Jodief100--- random stuff and BIG news

[jodief100]

Well it looks like Snows got a guinea snack. There are feathers in her nest and I only counted 6 last night. It is possible I missed one, I was counting by flashlight.

The creek is up and running strong. We had to unplug the upstream culverts last night. There was a pretty big log jammed up there. I disturbed what I think was a muskrat in the process. I havent seen any that close to the house before. I suspect they are always there, I just dont see them.

There were two big deer in the road when I drove out to the front field last night to feed Jack and the goats, does, real nice one. Modern gun started last weekend but it was too late and too near the road. We went out hunting last weekend. I saw a real nice 6 point buck but I wanted my boy to take the shot and he couldnt get lined up fast enough. I hope we get something in the next two weeks, my freezer is getting empty. Not much in there but sausage and chickens.

I am going to take our homegrown turkey out of the freezer tonight for the holiday. I am going to try brining it. Anyone have a good brine recipe?

 

[elevan]

I used this recipe last year and had a moist and delicious bird.

Turkey Brine

Ingredients

8 cups cold chicken stock or vegetable stock or water
4 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons sage
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon peppercorns
4 cups ice

Instructions

Bring 4 cups of water to a simmering boil.
Add salt and sugars. Stir until the sugars has completely dissolved.
Turn off the heat.
Stir in 8 cups cold chicken stock, apple cider vinegar, sage, thyme, peppercorn, and ice.
The brine is ready to be used.

Remove giblets and neck from the cavity.
Rinse the outside and inside of a thawed turkey.
Using paper towels, pat the turkey dry.
Completely submerge the turkey in a large soup pot or tub bigger than the bird and cover with a lid.
Refrigerate.
Allow the turkey to marinate for 12 hours for a small turkey (8-10 lbs) and up to a full day for a bigger bird.
Rinse turkey and pat dry.

Roast Turkey (after brining as instructed above)

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine
6-8 Sage leaves
2 Tbsp Paprika

2 oranges, cut into quarters
1 small onion, cut into quarters
2 stalks of celery, chopped roughly

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500*
Using your hand separate the skin from the turkey breast by gently sliding your hand between the skin and the breast.
Once you have access to the full breast beneath the skin, slather each one with approximately 1 Tbsp of butter
Then place the sage leaves under the skin on the breast.
Slather the rest of the butter onto the outside of the bird (all over)
Sprinkle paprika onto the entire bird
Tuck the wings under the bird.
Place the oranges, onion and celery into the cavity of the bird
Put bird into your roasting pan
Roast at 500* for 30 minutes
Then reduce the temp to 350*
Pay attention to the breast of the turkey, if it starts to get too dark when roasting, slap a piece of foil over the breast portion for the rest of the cooking time.
A 14-16 pound bird requires between 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven
Allow to rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving
Discard the aromatics inside the cavity.

A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures.

 

[jodief100]

Thank You! I am going to give that a try. Our first homegrown birds, I want it to be special.

Good News! My precious Snowey is innocent of all charges! I found the missing guinea alive and well and annoying as ever.

Here she is out with the goats this morning. She is such a sweet dog. I bought her as a supposed livestock dog form someone who said he sold all his goats. She was thin, with a raggedy coat and terrified of men. I don't think he was very nice to her. She gave birth to 12 pups 4 weeks after we got her. I knew nothing about whelping pups and I lost 8 of them, slowly over 4 weeks. It was devastating. I think they were inbred. The ones who lived had really bad overbites. She is an OK livestock dog but she loves me. She won't get near anyone else but my boy. It took a year but now she comes to me for hugs and pets.

I went to NAILIE this mornign and picked up my new scale!!!!! SO excited.

 

[daisychick]

Glad to hear that Snowey is free and cleared of all charges. She does look like a sweet dog. The new scale is nice!!!

 

[77Herford]

Yay for Snowy!

 

[20kidsonhill]

your are really going to enjoy that scale. It really helps conduct business and accurate weighing when treating.

 

[jodief100]

It has been a slow weekend. Lots of projects planned and the rain screws things up. I got the plans drawn and the wood cut for the hay rack but I haven't got it put together. I got the last of the does (except Jaz) in the buck pens for their 2012 kiddings. Everything cleaned out and the menu planned for Thanksgiving. I am sitting here waiting for my stupid internet to download some recipes I want.

I went to the apple orchard today to get some apples for the dressing. I wanted Northern Spys but they didn't get a big crop this year and were out. So I got some Macintosh and Winesap's. A peck of each. I will make applesauce with most of them. It goes wonderful hot on my Thanksgiving pumpkin pancakes. I am thinking of roasting pecans to go with them....

At the orchard there were two adorable pigmy does wandering around the little store/stand. I was picking out squash and one wanted attention. So she came up and started nibbling on some spaghetti squash. Mr H (orchard owner) chased her off and she ran around the apple display and started chewing on some apples. They were cute.

All the trusses are up on the garage, hubby got it braced this weekend.

I was out in the field playing with the goats and got some photos of some of my keepers from 2011.

This is the nicest one of the year. One of Nefer's quads. She is nice and solid and has grown out well. She has a big frame and good weight gain. She is bigger than all my keepers and she was a quad!

She isn't as colorful as her sister. He sister is beautiful as well, just not as solid.

 

[Ms. Research]

Garage coming along well I see. What a job your Hubby did. I'm excited for both of you. A garage definitely is an asset. Something you both have been planning for a while.

Congratulations on your scale. Definitely a tool needed to know your herd. No wonder you were so excited.

Wishing you luck with your 2011 keepers.

 

[Roll farms]

I want a scale. I'm lookin' at those platform jobbies.

The keeper girls are pretty.

Any of your does due in January? I'm hoping to have all my keepers here / on the bottle by January / February so I can maybe...possibly....have a summer w/out bottles and milking for the 1st time in 8 yrs.

Nissan is still here if you're interested in her. If not, she's going to the sale barn. I've had it w/ her horns.... :/

 

[jodief100]

Kim-I am interested in Nissan. Talk to me offline. I have prices listed on my website so we can work out a fair trade. Most of my kiko does are due in February/March. I wanted later kids for the buck test. The doe you really like (Star, the Ob colored one ) just went up to the buck pen today. I have a few due in Dec/January but most of them are bred to my Boer. My breeding schedule is on my computer at work, I will check it tomorrow to be certain.

The scale was almost $1300. Worth it, especially since I will get 50% of that back from the Commonwealth.