Pasture land is abundant in the mountains and foothills of north Georgia. The rich soil makes for plenty of green grass for diary cattle to feed on and the Georgia climate makes raising cattle for both dairy and beef production a lucrative business. The rich, organic milk produced by these healthy and happy cows is also the perfect starter for making homemade butter.
It’s not uncommon to see signs advertising fresh, homemade butter for sale when driving along the winding roads of north Georgia. Neither is it uncommon to see roadside stands selling homemade, organic butter or mom and pop type restaurants advertising the freshly churned product is served alongside of their hot, homemade biscuits.
Homemade butter has been and still is a common product made and sold in this area, but it’s also a product that can be made by anyone, anywhere. All that is needed to make your own fresh, organic sweet cream butter is two ingredients and a blender.
Ingredients Needed
Cream (any amount)
Salt (to taste, optional)
The salt is an optional ingredient when making homemade butter. It does nothing to help the cream turn into the finished product, which is good news for those on a reduced-salt dietary plan. You can make homemade organic butter without a trace of salt if desired and a variety of herbs or other flavoring can be added to enhance the flavor of the home-churned butter.
Butter Making Process
Pour the cream into a blender or food processor and blend on medium speed for five minutes. The cream will begin to noticeably separate into butter and buttermilk, when you notice that occurring, stop blending and allow cream to sit for two minutes so all the butter can rise to the top.
After butter has risen, slowly pour the buttermilk out of the blender or food processor into another container. Use the back of a large spoon to press all the buttermilk moisture out of the butter.
Leave butter in blender or food processor and pour in 8 ounces of ice cold water and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds. This ice water processing washes the butter and acts as a natural preservative that will enable the homemade butter to last for months when stored in the refrigerator. Pour water out of container, pressing butter to remove all moisture. Spoon soft butter into small a mixing bowl.
Flavoring
Stir in desired amount of salt or other desired flavoring at this stage of the butter-making process. A favorite southern flavoring is honey, which is great to spread on top of hot cornbread or biscuits.
The southern climate lends itself well to growing a host of fruit, including the famous Georgia peaches and abundant varieties of apples. However, the warm, humid climate and abundance of available food sources in the south also create the perfect environment for fruit-eating pests.
In order to sustainably grow fruit southern fruit tree growers had to develop methods of organic pest control for their fruit trees. Bagging the fruit while it’s still on the tree is one of the most effective and widely used methods forms of organic pest control for both home and commercial fruit tree growers that want to avoid using harmful pesticides.
Bagging fruit right after petals fall will protect the developing fruit from being destroyed by coddling moth, curculio beetles and any number of other hungry small pests. The downside to bagging fruit while it’s still on the tree is that the bags do not offer protection from larger fruit-eating predators, like squirrels or birds.
Fabric Bags
Fabric or plastic can be used to create protective bags, however each material presents its own unique challenges to use.
Bags made from white, row-cover type fabric will keep small pests away. the special row fabric will also allow moisture to drain away and air to circulate around the fruit. Anyone with basic sewing skills can create fabric bags for organic pest control. A basic square design with a drawstring top will work to bag and protect most homegrown fruits and will last for several years of usage.
Plastic Bags
Plastic zip-top type sandwich or storage bag will easily and effectively provide organic pest protection, but the southern summer heat can also cause the fruit to steam before it ripens.
To use this method of organic pest control, place a zip-top sandwich or storage bag over each fruit cluster and zip the top shut around the stem. Cut corners off the bottom of bags to allow moisture to drain out and air to enter. Keep in mind however, that plastic bags also provide the perfect environment for attracting apple-destroying curculio beetles. Curculio beetles lay their eggs in tiny, developing apples and can easily fit through the small drainage holes which must be cut in the corners of plastic bags.
Bagging the fruit, even with the challenges each type of material presents, is still the best organic, chemical-free method of pest control for fruit tree growers.
As I can't keep up with dozens of different web sites listing my products, you can see what is available from mine and some other local farms at my
https://yalaha.locallygrown.net/ site where I am able to track inventory across all the locallygrown.net sites that I list at.
ACOPIADOR DE AGUACATE ORGANICO
http://stonecottageconsciousness.blogspot.com/2015/09/between-stone-house-and-dirt-road.html
Check us out on Facebook and at www.paicinesranch.com
Its a beautiful day and my chickens have decided to have a bath. A dust bath that is. Chickens tend to search out the softest and fluffiest dirt in the yard and then roll like crazy in it, stirring up little dust storms until they are completely covered. Evidently this keeps the bugs off them and cleans their feathers. Something like a dry shampoo I guess. Anyways I am sitting here in the sun observing little dust devils all around me and laughing at the hens antics. These simple things on a farm are what makes it so nice when you spend the day laughing at hens dusting themselves or calves chasing kittens. ( that was yesterdays antics I watched) I wouldn't trade it for the world. Farm living is fun and funny and fabulous
Christmas Trees, Pumpkins, CSA, honey and maple Syrup, free 19th century village tours, free-range meats
TwinPonds Nursery sells cut flowers to the general public and businesses. Email for an appt. twinponds@ gmail.com.
Available for fall decorations: very tall grasses, zinnias: large red, orange and mixed colored small headed, mexican sunflower, orange cosmos, sunflowers, sanguisorba, blue ageratum, mountain mint, golden rod, tall asters.
Starting in late April, a variety of bulbs will be available, followed by single and double peonies, lilacs and other Spring flowers!!!
Buy locally and organically fro us!
