Weaning time

We finally managed to get the lambs weaned this afternoon, it's a job that's needed doing for a while now, but as usual, life gets in the way!

Separating lambs, ewes and ram into different fields, takes three people and a trailer!

Worming at the same time

'Who's next?'

Separated lambs

Ewes waiting and wondering!

'I don't care, I've got the bucket of food!'

All separated now

Loaded ready to go

'Oh no, you've forgotten us'

'Bye!'

Pastures new

Good to see the ewes off into another field to rest, eat and relax without their lambs, before the cycle starts for us again on Bonfire night.

It is rather noisy around here now though!

Update on the new arrivals

Just thought I'd update you on the new arrivals.

Today was scorchingly, stupidly hot, 34 degrees centigrade at lunchtime.  When I let the laying hens out, they all ran straight under my horse trailer to dust bath and chill.  Now the new ones, apart from Colin the Buff Orpington cockerel who's in with the laying hens, are in temporary accommodation in a large shed until their new hut is built.  Now this shed has an openable window, but that's all for ventilation, so on welfare terms I opened the door and left it open.

Three hours later they still hadn't come out!

'I'm not looking.  If I ignore it, it will go away'

'Don't look Elsie'

'Maybe you're right Mavis'

He's getting braver

'Hey Ladies, look out here'

'Now, how do I use this again?'

'On second thoughts'

'Right, come on, follow me'

'Look Mavis, I did it'

'Thats enough for one day'

He is darn handsome

Bless them, I am so impressed with them, really glad we bought them, AND, they all went back in the shed for bed, what clever little chickens they are.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 14, including one from the Exchequer Leghorns girlies

Sales -

1 & 1/2 dozen eggs £2.70

2 x bags Tomatoes £2.00

Expenses -

Nil

Fabulous day yesterday

Michael and I had a fabulous day yesterday.  We went to a poultry auction!

  

Now round these parts Fabian Eagle is renowned for his poultry auctions, regularly holding one at Swaffham.  Yesterday's sale was the 24th Annual Summer auction at Eldon Farm Auction Centre, Mildenhall.

Deadstock and Cagebirds started at 11am; 11.30am saw Waterfowl followed by Pheasants; 12noon saw Pigeons followed by Large fowl and finally Bantams.  Two auctioneers were simulaneously selling, it was a hive of activity.  Over 700 lots were auctioned off, excluding all the deadstock of drinkers, rearing equipment and incubators.

I was amazed at the number of birds for sale, especially of ducks, I never knew there was such a wide variety of breeds.

Here are just some of the birds that were for sale -

A pair of Bourbon Red Turkeys on the left, which made £25 and a pair of Pied Turkeys on the right

A pair of Peafowl made £85

Light Sussex trio

Seabrights

Bantam Buff Orpington quartet

Three Partridge Wyandotte pullets

Trio of Rouen, made £28

A pair of Buff African geese made £70

Trumpeter female Swan, lost her mate, made £150

Pair of Sebastopol Geese, made £70

Pair of Crested ducks

A pair of red and white Frillback pigeons, unsold, in fact not of the eight pens of pigeons sold

Two pairs of Arch Angel Pigeons

Trio of Speckled Sussex pullets, made £48

Trio of Buff Columbian Brahma, made £55, these were lovely, wanted to bring these home

Trio of Gold Seabrights

Pair of Bahama Pintails

One Ross Gander, made £90

Pair of Orange Ringed Teal

Pair of Ross geese, made £120

Trio of Buff Laced Wyandotte bantams

Quartet of Buff Sussex pullets

Blue Splash rosecomb bantams

As you can see all and sundry were there, with some amazing prices being reached, but most making between £25 - £50 per pen.  Top price went to a quartet of Vulturine Guinea fowl, one male and three females, which made, a whopping £850!

You'll have to check back tomorrow to see if we came home with anything!

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 11

Sales -

2 x bags of Tomatoes £2.00

1 x Cucumber £0.60

Expenses -

Nil

August Statistics

Well, August was a good month, takings were up on July, so am really pleased.

