Tastes Just Like Chicken. Really.

We all worked together to continue barn remediation.

It was tough. Tedious. Monotonous. Hard.

Having all of us work together made the impossible happen even sooner than I imagined. We moved out the mud and got most all the water out. We listened to 99.1, hits from the 80's, 90's and today and sang along. Rose asked why they didn't include hits from the 60's and 70's.

As we worked I noticed that Annie moved her sweet babies out to graze. They look terrific. Patrick worked on repairing the barn roof leaks and Thomas worked on mowing and filling in the ditch left by the flash floods. The girls worked on house chores and playing on a homemade slip and slide while I took a "break" from work and fried up the turtle that Patrick and Thomas butchered yesterday.

We laughed when we tried to tell a difference and couldn't. It tasted just like chicken! Some of the darkest meat tasted like gizzards, but really, it tasted like any young rooster we have butchered. A little chewy, but good.

I soaked the meat in milk overnight with garlic. Then made a mixture of freshly milled whole wheat, sea salt and Old Bay. Dredged the little bite sized pieces and fried in coconut oil. Next time we will try making a turtle curry. Or tacos de tortuga.

Nora wasn't terribly excited about the offerings so she skipped lunch.

We spent the rest of the afternoon working out in the barn and I am pleased with our efforts. Now we have to wait for a rain and see if there is any improvement. Our fixes are not permanent. We will have to dig out some big trenches and put in bigger culverts and see if we need some larger gutters and bury the pipe under ground. But hopefully the temporary fix will make a difference. Will let you know, since we are due some more thunderstorms.

BTW, I am thankful that we have made all the rows into raised beds out in the garden. Due to the flashfloods, there is standing water out in the garden, but the planted vegetables are safe and sound, up and out of the flood zone. What a relief. Last year was extra rainy and we had several plantings rot.

Well, tomorrow is another day, and since it is a baking day, it will begin nice and early at 3am, I hope. We look forward to our second week at the Catawba Farmer's Market. I better get off the computer if I want to read a couple more chapters of Candide tonight.