Poor me.

[Keith Perkins]

Poor me, it's heart making day tomorrow. Ain't made the stuff exactly the same twice. Always one well trimmed heart, 1 14 oz bag of raw frozen shrimp, 1/2 serving COOKED oatmeal, 7 ground A to Zinc vitamins. Tomorrow a can of spinach, a banana (never done this before, but I see 2 ripe ones on the counter), a couple two three cloves of garlic, a cup or so of tetra flakes. Now I've got a bunch of frozen blood worms my fish aren't really into so that might go in there. And there's the CRAP beefheart I bought at the LFS to hold me over to this weekend, that's going in to. It'll add a little moisture back. :)

[jimg]

you sound very enthused!

[Jennie]

hmm suck it up Keith, and while ur at it, make me a batch too!:p

[Keith Perkins]

Well I will be making a double batch. I never make less than two, and often three batches at a time. This time the quantity is based on the fact I was given about 2 1/2 hearts worth, I think. Either that or it's 1 2/3. I've got 5 packages of pieces of heart. If they're like they were last time, cut into 3 is all that's been done. The guy who gave them to me got them from his parents that have a small farm and raise a few head. No one up where they live wants them. So it's the Today Show and then HGTV while I make heart at the kitchen counter. Oh, did I mention my wife has a class tomorrow? :)

[William Palumbo]

LOL...2 1/2 Hearts...try 8-10 hearts, about 40LBS on average. If it's not 40+ LBS for me it's not worth the time and mess. You got it easy Keith!...Bill

[Keith Perkins]

Yup, easy, hand grinder and all. My main problem is I'm way too picky when I'm trimming heart and it takes forever. Always have to get my money's worth out of the heart. I've really got to try to slash tomorrow.

[ericatdallas]

lol, heart is so cheap I actually throw some premium pieces away to save time. This new place I buy from actually does most of the trimming for me and I don't even have to ask -it comes that way! They do charge a little more than the place I used before, but well worth the extra price since I'm paying for more useable weight.

You could always try seafood, then you don't have to hassle with trimming. Mine didn't take to it, but I might try again if I can find a cheap supply of seafood...

[Keith Perkins]

I've actually got a country butcher who was really interested in the fact I was buying beefheart to feed fish, he wondered if I had piranha. He was really interested in what I did with it etc. I'm pretty sure he'd trim it any way I wanted if I just showed him what I was looking for. He might charge me double, but that would still be less than $2 a pound. Next time I need to buy heart, I'll have to do that. Can't pass up the free stuff though.

Oh, and for seafood the shrimp from Wal-Mart works pretty good. Does grind easy though.

[Scribbles]

Don't forget the air freshner.

Chris

[mmorris]

I have my tiny little violin playing. :grin: I had to make it the other night. What a job! Why do you add garlic, oatmeal and flake? I feed flake separately so I don't add it to the mix. I also add calcium carbonate + D, ground up in the coffee grinder with the vitamins. I have to pay almost $2.00 a pound for beef heart, and then I have to clean it!

[Keith Perkins]

The flake and oatmeal I add for binder and I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast on heart making day. I forget what I was told the garlic was good for, but I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet this morning either. Maybe it was suppose to help with internal parasites. The fish chow on it, that's all I know. :)

I run my vitamins through the coffee grinder too. Dang it's hard getting rid of the evidence on that one. That orange powder likes to get in every crack and crevice of the grinder.

[Keith Perkins]

Slicing.

[Keith Perkins]

1 package, 1/2 a heart done. 2 hearts to go. Oatmeal is cooked. Last nights leftover merlot has been found and a glass poured. HGTV on in the background.

[Keith Perkins]

3:00, I'm done.

[vera]

hmm suck it up Keith, and while ur at it, make me a batch too!:p
+1 LOL, make it two

[Keith Perkins]

Trying not to respond. :)

[Jennie]

why? :)

[jimg]

why? :)

shrimp on the keyboard?

[Jennie]

ROTF!

[Jennie]

I wonder if he had a potty break in there, I don't note one???

[jimg]

Maybe after his wife saw the mess he made he is out in the doghouse!

[Jennie]

with his fish food!:)

[jimg]

with his fish food!:)

Yeah and the neighborhood cats have him cornered!....

[Keith Perkins]

Ha, ha, my wife had a class today and I had things cleaned up before she got home.

[Jennie]

smart man!

[Keith Perkins]

I have my tiny little violin playing. :grin: I had to make it the other night. What a job! Why do you add garlic, oatmeal and flake? I feed flake separately so I don't add it to the mix. I also add calcium carbonate + D, ground up in the coffee grinder with the vitamins. I have to pay almost $2.00 a pound for beef heart, and then I have to clean it!

The canned spinach makes the mixture a little on the wet side, even though I drain the spinach for a day. The flake helps with that a bit too. I primarily used canned spinach because I work for a vegetable canner and no one else wants dented cans of spinach. :) There always seems to be just enough around for me to make heart.

[Keith Perkins]

smart man!

I hear that from my wife from time to time too. ;) Don't claim to be smart, but I am resourceful.

[Disgirl]

The canned spinach makes the mixture a little on the wet side, even though I drain the spinach for a day. The flake helps with that a bit too. I primarily used canned spinach because I work for a vegetable canner and no one else wants dented cans of spinach. :) There always seems to be just enough around for me to make heart.

Here is a tip, after you empty and drain the spinach, put the spinach onto a clean terry towel. Roll up the towel and squeeze the spinach in it. You will have dry spinach to add to your recipe!
Barb:)

[jimg]

I hear that from my wife from time to time too. ;) Don't claim to be smart, but I am resourceful.

That good....just don't say she has you trained!!

[Keith Perkins]

Here is a tip, after you empty and drain the spinach, put the spinach onto a clean terry towel. Roll up the towel and squeeze the spinach in it. You will have dry spinach to add to your recipe!
Barb:)

And where do I hide the green towel?

[Disgirl]

Keith, several paper towels in a thick layer do just the same thing and much easier to hide!
Barb:)

[vera]

And where do I hide the green towel?
make it look like a green loan in front of the house LOL

[ericatdallas]

he wondered if I had piranha.

LOL, everytime I tell people I use BH to feed fish that's what they say... "You feeding pirahnas?"


Oh, and for seafood the shrimp from Wal-Mart works pretty good. Does grind easy though.

Yup, that's the stuff I use. I also use scallops and any saltwater fish they have on sale. Ocean Perch being one... I'm thinking even cheaper than that... BH is at most $2/lb but frozen shrimp I think works out to be $5-6/lb. Yes, I really am -that- cheap :)


I forget what I was told the garlic was good for, but I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet this morning either. Maybe it was suppose to help with internal parasites. The fish chow on it, that's all I know. :)



Yup, that's what it's good for... I think someone conducted a study that found regular garlic feeding will help with parasites BUT it has to be daily... there was no difference between fish with intermittent feedings and those with none at all. My fish don't like garlic so I might use the odorless pills. Although I made it with my seafood mix so they just might hate seafood.

[Keith Perkins]

My fish don't like garlic so I might use the odorless pills...

Maybe you can get them some little bibs to eat with too. LOL Mine get fed almost exclusively my frozen beefheart. I try to keep the fry with the parents until after they're picking at the parents food that makes it to the bottom or tiny pieces floating down. The faster they're eating heart the faster I can quit making bbs. Jay (fishshaped) brought me a few of Bill's live worms and my adult fish took a while to figure out this is food. LOL Last time I bought heart it was .89 a lb. I think. The butcher warned me Saturday though it was all the way up to $1.19 right now. Times are tough here too. :D