Two Does!

   I am pleased to report that The Man shot two lovely does last night!! There will be venison in the freezer, folks! I know a lot of people (my husband and I do not exclude ourselves entirely from this) like to get those huge bucks since they make awesome trophies on the wall, but when it comes to dinner... You really can't beat those does. 

 How's everyone else faring this deer season?

Gone Paleo; Not Sure Of Return.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned the "paleo diet" in one of my blog posts, saying I wouldn't mind trying it. Well, I took the plunge and decided to go ahead and see how I liked it.

Verdict, as of two weeks later? I. LOVE. IT.

Now, first off I'll state here that I can't be a purist at this time, since I do still live with my family and they're not for this type of diet; so I've once or twice had to break rules when dinner was pasta, or something along that line. BUT, other than that, I've completely taken out all processed foods, sugar, caffeine, grains, and legumes; and meanwhile I've doubled my meat/protein intake. Some folks say that the true paleo diet should exclude dairy, and I think I agree with that idea if you don't have access to RAW milk. But if you've got raw milk handy, then I think a body should definitely have dairy and have a lot of it. :)

Biggest difference I've noticed since changing things up? Energy levels. I feel like the Energizer Bunny these days. Hehe. Gyp and I are doing an easy four miles a day now, on top of my barn chores and afternoon workouts, and I'm thinking about bumping it up to five miles a day. I feel awesome and that's something I haven't felt like in a long, long time. For years I've always been short on energy. I'd get tired quickly, despite the fact that I wasn't working that hard, wasn't running even a half mile a day, and was sleeping from 10:30pm to 8am. Nowadays I'm often awake by 5:30am and I'm going, going, going all day long. 

Next biggest thing I've noticed is headaches. Or rather the lack of them. Headaches have been the bane of my existence and pretty much a daily thing. Not enough sleep? Headache. Not enough protein? Headache. Tried going for a run or tried working out for fifteen minutes? Killer headache. Couple hours in town? Headache. You getting the idea here? After years of the daily headaches, I got to the point where I automatically knew how many ibuprofen pills it would take to knock the pain out. If I felt a niggling one starting and I didn't want to deal with it, then I popped two pills. If I failed to catch it in time and I had a rousing good one, then I took three. A headache bad enough to make me feel sick called for four tablets. Four tablets is the same amount I would take to numb the pain of broken bones back when I was in a horse accident. It's a strong, strong dose. 

I wondered how much ibuprofen I was going to have to take when I switched my diet and started running and working out like a madwoman. I dreaded what I figured I had coming to me, but did it anyway for the sake of my pup who needed (and still needs) to run every day. 

And interesting thing happened though... The headache never came.

I'm on day 15 now and haven't had ONE SINGLE HEADACHE. Whoohoo!!! Increasing my protein intake probably had a big impact on that matter, but I think the main key was getting rid of all those "extras" like grain, legumes, sugar, tea, and refined foods. Granted, it's been hard to say 'no' to my beloved black currant tea, and to have yogurt or scrambled eggs for breakfast instead of Kellog's Honeycombs cereal. I've been surprised to find that I don't miss bread at all though... Haven't missed carbs in the least. 

I do think there's balance to any diet though. In this household, we go by the rule of "everything in moderation". So I may still allow a little bit of legumes or grain in my diet every now and again; knowing that those things DO still have good stuff in them. But it'll be very sparingly, nevertheless. 

I'm certainly not saying that the paleo diet is for everyone; we're all unique and what works for one person sure won't work for another. 

But I do know one thing: It's working for me and I'm loving it. Goodbye ibuprofen; I don't think I'll miss you.

Feelin' Rich

See that stuff in the skillet? It's bacon.

But not just any bacon. It's bacon from MY hogs. I had a celebratory dinner tonight. :)

I had always heard that homegrown pork beats store bought pork hands down where taste is concerned, but I still wondered just how true that was... How different can pork taste? 

Gracious me, I have just seen the light. I had always loved bacon, but tonight was my first time to ever try homegrown bacon. My fondness for this meat cut has just skyrocketed. It. Was. Incredible. Don't ask how much I ended up eating. Hehe. One thing is for sure though: This farm girl will never not raise hogs. 

When my bacon was done cooking, I went and sat outside on the back deck; eating bacon from my own hogs, while my English Shepherd sat at my feet, and I watched my new milk cow silently meander through the pasture.

I'm feelin' rich tonight.

