Young Tuxedo Coturnix has taken the lead in growth rate for males up to five weeks of age and weighed in at 180 g.
Author Archives: Back Yard Farmer - Dunedin
Bad Weather in the Vegetable Patch
I wish I had taken a “before ” photograph to prove that my (still green) tomatoes were looking great, and my zucchini were producing bountifully and ……We had massive winds and heavy rain this week and unfortunately our lovely sunny aspect also means that there is very little wind protection for my garden. Dunedin weather strikes the uninitiated gardener again! I have uprooted all the broken and drowned plants and will start anew next week. The things that did survive were the artichokes and the cardoons, even though the cardoon in the picture looks very sorry for itself, along with some lettuce, rhubarb and cavalo nero.
No damage to the chicken houses fortunately.
Limoncello – Home Made
My home made still in full flight!
How to make Limoncello
1. Collect 1 Liter alcohol from the still (about 97 % Alcohol)
2. Peel the rind (no pith) from 8 organic, unwaxed smooth lemons and cut it in fine strips. Now put the alcohol and lemon peel in a glass container, shake, close and put in a cool dark place. Turn / shake the bottle once a day for about six weeks
3. Filter through a double muslin cloth and discard solids. Then filter the alcohol through a carbon filter as it results in a cleaner end product, if you do not have a carbon filter, just proceed after the muslin filtering
4. Dilute the alcohol with cool distilled water (made with the still) to a alcohol content of about 40 % (Use Pearson square).
5. Mix 1 Kg of sugar in the alcohol mixture and stir to dissolve well. Start with about 700 g sugar and taste the end product and keep adding small amounts of sugar, until you are happy with the sweetness of the end product
6. Bottle, label and store
ENJOY !!
Egg-bound in the Backyard
” Blasted rabbit filled all the nest boxes ! ! The hens are pop eyed from holding it in ! “
Real Ricotta – made from Whey
As we all know Ricotta is suppose to made from whey and not milk. Even though the whole milk version is not bad, nothing comes close to the real deal. I make milk Ricotta every time I fetch milk, which is about once every ten days. but only can make real Ricotta after I made a hard cheese, which is not every week. Last night the Montasio went well and after it was in the press, I made some Ricotta with the whey. Following breakfast and lunch, I had to be quick, otherwise there would have been no product left to photograph. Even though the yield from whey coming off ten liters of milk is not a huge quantity, but it made up in quality.
RECIPE
Fresh whey – less than two hours old
50 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
100 G Mesophillic Starter (I propagate my own cultures)
3 g Salt (Non iodised)
50 g Heavy cream – I made my own milk separator – simple and cheap – and will blog about it soon.
Put whey in a large non corrosive pot and heat over direct heat to 94 C. Stir continuously to prevent the whey from burning to the hot bottom of the pot, but do not boil
Turn the heat off and slowly ad the vinegar whilst stirring continuously. Small white particles will commence to form which is the precipitated protein (curds)
Ladle the curds carefully into a ricotta colander lined with fine muslin cloth. When all the curd is in the colander, allow to drain for about ten minutes and when no more visible moisture is present in the curds, then mix in the starter.
Tie the corners of the muslin and hang over a container to drain for about three hours. When the ricotta does not release moisture any more, untie the muslin and mix in the salt and cream
Store in refrigerator for up to ten days (It never lasts that long in any case).
One of the most common cheese products used in Italian cuisine
BUON APPETITO !!
Back Yard Farmer 