It's beginning to look a lot like winter

Now that we can officially claim our first snowfall...

...we've been busily battening down hatches for the winter. This is something of an ongoing process all through the fall, but snow makes it seem more pressing.

The snow didn't last long, but it did serve to illustrate some interesting contrasts in the garden:

Snow on the "amazing" peas:

Snow on strawberries:

Snow on wildflowers:

Yesterday Don cut and split some firewood. Today is cold (35F) and miserably rainy, but we got the wood stacked on the porch.

Since we heat the house exclusively with wood, having a nice supply is essential.

We're also at an age where a log splitter is a godsend.

We already had a moderate supply on hand...

...so Don loaded the wheelbarrow with what he split yesterday and trundled it to the porch, where I stacked.

This should last us three weeks or more.

Last month, while renovating the little greenhouse into a part of the chicken coop, we salvaged a wooden crate that had been tucked inside. It turned out to be the perfect size and shape to stack kindling. Before this, we just jumbled the kindling on the porch in an annoying pile.

We keep the hatchet on the porch as well, for times we need to split the kindling into thinner pieces.

Yep, it's beginning to look a lot like winter around here.

The joys of Flyover Country

Yesterday we butchered four animals. These ladies were two troublesome mother/daughter pairs, three of whom were horned, and they routinely caused problems either by escaping fences or attacking other animals.

I hate butchering days; not because I mind animals being butchered, but because I don’t like causing anguish among the rest of the herd. (I tend to anthropomorphize a lot. Maybe it’s a woman thing.) Whenever possible, I like keeping the rest of the herd out of sight from where the animals are being butchered.

So when the region’s most revered mobile butchers, Potlatch Pack, rolled in yesterday morning, we had the herd down in the pasture and well away from the four targeted animals, which we kept in the rocky driveway area where mud and other complicating factors were minimized.

Don stayed outside to watch one of the butchers, a fellow named Chance, do his magic. I stand in absolute awe of Chance’s sharpshooting skills: one single clean shot in one of two preferred locations (either between the eyes, or better yet, a spot between the eye and ear). On this particular occasion, he peeked around the corner of the house and dropped all four animals within 15 seconds of each other. They literally didn’t know what hit them; they didn’t panic; they didn’t even realize their fellow herdsmates were down. The animals didn’t even kick or struggle. They just – dropped.

Chance and his helper had the animals processed (gutted, skinned, quartered) within a few hours, then with a cheerful wave they were on their way. The carcasses will be hung in a cooler for about ten days, then cut, wrapped, and frozen.

Whenever I read about someone in their ivory tower complaining about the backward rednecks in Flyover Country, I think about the wonderful, humane, efficient people working for Potlatch Pack. I know the type of people among whom I prefer to spend my life. Give me the “backward rednecks” like the Potlatch Pack folks any day.

New and exciting medical discovery

Okay, I need to make a confession: I lied.

Last post, when I put up that cute little ballet video, I said I was having a "busy few days." I lied.

The fact is, I woke up Monday morning in extreme pain from a tweaked lower back. I have no idea what I did, but it hurt. I do not have a history of back pain, so this took me entirely by surprise.

So when I said I was "busy," what I really meant was, "I’m in too much crippling agony to write anything even remotely interesting."

All day Monday, I pretty much moved as little as possible, and whenever I did move, it was to show me what advanced old age will look like.

But we’re butchering today, so yesterday – bad back or no bad back – we had to negotiate most of the herd down to the pasture, keep a couple of other animals out of the way in a barn stall, and retain the targeted animals in the driveway area (which is mud-free and will be easiest for the mobile butchers to do their work). This meant, bad back or no bad back, it was an all-hands-on-deck shuffling of animals, always a kinetic enterprise.

Rather to my surprise, after our half hour of mobile excitement, my back felt considerably better. Afterward, Younger Daughter and I headed into the city for some errands. By evening, I would say my back was about 75 percent improved.

This morning, it was back to crippling pain. But animals must be fed and stalls must be cleaned. Now, as I write this, I feel about 50 percent better.

