SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMER!

"Man must go back to nature for information" -Thomas Paine

I know it's been a very long time...... almost 2 months since my last post! I've been beyond busy.... Spring is almost over, and Summer is fast approaching. Have you planted you garden? My weeds seem to be growing faster than my veggies!


My wonderful neighbor had 3 of these full of FREE strawberry plants, and if you know me, you know, I LOVE FREE STUFF!

Adding to the flock...8 heritage Dominique chicks.....

4 Araucana chicks....2 turkeys

My chickens seem to think there eggs are as yummy as the customers I sell them to.....not good..... so I covered their nesting boxes to give them some "privacy" and to darken up the space so they can't see the eggs they lay.


So............Do you know where your meat comes from? I have asked you this before.... I know most, if not all of you do NOT know where it comes from, or how it is processed. I want to encourage you to change that!

This is one of the 4 cows we have that is fed on....well.... the grass you see it feeding on.

The 4 cows we have, have 9 acres to graze on! We have Happy, Happy cows!
( if you have a weak stomach do not continue)
"Home grown food" is something I am VERY passionate about (as most of you know) I WILL NOT eat " ghetto" food... Garbage in Garbage out! I want to remind you to SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ORGANIC FARMER this summer! This is the butchering process..........

30/30...Shot in the head, a fast, quick death..

Wendy...this head is for you!

Skin off!

getting down and dirty!

This is what lives inside the cow! I thought about doing a "guess" give away with this pic. but nothing can top the placenta!

922 lbs!

this cow cost us 200.00 to raise.

How much do you spend on meat at the local grocery store? Once you have "Naturally raised" beef it's very hard to eat the garbage they sell at the store.

The Meat birds!

Jason and I were "green horns" in raising meat birds, we started with 50 and had 12 die, sad, but very much part of the process!

Emma and Granger with the birds!

"Range free" - "Free range" -"Cage free"-"Naturally raised" WHATEVER you call them, our birds had all the pasture they wanted to graze on!

I sold 20 of the 38 birds, for 12.00 each.....

5 I sold to a customer.....



55 beautiful pounds of strawberries!

=46 containers of yummy freezer jam!

I WILL be picking more next week for canning!
I wish to inspire you to begin your "stocking up" for the tough months ahead. Work with your local farmer your family and friends to provide good food for you and the people you love. I sell beef, chicken, turkey and duck meat, also duck, turkey and chicken eggs. I will also be selling produce out of my garden. I support other farmers in my area that sell goods that I don't produce on my land, I also LOVE to trade and barter.. this is a lost art that I believe is being re- born out of the economic problems America is facing.

"Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat"-Ann Landers

So get to work....Farm Girls!

"He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner"-Benjamin Franklin
-Blessings-

CRACK KILLS!

It's official! Spring is here and it's beautiful! This post will be different, it wont be about "The Farm" or dirt, animals, worms yadda, yadda. Yes, I'm busy planting, taking care of chicks, waiting the arrival of ducklings and excited about the sun. But with this excitement comes frustration, because like most of you (maybe not) it's time to think about tank tops, shorts, skirts and bathing suits, a season I look forward to and also a season that makes me sorta cringe. As I write this I am eating my trusty organic apple and an avocado for breakfast, yummy right? In my quest to lose the last 10-15 lbs of baby weight( Eve is 18 months old now) I find myself frustrated with the progress. Am I always going to have 10 lbs to lose? I exercise more that any person I know (really) so it must be the food in take right? One of my life goals is to be totally"raw" by 45. That means only eating raw food! I know 45 is years away, however I try to stay close to raw most of the time, except for in the fall, I LOVE to eat in the fall! I know I'm one of those people who could survive on 1 nut and 2 berries, the people who just... "stop drinking soda and lose 20 lbs" or "start walking out to get the mail" and drop 10, really kind.... piss me off! My SISTER reminded me about my last Dr. visit and how the Doc. was REALLY HAPPY with my over all health. :) I'm thankful for that because health has always been my #1 goal .....or has it? My sis also reminded me that we are French and the French are very vein... so am I really just striving toward outward perfection which I could NEVER reach. My stretch marks alone, if connected in a straight line could circle the entire earth! I know tons about food and nutrition, people call me when they want to lose a few. So in my frustration I am writing about it on my blog and many Folks are going to read it (thanks trusty 7)

