Creamy Pasta Yoke an Roe Recipe

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

My research shows that Italy is the place to find all kinds of recipes that use Salt Dried Fish Roe  Now its done a bit different, they take the whole pouch from certain fish that have small eggs but still bigger then what I was working with and they salt-air dry them whole for seven to ten days and then they keep them dried and intact till they grate and use them.

This is called Bottarga and it can be held for a full year and served thinly sliced and or grated and its tradionally used on pasta as the most common way.

Given this information, I made the most basic version of this and its delightful, and I did make it four times in total to try and get a percent figured out for you..  if you have the touch, then feel free to wing it, but if you want a starting place, I have one for you..

If you are local fisher or you know one.. get your fresh roe and cure and dry it yourself or you can head to your local store that sells fancy things from  Italy and or the net and order in a package of Bottarga (it will come dried and with two or four pieces to it). * yes I included a link, no I do not get anything back for doing so 🙂

In a nut shell, its pasta, butter and grated Bottarga with cracked Black pepper.. and go..

Here is my Version

Creamy Pasta Yoke and Roe

Cooked a 4 person portion of pasta till just done

  • melt 1/4th cup of butter
  • 1 tbsp. of heavy cream (if you want or not)
  • 2 tbsp. of grated or cured Salted Dried Fish Roe
  • 1 grated salt cured Egg Yolk
  • 1/2th tsp  Cracked Black Pepper
  • 1/2th Tsp Hot pepper Flakes.

Take about half a tsp of the grated Yoke and the Fish Roe an set it to the side..  Once your pasta is done, drain well, then put into a bowl with two bigger wooden spoons to toss it well.. Melt your butter and cream till warm and pour over the pasta, adding the main portions of the Dried grated Yoke and Roe, the cracked black pepper and the hot pepper flakes, Toss it gently till its covered though in little bits, then sprinkle the top with the remaining yoke and roe and serve hot

The joy of this dish is that you could serve it to anyone and it will be enjoyed by them.. Its rich, buttery, with a hint of the sea-salt and fish but its not overpowering in any way.. a great blend of flavours.

 

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Hatch 1- Fertile Check

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Life is blooming in Hatch 1! Man is it hard to be quick and try to get a photo of a back-lit egg that shows  those babies.. I was not able to show the veins that I could see with the naked egg but I am pretty sure you can see the basic “bloom” that shows the wee chick starting and I think this is the best photo I have at this stage to show the baby itself, it’s that little darker spot in the bloom..

I will continue to use the same egg on our amazing weekly checks to show how it is developing and hopefully a wee chick at the end..

When I am doing the eggs, I am moving fast.. pick, cup, light under and check and back into their spot, hubby has the paper all written out and he does the info impute, I don’t want to stop to do so as I want the least cooling of the eggs as possible.

I am pleased to say that out of our bought hatching eggs, we only had two infertile, and we have ten that are good, and in our self collected, sorted eggs, we have 100 percent fertility which is great but uncommon, I was aiming for 95% as a great mark.

So we started with 42 eggs and on our first fertile check, we are heading into week two with 40 eggs..

In keeping with egg news, we have a big old nest of Goose eggs that are being set on at this time.. so if all goes well we will have chicks and goslings at the end of the month, I hope to set a mix of chicks and ducklings or just all ducklings into Hatch 2, it’s still flexible at this point. I would really like my new pair to start laying.. but so far either she is very good at hiding where she is laying or she is taking her time getting use to the new digs

 

 

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Sunday Garden Walk Around..

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

There are some spots that are melting out.. they are few and far between but they are there..

The front gardens are melting first as always..

The main garden is still under a goodly amount of snow cover that for sure. but as you can see from the fields its a honest cover. and its till everywhere yet.

but in the front on a higher spot and with drainage on either side, raised bed for the win 🙂 This one has covered today to create a heat sink and next week I will give a flat topping of soil and then it will get a hoop cover and be seeded out into spring greens, its three feet wide and 12 feet long.   Yes, that’s snow beside it on the low side.

The winter’s compost pile that will be worked on over the weeks and planted into a massive pumpkin planting area end of may is melted out with both the solar heating and the internal.. its edged to a water sink so that it will soak up the water from below and speed the composting process.

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Introducing Red..

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Our Little Helper Pig for 2017 has arrived on the farm, and with a little help of some grain tossed in the right area of the pen..  Red got to work already.

First things first, we need to train Pig, Pig means come to me and you will get a treat, and soon enough a scratch..  Such a cute weaner, a mix of Red wattle and Hampshire is what I have been told.

