I still don't know exactly what day we will arrive in FL but you'll know as soon as we get there! I'm sure we'll end up at the club if it's not too late and we aren't too tired from the drive.
Yesterday morning, leaving the farm, a big deer crossed the driveway right in front of me. I wasn't going fast and it wasn't in a hurry to get out of the way either. We both just stopped for a second and looked at each other then the deer moved off to my right and started grazing. It was dark still so I may have missed it but Wally said when he got up and looked out the window, there was a doe and a fawn in the same area. I didn't see the fawn but I'll be on the look-out from now on :) I'm just glad to see them back in the yard because for a while there, we weren't seeing any. The day Debbie got here, one ran across the driveway up by the first gate. Until yesterday, that was the only one I had seen. I see them on the way to work but not on the farm.
They sure are a whole lot bigger here - man, I can't wait to have one in the freezer. lol Venison is good eating, it's low in fat and high in protein. We are definitely getting a cow, maybe even two. Curt is coming over today to help mend the fences that were damaged in the flood. Once that is done the cows can come home.
For those of you who have been here, remember the red gate down at the entrance where the bridge is? The one by Randy's house? Well, there was another gate sorta beside that one but down further towards the creek...anyway, that gate was carried up over the driveway and over the bridge where it lodged against the trees that were carried before it. The guys are going to get it back in place too.
We'll be able to bring the cows home and let the horses go back down to the lower pastures where they can eat all the grass they want and they'll have access to the creek for water. Otherwise, we couldn't both come to FL because someone would have to stay and make sure the water bucket is filled. It's so hot these days, we're having to fill it twice a day.
Curt and Beverly are the couple we went fishing with. They have a horse that's about 25 years old. He was badly neglected by his owners so Curt and Beverly took him home with them in the hopes of getting him back in shape. His name is Jimbo. Wally took me to see him yesterday when we picked up the dressed rabbits (little tuxedos are so cute...ha ha!) and we offered to let them put Jimbo on our property. They have the room for him but not enough grass. He is literally skin and bones. It's so sad to see and we're all hoping he'll do better with access to more grass than he could ever imagine.
He'll eventually get sweet feed too but Wally says we can't start him out on it. We have to get him healthier first. I just hope Rebel and Smokey don't get their noses out of joint having a new guy around. Wally will be the one making the introductions - not me, I'll just be a bystander. Jimbo comes right up to you and lets you pet him without even bribing him with food. Poor guy. He looks like those horses you see being rescued on Animal Planet. I'll keep you posted on him and the cows as soon as we have them all.
I'm bringing the cilantro and onions with me to FL so I can make some salsa. From what I hear Dizzy Debbie can supply me with all the tomatoes I can use - very cool! I'm also bringing some of the Napa cabbage. I have enough for cole slaw, steaming, and even cabbage rolls if I so choose. We'll be staying at my house so I'm sure Tammy Jo won't mind me using her cookware. She knows I know how to take care of it. Even though she does sometimes neglect her cutting board... I have no doubt in my mind that Bud won't have a problem with me cooking for him! That man can eat some food I tell ya! He's like a bottomless pit.
The turnips from the basket were very good as were the beets. I boiled the turnips in chicken broth (of the homemade sort, of course) and then seasoned them with salt, pepper and a little butter. Nothing to it. They did seem to be missing something and Mom suggested adding carrots next time. I'm thinking carrots and peas too. I may have mentioned that I love peas. The beets boiled for about 1/2 hour so they would be good and tender. They didn't need seasoning at all, they were just so good. I had enough left over to put on my lunch salad the next day. You should have seen my fingers after peeling them! They were red as a beet... ha ha ha ha ha pun intended!
