The sweetest, gentlest, most loving, annoying cow that you ever did see.
Poppy.
This is a cow kiss. Poppy loves to give one to me each time she sees me, but it doesn't work out so well when I have a camera. ;)
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ahhh, The Farm Life...
People love imagining the idyllic farm life. There are chickens clucking, bees buzzing, a friendly milk cow is lowing, the grass is a vibrant green color, the sky is so blue that it doesn't seem real.... Ahh, life in the country.
Or maybe not. ;)
Today was one of those days.
Unfortunately, while we may get the above description of the farm life every now and again, there are still days full of mud, blood and water. And in February and March, we get more of the latter than of the former.
I had a list of things that I needed to do outside, but couldn't decide if I should wait for the weather to clear up or not; I decided to go ahead and go, since Oregon weather is so unpredictable. Things started out pretty well; I was working on clearing an area for another garden (making for three gardens this year), and for the moment, the sky was pretty clear. I even thought about taking my carhartt off. Then my cow saw me....
Poppy is under the delusion that when I am outside, I am outside solely for her enjoyment; and therefore I should be petting her rather than working. When she realizes that I'm ignoring her eyelash batting (she's gotten pretty good at it!) she begins bellowing... One moo after the other.
I continue to work, trying not to let Poppy's tantrum get under my skin. Then I notice that the weather is quickly changing. The wind picks up to high speeds and I occasionally see a chicken being blown by. I quickly finish up, and then remember that I needed to add one more strand of electric fence to the pasture, so that I could move the animals the next day. The electric rope is found, the fencing pliers are found, I grab my gloves... But can't find the wire needed to attach some of the insulators. Grrr. A 10 minute search still does not reveal the wire, so I decide to just start with putting some insulators onto the metal fence posts.
Heading out, I have a choice, I can either go through the big metal livestock gate, but risk letting all the chickens out, or I can clamber over the fencing instead. I decide to go over the fence. Half way to my destination, I realize that I have somehow forgotten the insulators. How does one forget those? Talent I guess. Back over the fence I go to retrieve those annoying plastic things that are so mandatory to electric fencing.
The rain has increased to a steady pour by now. The cow is still mooing, and I'm pretty drenched. Upon climbing back over then fence, I cut my leg, but refuse to tend to it until my job is finished. My boots make a dramatic "squelch, squelch" as I walk down the the property edge. It doesn't take long to realize that I don't have near enough insulators to finish the job, but do what I can and then start heading back to the barn.
The cow is still mooing.
The wind blows a few more hens around, and then dies off. I feel and look like I just walked backwards through a hurricane.
I get the chickens lunch started (soup!), throw more hay into the manger for the goats, fill everyone's water buckets, put all the fencing supplies where they belong, turn the compost pile, and then face my bovine who has now been incessantly mooing for over 30 minutes.
I fold my arms and walk slowly up to her. The goats are smart enough to realize that this means "I'm not happy with you, you had better run and be quiet!" but my cow just makes happy grunting noises and waits for me to come. I'm sopping wet, my leg is still bleeding, my skirt is liberally streaked with mud, and right then, I wanted to be indoors more than outdoors. I stop in front of Poppy, trying my best to look intimidating. She simply bats her eyelashes and then sticks her head in the crook of my arm.
[sigh] Cows. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. How can you resist someone who loves you no matter what? So, mud, blood and all, Poppy and I spent the rest of the wet afternoon together.
And she's quiet now. ;)
Or maybe not. ;)
Today was one of those days.
Unfortunately, while we may get the above description of the farm life every now and again, there are still days full of mud, blood and water. And in February and March, we get more of the latter than of the former.
I had a list of things that I needed to do outside, but couldn't decide if I should wait for the weather to clear up or not; I decided to go ahead and go, since Oregon weather is so unpredictable. Things started out pretty well; I was working on clearing an area for another garden (making for three gardens this year), and for the moment, the sky was pretty clear. I even thought about taking my carhartt off. Then my cow saw me....
