Pineapple-Mint Smoothie

After touring the Mountain View herb garden at  Arkansas Women's Blogger Conference last year, I was  inspired  to try a few herbs in my own garden. Even though I knew mint to be a very prolific and invasive plant, I wanted to have my own bit of mint. I now have a growing patch of mint in a small flowerbed--make that a mint bed with few flowers!

  I've got plenty of mint  for this tasty smoothie recipe that I found in the recipe collection at Dairy Makes Sense.


Pineapple-Mint Smoothie

Ingredients:

6 cubes of frozen crushed pineapple in juice*
2 cups fat-free milk
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint or basil

*Note: Use frozen crushed pineapple to chill and thicken your smoothie.
Spoon contents of a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in juice into two ice cube trays and freeze at least 24 hours in advance of making smoothie.

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Serve in tall glasses or on-the-go drink container.

                                                                     Happy Wednesday!

Dairy Farmer's Wish List

 I'm making my list and checking it twice tonight in preparation for our monthly milk testing day tomorrow. It's a kind of  dairy farmer's wish list-- its a list of cow's to test for pregnancy and wishing each one will be!  Finding a cow to be pregnant is always  a  big deal because managing the reproductive cycle is a central component on today's dairy farm.   Thanks to new dairy technology, we can now check a cow's milk to determine pregnancy.

Milk pregnancy test is a great tool for the dairy farmer's tool box to assess and maintain herd health, consider reasons for the inability of a cow to get pregnant and to identify open cows early. The test is 98% accurate and can be done as early as 35 days after a breeding date. Most importantly, it is a noninvasive test that requires no additional labor and doesn't create any stress on the cow.

Our monthly milk testing provides information about each cow's milk quality and quantity and provides information about the health of each cow. All of this information is used in making management decisions to help us care for our dairy cows and provide high-quality milk.   Adding the   milk pregnancy test that can be done when we do our monthly milk testing  is a great tool to add to our  dairy farmer tool box!


                  In just 24 hours after we send the sample, I can't wait to see if I get my wish---

                                                                      She's Pregnant!

Homemade Memories

 The highlight of any summer family gathering during my childhood  was the experience of making homemade ice cream.  The adults would fight over who would get to lick the paddle once the ice cream was made but we children fought for the right to sit on top of the bucket while the adults turned the crank!

I wouldn't trade the memories I have of hand cranked homemade ice cream but I do enjoy the ease of making ice cream with the  electric freezer Ryan and I received as a joint birthday gift! Since  July is  National Ice Cream Month, I've decided to experiment with a few new recipes for homemade ice cream.  Butter Pecan Ice Cream recipe  is from one of my favorite recipe books-Jim Graham's Farm Family Cookbook for City Folks.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

1/4 cup butter
2 cups chopped pecans
7 cups milk,divided
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 5.1-ounce package of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pecans. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drain and set aside. Combine 1 cup milk, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and eggs in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, or until mixture coats back of a spoon. Cool. Stir in remaining 6 cups milk, pudding mix, and vanilla. Add pecans; stir well. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 5-quart ice-cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt. Let stand 1 hour before serving. Makes 1 gallon

 

Happy memory making!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

It's not just people that watch the birds!

 

You can find this pair of Egyptian geese under the shade trees in the yard or in the pasture by the house every afternoon just after the grain is fed to the pregnant cows.

 

 

I'm thankful for the wildlife that live on the farm with us and for the habitat that farms and ranches provide for all of God's creatures.

Rain Gauge Ready

Although we can't change or  predict the weather, we do like to measure the rain when we receive it on the dairy farm.  When the TV weatherman announced this morning that it's been three weeks since rain fell in Northwest Arkansas and mentioned the possibility of showers, I immediately felt it was necessary to hang up the new rain gauge just in case he's right.

 As the farmer's wife,  I've decided that  it isn't always as much the amount of rain that we see in the gauge but it's the hope and encouragement we receive  from the blessing of rain--whatever the amount.

Ryan's been no-till planting a Sorghum Sudan grass crop this week  that will be harvested (Lord willing)  late this summer or early fall. It's definitely dry and dusty but...

We're rain gauge ready!

Frannie's Milk Story

Everyone loves to milk Frannie, the fun loving ,friendly Benton County Farm Bureau cow! Frannie and I made the Centerton Day Celebration last weekend with a little help from my sons to transport us to the park.

Although Frannie doesn't talk much, she gives milk generously without kicking and allows us farmers  to share how we work everyday to produce high-quality milk and  the importance of dairy foods to a healthy diet.

If Frannie did talk, this would be her story about that delicious milk she produces:

Dairy foods are nutrient rich foods that provide essential nutrients and minerals that together help to keep the body in optimal health. Milk and other dairy foods provide nine essential nutrients that include:

• Calcium: Helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth.
• Potassium: Helps to regulate the body's fluid balance and maintain normal blood pressure and muscle activity.
• Phosphorus: Helps strengthen bones and generate energy in the body's cells.
• Protein: The protein in milk, yogurt and cheese builds and repairs muscle tissue, and serves as a source of energy and satiety.
• Vitamin D: Promotes the absorption of calcium and enhances bone strength.
• Vitamin A: Helps maintain normal vision and skin and also important for bone growth.
• Vitamin B-12: Helps maintain healthy red blood cells and nerve cells.
• Riboflavin: Helps convert food into energy the body can use.
• Niacin: Helps bodies digest carbohydrates and fatty acids.

Dairy foods  provide 70 percent of the calcium in the nation's food supply and milk is the top source of potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D in the U.S. diet. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend these daily amounts of low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products:

• 2 cups for children 2 to 3 years,
• 2.5 cups for children 4 to 8 years, and
• 3 cups for those 9 years and older

I'm sure Frannie would  be sure to mention that you can also find more dairy information and great nutritious recipes at  Dairy Makes Sense!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

Parades, rodeos, fireworks, a good hotdog, homemade ice cream---

Happy Birthday America! 

 

 

I'm thankful for our country and the freedoms that we enjoy daily.

God Bless America!