Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta

[Akrnaf2]

Heel low:



Excellent...GRILL...indeed.

Thank you for liking them sheeps!

Markets here are fab on sheeps...any sheep that goes to market (auction) is pulling a $300 price tag. Sheesh! The feed lots are asking for 50,000 (that's running at capacity) and only getting about 20,000! There is room to grow but that will never be market I am part of. WE are too small for production like that...but we still have fun.

That price for the rack of lamb in the grocery store I posted...by the way Benny...was Halāl lamb. Pretty kewl they do that more and more now.

I often look over the meat counter and can bring home chicken, lamb that was processed Halāl AND at competitive prices too!

You could just drop by and prepare lamb right in MY kitchen and I can provide you with the proper ingredients...I'd have alot of learning to do regarding the right preparation...but at least the lamb would be something you could work with!

View attachment 1105941
Aug 4 - Can you SEE HER now? ​

Cripers DD...gonna get you glasses or upgrade yer prescription! Lacy is sitting nestled closest to me on the right side of my chair...she even has a pair of EARS in the photo!

Lacy is the smartest one...sitting shaded in MY shadow peering out at HER sheeps! You know that saying about "providing warmth in winter and shade in summer!" Least I can do for the girl dogs, eh. Sit like a lump and cast a BIG shadow...

View attachment 1105942

Aug 8 - HOT DAY, eh!​

View attachment 1105943
Yesterday was a day where you find a shady spot
and only come out in the sun
when absolutely necessary! ​

AGH...I know, it is SO not easy. I am leaning towards the structure on the Freckled boy (the breeder says she cannot take her eyes off this one...always looking nice and attracting her attentions)...but the loud spots shout out at me and Spot has the potential for loud & proud lambs...AGH!!!

I can't choose...agh...I need to go and see them in person I guess...that will save me all this "I like this one but the other one is nice too" and back and forth...AGH!

Hey, now, we should all be cursed to be torn in two trying to decide on one ram lamb or the other. That's a GREAT thing. Maybe I don't need to decide and can fill up the Ram BARN to overflowing...ha ha ha...must behave, must choose ONE ram lamb...ONE!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

Tara halal is a muslim concept, in Judaism we spike about "casher"
כשר from that came the sentence cosher salt.

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara halal is a muslim concept, in Judaism we spike about "casher"
כשר from that came the sentence cosher salt.

Good GACK...I am insulting and rude...I apologize Benny!

So uneducated me (thank you for so patiently trying to TEACH us<-- gonna take some effort as I am an OLD dog with no NEW tricks up her sleeve)...you could not eat Halal lamb? Darn it. May I blame it on the heat...boiled brains?


http://www.diffen.com/difference/Halal_vs_Kosher

Halal and Kosher are terms often heard in the context of meat and dairy, and although it's common knowledge that the terms refer to guidelines on what can be consumed and what cannot, few know what either really means, let alone how they differ. "Is this kosher?" has become a common expression that has transcended the context of religion and food to the point that it simply means "Is this acceptable?" in a colloquial sense.

Halal and Kosher refer to what's permitted by Islamic and Jewish religious laws respectively. Halal is an Islamic term that means lawful or permitted. Although halal in a broad sense can refer to anything that's permitted by Islam, it's most often used in the context of permissible dietary habits, specifically when it comes to meat consumption. Kosher is a similar term used to describe food that is proper or fit for consumption according to Kashrut, the Jewish dietary law. This comparison will restrict itself to the context of religious dietary laws.

This link goes on to show differences in a table like form that even with me & my summer brain can sorta understand!

Basically, I can eat a cheese pizza with ham MEAT (Muslims don't eat pigs...good gack...batting 100% here!) and pineapple under Halal guidelines but not under Kosher ones.

When killing an animal, it seems the SAME method but one is done by a Muslim with a prayer to Allah (Halal) and the other is done by a Jew (Kosher). That is a BIG difference!

Fruit and Veg are Kosher if no bugs are present, but Halal makes no stipulations about "eating bugged up fruits and vegetables!" I am NOT having veg or friut salad at the Muslim all you can eat buffet, eh!

Kosher...OK...would I find lamb and chicken, beef labelled "Kosher" here? I remember my father buying something like pickled herring that was "kosher?" It has been a looong time since I was a kid you know...kid or a lamb...

