I have gotten myself involved in the art of making cheese. Thought I'd try doing just a simple one like cottage cheese for the first outing and it worked out pretty well.
Next up was one called Quark. No not those ones flying around out in space. or going through my house at light speed. This is an old original one developed about 5-6 hundred years ago. It is also a soft one and ready to eat just as soon as you are done with the making it part. Goes good spread on hot toast with made just a touch of homemade blackberry jam smeared on it.
Now it is time to try one that actually set me on this course in the first place. Cheddar, the King of cheeses as far as I am concerned. I guess the Queen award would have to go to Rogurfort,(sp). But back to the King. This one takes a little longer to age before you can eat it. It is called Farmhouse Cheddar, but it is kind of bland and pure white when first out of the press. It tastes like a cheddar but with overtones of feta slipped in there somehow. I let it age in a cool environment for about 30 days and just had to try it. It is a little crumbly but has started to develop a bit of a tang on the tongue. So I am eating the third quarter of that one. After rewaxing the last quarter piece, put it back in the storage place for another month or two to see what develops.
For the fourth attempt I went for doing a Traditional Cheddar. This one is a lot more involved than the Farmhouse one. There are a few more steps to this process that eventually gives you my favorite tasting cheese. "Cheddaring" is the actual process of cutting and stacking the cheese curds into strips, and turning them every fifteen minutes or so, all the while holding them at a constant temperature in a pot surrounded with hot water at a very specific temp.
Because of difficulty of getting the water to an exact temperature, I'm not sure how my latest attempt is going to turn out. But won't know for sure till 6-9 months down the road. Since that last time I have bought a device to immerse in the water to keep it heated and also a device that automatically regulates the water heater to maintain that oh so critical temp!
So tomorrow morning I am going to put all my new found information and gadgets to the test and will begin the second of what I hope will be a bi-weekly affair of starting a new cheese to feed to the masses, Well at least to my family. If it is eatable, I may pass out a few tastes albeit grudgingly!
TIFN
Friday, February 2, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Calling a Spade a Spade
Well “The Donald” is at it again! Calling a spade a spade and Not a Heart or a Diamond. And it is just driving all the poor little snowflakes into hissy fits of unimagined proportions! Oh my God! How can he possibly say that about those countries? Well let me tell you something, In my 20 years in the US Navy I was in quite a few of those shitholes. Not up in the hills and mountain tops where all the rich or well to do’s abide, but down in the towns/cities in the poor sections. Around the docks, and the slums. Have any of you folks who are world travelers with pockets full of money, ever been down in the nitty-gritty parts of the cities you visit? Have you been down there where the “sewer system” is a trench that runs the length of the Main Street and into the local river or harbor? Where people just walk out to the middle of the street and lift their clothes a mite, do their business and walk off right through the latest deposits in their open topped sandals? Well have you? Go too Karachi Pakistan, Mombasa or Assab,Ethiopia, go over to Cochin, India. How about into Angola to the capital city? Mozambique has a whole row of shitholes running from north to south that they call home.
These are the places that feed us all those chain migration folks! Can’t blame them for wanting to run from their abject poverty, but there is no good reason why we should accept them all when they become a drain on all of our resources, to the detriment of our own tax paying citizens.
They have migrated to enclaves here in the the US and are speedily turning large tracts of our country into the selfsame shitholes they came from. Go to Baltimore, Chicago, Places in Minnesota, and others all over this country and see for yourself just what is happening!
Go to the library and check out Toynbee’s Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and you can see right where we are headed if all the policies of the previous four or five Administrations are not reversed. Especially the last one where he/it was going to ,”fundamentally change the face of the US of A!
TIFN
These are the places that feed us all those chain migration folks! Can’t blame them for wanting to run from their abject poverty, but there is no good reason why we should accept them all when they become a drain on all of our resources, to the detriment of our own tax paying citizens.
They have migrated to enclaves here in the the US and are speedily turning large tracts of our country into the selfsame shitholes they came from. Go to Baltimore, Chicago, Places in Minnesota, and others all over this country and see for yourself just what is happening!