P.S.

Forgot to mention this earlier, but there is enough backfat from my hogs for me to make some homemade lardo!!! I'm ridiculously excited and my family is completely grossed out by the whole idea. *grin*

I think I'll start my batch sometime this week. :) It takes a month or two to cure, so I better get cracking!

When A Farm Girl's Bored

It's pretty rare that I find myself "bored". It just doesn't happen! But today there was no way around that fact... I was bored. I'd read all my books twice over, it was pouring down rain outside, there weren't any barn chores to do, and I was suffering slightly from cabin fever. 

So I set out to remedy my problem.

I made pie.

It had been awhile since I'd done any pie making, so I pulled out some frozen cherries, and grabbed my MP3. My goal was to stay busy in the kitchen for as long as possible. 

I have to say that I accomplished that goal pretty well. Hehe.

I flipped my MP3 over to my favorite playlist and turned the volume up, up, up. Sometimes a body just needs to drown out everything else for awhile. ;) I listened to the bounciest music I had and lip synced along with the lyrics. 

My plan at first was to simply make the usual lattice-top cherry pie... Then I went to Pinterest. And of course you know what that means. Suddenly, the idea of one pie turns into lots of pies!! LOL. The cherry pie idea got switched into one dozen mini pies, so that I could play with the tops, and have cool serving size desserts for everyone. That worked out tolerably well... Frozen cherries always bleed horrendously, so my little creations kind of overflowed their bounds. But one can forgive a bit of exuberance on the pie's side when there are cherries involved, right?

I was honestly going to stop there. But then I saw the neatest idea on *ahem* Pinterest. Wait for it...

Cinnamon roll pie crust.

*waits for gasp from audience*

Oh come on, you have to admit that the idea of a cinnamon roll pie crust sounds absolutely amazing! So right there and then I decided I would also whip up a pumpkin pie just so I could try this crust out. :) 

So far the pumpkin pie looks good... It just came out of the oven a little while ago, and then I'll cut into it tonight. The cherry pies taste as good as ever. *innocent look*

It's probably a good thing that I don't get bored very often. Otherwise we would run out of baking supplies fast. But every now and again it could be a good thing. After all, what's not to love about pies inspired by One Direction and Secrets in Stereo?? Hehe.

All photo credit goes to my sister @ Emily Nicolle Photography. I was too tired from pie baking to take any pictures today. 

I Made Pie With Them

What Is "Local" To You?

Local food. It's all the rage these days and is becoming a key word in many circles. Grocery stores have begun tapping into this and posting how many miles their food is from the original source.

But what does the word "local" mean to you?

This question came to me as I spied today's newspaper and the Roth's ad had cantaloupe for sale that traveled 235 miles to get to the store. Is that local enough for you? What determines the line in the sand for you? For me, I think anything within 100 miles or less is local enough, but I'm still forming that opinion.

I think the word "local" is also getting just as warped as the word "organic". That big 'O' word means a lot to many people, but nowadays it's mostly just corrupted nothingness. The Big Ag and the government have twisted it and wrung it so much that it has all the meaning of an empty candy bag for the most part. Mind you, there are still *some* places that are still honest, and I whole-heartedly support small farmers who use organic practices (I try my best, myself), but am I the only one who sees the irony when you walk into an organic grocery store and see "organic" sodas and the organic equivalent of a Twinkie? Folks, we're mixing "organic" with "healthy" here. Oh, it's organic, therefore this soda MUST be healthy for me! Gone is the guilt as I glug this beverage that has organic high fructose corn syrup! Yippee!

Okay whatever... I have totally strayed from my topic.

Local food... Now think for a minute: When you saw that little picture next to the cantaloupe that says, "BUY LOCAL!" and "235 MILES FRESH!" did it give you a moment's (or more) feeling that this was a healthier choice than cantaloupe that came from a farther distance? Did it? C'mon, you have to be honest here. I'l 'fess, and say that yes, my first reaction was 'Oh, this is the healthier option, then!" And then the second thought was, "Or is it?" Just because they're telling the distance, doesn't mean that there's integrity behind the product.

