The Flu for Christmas

Ugh. There is nothing worse than the flu.

The last time I was this sick, I think I was 10 years old. My Mom couldn't leave work so she took me to stay with my sister's friend's Mom, whose daughter was also home sick. I don't really remember the events prior, but I do remember waking myself up from a nap on the bed by puking all over the place. It was terrible. I've had the flu before, but nothing like this. Nothing that lasts for 2 weeks!

I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say that the worst part was the fever & chills. The kind where you just can't get warm. Even though the heat is blasting and there are 6 blankets on you. Doesn't matter. You're teeth-chatteringly, bone-numbingly cold. And of course, 3 hours later you wake up sweating like crazy.

Wait-- I take that back. The worst part is the fact that, a week later, I still have no energy, and no appetite. And I keep forgetting to eat, so I wake up starving at like, 3 am.

Oh right, I said I wouldn't bore you with the details, didn't I? Okay fine.

The only reason any of this is really bothersome to me is that this was supposed to be the beginning of planning season. I was going to get a real head start on the plans for the cabin, and the garden, and the greenhouse! I was going to feel better about my procrastinating! But now I feel lethargic. And a little worried. There is just going to be so much to do.

It's times like these when I really have to exercise my self-awareness and meditation skills. If I don't, I'll go crazy. Stir-crazy.

So, I am going to put up another beautiful Sarah Ferguson photo sequence, to remind me of the beauty and blessedness of the here and now.

Potentially my new goat friends!!

Me and Bob. Or fake Bob. Wait, is that the right name?

I totally commissioned this shot.

Colin playing with the blocks that I made him for Christmas!

Colin and Lara. Lara loves kids.

I'm sneaky.

Sigh, yes, that did make me feel better. Thanks Sarah.

Sauer Karotten

Do you like sauerkraut? No, not the stuff you buy in a can at the grocery store, but the good stuff? The stuff your German grandmother insists on making every year even though your family can never get through it all? Did you know that sauerkraut is just one of the many kinds of fermented food? That's right: fermented foods have been around for centuries, and there are fermented foods in every culture. Of course, beer, wine, cheese and yogurt are examples of fermented foods that are popular in mainstream Western culture, but there are endless ways to preserve food using fermentation. These days, it's a trendy health craze in locavore/ crazy hippy/ homesteader communities all over the place-- and I have wholeheartedly climbed on that bandwagon. So, I'm going to tell you a bit more about fermented foods and why they are good for you-- and then I am going to share a yummy recipe for some fermented carrots that I just tried for the first time!

The process of preserving vegetables by allowing them to naturally ferment is called lacto-fermentation. The method gets its name from the bacteria that do the work: a lactic acid producing genus of bacteria called Lactobacillus. These bacteria are also responsible for the fermentation that creates yogurt, cheese, beer, wine, cocoa, kimchi, tofu, and sourdough bread! They work by breaking down the carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in food and creating lactic acid as a byproduct. The lactic acid not only preserves the vegetables, but it is also really good for you.

You already know that eating yogurt is good for you because it contains live bacteria that help you digest better, right? I hope so. Well, this is pretty much the same concept, but with some additional bonuses. First of all, fermentation actually enhances the nutrient content of the vegetables, and adds B vitamins. Also, the bacteria actually makes the food more digestible, since it is already starting the process of breaking down the food for you, and adds beneficial enzymes, which help your body extract more nutrition from the food.

In addition to the health benefits, there are environmental benefits to lacto-fermented foods, too. Before there were refrigerators, freezers, or even pressure canners, there was fermentation: a surefire way to keep your vegetables through winter-- and a method that requires very little energy (human or otherwise!) Fermented foods do not need to be refrigerated, because of the aforementioned lactic acid, and they will keep for several months (or in some cases, indefinitely!). However, once the initial fermentation is finished, it's good to keep them in a cool place, like a basement or cellar, to slow the fermentation process.

But wait! Aren't they going to go bad? What if I get the wrong bacteria?!?! What if I get botchulism!!!!!!!???

Well, don't fret. The likelihood of you getting botchulism from fermented vegetables is pretty slim. You see, botchulism spores usually don't take hold unless they have no other competition. That's why botchulism happens most often in canned foods: the heat of the canning process kills off the other bacteria, but botchulism is resistant to heat, so it survives and poisons your canned foods. But then why are pickles and jam and tomatoes safe? Good question! It's because they are acidic, and botchulism spores can't grow in acid. And as we have already discussed, there's plenty of acid in fermented foods.