Off to boil my grey matter again...

By the time winter swings back in...I'll likely have irritated EVERYONE here on BYC...

 

[getaclue]

Tara, is there a way to freeze your berries, like can be done with blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and the like? That way you could continue to harvest them, and put them up for a pie later on.

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara, is there a way to freeze your berries, like can be done with blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and the like? That way you could continue to harvest them, and put them up for a pie later on.

We'd like to keep getting more berries but with the birds and me really working at getting that pail. Season is almost over. Next year, might try getting enough bird netting and making a contraption around these bushes since we have had SO much fun with them. Birds can go bush and get these wild.

http://ontarioberries.com/site/berry-info/saskatoon-berries.html

Saskatoon Berries
Description:
Saskatoon Berries, often referred to as Saskatoons are purplish-blue berries grown on a shrub type bush. Although they look similar to blueberries they have a unique flavour that is excellent in preserves and pies and very tasty right off the bush.

Peak Season:
Saskatoon berry harvest usually begins in early July and will last two to three weeks.

Storage and Handling: Store berries in a cool refrigerator OR AT 0 degrees C with 90-95%humidity. This will prolong shelf life and reduce moisture loss. Saskatoons should be consumed within 10-14 days of purchase or they can be frozen up to a year.

Preparation:
Saskatoons are easy to harvest, prepare and store. There is no cutting, peeling or pitting! When freezing remember - don't not wash saskatoons before you freeze them. Place berries one layer deep on baking trays; freeze, then pack in plastic bags or containers. Rinse and drain frozen berries just before using.

Don't wash them if one is to freeze them...I saw at the Farmer's Market in Calgary, a bag of them this spring frozen for $30...should have paid attention as to how heavy the bag was to know the value of these berries?? Oh well.

I DO have a bit of pastry left, and the berries, looks like I got near two weeks in the fridge for them to be OK still. I am pretty sure we can do something with that like I said..."I want to be a TART," nobody's called me a TART in decades...sigh!

Huge booming black storm coming in...better go put the waterfowl away and check the mail...maybe those registrations are here (bwa ha ha...that would be too quick!). I also saw a wild mushroom I need to remember where it was and click a pick. For Benny...it is mushroom season starting up now!

I was very good and made tuna fish sandwiches for lunch instead of busting into the pie... Which is good as Rick is likely on his way home...just make the cream and the wait is over...

 

[Akrnaf2]

Not offended!
In our method of killing an cosher animal or bird there is hundreds of religious laws that needs to be aware of, so normally we don't do it ourselves but we use the service of a special knowledgeable man.
Another thing we CAN'T eat the animal (except fish ) blood! So depending on the prepration method we have to do some preliminary steps.
If we grill the meat on open fire we can put it as is, because according to the religious rules open fire"extract " out the blood from the meat, but if we want to cook it we need to do a "chserization" process of washing and salting the meat to extract the blood.
We have a very complicated "halacha"!

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Not offended!
In our method of killing an cosher animal or bird there is hundreds of religious laws that needs to be aware of, so normally we don't do it ourselves but we use the service of a special knowledgeable man.
Another thing we CAN'T eat the animal (except fish ) blood! So depending on the prepration method we have to do some preliminary steps.
If we grill the meat on open fire we can put it as is, because according to the religious rules open fire"extract " out the blood from the meat, but if we want to cook it we need to do a "chserization" process of washing and salting the meat to extract the blood.
We have a very complicated "halacha"!

I am glad not to have offended you. Rhinos have very thick skins & rats can be amazingly annoying, eh?

I can be like the bull in a fine China shop and not even realize I have destroyed something valuable until it is too late!

http://cor.ca/view/407/kosher_certification_in_calgary.html

KOSHER AND YOUR BUSINESS

The kosher food industry has grown dramatically of late with over $200 billion of kosher certified food products being sold globally every year. One reason for this explosion in kosher food products has been the increase in both Jewish and non Jewish kosher consumers.

In fact, out of the 15 million consumers in North America who seek out strictly kosher food products, only 15% are Jewish. The other 85% are made up of consumers who view kosher products as being more wholesome, as well as strict vegetarians, people with allergies or members of other religious groups such as Muslims or Hindus who know that a kosher-pareve designation is an assurance that a particular food contains no animal derivative ingredients.

