to no avail. We decide to call our trusted vet to get some advice. She suggests letting Pattie keep pushing and trying to stretch this scar tissue. So, we let her try a bit longer and I go back in to stretch the tissue. All of a sudden, I feel the birth canal expanding and I am able to pull out the kid's head. Out slithers the rest of his seemingly skinny body. It's a healthy boy. We clean him up, milk out Pattie and then she drops back down to the ground to deliver the second kid. This time, we're not so lucky. It's a 3 lb buck kid that takes a breath and then dies. He is much too small to be viable. This happens sometimes. The happy ending of the story is that a doe who we weren't sure would ever be able to get pregnant again and be a productive part of our herd, is now on the milk line with the other does. We have one very cute little buckling to show for her efforts.
Cheese news
We decided to try a few experimental cheeses with our sheep milk last week and this week as we wait out the rogue wild blue molds on our Ewe Bloom and Krotovina. Last week, we made a batch of sheep milk feta (it is aging in brine right now, so stay tuned) and this week we decided to make sheep milk ricotta. So, for those ricotta fans out there who keep asking us to make ricotta more often, your wish has been our command. We're pleased with the results-delicate and delicious--excellent drizzled with some local honey and fresh fruit. We will sell it in the same way we sell the goat milk ricotta--1/3 to 1/2 pound portions.
We are attending four farmers' markets this Saturday: Urbana, Bloomington, Green City Market and Oak Park. The weather forecast sounds good (morning at least) so come on out and shop for some fantastically fresh local foods to accompany the cheeses you'll buy. Here's what we plan to have for you:
Fresh chevre--we made extra batches this week, so we should have plenty--the usual suspects--plain, herbes de Provence and cracked black peppercorn
Angel Food--nice and gooey brie-like--limited quantity, so arrive early if this is your favorite cheese
Little Bloom on the Prairie--continues to have a nice clean milk flavor--goes great with all those local fruit jams you're probably making right now.
Ewe Bloom--beautiful yellow core surrounded by those white, blue and green molds on the rind. It is quite yummy and I have been suggesting to our customers that you try it on a burger--veggie or meat.
Krotovina-the creamy flavor of both goat and sheep milk separated by vegetable ash--delicious!
Roxanne-our raw goat milk brebis style, still reflects early lactation milk but now has notes of pasture in it.
Red Dawn--the soft ripened goat milk disc dusted with smoked paprika--we have VERY limited quantities of these, so again, come early.
HAPPY SUMMER EATING!
