Dear Fifi,
I wanted to write you and thank you for all that you given to me and my family. It all started when you first arrived on our farm a few years ago. After milking, Ginger, the highland you were such a nice change. Soft and gentle enough even for our than two year old daughter to milk. And how much milk you gave, two gallons a day with plenty of thick buttery cream. You gave enough milk that I could start experimenting with cheese making. From you came cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt cheese, squeaky curds, whey, cheddar and so much yogurt. Never has there been an animal I have been more grateful to than you. When I was pregnant your milk would take my nausea away for days or completely halt it with one cup. And the feeling of life it gave me for two weeks of exhaustion after the baby was born, drinking two cups a day thick with balls of buttery fat going straight to my infants milk supply. Nothing better than to look in the hospital fridge and see your good living milk. I'll miss the way Noah's head would always smell like you when he kissed me and the children good night from leaning his head on your flank at night time milking. I'll miss curry combing you out in the summer sun as thick winter fur gives away to a shiny black coat. I am so glad you found the best home I could think of on beautiful Linnea Farm on Cortes Island. You deserve to be milked and may you calve many healthy calves. To you Fifi all my love and because good bye is to hard to say sometimes, I'll just say see you later.
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| warming to room temp |
Amanda and family
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| curd |
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mozzarella
colostrum butter
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I wanted to write you and thank you for all that you given to me and my family. It all started when you first arrived on our farm a few years ago. After milking, Ginger, the highland you were such a nice change. Soft and gentle enough even for our than two year old daughter to milk. And how much milk you gave, two gallons a day with plenty of thick buttery cream. You gave enough milk that I could start experimenting with cheese making. From you came cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt cheese, squeaky curds, whey, cheddar and so much yogurt. Never has there been an animal I have been more grateful to than you. When I was pregnant your milk would take my nausea away for days or completely halt it with one cup. And the feeling of life it gave me for two weeks of exhaustion after the baby was born, drinking two cups a day thick with balls of buttery fat going straight to my infants milk supply. Nothing better than to look in the hospital fridge and see your good living milk. I'll miss the way Noah's head would always smell like you when he kissed me and the children good night from leaning his head on your flank at night time milking. I'll miss curry combing you out in the summer sun as thick winter fur gives away to a shiny black coat. I am so glad you found the best home I could think of on beautiful Linnea Farm on Cortes Island. You deserve to be milked and may you calve many healthy calves. To you Fifi all my love and because good bye is to hard to say sometimes, I'll just say see you later.
> Well what a way to start off my day! Your blog/letter to fifi made me cry!! I have found a special connection with that cow, she's a soft, soft energy with a ton of stubbornness thrown in! We milked her the first day we brought her here, and every day since. She has given the most milk to my 10 year old daughter , who just loves her! Last night our daughter, and her five year old friend, and I went down to milk her, i was cleaning out the barn and my daughter was showing her friend how to milk her - all the while she was combing her and we were all talking to her! I look forward to making cheese with her milk and sharing it back with you! Right now she's only giving a litre and a half, but we are so thankful. She's fit in well with the rest of the herd! Thanks for loving her up and bringing her to us!
ReplyDelete> And thanks for sharing the blog! It did indeed make me cry!
> Tamara