ADVENTURE'S DOWNUNDER OR FARMING IN PARADISE:An Old Rams view.

[~gd]

TOR I hope you were not offended about me asking about your wool quality but I still wonder how your private treaty price compares to the Auction prices. I mean your wool buyer has expenses and has to make a profit himself. Even though I have done a little looking around I cant figure out what VM is maybe some down rating of the wool?
Are Anzac bickies the same as a bunyip? I know from reading that they cant be the same as Anzac tiles or Anzac wafers which were government issued hardtack, that my uncle claimed was best used for throwing at the rats in the trenches! A cooks nook could be fun but remember your post about what a stick of butter was? Being a chemist by training I use the metric system without problems (I do have to stop and think about metric temperatures when baking though)
Unladylike can be fighting words, I do most of my drinking at my veterans club, I make sure I am smiling when I say Ladies and never say girls my advanced age gives me some protection but I dont push it. BTW tomorrow the 4th is a big holiday here. It was the date that we told HRM King of the UK to buzz off as we were our own nation then. Of course we had been fighting for about a year but the statement brought support from the French, Spanish and Dutch and we managed to defeat the Brits in a few more years with them keeping the brits busy elsewhere.

 

[dragonlaurel]

VM = any Vegetable Matter (hay, weeds, burrs, etc.) that got stuck in the wool. Having much vm in there would lower the price.

TOR- Not mad at all about the comments. What they are used to depends on the persons age more here.
Over here, most women under 40 wouldn't bother getting a glass for their beer- if it's from a bottle. Some don't like to drink from cans because the metal tastes different. The other generations were used to drinking beer from a glass. But they were used to having lots more rules about what "was ladylike" too. I'm sort of on the borderline about the generation, so I pick and choose which gender based rules make sense for my situation.

I don't like beer, so my booze goes in a glass. Not enough of a hardcore drinker to swig my wine or bourbon from the bottle.

 

[~gd]

dragonlaurel, VM how obvious! Sometimes my brain makes jumps other times it trips over its own feet!
I dont drink canned beer, It may be my brain playing tricks on me but I think it tastes of metal even when drank from a glass, same thing with those red plastic party cups I think I am tasting plastic. If I get invited to a pig picking where there will be a keg I take my trusty tankard (with cover) with me. For TOR a pig picking is a large outdoor party where they slow cook a whole young pig on the barby. That is the North Carolina (state) BBQ. To kickoff the Cooks Nook Ill give the recipe that is the local favorite. Most make the (large) size if doing a pig; the [small] size is for home use. All measures are in mL. {Except the US common}
{I gallon} (3.785) Vinegar (apple or white) [250] {1 cup)
Ketchup (950) [62.5] {1/4cup}
Apple juice (950) [62.5] {1/4cup}
Hot pepper sauce (75) [5] {1 tea}
Light brown sugar (680) [45] {3 Table}
Salt (114) [7.5] {1/2 Table}
Crushed red pepper (75) [5] {1 tea}
Fine black pepper (75) [5] {1 tea}
The sugar is usually dissolved in the apple juice, some use either garlic or onion salt in place of the regular salt, other ingredients just rough mixed. Best if allowed to marrying for 4 days. The vinegar keeps it from spoiling. Applied ever hour while the pig is cooking with a string mop, for sanitary reasons the pros usually strain (after aging) into a sprayer (like TOR uses for weed control) much faster to spray well so less heat is lost. Since the mop touches raw meat first, health officials insist on sanitized mops. Sprayer never touches the meat so that is not a problem. The butcher preps the pig by cutting along the backbone and leaves the skin on, head off, tail off and the legs butter flied so everything lays flat and cooks more uniformly. Usually cook only with the skin down, holds the juices. Only if the cooks mess up do they flip the pig which is a huge mess, to get the inside cooked in time. This usually results in dry pork. The meat is pulled off the bones for serving or helps yourself. If properly cooked no knife is needed. This is where the name pulled pork comes from.
Sorry, I got carried away again! ~gd

 

[dragonlaurel]

I found out what VW was from sites about spinning fibers. They don't seem to cover that as much in info about raising sheep. Kinda weird, since getting more money for your work is always nice.

" It may be my brain playing tricks on me but I think it tastes of metal even when drank from a glass"
That makes sense actually. It spent alot longer in the can than it did in your glass.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day Gang,"happy 4th of JULY to you all"...................

