Rachel Rae (the black Nubian goat) had her baby today!!! A GORGEOUS, long-eared, long-legged, LOUD-colored........ buckling. Darnit. He's gorgeous, but bucklings - unless they are registered - aren't really that well sought after. I'm disappointed he wasn't a doeling, but glad he's finally here! I left my camera at work, but will take pictures ASAP.
Leah! I'm so sorry I've been gone so long. The recipe is out of Raising Milk Goats the Modern Way by Jerry Belanger copyright 1975 & 1990. It the Vanilla Ice Cream, III on page 164:
Here's the original recipe with some notes...
4 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups light cream (I use whole goats milk instead)
1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla powder (see note below) but I use good vanilla instead
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use Kosher 4 cups cold heavy cream (I use whole goats milk instead)
2 cups milk (I use whole goats milk instead - do you see a pattern here?)
Ok. So eventually with all the substitutions you'll have:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups whole goats milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Combine the eggs, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler (I use a large glass measuring bowl in the microwave - it's much easier). Whisk in 4 cups only of the milk and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly (or in the microwave, stirring every 2-4 minutes or so until it thickens slightly - in the microwave this is difficult to see. Just micronuke until it looks hot and fully cooked). Remove from heat (the microwave).
Add the vanilla (vanilla tends to cook out in heat). Stir thoroughly AND REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT OR SEVERAL HOURS UNTIL COLD! Just before pouring into the ice cream freezer, add the remaining 4 cups of COLD milk. Churn and enjoy!!! You can add fruits, brandy, amaretto, whatever strikes your fancy. But plain vanilla with homemade chocolate syrup IS DA BOMB!!!!
I butchered the last pig (a barrow) from my original litter last week (he was two years old!) and I ended up with wonderful sausage and roasts and fresh side to make some bacon. AND I don't have to feed a non -producing animal. He was a huge pigger for being an AHH and I had to field dress him since he was too large to pick up and hang with my equipment... I've planned out a larger, free-standing butchering station that will work very well in any kind of weather. It'll take me a while to get it done, but that's the plan.
My HUGE (think 250#+) AHH sow, Ellen J. Pettibone, had her next litter of babies and although there was a 50% mortality, I'm still left with 5 robust piglets. I have to castrate the four boars soon as they will be a month old on the 29th of this month. They look great and are gaining weight well. I separated the two year old black boar (named Juan Carlos after his father) and bought another small AHH gilt to put with him for piglets later this year. Both of them are nicely muscled and I'm having fun "playing" with the genetics. Plus I've got great pork for the freezer. Juan Carlos looks like a regular pig only shrunk down to a small size.
I've been milking both dairy goats, MayBelle and Taffy, just once a day because it's too much milk otherwise for me to deal with. Too much all the way around. So I have just about 1 gallon a day to work with. It's been non-stop mozzarella with Canadian steak seasoning for the flavoring and then into the freezer. Then ricotta from the whey. Then what's left? Ellen J. Pettibone gets. She loves it. The cheese will be for lasagna and baked pasta throughout the year.
I've not had time to plant the garden yet (I still have time, seriously, I do), but have taken down the old pig pen/goat pen from where it was for the last 10+ years and will plant my potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes and green beans there. I think they'll do well. I've decided that I'll only plant what I want to eat and with the new atrium I believe I can have kale and greens (and maybe tomatoes!) all winter long. I'm experimenting with different kinds of plantings and think I'll have plenty for this winter.
I'm also working on a cold frame, a rain barrel, the bees, the mule and so many other things.