Go to the library and check out Toynbee’s Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and you can see right where we are headed if all the policies of the previous four or five Administrations are not reversed. Especially the last one where he/it was going to ,”fundamentally change the face of the US of A!
TIFN
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Repair of a Linguini (inguinal) hernia!
When I first went to see a doc about the pain in the gut way down low and to the right, after he checked it all out he turns to me and says I have a "Linguini" hernia down there. Well it kind of made sense to me cause the pasta stuff looks a lot like a plate full of guts when it comes right down to it! But it t'was an inguinal hernia, DUH!
So off I went to the South County hospital yesterday morning. In at 0730, into the OR at 0950, and in recovery by 1030, and not one piece of spaghetti leaked out on the floor!
Now comes the fun part for the next few days till the pain goes away and then six to eight weeks of picking up nothing heavier than a gallon of milk. Kind of puts the kibosh on outside work involving raking, shoveling etc. I guess I can go ahead and screw a bunch of the pieces of precut 2x4x27.5" stock into 52 more of the minibeds for my next springs garden.
Going to actually finish a Piper Cub R/C kit that I started two winters ago. Just got the servos, receiver and a couple other small items needed to finish it.
Then on to the reloading bench to turn some of my components into real live ammo. Got to be ready when that Zombie Apocalypse arrives. Or at least a few of the gone awry snowflakes !
TIFN
So off I went to the South County hospital yesterday morning. In at 0730, into the OR at 0950, and in recovery by 1030, and not one piece of spaghetti leaked out on the floor!
Now comes the fun part for the next few days till the pain goes away and then six to eight weeks of picking up nothing heavier than a gallon of milk. Kind of puts the kibosh on outside work involving raking, shoveling etc. I guess I can go ahead and screw a bunch of the pieces of precut 2x4x27.5" stock into 52 more of the minibeds for my next springs garden.
Going to actually finish a Piper Cub R/C kit that I started two winters ago. Just got the servos, receiver and a couple other small items needed to finish it.
Then on to the reloading bench to turn some of my components into real live ammo. Got to be ready when that Zombie Apocalypse arrives. Or at least a few of the gone awry snowflakes !
TIFN
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Be Scared! Big Storm coming!
Well as usual in this screwy state just because Mother Nature decides to dampen us a bit, all the Weather Guessers on the tube are claiming that we are going to be in dire straits because we MAY get UP TO eight inches of snow sometime in the next 36 hours!
So I guess I'll go right out and buy a generator, a truck load of bottled water, and another of batteries. OOOH, I must not forget to go by the bakery and buy all they have!
See you later after I get all dug out next spring!
TIFN
So I guess I'll go right out and buy a generator, a truck load of bottled water, and another of batteries. OOOH, I must not forget to go by the bakery and buy all they have!
See you later after I get all dug out next spring!
TIFN
Saturday, December 23, 2017
The BIBB and Me!
I have been trying to get a post up on the BBIB as to how the folks of the Island could access this blog. All I asked was to post the Internet address for this Blog! IslandVoiceII@blogspot.com.
Well for some reason they have declined to do so on the pretext that this is a commercial site, and I assume, they think I am making money off of it! NOT TRUE! Have never solicited a dime, nor received one from all the years I ran this previously!
Have corresponded with the Aministrators twice trying to reconcile the so-called problem. I see commercial ventures being put up every single day! So I wonder just what is going on. Is this one more instance of some organization trying to stifle a dissenting voice from being heard? Maybe I should link myself with BLM, LGBTALPHABET, or others and see what happens.
Still waiting for a cogent response other than the dogmatic one I have received so far .
TIFN
Well for some reason they have declined to do so on the pretext that this is a commercial site, and I assume, they think I am making money off of it! NOT TRUE! Have never solicited a dime, nor received one from all the years I ran this previously!
