Poppy the pig, it was so cold yesterday Sheila took to her bed and Poppy spent the day gazing mournfully out the door.
The brown cows are all together again. Finally, says Aunty Del.
We have discovered that Lady Astor will stand completely still and sweet if John stands at her head and practically hand feeds her. He dips into her bucket and fills her trough bit by bit and keeps up a running commentary of nonsense. Pure nonsense. I have never heard him talk so much in my life. But he must talk only to her, if he turns and talks to me in a different tone, she starts to twitch and shuffle her feet. He must give her his full attention and she happily munches and lets me get on with the milking. Not one Kick at all.
We are all happy with this step up in milking etiquette.
I am still amazed at how easy it is to separate her from her calf every afternoon. I just walk them both into the yards, Lady pauses at a tiny serving of treat grain and baby keeps on walking straight into the barn and her little dish of treats and hay. I shut the door. Lady turns and walks back into the field. Perfectly easy.
My favourite photo of the day.
Good morning, Gabrielle arrived yesterday on time and repaired to work, she is a delightful, cheerful, intelligent young woman. She immediately gravitated to the animals and the barn. She will do well.
This summer I am focusing strongly (with my guest workers) on combining the farming and gardening with running an old fashioned kitchen. I call that role the 1940’s housewife. The person in the kitchen is the pivot for everything in a home and on a farm. They determine what is grown, what is picked, what is preserved and what is cooked. So every day one person will be the 1940’s housewife. From morning to night. For the whole day, they will wear the pinny and work in the kitchen, doing the meals, the bread, making the jams or stocks, dealing with the milk and cream, making the butter and ice cream and baking, cleaning, tidying, stocking, ordering the gardeners and kitchen hands about. Playing loud music and making delicious feeds. An old fashioned Mama in the kitchen. Making the house sing. Culminating in dinner around the big table. With everyone pitching in to help with the clean up at the end of the day.
The last few days I have tried to make a list of what I do every morning. Often before the guests even wake up. The list is long. But it is a cycle. A good one. Everything kind of works together. Running an old fashioned kitchen is an incredible skill to learn. Both Gabrielle and Federico are willing to give it a try. And next week when there are two more girls as well it will a delightful riot.
I will be on hand as the consultant. But they will not need my help for long. (And very quietly I am looking forward to being able to spend entire DAYS outside.)
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
48 responses to “Cows, cows, cows and a pig.”
What an exciting time you will. All be having
Lady Astor is getting ready to send her daughter to boarding school 😉
Sounds like a wonderful plan!
I love those pictures of Lady A and Naomi. If your scheme works out, you will find yourself with real time on your hands for a change. Enjoy it while it lasts.
love,ViV
A 1940s housewife had to cope with a full-blown war and rations, and I don’t envy the person who draws that straw for the day. Good morning, c, and greetings to the farmy!
Many food changes occured in the 50’s – this is why i say 1940s. A NZ housewife on a farm – (not an engllish housewife or a dutch one for that matter).. I should have clarified that. Or should we say pre war housewife? But I think you know what i mean. c
You are living my dream. Three seasons ago, my big sister was here for the whole summer in the role we jokingly called, “House Elf.” It was amazing. Every day she gathered fresh vegs from the gardens, and made me and our crew a fabulous lunch. She cleaned my house, we had coffee together every morning, and wine in the evening. I joked that it was like having a wife! It was the greatest summer! I have always had a dream at my farm to create a farm kitchen position, whose job it is to gather fresh food and cook for those who are working. You are making that happen! Home and hearth is so important. I think in our rush toward equality, we’ve forgotten the importance of it, and that the role isn’t necessarily gender based, just important.
House Elf! Lovely. Yes. And when everyone is trained I should be able to leave them to it and focus on the farm.. c
I’d love the role for the day – as long as I had access to a few modern day gadgets in the kitchen!
Yes .. i could not do without my immersion blender! c
Sounds wonderful!
I’ll be right there, and I’ll bring my own pressure canner, Really Big Stockpot and stand mixer…. Oh, and my knives. You can’t do it without proper knives. I do wish we could get live Celi-com, with feed from the Farmy kitchen. I reckon you’d have a bunch of us cooking/preserving/butter making/cream skimming/meat-butchering along with you, like watching a Masterchef master class!
We really need a Farmy Kitchen book. Recipes, methods for making butter, cheeses, essential oils etc…. with LOTS of pictures.
XO
A new Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Beeton%27s_Book_of_Household_Management)
for the modern age, perhaps… I love the idea, but can you see our Celi finding time to put it together? She needs a shadow to follow her, take notes and photos and then collate the thing so all she has to do is edit. But then we’d lose the authentic Celi voice and eye…
Marvelous idea. A great deal could simply be edited from the archives (which I’ve been plowing through lately). There are pictures and recipies and tips, stories too. It would make for a fine winter project when being out of doors is not so pleasant and the time a bit more available for something like that.
Are you reading and listening, Celi? Another wonderful book to add to the list of Farmy Fellowship Publications. I’ll put my hand up for proof reading, having done it professionally in a previous life!
I would’ve offered to edit but I don’t know where I’ll be living after July 1.
Sounds unsettling but interesting! It can wait till you’re ready.
It is very unsettling as well as painful. Home of 45 1/2 years being taken away. Don’t know where I’ll end up or when I’ll be online after the 1st of July.
Oh my Lord, I can’t imagine how painful that must be. I’m sorry if my comment appeared to trivialise what was happening, it was not my intention. I can only offer my best wishes and prayers for a good outcome. x(O)x
You didn’t. Your good intentions and prayers are truly appreciated. None of the rest of the family want any of the family heirlooms, looks like they’ll be sold if I can get them out in time. Had someone ask my how I could pack up my life, there’s no answer for it. I’m trying. I can’t say I’ll miss the neighbors tho, they’ve been nothing but a misery. One had enough political clout that they were able to prevent us getting a paved driveway so we could put in a used (and free) wheelchair lift that was given to us by a friend so my mother could be gotten to and from the vehicle. She spent the last two years of her life unable to leave the house because of that. Some people are such #*&%)(*#). Anyway, thank you for your prayers.
In my kitchen I have a fridge magnet that reads “I only have a kitchen because it came with the house” , soooo I would be paying extra to have an extra day mucking out the barn, or weeding or tickling cute piggies 🙂 But I really, really would like to learn how to make soap. Laura
Sounds like a fabulous plan Celi! Will you be giving mini-lessons as the guest workers come? The 1940s kitchen role is quite a responsibility and even more so when all on the farmy are depending on that person for yummy sustenance! 🙂
I believe Lady A has a crush on Our John.
I totally agree!
Christine
I was thinking just the same…
Make that three 🙂 !
a very smart move! They will learn priceless skills! And respect for the person in the kitchen!
Miss C, it is easy to see just how much you enjoy these guests in your home from your writing. There is a motherly, but practical joy to your words. I hope you realize that you are providing them with so much wisdom.
Lady Astor is a bit of a prima donna!? And I love this statement: With everyone pitching in to help with the clean up at the end of the day.