Freeze, Can or Dehydrate? Oh My!

   Today I stand amazed at what a garden can endure! Five months into this year we have faced record flooding, extended cool snaps, and a few heat fluctuations. Today the sun is out which invites the pests to hatch- strange year.

   Despite nature's mood swings the garden has been a gift! Greens, hot house tomatoes, herbs, peas and snap beans have consistently been harvested. Since the household is so small, that means it's time to preserve. Let's take a peek at the top three preservation methods that I not only use at home, but also teach as well.

1. Freezing

    In the heat and humidity of our southern home freezing is my top method of choice. Produce is picked at its peak, mildly processed (if at all) and frozen quickly. Safe in the freezer, mold and pests don't stand a chance. The down side of freezing is space; with broilers and turkeys also stored in the freezer, space is precious and must be used wisely. My food freezing musts are: cole crops, greens (chard, spinach), okra, corn and squash/gourds.

2. Canning

    Second in line and next on the list is canning; water bath and pressure methods. High acid foods, jams, jellies and relishes and pickles hold well with a gentle water bath set up where as sauces, veggies, and pie fillings require the intensity of a pressure canning. Space is not quite as competitive with canned goods since they store easily in the top of a pantry, under a bed, or in any cool dark place.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and carrots along with berries of all kinds are excellent canning candidates.

3. Dehydrating

    Last, but not least I have fallen in love with dehydrating. Dried goods are space friendly and easy to incorporate into everyday cooking. Some items lend well to a simple open air drying method: hot peppers, garlic, onions and herbs are a few...while some require a bit more intensity. My electric dehydrator is perfect for putting up apples, bananas, bell peppers. We love the tasty tang of kale chips and the chewy zing of a dry pineapple. Dried foods do need airtight conditions to keep well; canning jars or sealed bags work very well and store right alongside other canned goods. 

   I slosh my way through the growing garden, my thoughts look to the pop and sizzle of canning lids, colorful peppers hanging in rows along kitchen walls, and steady hum of the dehydrator working its magic. 

   Local friends be sure to keep your eye out for our canning classes! If you are like me, you can hardly wait until this season of food preservation begins.

In the Herd: Choking Issues in Goats

This week starts a weekly series I am going to call 'In the Herd'; here we can dig down deep into herd life and lessons.

First things first- what is my herd?

My herd consists of boar/Nubian cross goats which were originally a dairy based herd. Not needing to produce milk for my family anymore, I am phasing out the dairy goats and expanding back into boar/meat instead. There is a herd mama: Zaida; her daughters: Daisy and Fawna; their sons: Bit and Nip- the buck on board is named Mattie.

This week's topic of discussion is choking, which may seem strange yet is apparently more common than I realized. Our herd experienced this for the first time last night- and I have raised goats for many many years! Quick thinking and good resources kicked in- needless to say, our herd is fine.

The symptoms:

1. Thrashing or shaking the head or rubbing the 'cud' area on railings.

2. Coughing or gaging motions/sounds.

3. Foam or slimy mucus mixed with cud/feed.

The response:

1. Wait and watch. Often they handle this on their own.

2. Massage the neck/cud area rubbing toward the mouth. This will also help determine if there is a large object causing the issue.

3. Mineral oil in a syringe(20cc will do it) to lubricate the throat and help the goat push it out.

The last resort:

1. Lavage with warm water- this is risky so I have never done it!

2. Emergency vet service- expensive, so consider your investment. There are times when this is called for.

I am a 'less is best' interventionist- so I watch and wait (as long as they are still able to breathe and not in shock I wait) giving them the opportunity to handle it.

Causes of choking:

1. Eating too fast. Herds can be competitive, especially with food, leading them to eat too fast compacting dry feed in the cud area without enough moisture. Consider adding more feeding area or space and evaluating if enough feed is being given.

2. Not ready for the feed given. Sometimes the pellets are too large for young kids or an older goat to handle. Crush, crumble or stir in mineral oil to help if this is reoccurring.