The hubs just asked me last night why I red "SELF" mag. I had to stop and think about it... Well...... I've been reading self on and off for 16 yrs. I know more than they do sometimes, I'm not trying to boast (french) but when they have articles that say... "New study says if you eat more fruit and vegis your chances of developing cancer drop 60%"..... really? So why do I read it? To look at the 20 year old models with NO fat, NO stretch marks and perfect arms? Never mind the fact they eat napkins, diet coke and smoke like a chimney. The other day I thought to myself, " if I smoke American spirit cigs, they are "natural" and maybe that would help with the last 10" then I smacked myself with a banana peal (really) and did some yoga, and no I didn't feel more "centered". So.... the "food journal" is becoming my new BFF. I will write down everything I put in my mouth along with the exercises I do everyday, if this doesn't work I'm going on the "CRACK DIET"..... But what about the picking you do to your skin? Yuck! Your hair falls out, I have good hair,(french) not sure I want it to fall out just to be skinny, you also start to talk to yourself and bat make believe bugs out of the air, and your mouth does really weired things and your eyes get all buggy, I'm sure it would FREAK my kids out. CRACK BAD! FRUIT GOOD!

P.S. NO I don't have a thyroid problem!....but I might have an attitude problem!;)

don't give me your advice on this subject! (french) I just wanted to vent!

blessings

SPRING!

Spring is in the air, and I'm sooo excited about it! Trees have buds, bulbs are popping up EVERYWHERE. I have been picking flowers from the yard to bring into the house and the birds are busy building there nests and chatting about it. I LOVE waking up to the birds singing a morning song!

We have been busy! We went to my parent house for spring break and had a wonderful time! On our way home we drove though the gorge and saw SO many windmills, it was AMAZING!

Okay folks, now lets get down to business.......Spring planting.....what have you done? How are you improving your soil? This is a picture of the "organic matter" I added to my onion patch. I put in some extra egg shells and coffee grinds for nitrogen, which feeds the plant. I LOVE getting my hands dirty!

When I was done.....I had wonderful rich soil, you can't see in the picture but their are tons of worms in this soil.

I have started my tomato's, broccoli and basil. This weekend I will get my peas and carrots in the ground. I ordered my seeds online from www.grannysheirloomseeds.com they have GREAT deals and online help and tips, check them out!

Some women get excited about new clothes, jewelry, a new car, yadda, yadda. These things are very nice, however, when I saw what my hubs made for me this last weekend, my heart skipped. I was so excited! This is the beginning of our NEW chicken tractor for the "free range" chickens we are adding to our farm. We will be butchering them in 9 weeks, we ordered 50 of them from the Jefferson feed store and they will be here on Friday. I have already sold 18 of them! I'm excited and nervous about this, as you know butchering is NOT fun, however it is our goal to have food freedom and to help others do the same. This is a heavy burden, and reading more about the way animals are treated in commercial poultry factory's, the living conditions and the digestive failure's people are experiencing from eating tainted meat, I know folks are looking for a healthy alternative.

The best thing about this is that it was all free! The old canopy was left here from the previous owner and the wheels came from some old wheel borrows the hubs found in a dumpster. The kiddos and I are going to paint it with rainbows and flowers. This will be the chickens "happy place" before they.......well.......die.

We have to make one more so that they have plenty of room.

Speaking of chickens.. Have you gotten yours?