Have corresponded with the Aministrators twice trying to reconcile the so-called problem. I see commercial ventures being put up every single day! So I wonder just what is going on. Is this one more instance of some organization trying to stifle a dissenting voice from being heard? Maybe I should link myself with BLM, LGBTALPHABET, or others and see what happens.
Still waiting for a cogent response other than the dogmatic one I have received so far .
TIFN
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Pecadillo's at the Power Plant!
Well the people of the Island get screwed to the wall again! Instead of $550,000.00 for the Substation, the price magically inflates to $1.8 Million! Somebody, somewhere in this whole affair did not have their eyes on the ball. Hell they were not even in the same stadium where the game was afoot! How could so many people who were supposedly watching all aspects of this whole fiasco apparently be sound asleep?
What about the cost of the friggin' cable? How could ALL the WHEEL'S who negotiated the price for this thing have gotten it so wrong. Or did the manufacturer in "Wherever", put one over on our vaunted intellectual, business people? I believe all the folks involved with the whole project knew just what they were up to from day one. I find it very hard to believe that a multi million dollar endeavor like this, would've had so many incompetent people.
All that bull about how much our electric bills were going to go down and now we find that it will go up 2-3 cents a KWH! And I'll bet it will get nothing but more expensive before it ever gets paid off.
One other thing, what is happening with the large piles of "Non-contaminated" dirt piled up there by the Town Garage? Can we redistribute it to folks who want to put in a garden? M-M-M- diesel flavored tomatoes! Wonder just how much that is going to cost to get it hauled off island and to the Superfund reclamation site? Free I expect.
How about that Broadband Internet thingy? Do most of, or even a bare majority of the folks living here year round really want or NEED that? Doubtful from all the people I talk to about it. If you really need that high speed access to facilitate the running of your business, then by all means get it! How? I hear Hughes Net can can do that for you! But YOU have to pay the exorbitant fees, not use the rest of us to underwrite your money making endeavors of which WE receive no recompense! Pay for it yourself or marry a billionaire!
That $1.5 to 1.8 Million bucks should go toward building a seawall along the Neck road to preserve it for as long as possible. Roll all those rocks the State put there out on the beach, and the drive a lot of 60' steel bulkhead down in the sand about 52 feet, roll back all the rocks and add to them substantially. Pour a concrete cap along it's entirety about 10-12 feet wide and and viola! A Promenade for all those summer visitors to partake of the beauty of the Island.
Of course this should all happen before the ocean all freezes over and we wouldn't need
the bulkhead or the ferries anymore. A scenario just about as liable to happen as the one where we all should stock up on snorkels and fins to get to the floating Grocery store located somewhere around Beacon Hill.
In case you haven't been listening to Rational people instead of all the doomsayers and nuts like the estimable Mr. , There is an event in the making that will put us back in the 1700's as far as electricity usage is concerned. Google 'The Carrington Event, and see what turns up! That is if Ding Dong _Un from North Korea does get too us first!
TIFN
What about the cost of the friggin' cable? How could ALL the WHEEL'S who negotiated the price for this thing have gotten it so wrong. Or did the manufacturer in "Wherever", put one over on our vaunted intellectual, business people? I believe all the folks involved with the whole project knew just what they were up to from day one. I find it very hard to believe that a multi million dollar endeavor like this, would've had so many incompetent people.
All that bull about how much our electric bills were going to go down and now we find that it will go up 2-3 cents a KWH! And I'll bet it will get nothing but more expensive before it ever gets paid off.
One other thing, what is happening with the large piles of "Non-contaminated" dirt piled up there by the Town Garage? Can we redistribute it to folks who want to put in a garden? M-M-M- diesel flavored tomatoes! Wonder just how much that is going to cost to get it hauled off island and to the Superfund reclamation site? Free I expect.
How about that Broadband Internet thingy? Do most of, or even a bare majority of the folks living here year round really want or NEED that? Doubtful from all the people I talk to about it. If you really need that high speed access to facilitate the running of your business, then by all means get it! How? I hear Hughes Net can can do that for you! But YOU have to pay the exorbitant fees, not use the rest of us to underwrite your money making endeavors of which WE receive no recompense! Pay for it yourself or marry a billionaire!
