Jude 2

We got her yesterday. Here are some pictures

We have so much to learn! It is all quite difficult right now, and kind of scary being so close to a cow's feet to milk. We are milking twice a day, though later on, a few weeks after she calves, we should be able to milk just once a day.

But her milk tastes absolutely wonderful, and we have nearly 3 inches of cream on a one gallon jar of milk

I would appreciate your prayers--for strength, safety, and perseverance as we try this very new thing.

The first one is a pic of my husband and I during our first milking. You can just see my wild hair behind him. lol.

Is she a Jersey or a Swiss. It's been awhile since I judged such. Nice looking though.

Tracy, do you live on a farm? Is the cow to save money on milk? Love of animals? Just curious.

She looks like one of those "happy California cows" you see in those commercials. She is a beaut! Wait till you make real butter from the cream...it is sooooooo good. As a kid I use to churn butter at my aunt's house...I still remember the way it tasted. Send me some, please, please, please...

We never bought dairy products when I was a boy because my grandparents (pastors) house was always stocked with milk, buttermilk, butter, and even eggs, fresh from the farms of their church members. The milk and buttermilk were in gallon jars, and the butter was in molds with flower designs on top. You had to skim the cream off the top of the milk before pouring it. The taste of that milk and butter.... There is nothing like it.

Our pastor was talking about this very thing (analogy of watered-down christianity) in his sermon this morning; that everything now is homogenized (blended) so much so that you don't know what the real thing tastes like any more. He even made the statement that today's store-bought milk is just "white water."

Tracy, I envy your tastebuds!

Keep her out of the wild onions!


Or your milk will have a "special flavor".

Oh yes--onions. I dread it when she finds some. I know there are some out there in her pasture, and we tried pulling some. But you just can't get them all.

I would like to make butter! My mother-in-law brought me her mother's hand crank butter churn.

She is a full Guernsey. We really wanted a breed that gives lots of cream, and they rank next to the highest, after Jerseys. She is bred to a Guernsey bull; she is due to calve around Sept 18.

Dajudge, we are not farmers, but we live on a farm. Does that make sense? ha. My husband works full time, but we are interested in producing some of our own food. The health benefits are one of the biggest reasons that we are doing this. But also cost--we have put in a large garden this year to help save money. See me in a few weeks to see who won the weed battle-I or they.

See me in a few weeks also to see how I am doing with this cow; boy, is life different as we get used to this. God is blessing though--she is actually very well behaved. I'm just too nervous. And I've got to get over that if this is going to work.

soulsearcher wrote:Tracy, I envy your tastebuds!

Tracy, hope you notice I edited to your name. Happy farming!

soulsearcher wrote:

soulsearcher wrote:Tracy, I envy your tastebuds!

Tracy, hope you notice I edited to your name. Happy farming!

Thanks soulsearcher, I feel the love!!!

Linda wrote:

soulsearcher wrote:

soulsearcher wrote:Tracy, I envy your tastebuds!

Tracy, hope you notice I edited to your name. Happy farming!

Thanks soulsearcher, I feel the love!!!

Let's see, Linda, what about you CAN I envy? Oh, I know. Besides your sweet spirit, I envy that adorable little blue "pal" you are cuddling in your Avatar.

Tracy wrote:Dajudge, we are not farmers, but we live on a farm. Does that make sense? ha. My husband works full time, but we are interested in producing some of our own food. The health benefits are one of the biggest reasons that we are doing this. But also cost--we have put in a large garden this year to help save money. See me in a few weeks to see who won the weed battle-I or they.

Sounds good. I'd like to do some of that myself.

soulsearcher wrote:The milk and buttermilk were in gallon jars, and the butter was in molds with flower designs on top.

We have my great grandmothers old butter mold with just such a flower design in the top of it. I didn't know they all had them like that.

DaJudge, awesome that you actually have those molds! In my memory, I can see us unwrapping butter from the waxpaper (as a cast iron skillet full of my grandmother's biscuits baked in the oven.) Mmmmmm.

soulsearcher wrote:DaJudge, awesome that you actually have those molds! In my memory, I can see us unwrapping butter from the waxpaper (as a cast iron skillet full of my grandmother's biscuits baked in the oven.) Mmmmmm.

You are making me hooongry. Not hungry.... hoooongry. There's a difference, as all Southerners know.

DaJudge wrote:

soulsearcher wrote:The milk and buttermilk were in gallon jars, and the butter was in molds with flower designs on top.

We have my great grandmothers old butter mold

That is exciting. You can order them new, along with a butter paddle.

I really want to make butter soon. But to tell you the truth, I am so overwhelmed with the cow right now that I can't tackle learning to make butter. I know I can do it in the blender pretty quickly, but--one thing at a time.