Cucumber Lemonade

The heat this summer is turning out to be beyond wrong, especially for a farmer!

Our goal on this farm is to adhere to sustainable practices and yet were imagining watering our pastures so our sheep can continue to graze? Something is wrong with that plan! We’re not really considering watering the pastures but I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed our minds.

We'll instead pray for rain and do everything we can to extend the grazing. Watch out, we might do a rain dance!

In the midst of the heat and the added stress it’s causing we have to keep ourselves hydrated and we’re forced to spend a lot of time in doors. That, coupled with cucumbers coming at me from every direction in my garden were the main reason this recipe for cucumber lemonade from Smitten Kitchen called out to me. I usually like any recipe I try of Deb’s This one sounded so incredibly refreshing ( and it is); it used a bunch of my cucumber abundance and it’s timing was perfect because we were having an Open House for our farm store and it was the perfect refreshment to serve!.

Added bonus, your drinking your a mega dose of vegetables.

Makes just over 1 quart (4 cups). Serves 4 to 6 and up to 8 if you like a lot of fizzy water in yours.

1 pound cucumber(s), peeled or unpeeled, cut into large chunks, plus a few extra thin cucumber slices for garnish
1 cup lemon juice (from about 7 to 8 lemons, although juiciness will vary)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cold water

Run cucumber through a blender or food processor until pureed, then run it for a full extra minute to ensure that it’s as processed as possible. Set a fine-mesh strainer or a regular strainer lined with a couple layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter over a pitcher and pour cucumber puree through it, stirring to help it move along faster. Discard solids. In the pitcher, you should have about 1 cup cucumber juice.* Add lemon juice and sugar to it, then water. Give it a good stir or shake, and let it sit in the fridge (to get it started chilling) for 15 minutes, after which a couple more stirs or shakes should leave the sugar fully dissolved. Taste lemonade, adding more sugar or water if desired.

Cucumber Gazpacho

I recently ask our friends on social media to share any ideas they might have for preparing the bounty of garden fresh cucumbers.

No one replied. 😩

I've stopped crying now and decided to share one of my favs with you.

I end up with all sizes of cucumbers. I must not be a very good cucumber finder? I seem to always find one that hid for too long and looks similar to a watermelon! Maybe not that big but kinda. This recipe is friendly to all sizes except maybe not watermelon big. If you use the larger ones be sure to remove the seeds.

I must give credit for this recipe to one of my favorite people who just happens to be my cousin in-law. I was invited to her lovely home and she served this in cordial glasses just as an appertif.

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She had a pitcher full to the side for those requesting more. Experience had shown her there would definitely be requests. It was delicious to taste but such a creative and impressive presentation!

A cold soup served on a hot day and it's oh so refreshing with a slight bite of garlic and crisp bits of cucumber in a creamy base.

Here's the easy recipe!

1. 3 cucumbers peeled and chopped (we're assuming standard grocery store size)

2. 1 Tablespoon salt

3. 3 cloves of garlic

4. 3 cups of chicken broth

5. 3 Tablespoons Lemon juice

6. 3cups of sour cream

I chuckle at these ingredients as if the original author surely wanted to keep things simple by keeping things in 3’s :)

Peel and large chop the cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for at least 30 minutes. I usually get distracted and come back a few hours later. Rinse and drain the cucumbers and place them in food processor with the garlic and lemon. Puree until smooth. Mix in sour cream and chicken broth. Voila! Best when sits.

It has become a summer time staple in my fridge and I hope yours too.

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Almonds, Sweet and Spicy

With intent, I purchased a very large bag of raw almonds.

Almonds are a great snack and a good source of protein! I figured I would make multiple batches of flavored almonds.

I began an online search for the recipe(s) that called to me and of course had great reviews. I don’t know about you but reviews are very important to my decision making process. I love reading folks’ opinions and often get ideas from the reviewer!

My first recipe find and attempt did not disappoint. This recipe is oh so easy and complete in less than 30 minutes.

A guaranteed yummy snack, appetizer or share as a gift and I promise you’ll be thanked immensely!

I found the recipe on The Cafe Sucre Farine , a cute husband and wife team developing and sharing and photographing recipes! This one is fantastic!

Just a little bit of sweet from honey and a little (or a lot, your preference) from cayenne.

WARNING: these will not last

Warning: hide these if you want to have any for later

2 Cups whole almonds

1 T EVOO

1.5 T honey

1/4 teas salt

2 T sugar

1/2-11/4 teas cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

Oven to 350. Place almonds in center of parchment lined cookie sheet. Add honey and EVOO and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix. Place in oven for 3 minutes to “melt” honey a bit and mix again to distribute honey and spread back out on pan. Return to oven and bake 10-13 min. Stir halfway through. While the nuts are baking mix sugar, cayenne and remaining salt. Remove from oven and transfer to another cookie sheet lined with fresh parchment (very important step) Sprinkle with spice mix and toss

until thoroughly coated.