That $1.5 to 1.8 Million bucks should go toward building a seawall along the Neck road to preserve it for as long as possible. Roll all those rocks the State put there out on the beach, and the drive a lot of 60' steel bulkhead down in the sand about 52 feet, roll back all the rocks and add to them substantially. Pour a concrete cap along it's entirety about 10-12 feet wide and and viola! A Promenade for all those summer visitors to partake of the beauty of the Island.
Of course this should all happen before the ocean all freezes over and we wouldn't need
the bulkhead or the ferries anymore. A scenario just about as liable to happen as the one where we all should stock up on snorkels and fins to get to the floating Grocery store located somewhere around Beacon Hill.
In case you haven't been listening to Rational people instead of all the doomsayers and nuts like the estimable Mr. , There is an event in the making that will put us back in the 1700's as far as electricity usage is concerned. Google 'The Carrington Event, and see what turns up! That is if Ding Dong _Un from North Korea does get too us first!
TIFN
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Things are starting to take shape
Moving right along---
I finally got the upper plot all tilled for the potatoes. Cut them all today and letting a scab form on them before planting so they have some protection for any lurking germs in the soil. I am going to wait till Friday around noon to do the deed, for a very specific reason. That being so that my youngest granddaughter, Dakota, can assist again for her third year in a row in the planting of the 'taters. She finds it amazing to dig into the side of a hill in the middle of the summer and pull out a potato! She also gets a kick out of coming down to the house and going out in the attached room greenhouse and giving the tubs of lettuces a haircut with a pair of scissors in the middle of the winter. I think I have a budding gardener!
Back to the spuds, we put them in rows 36" apart and space them in the row 12-16" depending on the variety. Put them in the 2-3" deep trench till all are in the ground. Then we walk along each row and deposit a small handful of 19-19-19 fertilizer of the organic kind, between each cut spud. Her hand, full of said stuff, is just the right amount.
Then we will pull the dirt back over them and wait for them to start turning into next winters dinners.
When they get to be about 6-8" tall we will keep pulling dirt up and around the bottom leaves until we have plants growing in the middle of a hill of soil about 8-10" across the top and about 8-12 tall. Therein shall the amazing transformation take place!
Planted 24 Mary Washington Asparagus plants about a week ago, and then 75 strawberry plants the next day. Asparagus has yet to make an appearance but every one of the strawberry plants have put out good growth in that time period.
In the HT, the 3 different types of lettuces have all appeared and gotten to be about 2" tall. Peas are up about 4". Got two Kale volunteer plants up about 6" and a few more planted in a different mini-bed.
Brought 4 Homestead tomatoes down and planted along the trellis designed just for them. These are an Heirloom plant and were very prolific for us last year. Also brought down and planted 4 Roma's along another trellis. They were about 8" tall to start then and I buried each one up to the first true leaves. In the bottom of each hole is an equal parts blend of blood meal, Epsom salts, and pulverized dried eggshells. Cover with about an inch of soil before dropping in the plant so it doesn't burn the roots! That takes care of the nitrogen, magnesium, and calcium requirements for getting them off to a good start. They have already regained the 2 " I buried them!
Got four Broccoli and 4 cauliflower in two other mini beds, and they are holding their own. These are for fresh eating. I will start another four beds of cabbage, two of broccoli, and two more of cauliflower for preserving and making Kraut. We put up 54 quarts of tomato sauce last fall and made about 25 pints of kraut. Middle son likes my sauerkraut! I don't tell him that I stomp down the cabbage and salt barefoot in a big washtub before canning it! Toe-jam gives it just that right tang!
Took a chance and planted a bunch of Cilantro in one tire bed stack and fennel in another one. If they come up great, if not I'll just do it again in a couple of weeks or so.
