Soaking Up Some Local Color: The Red Poll Cattle Show!

Let's go to a cattle show!  It will be fun and interesting, I promise.  Red Poll cattle are the oldest breed of cattle in my region-- Suffolk, England.  They are popular for not just being gorgeous, but because they are also exceptionally useful-- raised for both meat and milk.  They are named for their color and for the fact that they are naturally polled, or de-horned.

There was a show a few weeks ago at a local estate, and a friend invited us to come check it out with her.  We are always down for a new cultural experience, and I found it especially curious that they were offering barbecue-- cattle shows and BBQ sound so distinctly Southern, that I looked forward to seeing the English take on it.  The differences were immediately apparent-- this was the setting:

The show was very small.  Everyone was welcome, but I think the attendees were mainly the families of those who were presenting their animals.  It was so fun to see all of these lovely animals all gussied up for the show!

Each cow waited its turn to be shown, and those inside the tent were getting their beauty treatments.

I guess some take three stylists to get ready! One of my favorite things was the way the tails were groomed.  Faaan-cy!

I enjoyed watching this young lady gently and meticulously grooming her heifer.

While we were there, we spoke to a man that was showing a heifer for the first time.  He has a full-time job working for the county's veterinary service, but keeps a herd of Red Polls and a large flock of sheep on the side.  He said that he sort of inherited his cattle from an 80 year old woman who had been milking 30 of them by hand for years! 

And now for the showing part.  I haven't been to any 4H competitions or anything like that.  The closest thing I've seen is a dog show.  This was kind of like that-- an owner doing their best to lead their animal around a ring and look like they are in control of their creature.

This wild-looking pair was my favorite.

As much as I enjoyed the seeing the beautiful Red Polls, my favorite subjects were the judges themselves.  They took their jobs very seriously, and were so very quintessentially English.

After being walked around the ring a few times, the contestants were lined up and inspected.

Belly scratches were administered to patient beasts.

And then there was this, which made me giggle.

Ribbons were awarded, people clapped, and then the contestants were lead out of the ring, to be rewarded with something to eat.

As for the barbecue... It wasn't a big part of the event-- there was some meat being grilled, but not nearly as enticing as American Southern-style barbecue might have been.  We went for a traditional Sunday Roast at the restaurant on site instead.  All in all, it was fun, and I enjoyed the fact that it was a small show-- a low-key experience of something very English.

Save Your Lilacs!

Hi Everyone!  This is a really quick heads-up post.  Lilac season is in full bloom (at least where I am) right now, and we have a lot of them in our garden.  I plan to make Lilac Wine with them, and thought that you might want to try it, too.  It would be a shame, however, to cut down every gorgeous bunch and pluck them of their petals without enjoying them first.  So, this is what I am doing, and you might want to join in as well, in preparation for making Lilac Wine of your own.

Step 1.  Enjoy your lilacs.  Bring them in and put them in a vase, and breathe in their rich, intoxicating fragrance.
An extra note:  Don't use store-bought lilacs.  There is no way to know how they were grown, and whether they are contaminated with chemicals.  Also, if you are foraging for them, don't pick them from along the highway (there are tons growing there in our area right now) because they will be coated with car fume residues.

Step 2.  When they begin to droop, pluck them.  It takes time, so have a seat, put on a podcast, and pluck the tiny blossoms from their stems.  I find this very meditative and therapeutic.  If you have kids, they will probably want to help.

Step 3.  Freeze them.  Put them in a ziplock bag and pop them into the freezer.  You will want to collect roughly the same amount of flowers you are hoping for in wine-- a gallon container full, for example, of flowers, for a gallon of wine.  I am inclined to think that the volume can be a little less if we are letting them wilt a bit first.  We are going for about 3- 4 quarts of collected flowers.

Step 4.  Stand by.  I will be dilligently following Steps 1-3, and then I'll make some wine, and tell you all about it.  Then you can make some, too!

If you would like to use your lilacs, but won't be able to collect enough for wine-making, then you can save them for tea!  Just hang bunches upside down to dry.  Once completely dehydrated, pull of the petals and store in an air-tight jar or tin, and steep as you would any loose herbal tea.

So... Making Lilac Wine-- Are you in?

This post was shared at: Homestead Barnhop, Fat Tuesday, The Family Table, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways.

My Mother: An Unconventional Woman (Repost)

I wanted to say Happy Mother's day to all of you mothers, daughters and nurturing people out there.  This is a post I wrote about my mom last year, and thought I'd share it again today.

