Farm ramblings
Summer solstice is almost here. These almost summer days are long. For me, it may sound contrary, but it’s a real slow and rewarding transition now to winter. The months of April, May and June are without a doubt the busiest time of year on the farm. We have the most quantity of milk and the grasses are growing most abundantly. Furthermore, projects, ideas and opportunities pop up and consume energy and time all spring long. Now, summer brings the heat and the siestas. Most of the grasses have gone to seed by mid June, and after solstice, we generally have entered a period of more steady work load. The daily work load is substantial but also manageable. Occasionally, we can even take the whole family out to a swimming hole mid-week or go for an afternoon hike. Chances to explore arise more and more as the year progresses.
Cows have had a good and healthy spring. We have also entered the period of breeding back our cows for next year. We are breeding our Jersey cows with Norwegian Reds. Fingers crossed; we will have some heifer calves next year that we can raise up to become our future herd. We are mix breeding our Jerseys because it will ultimately make for a better cheese.
It’s been another season of experimentation in the cheese make room. I am currently waiting on a batch of provolone to acidify before draining off the whey. The plan is to use the cool morning air tomorrow to smoke the gourd shaped cheeses with peach wood I collected yesterday. I’ve been wanting to smoke a cheese all year long, my goal is to wake at 3a.m. and use the cooler morning temperature to smoke.
Yesterday I made a Caerphilly type cheese, and in the late evening before milking, I collected fig leaves with my daughter, and we placed them in our seldom used glass butter churn and added a half gallon of a spirited bourbon-mezcal cocktail. I will coat the wheels of cheeses with the spirited fig leaves and age the cheese for 2 months.
The day before, I made our tried and trued blue cheese, which I am impatiently waiting for the first batches of blue to be pulled out from the cave from this year.
A few makes back I made an ash covered bloomy rind. A couple makes before that I made a stout infused cayenne pepper jack.
The list goes on. I will keep on fine tuning what I like and still searching for the undiscovered.
