Calf Drama

On Friday I collected three feeder calves from a Greytown dairy farm. They are Hereford Fresian cross bulls, black with white faces. The next morning one was slow to feed and as the day went on he became weaker and weaker. We managed to get him drinking a little bit but he was going down hill fast. 

The next morning it looked like he would die so we packed him into the horse float and off to the vet. The vet didn't sound to promising but gave him three injections of various stuff and gave us a tube to feed him electrolytes directly into his stomach. By Sunday evening he had completely turned around and could stand on his own accord and drank a litre of milk. 

The photos show him rejoining his mates after his near death experience. I can see why people avoid calf rearing as a stressful activity.

Sourdough Bread

They canceled this mornings flight to Christchurch and the weather is shocking. An ideal day to make bread. 

The sourdough bug is called "Mother". She was born in February 2008 and lives in the fridge. Mother is very low maintenance requiring feeding only when diminished by her contribution to the birth of a new loaf.

Around 250 grams of Mother, 50 grams gluten flour, 100 grams rye flour, 10 grams salt, 7 grams caraway seeds, 1 Handful kibbled grain, 400 grams strong flour, a pinch of dried yeast, sufficient water to make a soft and giving dough.

The crust is a very important feature of a Sourdough and these little babies were painted with a wash of egg white whisked together with olive oil. Sprinkle a little more caraway seed on top and make a slash with a sharp knife.