I find it very interesting that 85 percent of the Kosher market is not for strict adherence for religious reasons. I can eat this and know it has been handled with care. Delightful!

There are also lists of grocery stores, some big chain stores that carry Kosher groceries. How convenient.

Nothing you have ever described about keeping Kosher has been anything I did not find logical and certainly consumable. These methods would certainly be healthy for a person to follow.

Kosher pickled herring with lime recipe

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/kosher-pickled-herrings-with-spices-and-lime.html

Even if you don't like pickled herring (not really myself), the photo above is a glorious celebration of colour, textures, and a pleasant example of how glorious food can be. Gotta eat every day (eat to live), so one should eat (but maybe not live to eat...ha ha ha) and enjoy the experience as part of being and continuing to be ALIVE!!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[Akrnaf2]

It amaze me too!
Didn't know that fact! Very interesting!
Keeping ouer food clean is one of the main thing in ouer dietary rules!
And anoter thing is to keep the animal suffering to the most minimum needed!
Read this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tza'ar_ba'alei_chayim

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

I am sure you boo tube would be interested in following me around most days--someone could get many hits posting the goings on here...the comedic factor alone would be popular!

Get inside your houses...I say NOW!​

Old lady running round putting away "stupid" waterfowl (Oh yes, there has in the past been hail falling and the silly looks of "the sky is falling!" on faces of birds standing OUTSIDE)...Get in already...don't you SEE the black purple clouds barrelling in...NO...I said inside...yer done for the day, eh!

Second pair of swans...waltzing along...no hurry, "We got all day, so DON'T you?"
Shoo...get along widdle doggies...GET ALONG...parade, eh?? ​

So went down to check on the sheep. I put collars on the girls because after this, we were going to check the mail. Two outside the safety of the place destinations.

Back gates are open...& who let the dogs out...WOOF WOOF!??​

The girls get leashed and hitched together with a dual dog coupler, what I call a BRACE chain because we use these at dog shows in brace classes for conformation (two dogs as one) and obedience (two dogs completing the course moving in tandem). When we had five ACDs, I had three leashes and two brace chains...it was an interesting maneuver being outnumbered & powered that if I stumbled, likely have been air borne a while...eeek

We're outside our comfort zone...but so are our stock! ​

At Rick's suggestion, I put them out further along our ditch at the back gate. I had to think hard about the last time I had sheep out that way...it has been likely a decade now. Still got the large rocks strategically placed where my electronet fence needs a little help staying level with the dips in the ditch (it IS a ditch and suppose to be unlevel).

See that smidgen of orange snow fence,
way way in the distance...(DD won't see it )
That's were this walk way ended​

Took me 2.5 hours to do the setup...roll the wire and temporary posts out to the back gate, unroll the wire and weave it parallel along the fenceline...a through fairway for the sheep to stomp through to get to the new eating spot.

Put up the ele netting, power ready, bucket for water, etc. Well worth it...whole place is like one big sheep SALAD! Lots of variety and I think this is a good mental place for sheep. Really like wild Mouflons...ha ha ha...past Decor flumping down and too full to stand, but not too full to KEEP EATING!

Full already? Decor far middle right...down but not out...still eating! ​

The grasses were glorious, some with long seed heads. Oh how the sheep love nipping those...even the babies, the first grasses they sample on pasture are the headed out ones...be like eating GRAINS! I checked for bad things like noxious weeds (Death Camas & Locoweed) but the area is a little more damp and shaded more so did not find any I needed to remove. I did note the same ant hills, two large are there like ten years ago.

And the ants came marching one by one...HURRAH, hurrah
"Oh my big belly, something's Biting me!!"​

Long grasses on them and sure enough Duro decided she would withstand the ant's attentions to clear the hills of consumable grass...you could see her skin flinching and I just laughed...you know you could MOVE off and leave them to their house, eh. I have an attitude that although I do not want an ant hill where I walk or in my house, when they build in an area that I frequent less often, have at it. I need to acknowledge we ALL need to share this world.

Ditto harvesting GRAINS!! Grass seed heads

Outta room for more photo files ...start a new post...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

It amaze me too!
Didn't know that fact! Very interesting!
Keeping ouer food clean is one of the main thing in ouer dietary rules!
And anoter thing is to keep the animal suffering to the most minimum needed!
Read this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tza'ar_ba'alei_chayim

This portion is of particular interest to persons here...