Here's the breakdown -

Sales -

22 dozen eggs £40.30
14 Cucumbers £8.40
8 Geranium plants £12.00
2 x Herb plants £1.00
3 bags Carrots £2.25
18 bags Tomatoes £16.50

Total £80.45

Expenses -

1 x Large Greenhouse £383.00

Still a long way to go to recoup the greenhouse money, but hey that was a long term investment, and it's now harvest time so fingers crossed we'll recoup in no time.

Today's stats -

Sales -

1 dozen eggs £1.80
1 x bag Bramley apples £1.00
1 x Tomatoes £1.00
1 x bag French beans £0.50

Expenses -

Nil

What more Swallows?

We seem to have had quite a successful and productive year for bird production this year, that is with wild birds.  We've hatched, (well not us exactly, we've just provided somewhere for the birds to do it themselves!), a clutch of blue tits, a clutch of wren chicks, a clutch of gold finch chicks in the wisteria and a nest of three swallow chicks.  Until now ...

It seems they've managed to hatch out another clutch.  I did think it was rather strange when I saw swallows flying backwards and forwards in and out of the log store, with bits of various material in their beaks, never did I think they would hatch out another clutch.  I am a bit worried that these latest chicks will be strong enough to fly all the way to their winter destinations i.e. South America, Africa or South Asia, I do hope they will manage it, they've only got until October, lets hope it stays warm here long enough so they don't have to rush back.

I tried to capture a close up, but I don't think my camera's sophisticated enough and they fly so fast, so I just snapped them chin-wagging on the telephone wires!

And just look at that gorgeous blue sky here in Norfolk.  Love to see them all lined up, felt like asking them if they wanted a cup of tea and a digestive!

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 11

Sales -
1 dozen eggs £1.80

Expenses -
Nil

More Great British Bake off inspiration

I seem to be on a bread making splurge at the moment - don't really know why, unless it has something to do with that 'stuff' they sell in the supermarkets labelled bread.  Now we always have some 'shop bought' bread in the freezer, just in case we run out, but being of the persuasion to not trusting what it says on the sides of packets, (what is a 'e' number actually made of, likewise monosodium glutamate, and who would actually want to eat the stuff anyway), I try and make all my own bread and associated bread products.

As I was hunting in the cupboard yesterday for some more flour, I came across this recipe on the side of a flour bag - Tesco Strong Stoneground Wholemeal flour, so I thought I'd give it a go -

Seedy Cranberry loaf

Ingredients:-
500g Strong wholemeal flour
25g Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Sachet (7g) fast action yeast - I used one teaspoon
330ml Warm water
25g Sunflower seeds - I left out as I didn't have any
25g Poppy seeds
60g Dried cranberries
2 tbsp Honey
Grated rind from one orange - I left out as I didn't have one

Oven to 230 Deg C / 440 Deg F / Gas mark 8

Soak cranberries in water for 30 minutes, then drain
Mix together flour and salt, then rub in the butter and stir in the yeast
Stir in the seeds, cranberries, honey and orange rind
Pour in the water and mix into a dough by hand
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes - after this I put it in the fridge overnight to rise.
Taking it out the following day, I knocked the dough back and shaped it into a round loaf shape and left to rise again for a couple of hours in a warm place.
Placed in oven for 30 minutes approx, until sounded hollow underneath, then left to cool on a wire rack

Just taken it out and it tastes and smells divine, no doubt once hubby gets home, it will get devoured in no time.

Try it and let me know if you like it or not

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 11

Sales -
1 & 1/2 dozen eggs £2.80
2 x Cucumbers £1.20
2 x 500g Tomatoes £2.00

Expenses -
Nil

Huge apologies for not posting

Yes, well, no excuses I suppose, apart from I spent last weekend in Holland.

I was invited to spend the weekend crewing for Annie Joppe and her lovely horse Dilmun at an Endurance ride in Leersum, Holland.  I had a fabulous time, although I am rather knackered to say the least.

Annie had entered the FEI 3* 160 Km class, with hope that on completion would put her forward for selection for the GB Endurance team, at the World Equestrian Games in France in 2014.  Unfortunately it wasn't to be her turn this time and was eliminated at vet gate three on metabolics.  It was such a shame, she and Dilmun had obviously worked extremely hard, but when that heart rate won't come down as you'd like ....

