You know the saying, “a watched pot never boils”?
Well, a watched cow never calves – until she is ready that is!
We have been watching Buttercup very closely for the past 3 days because she was showing signs of being close to calving. We were preparing for church on Sunday and just glanced in the pasture, saw her standing and looking normal so we did not bother going out for a closer look. Evidently, she was about to calve because when we returned home, he was here -a light brown bull calf! So, we named him LBC for Little Brown Calf. Both mamma and baby are doing great.
As usual, the first milking was difficult. She is tender, swollen and does not want anything to do with the milking machine. John (because I am too scared to get so close to her well aimed kicks) began by hand milking and then was able (with help from the boys) to hook her up to the milker. After the first couple of milkings, she calms down and everyone begins the milking rotation. Until then, John is present at all milkings to help.
LBC is taking the colostrum very well from the bottle. Needless to say, everyone loves feeding him!
For now, we are milking Buttercup twice each day, freezing the extra colostrum and looking forward to her milk coming in which means 8 gallons of milk per day!
Learning about the fats which are good for you has revolutionized my cooking! Did you know that one hundred years ago, vegetable oil was not around? People cooked with lard, tallow and butter. The difference between the three is the source. Lard is rendered pig fat, tallow is rendered beef or sheep fat and butter is made from cream.
Lard and tallow from grass fed animals are full of fat soluble vitamins and actually good for you. Both have a high smoke point so they are very stable and great for frying. The reason many people today render their own tallow or lard is to avoid the added hydrogenated fat. That is right – the commercial lard available contains hydrogenated lard. A couple of good articles which give more information on the health benefits and history of oils used are “The Oiling of America” and “Good Fats, Bad Fats” both on the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) website.
I can not stress enough how easy it is to render your own tallow. Just remember, it does get very hot so precautions should be taken to keep it away from little hands!
Rendering Tallow
Having purchased a 10lb bag of grass fed beef fat* (before we butchered our own grass fed steer), I began by placing the thawed fat chunks into a 22 qt. roaster. A crock pot works well for smaller quantities. It cooks faster if you cut the large chunks into smaller pieces before beginning.
Turn the crock pot on low and let it cook – It takes from 18 – 24 hours for 10 lbs. I have read that one pound requires a couple of hours. You will know it is done when mostly liquid remains and chunks of hard stuff float to the surface. Turn the crock pot off.
Strain the fat through a fine metal strainer into a mason jar – be very careful as it is extremely hot! I dipped it out with a 2 cup glass measuring cup and poured it through the strainer. The liquid will appear golden brown. As it cools, it turns a creamy white.
From 10 lbs of fat, we bottled 5 quarts of tallow.
* Go here to find sources of grass fed fat and other nutrient dense foods in your local area.
How many fermenting things can one kitchen hold? Since we have been on the GAPS diet and I have learned the probiotic benefits of lacto-fermentation, my kitchen is full of ferments! Does this show an addiction? I am saving money making them myself! But, after all, how many jars can one kitchen hold?
Under my dishes is my sauerkraut.
To the left of the kitchen sink are the fermenting carrots.
To the right of the stove are jars of fermenting water kefir. This so fa,r is my least favorite ferment. I have tried several recipes and have yet to find one that does not taste or smell like a garden hose! If you have a good recipe, please let me know. (The jar to the far left is actually tallow.)
Beside the coffee maker are the jars of fermenting milk kefir.
And, don’t forget the top of the refrigerator – that is where the 6 gallons of kombucha are fermenting.
I have read that a space of a few feet between ferments is good and I do have that. So far, there has not been a problem and all is working well.
Do you have anything fermenting in your kitchen? Leave a comment and let me know what – I’d love to hear that I am not the only woman with too many jars in her kitchen!
Kombucha is a drink made from sweet tea, is slightly carbonated and delicious! Being full of probiotics, B vitamins and enzymes, it not only tastes good but is also good for you.
