Bolar Roast of Beef

Bolar Roast of Beef - a long slow cook so don't do it if you're in a hurry

Rub the roast with a spicy garlic salt (mine has a smokey taste).
Place in a casserole dish with a tightly fitting lid.
Place in oven preheated to 125 degC, and leave to cook for about 6 hours.

Juices come out of the meat, so no liquid added, and you can make a yummy gravy with them. 

Weaning Muster

Come on it's not that steep



Almost down

 It's time to wean the lambs, so after a slow start this morning (out the door at 7am not 6) due to screaming Nor'Westerly winds we got the sheep down onto the paddocks off the higher, bigger blocks. 

Now to locate Mum again, she's more interested in the grass than me!

But it turned into a bit of a race to beat the rain and cloud.







Will we get wet?



Looks like it!

Definitely!!

Clear test

Thankfully a clear TB test was had of the 70 steers, so away they go on a truck on Tuesday.

2 Down 1 to Go

Two paddocks of baled hay are now in the barn - a good feeling.  Plus 1 Unit load (truck and trailer) of rye grass straw we bought as we won't have enough of our own hay to get through the winter.  SO NOW only one little paddock of our own to cut - yahoo.  And best of all No 3 daughter is home and did the carting for me (that's worse than raking and you can't lose concentration or you lose the load!).
Now the next job is TB testing the yearling steers.   Weighed and drafted them today,  they get their injection to see if they are sensitised tomorrow, then on Friday the Tester feels the injection site to make sure there has been no reaction.
Fingers crossed nothing will react as if they do the Feedlot won't accept them, and we're running out of grass.  Although have just had 2" (50mm) of rain which should at least give us some grass for the winter, and to finish a few lambs.
Bovine Tuberculosis can be spread to humans from infected animals via the meat or milk.  If you cook the meat properly and pasteurise the milk there is no danger.  And NZ is getting well and truly on top of the problem.  We have been clear for the last 10 years, but as wild animals such as wild pigs and opossums carry it we have to test all our cattle every year.  If we have to sell some outside the 60 day period after a test  those animals have to be retested before leaving our property.

Uncomfortable Ram

Uncomfortable Ram

Much better now!

Walking back from the hay paddock.  Good exercise and there was no point bringing the baler and rake back when it would be needed again there the next day, I came across a rather uncomfortable ram.  He was cast.  Flat on his back in a little dip beside the fence, and there was no way he would have gotten up by himself.  One of the worst things to happen when the sheep get cast is that the Black back Seagulls seem to have sixth sense and zoom in on the helpless.  And the gulls just love to peck out sheeps eyes.  Fortunately not so many gulls around at the moment and he was lucky.  In spring just before lambing when the ewes have almost a full fleece of wool on, and they are full of lambs they get cast regularly so you have to get to them quickly.  We go around every day then to stand any cast ones up.  The wool is so thick it flattens out and they just can't get themselves back on their feet.

Haymaking time

January is the start of our haymaking time.  Some years we finish this month, and at worst we have still been making it in March.  This year as it is dry and there's not much hay to make we should finish by the end of the month. 
My job is usually raking, occasionally mowing, but never baling.  That means I don't get the airconditioned cab and radio, but then I also don't have to stick my head into the baler when there are blockages.  THAT IS NOT A NICE JOB.  Inside a haybaler is very dusty and you end up getting very itchy. 
The first day is usually a bit frustrating ironing out the problems with machinery, but usually things settle down after that.  Haybalers are temperamental beings.  The main problem for the girls (3 daughters) and I is that while we rake our minds tend to wander somewhat, and occasionally that means the raked rows wander too, he who drives the haybaler gets somewhat frustrated with that, but it is not really the most exciting job, and one of the few times you can ponder all sorts of things.

Raked hay on left

1 round bale

Curious yearling cattle

Rake and Baler (working properly at the moment)

The young cattle were also contemplating - how they could eat some of this yummy smelling stuff.  They were hanging over the fence longingly.  But hay is their main diet for the winter, so they don't get any now.  Amazing how they like it even when there is plenty of fresh grass around.

Quick & Easy Gluten Free Bread

Just thought I'd share some recipes here too.

QUICK & EASY GLUTEN FREE BREAD

250 ml boiling water
2 teaspoon honey
250 ml cold water
3 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast granules
1 egg
1 cup GF Bread Mix  (white bread)
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup of  each - fine cornmeal
                             - potato flour
                             - rice flour
3 tablespoon whole milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup sunflower seeds (toasted)
2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 80 deg Celsius, and line 25x10cm loaf tin with baking paper.
In a  large bowl dissolve honey in boiling water, add cold water and sprinkle on the yeast.  Leave 10 minutes.
Whisk egg into the yeast mixture, then add the sifted flours, milk powder, salt and sunflower seeds and mix till evenly combined.
THIS IS A VERY LOOSE, WET BATTER.

Pour into tin, sprinkle top with pumpkin seeds.

Bake 20 minutes at 80 deg C, then turn up the oven to 210 degC and bake a further 30-40 minutes.  My oven cooks it in 30.
When cooked loaf will sound hollow when tapped.  Turn out loaf while still hot and leave to cool.

This gf loaf does stay fresh for a couple of days, and makes nice sandwiches, also nice toasted.

Welcome to my world

Welcome to our little slice of heaven here in NZ (photos will be posted when I learn how to do it - slightly technologically illiterate!).  The Boss and I farm in the High Country of  the South Island, New Zealand, in a truly beautiful spot.  Sizzling hot in Summer, with a good rainfall (usually) and freezing cold snowy Winters.

View from my Living room (definitely heavenly wouldn't you agree)

Maid - a NZ Huntaway

We have Perendale sheep and Angus Cattle - all extremely well mannered of course.  And our fantastic working dogs also extremely well mannered (not).