It's Tuesday down here,"freezing cold and blowing a gale",so its a good time to catch up on my file updates and do some maintenance on the "hard drive"...I also need to send some E-mails to our friends in the USA.
Yesterday I got started early(well early for this old bloke)and was shearing at 9 o'clock,had "smoko" at 11.30 and had done 18,but the "bins" were filling up fast,after another 11 ,I had to stop and press the wool and by the time I had finished it was to late to do any more.It looks like I only have 40 or so to finish for this year(YEA).
This morning was "SO" cold and we had had a shower of rain overnight,so after "breckie",I went over and let the last of the ewe's out for a feed as it will be Thursday before I get back to shearing.

Q & A:~GD.The reason I started using a "wool buyer "was that the floor price " for our type of wool was "so" low ,that after you brought "new packs",had the wool tested,trucked it 3 &1/2 hours to the wool store and paid the agents there was almost nothing left for us and I need to cover the cost of petrol for the "genii" and buy "combs and cutters".Our buyer supplies packs,staples and comes to the farm to pick up the wool and pays on the spot(cash or cheque ),but this year the market price for wool is on the up so I am expecting the price will improve,but if it's not ,I will have to look at the alternatives again.I think most of our type of wool is sold to the people who manufacture Wool Batts for insulation......I think we will leave the subject of "girls" drinking habits at this point.

DL:I must say that I'm with both of you about "beer and metal",I don't mind our "glass stubbies",we have little foam jackets we put them it to stop them heating up to fast in your hand....Down here because we don't house our sheep in the main ,it's "burrs and thistle prickles" that make's up the VM,I know a lot of Colored Sheep people "coat" there stock to reduce "tip damage" from the UV light.

THE COOK'S NOOK:Our thanks to ~gd for our first contribution to this segment,although I hope they keep the back pack separate from the chemical one(LOL).Here is one I like when you dont feel like a big meal.
2 med potatoes
1 med onion. Dice the above
1tes of curry powder
1/2 tes of chili powder
1 tsp butter and 2tble sp oil(any sort you like)
Microwave on high for 6 min
While that is cooking finely cut 2 sticks of celery and 1/2 a sweet pepper(red or green),whisk 2 eggs and open a can of Baked Beans.
When the "bell" rings,add the rest cook for 2min,stir,and cook for another 2 mim(make sure you "cover " the container) .
Toast some "crusty"bread and you have it .
It's also great on toast for "breakie" .PS.you can add some diced Bacon if you like.

We hope you all get into the spirit of the thing,and add something to the conversation.till next time ,our best wishes..........T.O.R.................

 

[~gd]

Gday TOR! Let me remind you that I have no firsthand experience with sheep or wool and I was not trying to second guess you on your use of a wool buyer, my friend in Vic was always complaining about hers but her operation was so small that it didnt make any sense to sell it elsewhere. Besides it reminds me of the (now defunct, the government dropped the marketing system that stabilized the markets) tobacco crops where buyers would consolidate output and take it to auctions. I do have one more question, I thought sheep were sheared in the spring but it is early winter where you are?

I did say that the pros used sprayers and used them for sanitary purposes. People here are fanatics about BBQed pork. The pros are the few that cook BBQ for their living. We have BBQ restaurants and most will sell takeaway plates or bulk packs, many have mobile rigs that they use for pig pickings. Since it takes about 20 hours of constant attention to make good BBQ it is not something that is done on the spur of the moment like throwing a few prawns on the barby. That fast cooking is grilling, not BBQ!

My lady from Vic sent that recipe to me years ago, she called it a Proper Australian Breakfast and insisted it be topped with a good spoonful of Vegemite Well I finally got hold of a jar of Vegemite and its not for me! The other thing that I learned is that Australian baked beans contain less sauce, sugar and salt than typical US beans, Drain them well if you want to match TORs recipe. I like it myself. This is WEIRD TOR that is what I had for supper last night! Doctors orders allow me either potatoes or bread and I had bread that was slightly stale so I deleted the potatoes and served over toast. No Bacon but I had scraps of ham so I chopped that and threw it in with the beans & eggs. YUMMY!

BTW she actually shipped me 2 glass stubby covers, one shows the Melbourne Cup and the other appears to be fleece. I never told her that they wouldnt even fit the glass stubbies that I smuggled in from Canada. Bye for now.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G,day Gang,first thing is please note the edit on the Cook's Nook,(I forgot about the butter/oil).