Cool and Enjoy.

Store in airtight container.

Sheep Fencing Gone Wrong: A Comedy of Errors

This farm is a tapestry of wonderful stories. The stories that have made us laugh are the ones we tell time and time again. Believe me, there are more then a few.

This is one of my favorites….

Remember, I was a single gal with no farming background when this all began. Albeit determined, I had a lot to learn and I quickly figured that out. When I bought the farm there had been cattle here but never sheep. Sheep require much different fencing then cattle. I hired the first fence out but after paying that bill I realized I would starve if I hired out all the fencing that needed doing.

What was this educated capable gal to do? Of course, I’'ll “educate” I thought. I started my search. How was I going to find a class on fencing? For anyone considering a life in agriculture, let me tell you, the resources are truly immence. I stumbled upon a wonderful resource, Warren Wilson College. Of all things they had a fencing class. I put on my perfect farm attire and my newly purchased farm boots and drove to Warren Wilson where I participated in a class on putting up a proper livestock fence. Someone asked if I was the only “girl” there. I don’t recall that being the case. Maybe? The good news is if I didn’t notice that I must have been there for all the right reasons. Notes? I took plenty. It was alot to take in but hopefully I was armed and ready.

I cannot say how long it actually took before I put my new knowledge to work. I do hope it was the next day but I’m doubtful. At that point I was still working off the farm to help support my plans so my days were busy. It does not matter when I made my first stab at fencing, only that I did it. Waiting to apply what I had learned might have been a bit worrisome in that I might forget something. Forgetting was clearly not my problem.

On the day of my grand adventure, feeling so proud and capable, I put on my jeans, boots and t shirt (I loved my new wardrobe) and loaded up Floyd, my vintage Ford PU with the fence posts, fence wire and appropriate fence tools, and headed to the pasture where my second fence was planned.

Hands rubbed together in a gesture of expectation, I began. I walked each post to the spot where it would be placed. One at a time I banged the posts into position. It was a beautiful day and I was no doubt full of myself. It definitely added to my state of mind looking around at these beautiful vistas staring back at me. I felt at one with the great outdoors. Now hands brushed together in a gesture of completion I knew it was time to start a strand of wire. I was pulling and securing the wire in about 250 foot stretches…remember a football field is 300 feet. I had 3 sides to complete. The forth side included a barn and my first fence. Pulling the wire around took no time. Securing the wire with clips took a bit more. I had to wear my leather gloves because the clips could be difficult to bend, even with the coolest possible tools. And we all know, the leather gloves just added to my demeanor! One wire near the bottom, then perfectly spaced, 3 more. 4 clips per post, one row and a time. Before I knew it, the job was complete! DONE!

I cannot tell you the pride! This girl had done it! All those nay sayers, LOOK AT ME NOW! I just put up a farm fence! If I could high five my self I woulda. But I think I understood the cock-a-doodle-do of a rooster, if only for a moment.

I pulled my self up to the tailgate of my Ford F-150 pick up , slid up on that “ farmers throne” to take in what I had accomplished!

Golly Girl!

As I peered around the fence in awe, I realized one MAJOR problem.

I had just spent the day building an awesome fence and there was no gate! Yep, you read that right folks, I hadn’t painted myself into a corner, I’d fenced myself in…. Good Lordy. All I could do is laugh….

If you can’t laugh at yourself, your cooked…Elizabeth Taylor

In the beginning :Tales from the shepherd

IN THE EARLY DAYS…

Continuing my paying job until I could get this operation up and running was clear. I just didn't know for how long. The house itself had good energy but needed ALOT of work. The land seemed huge to me at almost 60 acres, each of my previous homes were on less then 1/2 acre! I had a lot ahead of me and I hadn't really embraced the totality of what this shift in my life was all about.

I knew no one living around me, I was in a strange place. In the beginning I would often wonder if I’d lost my ever living mind! Every one else thought I had, why not join the ranks?

I had a sign I hung at my back entrance, “NO WHINING”.

One night I arrived back at this place, not even close to a farm yet, feeling alone and doubtful. I heard my father’s voice…”Pick yourself up by your boot straps and quit feeling sorry for yourself. You made this decision. Do something about it” my pity party wasn’t serving me well so I decided to do something, anything….

something told me to grab Floyd, my newly purchased vintage Ford pickup that I named Floyd because I thought I needed just a wee bit of male energy around this big expansive space that needed so much physical labor.