Had enough science for today? Okay fine. This recipe is really delicious and pretty easy too. So give it a try!

Fermented Ginger Carrots

You'll need:

grated carrots, about 4 1/2 cups
grated ginger, about 2 tbsp
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp salt

1) Grate the carrots. 6 or 7 should do, but keep grating until you have enough to fill a quart jar. You can also consider cutting the recipe in half if you aren't sure you are going to like them.

2) Grate some ginger and throw it in: about 2 tbsp per quart of carrots.

3) Throw a cup or so of the carrots into the blender with some water-- about 1/2 cup of water per quart of grated carrots. Blend for 10 seconds or so. This give the bacteria a bit of a head start.

4) Mix the blended carrots together with the rest, add a tbsp of salt (sea salt if you have it), and stir well to distribute the salt and blended carrots evenly. Let this mixture sit for 15 minutes to an hour to allow the salt pull some moisture out of the carrots.

5)  Pack the mixture into a quart jar as tightly as possible, leaving a centimeter or two of liquid about the packed carrots and about an inch of head space above the liquid. Place the lid on the jar and turn the ring slightly, but do NOT tighten completely: the fermentation releases gas and causes the mixture to expand slightly. If you tighten the ring, you will have contents under pressure!

6) Wait for 3 to 7 days. Keep the jar on a plate or absorbent cloth in case it leaks. Each day, wash your hands and pack down the carrots again-- it is important that they stay submerged in liquid. They will puff up as the bacteria does its work, so you'll need to be diligent about this.

On the third day, give them a taste. They should have a tangy zip to them. That's the lactic acid!  And the ginger flavour will have permeated the slaw. If you want more sour flavour or if you aren't sure they are fermented enough, leave them at room temperature for even longer. The warmer it is, the faster the fermentation will happen. If you are happy with the taste, store the carrots in the fridge. They should keep for several months, if not indefinitely.

If you enjoy this recipe and are interested in getting more info on making fermented foods, you'll find everything you ever wanted to know and more at http://wildfermentation.com.

Tiny House

I want a tiny house.

Now that I am home from Nova Scotia, it's time to look forward. I'm living at my parents' place, looking for a job (the one I came home early for didn't exactly work out), and thinking about how I am going to move forward with this way of life I have chosen.

It dawned on me some time ago that as a single, underemployed woman with no conventional "career" in the works (not true-- I'm a farmer, dammit!), I was going to have to be creative if I ever wanted a place of my own. Of course, I have an obvious advantage over those other budding organic farmers out there: I grew up on a farm. And I have a Dad who really wouldn't mind having someone to talk about farm stuff with. And he's willing to share the land.

So for months now, we have been discussing how this is all going to pan out. And we are far from figuring it out. But I realized that paying rent to have a job in the city doesn't make a whole lot of sense, if where I want to be is in the country, establishing my farm. So here I am.

So far, I have planted a lot of garlic, and that's about it. I've got plans to plant trees, dig a pond for irrigation, put up a greenhouse, and get a really rad compost going... but I'm also really preoccupied with getting out of my parents' house. Do you blame me? I love my parents a lot, obviously, or I wouldn't be where I'm at right now. But realistically, I need my space. Not a lot of space, but my own space nonetheless. And that's where the Tiny House comes in.

First, I was thinking I would build a cute little log cabin from logs cut on our property. Then, I thought I could experiment with cobb building and have a house made of mud! Then I realized I didn't have enough experience to do that myself, and I need to take help where I can get it-- I can get more help building something conventional than I can building something like this (but I am not ruling out doing mud plaster at some point!). Lately, I've come to the realization that I really don't want to have to go through the process of getting a building permit, largely because of the ridiculous cost, but also because the bigger your house is, the more money it costs to maintain it. And let's face it: I want to be a vegetable farmer. I'm never going to have a whole lot of money.

So, I need a teeny tiny house. Preferably on wheels, so it can be bigger than 100 square feet, which is the maximum size a building can be without a building permit. Trailers, however, do not need to be permitted. That's where the Tiny House people come in.