If you have not tasted Kombucha before, you might want to buy a bottle at your grocery store or health food store. While a purchased bottle of Kombucha will often cost around $3+, you can make your own for much less.
Kombucha is naturally carbonated tea that starts with a Kombucha scoby (also called a starter or mushroom) which looks like a flat grayish disk – see the picture below. Since the scoby does grow and multiply, if you know of someone who already makes Kombucha, they may share with you. Mine came from my daughter-in-law, Jessica. The picture above shows Jessica’s Kombucha fermenting. There are also many sources available online. One company I have used for other starters is Cultures for Health and they also carry Kombucha scoby. The scoby is reused and transferred from one batch to the next and consists of yeast and bacteria which live together in a symbiotic relationship. SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast.
Once the scoby is combined with brewed tea, sugar and water, it is allowed to ferment for 7 – 10 days (depending on taste). The longer you leave the tea fermenting, the stronger the flavor will be. That being said, leave it for 7 days and begin tasting it daily. The majority of my family does not like it really strong – it tastes too much like apple cider vinegar – so I pour mine off before that point. It is easiest to make a gallon at a time. I was able to find 1 gallon glass jars at Walmart and had 4 of them going on top of my refrigerator at one time. I am now using two 3 gallon tea dispensers which is working very well.
A couple of notes to help with successful Kombucha:
- Make sure to use non-chlorinated water as chlorine will kill the scoby.
- The scoby needs sugar to live on – honey, rapadura or sugar substitutes will not work.
The following recipe is adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon – I multiply this recipe to make 6 gallons at a time.
Kombucha
3 quarts water (non-chlorinated)
4 organic black tea bags
1 c. sugar
1/2 c Kombucha from a previous batch ( you may use purchased Kombucha for your first batch)
1 Kombucha scoby
Other equipment needed: 1 gallon glass jar, cheesecloth to cover jar, rubberband, 1 gallon jar with tight fitting lid to fill with the finished Kombucha
Brew the tea by bringing water to a boil and adding the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep until cool and remove the tea bags.
Add sugar to the tea and stir until dissolved.
Make sure the tea is at room temperature and add 1/2 c of Kombucha from a previous batch and then add the scoby. (If the tea is hot it will kill the scoby)
Put a piece of cheesecloth over the top of the jar and secure with a rubber band - this allows air in but keeps bugs and dust out.
Place the jar in an out of the way place.
If your kitchen is warm, the Kombucha will ferment more quickly, so for the first batch or so, taste it after 3 or 4 days. Once the taste is to your liking, remove the scoby and place in another jar to begin your next batch.
The fermented Kombucha may be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed at will.
*I recommend Cultures for Health only after being a satisfied customer. If you choose to purchase from them, please use one of the links from Dimes2Vines as I do earn a small commission.
You may have noticed my latest recipe additions – Sauerkraut and Fermented Carrots - are fermented. Being on the GAPS Diet and reading about the health benefits of probiotics, I have purposefully added them to our family’s diet. One way to get probiotics is through fermented foods. But, not just “fermented” as in pickled, I mean “fermented” using the lacto-fermentation process. So, what is lacto-fermentation and why is it so healthy?
The result of lacto-fermentation is the proliferation of lactobacilli which increase the vitamin levels and make the fermented foods more digestible. These beneficial bacteria, lactobacilli, produce helpful enzymes, as well as, antibiotics and anti-carcinogenic substances.
Lactic acid is the main by-product of lactobacilli and has two important jobs:
- It helps preserve vegetables and fruits.
- Promotes the growth of healthy flora (or bacteria) throughout the intestines.
Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits bacteria which putrefies. Vegetables and fruits contain starches and sugars which are converted into lactic acid by the lactic-acid-producing bacteria. There are many species of these bacteria. One species, lactobacilli, are present on all living things and can be easily encouraged to grow.
