in loving memory of Cosette

Poor Gracie! She had lots of problems during her pregnancy and Beth was very aware of her lack of eating and just not looking or acting right. Maybe the triple birth was just too hard which, of course, made it hard on the babies. Cosette was so tiny and though she seemed like she was thriving I guess she wasn't.

Let's hope for the best for the spotted one to make it, she's our next pick.

i smell dead people

After 11 days of rotting in the basement, the rooster bleu is really.... coming...along. Man, does it smell like death! Joel says that's good, it is breaking down the fats & proteins. This one is definitely different from the first one we made. I added an extra tablespoon of Roquefort and boy is it showing! It turned bleu very fast, much faster than the first so again we are back to not knowing how it will turn out for another...79 days.

getting my gates built and up

After careful thought of what design I wanted for the gates, I finally came up with what I thought would work. I got my tools together and set up my professional fence building station which consists of 4 concrete blocks, you know the kind that people put their cars on when storing the car on the lawn.

I was able to get both built in one day but it took a week or so to put them up due to weather and laziness. But now they are hung and next I have to figure out what to do to latch them.

I bought latches but of course they didn't work so other than that I am pretty excited to have them up and neighbors seem to like the design and look of the completed fence which is also important. And Sunny really likes have a perimeter up, she runs and runs and is better able to protect her family with her property line more defined.

in loving memory of Carpet

Yet another tragedy has hit this morning and we realize again, how precious life is and how easily it can be taken away.

The Thurston's woke up this morning and checked on the flock and found that poor little Carpet had died in the night. We all knew he was very frail and slow and he just wasn't able to keep up with his sisters when it came time to feed. They kept a very close eye on him and were going to start bottle feeding today. We have all learned that it is very difficult when ewe's have triplets, not only is it amazing if none come out with problems but also important that the mother has enough milk for all. All these experiences are how we learn but it's still so sad.
He was the one we were thinking about buying and trying our hand at raising a few sheep. His wool was so amazing and thick, thus the name Carpet. Joel thought it would be fun to try and reproduce this wonderful wool. They may breed Gracie again next year so maybe another chance may arrive to get a black one again.

Many hands have held him and he was loved by all. Bye Carpet.

gracie's triplets

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

These are my neighbors Icelandic sheep. They have 3 ewe's; Ivory gave birth 2 days ago with 2 white rams. Gracie gave birth today to a black ram, a white female & a spotted female. We are still awaiting the arrival of Leah's lambs so hopefully any day now, she really looks miserable... maybe its my sympathy pangs from being pregnant feeling for her.

follow the rooster

For those who are interested in seeing how our cheese is made here is a brief presentation.

I took 4 gallons of raw cows milk which was milked that day and bring it up to temp. I then added the cultures and bleu mold along with actual Roquefort Bleu Cheese, mix well.

Next I cut the curd once it has solidified into a jello like consistency and stir continuously for 30 min.

Then it is drained and set into the mould to press. I then cut it again into cubes which will be placed into the mould.

Don't forget the salt.

Oolite Bleu after 4 days of aging... it's getting there!

the brilliant cookie

It has been suggested a time or two that I should sell my baked goods, so to all those who have suggested it here you go...

www.thebrilliantcookie.blogspot.com













Truffles- Homemade Raspberry Perserve, Amaretto &
Dark Chocolate w/ nuts













F-Bomb Cookies (Salted Carmel Chocolate Cookie)













Thanks for all the support!
Hey Charno, check it out and give your 2 cents.

our bleu just got famous

O.k now it isn't famous in the true sense but it is getting noticed. Joel took our cheese to be tasted by a couple of guys in the restaurant biz who heard about our cheese biz. He begrudgingly took it in one night without much confidence since it didn't turn out exactly how he wanted but knowing it was a good opportunity he headed over. They tried it, loved it and by the end of the night all the customers had sampled our Bleu. People were coming up to him to shake his hand, "keep up the good work", and so on. Joel even noticed a guy moving closer and closer to his table until they finally asked if he would like to try it, "Sure why not." Now we all know Joel is a great story teller so he went on to explain why our Bleu cheese is so unique. He let them know that this cheese is a true product of it's environment. The milk is from Mt. Pleasant and they are grass fed and hormone free cows and there are about 6 different cows that give it the unique flavor and golden color. Also, Utah weather isn't like France or even California, it's Utah... which is a desert- thus a hard bleu cheese is created not a soft Roquefort style. Well Joel sat back the rest of the night listening to his story being re-told over and over as the guys introduced the product. It was exactly what he needed, to see that this was a rad & unique product that he could be proud of. They loved it so much that they took what was left, asked for more and have since put it on their cheese plate to sell. Yes, it brought a little tear to my eye when I heard the news. Not to mention when I was there for spring break I overheard a group order the cheese plate and the guys gave us props on the cheese they were eating. Progress is a good feeling even if it's just baby steps. The guys now are now taking dibs on what ever we make from now on and they will be following the newest addition to their family... What's Her Name (or as I like to call her Mt. Pleasant Gold) they will be watching her age and get mature and soon enough it will be on a plate near you! (If you live near Costa Mesa, CA)

visit peel farm

I took a visit to the Peel farm to share some of our awesome Oolite Bleu Cheese. I always have Dale try it to let me know what he thinks. We visited there for a while in his pasture and talked sheep but the funnest part was he was right in the middle of his lambing season. He would point out mothers who were about to give birth and he had some give birth the night before, it was so exciting to be there and though I only had my lame phone camera I took the best pictures I could. In the distance were these two little lambs; one black and one white- they played together the whole time... SO ADORABLE! Any day now I am expecting a very important phone call from my neighbor when her Icelandic ewes are ready to give birth. I will be helping and this time I will bring my good camera. And she did try and milk one ewe to see how she would react and she did great, no fussing and no kicking.
Who couldn't love a face like this!