Ask a chef

[CanuckBock]

Wonderful! wonderful! wonderful!!!
It is so beutiful to see all your products!
I could live forever like that!
I could make some wonderful meals from them!
We have had here a purple variety of potato called Vitulet, but I cant find it anymore


I have mango, avocado, lemon, guava, olives,pomegranate, caeambulla, Anona,grapefruit. Tangerines, blood oranges, the star fruit is sweet sawer and l love it very much!
I will try to make some olive oil from my olives this year.
Do you intend to process some of your wonderful lamb I have seen in your post?
Thanks gor sharing Tara!

Gorgeous potatoes Benny...magnificent colour (I hope the taste as good as they l00k)...I need to harvest a Russian Blue plant and the French Fingerling (suppose to be red skinned with yellow flesh) and click photos to post here...

Thank you for answering that the star fruit is good tasting...some day will have to try some.

Very wonderful you will make some olive oil...one would expect it being fresh will make it very tasty!


Intentions for this year on the Dorper sheep...I was going to wait another year before EVEN getting any more sheep at all...and see how many of my old Jacob Sheep died of old age before I even bought these Dorpers but the owners of this flock are shipping all their sheep to slaughter this month...so I had to step up quick if I wanted any of these genetics. The ewes I brought home end of May and they have been on green grass ever since and getting very plump.

​

I must say you have a very sharp eye Benny...there ARE two ewe lambs that are eight months of age, grass fed and READY for processing if...if I was not keeping them to make more from. LOL

"What is with this block & tackle thingy hanging from the feed room roof..." ask the ewes...​

Weighed my foundation ewe flock on Sept 5.

"My turn, me next...," shout the sheep..."I want to swing from the rafters like Melissa just did..."
​

From largest (and oldest ewe ) to smallest and youngest ewe lamb...

130 pounds
Peanut (Mar 31 2011 twin with 6.653% inbreeding coefficient).

Melissa getting weighed
Gotta like that the hair sheep are not scared of me weighing them!
Means I can do this more often than like the wicked witch that PINCHES fat to see which ones are ready for EATING!

116 pounds
Melissa (Apr 3 2014 triplet with 4.079% inbreeding coefficient).

97 pounds at eight months of age (rate of gain average per month is 12.125 pounds)
Duro (Jan 2 2016 unregisterable Dorper ewe lamb as sire is unknown--I chose her for her BIG lamb butt). Duro is 8 percent larger than same aged Katahdin/Dorper Decor.

90 pounds at eight months of age (rate of gain average per month is 11.25 pounds)
Decor (Jan 2 2016 Katahdin/Dorper cross). So much for the rave that Katahdin Dorper crosses are BIGGER and faster gaining than purebred Dorpers...figure if you can keep the inbreeding down and use hybrid vigour with selection for BIG Dorpers...they are still a premium meat sheep.

77 pounds (35 kg) at six months of age. Gaining an average of 12.83 pounds per month. I will have to remember to weigh her in two months and note how much she weighs as she may surpass even Duro...or not?
D'Arcy (Mar 24 2016 single with a 3.619% inbreeding coefficient by Sire Wolf Lake Tarzan-dam is Melissa).

And the littlest RUNT of the sheep (chosen because well I can have a sheep as a pet too...right?)

52 pounds at six months of age...RUNT!!!!! Rate of gain is 8.7 pounds per month.
Dito (Mar 31 2016) Katahdin/Dorper cross runt and will not be bred this year. Too small.

Sep 5 2016 - That is little Dito on the left...​

I do understand that lambs gain the best rates from the moment they are born and begin getting inputs...the best feed of mom's milk and tasty grass make them grow the most efficient. As the sheep get older, the growth of meat slows down considerably. Often gains in weight as the sheep get older, just means more fat over lean meat gains. I don't want fat sheep, I would like BIG MEATY sheep....big meat sheep for cooking!

We brought Boss Man home the middle of July and I do believe the poor ram has gotten FATTER since we brought him home...eeep!
Not wanting any of the sheep too fat...the ones to be bred may not conceive as well and sure would like lots of twins running about this coming spring!
​

Our Dorper ram Boss Man (2014 twin, proven ram sired lambs this year...he's inbred 0.246%) and he has Australian genetics top and bottom of his pedigree.

Boss Man bred to these ewes will produce lambs that are:

1.120% related - Peanut 2014 twin
2.625% related - Melissa 2014 triplet

I will likely breed the 2016 ewe lambs D'Arcy, Duro, and Decor to Boss Man in November or December. Tossing around the thought of breeding the two older ewes earlier for lambs in March or April but may do all at once. Don't quite know yet. I have time yet to make up my mind.

Dito is a cute PET ewe lamb and will not be bred this year. Too small.

So Benny, no "lambs to process" this year

...but hoping on NEXT year to be working towards my own lamb meat to eat in the fall of 2017 from these ewes and our ram.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[chickadoodles]

Tara your post are always loaded with tons of beautiful pics and information. Thanks for sharing.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

@attimushope the new restaurant, new baby and momma are all doing well

 

[Akrnaf2]

Tara your post are always loaded with tons of beautiful pics and information. Thanks for sharing. 

Indeed I must agree to that!
I am very impressed wite the very deep genetic knowledge of your animals.
I agree thst this year yiu should wait, but I think that you will need another Ram from a different blood line. In this case you csn breed the Rsms with the daughters of each other.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Tara is also an expert in Chicken genetics....

