Hay is for Horses

Today was hay day! The equine dentist was scheduled to float Jessie and Blue's teeth this morning but his filly's chiropractor was hours late which in turn caused him to reschedule his 40-50 horse appointments in our area. Just goes to show that all of us do indeed affect each other's lives at times...I am sure this woman was oblivious to her blatant inability in keeping this man's appointment and creating such a ripple effect. I say that because I have heard from more than one disappointed client that this is just her way...tsk, tsk.

Back to hay... I have a 78-year old hay man named Earl. He was a former trainer in the California racing industry and tells amazing stories of the yesteryear racing world. He co-owns a farm in Washington where superior hay reigns and ships prime 3-string 125-135 lb. bales all over the world. My 'ponies' eat timothy only which has the lowest protein content, maybe 10-11% unlike alfalfa with upwards of 18+ percent. This hay is like no other...no weed, no mold, no grass mixture, no blister beetle, no heat, just awesome timothy with excellent head. My horses do not waste it and eat every strand. I have purchased local hay for years only to be totally disappointed with having to return moldy bales. This has happened with three different suppliers and that gets old fast especially since I have to reload the bad bales and haul the hay myself with no reimbursement for my expense. It is so frustrating to put up maybe sixty 35-40 pound 2 string bales (by myself) and find that several bales are useless. So, I made the decision to travel to Lexington and buy the best. My horsey friends think I am crazy, but I think it has been worth it for three years now. Well, I thought so until today... my cost per bale was increased which makes no sense since diesel is way cheaper than it was last year. Oh well, maybe I can find some decent summer hay that hasn't been put up wet.

It was a long day for me. Little Bear woke me up at 4 am which is now her habit. Just as I began to doze back to sleep, the electricity went off. Thankfully we have a generator but the disturbance created the second unhealthy sleep interruption making it difficult to fall back to la la land. I fed early and cleaned the stalls early out of respect for my equine dentist so no sleeping in which farm owners cannot do anyways...

Earl and his grandson (who will inherit the business) loaded my 2-horse gooseneck filling it with 29 bales. It hauled well and the trip back, thankfully, was uneventful. Upon my return, I was greeted by Callie, Cricket, Coty, and Nugget, showing their faithful love to their mama with wagging tails and kitty rubs against my legs. The good husband was watching the BB games, so I grabbed a quick snack and backed the trailer down the hill into the barn, well, a few feet into the barn, since I have no room to properly pull out and back it in straight without damaging the numerous tractor implements left in places where I would not put them.

Ahhh, now the looming task of handling 3,770 total pounds of hay and stacking the bales in an orderly fashion. The lower back was already protesting since it hasn't fully recovered from the surpise meeting of those four unforgiving steps a month ago, not to mention stiffness had begun to set in resulting from the 2 hour drive home.

I think I finished in about an hour and wouldn't you know, the good husband arrived when I was handling the very last bale. He provided a much needed boost to shove the final bale into place. He quickly exited fearing that I might request more help and pretended not to hear 'honey, help me feed the deer'. Off he went in his Kubota, worrying that he might miss those important basketball plays...uggh, men's sports....

Well, there you have it...this middle aged farm girl is quite pleased that she alone was able to stack five high and remain injury free. Hail to the good strong Fuller (Grampie, Floyd Fuller) and Davis (Great Grammie Fred) farm genes that still live on today! ps... I may be eating these words tomorrow after the lactic acid invades my aching body....

Baking At Its Best - Picture Cookies

On the December 2008 issue of Martha's Living magazine, I was instantly drawn to the most beautiful cookies! No gooey layers or sloppy ingredients, just simple shapes but with little scenes etched on the tops each cookie. A horse drawn sleigh in front of a farmhouse, a snowman, birds, flowers, bunnies, religious icons; the designs were intricate and eye catching. I discovered these cookies have been around for 100's of years and are named Springerle cookies. I wanted these molds! They were mostly made of wood and one could hang them for a unique kitchen decor. Go to http://www.houseonthehill.net/ so you can see what I am describing. This is a small company located in Massachusetts and they were flooded with orders when I called (and omitted some of the molds I wanted), but now I am sure business has calmed down.

The springerle cookies require a 24-hour drying period so I decided not to try that recipe but found in the little book that accompanied my order, several other recipes including the best sugar cookie...Vanilla Sugar Cookie. Unlike any other sugar cookie recipe, this one requires dissolving the sugar so have fun and try them yourself! They come out soft and tender and can be stored for up to a week in a metal tin. You can even purchase the special paint and give them some color! Try them with your favorite hot tea on a dismal rainy day (it rained yesterday!).

Cricket Capers

Yesterday was rainy but that didn't stop the barn brat from being a playful kitty. From chasing his mother, Callie, and jumping over her while she too is running, to climbing the tree way too high (in Grammie's opinion); he was on a roll. Meanwhile, big Daddy Cat watched from a distance while his son entertained us all!

Maple Syrup Time!

Tis' the season for the Vermont farmers to be tapping their maples for that awesome goodness: pure Vermont Maple Syrup! I truly cannot understand how anyone would prefer a store bought syrup to this pure sweet concoction. As a child, I remember my grampie, Floyd Fuller, used to sell it from the 'new' house in Randolph Center. He used to tap his own sugar maples on his dairy farm for decades; but when I came along, they were retired from farming, had sold the farm and lived on a couple of acres with a couple of horses. Grampie always had to have his beloved horses.

Grampie is a legend of sorts up there. He describes his youth in a series of interviews that can be digitally accessed on the Vermont Folklore Cultural website. You can hear how as a 12-year old, he had to spend an entire day in the sugar house boiling the sap - by himself! That is a lot of work for such a young kid! I miss both Grammie and Grampie tremendously but these old photos of their life on the beautiful farm seem to help in a small way. I have dedicated a web page to Gramp and can be accessed by clicking on this link... Floyd Fuller, Vermont's Legendary Horseman.

My favorite memories of Vermont maple syrup is 'sugar in the snow'. As kids we would all gather around the dining room table. In the middle of the table was a huge mound of frozen snow with lots of little grooves. I don't remember now, but the syrup was boiled to a certain point and then drizzled in the holes. We would then spoon it out and it was like candy. I am also in love with Grammie's baked beans which to me are far superior to any baked bean in the world! The 'soldier' beans are slow cooked with pure Vermont maple syrup and of course other ingredients. I should make some soon. Hmm, Vermont maple syrup, maybe I will make some barnyard waffles and gobble some of that goodness this morning!