I have a new friend, she is totally crazy, (like myself) but very smart in her quest for a healthy life. Check her out at theelliotfamily@blogspot.com. She has been making chicken stock with her mail order chicken heads! YES! Mail order chicken heads... hey Nina I'll have 50 chicken heads in June.... I can make you a great deal, like buy 1 get 49 free!

This is our Turkey flock, they are heritage turkeys, Bourbon red and Silver slate. This picture is for the sis... I wanted her to see her thanksgiving dinner!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ORGANIC FARMER!

Grab your puke bowl sis...this one's for you!

HI! My name is Eve. I have been re-uniting with my "old friend"...... PLACENTA! This kept me healthy and strong for 40 weeks when I lived in my Mommy's belly and now my FREAK MOM is making me hold this nasty, cold thing. My Daddy said my Mommy has "crossed over" and is worried that she might be scaring away the 4 people that read her blog! I think he might be right;)

I was going to plant it in the yard with an apple tree, but I forgot I had it! Congratulations WENDY! You are the winner! My sister thinks an "old cow head" is the prize (now who's the freak) It's NOT a cow head......that's gross!

My hubs says I can no longer come through our front door! Hey at least I didn't eat it! I'm off to grammy's for the week with the kiddo's, I will send out your TOTALLY AWESOME prize when I get back...I'm glad Wendy won...she's just as freaky as me:)
P.S. the white noodle thing is the umbilical cord.....now that's gross!

Inconvenient, convenient sizzle?

I watched "An Inconvenient Truth" this weekend and it got me thinking....... poor Al Gore needs to get over his loss to Bush!( i know the movie was made in 2005) It also made me think of EARTH! I LOVE EARTH! I love the artful hand of the CREATOR when making flowers, animals, water, trees, the sky and sun and how it all works in perfect harmony allowing humans to live and thrive on a big ball floating in space! That's a BIG deal! I do believe in "global warming" NOT because Al Gore says so, an not to the degree that Al says either...however I do think that humans have been poor stewards of Earth....and why, if you are a lover of the earth are you put into some "hippie liberal" box? I love earth because it's a gift from our CREATOR, a place of beauty and life! So with that said I'm letting you in on a big secret.....my cleaning products...they are earth friendly and VERY cheap. I use baking soda for the tub, toilet and sink, then I pour vinegar over it and..... along comes the SIZZLE..... and then I scrub..Yes the vinegar stinks but if Eve comes in the bathroom while I'm cleaning I don't have to worry about her touching anything or smelling the fumes! I also use vinegar for windows and mirrors and all my counter tops!

I use Hydrogen peroxide instead of OxyClean because it's cheaper and the EXACT same thing!

This is what I use when I make laundry soap...I also put in 20 drops of lavender Essential oil.

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax
1 bar fels naphtha

20 drops oil of your choice

All can be found at WinCo

Grate the fels naphtha in a large saucepan with 6 cups of water over med. heat, heat until soap melts. Add washing soda and borax, stir until it dissolves. Let sand for 5 min. over heat stirring occasionally. Remove from heat let stand for 5 min. Put half the mixture in a 1 gal. jug and the other half in another gal. jug (old vinegar jugs work great) fill half way with warm water and shake..fill the rest of the way with warm water and shake. Let sit for 24 hrs. It will gel up! Use 3/4 cup per-load. I think if you use these products you will be very happy with their cleaning ability and...you are making your home healthy and the planet happy!

I'm sure your wondering what this picture is! I'm doing a "give away" and if you guess right, you will win something fab...
Good luck!

Few hints

-not meat-

-you dont eat it...well some do-

-it's organic-

Yes...it's the same picture!
You have until friday!

INSPIRATION!

