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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.

My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.

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LATEST POSTS


  • Bobby Blanc goes to Day Care

    I failed at making the lasagne last night. When I was checking the ingredients I  discovered that I had run out of chedder cheese for the top.  Can you believe it! The cheese in the fridge was an empty packet with only a sliver in it. WHO does stuff like that! Even my fresh squeaky…

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  • How to make Ricotta Cheese from Whey

    It was only this hot yesterday. The coconut oil was only just melted.  Some of it is only just not melted.  Not too bad at all.  Here is yesterdays Monterey Jack cheese which is air drying for a few days. (Out of the sun -this positioning was for the artsy shot!) then it will be…

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  • Thinking ahead – way ahead

    Before I make a cheese cake I need to make cream cheese. Before I make cream cheese I need to make buttermilk. There are two ways to make buttermilk: allow the milk itself to culture. Which I will show you. But I am in a hurry now. Did you see the cheesecake recipe in the…

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  • Farmers Cheese

    I have a Cheese Book. Maybe you do too. Mine is in its fourth year.  In my Cheese Book I write the process for every wheel of cheese I make.  The year. The date. The weather.  What the cow is eating. The funny things that happen along the way that will influence the cheese.  Who…

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  • The Heat is On for Mama’s Butter Cake

    The high nineties is hot. Add the dry wind and it is very hot. All the animals have different coping mechanisms. The Matriarchs dog has decided that he would rather ride than walk.  So he sits like a mini king in his chariot. And the Tall Teenager pedals him all over the county on their…

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  • Closing the gaps

    Kupa has developed a fixation for the milking machine. Every time I pop my head out of the milking parlour to turn off the pump he is perched on a barn gate staring at the it. He swishes up and down the corridor when I am trying to pour  the milk into the bottles and…

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