education center

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcBuV7viEaw&feature=em-share_video_user

 EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

 A ] Hand milking cows -

Etiquette, cleanliness, technique

 B ] Fresh cow care -

Differences in animal behavior, detect and resolve problem quarters, amount of milk to take on days 1 thru 7, monitoring for postpartum complications

 C ] Newborn calf care - 

monitor for temperature, nursing, stool, umbilical cord

 D ] Care of Milk -

Cleanliness, filtering, cooling, storage, allowing cream to rise, skimming cream  

 E ] Knife sharpening - 

technique, frequency  

 F ] Butcher -

Confine, kill, move, skin, gut, cut in half, hang, proper use of remains    

 G ] Pork processing -

from hanging carcass, identify and harvest various cuts, cure bacon, season and grind sausage, render lard, proper packaging and storage

 H ] Beef processing -

from hanging carcass, identify and harvest steaks, roasts, hamburger, tallow, proper packaging and storage  

 I ] Beef jerky -

Identify proper cut of meat to use, thin slicing meat, marination, dehydration, packaging

 J ] Cheese making -

time, temperature, pH and bacteria management to curds and whey; pressing and rind formation  

 K ] Cheese maintenance -

daily temperature and humidity management, weekly salt wash and oil rub, crack butter plugs  

 L ] Butter - skim cream, set up and clean electric 8 gallon churn, determine correct churn time, drain, rinse, and squeeze butter, proper packaging and storage  

 M ] Kefir - Grain function and care, time, temperature and volume adjustments

 N ] Maple Sugar - 

Tap maple trees: Identify maple trees, use of hand drill, correct tap location, homemade Elder wood taps

Boil maple sap:  fire safety and maintenance in the woods, 50 gallon sap pan management, correct sap depth and strength of boil, determine time to stop boiling 

Make maple sugar:  monitor and identify different stages of sugar bubbles, maintain correct heat to stir ratio, determine correct time to remove from heat, maintain stir and determine adequate granulation

 O ] Apple harvest & Cider pressing

use of ladder to pick from tree, collecting from ground, proper storage   

wash, chop, press, cider packaging and storing, use of remaining pulp  

 P ] Raw food tasting -  

kefir, milk, cheese, beef, egg yolk  

 Q ] Fruit dehydration -

Harvest and preparation of pears, peaches, apples; dehydration time and packaging

 R ] Cooking on a wood stove -

various heat locations, baking in the oven, adding wood, monitoring fire, water reservoirs  

 S ] Animal husbandry -

cows: approach, distance, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, halter training, moving single animals and large herd short and long distances 

lambs: halter training, natural behaviors, offering assistance and affection  

chickens: natural behaviors, dust bath, aggression, egg collection, noticing problems and offering assistance

Pigs: approach, feed and watering, pasture and fence maintenance

horse: approach, maintaining safe boundaries, reading behaviors, offering assistance and affection, moving short distances  

 T ] Fire wood - identify tree type, quality, safety, loading, stacking, splitting  

 U ] Natural material harvest and building project

 V ] Nature walk

 W ] Bird Identification

 X ] Tree identification

 Y ] Fence maintenance

 Z ] Wild herb and wild edible identification, harvest   

 AA ] Gardening  

 BB ] Discussion topics