Five Feline Farm, Author at Five Feline Farm

Persimmon Pulp

Now that the frost has sweetened the persimmons and seeds have been cut for winter forecasting, it is time to make pulp.

Pulping is a problem. Wild persimmons are small and full of seeds. I have tried several methods none of which are satisfactory. The Juice Mate clogs, a colander smears the pulp around inside and not through the holes. I usually resort to using my hands. This is a messy proposition at best.

A neighbor reports using a food mill finding this a reasonably efficient way to extract pulp from the skin and seeds. I am going to try this method for the ones stored in the refrigerator. I would be willing to collect more and develop more recipes if the pulp was easier to obtain.

Persimmon and black walnut would be a great, timely pairing for fall foods at Five Feline Farm.

What methods do you use to extract persimmon pulp? Do you have a favorite persimmon recipe?

Please share in the comments section.

Persimmon Seeds and Wooly Worms

Somewhere in history someone came up with the idea that the color of wooly worms in the fall indicates the type of winter that will follow. The darker the coat the colder the winter. A striped coat means a varied winter. Lighter colors mean snow.

And who started this tradition of cutting persimmon seeds to see what the feature is inside? These little seeds are slippery and thin. Cutting them lengthwise requires a sharp knife, a steady hand and a willingness to risk cutting the pad off your finger to see what type of winter weather is forecast. Persimmon seeds when cut in half, show a fork, knife or spoon in the center. A knife indicates a bitter cutting cold winter. The spoon is deep snow and the fork predicts a light snow.

On Five Feline Farm we take note of signs of the seasons including the folk tale predictions.
So between the wooly worms and the persimmon seeds we are looking at a snowy winter.

Do you think the persimmon matches the wooly worm? Drop us a note in the comment section about your folk tale predictions.

Making Herb Butter

Five Feline Farm produces not only vegetables and fruit but an array of herbs to complement any dish. Unfortunately, the growing season is coming to a close in Central Illinois, so it is time to pick some herbs to be held over for winter use.

Herbs can be dried and stored in glass jars or chopped and frozen in ice cube trays. Both of these methods provide a warmth of flavor to winter meals enhanced by knowing there are no fertilizers or pesticides. The down side to dried herbs is a bit of a change in the flavor. Fresh flavor is diminished and although superior to herbs bought in plastic shaker, it is still a dried herb.

Herbs frozen in ice cube trays offer an advantage of holding onto some of the fresh flavor, but the cubes tend to frost over and stick together in time. Plus the added bit of water can be undesirable.

Both of these methods have a place, but recently I started making herb butters to preserve and utilize fresh herbs. Wrapped in waxed paper and sealed in freezer bags these have kept for several weeks. Since butter freezes well, it seems that herb butters should also freeze well.

To start, wash and air dry the herbs. Select a handful of herbs to snip into tiny pieces. Judge both the size of the pieces and the amount of herb by what you would want to find in your finished dish.

Mix the herb thoroughly in one stick of softened butter.

Spread the butter into a rough log about 2 inches from the edge of the waxed paper.

Fold the waxed paper over the log and lightly squeeze into a log.

Roll up the log in the paper and twist the ends.

Label and store in a freezer bag.

To use, unwrap and slice off the amount desired.

The freezer now contains butters with chives, basil, oregano, thyme, curry and rosemary. The options for using these butters is only limited by the cook’s imagination. A slice of chive butter on a baked potato or a bit of basil butter melting over sautéed chicken breast will warm the winter months with a reminder of summer.

What would you put herb butter on? Drop us a comment with your ideas.

Farm Tours and Future Plans

Two weeks ago we hosted a tour of Five Feline Farm for the EIU Academy of Life Long Learning. Twenty participants were treated to a presentation about the bees and life on the Farm.

One question posed by a number of participants was “where are you going with this hobby farm concept?”. The honest answer at this time is “we don’t know” but we plan to keep doing it and see where it leads. So far growth has been organic. What interests us and motivates us is to learn or experience new things. Sometimes you really just don’t know what your destination is until you arrive.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the history of the Farm and seeing the progress that has been made in such a short period of time. The land was a wreck, wild and untamed in 2002. After being able to move here in 2008, more progress is made every day.

We do have plans to increase bee friendly plantings. The south garden area will be expanded in the spring to include a series of raised beds with more flowers, pumpkins, gourds and anything else that strikes our fancy. This area will likely also see a garden shed with a porch and swing.

Another priority is to refurbish the John Deere Box wagon and convert it to a produce stand. It is time to start finding ways for Five Feline Farm to generate some income.

Drop us a note in the comment box and let us know your suggestions for the future of Five Feline Farm.