Farm Friday

Farm life and trying to live sustainably can keep one busy!  Here's a sampling of what I've been up to:

Upon awakening yesterday, I had to go bottle feed Miracle (she has a three times a day habit).  After that, Bill and I had a goat with a medical issue that we had to treat.  And Eleanor, the goat we thought had turned the corner, seems to be having problems again.  Goats!  Our vet did tell me that Boer goats give him the most problems, mainly because they've been over bred in an attempt to get back to a "pure" Boer.  However, considering how many goats we have, we really haven't had that many problems.

After a breakfast of grits and farm-fresh scrambled eggs with sauteed spinach, I set to work concocting a variety of things.  First, I had to make some food for our bees.  Due to the hot, dry conditions this summer, the bees didn't have enough flowers to make adequate honey to get them through the winter months, so we're having to supplement them.  Then I made a big pot of rice, some to freeze and some to use to make rice milk.  I'm pulling some asparagus out of the freezer and will use the rice milk to make vegan "cream" of asparagus soup.  While I was making the rice, I also brewed up a pot of tea made from fair trade tea leaves.  We drink a lot of iced tea so I do this most every day.

My latest kitchen project is to make my own vanilla extract.  I made a road trip yesterday to our closest health food super market and bought some vanilla beans:

 I cut up the bean (both lengthwise and crosswise)  and added the pieces to some vodka:

Don't judge the brand.  I don't drink it but had it on had for some other similar projects.  I read that you should use top quality vodka (or rum) but I used what I had on hand.

It's best to put in a dark-colored jar or bottle.  I didn't have one so, rather than buying a new jar, I used an old mason jar and will keep it in a dark cabinet for a few months as the vodka becomes infused with the flavor of the bean:

I've also been busy trying new recipes in an attempt to use up a lot of our farm produce.  Here's a quiche I made that has a new twist - a shredded potato crust:

 And I'm back in the apron business.  I have a holiday craft show next month and am busy sewing up my famous aprons.  Here's a sneak peak at the fabrics in a couple of them:

Later this week we're off to a training session that will teach us more about goat health.  

Have a great weekend!