(Above: Morning of 11/4/2022: Master Blend freezer room as seen betwixt a couple flourishing hibiscus plants.)
10/30/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the low 80s. Partly cloudy.
Dawn of 10/30/2022. Lunch of 10/30/2022: A delectable and healthy meal of pan-fried salmon alongside a bounty of steamed broccoli. After finishing the prior platter of fish and greens, I enjoyed a dessert of cinnamon-coated Granny Smith apples and some Greek yogurt. An afternoon activity: Padre and I clipped each other’s hair. Economical both in time and money. I used to think this was a form of chamomile, but I think it may be a form of “Fleabane Daisy”. It is located directly east of the Jacobhouse garden. Dinner of 10/30/2022: A Belgian Blue #3372 Burger-Steak (second to last package of that ground beef) accompanied by a bowl of sour cream for dunking, some cucumber salad, and a glass of Yellowtail Merlot. It was a splendid meal. Dessert: Sliced Granny Smith apples sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a little bit of sour cream leftover from the main course.
10/31/2022: Today began in the high 60s and warmed into the high 80s. Mostly sunny (after morning fog dissipated).
The foggy dawn of 10/31/2022. I posted this image on the Master Blend Instagram with the following caption: A Florida rancher on a Segway X2 guiding two wayward bovines through morning fog to the barn where the rest of the herd is enjoying a bountiful breakfast buffet. Following a light lunch at Lorito’s Italian Kitchen (a lunch which I unfortunately did not acquire pictures of), we returned home. There, I put together a roast for dinner. It was a Belgian Blue chuck roast topped with half a diced onion, a sprig of rosemary, two cloves fresh garlic, salt, pepper, chiltepin pepper, and a drizzling of olive oil. This was wrapped double in tin foil and placed in a Dutch Oven before being placed in the actual oven at 350 F for 4 hours and 20 minutes. The Master Blend holiday special running from November 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. After 4 hours and 20 minutes of cook time and a little over 1 hour of rest, this is what emerged from the oven. The beef was so tender that it could be (and was) broken apart with a spoon. Also, by resting the beef, it reabsorbed a lot of its juices. The delicious roast was enjoyed alongside a heap of Padre-steamed broccoli. This apple along with about 8 others was brought to me by a Master Blend customer named Celeste. She acquired them from an orchard in Ellijay, Georgia. There was not an abundance of flavor, but this was more-than-made-up-for by its fresh-picked crispness.
11/1/2022: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the low 90s. Sunny and dry throughout.
Dawn of 11/1/2022. Clouds on the horizon (behind the trees) were causing the formation of very prominent rays. Bovines grazing beneath a shroud of low clouds. One of this morning’s tasks consisted of walking up #905 and her new Belgian Blue offspring. The calf had not nursed yet, but with a little help, it transformed into a milking machine. Purslane at noon. Lunch of 11/1/2022: Wagyu Sirloin Tip frittata accompanied by a Padre-made & Jacob-dressed salad. Madre was helping Grandma attend a doctor’s appointment and grocery shop. A Granny Smith apple from R & A orchard in Ellijay, Georgia. It bore a subtle flavor and an exceptional texture. One of the many Caesarweeds I pulled from the soil in the tree line separating the south-easternmost pasture from the easternmost pasture. My hope is that the seeds are too green to produce plants. A batch of chiltepin peppers plucked on the evening of 11/1/2022. They came from the plants growing in Hugelkultur #1. Dinner consisted of Pan-seared Ahi Tuna accompanied by steamed broccoli. It was a delicious and healthy repast. An “Arkansas Black” apple from Ellijay, Georgia. Padre, Madre, and I agreed this was one of the most unique of the flavors in that bag from R&A orchards. It was sweet, had a slightly ‘cidery’ flavor, and was extremely crisp.
11/2/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the high 80s. Partly cloudy. Very heavy bout of rain in the late day (~ 1/2″ in 15 minutes).