So while I don’t know what suddenly plunged me into the agony of back pain, one thing appears to be coming clear: chasing cows helps. So does mucking manure and forking hay, as long as it’s done slowly and within the boundaries of whatever it take not to jar me back into agony. I claim this treatment as a New and Exciting Medical Discovery. Maybe I'll patent it.

This afternoon, after the butchers have come and gone, we’ll bring the herd back up from the pasture and return them to the feedlot. Gosh, I’m sure it will make me feel much improved.

Bonus: We’re having the year’s first snowfall, always pretty.

The 'funniest ballet performance ever'

I've had a busy few days and haven't had a chance to put up a blog post. So, for your temporary viewing pleasure, consider this short little ballet called the "Mistake Waltz," which has been called the "funniest ballet performance ever."

A two-crust pie-making tutorial

I was my turn to bring dessert to our weekly potluck. I decided to make pies because they're quick and easy. Then I decided to slow down and take photos along the way, because it occurred to me not everyone finds pie-making to be quick and easy.

I don't profess to be the greatest or most creative pie-maker in the world; but I enjoy making them and prefer homemade to store-bought pies any day.

So without further ado, here's a fast tutorial on making a two-crust fruit pie.

I usually use the recipe from my faithful Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.

I doubled the recipe since I was making two pies. Flour and salt are already in the bowl, and I'm getting ready to measure the lard.

Whenever I measure anything hydrophobic such as lard, butter, peanut butter, etc., I use the displacement method: Fill a measuring cup with one cup of water, then put in the ingredient until the water reaches the required measurement. This is a lot less messy and more accurate than trying to cram the lard into a measuring cup by itself.

Once the lard is in the flour, I use a pastry blender to mix it up.

Next I drizzle in water until the dough holds together. I start with a fork but usually graduate to using my hands at the end.

The dough is now ready to roll out. Because I was making two pies, I divided this dough in half; then from each half, I used about 2/3 for the pie bottom and 1/3 for the pie top.

I think a lot of people have trouble at this stage because they don't have enough flour on the breadboard. Don't be afraid to add enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, either to the breadboard or the rolling pin.

I start by shaping the dough roughly in a flat circle...

...and then rolling it thin.

Here's a quick and easy tip to get the rolled-out dough from the breadboard to the pie pan: roll it loosely onto the rolling pin. Then you can "unroll" it over the pie pan.

This leaves a lot of excess dough around the edges...

...so time to trim. I like to leave about an inch, no more.

The extra dough, of course, gets folded in with the rest of the dough.

Here the two pie bottoms are ready, and there's enough dough left in the bowl for the pie tops. Time for the filling.

I decided to use some of the blueberries I canned up in September.

An advantage of home-canned fruit is that it's, well, fruit. One time I bought a can of "blueberry filling" and found it had about six blueberries in it. Blech.

The pie pans I was using were on the larger side, so I used three pints for each pie. Here the berries are drained.

The cookbook gives the recommended amount of sugar and flour to add to the fruit, though I usually cut back on the sugar.

Sugar and flour added...

...and mixed.

Into the pie pans. This is the stage where the pies start looking, well, pretty.

Now it's time to roll out the pie tops. I divided the remaining dough in half and rolled it into a circle roughly the size of the pie pan...

...then "rolled" the dough onto the rolling pin, and "unrolled" it over the pan.

Repeat for the second pie.

I don't bother trimming the excess dough at this stage, since I don't mind a "thick" pie crust. Instead I just roll the bottom over the top and pinch it all together. If you prefer not to have such a thick crust, then by all means trim off the excess dough before rolling and pinching.

Almost done.

Don't forget to prick the top with a fork!

I usually lightly brush the top with milk. It seems to make for a slightly crisper crust.

I used to use aluminum foil around the edges to keep them from burning, but a couple years ago I found these gizmos called Talisman pie shields . Wow, worth every penny; they work perfectly.

Then into the oven for about an hour. The pie shields come off about half-way through baking.

Voila, two finished pies.

I also whipped some cream before the potluck as well. Yum.

So that's your pie tutorial du jour. Happy baking!