Only then will we start other standard basic command training..  I have lots of plans to put Red to work for me on the farm, the good thing is all I am asking for is all natural pig behavior.. win-win for both us.

And tonight, we start collecting the pig slop bucket and any extra milk will go to growing that wee babe.. I have to admit that I find the Pig trace tag to be quite ugly on such a little babe.

Its been years since I have only had one pig at a time, I know they prefer to have at least two but this year, I have so much pork in the freezers, that while I want the help of my farm pig, I just can’t justify raising two this year.

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Spring Cleaning.. April Mini Challange

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

My hands are softer and well worked at the same time.. its spring cleaning time..

Ah, Spring cleaning.. so much to in the coming month.. so much cleaning to do.. I honestly think that most folks who dream of the homestead, the little farm, the big gardens, the barns full of critters, they forget about the spring clean..

I laughed kindly, when my mom said, she would rake her yard and clean up the two little (under ten pound ) dogs poo that had been not spotted in her winter pickups.. How she is Alberta is melted out with no snow and I am still sitting under this kind of snow is beyond me and we have winds and snow on the forecast for both today and tomorrow but we also have rain coming and the rain will melt like there is not tomorrow and the last few days I can see the snow just dropping down.. I have rings of brown around the tree’s, I have brown piles rising above the snow.. as the solar heat sinking in to the horse piles are melting out faster due to the color difference LOL

My mom is coming in  May and let me tell ya, she keeps an amazing house, it’s a thing of beauty and work.. lots and lots of work, work to find as many of her belongs are well-kept second-hand as well and work to keep up on.

My standard house is never kept to my momma’s standards but I can bring it up and pretty close when I am willing to put in a few more hours daily than normal.. regardless of if my momma was coming , it’s still spring cleaning time both inside and outside.

Time to sort though, throw out broken things after they have been given the eye on if can have parts that are re-useable or cleaned and donated to the local Church basement to find a new home in the community.

So you can expect a number of posts though out the month dealing with spring cleaning, in the house, in the barns, in the yard and in the gardens..  I will be all over the place that I promise you.

On my list of spring cleaning, I have a note to write about

Fireflies and how to keep them in your yard (in a nut shell, don’t rake or clean that wet spot or higher grass spot in your yard)

Spring cleaning on your Beetle berm in the garden, do’s and don’ts

Composting in a number of ways

Pig Turning in pens – Red will be put to use in the barns

Using your Chickens to help work your compost

and Much more..

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Canning Round Up March -2017

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

2017 Please note for ease of tracking, I will be rounding everything up or down into pints.. example, if I do 7 quarts of something, it will be written as 14 pints, if I do 8 80z jars it will be written as 4 pints..  you get the idea.. It will make my life so much easier when I am the math each month for a round up this year..  🙂 I will try? to keep the page updated on this on the blog directly but will only share this post at the end of the month. It will be both a monthly round up and a running count for the year.

Total Pints to date for 2017- 86 Pints

Canning Running List.

Feb Update

No canning done in Feb – However I used a total of 47 pints from the pantry thoughout the month of Feb. Out of homemade Canned Corn

March Update

March was a lean canning month (which just makes sense when you don’t buy much off the farm)

  • -9 pints of Pickled Beets
  • 18 pints of ground pork

On the flip side.. man did we eat out of our Pantry this month, total use 104 pints, this was a mix of veggies (because our root veggies are done or are turning at this point or will be used for seed growing on the bi-annual plants) Fruits (almost all fruit in the freezers other then raspberry is done as well.. so we are eating fruit out of the pantry canned or dried only at this point) and Pickle’s of all kinds and of course canned meats, I am working hard to use up meat that is getting older in the freezers but sometimes, its just so much easier to get the pre-cooked canned meat from downstairs when I am pulling together whole meals out of the canning pantry.

This coming month will not have anything really in terms of veggies or fruits but it will be a meat heavy canning month.. it will be a combo of canning meats up from the freezers and also the weather is finally starting to work with me for the Hoggart to be butchered out..

Some  of the leaner meat will be cured out and made into Lamb Jerky..

I want them done in April, the days are warm enough for me to be butchering them without getting to cold but the evenings are dropping down below 0 for hanging and the chilled meat is so much easier to work with on the cutting table. While a number of the legs will go into cures and be hung and smoked for longer termer use. Some will be Deboned out and cured into Lamb Ham

The back Straps will be saved for the freezer and some very special meats but the rest of the meat will be deboned, cubed or ground and canned up for later use.. The fat is very much wanted and will be trimmed, rendered and saved for future candle making and or soap making or salve use.

