…you may hear conversations about topics such as butchering our heifer and what we’re going to do with the hide (I’ll spare you the details of how to work on it). Yes, we do plan to butcher the heifer (she is not going to calve, after all), and the boys are anxious to do the killing, gutting and skinning ourselves–they can’t stand it that Daddy hasn’t made the decision yet. Part of the conversation included chewing hides to soften them, as the Eskimos do, and eating raw meat, as the Indians do. Boys! I hope the rain stops soon for awhile so they can get outside again–this cabin fever is going to drive me crazy!
Activities at Home
Slow Down!
I’m not ready for this–my baby is starting to get around already! A couple of days ago he started getting up on his knees and lunging forward to grab things that he wants. In my opinion, four months is too early for this–but he doesn’t care what I think.
Black Chicken
I was putting a chicken and a duck in the crockpot this morning to roast for supper, and told the boy who happened to be in the kitchen, “I’m cooking a purple chicken and a wild duck!” He laughed and reminded me about a Mexican who once bought some chickens from us. When we lived in Michigan we sold a lot of old laying hens to Mexicans–they liked them better than fryers and bought a lot from us live to butcher themselves. This particular man wanted a white chicken, and we happened to have one that was covered with white feathers. Now, it so happens that some white chickens (I think Silkie bantams) happen to have purplish skin, and the meat and even the organs are quite dark. This man took the chicken home and killed and plucked it, but the next day he was back complaining about the “black chicken.” His exact words were, “We eat cat, and we eat dog, but we don’t eat black chicken!” I think we gave him a different chicken, and we’ve been chuckling about it ever since.
By the way, this is a great way to use a tougher chicken, like an old laying hen. My sister-in-law discovered this method by accident, and I now do it a lot. Simply put one or two chickens in the crockpot with no water and turn on high for 6-10 hours, till they are fully cooked. Delicious and tender! I take off the breast meat when we’re ready to eat, and the drumsticks and thighs, then add water to the pot and cook again to make broth from what’s left.
Times Have Changed!
Yesterday when we were cleaning I saw some notebooks I used to keep a journal in for the older children when they were young. I tried to write something once a week for each of them. I actually kept that up for about four or five years before life got too busy! I brought out the book I wrote for our oldest, and read her a few excerpts. She enjoyed that so much that she copied some things into her blog, and scanned a few pictures from the photo album I made her when she was small. I was reading that book and looking at pictures from back when we had a 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a baby. How times have changed! Back then, if something needed doing, I did it. Now, I can assign it to be done. Then, I was working with babies all day, with no adult conversation–no wonder I liked talking on the phone! Now, I can converse intelligently with my nearly-grown daughter, and the boys are even old enough to really talk to. And, they can do so much by themselves. For example, yesterday afternoon the 8-year-old wanted some play dough. He had come across a recipe in one of our science books. I told him to make it himself. He did, with only a little coaching while I was working nearby, and then he taught two of his brothers (10 and 6) how to, also! He also made dinner rolls, but was confused about Tablespoons and teaspoons and used the wrong one to measure the salt! Oops. Now we know what happens to yeast when too much salt is put with it. He made the rolls into tortillas instead and I’ll use them for a casserole that needs salt.
Notice the tabletop. So many blogs I read have pictures of immaculate kitchens. They always seem a bit unreal to me. This is very real life in our house! The ingredients for a meal or two are sitting there waiting to be used!
He’s a Distraction!
No, I haven’t been on here much lately. For one thing, there hasn’t been anything real exciting happening–just daily life. For another, we have a major distraction–this was yesterday during school:
Such cuteness is hard to ignore.
He loves his walker–he can investigate all sorts of things!
Yum! Pajamas!
You caught me!
Sometimes it seems like he’s all mouth.
Busy Baby! (pictures from this week)
“I like my tongue!”
Can I get up now?
This is blurred because he was running towards me at top speed! He goes all over the kitchen in that walker.
A friend sent him this kiwi and he was investigating it tonight.
The second-youngest often falls asleep during Worship!
Milk!
We have another cow on the place today. Our landlord is wintering over several hundred dairy cows from farms near Culverden (122 cows are here). Ninety percent of New Zealand dairy farms are seasonal, meaning all the cattle calve in about August and are dried off in May, and most are trucked away from their home farm and grazed elsewhere over the winter to give the home farm a rest. Our landlord planted oats after the wheat was harvested, and the cows are given a small strip every day. This one cow had her calf at least a month earlier than she should have, and of course it died. She bagged up, though, so they offered that we could milk her till the herd goes home. That will keep her in milk for the farmer and give us more milk! Our own cow is still in milk, but not producing a lot, so this is good timing. The cow arrived here at 11:00 this morning, and I milked her immediately. We got 10 liters of colostrum! Now I’m trying to figure out how to use it. I found a couple of intriguing recipes here and here and here. We’ll see how many I actually get around to trying. Looks like, if we want to try the Indian recipes I’ll have to find some cardomom; wonder if the little local supermarket has it?
