HOT

I had such great pictures for today but I can't put them up!  UGH blogger.com fails me sometimes.

I feel like in Philly, the temperature doesn't go from 60's to 90's in the space of a day.  But that's what it does in Vermont!  It was rainy and cold yesterday, and today it is humid, hot, and sunny.  

Daily Blue Ledger:

I woke up at 4:30 for morning chores.  The day started off on the wrong foot when I was herding the girls into the barn.  Three of them were having some kind of epic goat battle and apparently they were too engrossed to listen to me.  So it took quite a while to even start milking.  And then once I'd started, two girls in the fourth group jumped off the platform, pulling off one of the units that mechanically milks the goats.  Connie (the dog) tried to help me by attacking the goats, which was obviously not very helpful at all.  And then in the last group of girls, there were only 6 (as opposed to 7, the correct number).  AHHHH goats.  They make me go crraaazzzyyyy.  After that, I fed the pigs.  At this point I was sweating because it's so lovely and hot!  Yay heat!  

I worked in the cheesehouse for a little bit and then weeded in the garden.  We're trying to turn a patch of grass into a garden, so it's a constant struggle against the encroaching weeds.  I made one row of spinach/beets look pretty.  It took 2 hours to do it.  

In the afternoon I went to the co-op, where I discovered the spice section!  THEY HAVE EVERY SPICE IMAGINABLE!  I could have sat there for hours, I swear.  They even have flowers and medicinal herbs.  Things like "skullcap" and "slippery elm."  I got out my camera and took a picture, and some lady walked by and looked at me like, "Um...what are you doing?"  She apparently couldn't relate to my love for spices.  I came back from the co-op and started to make dinner really early because it was kinda elaborate...I made these crazy veggie burgers.

Barn Swallows:

Oddly Sweet California Veggie Burgers (makes 4)

1/2 medium sweet potato

1/2 cup quinoa or millet

1/2 medium carrot

1/2 small onion

1 large garlic clove

sesame oil

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 cup cooked or canned chickpeas 

salt

garam masala

cumin

cayenne pepper

curry powder

ginger powder

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 cup sunflower seeds

1 Tbs lemon juice

alfalfa sprouts

avocado slices

your favorite salad dressing

Bake sweet potato at 400 F for 40 minutes, or until soft.  Peel and mash, when cool enough to handle.  Cook quinoa in 1 cup water for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Mix with mashed potato.  Finely chop carrot, onion, and garlic (or pulse in food processor).  Saute with sesame oil until onion is translucent.  Add to millet mixture.  Boil peas until tender but firm, about 3 minutes.  Mash peas and chickpeas and add to millet mixture.  Add lemon juice, sunflower seeds, and spices.  For into 4 patties.  Cook patties in skillet with sesame oil for about 7 minutes on each side.  Put on bun or bread or lettuce leaf or nothing at all, top with avocado slices, sprouts, and dressing.  Complicated and possibly not worth the work, but interesting nonetheless.  

I just checked the weather and it's going to be in the 90's or high 80's for the next three days.  The only problem with that is that I have to wear long pants for both milking and the cheesehouse.  That sucks.  Ah, well, it's part of the job.  Hope it's not too hot where you are, readers of my blahg!  Readers of my blog who don't post comments anymore.  I'm going to have a question at the end of each post that you can answer through a comment.  If you don't know how to post, I'm pretty sure all you have to do is click on "post comment," type your comment, write in that wiggly word that shows you're not a robot, and hit "publish your comment."  Maybe it's more complicated than that, I'm not sure.

Here's todays question, which is not in the form of a question.  It's more like a mandate: 

Think of a new kind of chévre...so far we have cranberry walnut, herb, and pepper.  Ready...go!