I have noticed this really interesting phenomenon that happens when people come out to the farm to pick up orders. They get out of their cars, stretch their legs (since most of them having driven a little distance to get here), take a deep breath as they take in the quiet, fresh scenery, and ask, “Where are the chickens/cows/pigs?”
And I look around with them, and if it’s not… ... Continue reading
Someone is trying to trick you.
They have started using this marketing word, and it’s working. What’s the word?
“Local” is the new “healthy.”
But my, oh, my, how the falsehoods abound.
(Quick disclaimer: I don’t think “local” is the only criteria for good food. I think rearing practices trump nearness of raising critters or veggies. Every crop-duster and chicken CAFO is local to somewhere. But… ... Continue reading | 3 Comments
Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from one of our institutional vendors, verifying our practice standards so they can make sure they’re marketing their product correctly. As I was chatting with him, I realized something.
You see, a lot of farmers get defensive when people start poking around, asking about their practices. As the gentleman asked me very industry-specific questions, I realized why that is. He was probing, judging… ... Continue reading | 1 Comment
You’re going to laugh. We ran out of little chickens! Other than a couple remaining 3-pounder birds, all we have is our December stock of whole birds, ranging from Really Big (4.5 lb) to Huge (5+ lb)–at least that’s what I’ve been able to find in the boxes so far. The good news is, though, that they are juicy as well as plump, and… ... Continue reading
I cannot tell a lye… (I know, very punny, right? I couldn’t resist!)
I want to talk to you about lye soap. A lot of people hear farmers like me talking about our good old-fashioned lye soap, and their minds instantly picture a harsh, abrasive, chemical concoction used for tanning leather, stripping paint, and cleaning dirty words out of teenagers’ mouths.
Then those… ... Continue reading | 2 Comments
I have some exciting news for those of you straight north–we’re going to try out a Texarkana delivery service again!
We’re going make the Texarkana round every third Thursday of the month at 10:30 a.m. The meeting point will be at a customer’s curb at 15 Irongate Drive, in the Copper Ridge development.
Matt and I had a health crisis circa 2005-2006 that forced us to analyze everything we were doing so we could find answers to why his intestines were trying to kill him. And they were. Standing 6-foot-5-inches tall, and weighing less than 120 pounds, doctors said there was nothing left to do but to surgically remove his entire large intestine. They said food didn’t matter, that this disease… ... Continue reading
Meal planning… The bane of many a mother’s existence. We ask ourselves, “Do they really need to eat AGAIN today?”
Let me just start by saying that I do not have this all figured out. I mentioned early on in this email series that Matt chuckles when I tell him my latest meal planning strategy because chances are, I will scrap it after a… ... Continue reading
Hopefully you got to read a bit about our upcoming Cook-at-Home Challenge introduced in our last newsletter. I know there are so many of our readers that have said, “I want to eat more healthily, I just don’t feel that I have the time to devote to cooking, and even if I… ... Continue reading
It’s been a CRAZY month so far! Matt took a brief trip to the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association meeting for larger scale producers (apparently we qualify! 😉 ). It was a great time of gaining insight on our production practices and thinking about our future in raising the best chicken (and eggs and turkey and pork and beef…) in the… ... Continue reading
