(Above: A blackberry plant laden with fruit. Una planta de mora cargada de fruta.)
6/1/2025: Today began in the mid-60s and warmed into the high 80s. Mostly sunny.
Lunch on June 1, 2025, consisted of a fried egg and beef mixture. This mixture was accompanied by a colorful salad made by Padre. El almuerzo del 1 de junio de 2025 consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos y res. Esta mezcla estaba acompañada de una ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
The ducklings at noon on June 1, 2025. Los patitos al mediodía del 1 de junio de 2025. 
This is a picture of the preparation of the fried beef and sweet potato mixture I made for dinner on June 1, 2025. Esta es una foto de la preparación de la mezcla frita de res y batata que hice para la cena el 1 de junio de 2025. 
Dinner consisted of the aforementioned beef and sweet potato on a romaine lettuce and red cabbage salad. It also included avocado, Swiss cheese, cottage cheese, and salsa verde. La cena consistía en la res y la batata ya mencionadas sobre una ensalada de lechuga romana y repollo rojo. Además, había aguacate, queso suizo, requesón y salsa verde. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
6/2/2025: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the high 80s. Partly cloudy.
Lunch on June 2, 2025, consisted of a sushi platter accompanied by a bowl of miso soup garnished with red cabbage, avocado, and spinach. El almuerzo del 2 de junio de 2025 consistía en una bandeja de sushi acompañada de un tazón de sopa de miso adornada con repollo rojo, aguacate y espinaca. 
These are the carrots I harvested on the afternoon of June 2, 2025. Estas son las zanahorias que coseché en la tarde del 2 de junio de 2025. 
Photo: Two lizards on a PVC pipe in the garden. The carrot leaves can be used to illustrate the creatures’ small size. Foto: dos lagartijas en un tubo de PVC en el jardín. Las hojas de zanahoria se pueden utilizar para ilustrar el pequeño tamaño de las criaturas. 
My phone didn’t focus properly on the dinner while I was taking the photo. However, I edited the photo, and it’s pretty good. It was a Wagyu ground steak topped with bacon and Havarti cheese. Mi teléfono no enfocó correctamente la cena mientras tomaba la foto. Sin embargo, edité la foto y es bastante buena. Fue un bistec de carne molida de Wagyu coronado con tocino y queso havarti. 
This is a thinly sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas delgadas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
6/3/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly cloudy. Rainy afternoon (over 3”).
Early morning of June 3, 2025. The chiltepines looked very pretty and healthy. La madrugada del 3 de junio de 2025. Los chiltepines se veían muy bonitos y saludables. 
This is the roast I picked up from the freezer for dinner tonight. It’s a Wagyu round roast. Este es el asado que recogí del congelador para la cena esta noche. Es un asado de ronda de Wagyu. 
This morning, I freed the ducklings from their box. Then, I discovered they wanted to rest in the sun in the corner of their cage. Esta mañana, libré los patitos de su caja. Luego, descubrí que ellos querían descansar al sol en la esquina de su jaula. 
Lunch consisted of a fried egg mixture, seasoned beef, and sweet potato, all accompanied by a colorful salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, carne de res sazonada y batata. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
This is the red apple I enjoyed after lunch on June 3, 2025. It had a good flavor and excellent texture. Esta es la manzana roja que disfruté después del almuerzo el 3 de junio de 2025. Tenía un buen sabor y una textura excelente. 
Later I had to reposition the light because the ducklings wanted to rest in the corner of their cage. Más tarde tenía que reposicionar la luz porque los patitos querían descansar en la esquina de su jaula. 
This is the roast beef I made for dinner on June 3, 2025. Este es el asado de ronda que hice para la cena de las 3 de junio de 2025. 
The plated dinner: A piece of the aforementioned roast topped with avocado and homemade ricotta. All of this was accompanied by a green salad topped with a piece of toasted bread. La cena emplatada: Un trozo del asado ya mencionado coronado con aguacate y requesón casero. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde cubierto con un trocito de pan tostado. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
6/4/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the high 80s. Cloudy.
