Monday, July 16, 2007

Fernie, Delawares, Zinnias, & our table runneth over....

I picked up our dairy doe Saturday. A long drive due to wrong directions and a late night drive home - really "blew"- which I do not like driving at night on the interstate.

Her previous name was Fawn- which I find myself calling her Fern. It just flows out and feels so right to call her that. So Fern it is. Sometimes it is Fernie but we call Lady Chia "chi chi" all the time now... In fact all goats are named Chi Chi according to Frog.
I found Fern in a condition I call neglect- especially being a "milker". The owner of a huge boer farm for many many years should know better. She needed a hard dose of wormer, a shot of B complex- with possibly an iron shot (if her eyelids do not start to pinken more). Fern was the bottom of the herd line- picked on by all the meat goats with their big horns & pushy ways. Her previous home owner said she would have to chase her in order to milk her- so she just did it when it was convenient...Sigh... Well here she is being lovingly smothered with care. She is not up to having a full body shot but we are working on building up her confidence for the camera. Oh and with us she is calm & never runs from us. She walks up to us and rubs her head against our legs for a sweet whisper in her ear and a gentle petting. She has won over Panda who can lead her around by a gentle collar hold. I hope to make a trip soon to buddy's home in Millersburg Ohio and be able to set up a "date" for the two.Panda has a new found love for Zinnia's. we have just a small but decent size patch of them, which has given many child size bouquets for the dinner table- compliments of the children.
The delaware hens we purchased back in late May have become very nice sized and now sleep in the goat cabin with the other hens. They are handled/carried by the children (and chased) but do not mind enduring a walk around the yard in search of snack bugs while the kids do all the searching and turning over of rocks. They are filled with personality but can be a bit "pecky" at times. They love the brass circle tabs on jean sides and lookout bandaids! Otherwise, we are happy with them so far.
The garden has pumped out so many Zucchini & squash Our table truly runneth over!- like you have never heard that before, I know..
So a fair amount is sliced thick & frozen for the winter while others are being enjoyed stuffed, sauted, grilled & marinated. But the most recent favorite is Zucchini/squash Fries!

ZUCCHINI/SQUASH FRIES:
Halve length wise- scoop out seed middle- slice width wise into 1/4 inch thick slices- dip in egg/milk mix- then coat in flour which you have added garlic powder and seasoning salt. You can either use a deep fryer or just pour 3 cups veggie oil into a saucepan heated on medium. drop in a handful of the prepared slices, scoop out once lightly golden brown onto a newspaper lined plate to cool. We dipped ours in ranch the first night. Many variations have transpired with tonight being a dip from roasted red peppers.
The recipe is from Rachel Ray magazine for her Zucchini fritter recipe.
1 12 ounce jar roated red peppers- drained then puree in food processor with 1 clove garlic smashed and peeled. add 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 tspn salt plus a dash of hot sauce if you like. Puree again then serve with the above.
Looking for ways to use your abundance?
A link to all zucchini summer squash recipes: http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blv61.htm
I aspire to make the zucchini tarts at this link-scroll down- maybe the couscous with spiced zucchini at this link.
~Sweet summer dreams,
Tammie

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