This weekend we’re going to wean our calves, which means shriveled udders shortly, and make cider this weekend from all of the apples we’ve picked, which means things will certainly be flecked with pomace. So I thought a bit of Frost was in order today.
The Cow in Apple Time
by Robert Frost (1874–1963)
Something inspires the only cow of late
To make no more of a wall than an open gate,
And think no more of wall-builders than fools.
Her face is flecked with pomace and she drools
A cider syrup. Having tasted fruit,
She scores a pasture withering to the root.
She runs from tree to tree where lie and sweeten
The windfalls spiked with stubble and worm-eaten.
She leaves them bitten when she has to fly.
She bellows on a knoll against the sky.
Her udder shrivels and the milk goes dry.
For more Poetry Friday fun, Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect has today’s roundup, and some Emily Dickinson. Thank you, Tricia!
Filed under: Poetry, Poetry Friday
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Frost and apples!! Three of us, so far, have gone that direction with this Poetry Friday. Must be October banging at the door?
Great poem find. How true! Our milk cow figured out she could just reach the Liberty apples on one of our little trees and was so happy. Now she looks up at every tree, neck outstretched, eyes rolling, hoping…hoping….
An older neighbour, a real farmer, instead of us-just-thinking-about-real-local-food neophytes, mentioned the apples/drying up connection, which I had not heard any real physiological evidence of. Fortunately, as we are still “share-milking” with Gertie’s calf, we already have some variations in production and we didn’t notice anything following any apple raids. In fact, we have had just enough milk I have gotten pretty good at making the 30-minute mozzarella mentioned in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Julie, frost, apples, and COWS! Of course, we have cows in the pasture just behind the house, so they’re often on my mind! And since weaning the calves, they’re fairly noisy now too, bawling for their babies and their poor full udders. We’re six hours north of the US border, so for us this isn’t October at the door, it’s usual September signs. The leaves have been in their autumnal shades for the entire month already…
Chris, oh, always so great to hear from you! Interesting about your neighbor — now there’s a project for the home educating children of veterinary types! I’ve been dying to try that recipe out and have the citric acid but would you believe no rennet in this neck of the woods? Argh. Am trying to overcome my deep dislike of paying for shipping, but think I’ll probably just bring some back from NYC in November.