 

 

 

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Battered Fried Perch Fish Roe

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

I made a number of battered tiny packages of these and I finally have found the way I like them an that I feel give steady results.

I read a number of recipes on line and I did try them, some the batter came off, deep fried had about a 30 second window between perfect and egg glue lol I faithfully tried each batch and then my hounds got the rest of them..

Then we got a winner.. O yes, I stand by these little pockets of crispy thinner edges, bursts of flavour and a pocket of creamy yummy fish roe middle.

I would serve these with potato hash-browns or on a light fresh green salad, or even on fancy bits of toasted breads with a bit of a home mayo under an a touch of fresh dill on top would be awesome.

Batter

  • 1 large farm fresh egg- beaten till light an fluffy
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 table spoon cornmeal
  • just enough milk to make a thinner batter
  • pinch salt, pepper
  • half tsp of Chili powder

Beat all together really well till smooth

Take your fresh chilled roe and remove all skin and create table spoon portions, in a fry pan put a good amount of oil or lard an melt it down, you want it as med-high but not smoking.

I had eight portions with the batter given, add all you well drained Roe portions to the batter an  allow it cover them, take out a single portion with a standard slotted serving spoon and pour into its spot in the hot oil, swirl it flatter from the top to get it to level out with thinner edges and the main thickness in the middle.

Do not touch it until you have golden edges, then nudge it to make sure its loose off the bottom, cook until solid enough to flip, only needs about 30 second or so once flipped (think easy over eggs) Do NOT over cook these..

Enjoy them hot with the rest of the meal..

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March Garden Overview -2017 Tracking Year Data

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Hello Folks, I am going to do my best heading into 2017 to have a big old tracking year, I need to do this and I have the book, the paperwork and the plan..  I will make it happen..

 

March Costs

Output Costs: 0

I was a good girl.. no costs this month went out.. having said that..

*Thank you Aster Lane Edibles for the gift of amazing seeds! Both for personal use and for the landrace program in regards to the Butternut Sqaush Breeding Program

*thank you Jill for the awesome seeds that you have sent in the mail from West that has a short season pumpkin-squash that works and holds so well for you. Grateful!

*Thank you Miss T for the hot pepper seeds, which goes back to Holly’s peppers but are the next generation for my local area and then saved.

*Thank you to Miss G for the seed package that arrived in the mail.. love it! Thank you

  • Thank you to the traveling seed box of Ottawa East!

*Side Note, other then things for coming jobs, but they are not being counted for the farm use. Their costs will either be considered in the job payment and or will be given for refund on cost.

Started a 104 good king Henry Seedlings for a presentation

Started in March-

  • Sweet and Hot Peppers
  • Tomato’s
  • Kale
  • Pots of Pea’s
  • Put a number of cane and soft fruit seeds into cold damp status
  • True Potato Seed
  • Potted up Sweet Potato Slips
  • Mixed early greens
  • Bloody Dock seeds
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Started a full tub of self-rooting storage beets with tops started that will be transplanted and grown for bi-annual seed collecting for 2017
  • Sprouting potato that will potted up in the same way that will be used for very early summer small fresh eating spuds, rather then waste them at this point.

March imputes: Sprouts -2 trays per day.. organic mixed sprouts each tray is slightly bigger then the tray at the store at 3.99 each.. so that’s 8 dollars per day in sprouts

Total produced : $248

  • Jan $161. 40
  • Feb $248
  • March $248

March $248

Garden Output to date : In the good $657.40

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March Farm Overview- Tracking Year Stats

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

Ok, I am wanting to track this down for this coming year..  March came in like a lion and roared and stomped its feet and is ending in the same.. we have had storm after storm , freezing wind, thunderstorms and more..

Normally by the end of march we have spring on the way, I am seeing bare land, I even on some years doing a tiny amount of wild forage of plants starting on the edges of buildings that have the double solar heat from the barn walls and so forth.. this year.  I have none of that.. I am finishing march with a average of two feet of snow still blanketing the farm and drift that are still hip high in some places.