Basically the lacto-fermentation process uses good quality produce, sea salt and water. Good quality produce provides the nutrients necessary for the lactobacilli to work. Sea salt is used to inhibit the growth of putrefying bacteria until enough lactic acid is produced. Once a sufficient amount of lactic acid is produced, the vegetables can be preserved for many months. Kefir (or whey)) is often used to “jump-start” the lactic-acid producing bacteria’s growth. Kefir (or whey) also helps to make the fermentation process more consistently successful.
You might wonder why, if lacto-fermented vegetables are so nutritious, the process is not used on a large scale for profit. The answer is simple – the lacto-fermentation process did not yield consistently predictable results when converted to an industrialized process. Changes were made to produce a more uniform product but unfortunately, that does result in a more nutritious one. Examples would be the addition of vinegar and pasteurization (which kills all the lactic-acid-producing bacteria which benefit the digestive system).
With the recipes I have posted utilizing the lacto-fermentation process, as well as any others you might find, there are a couple of important things to remember.
- Lacto-fermentation is an anaerobi process and once fermentation begins, the presence of oxygen will affect your results.During the sauerkraut fermentation, if you do not have something weighing the cabbage down below the surface of the liquid, you should push it down into the liquid using a clean spoon, morning and evening. If you do not, a mold may grow on the surface which is exposed to air. This mold normally can just be scooped out and thrown away with the remaining sauerkraut being fine. But, if your fermented vegetables taste or smell rotten – throw them out and start over. I have made many batches of both sauerkraut and fermented carrots and only one batch of sauerkraut went awry – there was no question that something was wrong and I threw it out and started over!
- The vegetables will expand slightly and may even become bubbly during the fermentation process. Make sure to leave a 1 inch space between the top of the vegetables and the top of the jar.
While there are a few brands of lacto-fermented vegetables available through health food stores, they tend to be rather expensive. I have enjoyed the adventure of learning the process and trying new recipes. I encourage you to give them a try also. I have several others I will be experimenting with and will let you know the results.
While we undertook the GAPS Diet as a family experiment, to make sure everyone had healthy gut bacteria, the results have been encouraging. I have detailed my experience with the GAPS (relief from rheumatoid arthritis pain and ability to eat meat after a 30 year “allergy”) but the family has also benefited. There are 4 main areas in which I see results:
1. Attentiveness: The children (especially the younger boys) are more focused with tasks.
2. Calmness: There is also a general sense of calmness rather than hyperactivity.
3. Physical:
- John has had an itchy spot on his back that is now gone. This very localized itch has been with him for over a year. We had decided it was either a nerve or perhaps a chemical used in the vineyard which spilled on his back.
- I continue to have relief from my arthritis pain, am the biggest fan of beef in the house (having been a herbivore for 30 years, I have found myself to be a carnivore at heart!) and am even out pruning in the vineyard! I have not been able to help with pruning for the past 4 years because of the joint pain in my hands! When we ordered new pruning shears for everyone, we did not even order mine – because there was no way with my hands in the shape they were (pre-GAPS) that I would ever be able to use them. Poor John – I am now using his and he has an old pair!
4. Menus:
- My style of cooking has changed considerably. No longer do I whip up a quick pasta meal or beans and rice – I must plan ahead. I know that menu planning saves money and gives a certain peace of mind, but it is also easier not to do it! I am also trying many new recipes. The children especially need the encouragement of “treats” made with honey. I have not baked much with honey and am enjoying the challenge of trying new recipes.
- More variation in our diet is now a priority. In an effort to keep everyone full and satisfied, I have added nut mixes (with soaked and dehydrated nuts), dried fruit (no sugar added), avocados, as well as, other vegetables we have not eaten before.
This “experiment” has definitely been life changing and even on the Full GAPS Diet and afterwards, we will continue to have plenty of probiotics in out diet. These will be in the form of kefir, sauerkraut, fermented carrots, as well as, other fermented vegetables that I want to try when our garden produce begins to be harvested.
We have just completed our second week on the GAPS Introduction Diet as a family. If you are not familiar with GAPS, you might like to read the GAPS Review to find out more. It definitely went much smoother than the first week! We continued with about 2 days per stage and very few symptoms of die-off were experienced. Everyone is feeling much better.
