Organic Dairy Farming with Dorothy and Ray

Larger and larger dairy farms are evidence of New Zealand's economic commitment to growing their already multi million dollar dairy industry. The news down on the farm is that if people cannot expand they must specialise in order to survive.
Ray and Dorothy Higgins made the switch to Organic Dairy Farming in response to the changing market and we spent a lovely home hosted lunch with this passionate and informative couple of farmers.

After a delicious home cooked lunch by the poolside and other nooks in their home, we were given a talk about the dairy industry of New Zealand and their role within that.

The mood in their garden was something like that of a garden party as we walked and talked gardening and farming after lunch before visiting the business end of their farm, the milking shed.

New Zealand is the world's eighth largest milk producer, with about 2.2% of world production.Total production was 1.3 billion kg of milk solids, and NZ$8.38 billion of dairy products were exported in the year ending 30 September 2007.

Traditional Dairy production areas are the wetter areas of the country: Waikato, Taranaki, Southland, Northland, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Westland. Before the advent of refrigerated shipping in the 1880s, dairy production was entirely for local consumption, with butter and cheese usually being produced on the farm, with the surplus being sold to the community via the local store. Small dairy factories began to be established in the 1880s, and soon there was one in almost every village in dairying regions.

There are approximately 4.2 million dairy milking cows in New Zealand, and 5.26 million dairy cattle in total at 30 June 2007, an increase from 3 million in 1982.  In mid-2005, there were 12,786 dairy farms, with a total area of 2.1 million hectares.

Ingredients
12 slices of bread
4 eggs
1/2 pint milk
Salt & pepper
Parsley (finely chopped)
3 rashers bacon (rind removed and chopped)
3 Tbsp spring onion (finely chopped)
6 Tbsp cheese (grated)
Method
Cut the crusts off the bread - taking care to remove them all as any crust on the bread will affect the overall success of the cases.
Roll out the bread with a rolling pin. Butter one side and place butter side down into muffin pan.
Mix together in a jug the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and parsley. Place this to one side.
Into the bread cases divide up the following and place in the muffin trays: bacon, spring onion, cheese, sundried tomato.
Pour the egg custard over the filling and bake 160C for 25 mins or until golden.

WASPS (Sweets from Dorothy and Ray's Organic Dairy Farm)
5 oz butter melt in a pan over a low heat
Add
1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspsoon vanilla essence
In a bowl beat
1 egg with
1 cup of sugar, beat well and add to date mixture in pan.
Cook over a low heat for 3 mins.
Add
3 cups of rice bubbles
Cool.
Shape and roll in shredded coconut.