Poppy is under the delusion that when I am outside, I am outside solely for her enjoyment; and therefore I should be petting her rather than working. When she realizes that I'm ignoring her eyelash batting (she's gotten pretty good at it!) she begins bellowing... One moo after the other.
I continue to work, trying not to let Poppy's tantrum get under my skin. Then I notice that the weather is quickly changing. The wind picks up to high speeds and I occasionally see a chicken being blown by. I quickly finish up, and then remember that I needed to add one more strand of electric fence to the pasture, so that I could move the animals the next day. The electric rope is found, the fencing pliers are found, I grab my gloves... But can't find the wire needed to attach some of the insulators. Grrr. A 10 minute search still does not reveal the wire, so I decide to just start with putting some insulators onto the metal fence posts.
Heading out, I have a choice, I can either go through the big metal livestock gate, but risk letting all the chickens out, or I can clamber over the fencing instead. I decide to go over the fence. Half way to my destination, I realize that I have somehow forgotten the insulators. How does one forget those? Talent I guess. Back over the fence I go to retrieve those annoying plastic things that are so mandatory to electric fencing.
The rain has increased to a steady pour by now. The cow is still mooing, and I'm pretty drenched. Upon climbing back over then fence, I cut my leg, but refuse to tend to it until my job is finished. My boots make a dramatic "squelch, squelch" as I walk down the the property edge. It doesn't take long to realize that I don't have near enough insulators to finish the job, but do what I can and then start heading back to the barn.
The cow is still mooing.
The wind blows a few more hens around, and then dies off. I feel and look like I just walked backwards through a hurricane.
I get the chickens lunch started (soup!), throw more hay into the manger for the goats, fill everyone's water buckets, put all the fencing supplies where they belong, turn the compost pile, and then face my bovine who has now been incessantly mooing for over 30 minutes.
I fold my arms and walk slowly up to her. The goats are smart enough to realize that this means "I'm not happy with you, you had better run and be quiet!" but my cow just makes happy grunting noises and waits for me to come. I'm sopping wet, my leg is still bleeding, my skirt is liberally streaked with mud, and right then, I wanted to be indoors more than outdoors. I stop in front of Poppy, trying my best to look intimidating. She simply bats her eyelashes and then sticks her head in the crook of my arm.
[sigh] Cows. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. How can you resist someone who loves you no matter what? So, mud, blood and all, Poppy and I spent the rest of the wet afternoon together.
And she's quiet now. ;)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
And So The Long Wait Begins...
Capri dried up today. ("dry" means: not in lactation)
Ivy is dry.
Penny is dry.
And Heidi is not able to be milked yet.
Meaning: I have no goat milk, whatsoever. Ouch.
I had hoped to keep Capri in milk just a leeetle bit longer, so that right when she dried up, I would begin milking Heidi and thus not have a period of no milk. But, Capri had other plans.
So I am now on a "dairy fast". I don't start milking Heidi for 4-6 weeks, which means I will have to go 4-6 weeks with almost no dairy consumption at all. I'll still eat store-bought cow yogurt, but after a year on raw goat's milk, I can't go back to that stuff in the jug.
To torture myself further, here is a list of praises about raw milk (cow, goat and sheep). Unfortunately, pasteurization destroys the majority of the vitamins, enzymes and beneficial bacteria that is normally found in milk, otherwise I could say that this list is about milk in general.
GOOD THINGS IN RAW MILK:
. Complete protein to build and repair tissues and bones
. Vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, bones, and teeth
. Vitamin D to aid calcium and phosphorus absorption and for bones and teeth
. Thiamine to help turn carbohydrates into energy and aid appetite and growth
. Riboflavin for healthy skin, eyes, and nerves
. Niacin for growth and development, healthy nerves, and digestion
. Vitamin B6 to build body tissues, produce antibodies, and prevent heart disease
. Vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells, nerves, and digestion; and to prevent heart disease
. Pantothenic acid to turn carbohydrates and fat into energy
. Folic acid to promote the formation of red blood cells and prevent birth defects and heart disease
. Calcium to make strong bones and teeth; also aids heartbeat, muscle, and nerve function
. Magnesium for strong bones and teeth
. Phosphorus for strong bones and teeth
. Zinc for tissue repair, growth, and fertility.
