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In March….a young cow’s thoughts….
….turn to what it was like last Spring. (Particularly when there’s a forecast of 8 more inches of snow!) Our belle of Cornwall—Juliet Cleave—digs out a picture of last year’s turnout of the Kew herd. Green grass instead of white. Happy Days!
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Meanwhile, back home….
….our English partner, Gavin Hunter, continues to breed exceptional bulls. In fact, he probably sells more Devon bulls than any other breeder. His great cow, Tilbrook Cashtiller, had an unbroken string of three top sellers in the Devon show and sale. And now her daughter, Cashtiller 10th, is carrying the flag. Here’s her son, Tilbrook Oz. The sire was an Australian bull, Bongalabi Atlas.
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The “romance” of farming….
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Bob Simon, R.I.P…..
….an old colleague, good reporter and good man died overnight. Bob Simon of CBS News was killed in a New York City car crash after cheating death many times as a war correspondent. We were last together at a reunion of old Viet Nam reporters just over a month ago and I’m particularly grateful I was able to express my appreciation for his kindness to my late wife. I met Bob when we were both covering Viet Nam for CBS in 1967-68 and he was still going full-bore at the age of 73 as one of the anchors of 60 Minutes. It was during an earlier reunion, when my wife left her bed at the…
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Known by our chefs….
….people like Bill and Diane Earle of Hume. Bill had a nice phrase accompanying a picture of their Christmas ham…..”best ever”. Bill wrote that he finds Thistle Hill pork “consistently excellent” but the ham was the best ever. We were going to break out a ham for Easter but the photos have us thinking we’ll move that treat up a little!
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Not all “hoodies” are dangerous….
….just because gang bangers and Bill Belichick wear them. Thanks to Renate Shields of Orlean, Virginia. (No this is not a Devon)
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Dirt….just plain old dirt….
….as the foundation of civilization. Okay, soil if you prefer. An article in the National Geographic summarizes the main points. It’s been our main focus at Thistle Hill for a number of years though Wooz prefers to look at our Devon. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141205-world-soil-day-soil-agriculture-environment-ngfood/ Source: Brown Ranch, North Dakota Facebook page.
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A domestic scene….
….the second generation of our English Traditional Devon are now gracing our pastures….here and in South Carolina. Pictured at Thistle Hill are two moms and their offspring….the “mums” are Tilbrook Cashtiller daughters by Cutcombe Jaunty. The AI bull calf in front is by Millennium Falcon….the heifer in back by TDA Highwayman.
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As the old saying goes….
….it’s best not to examine too closely what goes into sausages and laws. (Not Thistle Hill sausages, of course. They’re 100% pure) But an Italian supermarket had fun with some shoppers who were convinced to try freshly-made sausage. How fresh? Click on the link to find out. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/k1bG2EPGmI0?autoplay=1&vq=hd720&rel=0&showinfo=0&start=82&end=321 Thanks to Gisela Volkert of Koenigswinter, Germany for the link.
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Now here’s a Christmas story….
….we often get requests for standing rib roasts….particularly at Christmas time. But we fear we would cheat too many of our regular customers so we are resigned to disappoint….even ourselves. But just to understand what we’re missing, British TV chef (and Devon farmer) Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s salute to a real Christmas decoration! http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2001/dec/09/foodanddrink.recipes2 Hugh F-W, as many of you know, has written the premier book on preparing all meats: “The River Cottage Meat Cook”. A gift idea for your favorite chef. He doesn’t call it a Cook-book because it is more than a collection of receipes, it is an appreciation of meat in all its varieties. All vegetarians should read it!…