Spring, Puppies and a Sunset Bush Walk

blossom tree

At long last it is Spring in Queensland and I am so happy. 🙂

Last night we had our first big storm and it was a fantastic display of dancing lightning and cacophonous thunder and bucketing rain.

I don’t know what this tree is, but it is absolutely gorgeous!!! Covered in blossoms that rain down all over the yard, delighting the chooks and goats who devour them nearly as fast as they fall.

blossom tree

Today I’m preparing kennels for the newest members of our family who are arriving next week.

Apollo and Solar are Maremma puppies. They are wonderful livestock dogs who will live with our Kalahari goat herd to keep them safe. I cannot wait to meet them. 🙂

Maremma puppies

At the end of each busy day I like to take our other dog, Luna, for a walk in the bush.

We both love it. The fresh air and scents of spring blossoms do wonders for relieving my stress and clearing my mind, and Luna dashes about like a mad woman, chasing kangaroos and wallabies, sniffing out trails of other wildlife, and peering curiously at our neighbors cows.

old fence at sunset

It’s so beautiful in the late afternoon, peaceful and quiet, soft and golden, the perfect respite in between chores and making dinner.

wild prickly pear

What do you do to restore your spirit each day?

Creative Goat Grazing and Garlic Dill Roasted Potatoes

roasted potatoes

It’s a blustery but sunny day on our Queensland Kalahari goat farm. 

We’ve been buying fencing bolt by bolt over the last few months, and last week we were able to fence in two new paddocks for our goats. We are so excited for it has enabled us to put into effect the rotation grazing that is ideal for keeping our goats healthy and strong.

For the first year we didn’t have as many paddocks fenced as we would’ve liked for effective rotation grazing.

That forced us to be a bit creative in our feeding plan so that our Kalahari and Boer goats got a varied and plentiful diet of healthy weeds and grasses.

cattle dog in the grass

One way we did this was to take the goats for bush walks on our 40-acre property on the Darling Downs.

Although it took a couple of hours each day out of our already busy schedules, it was worth it.

yellow daisy

Armed with whips (to crack, not hit), Robbie and I would lead the entire Kalahari goat herd out of the familiar surroundings of their paddocks and out into the long grasses and trees of the bush.

They loved it!! Scampering through the underbrush and reaching as high as they could to nibble new leaves off the trees.

grazing goats

Goats are grazers, not mowers. They love a wide expanse of pasture to amble through, stopping for a nibble wherever takes their fancy. The bush is perfect for that.

Following grazing goats for a couple of hours each day can get a bit boring even with gorgeous scenery, so Robbie and I would use the opportunity to visit with each other or take pictures or bring along portable players to listen to audio books and stories.

It was great.

bush grazing for goats

 

With the new paddocks built, we now only take the goats out for bush walks as a treat on the weekends. It’s a treat for us too, a chance to get away from computers and paperwork and enjoy our goats, each other, and the beautiful scenery.

When we get home, we settle in for quick easy dinners such as beef rissoles or toasted prosciutto with our favorite Garlic Dill Roasted Potatoes.

 

roasted potatoes

What is your favorite quick dinner?

Garlic Dill Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, dried and cubed
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp dried dill weed
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, toss to coat.
  3. Cover baking sheet with baking paper. Dump potatoes onto baking sheet and spread evenly in single layer.
  4. Roast 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Serve immediately.

Goat Fights, Bread Baking and Corned Beef Hash

corned beef hash recipe

Spring is almost here and I couldn’t be happier. 🙂 Only the mornings and evenings are cool now. The days are gloriously warm, sometimes hot, and I love being in sundresses and sandals again.

We’ve been working hard on fencing, getting two new paddocks ready for our Kalahari goats. They’re happy as clams in their new feeding areas, grazing their hearts out as they clamber up hills and trot down into gullies.

This gorgeous weather has my creative juices flowing again, and I’ve been having such fun getting my garden ready, trying out new recipes, and baking loaf after loaf of crusty artisan bread.

baking bread

Since moving to Australia, I’ve been introduced to the delicious and oh-so-versatile corned beef. I know most people are very familiar with this cut of meat, but I never grew up eating it.