Early morning of June 4, 2025: I collected meat from the freezers for Thursday’s and today’s dinners. La madrugada del 4 de junio de 2025: Recogí carne de los congeladores para las cenas del jueves y de hoy. 
This morning, Victor filled the ditches in front of the Master Blend store with orange soil. He also planted three hibiscus plants to the left of the entrance door. Esta mañana, Víctor rellenó con tierra anaranjada las zanjas frente a la tienda de Master Blend. Además, él plantó tres plantas de jamaica a la izquierda de la puerta de entrada. 
This morning, I started making sancocho. In this photo, I’m browning the goat and beef. Esta mañana, comencé a hacer sancocho. En esta foto estoy dorando las carnes de chivo y res. 
Raw sancocho with beef and goat. The vegetables included potatoes, carrots, green peppers (ají verde), red onions, and, later, fresh corn. El sancocho crudo con carnes de res y chivo. Los vegetales consistían en: papa, zanahoria, pimiento verde (ají verde), cebolla roja y, más tarde, maíz fresco. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs, beef, and sweet potatoes, all accompanied by a colorful salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, carne de res y batata. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
Esta tarde fui a Wet Hammock Farm para recoger bayas y para visitar Tavis (el dueño). Fue una buena visita. Esta tarde fui a Wet Hammock Farm para recoger bayas y para visitar Tavis (el dueño). Fue una buena visita. 
A photo of the many rows of blackberries at Wet Hammock Farm. Una foto de las numerosas hileras de moras en Wet Hammock Farm. 
A photo of me contemplating eating the berries. It was a “tough situation” because I knew there was a good stew in the oven and I didn’t want to ruin my appetite. Truly a first-world problem. Una foto mía de contemplar comer las bayas. Fue una “situación difícil” porque sabía que había un buen guiso en el horno y no quería arruinar mi apetito. Verdadermente un problema del primer mundo. 
A blackberry plant laden with fruit. Una planta de mora cargada de fruta. 
After picking blackberries, I walked toward the blueberry plants. Between the blackberries and blueberries, there were two rows of colorful flowers. Después de recoger moras, caminé hacía las plantas de arándano. Entre las moras y los arándanos, había dos hileras de flores coloridas. 
When I got to the blueberry plants I discovered they had a lot of fruit. Al llegar a las plantas de arándano descubrí que tenían mucha fruta. 
A blueberry plant loaded with lots of fruit. Una planta de arándano cargada de mucha fruta. 
The cooked sancocho: Before removing it from the oven, I added some corn that Tavis from Wet Hammock Farm gave me. It cooked in the stew for an hour and a half. The flavor was fantastic, and the corn was the “golden crown”. I showed the sancocho to Suli (a Dominican friend with whom I exchange languages), and she told me it looked fantastic, but sancochos from the Dominican Republic usually have more broth. So, this is a Florida-style sancocho. El sancocho cocido: Antes de retirarlo del horno, agregué un poco de maíz que me dio Tavis de Wet Hammock Farm. Se cocinó en el guiso durante una hora y media. El sabor de todo era fantástico, y el maíz era el broche de oro. Mostré el sancocho a Suli (una amiga dominican con quien intercambio los idiomas) y ella me dijo que se veía fantástico pero los sancochos de la República Dominicana usualmente tiene más caldo. Entonces, este es un Sancocho estilo Florida. 
The plated dinner: A bowl of sancocho accompanied by a bowl of colorful salad made by my father. La cena emplatada: Un tazón de sancocho acompañado de un tazón de ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt, some blueberries, and some blackberries. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogurt griego, algunos arándanos y algunas moras.
6/5/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly cloudy.
Esta mañana del 5 de junio de 2025, hicimos un nuevo bebedero para los patitos para que ellos pudieran lavarse la cabeza.