In Stage 4, I had introduced nut muffins which our bodies were just not ready to digest. At the end of the week, I tried them again, successfully this time – everyone was ecstatic! Anything resembling bread or a bread product was delicious!
Stage 5 involved the introduction of cooked fruit and raw vegetables. Each addition was made slowly and for vegetables, I began with raw carrots.
Stage 6 added raw apples and other fruits. We have to this point added apples and pears.
We are now entering the Full GAPS Diet which will be continued for a yet to be determined length of time. I will continue to add more new vegetables while at the same time staying away from the starchy ones like potatoes, okra and certain dried beans. These starchy vegetables turn quickly to sugar (a disaccharide as opposed to a monosaccharide like honey) and feed the “bad” bacterial which we are trying to bring under control. As our menus expand, the children are definitely happier and more satisfied – limiting ourselves sure can be challenging!
Kefir and fermented vegetable (homemade sauerkraut and fermented carrots) are here to stay in our diet. The probiotics in them are both economical and take very little preparation time in the kitchen. Grains will be left off for awhile and when re-introduced, I will soak them to help break down the phytic acid (an enzyme and calcium inhibitor). Everyone has been able to adjust to drinking water instead of a drink mix and I will be adding kombucha soon.
Many good changes have occurred in our family as a result of being on the GAPS Diet. While limiting ourselves, especially in sugar intake has been difficult, I have no doubt that we have given our bodies a jump start on bringing the “bad”, toxin producing bacteria in our gut under control.
After all, it is always good to practice self control!
Our daily routine is just that, pretty routine. Each morning after breakfast, we all walk to the vineyard to prune. I say “we” loosely, because this “we” also includes our two cows and Bob.
Each morning Buttercup (our black family milk cow) and Emme (short for Emmentaler cheese) wait for us by the hot wire fence to take them to the vineyard. Emme is a jersey heifer purchased with the anticipation of more milk but we have had problems breeding her. Hopefully, we will find out this week if she is pregnant or not. If not, she will probably be sold.  She is such a nice cow but a 700+ lb pet is a bit large to keep when she essentially brings no benefit through milk production.
With winter here there is not much green anything for them to graze. But, in the vineyard, we have rye planted between the rows to stop the dirt from blowing. It is beautiful and green and there are also plenty of weeds for them to eat – they love both! Allowing them to graze at the vineyard has really saved on our feed bill. Since the vines have not yet budded, there is nothing for them to hurt – it is a win-win situation.
The boys lead them over to the vineyard with a lasso around their necks (the cows’ necks, that is). They lead very easily and since each is wearing a cow bell, they ding-a-ling as they go.
As you can see from the picture below, a snack is needed for the journey! 1/6 of a mile is a long way!
Once at the vineyard, both cows go up and down the rows as if trying to find the most delicious mouthfuls. It brings back wonderful memories of our 4 years in Switzerland as they walk with their bells ringing. We used to hear both cows and sheep grazing on the hillsides with their bells ringing. Once the wind stops blowing so much (it might be awhile here in west Texas!), I would like to post a video so you can hear them too!
As always, the grass (or weeds in this case) is always greener on the other side of the vine row.
When their first course is complete, the wander up to the center of the vineyard where we have a barrel of water for them.
So goes the day – first, second, third, fourth and I honestly don’t know how many courses they actually have in their menu, until they are led home at evening!
Moving from lower Alabama to west Texas, we traded hurricanes for sand storms or haboobs. While they are much less life threatening than hurricanes, haboobs do create a dirt mess.
Normally, I am in the vineyard with John and the children every morning until lunchtime. After lunch, I stay home and put the two younger children down for a nap. While they are sleeping, I catch up on housework, cook and have a cup of coffee. Once they wake up, we walk back to the vineyard to put in a couple more hours of pruning before supper.
Yesterday, I had just gotten to the vineyard with our 3 year old riding piggyback, when John said, “Look! Do you want to be in that?” Turning around, I was met with the above picture – a haboob to the north and headed our way fast! You can see the red cloud above the horizon.
