Rain glorious rain

Hello, it is another glorious day in Weipoortsweg, Netherlands.  It is Saturday so people are pouring into buy their cheese and pick up "the beast".  This is the first milk from the cow after a calf is born, and people view it as a health food, full of good things that are like "vacinating" you against disease.  They warm it up and add sugar and it is thick like yogurt.  I ate some this morning, no sugar thank you and it was quite tasty.  It tasted like warm milk, duh.

Since this is a working dairy farm, of course the family members who tend to the cows and milk were up early as normal, and everyone else is busy with cheese making, preparing for a tour coming through this afternoon, waiting on customers and just generally a busy life.  I sit at the old office computer and type away watching all the activity as they come and go.  I try to help, but I think I might be more in the way, then any help.

Dad had gotten up early to have breakfast with Sjaak and Joyce (the oldest daughter) before they go out to take care of the cows, but they had not expected them, and he missed them.  Fortunately he went back to bed and I let him sleep until 11.  It had been a long day yesterday.  We had gone from almost 48 hours with just a few hours of restless sleep, and we both needed a good night's rest.

Here are some pictures at the farm:

Dad and Karin in front of the entrance to the farm

The cheese shop

The milk is pumped into this tank and cooled and then poured into the staniless and then pumped into the vat in the lowerledft hand corner of the photo where the agent is put and then mixed until curds and way

Then poured into molds, pessed and left to drain for 48 hours.  They were the first in Holland to use "shaped"molds and they have round, tulip, heart, and others

Then they sit in the salt bath

Then left to sit for 48 hours to dry and edible wax is applied

Here aer some of the cheese, all ready to go

Some of the packages for the tour group with cheese, farm fresh eggs and cottage industry proudcts such as home made jans, mustards and jellies

Cheese stored aging and waiting to be taken home to be eaten.  Some of the cheeses wigh up to a 50 pounds

 More cheese

Karin, Lisa and Dad

 This house has someone who has passed their exams, so a flag and their school bag are hung outside the house to celebrate, a Netherland tradition.

Having a wonderful time with Dad in the Netherlands, so by for now from Weiportsweg