After lunch on June 5, 2025 (a fried mixture of eggs, beef, and sweet potato), I had a dessert of Greek yogurt, chopped apple, blackberries, and blueberries. Después del almuerzo del 5 de junio de 2025 (una mezcla frita de huevos, carne de res y batata) comí un postre de yogur griego, manzana picada, moras y arándanos. 
This is a female Indian bison that lives in the easternmost field of the ranch. Este es una hembra de bisonte indio que vive en el campo más oriental del rancho. 
A closer photo of the sign (before finishing). Una foto más cercana del letrero (antes de terminar). 
This afternoon my dad, my uncle, Victor and I worked to straighten the letters of “Homestead” on the family ranch sign. Esta tarde mi papá, mi tío, Víctor y yo trabajamos para enderezar las letras de “Homestead” en el letrero del rancho famliar. 
Madre with the ducklings on the cloudy afternoon of June 5, 2025. Mi mamá con los patitos en la tarde nublada del 5 de junio de 2025. 
Dinner consisted of reverse-seared Wagyu ribeye steak accompanied by a green salad, a slice of Tomme cheese, a piece of sourdough bread, and a horn of red wine. La cena consistía en chuletón de Wagyu dorado al revés acompañado de una ensalada verde, una rebanada de queso Tomme, un pedazo de pan de masa madre y un cuerno de vino tinto. 
Dessert: a pile of Greek yogurt topped with blackberries and blueberries. El postre: un montón de yogur griego cubierto con moras y arándanos.
6/6/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the low 90s. Partly cloudy.
Lunch on June 6, 2025, consisted of a fried egg mixture, ground Wagyu beef, beef heart, and beef liver. All of this was accompanied by a green salad drizzled with a spicy vinaigrette. El almuerzo del 6 de junio de 2025 consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, carne molida de Wagyu, corazón de res y hígado de res. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde rociada con una vinagreta picante. 
For dessert, I enjoyed a bowl of chopped apple, blueberries, blackberries, and Greek yogurt. Para el postre, disfruté un tazón de manzana picada, arándanos, moras y yogur griego. 
A photo of the partly cloudy afternoon of June 6, 2025, from the southeasternmost field of the farm. Una foto de la tarde parcialmente nublada del 6 de junio de 2025 desde el campo más al sureste del rancho. 
Today Padre, Wag, and Victor burned the large piles of brush on the west side of the ranch. Hoy mi padre, mi tío y Victor quemaron los grandes montones de ramas en el lado oeste del rancho. 
Dinner on June 6, 2025, consisted of leftover sancocho from two nights prior. It was accompanied by a green salad covered in finely chopped green cabbage and a piece of toasted sourdough bread. La cena del 6 de junio de 2025 consistía en restos de sancocho de dos noches anteriores. Este estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde cubierta en repollo verde finamente picado y un trozo de pan de masa madre tostado 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt, some blueberries, and some blackberries. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego, algunos arándanos y algunas moras.
6/7/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 90s. Partly sunny.
Lunch on June 7, 2025, consisted of scrambled eggs with chiltepín, fresh rosemary, and Swiss cheese. These were accompanied by a green salad dressed with a balsamic vinegar vinaigrette, Cholula hot sauce, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and salt. El almuerzo del 7 de junio de 2025 consistía en huevos revueltos con chiltepín, romero fresco y queso suizo. Estos estaban acompañados de una ensalada verde aliñada con una vinagreta de vinagre balsámico, salsa picante Cholula, aceite aceite de oliva, pimienta negra recién molida y sal. 
Dessert after lunch: A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. El postre después del almuerzo: Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
Dinner consisted of leftover sancocho from Wednesday accompanied by a green salad topped with finely chopped green cabbage. La cena consistía en las sobras del sancocho del miércoles acompañadas de una ensalada verde coronada con repollo verde finamente picado. 
