The Winter Itch

“In like a lion and out like a lamb”, is the saying that pops into mind as we enter March.  Tired of the snow and the cold and oh, so ready for spring!  I am restless and dreaming of starting seeds, raising chicks, green grass and warm days.  Soon enough it will be here, but the long month of march spreads ahead like an eternity.

The animals are feeling it, too.  Cooped up, restless, bored.  Today, if it is warm enough, I will clean out the chicken coop. In the winter I use the ‘deep litter” method.  This is when you add layers of clean shavings on top of the old soiled layers.  It insulates the coop floor and keeps it warmer by actually generating heat.  The downside?  Come March, the coop floor is humped up, and rather disgusting.  Time to hoe it out and start new.  The nights of really cold weather should be behind us, so the deep litter insulation may not be necessary any more.

Tomorrow will be a big day.  I am going to learn how to render lard from the fat back from our pigs.  Lard is a funny thing, almost a swear word.  But lard is actually a great alternative to vegetable oil, and is a natural fat that can enhance flavors.  Whether you are baking, or frying or just using it to prevent sticking.  The first time I got lard, from a friend who had rendered it from the last batch of fat back, I wasn’t sure what to do with it.  So, I started experimenting.

Fresh lard has an odor, as I am sure you can imagine, which is pleasing to some.  Not to me.  I find the odor very unpleasant, but I didn’t want to base my opinion solely on smell.  It’s not like I was going to be eating the stuff raw.  My first experiment was with homemade brownies.  I used my usual recipe and substituted the lard for oil in equal quantities.  The batter smelled! Ugh! As I put the brownies in the oven, my face twisted in disgust, I thought, “this will be a fail.”

The baking brownie aroma wafted through the air, getting worse all the time.  When the brownies were done and had cooled, I cut one for each of us.  They were delicious! You could not taste the lard at all! Moist and chocolatey.  I gave them out to unsuspecting friends and got the same result from everyone.  No one could detect the lard.  Success.

My newest discovery is fresh goat cheese.  I made this salad last week and it was so good we had it again last night. Enjoy!

*Pear Raspberry and Goat Cheese Salad*

1 large pkg baby spinach

1 bosc pear, thinly sliced

90z fresh raspberries

1/2 C toasted pecans

4oz fresh goat cheese

Toss all ingredients.  Serve with Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette

*Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette*

3oz  fresh raspberries

2tbsp fresh lemon juice

2tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp maple syrup

6tbsp olive oil

 1. Push raspberries with a wooden spoon through a wire, hand-held strainer.

2. Whisk the raspberry puree with all ingredients, except olive oil.

3. In a slow and steady stream, whisk the olive oil into the raspberry mixture until well combined.

Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftover dressing.