So two extremely early mornings later and all that travelling I am now back at home, trying to tackle knee high weeds and thousands, no, what seems like millions of caterpillars, happily munching their way through our brassica's, and I have zero energy.

So I shall endeavour to write a more suitable post tomorrow.  Goodbye for now xx

Grouse anyone?

As this is August, I thought I'd treat you to some Grouse cookery, the first game bird of the season.  If you are lucky enough to acquire a brace of grouse at any time, then relish in them, they are delicious and a rare treat.  The first and the strongest taste of them all, as they feed nearly entirely on heather, the meat being dark red in colour but served simply roasted there is none better.  Because of the strong taste there is no need to hang them for long, two days is plenty, less if you don’t want them too rich.

The ‘Glorious twelfth’ - 12^th August, is when the grouse season starts every year and lasts until 10^th December.  A short season and the best birds available for the table are between the start of the season and mid-October.  The Red Grouse is a completely wild bird, rich brown in colour with spots of black and white across the male plumage, the hen has duller coloured feathers, but both have a bright red comb and feathery legs.  A medium sized bird with short, broad wings, short tail and head with a curved beak, they are built like chickens, almost partridge like with plenty of meat on them.  Other birds in the grouse family are the Black grouse, Capercailie and Ptarmigan. Red Grouse are native and resident all year round to heather moorland across the UK, but their numbers are dependent on the conditions within the moor to be able to provide food, shelter and nesting sites. 

As long as you know how old the bird is, cooking is easy; younger birds are best roasted, allowing the gamey flavour to shine through, without the need for lots of seasoning or additional flavours. Allow one bird per person when roasting whole.  Check them before buying, they shouldn’t smell ‘off’ in any way, they should be plump and not too shot all over.  To tell how old the bird is, the younger they are, the more pliable the breast bone will be, as will the feet and legs, the claws should still be sharp.  Older birds are best used in casseroles and stews.  

Before roasting, smear butter over the breasts then season and wrap bacon across the top, to save them drying out.  Roast in a hot oven for approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on how big they are and how pink you like your meat, don’t overcook as they will go dry; all game can be served and eaten pink; once cooked keep warm and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes, this will relax the meat and improve the taste.  Whilst resting prepare your gravy; use the juices from the roasting pan and add a little red wine or water and some redcurrant jelly to make quite a thin, but flavoursome sauce, taste and season if necessary.  Serve with roasted root vegetables of your choice, plus some good mash and braised cabbage, and pour over plenty of your rich, fruity gravy.  Delicious!

Enjoy!  More game cookery will follow throughout the season.

Pizza anyone?

We like nothing better in this house than a home-made pizza, they are a firm favourite and get requested often.

Back in June, we were on our way to the British Museum for the day to see the Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition, (bear with me - you'll get the gist in a minute!), and Michael always insists on getting his Saturday morning Times newspaper to read on the train.  I nabbed the middle section where the foodie bit is and lo and behold that week's special was pizza's; I read on with interest.  It wasn't the actual ingredients that intrigued me, it was the way they were cooking it - on the hob, then under the grill - I'll explain as we go.

Remember that bread recipe I made a couple of weeks ago, well I use the same mix to make the pizza bases.  One 300g mix will make four pizzas, plus I then use the tomato sauce recipe to put straight on the base.

It's best to have all your pizza toppings ready to go, ie. cut up, sliced etc, before you start cooking.

Heat a large non stick frying pan on the hob, with a tiny splash of olive oil in the bottom until really hot, turn on the grill too.
Cut the dough into four pieces and roll out into rounds about 5mm thick.

Place a pizza base in the bottom of the hot pan.  Keep checking the bottom of it by lifting up the edge, you don't want it to burn.
Spread your tomato sauce over the base, then add your toppings.  A note on adding the mozzarella - rip it into small pieces rather than slicing it, it will cook quicker.

Michael's one with Chorizo and chillies

Once the base is cooked, swiftly place under the grill, under the cheese is bubbling and the edges are brown and crispy.

Michael's one cooked

My one cooked - with proscuitto and basil

Eat straight away.

They taste delicious and are so quick and easy to make, the only down side to them is, that I can cook only one at a time as I only have one large frying pan, so Michael has usually eaten his by the time I put mine on the plate!

Enjoy!