Gluten Free Wedding Cake

Finally done it!!  Version 4 - with 2 trials has worked, so here it is

GLUTEN FREE WEDDING CAKE

1.5kg dried fruit (I use 1kg package mixed fruit, 50gm preserved ginger, rest made up of currants, sultanas & raisins)
100 ml sherry
70gm (1/3cup firmly packed) brown sugar
220gm apple pulp
3 eggs
2 egg whites
250gm GF flour
50gm gluten substitute
1tsp guar gum
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
brandy

Combine the fuits well, then process them (in food processor)  in small quantities till well chopped.
Place in bowl and add sherry.  Cover, leave at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Heat oven to 150degC.
Line a 22.5cm cake tin.  I put cardboard on the bottom of the tin, and around the outside.
Place the sugar, apple, eggs and egg whites in a bowl.  Whisk to mix until well combined.  Add dried fruit mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix well.
Sift over the flours, mixed spice and cinnamon and stir until well combined.  Spoon mixture into the prepared pan.  Tap the pan on the benchtop to settle the mixture and smooth the surface.
Bake 1 1/2 hours at 150, then 1 1/2 hours at 125degC (or until JUST cooked).  Rotate the tin at least once during cooking and cover the top with cardboard or foil halfway through to prevent the top over-browning.

When cooked remove and brush/spray with brandy.  Wrap tin in 2 clean tea towels and wait for it to cool completely.

THIS CAKE CONTAINS NO BUTTER

I have found it will keep well for a fortnight, but if you want it to keep longer place in freezer. AND IT SLICES WITHOUT CRUMBLING - YOOOHOOOO!!!!

Blow Nor'West Blow

The majority of the paddocks are still covered in the white stuff - so we need the wind to blow.  It would be a gale if it wasn't needed - Murphy's Law in action!

GF Cherry Chocolate cookies

Its still here a week later!

Have been able to do some baking so thought I'd share this recipe with you -

1 1/2 cup GF Flour
1/2 tsp GF Baking Powder
125gm butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons condensed milk
150 - 200 gm chopped crystallised cherries
80gm (approx) chocolate chips
2 handfuls roughly crushed GF cornflakes

Grease an oven tray.  Preheat oven to 125-150degC.
Cream butter and sugar, then add condensed milk and beat till light and fluffy.
Sift in flour and B/powder.
Add cherries, choco chips and cornflakes and mix well.
Roll into balls, place on tray and flatten with a floured fork.
Bake approx 15 mins, better a bit undercooked than overdone.
Enjoy!

-6 degC and Icicles

The thaw has slowed as the frosts have started - so not much grass yet, but did shift the twinning ewes to beside some trees to hopefully get a pick.  Will be their first grass for a week.

                  Don't think there'll be any sheep in these yards for a while, the depth has dropped a little already though

 This bit of the track often gives the Boss real problems when it ices up, so he left the JDeere and feeder up at the haybarn

           Cruise and Queen in the foreground, Jake and Don waiting to join in.  The younger dogs quite enjoy the snow.



Don



                                                                   Maid and Jess in their well insulated quarters.

 The snowshoes that definitely make walking in deep powder easier, except when Maid walks to close and stands on the edge as you try to take a step - she couldn't work out why I kept abruptly stopping

                      Rory in heaven as he eats his breakfast, dinner is the other highlight of his day at present

                                                           Rory's tracks on the hill as he tries to find a bit of grass

 View up the river to where some of the cows are still on the left, although more turn up daily for hay.  They can just walk over the fences at the moment

If you look hard you can just see the plane behind the trees.  The neighbour went up with a friend to see where his stock are.  They can't access their stock the same as we can, as they are not as flat, so has been an anxious time waiting for the weather to clear.  Huge drifts out on their hills, and the dozer has been working for 2 days so far clearing some tracks.

