cheese

We saw wheels of cheese on display at the huge food show, Salone Del Gusto, in Turin, Italy.  They were naked, so to speak, except that many were covered in a fine white mold.  Earlier, at Nijmegan in the Netherlands, where we stopped to find the orphanage from which my great grandparents had emigrated to America, we saw huge wheels of that most Dutch of all cheeses, gouda, on display in shop windows.  Many of these were covered in a wax coating.  The Dutch, you know, are famous for washing their front stoop on a daily basis.  Quirky people, the Dutch.  Very clean.  In America I have found that in order to enjoy a good gouda, which I very much love, I must buy it covered in the wax but then also wrapped in plastic.  This makes Americans what?  "Nuts" jumps to mind.

Jim    

sideways

We were at the southern tip of the major rain/wind event that moved through northern Kandiyohi on the morning of this 19th of May.  The rain fell sideways against our south facing kitchen windows and I ate my breakfast watching it and wondering at how much it must be like viewing a very clear river from the bottom.  I think building construction must be a different process here on the prairie compared to the more eastern and wooded parts of our Midwest, as the walls here must be as water proof as the roof.

Did you ever consider how inaccurate rain gauges are in a strong wind?  To prove it, hold a water glass upright but tilted away from you so you can see it in the same way wind driven rain hits the gauge and see how much smaller the open top is!

Half inch this time.  (or whatever) We are going to need it.

Jim   

blood moon

I missed the blood moon (lunar eclipse) this morning at two o'clock. Thinking that it is, after all, April, my body chose to sleep through rather than continue the winter's routine of checking the barn for new piglets and malfunctioning heaters in the middle of every night.  It's a pity.  However, as compensation, the skies have been truly spectacular most of those winter nights.  It comes of our recent trend toward high pressure systems, I guess.

I look forward to the completion of our geothermal application in the new building, plus installation of photovoltaic solar panel support for the electricity it uses.  Since we cannot rely on a strictly seasonal approach to production due to our meat sales, we must take what measures we can to reduce our impact upon the environment due to fuel use.

And perhaps next time on the blood moon.

Jim 

polar vortex

Well, this week's "polar vortex" is coming in right on schedule.  A foot of snow predicted. Wonder if it will continue right through April?  I want to be thinking about crop seeds and turning animals to pastures, not whether to move or wade through one more layer of snow.  One thing is that the the sun gets stronger daily and will eventually win out over the cold air currents.  May, perhaps?

Jim 

long winter

Now the legislature is rushing money out to help people with huge heating bills, especially those who use LP gas.  This is one of the things they can be sure is right to do.  Nobody should freeze in this wealthy country.  On the farm, this winter has been savage and tiring, too.  Our new hog farrowing facility is not completely finished and we have been able to use a fuel oil heater in there on a temporary basis, rather than rushing into the gas-fired heater which will be the permanent installation.  We are out there each cold night at three or four making sure everything is working alright.  This winter teaches, among other things, that we need to link the geothermal in there with some additional solar heat so that the fuel truck visits us less often. 

Much time and fuel is used in clearing the yard of snow every few days as the wind constantly blows it full again.  Each episode ties up one of us for most of a day, getting us back into working order again.  The snow piles here are huge.  Each midweek, it seems, when we must deliver animals to the processor, features its own snowstorm or blizzard.  Diesel fuel tends to gel in the sub zero temperatures. 

Most of the non farrowing livestock depends upon bedding and windbreak to tough it through the winter.  Cold stress is a heavy burden on health, for them and for us.  Feed use nearly doubles.  We will applaud the end of winter. 

spring

Now we have warmer weather for a few days, with temps collapsing this weekend, but not to their typical (for this winter) lows below zero.  The soil is showing up in places as the snow pack compacts and melts back.  This will soak up the heat from the late winter sun and enable a good runup in temperature the next time a warm front comes through.  Ever the farmers, our thoughts turn to new baby animals and seeds.  The longer days and warmer temps invite long snowshoe tramps across the fields and pastures.  It is our annual awakening!

Jim

Out to the sun

The weather took a turn for the better, with calmer winds and temps in the low thirties for the past few days.  Not warm enough or long enough to melt the glare ice on the yard, but nice enough to tempt the sow herd out and get them started on the silage bales we set out for them.  We like to see the sows having forage in their diets for their good health, but it has been a problem when the pastures aren't available.  This year we set out plastic wrapped grass/alfalfa wet bales and they are really tearing into it.  They like the silage smell I think.  We know it's good for them.  Improves their temperament too, and makes them easier to work with.  That's good for us as well.

Jim