Fall leaves & pumpkin wine making

Today was the day of a Mad Hatter Tea party at our local library. It was also an afternoon set aside just for Panda and I -together. When her tea party was over, we went for a wonderful walk along the river to see the waterfall and collect leaves for our annual Fall wreath project. What a beautiful trail it turned out to be! The leaves were everywhere and the colors! oh such wonderous colors covering the pathway like a carpet! It gave such a magical feel in the air. The crunching of fall under our feet and the earthy scent that filled our noses, was so invigorating! After Panda just had to touch the water- I really wonder sometimes about my little earth child- we rushed back to the truck and stopped off to get some hot cocoa for her and some delicious coffee for me. Next stop was back to the pumpkin farm to pick up some for more pies and a batch of wine. Now this is not a wine you can drink now like the apple. No, this my friends will have to sit in your "wine cellar" to age at least 8 months. Which makes it a perfect drink for next years Samhain! So here is the recipe I started this evening which was recomended by the local "wine making librarian" and is excerpted from "The perfect pumpkin" by Gail Damerow. The more pumpkin you use, the heavier bodied will be your wine.
-----------------------------------Happy Pumpkin Wine--------------------------

15-25 pounds raw pumpkin, grated
4 1/2 gallons water
juice of 3 large lemons
1 packet of wine yeast
Sugar or honey in one of these amounts: 7 pounds (lbs) for dry wine- 10 lbs for a normal wine- 12 lbs for a sweet wine
1. Boil the grated pumpkin in the water for 20 minutes. Cool & strain into fermenter through several layers of cheesecloth.
2. Add the sugar or honey in your desired quantities. stir in until it dissolves. Add the lemon juice.
3.Cool to 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Add the wine yeast.
4. After fermention stops, rack the wine into a carboy and set aside until the sediment settles to the bottom and the wine clears~ about 3 months.
5.Siphon the wine into sterilized wine bottles, taking care not to stir up the sediment. Youll get a perfectly smooth drink if you leave behind a few inches of wine above the sediment. Cork the bottles and keep upright. Store in a cool, dark closet or a cellar for AT LEAST 8 months.
This will yeild 5 gallons of wine
I look forward to trying so many of our homemade wines this upcoming year. This one may sound not as yummy like mulberry or apple, but that is where you must go beyond the norm and walk the trail less used.
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1 cup of pumpkin contains 50 calories no cholesterol or fat but as much fiber as most breakfast cereals. *The leaves of pumpkin, crushed and rubbed on livestock, repel flies - according to the perfect pumpkin book.* Pumpkins are amazing and highly overlooked on their benefits to us and animals. I have found that my 2 girls (Cleo & Chia) go crazy over pumpkin! Thankfully to Mr. Local Farmer Man, My girls have half of The captains truck bed full of those treats and other squash such as many more Buttercups. I need to go clear some room in the cellar now...
Sweet dreams...
Tammie

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A pumpkin is a pumpkin ...right?

Can you pick out the pie pumpkins from the so called carving pumpkins? no peeking below before you guess...... go ahead and cover up below the picture on your screen!


O.k are you ready? is it the right or on the left.is it the top 2 or the middle? Yes, It is the 2 behind the hollowed out pumpkin half on the left. (*both hollowed out portions and the seeded portions on the right are of carving variety*). As you can see, there is no difference in these on the meat amount. I scraped the innards of the front 2 with a grapefruit spoon. It is a carving pumpkin variety. It does seem less thick but it was much taller. They were within a 1/4 cup of each other. So what is the difference I keep asking? In a taste test of pies, using the exact same recipe & ingredients, we could not taste a difference or note any other difference in the pies.
Now the second test was pumpkin butter. The pie pumpkins seemed quicker to burn in the crock pot. Why you may ask? Well it seems the carving pumpkins hold more moisture even after baking all of them in their skin shell. I baked both pumpkins in the same oven and one of each on each shelf just so there is not an effect on placement towards the outcome. The bottom 2 hollowed out pumpkins above are exactly how they are placed in the oven set on 350 F degrees on a plain baking sheet. They cook untill they are soft. Then they are scraped very easily with a table spoon. Note that the skin seperates easier in the pie pumpkins then the carvers but is still easy to remove.
I then put the meats into a food processor & puree away! I put 3 cups of pie puree in a ziploc bag, laid it flat on the top shelf and left it to freeze over night before placing in the deep freezer.
I cannot tell a taste difference between the 2 batch's of pumpkin butter but again note- the carver has more water and if you forget to stir because you are distracted as I had with mopping floors and scrubbing the bathroom, it will be more forgivng due to its higher water content.
So the conclusion here is there really is not a notable difference in the above pumpkins for pie and there is a slight difference in the pumpkin butter- with the carver variety in the lead. So maybe they should call the carvers "butter pumpkins"!
So off with you now, to purchase those left over (& cheaper) carver pumpkins for pie and butters!
Sweet pumpkin dreams...
~Tammie

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A visit from the Zoning and nuisance investigator...