The Jewish Initiative For Animals (JIFA)

The Jewish Initiative For Animals supports innovative programs that seek to turn the Jewish value of tza'ar ba'alei chayim into action and build Jewish American communities in the process. In November 2016 JIFA partnered with kosher meat distributors KOL Foods and Grow and Behold to bring the a run of kosher certified heritage breed chickens to market for the first time in approximately 50 years. Heritage breed chickens and turkeys are able to achieve highest possible welfare outcomes. Thus, the renewed availability of heritage chicken to kosher consumer has helped expand values of tza'ar ba'alei chayim within the modern kosher meat industry. JIFA has also sought to spread the values of tza'ar ba'alei chayim into the Jewish world through its Ark Project, a service-learning curriculum for b’nai mitzvah. This curriculum seeks to engages with Jewish teaching and real life problems about topics such as homeless animals, animals used in entertainment, farmed animal welfare, conservation of wildlife and more.

I must say I don't quite get the hoopla over how living beings are killed in the Kosher fashion. To me it seems super humane and a decent way to harvest animals.

I personally HATE the killing part...everything else about putting meat on the table is fine by me...from growing to butchering up the DEAD meat, the killing part grosses me out and is a part I would gladly let someone else do...hee hee...

This killing part needs to swiftly and humanely happen--not stress the creatures out if at all possible. To eat meat, we have that part to do and to do it well and proper...meets with my approval!

Thank you as always Benny!

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

OK...I hate this new BYC system...HATE, HATE it...you cannot reply or compose TWO separate replies to a thread...the one I was doing and then Benny posted...I could not reply to his post until I finished and posted what I was posting...whatever...

Anyway, where was I, who am I...huh?

Sheep...back to the sheep...flock back thar!

Girls and I hoofing it down to see how they are doing!​

Note the area in the ditch they did a while back is still nice and tidy. The growth of the forage has slooowed way down.

This area untouched is very deliciously full!
​

Great call Rick...it does need sheepy attentions.

Attentions...I said pay attention to your WORK!

Good babies...back to EAT EAT EAT! ​

Lookit that porker...oops...sheeper
Èden's a fat girl...FAT Lamb!
She's looking back at me...insulted..."I am NOT fat, just BIG BONED!"​

What I can't get over is the size of the shelterbelt trees...I planted in 1999...holy moley!

They send you like branch tip sized seedlings, you plant the seedling, water it, keep the weeds from smothering it and then, you are blow away...I am not old, not old for a tree but by golly...Rick and I have lived long enough to see the Caragana over the height of the fence, the spruce trees TOWER to the skies...the apple trees bear fruit and the berry bushes give us bounty. PINCH me perfect...I am not , am I?

there was a ruckus the girls picked up on yesterday​

Yup...annual pothole filler uppers were by!

The girls would not be happy and settled until they were allowed to investigate the change to our dust control. Oh to have the sensory input canine noses must absorb!

Fungi time...

The top of the 'shroom looked like it might be from the Boletus edulis family (100 kinds supposedly) but it has a frilly under part...not familiar with this kind?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis

Prized as an ingredient in various foods, B. edulis is an edible mushroom held in high regard in many cuisines, and is commonly prepared and eaten in soups, pasta, or risotto. The mushroom is low in fat and digestible carbohydrates, and high in protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Although it is sold commercially, it is very difficult to cultivate. Available fresh in autumn in Central, Southern and Northern Europe, it is most often dried, packaged and distributed worldwide. It keeps its flavour after drying, and it is then reconstituted and used in cooking. B. edulis is one of the few fungi sold pickled. The fungus also produces a variety of organic compounds with a diverse spectrum of biological activity, including the steroid derivative ergosterol, a sugar binding protein, antiviral compounds, antioxidants, and phytochelatins, which give the organism resistance to toxic heavy metals.

My father picks Boletus and enjoys them immensely. I think I have told this story before but bears repeating...My father is out mushroom picking...has some Boletus and runs into one of the "magic" mushroom pickers...they collect & eat "toxic" mushrooms to get high on...he sees the size of the mushrooms my Dad has and freaks out..."Mister, were are you getting those ones?" Magic mushrooms are tiny (not sure much about them, not my concern!), tiny compared to what my Father harvests.

OK...run outta picture file uploads again...drat...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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