Parlor Maintenance

This is the view of one side of our milking parlor.  The glass items are "weight jars" (where the milk goes prior to being pumped into the bulk tank to be cooled).  The jar is scaled, so there are lines that indicate the amount given by each cow.

The metal brackets that hold the jars have decayed and need to be replaced, but this is "old school" technology, long since having been replaced by in-line digital counters with fancy expensive computer interfaces and read-outs.

In order to replace them, we have to fashion new brackets in our metal shop/maintenance building.  And by "we" I mean my brother-in-law, Denis.

This photo and the next shows the severity of the decay in the one bracket that was replaced.

Duct tape only works for so long - though it did work for quite some time.

In this photo, you can see a close-up of the new bracket (also seen in the top photo).

Drainage Problems (again)

This isn't a photo from last year.  If you recall, my husband's brother's home had basement flooding in August, and a wide swath of tiling was adjusted behind our houses.  It all looked good and done until last week when the snow melted.

There's tiling to be done in other fields, too.  It's a normal activity for this time of the year.

Cheesemaking: Coding

It's an old tradition in the cheesemaking biz to code long aged cheeses on the surface.  That way you always know what you are looking at in the curing rooms.   "G" for Gore-Dawn-Zola is made in the 3rd month of the year on the 5th week on a wednesday (we only make cheese one day a week, if we can help it).

When you remove the food-grade letters/numbers there is an impression in the fresh cheese.

Once these have aged, the impression should be even more pronounced.  I am working on a logo to add, as other Vermont cheesemakers do, but since "moo cows" have been taken, it needs a bit of a think before doing.  Maybe a tractor?  Corn stalk? Mountain range?  The logo lady?

Wheatless: Healthy Valley gluten free Cafe

This is another item I found in the gluten-free "aisle" at the Hannaford, which remains a poorly delineated shelf area sandwiched between the whole wheat/Amish and organic/all-natural/made in Vermont items.  Want to find a gf frozen food?  Just about impossible!  They are mixed in with regular fare.

I heated it straight from the can (no water added).  Label details can be found here.

It didn't look like the picture  - the vegetables weren't  pretty colors.  But, I don't care so much about pretty; it had a lot of flavor and a nice texture.

Some canned soups call themselves gluten-free, but list wheat on the label's allergy statement.  This isn't one of them, and I'm happy to have had it as a quick/fast lunch - even though the amount of sodium is of concern - it's still less than most of Campbell's offerings.

It's satisfying to have even a small portion of something that tastes good.

Beets and Blue Cheese in The Free Press

I've had another story and recipe printed in the Free Press.  The link to it is here.

Weekend Cook: Planked Salmon

Smoked Salmon

This was another cook on the Traeger pig, using grapevine for smoke.  The alderwood plank would have worked better cooking over direct heat on the Big Green Egg, but that was occupied by yesterday's brisket.

Four center cut salmon sections were coated in Dijon and sunflower oil, then coated with Dizzy Pig's Swamp Venom, sprinkled with turbinado sugar, and refrigerated for 1/2 an hour.

The plank soaked for 1/2 an hour and the fish placed directly on it before smoking.

The pig and the Egg, both happily smoking away.

Smoked Salmon

It cooked on the "smoke" setting for 3 hours, then I bumped the temperature to 225f for an hour to finish cooking.

 It was well done - more done than we like, but still moist.  The salmon was peppery hot, sweet, only slightly smokey, and very, very pretty.  We ate these many ways all week; Dan called them "the gift that keeps on giving".

Weekend Cook: Brisket on The Big Green Egg

Smoked Brisket

This is probably the final brisket "experiment".  I've done it on the gas grill, in the oven, and on the Traeger pig - but I'm going back to the Big Green Egg, because it does brisket best.

This is one of our own briskets, which I marinated overnight in 1/4 cup of cocktail sauce, 1/4 cup of Union Brand chili paste, and an entire head of garlic and a large onion that had been minced in the food processor.

In the morning, I left the onion mixture on the meat and coated the brisket in turbinado sugar, and left that on the counter to melt while I set the Egg to 250f.  Once it was stabilized, the meat went on indirect over a pan of water (9:30 a.m.) with a probe set to alarm at 185f.  It cooked until 195f, (5:00 p.m.).

Boucher Farm Brisket

The brisket was removed from the heat when the meat "pulled" - when a fork was stuck in, twisted, and the fibers came apart.

See the pull at the left under the probe?

I let it rest for 20 minutes under foil and a heavy towel before making a snack.

Brisket Sandwich

Moist and beefy, with a sweet and spicy kick from the chilies and horseradish (cocktail sauce).

Wheatless: Not Tots?

Cascadian Farms Spud Puppies

"Spud Puppies" will never catch on.  No one wants to eat puppies.  Unless they are shaped like puppies.

These are baked in the oven, smaller and not quite as salty as genuine Tator Tots, as I remember them.  They also don't have that odd chemical flavor that comes when eating four or more Tots at a sitting.  And you know we all do.

Not Tator Tots

These are wheat-free, but don't suffer for it.  It was "movie day" so this accompanied popcorn (popcorn, puppies, and pizza tomatoes counting as vegetables for the day).

Also, when I shook the pan to turn the tots, the topping slid off the wheatless pizza shells!  Lesson learned - too much sauce spells disaster!