The lost hawthorns, a newcomer, and milk.....

Continuing on with Wild Foodying.....

The Hawthorn Project, 

the gathering of the leaves and berries. 

..... it hasn't happened, because we did have hawthorns alongside a portion of our woodland, but now there is not. Was it the constant flooding from the river last winter, do hawthorns not like wet feet? Or is it the bully-boy tactics of the robust blackthorn bushes, which are romping away, growing much more of itself, thereby suffocating the hawthorns into non-existence. Anyway, I was quite disappointed that my foraging expedition turned out to be a failure.

However, there is one hawthorn left, and that is on the side of the veg plot, which Lester had earmarked to be dug up because he wanted to shift the fence line and it was in the way. Oh so now it has become protected and untouchable, because I am expecting great harvests in the future from that little bush.

But I did pick up on another Wild Foodying Project, and that is the harvesting of the blackthorn berries, sloes they are called. A search on the internet as to what to do with them came up with the info that they can be used very successfully to make sloe gin, which apparently is a super duper drink to have a Christmas. This does not appeal, so further searches came up with the info that jam and chutney can be made from the sloes, but only after they have had the frost on them. No use waiting for frost here because the birds would have had them away long before the cold spell arrives, so I shall pick them and keep them in the freezer until I have time to do something with them.

The acorns are now dropping off our numerous oak, so I did another internet search to see if they were harvestable for us, but no, I do not think so because of the many steps that has to be done to make them usable to eat. Therefore, they are to be harvested for the pigs, who fall over with delight whenever acorns are given to them.

*******

10.30 this morning saw us on the road.

11.45 saw us back home again,

with the mission of the day being unsuccessful.

What were we up to?

Getting a boy for our girls,

in other words,

getting a ram for our ewes. 

Emailed directions concentrated on looking for a 'Virgin Mary' and a pigeonnier.

We saw plenty of 'Jesus on the Cross' statues,

but none of Virgin Mary, and defo no pigeonnier.

Still, it was a lovely drive....

Not to worry.

A phone call to the current owners of the ram remedied the situation,

and a second foray was successful.

2.30 this afternoon,

and I was holding on to a hot and sweaty ram,

who was sat in the back seat of the car.

He did not much like being there.

I was not much fussed about having to hang over the back of the front passengers seat,

having been instructed by Lester to "Hold onto him".

Good job I have strong fingers,

a result of hours of practice on the accordion and piano.

But I did feel queasy.

Going backwards was not something me or my tummy liked very much.

Anyway, he is home now,

but has to be kept away from his girls for a few weeks,

this he does not like either.

Tough!

We have to put four ewes into the freezer before he can do his thing.

It is the way of life on a smallholding.

******

And we have milk coming into the kitchen,

Lester having milked a litre from Lissie,

who did not mind at all,

although the boy calf did not look too fussed about sharing his supper.

Tonight he is in with his half sister, Bonny,

because Lester is going to try milking Lissie tomorrow morning instead of the evening.

Yahay!!! Milk!!!!

Vx