What got that thought process going though, was seeing the "fresh, natural" chicken two ads to the right, saying that it was even better since it's only 43 miles from its original starting point. Shucks, I've probably seen that factory farm where that chicken came from, and let me tell you, if it's anything like all the other poultry houses in this country, then distance ain't gonna' redeem it. But the chicken ad really made me think... Grocery stores are tapping into the whole "local" thing and it's hurting the small farmers. It's still the same, poor quality food (if I may be so bold as to call it "food") sitting on those metal shelves, but suddenly it's given the image that it's this grand and healthy thing since it's local! Ouch! Meanwhile, the small farmers are using the term correctly but few people want their wares since they believe they can get the same quality and "localness" for much cheaper at the store. When I think of the term "local" the thought of integrity, honesty, and a human face comes to mind. When I hear of "local" food, my mind wants to KNOW the farmer behind the food. To know their practices, their farm, their land. To know that they stand behind their food 100% and are proud of it. Their food is local in the purest form. It is local, it is clean, it is healthy, it is FOOD. Know your farmer, know that he's near and local.

So, what does Local mean to YOU?

A Sneaking Suspicion

I have a sneaking suspicion about myself that I am not at all pleased about:

I think I am allergic to cow milk. Yes, even the raw stuff.

Last summer I traded some goat milk for some cow milk from a lady near me. I had a hankering for some raw Jersey milk so I was delighted to do this barter. The following days that I drank her milk were awful. My stomach hurt, I was crampy, and I just didn't feel good. Not having seen this lady's place, her cows, or her milking setup, I assumed this must just be a bad jar of milk and my body was reacting to the bad bacteria. I dumped the milk and promptly forgot about the matter.

On Thursday morning, last week, I realized that I had a serious glut of cow milk in the fridge and something had to be done about that! So that afternoon we made ice cream, yogurt, butter, cheese, and I started drinking lots of milk. I didn't touch my goat milk at all. On Friday morning (yes, the same morning of bedlam in the barn) I found that I didn't want to eat ANYTHING. I felt famished; ravenous. But the very thought of food made me nauseous. I didn't eat anything on Friday, save for a couple of forced bites at dinner which only made me feel worse. Saturday was the same. So was Sunday. Meanwhile, I was drinking all the raw cow milk I could (and just as a side note: the rest of my family has been drinking the milk too and they are 100% fine; so it's not a milk problem. It a "Me" problem). By Sunday night I felt so bad I wanted to cry. My body was starving for food; it needed nutrients but I couldn't bring myself to eat anything. I lost 10 lbs. in 3 days.

Monday morning was rushed and crazy since I was going to the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Assoc. training day with a friend (blog post about that soon), so for my breakfast I tried to have a banana and a glass of cow milk. I couldn't do it. I took two nibbles of that piece of fruit and couldn't do anymore. I couldn't even drink the milk, I felt so terrible. The rest of the day was pretty much the same as I tried to eat lunch and dinner but just couldn't. After four days of not eating, my body was beginning to shut down. 

The wheels in my head started turning on Monday night: Since I was gone all day, I hadn't had any milk... I felt hollow and light headed from my fast, but my stomach didn't hurt anymore. The idea that maybe it was the milk that was affecting me came into my head, but I brushed it aside. I LOVE the taste of Mattie's milk, and the last thing I want to be is allergic to it! The first thing I did this morning was to pour myself some cow milk... I drank half a glass and felt sick to my stomach. It was like someone pushed a button: drink the milk, on comes the pain. I skipped breakfast completely today, but knew I had to somehow get food in myself. 

Then I had a thought: What would happen if I had some goat milk? I poured another glass but this time with Metty and Sombrita's milk, and tentatively drank it. In twenty minutes I felt like a completely different person. The pain was gone, I was once again ravenous for food but this time the thought of food actually felt GOOD. I ate a big lunch with gusto and focus and I'm starting to feel like my old, perky self. 

While I was delighted that the goat milk helped so much, it saddens me to no end at the thought that I may not be able to have cow milk anymore. :( That just seems like a cruel irony; I have two cows and now that I've learned that I love these bovines I find that I can't drink their milk??? Good grief! It surprises me too, since Mattie is A2/A2, and supposedly even people who are sensitive to cow's milk can have A2/A2 milk since it's so similar to goat's milk.

We'll see though... I'm going to take a break from the cow milk and then slowly introduce it back into my diet. I ain't gonna' give it up without a fight.

To Market, To Market...

I dearly love going to farmer's markets, but above all I love going to the McMinnville Saturday Market. This is a year-'round event, and is hosted no matter the weather. It's also said the be the most beautiful market in the State, and I must agree. The market manager put down a rule that vendors may not bring plastic tables (unless they're covered), camping chairs, plastic coolers, vinyl banners... Instead they encourage re-using old materials and creativity. No one seems to mind this quirky rule, and the result is a breathtaking building. Live music is always being played, and there are smiling faces at every turn. Oh I love this market...