My planned post has been postponed till tommorow. Instead I bring you this post feature of my neighborly dismay special..... And the battle is on! Apparently, my neighbors on the other side of my "barnyard" think my chickens roaming on MY PROPERTY is a nuisance to them... He has a chainlink fence seperating our yards so my chickens are not in his, but scratch next to it on occasion. He too sits on over one acre and has an outbuilding blocking his view to the rest of his back yard anyway. If they somehow did get in his yard, it would be to eat the fallen apples from his tree behind said building that he does not bother to clean up & attracts all the stinging bugs. He is gone ALL day & the kicker is he has had plenty of oppurtunity to say something to me- not including the thought of walking over to my house- knocking on the door and asking me nicely to help keep the chickens away from his yard. I see him every morning when I drop Panda off at school because he too does open enrollment. I even wave and say how ya doing?! So just a little bit ago the zoning guy stopped by to say a complaint was made that my "roosters" were roaming which is against the zoning law..They must be contained in an enclosure set back 100ft from neighbor propertyy lines and 60ft from the road. I only have 2 roosters. I have 6 hens. I have 1 1/4 acres of property and have the fence line legal on the road side and that neighbors side. I told the zoning guy they were getting out because they are due for wing clipping. They hop the fence and being this time of year, the garden harvest/preserving comes first since it does not wait. I was nice, he was nice and we sat laughing. I told him I will take care of it when I have someone to help watch the children. It needs to be done when they are all in the coop since I do not have all day to chase chickens- that is unless he would like to volunteer his babysitting services for my children while I do so.
My sunshine & peace symbol coop is gone to a freecycler, so I will be looking for the most obnoxious color of paint I can find and the coop on his side will be freshly painted with it and the polka dots with another ugly color will be applied. I wish I could think of something insulting for a symbol- him being a preacher and all- just to drive it in I am ticked & do not play well with others.
I am steaming still! And to think, I actualy thought about raking my leaf covered yard and picking up the misc. that is laying around in it before winter...
~Tammie

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Tonights bonfire

A quick note and link-
I know what I am making for the bonfire celebration tonight! Check it out and book mark this one!!
Happy Samhain!
~Tammie

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Another lesson learned but trying to laugh...

~You may cut the one wing feathers on a newly brought home muscovy female and keep her in a cage for a few days with your last surving muscovy (clyde), but that does not mean when you let her out, she will stay. I do believe she may as well be walking her duck butt back home. At least in her mind she is going back to her home which is a few miles away, but with her ability of flying cut off with her tip feathers gone on one side, I say the chance is slim.
~Bonnie, our last surviving female muscovy from the auction,
has moved on to be with her prior passed on siblings. The only one left is the one pictured in my hands from my auction entry. That is Clyde. Bonnie was found in the 5 gallon bucket of water in the goat cabin. How does a duck breed drown? By hopping in a bucket to drink and bathe but have no escape route out. The chill of the night made poor bonnie succumb to sleep I assume and then drowned. I believe she must have got in late at night after the girls night time feeding and when I went out the next morn, I found her. I know death happens all the time on farms and we have friends who own farms that just shrug it off, but every time it happens here I try to think what I did wrong. I should have put that brick back in there but when I changed their bucket with a newly filled & clean one, I did not place the brick in, since I had not scrubbed it yet. I kick myself now, but note that is the first time they had ever gone in the bucket. I know this because if they do get in water, it does not stay clear for more then a second.
~So after much debating with myself, I called up a dearly loved farmer friend and asked to purchase on of his females so Clyde would not be alone and mourn his Bonnie lass. After picking her up (a beautiful all white one) I placed the 2 in a kennel for 2 days. Then I clipped her wing on one side so she could not fly. I did not think about the walking... I have not seen or been able to find her since last night. I do believe she thought -offensive language here- "screw you guys, I'm going home"- cartman of south park quote..
I hope she just made a visit to the pond a street over and will come back soon. But i am not holding my breath or getting another muscovy for awhile.
~Bonnie has been buried in the animal cemetary located out back next to our neighbors pet cemetary that is the final resting spot for animals such as a pet rat, snake, cats and a dog. Ours has a few hens and chicks, a few bunnies (left over from an animal getting into their nest), a few ducklings and a wether goat. They will be on our list of stops to place some food and drink on the graves for Samhain. Some cracked corn and a dish of water would be suffiecient along with raisins. They all loved it when we would give them raisins. Put a smile on your face when you think of the departed, for your life is richer due to them having shared it with you. Have a wonderful All Hollows Eve!
~Tammie

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another use for green tomato's & another book to look for

