Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[RollingAcres]

You just put the pickles in a hot jar and quickly add the boiling pickling liquid to the jar and put on the lid.

That's the kind I normally make, same method.

 

[RollingAcres]

"better the devil you do know than the devil you don't".

This is the second time today I've heard this phrase. I've never heard this saying until today.

 

[Devonviolet]

We made some pickles last summer that we didn't process but it goes against the grain of all of the canning methods. They were the crispiest pickles I have ever had.

I make Earl Gray Cultured Pickles. I keep them in the refrigerator after they culture. They are raw and very crisp. YUM!!! The tea contains tanins, which help keep the pickles crisp. @Baymule and BJ were over for a visit with her son, one time, and they all got to sample my pickles. They all seemed to really like them. Her son, especially liked the pickled onion chunks, that I added to the mix. My DH loves the carrot slices that I add.

Earl Gray Tea Pickles

Ingredients

1 package Cutting Edge Starter Culture plus 1 cup water, or 1/2 cup Kefir Whey
24 baby cucumbers depending on size
4 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 tablespoons Celtic Sea Sal
4 cloves garlic
4 bags Earl Gray tea

Instructions

If using the starter culture, stir together the culture and water. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the ingredients—around 10 minutes.

Cut the blossom ends off the cucumbers.

Combine the peppercorns, salt, and garlic in a small bowl.

Tightly pack the cucumbers and peppercorn mixture into a 1-gallon jar. Add the starter culture or kefir whey and the tea bags and fill the jar with filtered water to cover the cucumbers but leave 1 to 2 inches of headspace for them to bubble and ferment.

Seal the container and let it sit on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight, for 3 days.

After 3 days, remove the tea bags.

Check the vegetables every day to make sure they are fully submerged in the water. If they have risen above the water, simply push them down so they are fully covered by the water. If any white spots formed because the veggies rose above the water, do not worry. Remember, this isn’t harmful. Just scoop out the vegetables that have the white spots on them and push the rest back under the water.

When the pickles are done fermenting, place them in the refrigerator. They will continue to ferment, ever so slightly, once they are in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

Storage note: They are ready to eat after three days but will keep fermenting and age much like a fine wine. I like them at about 1 to 2 weeks but will last nine months in your refrigerator.

https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/earl-grey-tea-pickles/

 

[Bruce]

I have a sweet, spicy pickle recipe from my Great Grandmother. They are crisp and delicious. I just water bath them.

And 12 jiggers of whiskey?

 

[Baymule]

And 12 jiggers of whiskey?

Not in the pickles!!

 

[Bruce]

Hey, you never know, they might be REAL good!

 

[Ridgetop]

We have had 2 big earthquakes here in southern California, and a few small shakes. One was about 48 years ago, and Northridge was the worst about 24 years ago. We are close to the San Andreas fault too, so you would think we would have them constantly. We also used to have lots of tropical storms which are not too dangerous here. The idea of tornadoes and hurricanes scare me, but I suppose they are not any worse than blizzards in the northeast or flooding through the central states. Wildfires and flash floods here are very common, and extremely dangerous. I guess I don't need to worry too much about tornadoes or hurricanes, as long as we have a well built house and stay out of tornado alley!

 

[greybeard]

No one here is worrying about wildfires this year or last summer, but it hasn't always been that way.
We're never more than 2-3 weeks away from drought....

 

[Baymule]

2011 was a terrible drought and there were lots of fires. I could be wrong, but I don't remember a drought like that in my lifetime. Looking around, there was a drought from 1950 to 1957, and there have been many other droughts, but none as severe as that one. That inspired the building of huge lake reservoirs for a continuing water supply for the large cities and surrounding areas.

https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2011/11/29/a-history-of-drought-and-extreme-weather-in-texas/

No matter where you live, weather is going to have an impact on you and your property.

 

[Ridgetop]

Are there good wells in east Texas? Or is it all AG water shares?

Fire can be devastating everywhere. No place is safe from wild fire, except during a torrential downpour LOL. I need all the information I can get since we are serious about being able to pasture cattle (and sheep) and raise hay, although we will be leasing the land to others for the cattle and hay. I just read a Texas Ag report that certain eastern Texas counties have land good for alfalfa depending on the soil type. This was apparently a surprise wince it had been thought that alfalfa did not thrive in east Texas. $250-$325 per acre to ready the soil and plant, but the soil will produce good crops of alfalfa. The report was that if would be more profitable than orchard or Bermuda. On the other hand, I also saw the farm report that same week that alfalfa prices were down about $10/ton while Bermuda prices were up $10/ton. I suppose it depends on what the price per ton was as to whether or not it would be better to put in alfalfa or coastal IF you had the type of soil mentioned in the report. Another thing to check out with the county AG extension office when we come to Texas on our exploratory trip.

On another note, we weighted lambs on March 9 and they weighed:

Purebred Dorper replacement single ewe lamb born November 14 83.5 lbs.
Dorper X Dorset twin ewe lamb born November 29 85.9 lbs.
Dorper X Dorset twin wether born November 29 79.4 lbs.
Purebred Dorper single wether born December 3 84.0 lbs.

So at the current growth rate, by the time we return from our trip on April 5,they will be right around 100 lbs. Ready for the freezer at 4 months old! And no creep feeding during the past month! Also on predominantly green forage, but not good pasture, for the past month. These lambs are now larger than the ethnic market likes which is 65-75 lbs. If we can localize an ethnic market, we can sell at 3 months and be more profitable by reducing our feed and pasture costs (when we eventually have pasture, that is, LOL). The single purebred Dorper lambs were out of first freshening yearling ewes. The twins were the 4th or 5th lambing for their mama. I will be putting the ewes back in with the rams in a month. The 2 Dorsets and the yearling Dorper ewe (she was not bred last season as a lamb) will go in with the older ram, while the other 2 ewes will go in with the younger ram. I also plan to buy another couple of purebred Dorper yearling or lamb ewes at the sales this year. The yearling ewes can go in right away with my rams, while the lambs will be held over with our replacement ewe lamb - Rainbow Unicorn. Or as I fondly call her "Blue Tag 7". LOL So happy with the growth rates on these Dorpers.

Angel now weighs 55 lbs., our 5 year old granddaughter weighs 39 lbs., and our 8 year old grandson weighs 61.52 lbs. Our grandchildren insisted on their turn in the lamb scale too!

Angel is doing great. After a period of overly affectionate and playful behavior with the lambs, she has been guarding the 2 rams in an adjacent pasture. She is released at night when the sheep come into the barn and can run and play with the older dogs. She is learning a great deal, knows her name now, and comes when called (since it means a meal). She is going to be larger than Rika, and I think she will be just as good. In another month or so she will be big enough to go out in the field with the larger dogs when the mules are loose. We will go out with her and watch that she doesn't not get too close until she learns that mules are not her friends. Hopefully they will ignore her while they go about their pastime of grazing on all the lovely green stuff. The mules and donkeys go into the gully and up the other side to eat since that is where the best grass is. The sheep like the broadleaf weeds. We have had so much rain this year that I think we may have to cut the field at 200 ft distance from structures. However, rather than raking it up, we learned to leave it on the hills and the sheep, mules and donkeys will eat it as it dries out. Then they will clear the rest over the summer. More rain coming and it is very cold this week.