Warm Winter Rumblings

This has been an unseasonably warm and thus fruitful winter for us.  We are still harvesting beets, carrots, and many greens.  We butchered one of our steers, which took two entire days, and a third pair of adult hands (thanks, Cagney!).  Karen extracted the tongue and marinated it in a brine, and later made slided sandwich meat - yummy!  Johnny built a frame so we could stretch and tan the hide.  We spent Christmas trampoline jumping on the skin.  And we are celebrating that we are officially organic now with the Oklahoma Dept. of Ag, Food & Forestry!  And our first farm workshop will be coming up at the end of March. 

Johnny has been busy building raised beds in our personal garden.  Our dairy goats are busy growing babies.  And Karen is expanding her list of things to cook from the farm, which include: beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, and some frozen and canned ingredients: bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, tomatoes, tomato-basil sauce, dehydrated green beans (these are awesome), and pear pie filling. 

In addition to endless stew concoctions (including a Moroccan stew inspired by "Girl Hunter"), there is the obvious spaghetti, chili, burgers and baked sweet potatoes, but other goodies like Potato-Carrot-Root Soup with baked wheat rolls, and "Snoopy Wellington", which has beef, potatoes, carrots, and greens wrapped in puff pastry and baked - YUM! 
When time and internet access allows, I'll add recipes.  Until then... The Barefoot Farmers