Fieldwork

I picked Dan up from the field yesterday after he finished spreading fertilizer.

We could really use some rain, he's kicking up quite a bit of dust.

That's my job!

When large equipment gets moved from one place to another, someone has to transport the driver either to or from the field.  Sometimes both!  That usually falls to me, since I have a sort of 'drop everything and give me a ride' schedule.

Today Dan had to pick up the tractor from the repair shop and bring it home.

Rockpicking

Notice what's missing from the tractor?  A cab.  Dan has one heck of a sunburn from working the bucket.

Here are some photos of the rock piles he is adding to.

As you can see, there are quite a few rocks, but only the big ones bother the planting and harvesting equipment.

Monday Menu: Sirloin Tip

I usually marinate sirloin tip, but for this cook I just dusted it with the house rub.

I let it sit on the counter for 1/2 hour to get the chill out of the meat before putting in on a gas grill set on high.

The steak looked uniform in thickness when it was raw, but it was really wonky: 1-inch thick on one end, 1/4 inch taper on the other side. I gave it 8 minutes per side on the hottest part of the grill, then pulled it off to rest on the counter covered by aluminum foil and a heavy towel for 10 minutes. With a steak this thin there was no need to add a baking step to get the center to temp. It cooked quickly.

It came out rare on the thick end and medium-well on the thin end.

The lime goes down

The lime truck is making the rounds to all the alfalfa fields, including the one in back of our house.  Dan is picking stones in the plowed fields with his brother; the manure has been spread and we are waiting for it to be just a bit warmer to put seed in the ground.

Weekend cook: drummies

Chicken wings on the grill are easy, so long as the heat is at medium (275-300f) you will get a crispy skin.

Coated with rub, directly over coals, 20 minutes per side (cover down) or until the skin is crispy.

Our house rub is: smoky paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, (dried thyme if there is any) and turbinado sugar.

Happy grilling!

Still cute!

This is the friendliest, most curious batch of piglets we have ever had.

They keep changing their minds about whether or not we are good to eat!

The pug-nosed hairy piglets we got a few weeks ago have cleaned up.  No more dirty stockings!