The Farm – Cow Lips

Happy Canada Day.

While you are soaking up all of the family good times in the Valley that is celebrating the nation’s birthday, we are busting out our maple leaves and saluting the cow in Canada – in honour of our Hands-On Farm Friend Popsicle.

First, a few facts:

- Popsicle is a Holstein, the breed of cow that makes up more than 3/4 of all dairy cows in Canada.
- Holsteins were imported to Canada from Holland in 1881, with a majority of Canadian Holsteins traced back to two animals. Thank the Dutch for local milk.
- Popsicle is a bull, so he won’t be making any milk. But, at maturity, he could weigh as much as 1,200 kg (that’s a lot of bull) as a breeding male.
- Dairy farmers in BC are definitely not the norm. More than 75% of all dairy cows in Canada live in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario. Drink local. Make a BC dairy farmer smile:).
- Did you know that more than half of all milk is turned into butter and cheese? Yum.

Now, for an update on our local bovine buddy.

Popsicle is now just over three (3) weeks old and, after dealing with a bit of separation anxiety as well as an abscessed umbilical cord, is now active and happy at his Summer Filberg home.

Our happy Holstein is up walking around and quite friendly, digging some brushing in the morning after drinking nearly 2 liters of milk replacement and long snoozes in the afternoon before his evening milk (you can catch a feeding right before closing time. Get there at about 3:30 to take part).

He will, more than likely, at least double in size in the next 8 weeks and is, right now, very slobbery LOVING to pass out the kisses.

Which leads me to something less slobbery, but just as much fun.

COW LIPS.

These are easy to make, hilarious to share and a great treat to snack down on after a visit to the Hands-On Farm. The original recipe idea came from Cooking On A Stick by Linda White, illustrated by Fran Lee. It’s modified because we don’t eat peanut butter and prefer cow lips over her moose lips:).

You need:

- Nut butter of any kind (we like almond butter at our house)
- 2 Red apples (there are some AMAZING apples available out at Seifert’s Farm Market on Knight Road)
- Marshmallows or bananas

Directions:

1. Core your apples and cut them into sections, 6 or 8 for each apple.

2. Take two pieces of apple. Spread your nut butter on one side of a slice. Press the two slices together.

3. Take four marshmallows (or pieces of banana) and place them in the nut butter between the two apple to make teeth.

SMOOOOOOOOOOOOCH!

You’ve just been kissed by a cow.

Happy Canada Day!

Popsicle and his friends are out at the Hands-On Farm all Summer. The farm, at the Filberg in Comox, is open from 10 a.m. t0 4 p.m. daily through August 24. Admission is $3 for ages 6 and older, $1 for kiddos 5 and under.

Drop by and say hi.

Tags: 2008, animal wathing, Canada, Canada Day, Comox Valley, cows, families, Farms, Filberg, Hands-On Farm, Holidays, Holsteins, Kids, Learning, Petting Farm, Summer

Category: EAT LOCAL, Recipes, Snacks