So Tuesday it "blew and blew",the wind gusts reached 100KPH,lucky for us it dropped a little after sunset.
Wednesday(today)was retail therapy,we also had to have a "hearing test"done."What a surprise,we are both a little deaf",we are going to make a decision on some action after we consider it for a while(it's going to cost us $4000.00 each)...................Tomorrow is going to be another "crook day",as another change comes through,with yet more wind...........They are saying Friday will be -6C in the morning ,so shearing will not start until after lunch.As soon as the " wind drops " I will have to take the dogs and "check all the fences",as there is sure to be some "timber" over the fence lines.

Q & A:~GD..I have "NO" problems with any questions that readers put to us,in fact we "welcome " them.The Floor Price Scheme when it was operating was great they had it up to 600c per KG.When it stopped the whole "wool job" fell apart for years and many producers left the industry and went to "sheep-meat and cattle" and its only because the National Flock has fallen to less than half that the price has "finally recovered"(the National Flock is now less than 80 million head).With the price of "oil" up around $100.00 a barrel wool has become competitive again,but there "ain't" the wool any more.
For many farmers "shearing" is when you can get a "contract team "in,for us ,we do it when "we please".We used to shear in late Spring ,but if the lambs have not been "weaned" it causes all manner of strife,the lambs "run about" not knowing who their mother is,because she has lost her coat......We shear about 8 weeks before lambing "starts"..........We have found that as long as the ewe's are in forward condition it does not hurt them as long as you can get them "out of the wind"...When the lambs are born not having any wool around the "udder" makes it "easy" for the lambs to get that first drink,generally speaking our lambs are a little lighter than the average,but they are born with less stress on both the mother and the lamb and are up "quick" for a drink. There is no "mess" around the rear to attract "flies",no wool around the udder means that "wool sucking" is avoided.Lets say that when the lambs are a few days/weeks old we get a "cold spell",the ewe is cold and so will head for shelter,taking her lambs with her.When the time comes to "mark the lambs",they find "mum" very easy and any "shock" from the banding is soon forgotten(the shock from separation is greater the the banding IMO)........I will remind everyone that a lot of the "stuff" we do is NOT considered "standard practice",but it WORKS for us and that's all that counts.
That "bloody" Vegamite is the most OVERATED food ever thrust upon mankind.I "hate" the stuff.I'm so glad you like that recipe,its a great light diner/snack and really good for your "gut" as well.(fiber rich).If you ever get the chance to get a Northern Territory Stubbie,it either 1&1/2 or 2 longnecks NOW that's a beer!

Well I think that's about your "lot" for this chat(I can hear the wind starting to get up again)time for me to "snuggle "up in the Electric Blanket and watch a movie,so til next time "stay safe" and we look forward to your next visit,...................................T.O.R.........................

 

[dragonlaurel]

Hope that wind lets up soon. Brrrr!

I'm glad you mentioned about shearing 2 months before they start lambing. That makes sense, and I wont have a big enough flock to lose track of when they are likely to be lambing. Making it easy for the lamb to find a drink is a big help too. If I shear twice yearly, that would make the babies 4 months or so, when momma gets her new look. That could work well. The 2nd shearing should be close to the time we start getting really hot.

I tried Vegamite before too. Very, very salty stuff. Don't think I ever finished the jar.
My hubby needs a hearing check too.

 

[~gd]

