Calf Buckets

Verse of the Day:(Mal 4:2 [KJV])
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Dirty Bench -can't do a project like that!

Much better.

Mission: make thirty of these calf-bucket holders

my makeshift measuring jig for cutting many pieces of steel rod the same way

Now that my pieces are cut and shaped, I'm ready to start welding.

The first half complete.

Happy Calves!

Chopping Continued

Nothing photographically spectacular, but here are some pics of the final week of chopping . They were mostly taken on the fly with my iPod.

Expanding the Herd...

Blessing and her newborn bull calf, Storm

A friend helping me bale some hay/weeds

Disking

A really cool cloud - the photo doesn't do it justice.

Freshly chopped hay fields

Working on the Freightliner.

Apple Cider

Verse of the Day:(Prov 3:10 [KJV])
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new [cider].

Some pictures of making cider with friends and family.

The mill/press

My brother Trevor - he's the expert.

A great time to gather for food and fellowship in my barn.

(and a good incentive for me to clean the barn!)

a week later at the R's - Joanna tries her hand at milling - without milling her hand!

Isn't it fun to run machinery without all those guards and stuff?

 An evening of fun...

...and chilly fingers (washing apples in icy cold water)

The bottling plant.

6 bushels of apples  plus 9 pairs of willing hands = 15 gallons of sweet cider. see, the math works out every time.

Oh, and for the benefit of inquiring minds, we aren't into the hard stuff. Keep it sweet! A freezer full of cider should keep our donuts company for a winter. Thank you Lord for your bounty!

Butter- Making

Verse of the Day: Isaiah 7:22a "And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter."

Half a gallon of cream...

in a hand crank churn...

Burn those calories!

My cream was too warm :-/

Hence the small granules that don't want to stick together.

The solution: a milk strainer.

strained butter granules

Get it to stick together...

washing it till the water runs clear. (Milk in your butter will make it spoil fast.)

"The Ball'

Working the water out (this takes quite a while)

Salting

In lieu of a butter mold I used the paddle to shape it, using a store-bought stick (ugh!) for reference.

End result: 3/4 pound of fresh, homemade butter. I t doesn't keep as long as that pasteurized junk, so I froze 2 of them. "Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter..." Proverbs 30:33