cheese, yogurt, applesauce and chickens!

I have been making goat's milk cheese (from my homesteading friend's goats) for awhile now...some worked, some didn't. I FINALLY figured out the trick (letting the milk sit out for the day and THEN put it on the stove!). I think I was doing it too cold and not getting much curd when it finally got to temp. Anyway, I made cheese and divided it into a savory one (dill and salt) and a sweet one (mango). And then, I made ricotta successfully for the first time from the whey! Oh my is that the best ricotta I have ever had! I had the mango cheese with golden delicious apples I picked on Saturday. I had the savory cheese in my suddenly appearing big zucchini...baked with my own sundried tomatoes and sausage from the piggy I got last month. Yumm! The ricotta I am saving until I have a bit more and making a yummy dessert!
Then I tried my hand at my first apple sauce. I took the rest of the apples I picked and made 2 batches of apple sauce...decided to combine them after cooking down and putting them through my foley mill. I spiced with cinnamon and cardomom and canned in 2 very large canning jars and have enough for breakfast for the rest of the week! Very yummy...so first apple saucing was a success!

(the chickens, turkeys and ducks/geese all really enjoyed the apple parts caught by the foley mill, as well as the extra whey!)

I took the raw cow's milk I got and used half a gallon to make yogurt for the very first time. I heated up on stove, added a dollop of Dannon plain yogurt and put in a cooler with some hot water over night. I left there over night... I checked it this morning and it came out well! A little liquidy so I put in a cloth that I use for my cheese making and put in strainer over bowl and back in cooler (minus the water). I will check on tonight when I get home! So very excited!!!!

And finally...I put two of my meaties into freezer farm all on my own. I usually help with the killing (my friend has helped me in past) and do all or most of the cleaning/prep. However, this time, it was just me from start to finish. I plucked and kept most of feathers for crafts, breasted them out (for dinner this weekend), took all meat off legs and such to make sausage (something I haven't done yet) and took the skin and all misc pieces for my puppy girl.

Besides all that I did some rearranging in the house for Fall prep. I got a gun rack at a yard sale and put up in the sun room and put my kayak paddles and fishing rods on it. Got the little table and chairs in there out and onto the porch (just too crowded and I have plans -aquaponics and herbs!). Rearranged my corner in the kitchen from 1/2 baking supplies, 1/2 candlemaking/soapmaking to all cooking. (I share house with my brothers and decided I want to start slowly getting "good" kitchenware since I am cooking more and keeping things separate i.e. not messed up...this month I got a cast iron dutch oven/fry pan, last month a good double boiler). Candlemaking/soapmaking supplies moving to the family room that I never use. And I started rearranging my living room so I have my drafting table in one corner and a much more functional conversation area with my big old ugly couch and 2 chairs.

And, I even managed to go to two little events with friends which was lovely and spent much of Saturday kayaking and attempting to fish!