I sure love it now though! One corned beef can be turned into so many delicious things: shredded and served with mustard and boiled potatoes, sliced thickly for sandwiches, or chopped and fried up with potatoes and caramelized onions for a rib-sticking, comforting corned beef hash. Yum!!!

corned beef hash recipe

The goats are thriving in this weather, happy for new green grasses to eat.

Robbie and I took them out for a bush walk the other day and were privy to one of the rare but necessary goat fights as the mamas bucked, reared and clashed horns in a fight for supremacy. This time it was between Koda and L’Abri with L’Abri taking the lead. 🙂

goat fight

This was the first bush walk for the new Kalahari babies and they loved it, leaping and dancing through the underbrush, reaching up on spindly legs to nibble low-hanging leaves.

The only thing they didn’t like was losing sight of their mamas in the tall grass. After 45 minutes of grazing they were too tired push through the grasses, so Robbie and I took a couple under each arm and carried their squirmy, bleating little selves back to the paddock where a happy reunion ensued. 🙂

baby goats in tall grass

What have you been up to this week?

Corned Beef Hash
serves two

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded or chopped cooked corned beef
4 medium potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium high heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic, frying 5-10 minutes until onions have softened and darkened.
  3. Add potatoes and corned beef, salt and pepper (add more olive oil if too dry), stir to mix then heat through.
  4. Serve warm.

Winter Light in the Australian Bush

glowing grasses

I love the winter light of Australia, especially just before sunset.

It is utterly magical, golden and brilliant, suffusing every leaf and stalk with ethereal light.

sunlit grass

 

It is my favorite time to take Luna for a walk.

We amble slowly, taking time to notice how even plain Jane thistles are rendered glorious by the winter sun.

 

dry thistles

 

We always startle kangaroos and wallabies who bound off through the glowing grasses, darting under fences or around trees, leaving only faint trails and tufts of fur to remind us they were there.

 

kangaroo fur

 

I love how the bush looks like it’s lit from within.

 

sunset through trees

 

How even homely weeds become silvered filigree, works of art emerging from the forest floor.

Exquisite.

 

glowing grasses

What is your favorite light?

Sunshine After Rain and a Shredded Goat Fry Up

puppy leaping through water

We’ve had one of the wettest winters in decades! Entire days of non-stop downpours.

It’s been wonderful for filling up all our water tanks and the pond, and now we have little waterfalls running through paddocks and down to the dam. Love it. 🙂

flooded pasture

 

I’m not the only one loving this chance to muck around through puddles in my wellies, our dog Luna is in puppy heaven!!

 

puppy leaping through water

 

I took her for a walk the other day and kept bursting out laughing as she ran in circles like a mad thing, attacking rivulets of water as if they were dangerous enemies, splashing through pond and creek as if she was the happiest creature on earth.

How I love her joyous abandon. 🙂

 

dog playing in water

Although the sun is back, the weather is still chilly, so I’m relying on hearty dishes to keep us warm.

This is one of my favorite goat meat recipes, mostly because it’s so savory yet easy to make. It’s an especially good way to use up left over roast goat.

Simply fry up onions and garlic until the onion is caramelized. Add shredded goat meat, salt and pepper, and fry until meat is heated through and starting to brown. We like it by itself or served with boiled potatoes, or piled on toasted bread for a nice open-faced sandwich.

 

how to cook with goat meat

What’s the weather been like in your neck of the woods?

Shredded Goat Fry Up

Ingredients:

olive oil
2 medium onions, halved, sliced and quartered
2 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper!!)
1 cup cooked, shredded goat (I use slow-roasted or slow-cooked goat)

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. Add onions and garlic.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir to combine.
  4. Cook, stirring regularly, until onions are caramelized. About 10-15 minutes.
  5. Add goat meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and meat browns a bit. About 10 minutes.
  6. Serve alone or with bread as an open-faced sandwich.