Cheese Tasting - Finally

There are boxes and boxes of apples staring at me from the garage.  We went to a U-Pick place and picked over five bushels.  The texture is good, but they are pretty bland.  I picked up some Jonathans and McIntosh at the fruit stand to mix in and beef up the flavor.  We haven't had time to can, so we started with some dehydrating.  My 13-year-old ran the apple-peeler-corer and got a dozen apples done in less than 10 minutes.

I dipped them in water with a little salt and lemon juice to prevent browning and then laid them out in the dehydrator.  Those twelve apples filled nine dehydrator trays, although I probably could have fit a few more in.  After about six hours, they were nicely dehydrated without being crunchy.  They filled a gallon ziploc and I'll store them in the freezer.

It's been two months since I made my first cheese.  Hard cheese has to age for at least two months, four to six is better.  Today we got our first taste of homemade cheddar cheese.  It was harder than I expected and the flavor was mild, but there was a hint of pungent aroma that made me optimistic.  This was my first cheese.  As I gained experience, I learned how to cook the curds without overcooking and that a higher cream content gives the soft texture of cheddar.  Just before Christina dried up, I made a perfect looking block that will be aged to mild in another month.  That's the one I'm looking forward to.

We grew soup beans for the first time this year.  Today we picked another row and were discouraged to find that many of the shriveled pods had gotten wet from irrigation and had the mold to prove it.  Even so, there was still a lot.  It took about two hours for four of us to shell them all.

The beans are a beautiful red.  I had to get after the girls for playing in them while we were shelling.  Because they have too much moisture still, we spread them out to dry for several days before we put them away.

Today we are getting ready to go camping.  We used to camp regularly from spring to fall.  Even though we haven't gone since early summer, I'm hesitant to leave. My hunger for the hills isn't strong.  Camping used to be a primary way that I connected with the earth and with God the creator.  With so much time outside this last year, I feel deeply connected to this land that I'm not enthusiastic to leave it.  Our oldest will stay to care for the animals and all will be fine.  But I'll miss this sacred ground and the animals who live on it with us.

Jerky and Sabbath Rest

My  husband made jerky yesterday for the first time.  Last month we bought a full beef from a fellow here in the valley.  It's not the same as homegrown meat, but buying directly from a local producer is the next best thing.  We've gotten meat from him before and were impressed at how good it was.  I asked him about the breed.   It's Jersey steer!  He said that Jersey is one of the best meats, but because they don't bulk up as much as the meat breeds, they usually aren't raised for meat.  Music to my ears!!  Our little calf, beefy, is a Jersey steer and we'll raise all of Christina's boy calves as Jersey steers.  Praise God!

Making the jerky was pretty easy.  He mixed up hamburger, spices, and cure salts, then loaded them into a "jerky maker," a thing like a caulk gun.  They pressed out into even strips.  You could probably form them into strips without the gun, but the gun made it fast and easy.  We filled our dehydrator and ten hours later pulled out rich jerky.  For each two-pounds of hamburger, we got about a pound of jerky.  My 15-year-old daughter ate several strips before we got them away from her and put away.

Yesterday was a full day of American mom life for me.  Our nine-year-old twins volunteered at Museum Comes to Life with their girl scout troop.  They helped with the children's games and had a good time with their troop.  I've always enjoy the period costumes, activities, and machines, but after four hours on my feet and counting heads a hundred times, I was tired.  I wasn't the only one.  Our weeks are full and by Saturday evening we are ready for Sabbath rest.  We naturally fall into the Jewish tradition of Sabbath beginning at Saturday sundown.

Sabbath rest has taken on new meaning for us.  Most mornings begin with me filling the white board with our to-do list, and then we spend the day methodically erasing items as they get done.  On Sundays, the board is empty.  I still look at it habitually, and remember each time that it is Sabbath.  We still do things, but only as they strike us, not because we *have* to.  This morning my 13-year-old is making crepes for breakfast, something she never has time to do and always enjoys.  We will eat with leisure.  We will read, play, maybe watch a movie, and rest.  Even dinner is left-overs.  How wonderful that God designed our lives to follow this pattern, to value rest as much as we value work.  My Monday morning has new energy after a full day of no "shoulds."