I heard about Tumbleweed Homes from some friends I know who are building a little off-grid cabin in the woods as a cottage/camp/recreation spot. A home away from home, but a really cosy home indeed! I am really inspired by what these people are doing, and I'm getting really excited for what I might be able to do. If I can source out as many used materials as possible, I might be able to build myself a home for really cheap! It would have a composting toilet (or maybe just an outhouse and outdoor shower), a sleeping loft, a cosy little living room, and an itty bitty kitchen. Plus, I can add screened in porches and other outdoor living spaces to make it feel bigger. Check out the web site-- it's really exciting! If all of this works out, I might have to start blogging about cooking in a teeny tiny kitchen.

So now I have to figure out about building materials. The logs from our property idea is the most environmentally friendly choice, but the problem there is that they need to sit a year after being cut. I'd like to build next summer. I could do cordwood (aka stackwood or stackwall), but I really don't know the first thing about it, except that it is pretty, and doesn't seem too difficult! I would consider buying the pre-cut logs from Chisholm's, but I would really rather not buy logs when I have them here. Especially since I'm not planning on needing a permit. And I want to do something that won't require insulation, because that can be costly and will take up my already limited space.

Does anyone have any suggestions, experience, or ideas with cordwood construction or building tiny houses? Know anyone who does workshops and needs a project to teach on? I am totally open to ideas and input... please let me know what you think.

Gills

Sometimes I write poetry. Sometimes it's good! And most of the time it's not really meant for sharing. 

Today I spent some time unpacking and sorting out my belongings. I don't know about anyone else, but I have a bad habit of stuffing the little pieces of paper on which I write poems, quotes, lists, reminders or inspiring thoughts into random places. Later, I find them in purse pockets, change purses, jacket pockets, inside books, dresser drawers, at the bottom of an overnight bag, and in a host of other places. It's become a habit I enjoy-- a gift to my future self. I find my own thoughts again later on, and sometimes they bring me full circle, to an important realization, and other times they help me recall moments and memories I didn't realize I hadn't thought about in a while. 

I've been carrying this poem around since last fall, and every time I find it and read it I think I like it more. It's not deeply insightful or life-changing, but it reflects where I was, mentally, at the time. 

You are not young. 

You never were.

You are not young:

You're as old as these hills, 

As the ocean you crawled from

When you still had your gills.

You are not young, 

But you're learning.

You are not old. 

You'll never be.

You are not ancient:

You're as new as this moment

As the burn of the sun

And the pulse of the tide.
You are not old,

But you're still yearning. 

~

Power

"When born we weep, while others round us smile.
May we live that when we die
We smile, and others round us weep."

- The Good Book: A Secular Bible by A.C. Grayling



I have been touching people. I have been rubbing up against them. We have been creating friction between our skins. And the friction builds heat inside of me. And with that energy, I can create. And with everything I create, I touch more people. And the more people I touch, the more they touch me back. And we begin again.

All my actions have reactions. All the people that I touch, touch me back. All the touch transfers energy.

I feel alive.

With everything we do, everything and everyone we touch, we are engaging in energy transfers. Every action empowers something or someone. Have you thought about what you are empowering with your energy? Is it a worthwhile things to give your power to?

An example of how plants feed me!

Here on the farm, I spend a lot of time and energy encouraging food to grow. I use my energy to help the plants get energy, and in return those plants feed us with more energy.

Some days, I stop in the middle of a row of beans, take a deep breath, and pause for a moment to notice myself actively expressing my own concept of my life's purpose: to share my energy through growing and creating food. I notice the crickets and the grashoppers singing, the roosters crowing, and the sun, wherever she is at in the sky at that moment. We are all rejoicing in that moment. We have power! Love! Energy! I see how we are all part of this continual exchange, this network of life. And I appreciate my place within it.

This weekend I was reminded that energy is not just physical. Emotional and shared creative energy are extremely valuable, in ways I think economists and analysts and physicists perhaps don't give due consideration.

How can you make a calculation for how it feels when the music is so inspiring you just can't help but get up and dance? What equation expresses the energy that is transferred when people you just met make it their mission to warm you up with hugs? How can you express what power you share when you sing to people, and they listen, and they keep listening-- for months, weeks, years?

Music is powerful. Touch is powerful. Creation is powerful. But there is no way to prove this through science, and if there is, I don't really need it. The proof is in the way I feel.

