Wednesday, June 06, 2007, 04:56
June Dairy Month
(Note: Scroll to the bottom for a Winifred update.)
It just sort of dawned on me -- it's June! And that means it is dairy month!
Or at least, June Dairy Month used to be a big deal in these parts. Not so much anymore, seeing as we've only got a fraction of the dairy farmers we once had.
Still, every June I can't help thinking about June Dairy Month.
A few years ago when I worked for the two smaller newspapers, one of them used to run a feature in June called "Mystery Farmer." The newspaper had been doing the Mystery Farmer series for June Dairy Month for more than 10 years by the time I came along. And that was one of the assignments that I got to write about.
I would call around and find four dairy farmers, one for each week. I would interview the family and then I would write the story as one long series of clues. People would read the paper that week and try to guess who the Mystery Farmer was. People would sign up their guesses at the newspaper. The next week I would write a different story about the same people, identifying who they were.
The people who had guessed correctly would have their names put into a drawing for dairy products from a creamery not far away. It was the creamery's way of celebrating June Dairy Month and promoting dairy products.
After several years of me writing the Mystery Farmer stories for June Dairy Month, the newspaper decided, after 13 years of running the series, to stop doing it. There were so few farmers left that the newspaper and the creamery decided it wasn't worth it to continue the Mystery Farmer series.
It was a shame, too, because newspaper readers really enjoyed the series, and the publisher used to get a couple of calls every year from people asking if we couldn't do the Mystery Farmer series all year long instead of just for June Dairy Month. Personally, I was kind of glad that it was only for four weeks in June, because believe me, it's rather difficult to write two different stories about the same people -- especially since the stories are running back to back.
In honor of June Dairy Month, I am including my recipe here for "Homemade Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker." The recipe is actually called "Roy's Favorite Recipe" because my dad loved to make homemade ice cream. I used to be fascinated by the fact that I was actually eating ice cream made from cream from our cows -- cows who were my friends and who each had names.
Roy's Favorite Recipe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(from Chapter 16 of my book Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam)
* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 cup milk
* 1 pint whipping cream
* pinch of salt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
Note: For a lighter version of homemade ice cream, decrease the cream to 1 cup and increase the milk to 2 cups.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for several minutes until thick and lemon colored. Add 1 cup of milk and blend into the eggs. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Add egg/milk mixture to the sugar and cornstarch. Cook until thick (about 5 minutes) stirring constantly. Allow the custard mixture to cool to room temperature.
When the custard is cool, put into a freezer-safe bowl. Blend in cream (and the milk if you are using 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk) and salt. Freeze for 2 hours or until slushy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Return to freezer and finish freezing (several hours or overnight).
Variations: After you have whipped the ice cream, fold in 1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit, nuts and/or chocolate before returning the ice cream to the freezer to finish freezing.
Here are some possibilities:
* Strawberries
* Blackberries
* Raspberries
* Peaches
* Cherries (or Maraschino Cherries)
* Chocolate chips
* Butterscotch chips
* Crushed Heath bars
* Crushed peppermint candy
* Chopped walnuts
* Chopped pistachio nuts
* Diced bananas
* Coconut
* Chocolate chip cookie dough (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in)
* Caramel or chocolate or fudge syrup (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in so that pockets of the syrup remain)
Happy June Dairy Month!
LeAnn R. Ralph
Monday, June 04, 2007, 06:32
End of an Era. . .
I had to move my old rose bush last weekend. As I was mowing the lawn near the basement door, I looked at what was left of my rose bush. Only a few sprouts had come up this year.
Here's a picture of it when it was blooming in November.
The rose bush has been growing by the basement door for more than 10 years. We planted it shortly after we moved back here in 1995. For many years, the rose bush was glorious -- growing more than waist high on me, covered with mauve-pink blooms all throughout the summer.
But last year, the rose bush did not get nearly so big. And it had flowers, but nearly so many.
Over the years, the cedar tree growing next to the house has grown taller and taller -- and wider and wider. And the larger the tree gets, the more shade it makes.
While I was mowing, it dawned me that it was awfully shady right where the rose bush was growing. If I could call it growing. So far this year, it had only sprouted a few leaves near the bottom.
And right then and there, I decided I had to move the old rose bush if it was going to have any chance at all to survive. Roses don't like to be in the shade. Roses want full sun.
When Randy and I were finished mowing the lawn, I told him we should move the rose bush. We both went to the lean-to by the barn and got shovels. We were prepared to dig awfully deep to get out a 10-year old rose bush. But much to our surprise, the old bush had very few roots.
I dug another hole at the corner of the little garden where I grow tomatoes in front of the basement. The spot is in the sun for most of the day and gets plenty of afternoon sun. We planted the few sprigs of the rose bush that were left.
I was pretty sure the couple of leaves were going to wilt. But they didn't. Time will tell if my old rose bush is going to like its new home.
Winifred -- I'm happy to say that my 16-year-old silver tabby cat Winifred is still with us after her emergency surgery to remove a canine tooth Wednesday that was bent over and lying across the roof of her mouth. That's the good news. But Winifred still does not feel like eating very much. I have offered her Half & Half (she's taken a few licks). I have offered her canned kitty food (tuna, her favorite flavor) (she only sniffs it and walks away). I have offered her kitten formula. I've been giving some to the momma kitties in the barn and mixing it with canned food for the kittens (she only takes a few licks of that, too).
And as for the expensive canned food from the vet clinic ($2 for a small can) that is supposed to be packed with nutrients and calories -- well, Winifred sniffs that, too, and walks away. The other kitties will polish off a can of that in a under a minute. They think it's delicious. But Winifred doesn't want it. She is losing more and more weight with each day that goes by. I gave her another dose of pain medication Saturday. I can only give it once every three days. Bit by bit she is fading away right in front of my eyes. And I don't know what to do for her. She never has been a very big eater. Before she developed the thyroid condition, she weighed 12 pounds. She weighs half of that now. I'm hoping her mouth heals in time so she can start eating before she reaches the point of no return.
LeAnn R. Ralph
