Farming Freinds - making cheese - late spring

 When Tom went to his May conference in Orlando this year (ARVO), the kids and I took a road trip up to our friends' farm in Pennyslvania. Linda let me help her make cheese. We worked all day culturing, cutting, handling, straining, and pressing the cheese. These two cheese rounds will be aged for 9-12 months and become Romano.  Its about $200 of cheese per round! and it was a TON of work. I'm definitely feeling like I understand why cheese costs what it does! After we made the Romano, we walked around and took photos with it!

and then we cultured the left over whey and made Ricotta. It was angelic and light. The Peachy's call it "Ricotta from heaven" and they can't make enough to keep up with the demand!

Farming Friends - early Spring

Ok. I'm gonna try to start blogging again.

This is a post about our friends who have a farm. They are the Peachy family. They live in Pennsylvania and have a goat dairy. We met one of the Peachy daughters (Eunice, 19) at the Rockville Farmer's Market. We struck up a friendship, and were invited to visit them at the farm.
We went this Spring, and had a great time! So we went again a few weeks ago. And we'll be going again in late June to attend the wedding of one of the boys (Allen, 23).

Here's Clark and Iris riding in a hugemongous tractor with sons Abe (21), Wilfred (12), and Jerald and Harold (10)

 Here's Matriarch Linda Peachy with Clark and a Pony.

Iris and Eunice (19)

Riding Flicka the horse

Iris, Linda, Cat, and Tom

 This crazy contraption is an electric plow/tiller, hooked up to a wooden death trap. The younger boys made it themselves, and called it their "Jittney". Nobody died using it, but it doesnt have brakes, and is hard to steer. Clark got a ride, and... so did my sweet baby Iris. It was terrifying... yet fun!

 The best part of the farm experience was meeting the baby goats. They are so sweet and nibbly. Clark spent a million hours playing with them.

Iris holding a kid

Wilfred kept Iris safe from their nibbles and pouncing

and then he helped her hug a sweet goaty

and Clark was in heaven.

and so was I!