  This morning the herd seems fine and morning feeding went off without a hitch. Hopefully our little speed eater has learned to slow down and savor the meal instead of rushing through!

Anyone else have an experience or issue with choking? Let's open the floor and discuss.

Resources: Natural Animal Husbandry, TAMU EDU, The Goat Handbook, Dairy Goat info



Finding My Feet Again

Sometimes our best laid plans just don't make it.

That is how I sum up this year so far.

Empty nest. Wacky weather. Travel. Floods. Computer virus and one crashed. Full time job. Full time homestead.

I keep thinking, one of these days I am going to get it figured out.

That day hasn't arrived yet- but I'm working on it.

Right now- one computer is functional. The rain has stopped. Water has receded. Job is moving along at a varied pace. I am still alive and in the upright position.

Until you homestead without your children, you never really realize how much they did. It never occurred to me how well delegated responsibilities were until I stood at the feed storage area and saw empty bins! Who normally handles that? The past four months have been a crazy roller coaster of sink or swim- in which there were days I am pretty sure I drowned. Time to get it together! After all, my children would be ashamed of me making such a failure of this life we built together.

Today- I find my feet.

Plans are drawn and laid out- revisions and changes are on the horizon in an effort to streamline and conquer. The problem, I realize, is that I kept trying to do things the way we were doing them together...but we are not together! Time to take ownership of the mess and make it work for me. Once a week I will assess those feed storage bins and actually not run out!

There will still be gardens, and chickens, goats and a fussy donkey.

I will find the floor of the quilting room and once again let my creative juices out of their box.

Miss K and I will paint and plan and play.

My short arms and stubby legs will manage to start and work the push mower.

Meals will be made *I had no idea how hard it was to cook for one (my husband and I work different shifts).

As I find my footing, I tip my hat to all you wonderful farm girls out there who do this day in and day out.. alone.. with outside jobs... with that empty nest. You ladies rock!

May I learn from you!!!

Some how, some way this is all going to be okay.

Handling Injury in the Herd

It's a phone call no goat herder wants to get, yet, it happens. My son called to tell me one of our does, was wounded; not just any wound, an eye wound. To me, of all the things to damage, the eye of any animal is the hardest to heal and the most challenging to care for. Often, it is hard to tell if the eye has been cut, scratched, infected, or simply irritated. While it can be obvious if it is severe, over the phone is never easy. 

Sound farm boy that he is, my son snapped a decent picture of the eye (not the picture above). The eye was bulging, draining clear fluid, and obviously wounded. So, what's a girl to do?

1. Assess the mess.

    While eye wounds can be gross, they are not often fatal- nor do they always mean loss of the eye. For Daisy, the eye was still in tact, in the socket, and the drainage was clear; all good signs.

2. Consider the situation.

    This doe is expecting, which limits the course of treatment we are willing to undergo. Not being a life threatening situation for her or the kid, we decide to handle it ourselves and treat externally. 

3. Plan of action.

    A simple trip to the local farm supply store offered a sterile wash complete with antibiotics. Not pleasant to administer, but the least invasive thing we can do while still attempting to keep infection at bay. My general philosophy on intervention is always 'less is best'.

4. Work the plan. 

     For weeks, my son and I took turns rinsing the wounded eye with sterile antibiotic wash two times a day while keeping an close watch on her. After a week, the swelling subsided and the drainage stopped. We kept the wash going for four weeks total, until the swelling was completely gone and she seemed to be out of the risk for infection. 

This case was fortunate, as our doe never developed infection, fever, and the eye did not protrude beyond the socket. Had any of those issues developed a vet would have been needed due to her being 'with kid'. Her eye would have had to be removed, antibiotics administered, and potential loss of the kid. 

My words to all- no matter what animal you have taken responsibility for, please take the initiative to learn about their care: the potential injuries, illnesses, and diseases that could develop.. and how to treat them. Often times, rapid response from the owners is not only enough, but even in a distressing case that response can save the animal's life (and further suffering). 

While Daisy does seem to have vision loss, she and her baby are healthy and doing well today, thanks to an observant and quick thinking farm boy!