 Instead of trying to use hundreds of words to describe the place, I shall instead give you pictures. :) These are from both me (shocking, I know) and my sister.

So without further ado, I give you the Saturday Market...

Food Forward

It's That Time Again

Time to get ready for chickens.

Or, more appropriately, broilers.

What started out as a simple, "Oh let's scale back and just raise 50 birds this year." Turned into, "We're thinking 100-200 chickens and some turkeys!"

Oh good gracious, we're nuts.

But we're doing it! Come to think of it, I'm not sure where this "we" is coming from... Seeing as I'm the one who takes care of the birds, keeps contact with customers (er, patrons), gets the details of butchering figured out, and makes sure that the whole thing doesn't suddenly collapse mid-way through the adventure.

But to keep in the spirit of "we", I shall now claim that I'm referring to "Me, Myself, and I". We make a pretty good trio. ;)

I'm looking forward to getting the little fluff balls, and seeing how many new customers we will get! I always love meeting new people who are of like mind! And as mentioned, yes, we are shooting for 100-200 chickens, and some turkeys. I don't know how many turkeys yet, but so far we have 5 reservations put down. I'll be implementing a lot of Joel Salatin's methods this year, but will also be implementing some of my own...

Buying feed is usually the biggest headache, but I am so grateful that we seem to have settled nicely with a feed mill that's a couple hours south from us. Their prices are a lifesaver, and are allowing us to competitively price our organic chickens at $2.80 per lb. And the feed itself is organic, locally grown, no soy, no corn, and no GMO's. Our birds grew great on this feed last year, so we will use it again this year!

And frankly, I'm excited to try the turkeys out. A lot of folks tell me just how horrible their turkeys were, but then other folks say how they just loved their turkey's sweet temperaments. So I guess we'll find out which side of the fence I'm on. Hehe. I've never raised turkeys before, but have always wanted to, so I made an executive decision that we (see, there's that "we" again) are going to offer Thanksgiving birds this year! I briefly thought about raising a heritage breed, but to be honest, I'm very wary of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for conserving rare breeds! But you have to remember that I used to work at a slaughter house, and we had SO many dark feathered, and heritage turkeys come through that I soon disdained the very sight of them. Those birds are so hard to pluck that it's not even funny. I spent hours with a small, metal picker, trying to get every last little black feather off of those birds, and then for all that trouble, the heritage breeds only weighed out to 6-10 lbs. If I have to work that hard, can it please be something like a 40 pounder? Sheesh. So I'm being naughty, and raising the Broad Breasted Whites. Big, white, gorgeously easy to dress, tasty birds. Maybe someday I'll raise some heritage breeds, but not this year... Not this year. 

Is anyone else raising chickens and/or turkeys for meat this year?

Oh, and if you're in our neck of the woods (Willamette Valley, OR) and you're interested in some down-right good food, you can see our Craigslist ad for our chickens and turkeys by clicking HERE.

Hungry For Change

Heads up guys! The documentary 'Hungry for Change' is now view-able for free until March 31st! I'm just about to go watch it, and from the looks of the trailer, it should be a good way to spend my freezing, snowy, spring day! (what is up with that anyway? Snow in March, in Oregon???)

To watch the film, go to the Hungry For Change website. (click highlighted words to go directly there)

P.S. I don't receive any benefits by spreading this word. Nothing, zilch, nadda. I'm doing this on my own accord, because I think this is an important film that folks should watch.

Go for it.

Pink Slime Burgers

I've been following the gross, yet unsurprising story of what folks are calling "pink slime". Your burger just might not really be burger. Below is a list that tells which stores carry pink slime beef, and which ones don't. Enlightening to say the least.

You’ve heard about the “pink slime,” right? It’s that meat filler made from slaughterhouse scraps that is treated with ammonia. (Yum!) Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to buy 7 million pounds of it. A federal microbiologist nicknamed the filler “pink slime.”

The Daily, the iPad newspaper from News Corp., has figured out which stores sell ground meat that contains pink slime.

