Everyone loves a delicious, healthy home-cooked meal - even our pets.
Every few weeks, I set aside time to make my dogs, Crème Brûlée, Bête Noire, Empress Qin, and Emperor Han, a good supply of food. Preparing my own dog food has many benefits - fewer preservatives and additives, more varied and better ingredients and, of course, more of what I know my dogs will enjoy. I also know the food is from wholesome, organic, reputable, and local sources - that is very important to me. Last weekend, along with the help of my housekeeper, Elvira Rojas, and my longtime driver, Carlos "Uno" Villamil, we made a giant batch - filled with quality meats, quinoa, lots of nutritious vegetables, and even some delicious yogurt I made too.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Are you hungry, Empress Qin? My dogs can smell all the delicious food being prepared just for them. I enjoy cooking for my dogs because I know exactly what they’re getting.
First, I cut up heads of broccoli and boil them until tender.
Look at these bright orange carrots. My dogs love carrots. They are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamins. Occasionally, crunching on raw carrots can also be good for their teeth.
I used about four bags of frozen peas. Green peas are a good source of the B vitamin Thiamin, phosphorous, and potassium. Don’t overcook them – they only take a couple of minutes. Here, they are mixed in with the broccoli and chunks of the last pumpkin we grew this season.
This is the cooked salmon. And watch out for bones. While some of the bones will be ground in a processor, it is a good idea to always carefully check for potentially dangerous bones.
As each food is prepared, it is placed into one of several stainless steel bowls.
Look how much we’ve prepared. I vary the food every time I make it based on what I can use from the gardens and what I already have on hand. I also added venison here, which is deer meat.
Sweet potatoes are also great for digestive health because they’re high in dietary fiber. They’re low in fat and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese, and they’re rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene.
Quinoa is an amazing gluten-free superfood with high levels of essential amino acids. It is a high protein grain type food, so give it in small amounts. When preparing homemade diets, be sure it is well-balanced. Research what your pet needs.
Everything is well mixed. It looks good already!
All the food is also run through a food processor. Here is Elvira mixing the processed food before it is put into containers. This step of running it through the food processor may seem extraneous; however, I have found that my dogs prefer their food ground rather than in big chunks.
For my dog food, I use quart-sized containers. This step of filling the containers is done in a production line process, so it can be completed quickly and efficiently. Can you guess how many containers we filled? I always do a mental calculation to determine how many containers we need to put out on the counter. Here, the quarts of food are also left to cool a bit before securing the lids.
I estimated 44-plastic containers, and we filled just under 44-quarts in all! Each lid is marked with the contents and the date it was prepared. If planning to freeze, only fill up to the first line around the container so it has room to expand.
Here is one container of food ready to serve.
Enma starts with a scoop of high quality kibble – the blue is Emperor Han’s bowl.
I also recently made a big bowl of yogurt. This is the saved whey. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is very nutritious. Enma added just enough to each bowl to moisten the hard kibble.
And then she adds a couple heaping spoonfuls of delicious home cooked food.
Everything is mixed equally into the bowls along with any added supplements.
And if I have any at the time, each dog gets a spoonful of my homemade yogurt. Many dogs are actually lactose intolerant, but yogurt is much easier to digest and my canine foursome loves it.
It’s meal time! My dogs eat two meals a day – one in the morning and one in the evening. Splitting meal times is good for their digestion. Cooking for one’s dogs is a personal choice, but if you have time, and are interested in giving it a try, I know your pets will love every meal. Here’s Crème Brûlée starting her dinner.
And Emperor Han – he is such a good eater. He is always the first to finish.
My dogs love their food and always lick their bowls clean.
… And then it’s time for a nap. I’ll see you soon, Bête.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, the outdoor grounds crew is busy "burlapping" - a term we use for covering all my winter-sensitive boxwood with burlap.
I am a big supporter of "burlapping" shrubbery for the cold season. Burlap covers protect the tender branches from splaying and breaking under heavy ice and snow while shielding the foliage from strong winds. Burlap is also more effective than plastic because it allows air to circulate through the plants. It is a practice I've followed for many years, and I think it also provides a cozy and pretty look to the winter landscape. Last week, the crew finished the biggest part of this project - my long Boxwood Allée. And, it was done with a new additional tool, that helped to streamline our process even more.
Enjoy these photos.
I love boxwood, Buxus, and have hundreds of shrubs growing on my property. I use boxwood in borders and hedges, as privacy screens, as accent plants in my formal gardens, and of course in the long allée to my stable. Just before it gets really cold, my outdoor grounds crew begins the process of covering all the boxwood with burlap to protect them from the winter elements.
These pipes, which we keep organized in a back field where we store other supplies, are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. They are part of the framing supplies needed for our protective burlap covers. In all, hundreds of ground stakes, purlin pipes, connectors, nuts, and bolts are used for the project. They are actually the metal parts of greenhouse hoop houses.
To start, ground pipes are installed every four feet along the allée. These hollow pipes will anchor the supports. My long Boxwood Allée extends from the east paddocks and the woodland carriage road to the stone stable. It has developed beautifully over the years, growing larger every season.
Here, Phurba and Cesar carefully pound one of the pipes into place using a piece of wood to cushion and protect the pipe from being damaged.
Next, Chhiring secures the taller pipes inside the ground pipes all along the allée.
I ordered the 10-foot wide bow sections – this will last quite a while and give the boxwood a lot of room to grow. One can see how the framing is coming together.
These are called tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections.
Here is Chhiring fastening one to the bow section and the center peak.
Smaller stakes are pounded into the ground next to each steel ground stake. These short wooden stakes provide points at which the burlap can be secured.
