Friday, May 8, 2009

Now I really feel like a country girl!

I have had the most farmgirl morning today! I have been frugal and thrifty and I guess you could call it down right smart. Some folks would call it down right cheap or crazy I am sure.....hahaha!! What I am talking about is my "puttin' up" food today.
You see we have this fabulous grocery store with a really great meat dept. I am litterally in "hog heaven" in there!! I went yesterday and boy were they having a sale on most all of their meats which are priced well all the time. I bought a slew of family packs of chicken and pork chops and a whole pork shoulder to make my own sausage...tehhetehhe. Well I spent the morning puttering around my kitchen divideing the family packs out into servings for 2 and vacuum packing them with my Foodsaver. Let me tell you the Foodsavers are well worth the money! We are still eating corn from last year that tastes just like fresh from the garden....yummy.
I purchased a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer a while back to grind a meat goat for the freezer. Which by the way is DELICIOUS. I thought it would be great and frugal to make my own sausage because we were both raised on hogs that we butchered ourselves and we really miss it. (I have been trying to talk dh into letting me get a pig and he won't hear of it cause of his high cholesterol. oops! I forgot about that honey....)
So any way I cut up the shoulder and made 6 pounds of fresh homemade sausage!!! Wow that was fun! I felt so country girlish doing all this womans work and saving money! I figured it out that I had about 16 meals for around $1.25 each for the 2 of us. That's pretty frugal huh? And to have so much fun doing it. The whole time I was thinking about how fortunate I am to have such a sustainable setup here on our little ponderosa. Strawberries are about to come in, if we can keep the goats out of them. The said goat above that is in the freezer got them last year!! We have a wonderful blueberry crop that I was pondering over too!!!
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Just as I was sealing the last of the packs of meat a glanced out of the kitchen window to see some action in the blueberry patch.......all I saw were ears 4 really long ears. What? What? What is it? OMG the 2 dairy goats= 4 big ears!!! They were happier doing this than I was in the kitchen for sure. I went outside and they came running as if they were hungry hahaha they were stuffed to the brim. They are both very pregnant and getting huge anyway but the probably have another 20 lbs on them now. I really hope they didn't get into anything that will hurt them.
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Did I mention that a goat got in the strawberries last year? Well I did not check the strawberries yet. OMG I will be freezing goat this afternoon if the berries are gone!!!!!!! They apparently had been out all morning because there are little nanny berries everywhere but I forgot about the strawberries........I gotta go now and check the patch.........
Update: 5:38 PM -- The goats are safe in their pasture because the strawberries went untouched!!! The goats however really made their rounds this morning whilst I was oblivious to their little romp. I saw foot prints and droppings everywhere except the garden, well a few in the edge of the garden. I guess they turned around and started munching on the blueberry bushes and I spotted them soon enough that no damage was done there either! WHEW!!!
DH and I mowed our hayfield looking yard this afternoon. It was knee high because of all the rain we have been getting. It really needed to be baled afterwards!! No wonder the goats were so happy today, they had plenty to eat!!!!

6 comments:

TxFarmhouse said...

I am just gonna have to stayed tune to your blog. I, too, am now staying at home getting ready to put up foods. I never thought of grinding up a meat goat. Tell me, if you have a couple milk goats, are you milking every day? And do you keep a buck goat too? This is all too interesting.
RiverBend Farm

Unknown said...

Oh Berte, where do I begin? I do have a buck, a registered Nubian that I purchased in Feb since my little buck was not able to do the job. He is great, has great bloodlines and is covered with spots. All of his offspring has had spots and I can't wait.

So you guessed it, I am not milking yet. Both does are due around July 13th. Actually one of the does that I had running with my little buck may actually be carrying his babies because she seems to be bigger and bagging up quicker than the other doe. Saphira is my older doe that I milked last year and I witnessed the breeding for her. Violet I never actually saw the deed with either buck but she is definately pregnant!!

As far as the "meat goat" ..... I had a wild hair last year and let my then herd sire which was Nubian buck breed my Tennessee Fainter and we kept one of her buck kids as a wether with intentions of fattening him for the freezer. My hubby's idea! I had ate goat before and liked it but I could have done without killing one that I raised. He was THE CUTEST kid ever but as he got bigger he would get his head stuck in the woven wire fence EVERY DAY!!!! I was so ready to butcher him when the time came...LOL. We ground him up in burger and it is great. Tastes like ground chuck....no even better!!

I am sooooo ready for the milk again. I am going to love having 2 does in milk. I will be able to make butter and cheese and most anything else that I can learn to make!!!!!

Congratulations on quiting work. I am so happy that I am able to do it again. I loved nursing but I was so burned out too. I have way to much to do around here to be able to work fulltime. I hope the hair studio will be just the right fit!!! It is finished all but getting the courtyard/garden in front ready for customers to see. We have had so much rain that we couldn't get much outdoor work done around here.

Are you planning to get some goats? Maybe milkers? I can't imagine not having them since I had the milk last year. I was so upset when Saphira went dry that I cried. I really enjoy milking and all that great tasting fresh milk!!!!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Mel said...

Thanks, for making me laugh this morning... We have had so much rain, I'm so ready for a stretch of sunshine.

I love your goat stories, I would love to raise a few on our farm, being from a "really" cold climate I'm unsure of what breeds would be better for both meat/milk. Our winter winds are just awful, along with the temps at times dropping to -40's. Is it true, they are escape artists? LOL
I shouldn't even ask that, considering, I just read your goats were in the berry patch. hehehe
I love sharing farmgirl stories, I will be back again soon.

From one poop scooper to another,
Mel

TxFarmhouse said...

I have a sister that has milk goats, Alpine, I think, and I wouldn't mind having one for the milk but don't necessarily want to mess with a buck..still pondering the idea. I hope I can stay home - that's why I'm trying to be much more frugal..I'd much rather work at Petsmart than go back to nursing.
I love your blog,
RiverBend Farm

Unknown said...

Mel,

Thanks for stopping by!! -40 What??? I would die there!

Escape artists? LOL!! Actually when I first got my goats my dh said he was going to build a really good fence cause he was NOT GOING TO BE CHASEING GOATS!!!! The only time they have been out is when we leave a gate open or the babies were able to crawl under occasionally!! Yesterday they pushed thru a little temporary gap between two buildings where we have been getting ready to build our barn. They always think the grass is greener on the other side ;-)

Unknown said...

Berte,

Petsmart, flipping burgers or the greeter at Walmart either one works for me!!!! Give me a little while and I might miss it hahaha

Maybe you and your sister could work out something on a buck if she lives close enough. They are a little difficult to keep. I am sure you have enough room though!!! So far I am enjoying Durango, he is a sweety.