A little cheddar

Things weren't going too well,

only in the pot should have been tidy curds,

but they weren't.

So, what to do, give it to the dogs, pigs, and chickens,

or carry on and see what happened,

thinking that perhaps I would benefit from the experience in the future.

Which is what I did.

Which is always what I do when I am in a fix,

carry on and hope for the best.

So I ladled,

...and drained, and pressed....

..and pressed some more...

...and eventually, this is what I arrived at...

My first farmhouse cheddar!

Heaven only knows what it tastes like,

but nibbles from around the edges say it does not taste awful,

so I think that it will taste of its own self.

Will have to wait for at least a month before we have another nibble.

I like cheese making.

I like the way the milk behaves when things are added to it,

which reminds me that it is a living organism,

which will arrive at a certain state of being,

depending upon what the hell I am doing with it.

One bowl of sliced red and green peppers,
bought on offer at the supermarket...

...made one jar and one ziplock bag of dried peppers.

The jar on the right is dried celery.

There is something satisfying about building a store cupboard,

and now I have a little cheddar cheese which may or may not go mouldy ,

which may or may not taste horrid,

but at least I had a go.

And I have a little supply of dehydrated veggies, 
and these I managed to get right, I think.

I did have a little supply of dehydrated bananas, kiwis and apples,

but we ate them,

well, they were yummy, so I got them right.

The gang saying hi, 

but not Boolie because he has his nose in chicken poo.

This was taken a couple of days ago.

Yesterday we were at 29, 

today we are not.