May 2022 Print

What happened on the farm in May?


Two groups visited the farm in May:

On May 13th a group of people on a course on dairy products in Karrantza

visited the farm.


On May 22nd, a consumer group based in Ramales (Cantabria) and

who buy our produce, came to see the farm, a visit that had been

postponed due to the COVID pandemic. 




What was the weather like?

May was very dry and we only collected 39 litres of precipitation in the rain

gauge. In fact it only rained 6 days. We recorded some very high tempera-

tures for this time of year, over 32ºC one day.


What did the cows eat?

The sunny days all the animals were able to graze and we also gave the

milkers dried forage, grass silage, a little feedstuffandsome freshly mown

grass.


We continue to move the heifers from field to field to make the most

of all available grazing.


The sunny dry weather enabled us to make silage.

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Two bull calves were born in May.



Recipe of the month: Luscious tandoori lamb chops

Add more or less cayenne pepper according to taste. Remember,

the first part of this recipe is done the day before wishing to consume the chops.

8 lamb rib chops

1 cup natural yoghurt

¼ cup full cream

3 tablespoons lemon juice

One6 cm piece natural ginger, peeled and minced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon malt vinegar

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.

Using a paring knife cut a few ½ cm slashes in each lamb chop. In a large bowl,

whisk the yoghurt with the cream, lemon juice (add this ingredient carefully to

avoid curdling), all the spices and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. Place the lamb chops in

the marinade and turn to coat, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

The following day, add the oil to the marinade and toss with the lamb chops.

Remove the chops from the marinade and let stand at room temperature for

30 minutes.

Season the chops with salt and grill for about 8 minutes, turning once and until

well browned. Brush both sides of the chops with the melted butter and grill

for another 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.


We went to the weekly farmers’ market in Bilbao and also to the local

Karrantzan Black-face sheep breed fair held on the 28th.



We have seen quite a lot of insect life in May… we often see “nests of

tiny spiders, that scatter if they feel threatened.

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These insects were under a stone and we have not been able to

identify them.

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This year there is a lot of “cuckoo spit”, described in many sources

as “a frothy mas of White liquid that is secreted onto plants by frog-

hopper larvae (Cercopidaefamily)and serves as a protective cover.

The name cuckoo spit is apparently due to the fact that cuckoo spit

was often observed when cuckoos were around.

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Lastly, this was one of the many butterflies that we have seen in the

sun

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This bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) was busy collecting for its nest



Flower of the month. White bryony (Bryonia alba or Bryonia

dioica)

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Also known as false mandrake, English mandrake, wild hops, ladies

seal and tetterbury, white bryony belongs to the cucumber family,

although all parts of the plant are highly poisonous, including for cattle.

It is native to Europe and Northern Iran. As with many poisonous plants,

white bryony was frequently used in herbal medicine, but the amounts

of use in each remedy had to be very carefully measured to prevent

fatalities.



The quality of our milk

Parameter

Optimumresult

Farmresult




Fatcontent

>3,70

3,61

Protein

>3,10

3,26

Bacteriology

<100.000

10.000

Somaticcellcount

c.150.000

388.000

Presence  /absenceantibiotics

Absence

Absence