According to The Daily, these are among the stores that say they do not sell meat with pink slime:

• A&P
• Whole Foods
• Costco
• Publix
• H-E-B
• Waldbaum’s
• Price Chopper

These are among the stores that do not sell pink slime in store-ground meat, but sell pre-packaged ground beef from suppliers that may contain pink slime:

• Jewel-Osco
• Kroger
• Food Lion
• Winco
• Fred Meyer

These are among the stores that sell store-ground meat with pink slime, according to The Daily:

• Target
• BJ’s
• Hy-Vee
• Safeway
• Walmart
• Albertsons
• Stop & Shop
• Zaycon Foods

School districts nationwide will be able to opt out of serving “pink slime,” after the USDA announcedMarch 15 that beginning next fall, schools involved in the national school lunch program will have the option of avoiding the product.

FRESH The Movie

The Movie Food Inc. has been called the "wake up call" to what's going on in our food system. If that's so, then FRESH the movie is our call to action. For one week, from 1-26-12 to 2-1-12, you can watch FRESH for free on their website at: http://www.freshthemovie.com/watch-fresh-streaming-1-week-only/. I just finished watching this awesome movie and I love it! Very informative, very clear, and very inspiring. And of course, Joel Salatin plays a big part in it. LOL. ;) You should watch it too.

P.S. I am not being paid, nor do I receive any benefits from this post. I am putting this news out on my own accord, simply because I feel that this is a film that everyone should watch. 

January Movie Review

Food, Inc.


A Robert Kenner film


Rating: 10
Watchability (bear with me on the term): 10
Impact: 10
Recommend It? Yes!
Watch it again: Yes!

What to expect: Food, Inc. lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing how our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers, and our own environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising and often shocking truths about what we eat, how it's produced, and who we have become as a nation. ~ Excerpt from back cover of movie case

 My Thoughts on it: Watching Food, Inc. was a big happening for me. For about a year and a half now, I've listened to folks endlessly telling me that I HAD to watch this movie. People were saying things like, "You'll never want to eat food again!" "I almost threw up watching it!" and "You'll want to go off-grid after watching this, and grow every bit of your own food." Amid all these comments on the film, I kept on wondering in the back of my mind how it could possibly be more graphic than things I had already seen, concerning the food industry. And I've seen some pretty graphic stuff.
So upon being told that I needed to watch this, my mind was expecting a horror movie. Something so graphic and grotesque that it would send me reeling. And that, in short, is one reason why I hadn't watched it until now.

I actually watched this on Christmas Eve... Probably not the best day to do it, but we weren't celebrating Christmas Eve until the 25th this year, and I had the movie already! So I popped it in the laptop and watched it...

If I had to sum the entire movie up in one word, I would call it: Excellent.

 It was an excellent, spectacular film, and nothing what I expected. This wasn't a horror story, it was an informational documentary. I had no desire to throw up at any time while watching it, nor did I run to the kitchen when it ended, and start madly throwing all industrial foods out the window. Watching Food, Inc. was basically a recap for me. In it were things I already knew, had already seen, and was rather desensitized to. I could see though, how it could be a jolting film if you are unaccustomed to how our food system works behind the scenes. 

 I think Food, Inc. did an exceptionally good job at showing both sides of the coin as well. Another thing I had expected was it to be the whole, "Buy organic, locally grown foods, and if you don't then you're a terrible person" sort of spiel. I am 100% for organically grown, local foods, but I'm not so naive as to think that such a thing is possible for everyone at this time. But back to the movie... I liked it how they showed interviews with people who were for CAFO's (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), as well as those who were against it. Those who were for fast food restaurants, and those who are against it. The film was well balanced, and leaves the watcher to really make the end decision about things. 

 Thinking back, if there was one part of the movie that really stuck out to me, it was the part about illegal immigrants who are working in the industrial food factories. I had always known what it was like for them, and what they went through, but to actually see it was a different ball game. That hit home. 

 I definitely recommend watching this movie. This is not a horror story intended to make you feel guilty about your eating choices. It's an educational, extremely informative, accurate documentary that was filmed so that you might better understand how our nation works, how our food industry works, and how everything is ultimately intertwined by what we eat.

You can find out more about Food, Inc. by clicking HERE
. 

Farm-to-Fork Dinner Fiasco

Not even ten minutes ago, an e-mail from the FTCLDF (Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund), that relayed a story that really got my goat for the morning... A CSA farm in Nevada was hosting a "Farm-to-Fork" meal for friends, and town locals, but right before the guests sat down to eat, who should arrive but a FDA inspector. The inspector took one look at the food they were serving (organically grown, local veggies, grass-fed meats from neighbors, etc.) and told the farm owners that they could not serve that food, that it needed to be thrown away immediately and have bleach poured over them. They weren't even allowed the option of feeding the food to their pigs, instead of throwing it away. You can read the entire story HERE. And I attached a video of some footage as well...