During my morning walk around, I noticed my garden had a nice amount of green tomato's still clinging to their vines. They are the black cherry variety ( & a few striped caverns) , so fried green tomatos were out. While on a search for a new chutney recipe, I came across one for green tomato chutney with apples. Of course I still have half a bushel & am making pumpkin butter and another chutney with it, so why not add the green tomato chutney to the days list. I did not follow this recipe to a T. I left out mustard seed , pickling spice, & chili powder- used cayenne instead- . I added cardamom, 2 apples plus 2 pears chunked up & ground black pepper. I kinda mixed it up with this recipe here. It was an almost all day stove top ordeal! The liquid would not condense down to make it thick untill just before dinner. Who knows why. Maybe because I left the lid on it took longer. After a taste test it has been proclaimed wonderful! I can just imagine all the sandwich's this could be used on. Left over turkey from Thanksgiving, The captains burgers.... What a great tasting condiment! And to think, I discovered chutney's wonderful tastes just a few years ago. This batch of jars will go as gifts later in the year.
I have fresh pureed pumpkin in the crockpot, slow cooking with a few apples chunked up, brown sugar, cider vinegar & spices. Pumpkin butter is in the making. I will be making plenty of this for gifts to go in our handmade gift baskets too. more later on the baskets but now onto the book I would like to recommend.
Food for friends: homemade gifts for every season by Sally Pasley Vargas. I do not remember where when or how I came upon this book, but it is among the most cherished on my bookshelf.
This book is amazing! Sally Vargas has covered every angle of gift giving from the heart and even goes as far as to show you how to make containers for your gifts from simple things as a kitchen cloth for a jar wrap to a keepsake candy box. The first chapter with recipes pertains to Breakfast foods. She gives you the recipes for 5 grain pancakes/waffles, New England corn muffin mix, Maple cranberry granola, mexican hot chocolate, and one of my favorites- a recipe for Chai mix. Who would not love at least one of these in a gift basket?
There is a chapter on Jams and marmalades, preserved fruits, homemade liqueurs ( one recipe in this chapter has a simple but wonderful sweet blackberry wine using red wine for a base), a chapter on condiments such as homemade grainy mustard, a cake chapter which includes a recipe for lavender lemon tea cakes, and other chapters such as gifts for the hostess (i.e goat cheese rounds in herbs & olive oil), confections, and one of my most used recipes is in her cookie chapter. She has a recipe for Chocolate apricot Rugelach. These do not last more then a 24 hour period in my house when I make them.

I prefer to make home/handmade gifts for people around the holiday, for a house warming, or for a hostess gift. Everyone likes food and with this book the ideas cover even the hard to shop for person. This is a must have book for those who like to give from the kitchen and put more then just a smile on the face, but a contentness in the belly.
Do not forget to check your local public library for a copy. Once you look it over, you too will want one for your own.
Happy reading & sweet dreams...

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Making a list...

Starting my list of gotta gets. This is just a sampling of my findings in my search for inexpensive Home Dairy needs. I have 2 dairy goats so my needs are not major. I do need to keep the cost low. I refuse to pay out alot of money just because its use is for a dairy and not the common household.If the product is the same item just a different named use, then its good enough for me.

This is a seamless stainless steel pail. This is sold for ease in a dog kennel so has one flat side. Now if i were to purchase such an item say from
Hoegger supply
or say from Lehmans,
I would not get them at the price found here ($14.99 US)! I like that it has a flat side! I think it would be easier to pour with into a filter and to have it pushed back against the counter wall to prevent and mishaps. They also have the same Seamless SS pails in a 6 quart rounded shape for $11.99! I have noticed the trend in such things having a bigger price tag when it is for livestock in comparison to household type pets. I have found that with collars too. Not on everything but I am seeing a trend in my research. Spending $15 compared to $30 or $40 on a 6 quart pail is a much better deal. Money saved can be used on a mini strainer with filters or just buy an extra pail so you always have a backup. After all, the milk is only in there for the duration of milking and walking to the kitchen for it to be strained.
In my search for aquiring all the proper supplies, I found a recipe for the teat dip/udder wash on fiasco Farm's website. She wrote that she has not had a case of mastitis or udder pox since using the recipe she shares with us. She also gives you a disposable alternitive to purchasing a teat dipper.
I read a tip on a forum for those seeking cream separators to not bother unless you can get one at an auction, since new they cost around $300. They said to use one of those old ice tea jugs with the spout like this instead. They wrote that they had always strained their goats milk that way. They chilled their milk in the jug, then once it has separated- which can be seen through the glass - drained out the "blue john" aka skim milk till the cream is at the bottom. So a cream separator is on the bottom of needs for now. I need to make a cheese press and save all my larger yogurt containers to use for the molds. I may later this season ask on freecycle if anyone has a cheese press. I am sure someone out there has one laying around and no longer need or use it.
Can you tell I am getting excited? One step closer to acheiving my goal.
~Tammie
p.s. I have been working on a new kitchen apron for my Buy the Farm fundraiser. They will be of ordinary style and fun fabric pockets. Plus "freezer paper stenciled" with my logo which you will see when I share the first finished apron. I am working out some kinks, so hopefully before Thanksgiving, I can get that site and my Etsy shop moving! Thank you for all the wonderful encouragment so many of you have given me. I have truly appreciated it.
~T

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