Costs for Feb 2017
Hay-$400.00
Feed- $292
Straw- 24

Farm Output- Personal use only but local costs to replace if bought off the farm

 

  • Eggs: 5 dozen  at 5 per dozen as eating eggs- $25 dollars
  • Hatching Eggs-12 Salmon Favervolle -80 – (I went with the local hatching sale on the chicken hatching egg sellers..  so total of 6.60 per egg and total of 21 eggs $140
  • Mixed Hatching eggs- Locally about $27
    Goose Egg- 11 breeding-Hatching egg-55 Dollars
    Sheep Milk- 24 liter -(Moving the milk price to the same as the lady down the road that sells it at 8 dollars per liter)-192
    Manure: Finished composting down.. at least 50 dollars worth of compost produced this month.- $50
    14 new lambs (current market value per lamb 100 as bottle babies Price dropped down since last month. -1400
  • Lambs info (* for later in the year, I Will adjust the price to reflect the butcher, the return and sale price sale, but for this month, lets stay with if I sold them as a bottle baby this month)
  • 1 goat doeling (as a bottle baby 100) -100
  • Newborn Lamb Hide- 20 dollars

Farm loss’s in Feb

  • One still born lamb, skinned and hide cured..
  • Loss of our Maple season this year.. we had less then three full run days.. worst Maple syrup season we have ever had on the farm.. the tree’s are breaking buds.

Farm extra’s Costs

  • One heritage weaner piglet -$50
  • 3 Mixed Breed Meat Does (rabbit)- $60
  • 4 Purebred Light and Dark Breeding Set -$140
  • 5 dollars worth of hatching eggs

Farm extra’s..
hardware – 0
Ferrier – 0
Vet- 0

Garden Overview Feb

Total Garden Costs -$ 0 (I did not buy anything in the month, but lots of planting going on.. check the Garden Overview for list an full update
Total Garden Return – $248.00

Total Out cost for Jan on for the farm -$971

Total output of the farm in returns -$2,009

  • Jan – In the hole –1,029
  • Feb – In the Hole –1,429
  • March-On the good side -$ 1,038

Yearly total Minus- 1,420 (still in negative but it was a good year in march none the less, Lambs, Goatling, Eggs, Milk and so seedlings are growing!)

March was a bad month weather wise, we set new records in regards to snow for those days and the time of year, we had deep cold temps that killed our sap runs..  and thank goodness for the big barn for all the new babies, and for baby coats. The cold slowed down egg laying for a number of the birds.

I know that this post is coming out one day early but I will adjust if needed but as I am home on the farm and have no shopping plans..

Goals- No selling of anything off the farm is planned, the saving costs are what we would have to pay if we bought in the local free market to replace what the farm produces that improves our lives.

Its a tracking year..

and also I have had and seen a number of comments many times of folks saying, my 5 acres and under homestead needs to pay for itself.. well, I like to think mine does, I like to think that a well-run homestead can do just that! So lets see if I am right or not?

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Hatching Eggs-Set #1

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Just another day on the farm

42 eggs are in Hatch #1 this year, a mix of possible chicks, we will see how it goes, I am hoping to do 4 sets of hatches this year, we will see if the hens are willing to produce enough eggs for me to do so!

In this first set we have 21 Salmon Favervolles eggs, I am so excited about these chicks, I ended up with some lovely birds from my import project from last year. They are all grown up and when the weather is better, I will get new photos of them outside caz the boys are now stunning and the girls so pretty as well..

This is a photo of Wash, my awesome rooster that got me started in this breed a number of years ago..  They are so handsome.. I wish that I could see my ground at this time but everything is still so snow-covered here on the farm.

The two sets of mixed eggs are 4- from the single Easter-Egger Mixed hen and 5 eggs from the Malan Hen.. These eggs are marked and the chicks are going to the meat pen, only the pure Salmon Favervolle’s will be kept back.

I picked up a dozen Sarma eggs at the bird sale on Saturday to help fill the spots,  the regular hatching eggs were crazy high prices at around 40 to 60 for a dozen and the rare breed eggs where 100 plus per dozen eggs. I had been starting out bidding on a few of the larger breeds and then I realized that the hatching eggs were just going for far more than I was willing to pay, even the quail and pheasant eggs were 50 to 100, but in sets of 24 to 48 eggs

So I had said to one of my party if anything mixed or whatever comes up under twenty snag them.. so I have a dozen Sarama eggs at five dollars lol once I read up about the breed, I see why they went for that.. they only get as big as about a quail give or take, but they like to lay lots of little eggs.. so I will see what hatches and then I will be selling and or gifting them onward.

They would make a cute little backyard hen for town folks but they are not a good fit for here on the farm for a longer term breed.

I did get 4 chickens at the bird sale, they are in the big barn in quarantine at the moment, and I will work on getting nice photos of them in the near future.. I got a set of light and dark Brahma’s. They are settling in but not laying yet..  I believe that the dark set is the much better quality birds but the light are nice as well.

I am looking forward to getting them comfortable and laying, I hope to get a number of their eggs into a set next time and or into a local friends hatching sets if needed and then I hope that both will prove to be good broody girls that will sit and hatch their own clutches.

 

 

 

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