TOR allow me to pass a suggestion from my dear old Mum about hearing aids (92 and still going strong) When her hearing started to go she denied it because she was actually reading lips and was only having trouble on the phone. She finally went in and was tested and fitted with hearing aids but they didnt work and she was stuck with them, her hearing aid salesman said there was nothing he could do to help. My sister is a nurse and started looking for someone new that had a good reputation in the medical community, she found one and dragged my mother in. He suggested two part aids, the ear piece was molded to her ears and she was stuck with that expense but he could and would be able to keep exchanging the electronics until she was happy. Not a guarantee but an exchange system. The one drawback was he couldnt give a final price as that would depend on the electronics she selected. The upside was that the price of micro electronics was falling fast and her system could be upgraded if she lost more hearing. Keep this short the third exchange made us all happy and she ended up paying less for her new set than she had paid for her first set. Might be worth looking into.
I remember my dad used to raise lambs for the spring lamb market. I assume he bought bred ewes and at weaning both the lambs and the ewes disappeared. I assume banding is the use of strong rubber bands to make the tail and other organs disappear?
And all this time I thought Vegemite was beloved by all Australians. My Mums Mum came over from England, somewhere around Kent, and she would serve us grandkids with tea and biscuits, digestive biscuits were slipped by me to her little dog (that dog loved them!) but I was stuck with the tea. I still dont care for tea. I have seen the Darwin stubbies at beer shows (I used to homebrew) Two full Liters packed with a half pint mug and now I understand your reaction to people drinking from a longneck. Down under a long neck is the same as a wine bottle, 750 mL. here a longneck only contains 355 mL.! I have thought of two other reasons to avoid tinned beer, you need to sanitize the top before you open it while the crown or cap protects the top of a bottle. Second we have wasps that are strongly attracted to beer you cant spot them in a tin like you can in a bottle or glass. Good thing to avoid those wasps, they can sting more than once and the mouth area is sensitive.
It is night here and a thunderstorm is going to storm, since being hit with a tornado 2 months I am still a little shy so will be moving closer to my hidey hole Gday
Thur. morning, it appears that I was in such a rush last night to get closer to my hidey hole that i forgot to post this! I compose off-line run it through my spell checker and paste in here. Despite all the warnings on TV the storm missed us by several miles, did no damage even where it did hit, and heiped control one of the forest fires started by nuts with their July 4th fireworks. G'day.

 

[The Old Ram-Australia]

G'day Gang,how'ya'goin ,we hope you enjoy your visit with us........................So whats been hapening on the farm?

Thursday: They were as good as their word and it "blew and blew",so nothing got done until after lunch,when I got the dogs and we went to check the fence line in the paddock where the 100 plus lambs are going to,sure enough the fence was down in 3 places,another job for tomorrow.
Friday is going to be "freezing " so they say(at least -6C).

Its Friday and here's the pic's

If we had had any cloud it would have been"snow".when the "frost melted" took Jack and Ruby and "gathered up those lambs".Now its about 1 Km to the new paddock through 5 gates and this group has only 1 grandmother (this is going to be fun.NOT).We made it through 3 gates OK and then they "bolted",lucky for us(the dogs and me)they stayed pretty close to a fence and with Ruby on a lead I turned Jack off,they saw him coming and "pulled up short"and once they turned towards the right gate he just "nosed" them along quietly and once through I gave Ruby the job of moving them "quietly" to the last gate and into the new paddock. ...Gave both the dogs a "well done pat" and we headed back so I could get the "fencing gear" and fix that fence.....Next job ,get Jack to "pick-up" those un-shorn ewe's ready for tomorrow,there's nearly 50 ,its going to be a long day on the boards.

Saturday:Up early and got started about 9.15,18 done by lunch,this is going to be a close call,25 later and it's getting close to dark,when I turn them out....There are 4 left that are a bit"wormy",I'll fix them tomorrow.

Sunday:Another "bloody" gale blowing this morning(we are so over this wind),went over to the shed and drenched those sheep(2young rams and 2 ewe's).Actually it wont hurt those rams to cope with a worm challenge as it will make them stronger for it in the future.I will leave them for a few weeks before I shear them,so they can "pick-up a bit".

Q & A:...DL.I would caution you about your twice yearly "shearing",yours is a "wool operation" and you need a min length of fleece for your customers.There are areas where "heavy fleeced "Merino's have 100f in summer ,what you need is a "shaded area" with "cool ground" underneath,just "belly shear" and feed them in the "evening" and let them "lay up" all day if they wish'.

~GD:..That's such a "handy tip" on the hearing aids.....On the beer thing do you have those 250ml bottles?Down here we call them "throw-downs"they are about 2 mouthfuls and there gone.....Glad you missed that storm,but what about the "dust-storm" they got in Arizona(I think)there was a lot of good topsoil in that lot,that will take along time to replace.

THE COOK'S NOOK:....Remember those Anzac cookies?Well her's a recipe for them.If you make them and find them to crispy,let me know and I will post a softer one.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
150g unsalted butter, chopped
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Method
Preheat oven to 170C. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Well its getting to that time again,with a little luck the wind will drop tomorrow and I will be able to press the rest of the wool(about 2 bales),so till next time ,stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again......................................T.O.R...................................