Fall Farm Update

Woo-wee what a year! We are sad to see the end of the grazing season, but glad to be done with
the work of irrigation! The good snow pack helped us to grow excellent grass this year and the
main dairy pastures continue to improve. Although we lost a new seeding we tried to plant, our
sprinkler system did help us grow more high quality grass than we could of with the old flood
irrigation system. We received a good run of water this fall and filled the soil profile on most
of the fields, so we are in good shape to start growth next spring. We also planted 16 acres of
triticale, a cousin to wheat, for early spring grazing, which will help stretch the hay supply.

The drought in Texas and much of the Southwest has caused hay supplies to dwindle quickly in
Colorado and the price to more than double. While we do grow the majority of the hay we need,
we will still have to purchase several hundred bales to get to our first cutting in late May. As the
productivity of the dairy pastures and our grazing management improves each year, we continue
to reduce our need for purchased hay.

The “girls” are looking good this fall, nice clean hair coats and plenty of body fat to get through
the winter. Autumn is one of our favorite times of the year. The bugs are gone, not to hot or
cold, and we start to slow down a little. An otherwise beautiful season was marred by the loss of
Noel last month, but we were blessed last week by the births of 2 more heifers, the last calves of
the year. And the cycles of our farm continue!


Happy piggies!
 

New Life on the Farm

Whoever said that cows that eat only grass are skinny and unhealthy haven't seen Punky!


The girl calf, named Roxstar after her grandma, Roxy, who sported a similar white star on her forehead.


Punky and Roxstar on 11/22

Yogurt and Kefir

• Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match.
• Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.
• Kefir also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which dominate, control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body. They do so by penetrating the mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria reside, forming a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and strengthens the intestines. Hence, the body becomes more efficient in resisting such pathogens as E. coli and intestinal parasites.
• Kefir’s active yeast and bacteria provide more nutritive value than yogurt by helping digest the foods that you eat and by keeping the colon environment clean and healthy. Because the curd size of kefir is smaller than yogurt, it is also easier to digest, which makes it a particularly excellent, nutritious food for babies, the elderly and people experiencing chronic fatigue and digestive disorders.

Also from the Nourishing Kitchen site comes a great description of what kefir really is:  "Milk kefir is cultured from a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) that is coloquially referred to as kefir grains.   The appearance of these small colonies of bacteria and yeast vaguely resembles that of cottage cheese or even cauliflower.   Milk kefir grains are white, lumpy and gelatinous and are comprised primarily of lactic acid producing bacteria including lactobacillus brevis, streptococcus thermophillus, lactobacillus casei, lactobacillus helveticus, lactobacillus delbrueckii as well as yeasts that include candida maris, candida inconspicua and saccharomyces cerevisiae.   Though, of course, strains of bacteria present may differ from one culture of grains to another.

Obscure and exotic as it may seem, milk kefir is neither difficult to acquire nor difficult to prepare.   As with many traditional foods, its beauty lies in its simplicity.   It’s easy to begin preparing kefir and incorporating it into your family’s dietary rotation.   Once you’ve acquired a kefir grains, simply mix them in with milk – preferably raw – and allow it to culture at room temperature for 24 – 48 hours.   As it cultures at room temperature, the beneficial strains of bacteria and benign natural yeasts will proliferate, metabolize the milk’s lactose and create a sour, thick beverage replete with vitamins, probiotics, kefiran and other nourishing components.   The longer milk kefir cultures the more sour and folate-rich it becomes, but take care not to culture it too long lest it become unpalatable."

1. Place 1 Tablespoon kefir grains in the bottom of a clean mason jar. Cover with 1 quart fresh milk.
2. Very loosely, place the lid and band on the mason jar.   You do not want to tighten it because, as with all fermentation, carbon dioxide is created and needs to escape.  Culture for 24 – 48 hours at room temperature.   For a for a thin, mild kefir you can culture for 12 hours.
3. Once culturing is complete, strain milk kefir into a new mason jar, cap and refrigerate.  Begin reculturing a new batch of kefir, if desired or allow your kefir grains to rest in water in the refrigerator for a few days until you’re ready to make kefir again.