Hi all, I can’t believe that this time has come around again. Is it already the end of February? In some ways it only feels like we have had Christmas, but as you will see a lot has happened since my last post in January. I hope you approve of the monthly blog. I definitely feel that I have more to put in.
I have updated some more YouTube videos recently. The most recent one, is connected to my hotbed and seed sowing progress.
If you do enjoy the video, could you click the subscription (which does NOT cost you anything, it just helps the channel to grow) and a like would be fab. Also, if you click the bell , you will be notified every time I make a video. That way you won’t miss anything. No worries if not, I know that it isn’t everyone’s thing.
In preparation for the relaunch of my honesty box, I have purchased a new banner. Visually, this will also help people to find us. I am really excited about this and hope it is all I hope it will be. I have already started to add some bits to the stall, but I do need to advertise it on the local FB pages etc for it to be a success. There will be a lot more available in the near future, as you will see when you read on.
The alpacas are doing well. Bless them, Angel and Maddy, seem to be dealing with their pregnancy well. I wouldn’t have wanted to have carried a baby for 11 months, so hats off to them. Their fleece is getting extra thick at the moment and I feel for them when the weather is mild as they must feel rather warm. They will be asking for a spray down soon! If you want to see them being cooled down last year, here is a link: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChPglb6q2kB/ . They are due to be sheared in May. I haven’t been given an exact date yet, but I am sure that they will feel much better once their fleece is off. Although they are pregnant and shearing can be upsetting for them, it is still better to shear them. It is a legal requirement to shear alpacas, as they are unable to lose their own fleece, so for their health, this needs to be carried out. The girls are due to unpack in July, so they should be fine. The shearer is very experienced, and I have faith in his abilities. I will be sure to share photos with you, once it has been carried out. Polly, who is not pregnant is doing well. She is used to being halter led now and I intend to carry out more of this over the spring. I will be inviting people to come and walk her and meet the other animals. This will very much be a bespoke experience and as a 1:1 visit. More will be shared about this in the near future.
We only have 2 goats now. Bobbin left us for a new home with some guernsey goats in Crediton, at Higher Binneford Farm As you can see, she looks to have settled in well. I have to say that it was a pleasure selling Bobbin to the farm as they were absolutely lovely people. I knew that she was going to the right place, with people who would really care about her.
Toffee has also been sold to a lovely lady. She has found her new home in Isle of Anglesey. We transported her to Bristol and then her new owner took her the rest of the way. Similarly, she had gone to join a herd of guernsey goats and I know that she will be very happy. She didn’t have a second glance, when she jumped up into the cloud of hay, that the lady had in the back of her car for her. You can see her with some of her new herd here.
The focus is now on Snow and Storm, as they are due to kid at the end of March and beginning of April. Due to wanting to do the best for them, I have been lucky enough to be allowed to support Polmarkyn Dairy with their kidding, to gain more experience. I have been very lucky, as I have got to know Katie and Glyn at Polmarkyn Dairy. They are an absolutely lovely couple and I really enjoy their enthusiasm and company. They were recently featured on BBC 2, Rick Stein’s, Cornwall series 3, episode 1. They have been a great source of inspiration and knowledge and I thank them greatly for their kind support. I have also been involved in a course to ensure that I am as prepared as possible.
There has been a lot to get organised for the kidding. Moving areas around, making sure I have a prepped, clean area for kidding. As well as all of the things that you might need and will need, such as, iodine to dip the umbilical cord, to ensure no infection sets in; scissors for the umbilical cord (if required); gloves; Hibiscrub, to wash your hands in; lubricant gel – I think that needs no explanation, numerous other things but an essential is towels, to dry the kids off. Well, that is if I know that they are kidding. Knowing my luck, they will hide it from me, and I will come in to find a gorgeous new kid or two. Or is that wishful thinking? As much as I hear that most kidding is uneventful and goes without a hitch, there is that niggling feeling that something could go wrong, so being prepared is the best I can do. I know that I have Katie to call on and Castle vets if I need to. Also, there are some amazing Facebook pages of support and advice.