                      The twinning ewes on the move this morning, didn't need much encouragement apart from the tail enders

                                      The  last of the ewes leaving the feed pad where they've been for the last 6 days

                                Maid and Cruise waiting patiently while I try to get the 2 off that probably won't make it

                                                      This ewe just may not survive, she's probably carrying triplets

 The track the ewes took to get some grass.  If they are on a hill and you cannot doze tracks  people have to tramp tracks then hunt the stock along - it is exhausting work - needs fit young people (so not my job), but we're lucky and with our stock on the flats we rarely have to Snowrake for stock

                                                                                Bales on the feeder for the cows

Ewes having a pick of grass, should perk them up some more, although they are still in good condition thankfully.  10 hour days for the Boss feeding them has paid off!

What am I complaining about?

These pictures are from a snowstorm in Dakota in January 2011, put our little dump into perspective, and by the look of the road machines largish dumps happen every year, puts no road grader in Wellington to shame -

It is improving

We're now getting rain with the snow, so have lost more than we've gained.  The Boss is pleased as he hasn't spent 3/4 of the time reclearing all his tracks as he tries to feed out, which means he may be in before dark tonight, which will be good.  Had to cut a fence for the cows we brought down the other day as he couldn't get up to them, so they are now in with the Rising 3 year old Heifers, plus a few calves have made their way there as well from where they were camped, so WHEN the cattle yards thaw we will have a drafting job, but the main thing is they are getting hay.

Have just heard our main road is open, and the mailman has made it through.  Four days worth of papers sitting tantalisingly in my mailbox - only one problem though.  The Boss has been too busy to clear the drive since Tuesday, so if I want it I have to walk.  One kilometre in over kneehigh snow - hmmmmmm, we'll see!  How much do I really want it??  Did suggest to the Boss since he'd be in earlier he may enjoy the stroll - but must say he wasn't excited about the prospect either!

Still snowing

The snow has eased off a bit thankfully - about 65cm out there, a lot more in the drifts.  And the power has just come back on.  It went off at about 8.30pm last night, back on 2pm today.  Have the smoked chickens in the chilli bag packed in snow outside, and the milk we're using outside too.  Will put the other things back in the refrigerator now, till next time!!  But it really could stop now.




Latest



                              The dog kennels are still there, Patch hasn't emerged today, too deep even in her little track

                                                 There they are, at least the snow is good insulation so dogs are cosy

Hasn't stopped yet!

                                                                                       Today's view

Thankfully not the 50-70cm predicted for over night, but snowing again now.  At least there was sunshine briefly this morning when I walked the dogs and fed the horses, in fact it was looking like the worst was over - not so I fear.

The Boss reported big drifts up on the flats where he's feeding the stock, and what gets really hard is opening and closing gates.  Everything will get a good feed this morning, then possibly more to the ewes again later in the afternoon.

The big green machine coming back from feeding steers, the blade on the front is invaluable in this sort of weather, for dozing through the drifts over tracks.  Even though we know the farm well the Boss puts markers out for the winter,  marking creek crossings, as the last thing you want is to be a metre off and getting stuck.  And an added bonus in this tractor is the heater works, so the snow and ice on the windscreen melts.  The Fiat windscreen is still iced up from yesterday morning and it'sdoor seals aren't so good, so the Boss was complaining of being snowed upon in the cab yesterday - some people never happy are they!!

Storm has arrived.

"The Once in a Lifetime" Storm has arrived, although I think I can actually remember 5 or 6 that have been worse.  Hopefully it remains that way.  And apart from the fact that there are still some cows up higher than they should be, we have done all we can.  Surprisingly the worst thing for cows stuck in snow is they can't get enough to drink, but there won't be enough up there as yet, as only about 15cm down here, although it is drifting with the high winds.



Yesterday




Today




Sheep scanner - the ewes come up the ramp, stand to the right of the screen and the operator puts his hand with the scanner under the uterus to check for pregnancy




In position and ready to go

Pregnancy scanning of ewes has been one of the most valuable developments of our farming career.  Why?  Because it allows us to identify the ewes carrying multiple lambs and treat them appropriately for good ewe and lamb health.  We can also sell the ones that are dry (no lamb) and don't put good feed into them.