Yep, this mood was nothing a tailgate and a bottle of wine couldn’t cure!

The back 40 is nothing more then the 40 acres in the back of the property and it was very dark and VERY quite. Something this “city girl” hadn’t been used to. I spent a lot of time in my back yard garden and going on long hikes and brief visits to natural wonderlands but I hadn’t know the raw of nature so personally since my childhood. As a child I spent a precious few years in the mountains of N.C My father retired there and brought us to what he deemed “Gods country” , a place he wanted his children to grow up. I have fond memories of my secret spots in the woods, over hills, where no one could find me. Most of my memories of my early years aren’t so clear but of these moments I recall sights, sounds and smells. My experiences in that beautiful place and my exposure to nature in such expanse, influenced my soul in a way that would set my path in life, although I hadn’t the slightest idea of it.

So, here I was, in a place that until Floyd and I arrived I thought was unfamiliar.

As I sat on the tailgate and looked up at the night sky, EVERYTHING MADE SENSE. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

After I came to my senses (or lack thereof) and began remembering what my dream was, I decided I just needed to start somewhere.

Just start!

The journey to vegetarian, or not?

15+ years ago I bought a farm. I liken my learning at the time to a sponge, ready to absorb every tid bit of information that came my way. I was determined to create this sheep farm using the utmost respect for the animals and land, the two things that mattered the most. Immerging at the time were so many cool philosophical approaches to farming and nurturing the health of the animals and soil and I wanted to implement them all! Farmers everywhere were determined to move away from factory farming.

I came at this dream to farm as someone who LOVED everything about food. I loved to cook and I loved to be with my friends, family and my community around fabulous food. I still do! I approached this farm as an avenue to offer and resource the best food possible, that which I grew or grown by farmers with like minded philosophies. I had already realized through my foodie friends and experiences that intentionally sourcing foods could make a tremendous difference in flavors.

I had no idea what was REALLY involved in bringing food to our tables.

I never imagined the hardships that might present themselves as a farmer raising meat.

On this farm It didn’t take long for the reality of taking sheep to the abattoir (aka USDA meat processing plant ) to kick me to the ground. Loading these sweet creatures is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And it doesn’t get easier. Folks I had to come to terms with this. Was I going to stop what I do and become a vegetarian? That was my only option. Believe me, it was a close reality. I sure couldn’t stop farming and still consume meat that others had to take to the abattoir? Relying on others and turning a blind eye would be totally hypocritical.

I had some deep contemplation ahead of me…

I learned some interesting things along the way. Our USDA facility has been challenged by humanely driven livestock farmers to implement and adhere to the most humane standards. I was encouraged to hear that our facility had hired Temple Grandin to consult on their handling facilities and practices.

While helpful, I was still troubled by what this job entailed.

I talked to other farmers. I heard from some that believed animals are here for our sustenance. Our bodies are designed to digest these proteins. Some admitted they had to completely disengage. Some replied that it was just part of the business and necessary. A few, like us, believe the consumption of animal fats and proteins are important to our bodies. I also believe that most folks have become too disengaged with death and that contributes to the inability to deal with this process.

A very important factor in my decision …I believe that Mother Nature holds the answers for our survival. I believe Mother Nature supports the consumption of meat. All of Mother Natures creatures live off the consumption of other creatures. What Mother Nature says to us (my interpretation) is that we should eat to survive. Anywhere and everywhere, everything gets eaten by something.

One of my nephews was visiting. he’d been here not long before. He asked me about a specific sheep. I told him that sheep had gone to the abattoir. He sat quietly. I asked, “are you ok”. He replied, “yes. at least he is remembered and has a story.” That was huge for me to hear and was exactly what I needed.

So, if We would consume with respect. THAT, as a general rule, we do not do!

On our farm every single sheep that leaves here, John and I hold hands and offer a prayer… each of us, thanking them for their unique gifts and blessing their journey.

What was not a short term or easy journey for me has changed me… I believe for the better. For our personal consumption we buy only from farmers that adhere to humane standards, that respect the planet and mother nature and we consume a lot less meat.

Making sense of scents, or not...

My mother loved her smell good lotions and potions! She was known for pillow cases and clothing that always smelled of or “like” her. It was a pleasant thing. Something I will always remember with good thoughts.

Alas as most of us now know, many of those perfumy lotions and potions are tainted with phthalates to make the fragrances last. Chemicals…ewww and yuck!