I think I’m a farmer at heart, and that cows are my favorite animal. Also, I look at things around me with the thought of whether we can get food from them!
She stood very still while I milked, although she has likely never been hand-milked before. She has lovely big teats!
This cat showed up while we were milking–looks as though it wants to move in.
Baby is Talking!
Our baby is really trying to communicate now. He turned three months old last week, and is getting more fun every day. His coos are more of a growl right now. The other morning I got a video of him, and tonight I actually found time to share it here! So glad for the occasional Sunday that we come home from church before 5:00!
Sourkraut Again
Two of my friends asked me this week about making sourkraut, so when I made my last batch of the year yesterday I decided to take pictures of the process for them. So, if you’re not interested in how to make sourkraut (thank you, Mom, for teaching me how!) then skip this one–although Grandma and aunts might want to look at the last picture!
Start by weighing out 5 pounds of cabbage and cutting the head into wedges.
Shred the cabbage. I use this hand-cranked gadget, but I’ve seen kraut-cutters occasionally. They must have been more common a hundred years ago–just a series of blades in a frame that you would push the cabbage back and forth over.
After all five pounds of cabbage are fairly finely shredded, sprinkle on 3 1/2 Tablespoons (2.5 ounces) of non-iodized salt.
Mix the salt through the cabbage.
If you don’t have a shredder of some sort, a large knife works, too–just takes a little longer. Cut your wedge of cabbage into several thin slices, then chop this way.
Five pounds of cabbage equals five pints of kraut. (A pint a pound the world around, you know!) I was making fifteen pounds yesterday, so the first two batches went into these five quart (liter) jars.
This first five pounds only half filled the jars, so at first it was pretty loose. It’s a good idea to put the jars in the mixing bowl to fill them, to save mess.
The second five pounds is going in the jars–now I have to pack it in. Press it down as tightly as possible. Yes, it will all fit in.
As you continue to pack the kraut in, the salt pulls water out of the cabbage, and you end up with a lot of liquid–good reason to do this in the bowl! I failed to do that with this batch, and ended up with a wet table.
For my last five pounds yesterday, I used odd-sized jars, so to find the right combination I got 10 cups of water and poured it into the jars till it exactly fit. Then I knew I had enough room for five pints of kraut.
Yes, all that cabbage fit in those five jars!
Sorry, no picture of the end of the process–this is why! He woke up five minutes before I finished and thought the world was coming to an end because he had to wait for Mommy! 
I cut squares of plastic from bags I bought frozen vegetables or sugar in, and put those right on top of the kraut, to help keep out the air and protect the lids, then put on the lids. The five biggest jars, of course, take preserving jar lids and rings, and the smaller jars have their own lids. Grease the inside of the preserving jar rings so they’ll be easier to take off. The juices ooze out as the cabbage ferments, and salt water is corrosive. Mom always uses the rustiest rings she has, so as not to ruin her good ones. Mine are all pretty nice, so I just use what comes to hand. Be sure to set them on a surface that will not be hurt by the salt water, and it’s a good idea to have a way to catch it! You’ll have a fair amount coming out of the jars. Keep them in a cool, dark place. DO NOT OPEN FOR SIX WEEKS! It takes that long for the kraut to totally ferment. Refrigerate after opening. Air makes it spoil.
This Past Week
It’s not real easy to write when most computer time involves multi-tasking (which being interpreted means feeding the baby!). I’ll just put in a few pictures from this past week.
Baby thinks life is rough! He even frowns in his sleep!
For Dead Boring last week, we met in a gym and the children played while the moms talked. The group is so large now that we’ve had to split in two, but still want to all see each other occasionally. Four times a year we plan to meet this way, and just have a social day without sharing writings like we normally do. The children played hockey.
These are two of my boys, James and Simon.
The child farthest left and the one third from right are mine.
Baby studies things–mostly to figure out how they’ll taste!
Haircuts last night! This was the pile after I cut six heads of hair!
Bedtime story! We’re reading Horse of a Different Color, by Ralph Moody, right now. Baby was asleep with his mouth clamped tightly shut.
On our way home from church today, we stopped for half an hour at the beach, where the Kowhai River empties into the sea just south of Kaikoura. The waves were very high today. I love those cliffs in the distance, just south of Oaro.
Brotherly love–the bank at the edge of the parking area, going down to the river’s edge, was steep, with these large rocks. I like this one so well I put it on my desktop screen!
This is the boy who reads the best, enjoying Naya Nuki by Ken Thomasma for the fourth time.
Big sis was playing with her new tripod, and caught this picture. Glad that leg was up to hide everything else!