Time Away From Our Empire

We are away for a few weeks visiting family. But of course things back home at our "Empire" have to keep going. We stopped milking the goats before we left and let them dry up so there would be less work while we are gone.  Now we will have to wait for next litter. Once the new kids are born we will be able to start milking again. Initially we get a small amount until the kids are weaned. And our kids are hopefully taking care of everything else. That is what they tell us.

And even though we are away are hearts are still there so we have spent a lot of time this vacation looking at farms around here, seeing what people are growing and learning about new fruits, vegetables, and birds. 

We are in Florida now. We wanted to find someone with jack fruit. Jack fruit is a large fruit that tastes like banana and pineapple. 

We have limited phone and data connections. Since we do not have GPS in the car, before we went out, we mapped a route and wrote down the directions. Somehow things got all mixed up and we ended up driving down a sand road in a very rural area. We kept doing that "let's just go a little further" thing although we were getting worried about the conditition of the road and the ability of our rental car to continue.

As we are driving we noticed some peacocks walking around. Then as we approached the next farm, we saw emus. When we saw the entranceway to that farm we turned hoping to get a peak and see what else they had.

As we turned a woman on a large 4X4 pulled up and asked if she could help us. We told her we were looking for jack fruit and she asked us where we from and what we wanted to do with it. We hesitantly told her we were from Israel and wanted the seeds.

We waited for her reaction and she answered that she would call her husband. She was still blocking the entrance and our car was still running. 

While we were standing, waiting and wondering what she was thinking, her daughter came out. At the  same time Harry and I noticed a Star of David around the daughter's neck.

I asked the big question, "Are you Jewish?" Her mother smiled when she told us, yes she is Jewish and her father is Israeli. Then her mother handed Harry the phone and he spoke to her father in Hebrew.

They told us a little about what they do, raising birds. They also told us that they started raising goats recently. We could not believe we had found an almost mirror version of our Empire somewhere down a sandy road in Florida and that it was owned by an Israeli. 

They let us in and showed us around a little.

The Birds

We are adding more birds. Awhile ago, Harry and a friend of his purchased an incubator. It is pretty impressive. It monitors the temperature and moves the eggs around. It must be working because we have chicks.

Incubator

New chicks

We also did an exchange. We exchanged four male goats for several birds. We visited a farm not too far from here where they raise pheasants, ducks, geese, chicken and ....

We let them know what we wanted. Then they came and checked out the goats and somehow a calculation was made.

Most of the birds will be beautiful when the are grown. We are hoping we have males and females and can start to also sell. There seems to be a pretty good market. 

Getting ready for the exhange

Some of our new birds

Business is Good and Round Focaccia for the New Year

The aravot (willow) selling is going really well this year. Our trees are really nice. People look for the לבלוב (luvloov) on their willow branch and we have plenty. I am not sure how to translate that to English. Google translates it as bloom. Anyway it is a growth from the top of the leaf.

Luvloov at the top

We even have a large order for willows without the luvloov. The price is lower but usually we just end up throwing these branches to the goats.

So we are all helping out. First someone goes out to the field and cuts parts of a tree. This has to be done when it is cool. The first sale day, with all the pressure for more branches, we tried to cut a few in the late afternoon. The branches drooped and died before we could get them to the air conditioned room. 

Trees this year

After cutting, the branches are removed and inspected to find the luvloov. Then we package the branches in plastic bags and seal them. The branches are packaged in sets of 2 or 5. 

Eli inspecting the branches

Branches are packaged. Now the air is removed from the plastic bags.

Bags are sealed. They will stay fresh longer.

Another set ready

The sets of 2 we sell now. The boys and Harry take them to Rehovot. Sometimes they hire friends to help. In addition, people call for large orders. We have had orders for 100 sets and even 1000 sets.

The sets of 5 will be sold for Hoshanah Rabbah. On Hoshanah Rabbah people take the 5 branches and beat them on the ground. It was done in the Temple. There are different explanations for this custom. Some say it shows the Jewish people's ability to survive persecution. Others say it symbolic of casting off sins because some of the leaves fall off.

With all that going on I just made some foccacia bread to serve to visitors to our Succah and the Meshek. I usually bake it in a rectangle pan but since I am out, l baked it in round pans. It is our custom to eat round sweet challah at the meals from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah. The round challah symbolizes cyclic nature of the year.

Round Focaccia

So today we are also having round focaccia. I have a very simple recipe. No kneading and you can make the dough when you have time and let it sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. 

Foccacia (makes 2)

Ingredients

6 1/2 cups flour. I use several types depending on what I have. I like it best with 3 cups regular flour, 2 cups bread flour, and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. 

1 tbsp dry yeast

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar 

3 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Olive oil

Additional salt (Kosher salt is also good)

Garlic and any other spices

Instructions

1. Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl

2. Mix quickly

3. Add water a cup at a time, mixing. In the end you will have a wet dough

4. Cover and let rise about 2 hours.

You can use the dough now or put it in the refrigerator until you want to use it. If you refrigerate, take it out about an hour before you use it and let it sit.

5. Divide the dough in half and press each into a 9 x12 inch pan. I spray the pan before with non-stick spray and sprinkle a little flour. I also put flour on my hands because the dough is sticky.