Off I Go...

In just a few minutes, I'll be on my way with some friends to go to the Saturday farmer's market, and then we'll go over to their house to see their Havana rabbits (which I am NOT buying today. They're only 3 weeks old), have lunch with them, and then scoot on back home. To some, this may sound like a really boring day, and maybe it is. But then, I'm a bit of a boring person, and I enjoy days like this. I've been to the Thursday farmer's market before, but this will be my first visit to the Saturday market (which will be held all year around! Whoohoo!).

 Why I decided to write this, I don't know.... But hey, at least now you know what I'll be up to today! ;)

 Toodle pip and cheerio!

Food Matters

As I was milking this morning, I got to thinking about just how important food is. A lot of people tell me that it's not, and that food doesn't matter. My answer to this is:

"If you don't think food is important, don't eat a single thing for a week, and then come back and tell me that food is not important." 

That usually does the trick. ;) As I've been mulling over what I wanted to say in this post, and finding out that I much too brain-dead today to say anything brilliant, I happened to stumble onto a new DVD that looks quite intriguing. The title?

'Food Matters' 

I have always believed that you are what you eat. It just makes sense! Look around at our society and you will see a nation of failing health. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. I'm sorry if I just burst your bubble today, or if I offended you. Then again, maybe I'm not.... Maybe we need some toe-stepping-on these days to wake us up to the fact that things aren't right. Why should we expect store bought cow milk to keep us healthy, when it's been pasteurized, and thus turned into a dead liquid. Folks, that stuff doesn't even supply your body with calcium. Your body rejects it all. Or why should we expect that our store bought beef will give us nutrients when the cattle have been fed chicken manure, GMO grains, and candy wrappers, and then pumped with a hormone to make it tender (because in reality, it ain't tender on its own). Oh yeah, and lets not forget the red dye that's added to make the beef red instead of the anemic pink it normally is.

Which is more expensive? Doctor bills, hospital bills, and maybe even things like cancer treatment. Or REAL foods like grass fed beef (that you have seen for yourself how it was raised), raw milk and organic vegetables? Try doing the math there. I'll be an acorn to an oak that it's cheaper to change your diet, than it is to keep on paying doctor bills.

 This is where you groan about the grocery bill that would sky rocket with such a change, right? Well, what would your grocery bill look like if you stopped buying all those pre-packaged foods? No Doritos or Corn Chips. No sodas or frozen orange juice, and throw out those cereals!! Now what does that grocery bill look like? Shucks, if you stopped buying pre-packaged foods, and you didn't need to go to a doctor anymore because your health was better since the diet switch, I'll be you would either be even, or you would be spending less.

 Back to the movie now.... This is definitely on my list of "must see" movies.

 Food Matters. You are what you eat. 

Cherry Pie and Goat Milk...

Some friends of ours surprised us yesterday with a big bowl-full of fresh cherries! And what better thing to do with fresh cherries, than to make a cherry pie!? Mmmmm....

And let's not forget the raw goat milk to accompany that pie! It's about as fresh and local as you can get! ;)

Most delectable.... :)

The Big Day

A group of ten, very brave, hard workers set out to do what had to be done...

This was their target...

The way was messy...

But being the amazing people that they are, they managed to pull through smiling...

Their weapons of choice lay before them...

And one by one, the chickens fell...

These brave souls processed somewhere around 75 birds that day; and for all but one, this was their first time to perform a feat such as this...

Those who could not help in such close proximity to our work, went out and dug a deep hole to bury the "leftovers" in. It was a deep hole. ;) (okay, so in the picture, he's actually crouching down. It wasn't THAT deep!)

 

Many of us were on our feet for 9 hours. Some had been on their feet for 13 hours. Lesson learned that day: don't wear rubber boots for 13 hours straight. Your feet will be killing you afterwards!

All those long hours paid off in the end. We were rewarded with fantastic meat to be stored in our freezers! :)

That night, we all dreamed of chickens...

Thank you to everyone who helped and bought chickens that day! I had an incredible team of helpers, who kept the laughter going all throughout the day, and it was so nice getting to see all of you who came to buy your birds!