Sun > Lush Green Grass = Happy Heifers

If you've been reading some of my posts the last few days {or if you live nearby}, you know that we've been experiencing some very foggy, cold, damp weather here in northern California.  Well, Sunday I walked out of the house and felt completely like a mole who had just crawled out of her hole, wondering what that bright, yellow thing was in the sky.

It was too tempting not to take a stroll in the green grass up behind our home on this rare sunny day.  So with rubber boots on, out I went. 

Look who else I found enjoying the green grass and the sunshine...........these were some Happy Heifers out on grass.  They couldn't eat fast enough!

I tried to get a little closer, but I spooked one of them and once one begins to run, they ALL do......in the other direction. 

It actually felt warm standing here taking in the view with the sun on my face.

A dose of vitamin D is just what I needed.  After I got my fill, I walked back down the hill, avoiding the muddy cow trail and made myself a nice lunch of leftover venison loin and brussels sprouts. What more can one possibly need?

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The Art of Making Homemade Sausage

It's early on a Saturday morning, and the rain has been falling for hours. But this doesn't dampen the spirits of anyone in the basement of Uncle Jim's house, because soon enough, we know, that we'll have 100 pounds of sausage stored away in the freezer.  Why am I so excited over sausage, you may ask.  Maybe it's because the tradition of making it is just as important as eating it.  This recipe is a long time ranch family recipe passed on from my father-in-law, to Dominic and soon, to Bryce as well. 

The sausage crank {I don't even know if that's the name of the thing} is at least 100 years old.  A big tubular chunk of steel with a hand crank.  The ground meat, a combination of venison and pork and the many ingredients mixed with it,  is placed into the canister you see below.

It is then pressed out by turning the hand crank.

Into the casing that awaits at the other end.

The length of sausage tube is then tied off at various intervals to create individual links.

Each long set of links is hung for a day in the cool basement and frozen the next day in freeze dry packages.
Ready to be cooked or BBQ'd and eaten.  The flavor of this long time recipe is one of  slightly sweet, salty with a touch of cinnamon. 

Happy Thursday!

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