A haboob can move deceptively quickly. You think you have plenty of time to get home and before you know it, you are in the middle of dust, dirt and debris being thrown at you – yes, that is a voice of experience speaking 
Needless to say, we all started running and just made it to the door as the first wave of dirt began to pelt us. Whew!
Driving home from Georgia after attending my father-in-law’s funeral, I read aloud the GAPS book. It is such an interesting book and made so much sense, as far as, our overall health being related to our intestinal health. I had posted earlier about my experience with GAPS and the amazing relief I have found from my arthritis pain, as well as, beginning to eat meat for the first time in 30 years. So, even though we felt that our children were healthy,we decided to begin the Introduction Diet as a family. After all, I cook most of our meals from scratch, make our bread and overall have a healthy lifestyle. Since no one has health problems which stand out, we decided to take a couple of days per phase, just to make sure everyone’s intestinal bacteria is balanced and healthy.
We started last week in Phase 1 which basically consists of eating soups made from bone broth, the boiled meat cooked during the process of making the homemade broth, probiotic juice from homemade sauerkraut and kefir (since dairy is tolerated by all). I made beef (from our own grass fed steer) and chicken broth. Using the GAPS compatible cookbook, Internal Bliss, I tried new recipes which included, Creamy Garlic Soup, Carrot Soup, Slow Cooked Chicken Soup, Butternut Squash Soup and Cowboy Stew.
To our amazement, the children, especially the three younger ones (ages 3, 6, 9) had detoxification or die off symptoms. These are symptoms caused by the toxins released as the ”bad” bacteria die in the gut. Symptoms included nausea, headache, irritability and lethargy. Thankfully, by the end of the week, the symptoms were almost gone.
In Phase 2 we added eggs, as well as, casseroles made with meat and vegetables.
Everyone perked up with the addition of eggs but they sure missed the biscuits and jelly!
In Phase 3 we added avocados, sauerkraut, more cooked vegetables and muffins made with almond flour.
There were varying responses to the avocados. While we have had guacamole, we have never eaten plain avocados.
To begin with, I sliced 2 between the 9 of us in an effort to introduce new foods slowly. Instead of mashing them in our soup, I served the slices plain with eggs at breakfast. I think the texture was the main problem, especially for our 9 year old.
The big hit of the new phase, were the muffins. While they were not biscuits, they were delicious to souls starved for any type of bread product or even something resembling bread!
Unfortunately, we will not be having the nut muffins for a few days. Everyone seemed to react poorly. Intestinal gas was noticed by all.
In an effort to make the almonds as easily digestible as possible, I had soaked them in salt water overnight. This reduces and helps breakdown the phytic acid in the almonds. After soaking, I dehydrated them in the oven. Once dehydrated, I ground them in the food processor to make almond flour. Even with all this prep work, it was obvious that our gut was not ready for them. So, I will wait for several days and try them again.
Overall, the week has been very encouraging as I see the progress of the children. The presence of die off symptoms confirmed the fact that perhaps we are not such a healthy family after all and benefits will be reaped from this diet.
I have been on the GAPS diet since early November. In addition to the relief from my arthritis and being able to eat meat again, I have also noticed my hair and nails are growing once more. I had assumed they stopped growing as a result of a change in hormones related to menopause. Evidently, I was wrong and it was actually a nutrient absorption issue.
This is truly an eye opening and life changing experience for us as a family! While the GAPS diet is not difficult to follow, it does require commitment. Planning and preparation are also vital for success. To make it easier, I planned the weeks worth of meals at the beginning of the week. With the menu plan posted on the refrigerator, I was able to prepare everything as needed, even with the pruning in the vineyard!
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About Me 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has been challenging to say the least. I have had the opportunity to take a crash course in frugal living and become a real farm girl - complete with milk cow and chickens. I have learned the importance of health from the inside out, "traditional" cooking and cod liver oil!
I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have. |