I sometimes get asked how I found the courage to leave my American life behind, to live unconventionally, to get back up after being knocked down when we tried and failed last year.  Who taught me it was OK to break the rules, to do something different than everyone else?  My answer is that I was never actually taught that I had to do anything the "normal" way, or that the majority is usually right.  Everything about my whole life has been a bit unconventional from the beginning, and when I think about why this might be, I think of my mom.  ...Where do I begin?

The Long Walk

We took a long walk a few weeks ago.
We had planned on doing some walking, but this one ended up being more ambitious than we had anticipated.  It all had to do with my trepidation over public transport.  I grew up using it in Asia, where I could confidently flag down jeepneys and tricycles and get where I needed to go.  But somehow, the Western public transport system is very intimidating for me.  Maybe it's the fact that it's so organized, that it's easy to miss a bus... Maybe it's the fact that the roads aren't full of friendly people that will go out of their way to make sure a foreigner gets to where they need to be.  I don't know what it is, exactly, but the fact that we only have one car and I rarely use public transportation is weird, right?  I am starting to do some freelance work, and I will be going to a property that is about a 25 minute drive from where we live.  Knowing that the first commute by bus (and on foot) would be pretty stressful for me, Jeff took an afternoon off of work so we could all take the bus and get that first commute out of the way.  How nice of him!  Amelia was also up for the adventure, as she loves any form of public transport-- which is extremely handy for all of us!

Spatchcock Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Ginger Marinade

One fine summer day, I asked my butcher for a whole chicken.  "Do you want it spatchcocked?" he asked.  Before I knew what spatchcocked meant, I said "Yes."  Then, I watched him deftly remove the  backbone, and splay it out, flat-- "See, I like to call it "roadkill chicken," he said with a sly grin.  I bought it.  And I think he may come to regret ever showing me this option.  I love to cook whole chickens-- but it takes time, and it's a little tricky to do on the barbecue in the summer (although I have tried and enjoyed the classic beer can chicken.)  We started buying spatchcocked chicken every week, and now that the weather is warming up, I have gotten two at a time for the last couple weeks, since they make such great leftovers.  I'll link to a video on how to remove the backbone of your chicken, for those of you without a friendly butcher nearby.

 This is what we ate after a long, beautiful day touring the Wimpole Estate and kitchen gardens.

A Walled Georgian- Era Kitchen Garden (at Wimpole Estate)

Last Sunday, we headed out to another National Trust property not too far from us-- the Wimpole Estate.  The weather was sunny and beautiful, and lots of people were out enjoying the change.  We saw a mansion, extensive grounds and parks, and a small farm. The very best part, however, was the very large, walled kitchen gardens of the estate.  According to the National Trust, "The organic four and a half acre walled kitchen garden at Wimpole was constructed in the 1790s for the third Earl of Hardwick, and no expense was spared - even the walls are heated to keep peaches warm during the spring frosts."  

There is something incredibly romantic to me about walled gardens...

Doesn't this look like it's straight out of The Secret Garden?

Spring E-Book Bundle: 30 Great Books for Just $39

Are you looking for some good resources on health and nutrition?  Then this one's for you!  Village Green Network, is having a huge sale on great e-books this week.


The sale includes 30 books for only $39 which is less than $1.50 per book.  This is a $479 value at over 90% off!
Here are just a few of the titles that are included in this special e-book bundle, which is available for the $39 price for one week only.  

• DIY Natural Household Cleaners, by Matt and Betsy Jabs of diynatural.com
• Your Custom Homestead, by Jill Winger of prariehomestead.com
• Get Your Fats Straight, by Sarah Pope of thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
• Nourished Baby (revised), by Heather Dessinger of mommypotamus.com
• Real Food Nutrition for KIDS, by Kristen Michaelis of foodrenegade.com
• Toxic Free, by Robin Konie of thankyourbody.com
• Indulge & Heal, by Lauren Lingquist of empoweredsustenance.com
• Grain Free Desserts, by Jennifer McGruther of nourishedkitchen.com
• And 32 others!

Click here to see all 30 books  in the bundle, and each of the descriptions-- they are phenomenal.  They are all written to help people find healing in their own lives and empower families to take charge of their own health and raise healthy and happy kids.

I am particularly excited about Real Food for Real Life by Emily Benfit, and The Nourished Metabolism by Elizabeth Walling-- both are hot off the presses and available for the first time!

To download all 30 e-books for this LOW price and read them whenever you want— on your computer, Kindle, tablet or phone, you can just click here.

 

This special spring e-book bundle is only available for one week, from now until April 23, 2013.



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