Cheese and a Mandala

Say "Queso!"

We've been getting a half gallon of milk a day from Melida and Albiz, plus the milk that comes from the two goats here. We decided it was a good time to try making a batch of cheese, blending the two kinds of milk and heating it gently.

We added dried rosemary and black pepper oil

Next, the vinegar

Stirred as it curdled....

Poured it through a fine mesh bag

Drained off all the whey

Gave it a squeeze

And pressed it

Like our makeshift cheese press?

A half gallon of whey left over! We used it later to cook rice.

Cedar was in the kitchen helping by hanging onto Alana's pants

We ate the cheese for lunch that same day, before I even had a chance to get the "after" picture.

The Mandala Garden Project:

One day, Alana and I marked out the perimeter of the circle and laid logs and stones on the ground to mark the key holes. The kids had hiked down to the creek with us to gather rocks.

I ran the sprinklers over the whole area all night long so the ground would be soft enough to dig

After removing the thick grass roots, we fluffed the remaining soil with the mulch we had gathered and covered each area over with cardboard

This method of soil building is called sheet mulching. It's like making lasagna in the garden

Indigo overheats easily and it's the hottest time of year here, she's crumbling soil out of grass roots and trying to stay in the shade

We've laid the foundation of the mandala and soon we'll begin planting things like hibiscus, marigolds, zinnias, herbs, salad greens and pineapple.