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there"-Will Rogers


What is your inspiration? Spring is in the air...and I am inspired! I'm busy planning my garden and with the world in the state that it's in I want you planning to get dirt under you nails this spring. Growing your own food can save BIG money and it's very easy. If your renting......container gardens are perfect. If you don't like to get dirty.....please remember to support your LOCAL farmer, search out farmers that also sell meat and milk, Craig's list is a wonderful way to find farmers! I see the cow everyday that I get my milk from, I checked out the barn before buying this milk from my neighbor to make sure that she was practicing "clean" and "natural" farming, this woman has turned out to be one of my biggest mentors on organic gardening and farming! I have been trading eggs for buffalo and elk meat and 10lb bags of dry beans! Yesterday I traded 2 doz. eggs for a 7lb. beef roast (home grown). We raise our own beef already but this lady needed eggs and I've got lots of mouths to feed so yippi for beef!! You have a chance this spring to plant a garden that can feed you family for a year! Canning and freezing all your extra harvest or you can go to u-pick farms. I still enjoy making zucchini/blueberry bread and apple butter in my oats is a real treat! I've made fresh pasta sauce all winter long with the neighbors tomatoes that were going to waist. Things are tough for many folks and I give THANKS to the Creator for his provision over my family. My goal is to harvest 3 times as much as I did last year and possibly start a farmers market in my small town. This summer I wont be doing any "vendor sales" with my "rust and crust" that season has passed..... I want to do something BIGGER!

My chickens have also been busy in the garden doing ALL the prep work for me. They eat bugs, fertilize and till the soil as they scratch around. This year I'm doing a movable "salad table" like the one in MaryJanes Farm mag...we eat lots of salad and having a movable table will increase my harvest and then it leaves room in the garden for other vegis. This is a great thing to do if you rent, you can move it with you everywhere you go!

Doesn't that soil look fab!


Chicks are in the feed stores right now! GO GET SOME! Fresh eggs are so yummy and a great bartering tool, even if you live in town you can have a few chickens! I am adding 8-10 chickens to my flock this spring and we are also doing 25 meat birds and yes.... we will be butchering them ourselves.

I want you to be inspired! Inspired to do what the Creator intended you to do..that's different for everyone...... Listen to that small voice in your head and obey! We were created to live in THIS time, a time when thing are hard and I believe they are going to get harder. MOVE on your ideas... they are put in your mind for a reason....GOD put them there! He has chosen you for GREATNESS, however you have to ACT on that GREATNESS! Lastly...maybe? My sis is going to have a class with my Dear old auntie Trish..oh wait she is younger that me....anyway, the class is about shopping at Winco, making yummy food, meal planning, saving money and I am trying to talk her into doing a "how to"on making your own cleaning products. TAKE THE CLASS! I'm SURE you will find inspiration there! God bless-

IGNORE!

"Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path,
and leave a trail for others to follow." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Okay, I'm going to preface this with letting you know that I'm on a cleanse and if you've ever cleansed before you know that you have some CRAZY moments, I have CRAZY moments when I'm not cleansing so my cleansing CRAZY moments can be pretty CRAZY! This might be a cleansing CRAZY moment!

A few weeks ago I went to visit my sister and on that visit she turned me on to "facebook" just like she did with "blogging". I was sorta scared and excited all at the same time. I thought it would be a GREAT thing to re-connect with old friends that I had lost contact with, and I have! I found old friends from Maui (yippi) and friends from High school that I really did miss, and facebook has been a great way for my mom to check up on me! (thank you Zach) However........ what about the randoms? I don't care how many friends it shows I have.....I have people asking to be my friend that never were my friends before, that never even talked to me before, yes we may have gone to the same school or know the same people but who fricken cares... So who do I call when this happens to me the first time? My SISTER! She tells me, "Well you kinda have to accept," so I accept the first random...fine whatever maybe there is this unwritten code on facebook that I don't understand. However.... if you know me even for a minute you know that I an a non-conformist. I cant do something I don't believe in to the core of my person, even with facebook... some call it crazy I choose to call it passion, I justify this behavior by telling myself that Christ is a non-conformist....this works for me! I have chosen to hit IGNORE! Instead of saying "You have a friend request" it should say," You have a random request". I'm starting a facebook revolution!