23. A Load Of Bull

Well it is December now, and the weather is great. I was wearing short sleeves to get the cows in at 4 am this morning. That is how warm it is. Milking didn't go great, it was one of those mornings where everything seemed to be going wrong. I did however discover a Sunday morning kids radio show which certainly made milking go a bit faster. I particularly enjoyed listening to the story of the three billy goats gruff, complete with a deadpan troll voice and accompanying songs. Although the condescending tone of the presenter did get pretty annoying after a while. 

The big news on the farm is the arrival of the bulls. AI finished last week and the bulls have taken over to do it 'the natural way.' We have eighteen bulls, fifteen of which are Charolais and the other three are Hereford. They are all two or three years old, as any older and they get a bit too fat and lazy. 

The bulls are in three teams of six, and are with the milkers, with the pennies (penicillin / antibiotics treated cows) or resting on their own. We change them round every two days.

Here are a few photos of the chaps:

 A young Charolais.

 They seem to have taken a shine to this heifer.

 One of the Herefords.

 The big fella asserting his dominance.

Getting the job done 'the natural way.'

I spent ages in the paddock the other day trying to get a picture of a bull doing the deed. They get very shy when you whip the camera out!

I took this video whilst I was waiting, try and spot the cow who is on heat!

The presence of the bulls makes my job a little bit trickier, when bringing cows in we have to try and keep the bulls out of the yard and the shed. They need to be turned round at the yard if the cows are going to a new paddock or just left behind when the cows come in. The best method to separate them is a combination of gentle vocal persuasion and a stick. The traditional bull-standard nose-tapper is a two to three foot long length of alkathene pipe, usually 24-28 mm diameter. With just the right amount of flex in it, the stick is a valuable tool for keep the bull at a distance. 

I am glad that they are beef bulls anyway, I would feel a bit more uneasy if i was dealing with dairy bulls every day. 

On the subject of beef (and now a seamless link to the next bit), I have been perfecting my burger recipe and construction method. Having bought what they call a 'pattie pusher', and what I call a burger squasher, homemade burgers are becoming a pretty frequent meal.

 

This piece of kit is a brilliant invention, I am going to bring it back to the UK in my suitcase when I return. The burger mix is made from lean minced beef, finely chopped onion, a bit of grated cheese to hold it together (that is a Freddie Lawder cookery top tip there!) and a good splash of Lea & Perrins, which I am glad to be able to buy out here.

Four pretty reasonably sized burgers fit in my giant breakfast frying pan. They shrink a bit as some of the juices run out, but a lot of that depends on the quality of the mince.

One of the most important parts in the construction of this super burger is the melted cheese slice. Proper cheese is much preferable to processed cheese, I managed to find some colby cheddar that had very helpfully been pre-sliced.

The nest in which the burger rests is also crucial. Note the presence of fresh lettuce and tomato, a balanced diet is important (it also stops the bun going soggy). I also stick the buns under the grill for a minute to prevent the potentially catastrophic burger collapse, where there is just too much filling for the bread. 

The finished product, in its simplest form. Extras not shown have included, bacon, pineapple, more cheese, caramelised onion, and a very wide selection of sauces, often mixed to create a new sauce. So next time instead of getting a pitifully small and pathetic 'Big Mac', make your own burger, it is very easy. If you havn't got a burger squasher throw a ball of the mixture hard onto a clean surface, which has a similar effect, but without the 'grill lines'. 

Righto, that is all for now, uploading those photos has made me hungry. I'll be back soon.