I feel alive. More alive than I feel when I shut myself off, for fear of being alone in a crowd. You don't stay alone for long. People crave touch, and you can touch them. Touch them with your hands, your words, your music. It doesn't matter. Just take your love, your music, your power, and roll it into a big sweet ball of beauty, and throw it at someone. Splat! Like a snowball to the back of the head, right when you least expect it. And see what happens.

I bet you'll be pleased. Pleasantly surprised, even. If you're lucky, you'll hit the person who needs it at just that moment, and it'll open up a door. If not, you'll still have touched them. And whether you know it or not, your touch will change them. Maybe enough to redirect their course. Maybe enough to empower them to touch someone else, too.

With everything you do, you change the world.

The Other April

I've learned a lot of interesting and  life-changing things while being here at HighLand Farm. Some things I expected to learn, and other things I didn't. I know more than I ever thought I would about how (or how not) to care for Muscovy ducks, for example. I have a much more thorough understanding of the complexities of plant life and how it operates within the farm ecosystem. I've learned how to use some really good hand tools that liberate me from the need to use gas-powered ones, and I've developed a sense of the rhythm of the tide, and how it affects me. I've learned about Tibetan Buddhism, Shambhala, and I've developed an awareness practice that is changing how I interact with the world and its people and animals and plants and seasons.

All of these things, and many more, will change the course of my life forever. And I think it's great. It's everything I was hoping for and more.

One of the most enjoyable practical things I have learned is how to milk goats and make goat cheese, feta, and yogurt. Today, for the first time, I milked by myself and actually milked both goats out before they started kicking up a fuss. This is an accomplishment for a few reasons: 1) because until now my hands weren't strong enough to milk fast enough to finish before the goats finished their grain, 2) because even if my hands were strong enough, I wouldn't have known until now because usually I have company, so we take turns, and 3) because doing something like this on your own without help is a pretty liberating feeling.

Another reason the experience of milking on my own is so enjoyable is because I genuinely enjoy the goats. They have personalities-- calming spirits. They are really nice animals to be around. Just like a lot of people find that there is a therapeutic quality to being around horses, I enjoy being with goats. They speak to me. They understand. Interestingly enough, I am a Capricorn-- a goat. Go figure.

My favourite goat is April. I don't know why. It could be her long beard or her easy-to-milk teats, or it could be something else entirely. Probably the way she looks me in the eye when she stands up on the stall door and says, "Um, hello!! Where is my grain?"

So in celebration of April, and Bonnie, and Jumper too, I am going to tell you how we go about making some delicious raw goats milk cheeses here on the farm.

How to make Soft Goat Cheese and Goat's Milk Feta

1) Milk the goats. If you don't have this option, look for a source of raw milk in your area. It's not legal to sell it in most provinces, so you might want to offer a trade of some sort. If all else fails, organic pasteurized goat's milk from the farmer's market or a local farm will do!

2) In a really clean vessel mix goats milk and about one drop of rennet per litre. You can also add some active bacterial cultures to enhance that classic chevre flavour, but you will need to do some research here first-- this is a specific type of bacteria that might be hard to find. Some health food stores or local dairies might have either or both of these ingredients, or you can have your ingredients shipped to you from somewhere far away (e.g. Cultures for Health) . If you are a vegetarian, you will also have to find a source of non-animal rennet.

(Alternatively, it is possible to curdle the milk using lemon juice or vinegar, and make soft cheese that way. There are lots of web sites with instructions on how to do this, but the recipe requires heating the milk, which I don't want to do because then it won't be raw anymore. So animal rennet is fine with me!)

Once you add the rennet and bacteria, stir the milk really well with a very clean spoon, cover well, and leave for 24 hours.

3) When the milk has curdled the way it should, your cheese will resemble yogurt that has settled in its container. The yellowish liquid on top is whey, and it is really good for you! Now you need to strain off the whey and press the curds to get all of the whey off of them. You can do this is various ways. We use two yogurt or ice cream tubs, one with holes poked in it and one without. The holey one is placed in a bowl (to catch the whey) and the other one is used to press down the curds so that the whey drains out of the holes. Another method is to use a strainer and several layers of cheesecloth. Simply pour off as much whey as possible, and then transfer the cheese into the lined strainer to let it drain. For this method, you will need to find something the same size as the strainer to press it with.

