So I put my third trial loaf of bread into the breadmaker this morning. I am trying to perfect Marilyn Moll's recipe for my breadmaker. Since I wasn't home when today's loaf finished baking, I can only go with ds2's opinion that it was a perfect loaf. It didn't fall this time, nor did it have a pudding thingy in the middle. I will try the recipe one more time in a few days, and post the recipe once I'm sure it is going to work.
I worked with dh on Saturday and Sunday, and ds2 went with him on Monday. I was so grateful to have the day off. I managed to fulfill the dinner obligation, making a pork roast into Cuban Sandwiches. It's a rather long drawn out procedure, beginning with marinating a boneless center-cut pork loin roast for two hours to make a Cuban Roast Pork Loin. The recipe came from _The Gourmet Cookbook_ by Ruth Reichl (although I have included links to similar recipes for anyone curious). The pork roast was very tender and the marinade gave it a very nice flavor. Probably the best pork I've had in a very long time.
Three weeks ago, the first day I worked with dh, ds2 had a lovely meal cooked and ready to be served. I was so very grateful. I'd been slacking off at preparing a meal for the guys, even asking ds2 to help me cook once they came home. It's hot out there, and hard work that makes you ravenously hungry, and it's so nice to come home to a hot meal. So I recommitted myself to the task of preparing a nice meal on the days I'm home to cook.
I've been debating the issue of our milk supply. The does' production has all dropped, to my dismay. It is getting to be "that time of the year" when the production goes down, so that's normal. But I'm worried that since none of them have ever been "milked through" they may just dry up by February or May. We would then be without milk. So I was thinking about breeding three of our young doelings, who will not be old enough until November and December. This pushes kidding season into April and May. So I wrote to a friend of mine who has had goats since before 1972, and she advised that we take a break this year (essentially Plan A). She said the does production will probably increase by February, and she suggested that we watch our young doelings in case any of them become maiden milkers. The doe who passed away this year, 26 hours after she kidded, was a maiden milker. Her daughters may have inherited the ability to be maiden milkers, which basically means the doe will come into milk without being bred. Another of our does bagged up before she was bred, so it is likely that we have that genetic potential in our herd. Two of the young doelings are already beginning to sport tiny udders, so I will keep an eye on them as they mature. There are many different solutions for maiden milkers, and it is usually referred to as "precocious udder". Some say to ignore the udder which is bagging up with milk. Others say to use a drying up teat infustion treatment (which is antibiotics actually injected into the teat, through the orifice, OUCH). My friend says she has always just milked maiden milkers and they will often produce well. Some breeders have never experienced even one maiden milker, so I figure with two in our small herd, that would be cool if ours came into milk without breeding, and then had long lactations on top of that. That is my hope!
She said that way we wouldn't have to worry about the population explosion, nor getting the does through pregnancy and kidding, caring for the babies, etc. It is a very stressful time of year.
So I guess for now, that is the plan. Stick with Plan A, and not breed anyone until Fall 2007.
Until next time.
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