The chickens are all doing well, even though they are in chicken lockdown! They obviously know spring is on its way as they are beginning to pick up their egg production. They are having lots of treats and are given food that can encourage as natural behaviour as possible. None of this makes up for free ranging but we can do nothing about that. I just hope that it doesn’t last as long as last year, which was may! November to May is a long time. I have had to rethink my rare breed flock. So I have the birds I had initially and will continue with these. In the future I may look into some new breeds.
I have been very busy knitting with the gorgeous alpaca fleece. I have made some lovely garments, which are on my website and Etsy. Feel free to have a look. I have also been dabbling with macramé, I used to create plant holders when I was younger but had forgotten how to do it. Thank goodness for YouTube! I have created some lovely pieces and will be adding them to the website very soon. I want to get some lovely little pots for taking the pictures. It has been lovely relearning an old skill. Maybe you could have a go at something that you used to do. Hopefully, you will feel the sense of achievement I have. I have been busy planting seeds and the germination rate has been pretty good. I do not have a propagator or a polytunnel as yet, so I decided to make a hotbed. This has worked brilliantly and has really given me a head start with my seeds. I’m working to integrate flowers with vegetables and salads this year in an effort to work with nature. Therefore, by companion planting, this should help to improve my success rate and work to give me better crops. For example, if I plant onions along with carrots, the onions should deter the carrot root fly and in tern the carrot should deter the onion fly. This is also the reason that I have planted field beans as a green manure. After the beans have grown, they can be cut up and used as a mulch, and the root nodules give off nitrogen, which improves the soil. This then means that you do not need to feed the soil, other than adding compost, manure or such like over the winter months.
Now for a recipe which I have used that we really love. I hope you do too.
Recipe
I adapted the Tesco Mushroom, Squash and Barley recipe as my husband wouldn’t like the barley. The following recipe is amazing. I would whole heartedly advise you to try it. I also adapted if for 2 persons but you adapt as you require it.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small red onions, finely diced
300g closed-cup mushrooms, sliced – I swapped this out for their finest Exotic mushroom selection 220G and just added in some extra mushroom
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp plain flour
150g pearl barley – I swapped this out for 100g of potatoes (boiled with the fresh squash for 5-10mins)
1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 1ltr – you only need approximately 500ml if not cooking barley
100g soft cheese – I used the Polmarkyn soft salad goat cheese for this and it tasted divine
250g diced frozen squash – I added and 3xtra 50g of squash. I used fresh squash but boiled it with the potatoes for 5-10 mins to soften slightly
½ Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded – I had kale in the garden so used this instead.
15g fresh parsley, chopped
6 sheets filo pastry – you could easily use more of this if your dish had a wider opening
1 broccoli head, cut into florets – this could be any accompanying vegetable
1 tbsp milk
Method – using my amendments
If using fresh potato and squash put on the boil for 5-10 mins. Cook until slightly softening.
Whilst watching the potato and squash don’t over cook, heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof, shallow casserole dish or a deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions and mushrooms for 6-8 mins until soft. Add the garlic, fry for 1 min, then add the flour. Mix until the flour disappears.
Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C.
Now, add the stock, along with drained potatoes and squash to the mushroom mix. Stir in carefully not to break up the potatoes and squash too much.
Stir in the cheese, squash, cabbage (unless using and alternative) and parsley. Now add approximately 500ml water. I would advise adding in 300ml and seeing how this looks. You do not want it too sloppy, just lose. Simmer for about 5 mins until thickened again. Remove from the heat.
If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer to a pie dish. Scrunch up the filo sheets and add them to the top of the pie – you don’t need to layer them, just make sure there are lots of folds and peaks. Brush the top of the pastry with some milk, then bake for 15-20 mins until golden.
While the pie is cooking, boil the broccoli florets (or chosen veg) for 4-6 mins until tender; drain well. Serve alongside the pie.
Now enjoy
Please let me know if you made it and what you thought. It has to be one of my favourite meals.
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s blog. So it is bye for now and I look forward to updating you on our goings on in a months’ time. However, if you feel that you need a Pintail fix, pop on over to YouTube to see what is going on, and also watch for updates on both Instagram and Facebook. I do try to keep them as up to date as possible.
Take care for now,
Cathy
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