Hello. I was wondering if anyone out there could help me. My first question pertains to making flaked cereal, like Wheaties or something. I have whole wheat berries, as I grind and make all of my own bread. Can I turn them into a flaked cereal (not like oatmeal that you have to cook with hot water, but a flaked cereal that you just pour cold milk over and enjoy)?

My second question is regarding sheep. I like to spin wool and am purchasing two sheep this summer. One is a Rambouillet and one is a Romney. I am getting two baby ewes and am going to use them solely for fleece. I don't plan to breed them. However, my question is, can they run in the same pasture with my Jersey cow and her calf. We, naturally, drink the Jersey's milk and raise the calf to eat. Is there anything (disease), that the cows can get from the sheep? Or, should I keep the sheep in a separate pasture. I can do this, if I have to, since I have three separate pastures. I keep the horses in a really large pasture all summer where they get plenty to eat, and I usually rotate my cow between the other two pastures. I would prefer to keep rotating the cows and sheep together, so that the pasture has a chance to recover. Any thoughts on this.

Thank you in advance for your help.

-- Tammy (btawilliams@juno.com), March 04, 2000

Answers

Hi Tammy, We run sheep and cows together alot and usually have no problems, unless there's a ram involved LOL! They sort themselves out as a flock/herd and usually stick together. The mama cow will probably boss the sheep at first, but eventually they will get along. Good Luck!

-- Cindy (camiller@portup.com), March 04, 2000.

As above. Sheep with cattle work well for maximum use of pasture - cattle tend to take longer, lanker vegetation that sheep don't want (wrap their tongues around it, then PULL). Sheep prefer nibbling on shorter pasture. The two together tend to get a pasture eaten down evenly. They can have a few diseases in common, but much more likely for cattle to get cattle diseases from other cattle, and sheep from sheep.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 05, 2000.

I have run sheep and hogs together, hogs and cows, sheep & goats, horses & sheep, goats and hogs but have not run sheep and cows. If the sheep lie down on cow flop it makes for a lot wf work cleaning wool.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), March 05, 2000.

Tammy, I'm surprised nobody's posted this old chestnut yet. It isn't a flake ceral, but it usually is called Homemade Grape-nuts.

4c wholewheat flour 1c dark syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons sugar

Moisten with buttermilk or sour milk until it is thick and stirable. Bake like a cake. When cool, crumble and dry in oven. Run through a food chopper.

There are other versions of this recipe out there, this is from a Mennonite cookbook. I'll watch for one that has better cooking instructions. Somewhere I came across a person who reported making a recipe like this. The person felt that it was too much work and too much energy (baking and drying) for what you get.

As for a flaked cereal, possible you could bake this after pouring the batter into crepe-like sheets, and then hand-crumble it. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), March 05, 2000.

Gerbil, great recipe thanks for passing it on.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), March 05, 2000.

Gerbil,

Thank you for the recipe. Actually, I have one very similar to that that I just made yesterday. It turned out great, and it was very easy to make. Here is my version:

GRAPENUTS

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups sour milk (or regular milk with 2 T. vinegar added to sour it) 3/4 t. salt 1 T. baking soda

Mix flour, sugar, salt and soda together. Add sour milk and beat until smooth. Spread dough 1/4" thick on greased cookie sheet (this covers a large cookie sheet easily). Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes.

Let cool and then run through processor and chop into small particles. Be sure not to let the "cake" dry out before you chop it, or it will turn into flour. Once you have chopped it up, spread out on cookie sheets and let it finish drying.

Blueberries, raisins, etc. may be added before serving.

Enjoy.

-- Tammy (btawilliams@juno.com), March 06, 2000.