Thursday 25 April 2013

Bits of kit

In the post are: 1 milk separator so I can get the cream out of our goats milk. This is coming from the Ukraine, from 'Merry-Farm'. Seen the YouTube video, which is in English Apparently the instruction booklet is not. It is in Russian apparently, but with an English translation which is not understandable. 

Then there are cultures for making cheese from the goats milk coming from the UK, from BrewUk. This was  a handy site, might have a go at making a brew later on. Also, cheese moulds, thermometers, butter muslin and other stuff from Homestead Farms, who also had hoof stuff for the sheep, and harnesses for the puppies whose lead walking training has not been done yet, and they are as big as Boolie (our Springer Spaniel) so they are inevitably going to be pulling me along at full pelt, hence the harnesses. 

From Amazon UK, there is a Kenwood food processer coming so I can turn the cream which comes out of the milk via the Merry-Farm separator into butter. It was the same price as an electric butter churner, but will help me with other things such as prepping the veggies. I could churn the butter by hand. You do this by putting cream into a glass jar and shaking that jar up and down for ages. I had a trial run using milk. After five minutes my arm ached and my hand felt like it was going to drop off. But I have opted for a manual separator rather than the electric one, so I should still get some exercise. 

Then from UKJuicers there is the biggest bit of kit and that is an Excalibur dehydrator. 

From America I have already received the All American Pressure Canner. 

Now all I have to do is read the books which are also on their way, keep watching helpful YouTube vids, and then start practising the skills of cheese making, butter making, canning, dehydrating, and going round the bend. 

And this all because for years I had the urge to grow my own veggies. Then I met Lester. Then France came into our lives. Then an urge grew in Lester to have farm animals. Then we moved to France, to our undeveloped five acres of land which we have spent the last five years making into a smallholding. That is why I need to learn these new skills, because I have to do something with the harvests, both animal, fruit, and vegetable, that we are producing. 

Phew! And here I am, at sixty six years of age, learning all these new things. And I couldn't do it without all those other people who have the skills which I don't have at the moment, and who take the time to post up vids on YT to help people like me learn, plus the inspiration I get from the blogging community. 

The Internet is not such a good place for many things, but for learning new things then it is priceless. 

So all this lot is supposed to be arrived in a week or so. Meanwhile I had better get on with trying to get the veg plots going. Or maybe I shall collapse in a heap. Which I don't have time to do. But I would if I did. Or maybe not. Life is just too interesting.........

7 comments:

Diane said...

Wow you are going to be so busy learning how all the new equipment works let alone using it :-) Have fun Diane

Denise said...

No time for mischief making with all that kit, eh Vera!!

Vera said...

Diane, you are right! I still haven't opened the All American Canner yet and I have had that a week!

Denise......one can always find time for a little bit of mischief making!

rusty duck said...

I ask myself daily how we ever managed without the internet, and yet it is so few years since we did.

Vera said...

Jessica, you are right. My computer and its links to the Internet are the most the vital tools of my work, both as a writer and smallholder. Without them I would not be able to keep moving forward.

Horst in Edmonton said...

That's fantastic Vera, wish I were there to help you and Lester out. At least you have Lester to help when Needed. Learning is always fun, but it is most fun when the light in your brain is switched on and you say Aha, that's how it works. Have a fun weekend Vera.

Vera said...

Horst, what a lovely way of describing the excitement of learning new things!