Dawn of 11/2/2022. Lunch of 11/2/2022: Skillet-sautéed eggs accompanied by a Padre-made & Madre-dressed salad. Dessert consisted of Arkansas Black Apple (sliced & cinnamon coated) accompanied by some Greek yogurt and blueberries. This is the Belgian Blue chuck-roast I slow cooked for our dinner on 11/2/2022. Seasonings included: garden-fresh rosemary, garden-fresh chives, dried chiltepin, a couple gloves of fresh garlic, ground black pepper, a little bit of Kosher salt, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. This is an excellent meal to prepare on class day, because it is ready to be unwrapped by the time I return home. The full dinner spread: Aforementioned Belgian Blue roast accompanied by Padre-steamed broccoli and a couple small bowls of homemade BBQ sauce. A glass of Yellowtail Merlot was enjoyed with the meal. A close-up of the pot-roast. It was ‘spoon tender’, juicy, and the seasonings / flavors were tremendous. A dessert of Granny Smith apple (from Ellijay, GA) accompanied by a spoonful of Greek Yogurt.
11/3/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Partly cloudy.
Dawn of 11/3/2022. This is a morning activity Padre and I tended to on the morning of 11/3/2022. We fixed the abused fence around the water-trough oak in the southeastern-most pasture. Letting the beef cows in for brunch and blood-tests on 11/3/2022. Lunch of 11/3/2022 was enjoyed at Latinos y Más. The salad was fresh, as was the fish. They made for a healthy and delicious repast. This is the impressive root system of a Bermudagrass plant pulled from the flower garden at the central feed barn. I proceeded to plant it at the edge of the easternmost pasture. Dinner of 11/3/2022: Reverse-seared coffee-encrusted Belgian Blue sirloin, salad, and a small cup of sour cream for dipping. Delicious. Another (and better) view of the sirloin’s medium-rare qualities. A dessert of two small Granny Smith apples accompanied by 1.5 tbsp of sour cream for dunking.
11/4/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
Morning of 11/4/2022: Master Blend freezer room as seen betwixt a couple flourishing hibiscus plants. Lunch today consisted of 7 fried eggs, a delicious Padre-made & Madre-dressed salad, and… A thinly sliced Granny Smith apple sprinkled with cinnamon. After an afternoon of school, cleaning Jacobhouse, and a little bit of farm-related activities, I made a pan pizza topped with homemade sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh-picked arugula, and thinly sliced Parmesan. This pizza was accompanied by a delicious cucumber and cabbage salad. A dessert of thinly sliced Granny Smith and a 1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt topped with fresh blueberries.
11/5/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed to the mid 80s. Partly cloudy, and a little bit of rain just after noon. Late also occurred after 5 PM. There seems to be storm bands.
Pre-dawn of 11/5/2022. Curly-horn cow was already grazing. The Master Blend Freezer room & Moo-Magic stand awaiting customers on the morning of 11/5/2022. A sizea-bowl bowl of Caldo de Gallena enjoyed at La Hacienda Colombiana #2 for lunch. It contained boiled potato, yucca, and plantain along with roasted chicken, corn, and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. It was delicious and probably some of the best soup I’ve had (outside of the sort we have at home) since returning from Mexico. Brahman #303 stares at me while a storm-band approaches in the background. It was the second wave of rain we received on 11/5/2022. Another shot of the approaching late-afternoon stormband. After experiencing an inadvertent break-in to the Master Blend freezer room on 11/5/2022, I found a way to let customers know that we are closed. Perhaps they will call first before removing the board and entering. A coffee-&-Kosher-salt-encrusted Belgian Blue sirloin tip roast reverse-seared for dinner of 11/5/2022. The aforementioned roast was complemented by a Padre-wrought cucumber salad and a glass of Yellowtail Merlot. A dessert of Granny Smith apple slices (positioned in a spiral formation) accompanied by blueberries in Greek Yogurt.
Final Note: It is presently 8:50 PM at the end of a Sunday where the time changed (it is effectually 9:50 PM). It was a farm & writing morning, an afternoon riddled with school and more writing (this time for Master Blend), and now the creativity synapses need a break. So, I’m going to go do that. If all goes as planned, next week’s entry will be published in México.
Some tremendous pictures, and the food makes me hungry.