Three Auction Finds

Auctions are essential to the farmer. Auctions are FULL of farmers. When I went to an auction this summer I picked up 3 quite essential pieces to my collection of agriculturally geared equipment. I got a DeLeval Junior cream separator in tact, rust free and in working condition. I also got a Spin Well upright spinning wheel made in Sifton, Manitoba. And last but not least a Singer sewing machine in the mint-est condition, treadle run, circa 1940s, with the MANUAL! A short but sweet post, with a thesis of, "make time to frequent the auctions!"

Milking a Cow

Long time no posts! Well maybe Ill get back to it a keep writing about all my agricultural endeavors. Well recently I had the opportunity to milk a cow, something I have been aspiring to do for more years than necessary. Turns out all you need to do is get to know the right people! Well finally I got the chance and gee was it ever hard. I was shown quickly the basics of milking, either use the first two fingers and thumb to draw the milk down the teat or, use all fingers with graduating pressure. Cozy little farm pictures on calendars don't quite capture the whole essence of milking. You've got to have strong hands to successfully milk! When I got the first stream to come out it was maybe the thickness of a sewing needle. But when I got into a rhythm the streams were a bit more significant. But then my legs would go numb for sitting on them and Id have to readjust and start over. Another problem was that the teat would get dry quickly and I had to dip my fingers in some milk to get started again. You have to rotate through all four teats. Some will give more milk than others. Some cows may have a "bad udder" which could have been damaged by mastitis and not give milk as easily. It took my probably 40 minutes to milk the cow, and she gave about 4 or 5 litres. It was a Jersey and boy is that milk ever rich! I was fortunate to get 2 litres to take home. After straining the milk, I put it in jars, took it home and set it in 9x13 pans in the fridge over night. This let the cream rise to the top of the milk and in the morning I was able to skim it off. The cream was so rich. I kept about 1/4c. cream for coffee, and the rest went in the kitchen aid mixer. In about 15 min of mixing I had a jolly pat of butter and about double the amount in buttermilk. I rinsed the butter thoroughly with cold water, mashing it with my hands and then put it in a small jar. It was bright bright yellow. I salted the butter and it tasted fabulous! The buttermilk was used for a batch of buttermilk doughnuts. As for the milk left after skimming, I put it in a stock pot and brought it to 158oF for a 15 minutes and that pasteurized it. In my opinion it was the best milk I have ever tasted. Hopefully I can milk ol' bossy again and have the pleasure of drinking fresh milk and having fresh cream and butter around!