All five of the Elderberries are doing very well! As are the three Red Currants, and the three Goosberries.
Four 20' x 4' raised beds are all hand tilled, fertilized, and covered with. plastic waiting for it to get warm enough to plant two beds of beets, and two full beds of different green beans for shelling and for summertime eating.
Had some folks over a few days ago to take a look at how I do this gardening stuff. Have to say they were most impressed! So much so that they were going right home and get a HT ordered for themselves. Gave them the online addresses for all three of Herrick Kimball blogs so that they will the advantage of his vast knowledge and Whizbang ideas!
Well I guess I am all up to date on the goings on around here so, TIFN.
I finally got the upper plot all tilled for the potatoes. Cut them all today and letting a scab form on them before planting so they have some protection for any lurking germs in the soil. I am going to wait till Friday around noon to do the deed, for a very specific reason. That being so that my youngest granddaughter, Dakota, can assist again for her third year in a row in the planting of the 'taters. She finds it amazing to dig into the side of a hill in the middle of the summer and pull out a potato! She also gets a kick out of coming down to the house and going out in the attached room greenhouse and giving the tubs of lettuces a haircut with a pair of scissors in the middle of the winter. I think I have a budding gardener!
Back to the spuds, we put them in rows 36" apart and space them in the row 12-16" depending on the variety. Put them in the 2-3" deep trench till all are in the ground. Then we walk along each row and deposit a small handful of 19-19-19 fertilizer of the organic kind, between each cut spud. Her hand, full of said stuff, is just the right amount.
Then we will pull the dirt back over them and wait for them to start turning into next winters dinners.
When they get to be about 6-8" tall we will keep pulling dirt up and around the bottom leaves until we have plants growing in the middle of a hill of soil about 8-10" across the top and about 8-12 tall. Therein shall the amazing transformation take place!
Planted 24 Mary Washington Asparagus plants about a week ago, and then 75 strawberry plants the next day. Asparagus has yet to make an appearance but every one of the strawberry plants have put out good growth in that time period.
In the HT, the 3 different types of lettuces have all appeared and gotten to be about 2" tall. Peas are up about 4". Got two Kale volunteer plants up about 6" and a few more planted in a different mini-bed.
Brought 4 Homestead tomatoes down and planted along the trellis designed just for them. These are an Heirloom plant and were very prolific for us last year. Also brought down and planted 4 Roma's along another trellis. They were about 8" tall to start then and I buried each one up to the first true leaves. In the bottom of each hole is an equal parts blend of blood meal, Epsom salts, and pulverized dried eggshells. Cover with about an inch of soil before dropping in the plant so it doesn't burn the roots! That takes care of the nitrogen, magnesium, and calcium requirements for getting them off to a good start. They have already regained the 2 " I buried them!
Got four Broccoli and 4 cauliflower in two other mini beds, and they are holding their own. These are for fresh eating. I will start another four beds of cabbage, two of broccoli, and two more of cauliflower for preserving and making Kraut. We put up 54 quarts of tomato sauce last fall and made about 25 pints of kraut. Middle son likes my sauerkraut! I don't tell him that I stomp down the cabbage and salt barefoot in a big washtub before canning it! Toe-jam gives it just that right tang!
Took a chance and planted a bunch of Cilantro in one tire bed stack and fennel in another one. If they come up great, if not I'll just do it again in a couple of weeks or so.
All five of the Elderberries are doing very well! As are the three Red Currants, and the three Goosberries.
Four 20' x 4' raised beds are all hand tilled, fertilized, and covered with. plastic waiting for it to get warm enough to plant two beds of beets, and two full beds of different green beans for shelling and for summertime eating.
Had some folks over a few days ago to take a look at how I do this gardening stuff. Have to say they were most impressed! So much so that they were going right home and get a HT ordered for themselves. Gave them the online addresses for all three of Herrick Kimball blogs so that they will the advantage of his vast knowledge and Whizbang ideas!
Well I guess I am all up to date on the goings on around here so, TIFN.
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