I’ve worked hard to rid my world of all things containing those chemicals. Ridding my world of products containing these chemicals didn’t mean I stopped enjoying the smell of good fragrance. I have a very keen sniffer. This can be a blessing and a curse but I am actually proud to claim it. When embracing a chemical free life we have to work through the “life we once knew” and adapt. I did quite well for years but was never far from the temptation toward those glorious scents of flowers and spices in my personal spaces. Essential Oils are always a wonderful and available option but I for one am not good a repetitive anything, application included. I knew I would remain in a “chemical free” state but always morn for those scents that lingered so to catch the slightest whiff when you weren’t expecting it. And I also appreciate the smell of good ole nature!

As shepherds and makers of wool products, more specifically our wool dryer balls we were proud to offer a toxic free laundry option that was 100% chemical free, 100% naturally grown fiber, 100% humanely raised and harvested and honestly breaks all standards for sustainability. SIDENOTE: Several years ago WholeFoods introduced a grading system. Every single vendor had to go through a third party for quality standards vetting…it was arduous and quite frankly expensive but we did it…

Transparent & Sustainable

not all wool dryer balls are created equal. Do your research and buy the best!

Drum role please …

Stoney Mountain Farm was honored with the highest (green) ranking for being 100% transparent and sustainable! Although after the Amazon purchase of Wholefoods our products are no longer in their stores we sure earned the shelf space at the time!

Forgive me for having changed subjects a bit. My plan was to share the feedback we get from all of our customers that made the switch to our dryer balls, regarding scent…

Many said after making the switch, I don’t miss those heavy smells. Some said, why don’t folks recognize and choose the smell of fresh air?

I get it. Many scents don’t smell of ‘nature’. Some are so heavy and honestly can be quite offensive. I recall being out for a run, imagine my visual in this farming community, huge pastures as far as the eye can see yet I get a whiff of BOUNCE, argh…nothing natural about it! Or we’ve all had those moments in public when someone passes and the smell literally HITS you it’s so heavy. No one that has left the chemical laden products world wants anything to do with those moments. Heck, I have one customer that buys our product to give to anyone new in her neighborhood just to help assure she isn’t HIT with a waft of that awful smell of dryer sheets.

So, how did I find my “scents about me”? I literally found out about phthalate free fragrance options and liked them so much in my personal spaces that I decided to add them to our product line! Believe me these have been awhile in the making. I researched and researched for “fresh” “clean” pleasing scents, knowing that is certainly subjective.

I, once again, enjoy the addition of fragrance on my pillow cases and remembering my momma ❤️

Lamb Sliders

Its getting to be that season we dust off the outdoor grills. BTW, I hear you grilling artists out there saying grilling has no season, it’s year round! Have you noticed burgers are off the charts trendy right now? Restaurants, chefs and home cooks alike are changing flavor profiles, adding unusual ingredients like beets? Varying meats and meat combos or meatless options. Varying the bun type and gracious the add ons ! Well I’ve got one to add to the selection that could be your new superstar. I know every time I’ve made them I quickly become the best cook ‘for the moment’ I’ve made these Lamb Burgers for wedding functions, catering events and just hubbie and me. My very favorite rendition is as mini sliders

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Stoney Mountain Farm Lamb Sliders

1 pound Ground American Lamb

1 link Italian sausage, casing removed

3-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced

¼ C grated onion

½ T cumin

½ t cinnamon

1 t fresh chopped cilantro or ¼ t coriander

1/8 -1/4 t hot pepper flakes

1-2T fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg

½ Cup oatmeal soaked in milk

S&P to taste

Feta or goat cheese

Place all ingredients, except cheese, in a bowl and mix well (I use my hands).  The mix will seem wet.  Form into 1” balls, place on roasting rack or prepare for grill.  Flatten the patty gently, then press dime size ball of cheese into center.  Cover with just enough additional meat mixture that the cheese is sealed in.  Roast in 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or starting to brown.  You can turn to broil if you like a crispier texture.  I also like to grill them.  These are also great regular burger size but the sliders are alot more fun!

Serve in “slider” rolls now available in most groceries.  “Hawaiian Bread “Slider” rolls are a great option. I serve these with pickled onions or an onion relish but tomatoe relish or any one or combo of these would be great.

Tagged: burgers, lamb burgers, ground lamb, grilled lamb, party food

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HOW TO BE THE BEST SHEPHERD: Lessons from a sheep

WILLOW 2008-2022

It was a mighty sad day for me as I faced the loss of Willow, born here 13 years ago. Willow was one of the first lambs born on this farm.

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Willow was a registered Navajo Churro sheep. She was short legged and a wee bit stocky but ALWAYS healthy and always had an extra skip in her step. Her breed characteristics were spot on with her double coat of strong Navajo wool. Although her legs were short they were clean and strong. Her wool finished into a nutmeg color yarn. As lovely as she was she was so much more. She was friendly and approachable, unless she had babies!