 

[Akrnaf2]

 

Tara your post are always loaded with tons of beautiful pics and information. Thanks for sharing. 

Indeed I must agree to that!

I am very impressed wite the very deep genetic knowledge of your animals.

I agree thst this year yiu should wait, but I think that you will need another Ram from a different blood line. In this case you csn breed the Rsms with the daughters of each other.

Tara is also an expert in Chicken genetics....     

Indeed, the best genetic around!

 

[attimus]

Thanks for all the kind words. The baby is amazing, and the wife is doing great. Now back to it.

Some Texas style french toast wth mixed berry compote.

The same compote over some cheesecake for a few nights after brunch.
The compote was simple.
Several baskets of berries
Enough water to cover
White and brown sugar
Bring to boil then reduce and simmer for upwards of an hour.
I also used this on some scallops with a few extra steps.
Using the made compote I added equal parts lemon juice and white wine.
Splash of honey and molasses.
Returned to boil and let reduce for a bit. Then hit it with an immersion blender.

Starting some pesto

Dark opal, Thai and sweet basil. I ended up adding another decently sized handful towards the end

I had almonds on hand, any nut will work and change the flavor profile slighty

I used most of this container of parmesan

Two cloves of garlic.

And some nice avocado oil to finish it off with salt and pepper to taste

Complete and tasty

Here's a cake that was brought in for a wedding reception ast weekend.

And some crab stuffed mushrooms that went out as a special appetizer for them. Sadly I didn't get pictures of the rest of the menu as we prepare or even served it. Lol. All pretty fast paced as it was held an hour before we opened and worked it's way into actual service that night.
Some other items on the menu included
Caprese' Brushcetta
New York and skewered pancetta wrapped prawns.
Grilled king salmon with a lemon caper buerre blanc
Chicken cordon bleu pasta with spinach tomatoes bacon and gouda cheese
And a rissotto stuffed portabella mushroom(no one ordered this but hey we were ready)
Party was set for 20, super easy when it's at the restrauant.

Speaking of restrauants the business my bosses are taking over is in the next town and it's called Crab cakes. Everything is finalized and we are moving forward, less than a month until they take over.
The catering business attached to the restaurant is called Yosemite catering and already seems well established. They also have a rather extensive website that covers a large spread of meal and serving types.

Gonna be fun times moving into winter that's for sure.

Gonna finish up with a quick mention about getting livestock from the 4-h auctions at the fair. Didn't happen. Alot on my plate. But we did see some beautiful sheep goats and pigs the last day of the fair, all auctioned for anywhere from 6 to 20 dollars a pound.
Another time perhaps when I'm caught up a little more around here.

Anyways, time to turn in

A.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

As always looks amazing! Sorry about the auction, good luck with the new place!!

 

[Akrnaf2]

Thanks for all the kind words. The baby is amazing, and the wife is doing great. Now back to it.

Some Texas style french toast wth mixed berry compote.

The same compote over some cheesecake for a few nights after brunch.
The compote was simple.
Several baskets of berries
Enough water to cover
White and brown sugar
Bring to boil then reduce and simmer for upwards of an hour.
I also used this on some scallops with a few extra steps.
Using the made compote I added equal parts lemon juice and white wine.
Splash of honey and molasses.
Returned to boil and let reduce for a bit. Then hit it with an immersion blender.

Starting some pesto

Dark opal, Thai and sweet basil. I ended up adding another decently sized handful towards the end

I had almonds on hand, any nut will work and change the flavor profile slighty

I used most of this container of parmesan

Two cloves of garlic.

And some nice avocado oil to finish it off with salt and pepper to taste

Complete and tasty

Here's a cake that was brought in for a wedding reception ast weekend.

And some crab stuffed mushrooms that went out as a special appetizer for them. Sadly I didn't get pictures of the rest of the menu as we prepare or even served it. Lol. All pretty fast paced as it was held an hour before we opened and worked it's way into actual service that night.
Some other items on the menu included
Caprese' Brushcetta
New York and skewered pancetta wrapped prawns.
Grilled king salmon with a lemon caper buerre blanc
Chicken cordon bleu pasta with spinach tomatoes bacon and gouda cheese
And a rissotto stuffed portabella mushroom(no one ordered this but hey we were ready)
Party was set for 20, super easy when it's at the restrauant.

Speaking of restrauants the business my bosses are taking over is in the next town and it's called Crab cakes. Everything is finalized and we are moving forward, less than a month until they take over.
The catering business attached to the restaurant is called Yosemite catering and already seems well established. They also have a rather extensive website that covers a large spread of meal and serving types.

Gonna be fun times moving into winter that's for sure.

Gonna finish up with a quick mention about getting livestock from the 4-h auctions at the fair. Didn't happen. Alot on my plate. But we did see some beautiful sheep goats and pigs the last day of the fair, all auctioned for anywhere from 6 to 20 dollars a pound.
Another time perhaps when I'm caught up a little more around here.

Anyways, time to turn in

A.

Looks tasty!
Basil garlic combination loves pine nuts and olive oil!
In my opinion Almonds Avocado oil will go wonderfuly with Taragon pesto!

 

[attimus]

Looks tasty!
Basil garlic combination loves pine nuts and olive oil!
In my opinion Almonds Avocado oil will go wonderfuly with Taragon pesto!

. Have pine trees all over around here but the squirrels are much more efficient at harvesting the seeds than I am. There's a reason pine nuts aren't cheap.

A.