After scanning we draft the ewes into separate mobs - twins (and triplets) and singles (only 1 lamb).  The twinning ewes then go onto the best feed we've got saved, and are fed basically all they can eat in the latter stages of pregnancy (except at the moment as everything is covered in snow).  The singles don't require so much, so they are rationed more. 
At crutching time the twinners don't get the night off feed in the shearing shed, as to be shorn comfortably (for both the sheep and shearer) sheep can't be full of feed.  The singles do the night, and this means we don't get metabolic disorders occurring as we used too, before we could identify what a ewe was carrying.

At lambing time the twinners again go onto the best feed as they have to produce milk for 2 or more lambs, and they also go into the best sheltered paddocks.  Multiple birth lambs are smaller than single births and not as strong, so they can't cope with as much bad weather,

Yesterday after scanning the twinners at least got a good bellyful of really good grass, which by the sound of it they'll need as this storm is supposed to last most of the week, and the snow will soon be too deep for them to dig down to the grass.

Precautions taken ....

as there is "an Historic Snowstorm" predicted.  Lets just hope it doesn't!! 

Anyway with that forecast we've been busy for the last few days.  The Scanner (more next time on this) has been brought forward to today instead of next Tuesday.  And we raced up the Spur yesterday to get as many cows as we could down.  They winter at 700m to 900m above sea level, and are getting heavier in calf, so won't cope with too much slippery snow and the ice and frozen ground to follow.



Come on where's breakfast?




Ahhh here it is (ewes in one mob before scanning)




Heifers already have theirs




Dammit the fog is rolling in




Sure has




And up on The Spur where we have to muster





Took the chance in between the fog rolling in and out, and getting the cows




Disappearing again though

We got about half of them down, and a few more will just turn up when they hear the tractor feeding the others.  Then once it clears off again, we'll be back up for the rest.

Anyway must be off, have to get the twinning ewes off their high octane grass before they get to much of a good thing, although at least  they weren't empty when they went on so won't have gorged themselves.  And it has stopped snowing so I'll take advantage of the break.

AARRRGGGHHHHH! I hate Seagulls

We're keeping an eye on the ewes for cast ones again, as we have had a couple.  Sure enough there was one down this morning.  I was just on my way to put the hoggets on their break, so thought will do that then go over and get her on her feet again.

Then as I was coming down the hill a paddock away I saw the seagulls land - 2 of them.  So pushed the speed, but had to get the gate open and shut, luckily an easy one for here, and raced across.  Just hoping to get there before they took her eye out.  I was successful in that, but they had been at her eyelid, and her lips - poor thing.  She was too weak to get back up, so I managed to get her onto the back of the bike (light as well as weak!), and brought her back to the sheds for "the Boss" to put her out of her misery.  He would've done it in the paddock about a half hour later, but if I'd left her there the gulls certainly would've done more damage.  And now they'll be in residence till after lambing - horrible birds!!!!!

"When the cats away ....."

Queen

Or rather "When the Boss is away, Queen will play".  We were away for a night about a fortnight ago, and when we returned found Queen was loose.  Somehow the catch on her chain had come undone, and so she thought she'd
have some fun.  I had an old feather and down sleeping bag out the front for the aged Jack Russell to sleep on in the sun, well no more!!  There were feathers EVERYWHERE, just lucky that there hadn't been much wind so I could sweep most of them up.

None of the dogs are left off  without anyone here, as they can get into trouble with stock.  The only exceptions are the aged  retired dogs that are allowed to sleep at the back door.  Most of the time nothing would happen, but you can never ever trust any dog alone with access to stock.  My dog Cruise will annoy a single sheep if he has the chance until they lie down, then he just doesn't let them get up, so they'd die of exhaustion and hunger.  Another really good heading dog of a musterer became lost in a forestry block for 3 or 4 days, she had her little mob of sheep against a fence between her and where they had to go, so she was just holding them there.  Luckily she was found, otherwise she may have stayed till she died too.

But other dogs will attack stock and it is not pretty, as they rip at them and once they get the taste of blood they attack as many in a mob as they can.  Pets are often the worst at this.  So please always ensure your dog is secure at night, or during the day if you are away for long periods.

By the way - the tip of Queen's ear came off when she was playing with Cruise one day, and it hurt.  She now hates Cruise!!