Enough with the snow already

Happy Easter Everyone,

I know it is still March, I know Minnesota's weather is famously variable, I know Easter is early this year. All the same I am tired of the snow. I know it wasn't a snowy winter, I know we could use the moisture and I know it won't last long. I need it to stop snowing. As you can see above even Cooper is praying for it to end. We have had around 6 inches of the "white stuff" since Thursday evening and it just keeps coming. I know it is just a combination of jealousy for those who have already begun to plant and blog about it and my own eagerness to get out and do the same. I suppose I will have to work with nature and wait for the time to sow but just the same I don't have to be happy about it. I guess I will just have to work on my stoicness err stoicisity, aw screw it! I want Spring.

End rant.
Rick

The sausage wars continue.

Well tonight I finished baking the summer sausage. It was not without it's difficulties. First I went through 3 thermometers before I found one that worked. Then it took until midnight before the meat got up to temp. Lastly now I have to fit it all back into the fridge. Ah well what a guy wont do for awesome venison summer sausage.

Goodnight

Sausage Galore

Well my friend Jamie was out today. We made a couple different sausages from the book we got him for his birthday present. We made a batch of venison summer sausage, a batch of garlic and sage duck sausage and a batch of red pepper lamb sausage. I haven't had a chance to taste the summer sausage yet but the other sausages were great. I took most of the day but I think it was worth it.
In other news it snowed on Tuesday it was 50F to day and we have a winter storm watch for tomorrow. You got to love Minnesota weather.

Rick

Spring continues to creep in.

I spent a few hours outside today. First I started to clean up around the chicken coop. I had placed the spent litter into empty feed bags this winter. I placed them around the coop to help insulate it. I am not sure if it helped but now I have to move it all to the compost bins. I got about half of it moved this afternoon.
I also cut down and burned the asparagus ferns and spent hops vines. I probably should have done this last fall but at least I got it done today. I fed them into the burn barrel along with some twigs and brush.
Jess and I also got to tour the Rising Moon Farm today when we picked up our lamb. We fed some of the sheep and llamas, we saw their chickens and their peafowl. They also had one of the Chinese golden pheasants. It was a stunning animal. I decided that if I am ever going to raise pheasants I would raise these. Wouldn't make a sporting animal to hunt due to its flame yellow color but I bet they taste just as good.

Rick

A River Runs Through It.

Well we are finally into the great spring melt. Every spring we seem to get a day or a few days that melts all the snow off the adjacent fields and every year it runs through the pole barn and over the yard. Last year I attempted to dig a small drainage ditch. I also attempted to build a small berm around the pole barn. Might have worked too if yellow dog hadn't dug into the pole barn at the low corner. Just the same it is worth it. Between lengthening days and spring melts it feels like we have our yard back. If we have one more day like today we can start getting the chicken yard ready for the ladies again.

Take Care
Rick

Costly Meat

Well it has been a long time since I have written. Sorry about that. I guess winter leaves me with less to say about things around here.
Tonight Jess made her excellent coq au vin. We had a heck of a time finding chicken livers for the stew. we stopped at no less than 3 stores and there was not a liver to be had. It was fortunate then that there was one stored inside that rooster that I have been meaning to dispatch. I think I was putting it off. It seems unnatural to kill an animal you spent the entire year raising and protecting. Just the same the rooster was one rooster too many and had what I needed. This might seem cold blooded to some but it was just a matter of time for that rooster, he didn't lay eggs, protect the flock or stop molesting the hens and like I said Jess makes an excellent coq au vin.
Otherwise we continue to collect about a dozen eggs a day. Luckily my Jess has found an outlet for them and we are not buried in them.
I have also gotten my first batch of seeds for this years garden and man I can't wait until I can get out and work the soil.

Cheap Meat

I know it sounds like the name of an uninspiring punk band or possibly a late night cable film but "cheap meat" is something even more disgusting. It is a plague upon our times.
Taking the recent news of downer cows being made into meat and sold to the schools in the US as an example. We as a people have been increasingly unlikely to ask the questions that need to be asked. Like where did this meat come from? Who processed it? Who prepared it? I mean how in this day and age is it even possible to raise, slaughter, transport, prepare, wrap and sell anything made of meat for less than a dollar? Think about it for a minute, by paying low prices for one of life's most precious foods we are saying we don't care about it. Think about the guys killing cattle for close to minimum wage. We tip a bartender for pouring a drink but balk at paying the guy responsible for nourishing our bodies a decent wage. For that matter what about the man or woman that cooked your meal? Shouldn't we be paying them better as well? I mean if the slaughterman is the first line of quality control then they are surely it's last possible check against disaster.
I don't have anything against eating meat. In fact I am a rabid devote of the wonderful stuff. It is precisely because I love meat so much that I am urging you all to buy meat that is worthy of eating. Don't tell me how great it is that you got a giant package of meat for only two bucks down at the Wallymart. You should be telling me about the fine steak you had last week and how it was worth every penny. Something to consider next time you step out for a Whitey One Bite.

Eat your vegetables and expensive meat,
Rick

Peak Oil Hope

I make good sauce.

Hey all,

Well not too much in the way of farm stuff to report. I cleaned out the chicken coop this morning. I a placed a few concrete blocks in the coop to support there waterer. It raises up the water above the litter and keeps it level to minimize spillage.
In food news it was a good weekend. I made dried cherry scones for breakfast using Alton Brown's recipe. They weren't my best batch but they were still good. We also made some venison loins in a rhubarb wine sauce. The sauce was entirely something I made up at the stove but the garlic and butter and rhubarb wine flavors really did something with the venison. Jess also made popovers as well and the were great as well.

Well that is about it for now.
Rick

Pasona O2

In my blog perusing I came a crossed something I had seen before but felt I should share. Pasona O2 is a cool Japanese indoor garden/farming project. From what I can gather it is part art project, part labor training program and all funky.
Links;
Treehugger post.
Direct link. (for those that read Japanese)
Pruned post
Flickr search

Image borrowed from Flickr user dimitridf please check out his work.