Henri and Raoul

The alpacas arrived on Friday and we thought we were ready. The fence was up, the shelter built, the water buckets in place, hay feeders in place, lock on gate, night time lighting, fish pond complete with goldfish and fountain and of course classical music.Ha! We haven't stopped working since they got here! First of all there was a space in the gate where they could stick their heads through the gate and get stuck, fixed that, then we found out Henri loves to climb - moved all the wood piles - and then he kept pushing on the gate - one more lock and a rope! But they are worth it we love them....
so....today I've been planning their summer grazing and will be planting millet soon - there are several types but the feed store where I go carries tiff millet so that's what we will be trying....
Henri and Raoul are both intrigued with all the animals in their new area and watch the squirrels intently...I haven't introduced Henri to his chicken Margaret Thatcher (she's an English Speckled Sussex) yet, but it should be interesting when I do...

Henri's Hair cut!

I just helped my friends on their farm shear 40 plus Alpacas for the past 4 days! It was quite an experience and I learned so much about these wonderful creatures. I am now counting the days until Henri and Raoul arrive here. (3)
As we sheared the Alpacas the fleece was sorted into 3 bags - 1sts, 2nds and 3rds.
The firsts are what you would wear as a sweater or scarf as it is the finest and softest, then the seconds could be used as outer garments, rugs etc and I will be using the thirds to mulch my garden and plants with! I'll let you know how this goes during the growing season ~ the fiber is full of proteins and this should wash down into the soil and nourish the plants!

Time for a hair cut!

Here's Kudzu in his current state, nice and furry, he'le have a new look in a day or so as the shearing begins tomorrow!

Buzzing around

They say the pollen count is one of the highest this year, I don't know about that but I do think the bees like this and I'm hoping it means an abundant flower year. I added two more packages of bees to the bee yard on Saturday. I'm wondering about the sanity of people like me as we pay good money for these insects and then immediately set them free in a box hoping they will be loyal and move in and stay!

One of my favorite things to make with honey is Baklava....it's not hard really just a little time consuming, and oh so delicious!

to make some you will need:
1 package phyllo dough thawed
3 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups melted butter
and then the syrup which is 2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 lemon peel only

preheated oven 375

mix walnuts sugar and spices, you will be layering the pyhllo dough and brushing with butter,( I use my glass cassarole that fits the sheets ) brush and layer 8 sheets of phyllo with the butter, then spinkle a 1/3rd of the nut mixture over the buttered sheets, layer 4 more sheets of phyllo, place another 1/3rd nut mixture, 4 layers, 1/3rd nut muxture, then top with remaining buttered phyllo sheets.

I now cut my phyllo into squares or rectangles, not quite going to the bottom....

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 375 or until golden brown.

while the dough is baking prepare the syrup, bring to a boil. remove the clove and lemon peel.

pour over the freshly baked baklava. allow to cool before serving. I like to add rose water to the top of mine, it gives a wonderful aroma and delicate taste...

Rhubarb and biscuits

Here in central North Carolina I've had a hard time growing rhubarb, so last year I tried something new...I planted my rhubarb in a large pot kept it well watered and partially in the shade. This is my second year and I've been enjoying one of my favorite breakfasts.. Rhubarb Gravy...mmm.... simply slice the rhubabrb and bring to a boil and cook with water adding sugar to your liking, pour over freshly baked biscuits.... I also just found this web site with some wonderful suggestions and am planning to expand my area of cooking with this great plant!

go to a href="http://www.savor-the-rhubarb.com/culinary-tips.html">CULINARY-TIPS FOR COOKING WITH RHUBARB for some wonderful ideas and information!