A toasted piece of sourdough bread covered in beef marrow. It’s like butter with the flavor of a great steak. Un trocito de pan de masa madre tostado cubierto de médula de res. Es como mantequilla con el sabor de un excelente bistec. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
This is a book of questions that my parents and I have enjoyed. I’m now using it in language exchanges with Sulydi. Este es un libro de preguntas que mis papas y yo hemos disfrutado. Ahora lo estoy utilizando en los intercambios de idiomas con Sulydi.
Final Note: The sancocho this week was downright excellent. I’m going to include the recipe for it that I wrote for the Master Blend social media, as well as a few notes for future sancochos (one of which may occur next week).
Master Blend Cattle Co. Kitchen Experiment #6425: Sancocho al estilo floridano
This week’s recipe was inspired by the recent visit Padre and I took to the Dominican Republic. Sancocho is one of the DR’s national dishes, and after trying it, we could see why. It is a hearty stew filled with a variety of meats and a plenitude of starchy root vegetables (called ‘víveres’). This is my rendition of Sancocho with the ingredients that we have available here in Central Florida. Please note: this makes a huge pot o’ deliciousness.
Recommended equipment:
Large bowl for reserving the broth & spice mixture
Large metal bowl (or other pot) for reserving browned ingredients
Large heavy bottomed pot, e.g. 12-quart stock pot
Broth & spice mixture:
4 cups chicken broth*
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
2-3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
Plenty of fresh ground black pepper
Ingredients for browning/softening:
1-2 tbsp olive oil for browning
8 lbs miscellaneous cuts of stew beef (short ribs, ossobuco, shoulder roast, etc.)
2 lbs goat cubes (or 2 more lbs beef, chicken, lamb, or pork)
4 carrots, chopped into ~1-2 inch slices
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
6 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely crushed
Raw ingredients to mix into uncooked stew:
2 potatoes, chopped into ~1-2 inch pieces
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into ~1-2 inch pieces**
2 plantains, chopped into ~1-2 inch pieces**
1 corn on the cob, chopped into 2-inch pieces***
(As needed) Water or additional broth.
Instructions:
1. Prepare the broth and spice mixture.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F.
3. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in your Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Brown all the stew beef, goat cubes, and non-starchy vegetables. Be patient in this process, and do your best to get a good golden crust on all the meat. I recommend using a large bowl to hold your browned ingredients so as to incrementally make room in the Dutch oven for the un-browned ingredients. Also, be sure to soften (not brown) the onions and garlic last.
4. As the onions and garlic begin to soften, remove your Dutch oven from the heat and slowly add your broth & spice mixture. This will halt the cooking of the onion & garlic before they begin to burn. Additionally, any fond (crusty stuff) stuck to your pot will integrate with the broth and grant it even more flavor.
5. Add your browned vegetables, meats, and all other vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, & corn) back to the Dutch oven.
6. If necessary, add water or additional broth until the ingredients have no more than 1” jutting from the broth’s surface.
7. Place the lid on the pot and cook in the preheated 300 F oven for 4.5 hours.
8. Allow the soup to rest before eating (at least 1 hour recommended).
9. Enjoy!
*Note 1: I submitted my sancocho to Suli for review. She told me that, despite its looking quite tasty, my sancocho could use more juice. Authentic Dominican sancocho is more soup-like than the stew I created, so doubling the broth to 8 cups may be a good idea. She also told me that spaghetti noodles are often included in the stew.
**Note 2: These were not included in this week's stew due to limited ingredients. However, the addition of these víveres (Dominican term for tuberous vegetables commonly utilized in the nation's cuisine) will make the stew more akin to a true sancocho. Other options include: yucca (yuca), taro root (yautía), and yam (ñame).
***Note 3: This week's corn on the cob came from Tavis up at Wet Hammock Farm. He told me it was "Seminole corn". The flavor bore greater depth than I'm used to in the case of corn, and the texture was firm and 'meaty'.
Final final note: The ducks are growing extremely rapidly.