Fresh meat and milk.

[pitwab]

The cow I bought for the wife as a others day present six years ago once again came through the winter with a calf in her belly. It came out this morning and we will have fresh milk for a month until we put her out to pasture with three calves to raise until fall when we will again milk her when we have the time.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Kids%20and%20critters/IMG_0537_zps6e479ad9.jpg

Here is a calf I got free from a feedlot the other day for her to raise and I will get one more this weekend.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Kids%20and%20critters/IMG_0534_zps7909a27a.jpg

A pic of her calves from last year.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Kids%20and%20critters/IMG_5973.jpg

They are doing well.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Kids%20and%20critters/IMG_0526_zpsc8ffbdce.jpg

[zap]

Nice, real food.

[mick silver]

look like you teaching your son how to work and think on his own ... good job

[pitwab]

Well now that the cow has had time to work the colostrum through her system and we feel it is good enough for our use I will show a couple ways we use to gather cream.
First is probably the oldest as well. Just put the milk in a container and let the cream rise to the top.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0608_zpscc8f4ee4.jpg

Them skim it off.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0613_zpsac28592f.jpg

The only problem with this method is the room it takes up.
The second method involves the use of mechanics and centrifugal force to remove the cream. The separator removes the cream in minutes so storage is much easier but cleanup is a [female dog].
The discs used in the separator.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0600_zpseeccca15.jpg

Held in by the bell.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0602_zps6c439c95.jpg

Which better be tight.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0603_zps4dacaa6d.jpg

All together with spouts and bowl.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0607_zps07c7aaf7.jpg

Fill er up
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0609_zpse5ba813d.jpg

And let it go.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0610_zps7d38c0bd.jpg

The skimmed milk that tastes great and makes pigs, calves, chickens, dogs and cats fat and lazy. I grew up using whole milk on everything but the wife likes skimmed milk for drinking and cereal, this lets us both have our way.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0611_zps57468990.jpg

The cream that makes butter, whipped cream, baking and artery's harden.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0612_zps69991012.jpg


Is it worth it? Obviously to us it is cause we get to have the product fresh and the cost is low[time with the critters and doing chores could have been wasted watching an electronic box]. As we can't sell this anymore it's amazing how the neighbors manage to come over for old times sake and that is a huge bonus. Fresh meat and dairy is only a part of the advantages of owning your own cow. The garden utilizes the manure, the kids learn responsibility and the critters are friends who will listen to your life problems with only a lick or a kick once in awhile.

[pitwab]

Well the wife left us yesterday morning at 6am so we have to fend for ourselves. I made a corn chowder with fresh milk that the boys devoured cause it was soooooooooooooo good.

Then the 13 year old made a cake from scratch and the 16 year old whipped up 2 cups of cream from yesterday[needs to be cold for good whipping] and they had bought some fresh strawberries at the grocery store[45 miles away] cause ours ain't outta the ground yet this year.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0620_zps42309b31.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0619_zpsb8ab906b.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0618_zps7e01950e.jpg

People it might not be heaven but it sure as heck is the best place on this planet to eat and knowing my offspring can do this makes my life about complete.
Good weather for hot chowder and strawberry short cake too.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Snow/IMG_0616_zps6c1cca3a.jpg

[pitwab]

Those who wish to be prepared or just like living a different life style using old methods and pure goodness to enjoy their food will want to make butter. Even in a catastrophe people who have the where with all and a bit of knowledge can produce food that is enjoyable and will sustain life nicely. Those who have followed along with me know I do things a mite different than most but I/we enjoy it.[Not like we can't go to a city it's just that we choose not to mostly] Tonight we took 3 quarts of the cream you saw us make.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0625_zps5b44eb1c.jpg

Donny got to pick the churn we would use this time[I suppose I have maybe 20 different ones] from 2 we hadn't used yet. You can use most anything that moves the cream to make butter, just a jar to shake it in, a mix master, a churn or whatever your imagination can muster.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0626_zps8802b6f0.jpg

The family even went along with my idea of using weight as a way of telling butter fat content[I can now tell you that we turned the screw on the seperator in to make richer cream]
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0628_zpsd7d32915.jpg

He washed his choice cause cleanliness is next to not getting a slap upside the head here and poured in the cream.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0630_zps31b07a6e.jpg

Then.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0632_zps864f199d.jpg

After dumping the butter milk out and many wash's with cold water in the churn it comes out looking like this.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0636_zps64bfe998.jpg

Now you wash and work it more to get all the milk out as that is what can sour your gold. http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0637_zpsfe209132.jpg

You end up with a product that is tough to beat and looking in one of our old books the wife found a an old recipe[kinda/sorta that called for 1 oz of salt to every pound of butter. Now I ain't a scientist but I used 1/2 teaspoon on this 1 1/2 lbs of butter and the taste test by three boys and myself said it was enough. Makes me think the old boys with out refrigeration didn't depend on the salt to maybe help keep the butter better longer[I don't know cause I ain't a scientist. Is it worth it to make your own butter financially, NO. But it is fun to do some and knowing how can maybe come in handy someday.

We will have butter milk pancakes, chocolate cake and toast with fresh butter that is to die for.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh145/pitw75/Making%20food/IMG_0638_zps09f85a55.jpg

Thanks for allowing me to share and now that my work season is about to start we will be putting the extra calves on the cow and not have fresh milk in about two weeks. This fall we will be back at it though and the boys have expressed an interest in making cheese.

[Camp Bassfish]

Best thread in a long time...... thanks for sharing!

[pitwab]

Best thread in a long time...... thanks for sharing!

Your welcome.

[mick silver]

good looking set up pitwab . more people need to learn how to make what they need and grow food