6. Let rise again about 1/2 hour.

7. Sprinkle dough wth olive oil, salt, and spices.

8. Bake at 200 cel for 18 minutes. If I remember I put some water in pan in the bottom of the oven. The bread is moister.

Succoth

Every Succoth we sell the willow ערבה and myrtle הדס. These are 2 of the four species included in the Succoth celebration. We also grow the other 2 species, the citron אתרוג and palm branch לולב. (We don't grow enough of these to sell.)

Willow

Mertyle: They already started cutting

We grow willow and mertyle trees. All year long we take care of these, trying to produce trees with the nicest branches. Before the holiday we cut the branches. We package them in plastic bags ready to sell. 

Packaged and Ready for Sale

Beit Gamliel, where we live, is known for its willows. There are several families here with fields of willow trees and they make a large part of their annual income in this season.

We are not that large. We started with one tree several years ago and have been adding every year. Originally it was Eitan,s business and he worked with some friends. As the other boys got older the 3 of them have taken over the whole thing. Harry and I help. Since we have expanded, this year the girls are helping too.

Eli Checking the Mertyle

Bentzi with the mertyle

Now is the high pressure season. Every year we are slightly more professional. In the past the boys have worked either in the fields or in the animal pen in an enclosed area.

The best time to work is in the dark. The sun and heat will ruin the cut branches

This year they set up a "factory". They are using a shed we have. Eitan found someone who was trying to get rid of an old refrigerator. We added an air conditioner. This way they have a cool place to work and they should be able to do more during the day.

Outside the "Factory""

Inside

Right before the holiday they will set up stands in some local cities. They sell almost ever day.  The willow often wilts so many people will buy new willows. The last day of the holiday is Hoshanah Rabbah when each person beats the willow on the ground. 

The Good Life

The other day, someone asked me what we do with our chickens when they can no longer lay eggs. What?! We let our chickens (and all our animals) live their lives until the end. I guess the ones that are no longer laying eggs are just like us older ladies, still worth keeping.

I thought about our animals. In my opinion they live a pretty good life. We have a large pen surrounded by sugar cane. The goats nibble on it all day long.

The ducks have their own private bathtub/pond built by our boys.

We live by the rule that we take care feeding the animals first then we feed ourselves. We have postponed many meals while the animals were being fed.

We have housed sick and weak animals, and bottle fed lambs and kids when their mothers were not able to.  Not a bad life.

Quark Quark

I made a new type of cheese, quark cheese. Apparently it is popular in Germany. From what I read it is supposed to taste like givinah levanah (white cheese) that is popular here.

You can make it from any type of milk but of course I used goat's milk.

Milking

2 liters milk

Ready to start

2 pieces calcium chloride

3 tablespoons yogurt. I used Mueller bio.

Dissolve calcium chloride in water and add to milk.

Heat milk to 86 F.

Remove from heat.

Add yogurt and mix.

Let sit at room temperature 12 to 24 hours.

It will look like a big pot of yogurt.

Looks like yogurt

Separate the curds and whey. The best method is to cut the curds. There are plenty of descriptions of how to do this. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-cut-curd-cheese-making

Transfer to a colander lined with a cheese cloth.

Bring 4 corners of cloth together and hang it somewhere to drip for about 24 hours.

After 12 hours I opened the cloth, added a little salt, tied it back up and let it keep dripping.

Eli and Bentzi think it is great. They think it tastes like givinah levanah. 

And it tastes like givinah levenah

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Can't Have Too Many Figs

Fig season has begun! I like the beginning of the season because it is still easy to stay organized and not overwhelmed with too many figs. And the figs are delicious!

At the beginning of the season, now, just a few trees have ripe figs. I can pick just enough figs so that we have some to eat, some to give away and a little left for cooking.

Fig Picking

I am enjoying this because in another week or two we will have too many figs. Today I made some fig jam. Next week we will have to have figs in everything....fig muffins, fig bread, chicken with figs, baked figs...

Jam is ready

The fig jam came out pretty good. 

To make the jam

About 1 kilo fresh figs. I trimmed the stems and cut in half.

1/4 cup honey. I used the honey from our bees.

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon

1 stick cinnamon

About 1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp citric acid

2  tsp corn flour (optional to thicken)

Place everything except the citric acid and corn flour in a pot. Do not cover the pot.

Bring to a boil then tun down and let simmer about 45 minutes. 

If you want to thicken, add citric acid and/or corn flour slowly. I raised the heat a little before I added to be sure it would mix well.

Bentzi liked it. Hope he plans to eat a lot.

Bentzi likes it!

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Just Got Home

Some of our animals

Bentzi with some fresh milk from the sheep and goats

I just got home and I opened the refrigerator to find about 6 liters of goats milk. While I was trying to decide what to do with it and when to do what, Harry called. He told me there are artichokes and asparagus to pick. 

We have started to call our Meshek (farm) the empire. It is often overwhelming but when there are good results like fresh vegetables and fruit or homemade cheeses, it is great.

We have about 7 acres and we grow all types of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. We also raise sheep, goats,chickens,turkeys, peacocks, and ducks. 

 We built a fancy house and we share it with any weak, tired, cold, or wounded animal who needs a break from the outside conditions of our Meshek. We have raised chicks in the basement. Last winter we kept some "handicapped" sheep in our son's room and right now we are letting 2 young ducks stay warm upstairs.

Ducklings staying warm

Lamb trying to stand

Eli and the newborn lamb

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