Willow was that one sheep you wanted all your sheep to take after. Basically Willow and I grew up together. Over time I realized how much less effort Willow took compared to some that seemed to always need extra attention. This was her primary lesson to me as a farmer. The farmer, the one that runs the operation and makes a go of things

As the shepherd, the one to watch over the flock, I believe we need to understand a bit about their ways. I began this farm applying “human” thoughts to their care. Don’t get me wrong I have learned we need to apply some human wisdom to manage an operation like this but I also think working with the sheep makes for a happier easier environment all the way around. Take Temple Grandin for example, she learned to understand the animals behaviors and then apply what she learned to some of the most efficient livestock handling systems, EVER! If working with their behaviors isn’t too disruptive to the operation why not let it be? I am aware a large operation could probably not allow some of the things we have allowed here…guess for that reason I’m glad were small! BTW, if you haven’t seen the movie, Temple Grandin starring Clare Danes, do it!

OK, so back to Willow. As Willow and I were growing up together and she was teaching me to be aware on a day to day basis what shepherding involved, it was always her mothering that gave me constant challenge. She was a GREAT mom. She just didn’t want human interference. From her first lambs to her last, she would birth where she wanted and would do everything in her power to keep her lambs from us. Even after years of experiencing our gentle hand and kindness she did it her way. It wasn’t until the year I decided that Willow deserved a break from breeding that I got the clearest defiance of all, and the clearest lesson! Some years back I wrote about our human interventions and Willow (click on the link if you’d like to read the whole piece) and this is basically what I said:

The other day I was rehashing a decision to want to keep one of our older ewes back from breeding. She has given us plenty of beautiful babies. She deserves to rest, I thought. So, I did just that. She went to spend her time grazing in green pastures with the teenagers. What a glorious gift, or was it?

Well, to shorten what could be a very long tale, Willow, that’s her name, ended up pregnant anyway. How? We’ll never be 100% sure. Through a fence? Could be, but boys were not in adjoining fences except for short stints while moving sheep? Could she be that fast? One of our lambs might have been more mature then we thought? Like i said, we’ll never know for sure.

A funny thing happened on that day I realized she was with lamb, as I walked away from her pasture something beckoned me to look back. There went Willow trotting away from me and kicking up her heels.

She was mighty happy.

It’s as if she was saying to me, I love being a mom! You don’t get to decide.

I believe I had just been reminded, we’re not necessarily smarter then mother nature!

So, Willow, I will always remember your gifts. I promise to remember everything you taught me. I promise to honor mother nature and to always try to understand the great spirit from your perspective.

Thank you my friend

Lamb Bone Broth /Stock

A staple in cultures across the globe, bone broth is a key ingredient in cooking and for gut health. It can be enjoyed as a healing elixir, in stews, a welcome addition to casseroles, or the base for many a soup.

Generally made from chicken or beef bones, the comforting flavor of lamb broth will add variety to your epicurean or healing repertoire . 

slow simmered satisfying BROTH

Lamb is high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid that regulates the control of serotonin, one of the key brain chemicals involved in regulating your mood, and making you feel calm, relaxed and sleepy. And even better, helps regulate your appetite .

Incorporating lamb in your diet will help you build a strong immune system, due to its generous antioxidant content. Lamb is rich in a very highly absorbable form of zinc, important for strength, hormone production, cardiovascular and bone health.

It is especially important to find stock bones from humanely raised healthy animals or wild game like deer.

Conventionally raised animals that are fed a diet of genetically modified grains loaded with pesticides and herbicides and other chemicals and heavy metals should never be used. The body naturally stores many toxins in the fatty portions of the bone and that is what you are consuming in your bone broth.

It is best to know the farm and farmer where you are getting your stock bones. The more grass and green foods the animals eat the more rich the nutritional value of the meat and bone contents. Some grain in the feeding is acceptable unless you have celiac.

So, how to do it?

I like to have a mixture of large and small bones. The larger bones have more marrow and smaller bones offer more gelatinous material. I toss them with olive oil and garlic and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until I smell them. I then cover them with water and add the ubiquitous aromatics, celery, onion, carrots, raw, or start with a mirepoix. As you simmer it if any foam develops, remove and discard. After about an hour add parsley (or cilantro if you like. I’ve tried it, it’s good) a bay leaf and some fresh peppercorns. Allow it to simmer for another 4-5 hours. I then refrigerate it overnight and skim the fat, strain it, heat it again and add a bit of tomato paste, or not!

Healthy, yummy, and I always feel good making use of all the parts!