Sunday in Review

Up and out of the house before 8:30 this morning to pick raspberries.  Brandon, Ron and I started out and Renee joined us by the time we got to the second spot.  We picked a huge amount (a little over 7 lbs) and I plan on going again in a couple of days.  These bushes are along places where there once was some railroad tracks.  I also spotted a small patch of blackberries that should be ready in a month or so.  Right now the berries are in the fridge and I plan on making some raspberry jam and a raspberry cobbler tomorrow after I get the cheese started.

We separated the milk today that we got yesterday in the electric cream separator that Gale sent me.  After churning the cream into butter I see where we will need to adjust the cream setting, it is all by trial and error.  When I get the milk out to make cheese tomorrow I will try and skim some more cream from the top.  I also need to save a little of it to make a quiche for supper one night this week.  I think we will go down to get a little milk this coming weekend so we can try and get the adjustment set so I can have more butter to take to Gale when we go to Texas next month.  So far I got 1 lb and 5 oz of butter put in the freezer to take.  

Here is another time saving recipe to use, it is for Corn Bread Mix and I keep a batch of this in the fridge at all times.

Corn Bread Mix

4 cups flour

4 cups yellow cornmeal

2 cups instant nonfat dry milk or dry buttermilk powder

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.  Makes 10 cups.

For Corn Bread or Corn Muffins:

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/4 cup Corn Bread Mix

Mix first 3 ingredients, add Corn Bread Mix until moistened.  Pour into greased loaf pan or muffin pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes at 425 degrees.

Milk going through the separator.

Butter in the churn.

After the butter is done I put it back in the churn, add cold water and churn for 15 seconds or so to wash the buttermilk out of the butter.  You need to try to remove the most you can so it keeps longer.

Look at those delicious raspberries.

This many berries is a lot of hard work but worth it.

Butter for Gale, it is so deep yellow.  The color is so much deeper at this time of year.  In the winter when the cows don't have grasses to eat the butter is almost pure white instead of the nice yellow.