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Follow along our adventure as we make the transition from corporate city life to the world of natural farming. Each day brings a new experience and brings us to a deeper understanding about the life and spirit that made America great. At our farm we do our best to give the animals we raise a natural, free, happy, stressfree lifestyle. Our mission is to learn and share how to manage a farming operation that is both profitable and humane.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Todays bacon experiment
Today we have homemade salt cured bacon wrapped around slivers of onion, sprinkled with paprika, chili powder, and a little dry mustard.
Oven roasted at about 400 degrees.
Yum!
Late Season Lamb Born!
We do not artificially control the breeding cycles of our animals, who all live in communities of male and females, just as they would in the wold. This results in the occasional our of season birth. This year we were blessed with a late season lamb born just this week!
I am happy to report that mom and baby are doing fine! As the only small lamb in the pasture, he is very adorable!
I hope to add a pick to this post soon so you can meet him!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Raw Milk Officially deemed a LOW risk food
Raw milk, the food of humans for thousands of years, vilified by the US government in the 1930's, is finally emerging as the safe, healthy food that it has always been. The Canadian government (CDC of British Columbia) has issues studies showing scientific proof that raw milk is in fact a LOW Risk food.
That says a lot! so today, instead of banning rw milk, the government should be banning leafy green vegetables! they are inherently dangerous due to modern farming practices.
Will the US government follow suite? probably not. Our own government is pushing GMO everything to the world and exporting chemical based farming methods, already proven to fail in the long run even today. America is leading the world in destruction of the most basic commodity, food. So, I would not expect to see anything positive from our government about raw milk for decades to come.
Now, that said.. in defense of our government.... raw milk WAS extremely dangerous in the 20's and 30's. This was due to sadly faulty farming practices, geared to raise profits at all costs. During those days, brought on by unscrupulous dairy farmers, the government was right in trying to protect the public. However, the mistake they made was blaming the milk for the farmer's mistakes. Milk was never inherently dangerous, any more than leafy green vegetables are dangerous. It is the farmers, agriculture focused on profits and conventional methods, that sicken people. Any food can be dangerous if produced improperly.
So, we applaud the Canadian CDC for their bold admission of the truth.
The reviewer, Nadine Ijaz, MSc, demonstrated how inappropriate evidence has long been mistakenly used to affirm the "myth" that raw milk is a high-risk food, as it was in the 1930s. Today, green leafy vegetables are the most frequent cause of food-borne illness in the United States. British Columbia CDC's Medical Director of Environmental Health Services, Dr. Tom Kosatsky, who is also Scientific Director of Canada's National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health,welcomed Ms. Ijaz's invited presentation as "up-to-date" and "a very good example of knowledge synthesis and risk communication."
That says a lot! so today, instead of banning rw milk, the government should be banning leafy green vegetables! they are inherently dangerous due to modern farming practices.
Will the US government follow suite? probably not. Our own government is pushing GMO everything to the world and exporting chemical based farming methods, already proven to fail in the long run even today. America is leading the world in destruction of the most basic commodity, food. So, I would not expect to see anything positive from our government about raw milk for decades to come.
Now, that said.. in defense of our government.... raw milk WAS extremely dangerous in the 20's and 30's. This was due to sadly faulty farming practices, geared to raise profits at all costs. During those days, brought on by unscrupulous dairy farmers, the government was right in trying to protect the public. However, the mistake they made was blaming the milk for the farmer's mistakes. Milk was never inherently dangerous, any more than leafy green vegetables are dangerous. It is the farmers, agriculture focused on profits and conventional methods, that sicken people. Any food can be dangerous if produced improperly.
So, we applaud the Canadian CDC for their bold admission of the truth.
Heartbreak is part of farming
Today we say goodby to a friend, one of the first two milking goats of our herd. Rachael was overwhelmed by a severe case of mastitis that got out of hand too quickly to catch. Hunter was at her side when she took her last breath.
Life and death is such a constant on a farm. It is something you learn to deal with as best you can. Times like this are especially hard because milking animals are very different from other farm animals. Most others are destined for meat production, and so you tend to keep an emotional distance. Milkers, are different. it is more of a partnership between man and beast. every day, twice a day you bond with them. milking on a small scale is a relationship. each goat is special, has a personality, a "way".
There are so many good aspects to the life of farming, but there are also periods of heartbreak. This is one of those. Hunter, our oldest, worked with her diligently during treatment. Last night he spent time building her a special bed in her private stall, caring to all of her needs. At bedtime, both him and kaelyn included her in their prayers. This morning he was up checking on her, and refused to leave her side when we saw she had gotten even worse. He was with her at the end. As a parent it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking to walk the children through this side of life. We know in our thoughts that this is a part of life we all must face, but still it is difficult to introduce a child to death of one so close.
Life is fragile. It is a blessing, but it can end at any moment for any one of us. Each day we wake could be our last, or our loved one's last. It is a indisputable fact we all face daily. Recognizing this inevitable fact can either bring dread of the future, fear, darkness.... OR it can bring a special enjoyment for the moment, the appreciation for life itself and the joys we are experiencing now. It was said by someone that how we face death determines how we face life. This seems especially true when so close to both.
My prayer for you, as you read this and think of our 10 year old with red puffy eyes, tears flowing, is that you find a deeper appreciation for what you have in your life that is good, enjoy it, embrace it, and thrive. Our moments are limited, lets not waste any of them.
Life and death is such a constant on a farm. It is something you learn to deal with as best you can. Times like this are especially hard because milking animals are very different from other farm animals. Most others are destined for meat production, and so you tend to keep an emotional distance. Milkers, are different. it is more of a partnership between man and beast. every day, twice a day you bond with them. milking on a small scale is a relationship. each goat is special, has a personality, a "way".
There are so many good aspects to the life of farming, but there are also periods of heartbreak. This is one of those. Hunter, our oldest, worked with her diligently during treatment. Last night he spent time building her a special bed in her private stall, caring to all of her needs. At bedtime, both him and kaelyn included her in their prayers. This morning he was up checking on her, and refused to leave her side when we saw she had gotten even worse. He was with her at the end. As a parent it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking to walk the children through this side of life. We know in our thoughts that this is a part of life we all must face, but still it is difficult to introduce a child to death of one so close.
Life is fragile. It is a blessing, but it can end at any moment for any one of us. Each day we wake could be our last, or our loved one's last. It is a indisputable fact we all face daily. Recognizing this inevitable fact can either bring dread of the future, fear, darkness.... OR it can bring a special enjoyment for the moment, the appreciation for life itself and the joys we are experiencing now. It was said by someone that how we face death determines how we face life. This seems especially true when so close to both.
My prayer for you, as you read this and think of our 10 year old with red puffy eyes, tears flowing, is that you find a deeper appreciation for what you have in your life that is good, enjoy it, embrace it, and thrive. Our moments are limited, lets not waste any of them.
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