Constructing the frame for the burlap takes several days, but the process is well worth the effort during cold snaps, high winds, and snowstorms. Any snow that accumulates on top of the finished structures will slide down the sides.
The burlap gets reused from year to year whenever possible. When it is removed in spring, it is rolled up, labeled and then stored in the dry trailer barn until it is used again. This is one of last year’s burlap covers – still in excellent condition. Depending on the quality of the burlap, these covers can last through three seasons.
To secure the burlap cover tightly, Phurba pulls down the burlap and attaches it to the ground stakes using wood strips and screws.
It looks very tidy once attached. Both the metal and wood stakes can be seen through the fabric.
Here is one finished section of the Boxwood Allée. The burlap still allows the boxwood to “breathe”, and get sunlight, which is important even during the colder months.
At the ends, Phurba pulls the burlap snug and begins sewing it closed. For this he uses a large embroidery needle and jute twine.
Various birds love to nest in the big bushes, so we always add a few holes for our avian friends.
Some sections need new covers. Because the burlap comes in 48-inch wide and 60-inch wide rolls, it’s necessary to sew lengths of burlap, so it is wide enough to cover the boxwood. Burlap is relatively inexpensive and available at garden centers.
This year, we purchased a portable bag closing sewing machine. Chhiring is able to sew long lengths of burlap in a lot less time.
The fabric is held taut as the machine is pulled across. It can also be done right on site, which is very convenient.
The machine uses white strong cotton thread and a chain stitch which is formed when the needle passes through the fabric and inter-loops with itself on the underside of the seam. It is often seen on sacks of rice.
The new cover is then brought to the allée and laid out fully in front of the section it will cover.
Chhiring uses one of the long metal poles to help get the burlap over the frame peaks.
Cesar pull one end of the burlap over the metal framing and then over the large end boxwood.
Building the frame at least a foot taller than the boxwood protects any heavy snow from weighing down onto the tender foliage.
Here is one finished end of the Boxwood Allée – the end closest to my stable.
I’ve been “burlapping” for many years and find that this is really the most reliable way to protect my hedges and shrubs. Covering this allée with burlap gives me comfort that all will survive the winter unscathed. And it is so pretty to see all done. And this is just the beginning… the crew has already started “burlapping” another part of farm – wait and see where the “cover up” happens next.
You know winter is near when various ornamental vessels around my Bedford, New York farm are covered in burlap.
As many of you know, I've been covering shrubs and hedges with burlap for many years to protect them from splaying and breaking from the weight of snow and ice. I have shared posts showing our annual process. I feel it is equally important to protect my outdoor garden ornaments from the harsh winter elements. A winter freeze, alternating with thaws, could crack or crumble any kind of stone or cement, especially if it is antique. During this time, all my outdoor planters, birdbaths, stanchions, etc., are covered in the same burlap used for my live specimens. This year, we started with the giant containers and birdbaths in my cobblestone stable courtyard.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I have many outdoor containers and garden ornaments that are covered and protected with burlap and kept in their respected locations for the duration of the cold season. Here is a group of birdbaths and planters that sit outside the stable office where my business manager, property manager, and operations manager work.
Because stone, cement, and clay-based materials can crack from exposure to the winter elements, it’s important to protect them from all sides. The first thing we do is cover the large opening with a piece of plywood. The crew cuts any spare plywood into rounds to fit over various pieces.
The plywood is also painted my signature “Bedford Gray.”
Then, the urns and birdbaths are covered with industrial strength plastic. This plastic was saved from one of the old hoop house skins. I encourage my crew to always reuse, repurpose, and recycle whenever possible.
Pete measures and cuts the plastic to size. This plastic is very durable and thick.
And I instructed Pete to make sure he wraps everything completely – that means underneath it as well. Here is one of the large urns with the plastic pulled underneath.
Then Pete pulls the plastic over the top and the plywood cover. This plastic will protect the vessel and keep it dry. Doing this lengthens the process, but it’s worth it. These planters are in great condition and continue to be planted every spring.
When we can, we reuse burlap from seasons past; however, it is also available in giant rolls of 40-inches or 60-inches wide. Also called hessian, burlap is made in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India from jute, a tall, grass-like plant grown for its strong fibrous stalks.
Pete cuts the burlap fabric to fit – one long piece that can completely wrap around the urn.
Here is the burlap draped over a plastic covered container.
To sew the burlap, we use jute twine. It is all natural and the same color as the burlap.
These needles are specially designed for sewing jute. These five-inch long needles have large eyes and bent tips. Every member of my outdoor grounds crew has a needle.
Pete wraps this entire vessel from top to bottom with the burlap, tucking it all in underneath.
Then he makes small stitches and knots to keep the burlap in place.
Next, Pete sews the entire edge closed. The burlap should be sewn tightly, but with some space for air circulation.
Pete stitches the top of the fabric together pulling the burlap snug all around the pot.
There is a lot of tucking involved to make it neat, and a lot of stitching and knotting, but my crew has been covering these containers with burlap every year for quite some time – they are all excellent burlap sewers.
Because the burlap is exposed to the elements for several months, Pete does this task very carefully. The ends at the top are folded over in the same way a gift is wrapped and then sewn closed.
Pete looks up quickly to smile at the camera. Depending on the size of the pot and how much sewing is needed, each piece takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Burlap is so useful for many gardening projects – it is inexpensive, biodegradable, and the color and texture of burlap is so pretty to use.
And in the end, they look like pieces of burlap art. Here is the front of the stable office – the urns and birdbaths look so neat and tidy. There is still so much “burlapping” to do around the farm. The project continues with all the many boxwood shrubs and hedges that will be covered in the weeks ahead.
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