You'll have a lot of whey. Keep some for making brine, if you plan to make feta. If you can, use it to soak dried beans, or add it to another recipe. Alternatively, you can cool it in the fridge and drink it. I'm not a fan, but some people love it. If you like buttermilk, you might like whey.

4) Leave the curds to drain without pressing for a day or so (keeping them covered to keep out airborne bacteria), and then start pressing. We usually fill the upper container with water to help press out more liquid, and we make a point of pushing on it a few times to squeeze out a bit more water. The amount of moisture will determine the texture of your cheese-- more liquid means a softer cheese, and less means more crumbly or firm, depending on how you store it.

5) Once you feel your cheese is dry enough, the next step depends on what you want your finished product to be.

Goat's Milk Feta: Try to get the cheese quite dry by pressing out a lot of the whey. Then, transfer your cheese to a salt brine, and make sure the cheese is entirely covered in brine with no exposure to air. Store in an airtight container in a cool place (the cellar or the fridge) for at least a week.

The amount of salt in your brine is up to you, but generally a 10 to 15% salt solution is recommended. Try about 1/3 cup of salt to 2 cups liquid, and then experiment to see what you prefer. You can make your brine using salt and water, or salt and some of the reserved whey.

Soft Goat Cheese: Don't worry about getting the cheese quite as dry-- you may not even need to press it. When you feel that it is the texture you want, transfer it to an airtight storage container and shake some salt (kosher if possible) on top to suck out a bit more moisture and keep a firm shape. You may also want to season it with cracked pepper. Let it age for a few days, and enjoy!

Herbed Goat Cheese: After draining, transfer the cheese to a bowl lined with fresh or dried herbs of your choice. I experimented with fresh basil. Store the cheese in this container until you are ready to serve, and then turn the cheese out onto a serving dish so that the herbs are displayed on top.

For herbed goat cheese, I have heard various opinions on when during the process to herb the cheese. You could add the herbs as soon as you start draining to incorporate more flavour, wait until the cheese is partially dry, or not add the herbs until the very end, when you are ready to store the cheese. It's up to you. Give each one a try and let me know what you prefer.

And that is all I know so far about making goat cheese. Thanks April and Bonnie, for a delicious gourmet treat! Yum.

Summer is for Veggie Lovers

I'm pretty excited. She's finally here. Summer has arrived. And with her, she has brought, well, a lot of cool stuff, including ducklings (30 of them!), 9 pm dusk, fireflies, sunburns, and swimming instead of showers! But best of all, she has brought broccoli, cauliflower, and a host of other delicious seasonal veggies.

 So far this spring, we have been enjoying loads of greens, including spinach, swiss chard, mangles (new to me!), beet greens, lettuce, mizuna and arugula, as well as the other early season crops like radishes, spring turnips (if you haven't tried them, you should) green onions and kale. There are also plenty of farm fresh eggs, goats milk, home made feta and goat cheese.  It feels really good to rely so little on store bought foods in my day to day life. I probably won't ever be able to give up chocolate or coffee, but there is a sense of gratification and health that comes from eating mostly things that you planted yourself, or at least from animals who you helped milk, feed, or collected eggs from.

As a result of this, my cooking has been extremely local of late, but I've been having trouble keeping ahead of all of my farming tasks and still retaining enough energy to write a blog post. Today's dinner, however, made me realize that it's good to take a break for something you love, sometimes. And if there is one thing I love, it is Broccoli, Cauliflower & Cheese Casserole.

I've been using different recipes for years, and there are endless variations, but today I was feeling adventurous and decided to try making up the recipe myself. This is more or less what I came up with. I was trying to keep it traditional, but if you know me at all, you know that I would be quick to add some spice to this any time. Curry, paprika, or italian seasonings like basil and oregano come to mind.

This is a recipe that reminds me of my family, and of home.

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

This is a basic cheese sauce. Make the roux by melting butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and cook, stirring, until brown, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Add cheese and salt & pepper to taste, and remove from heat.

1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
handful of green onions
handful of green garlic
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs

Arrange the broccoli and cauliflower evenly in the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish. Sprinkle the green onions and garlic on top. Pour the cheese sauce over the veggies, then cover evenly with cheese, and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked but still firm (broccoli cooks faster and will be done first).