My pot roast was a flop. It was so tough I couldn't eat it. Wally shredded it and we put it back in the crock-pot with some of the leftover turnips and kale. I made a gravy with the juice and we let it go over night. I haven't tried it yet to see if we were able to salvage it. Although it was pricey, I'm thinking I'll go back to the grass-fed roast I bought at the Farmer's Market. That was a wonderfully tender, juicy, I could go so far as to say succulent, roast. I had a feeling the store bought one just wouldn't hold up to it and it didn't.
The kale was sauteed in butter and garlic and I added some black pepper. I never had kale before and didn't know what to expect. It is kind of like a collard green in texture but it has a taste all its own. I'm going to use my next bunch of kale in a soup. I love soup and have some really good recipes for it, but we'll save that whole subject matter for when colder weather comes. It's too hot to think about it now, although this building is pretty cold. I wear my gray jacket all the time when I'm at work.
Back to the rabbits. The guy who sells them is taller than Wally. It's always so strange to me when that happens I guess because it doesn't happen often. He seemed like a pretty nice guy to be doing all that rabbit slaughtering... lol He does have domestic rabbits for sale if you want to just have a pet or if you want to raise your own stock. Like I told Kris, killing a rabbit is just not my thing - too little reward for all the work you have to do. Eating a rabbit, no problemo. In fact, that's what we're having for dinner tonight.
I'll just season them up with some adobo (of course) and black pepper and brown them in a skillet. I'm thinking the Wolfgang Puck skillet... They'll get topped with some fresh thyme from the garden and into the oven they go. I'd cook them on the grill but it's so darn hot outside I just don't feel like going there. Too bad, it's a really nice outdoor kitchen! Daryl has the stonework on the front almost finished. He's supposed to come today to work on it.
The first time I had rabbit was at the Oriole's. We had some leftover from meat bingo I think. Anyway, I cut it into pieces and seasoned it and Bill Hollihan cooked it on the big grill out by the gazebo. We were still in the old building then. Well, he brought it in and we were all eating it and I saw that Neccy and Jack were there. I brought her a piece and she said "no, no, no Darcy, I'm not eating rabbit." I stuffed a piece in her mouth and she made a beeline for more. She loved it. I'm pretty sure she gave Jack some but don't bet on it... LOL
My mystery plants are in decline as well as the lilies. The lilies are still flowering but only a couple a day as opposed to 20 or 30 a day when they first got started. I can't plant anything until we get back from FL but I'm thinking about putting hydrangeas in as a backdrop to the lilies. They don't bloom at the same time so I'll have flowers for months. The horses deposited some fertilizer by the step for me so all I have to do is rake it in - how nice of them :)
Ernie's momma called me the other night. I was in the middle of getting a shower and forgot to call her back. She lives in Missouri and Wally tells me it's about an 8 hour drive from here. I'd love to go visit one of these days. She's such a sweet lady. Next time she comes to town, you'll have to meet her if you haven't already. She came up to play meat bingo on one of her trips. Remember that perpetual list I have running? I have her on it so I can remember to call her back. I have plenty of time while I'm driving home but there's no guarantee of coverage on the way.
I'm looking forward to visiting with everyone but I'm sure not looking forward to the traffic. I'm pretty sure the good old road rage will come back in full force shortly after we get on the interstate. Driving through Atlanta will bring it all back to me!
One other good thing about the trip, Teri saved a German tomato plant for me that Jay forgot to bring up when he came for the cookout over Memorial Day. I'll be able to pick it up on the way back and plant it when we get home. I grew one of these a couple years ago. I don't know if you remember it or not. The plant got about 6 feet tall and the tomatoes were about as big as the palm of my hand. It completely outgrew the cage and I had to tie it to the tree branch to keep it upright.
Okay everybody, the time has come for me to leave you for the day. As these days have gone by it's been fun writing about my antics or the lack thereof. You'll be jonesing when I'm in FL because I'm not planning on updating the blog. With the limited time I'll be there, I doubt I'll have time to get on a computer. I'll try for one last update tomorrow but just in case - I'll be back July 6th with plenty to say :)
"Maybe a person's time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food." ~Frank A. Clark
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