Whew! That is quite the list! I am already missing my raw milk! :(
Studies have also shown that raw milk has some of the same properties as blood, and while still warm with body heat, fresh milk has the ability to combat and destroy germs, as well as strengthening the immune system.
If you are interested in finding your own source of raw milk, my suggestion would be to start with the Real Milk website. Dairy sellers can be hard to find, but the effort is well worth it!
I know many, many people have been turned off of goat milk due to a "goaty taste", and to me, that is one of the saddest things to hear. If the milking area is kept clean, and the milk is chilled quickly, and a good breed of goat is used, there will not be even the tiniest hint of goatiness. The breed of goat is really important, as some goats, such as the Oberhasli, toggenburg and occasionally the Saanen, have been bred for generations to give goaty flavored milk. Whereas the Nubian, Alpine, La Mancha and Nigerian are bred for creamy, sweet milk. So if you have tried goat milk before, and didn't like it, try again! A few of my family members claim that they don't like the taste of goat milk, and even say that they can distinctly taste the difference between raw goat milk and pasteurized cow milk. But I can't even count the number of times I have given these family members raw goat milk without them knowing, and they thoroughly enjoyed it! It's pretty funny. ;)
So, wish me luck as I embark upon my dairy-less month; we'll see how I fare...
Ivy is dry.
Penny is dry.
And Heidi is not able to be milked yet.
Meaning: I have no goat milk, whatsoever. Ouch.
I had hoped to keep Capri in milk just a leeetle bit longer, so that right when she dried up, I would begin milking Heidi and thus not have a period of no milk. But, Capri had other plans.
So I am now on a "dairy fast". I don't start milking Heidi for 4-6 weeks, which means I will have to go 4-6 weeks with almost no dairy consumption at all. I'll still eat store-bought cow yogurt, but after a year on raw goat's milk, I can't go back to that stuff in the jug.
To torture myself further, here is a list of praises about raw milk (cow, goat and sheep). Unfortunately, pasteurization destroys the majority of the vitamins, enzymes and beneficial bacteria that is normally found in milk, otherwise I could say that this list is about milk in general.
GOOD THINGS IN RAW MILK:
. Complete protein to build and repair tissues and bones
. Vitamin A for healthy skin, eyes, bones, and teeth
. Vitamin D to aid calcium and phosphorus absorption and for bones and teeth
. Thiamine to help turn carbohydrates into energy and aid appetite and growth
. Riboflavin for healthy skin, eyes, and nerves
. Niacin for growth and development, healthy nerves, and digestion
. Vitamin B6 to build body tissues, produce antibodies, and prevent heart disease
. Vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells, nerves, and digestion; and to prevent heart disease
. Pantothenic acid to turn carbohydrates and fat into energy
. Folic acid to promote the formation of red blood cells and prevent birth defects and heart disease
. Calcium to make strong bones and teeth; also aids heartbeat, muscle, and nerve function
. Magnesium for strong bones and teeth
. Phosphorus for strong bones and teeth
. Zinc for tissue repair, growth, and fertility.
Whew! That is quite the list! I am already missing my raw milk! :(
Studies have also shown that raw milk has some of the same properties as blood, and while still warm with body heat, fresh milk has the ability to combat and destroy germs, as well as strengthening the immune system.
If you are interested in finding your own source of raw milk, my suggestion would be to start with the Real Milk website. Dairy sellers can be hard to find, but the effort is well worth it!
I know many, many people have been turned off of goat milk due to a "goaty taste", and to me, that is one of the saddest things to hear. If the milking area is kept clean, and the milk is chilled quickly, and a good breed of goat is used, there will not be even the tiniest hint of goatiness. The breed of goat is really important, as some goats, such as the Oberhasli, toggenburg and occasionally the Saanen, have been bred for generations to give goaty flavored milk. Whereas the Nubian, Alpine, La Mancha and Nigerian are bred for creamy, sweet milk. So if you have tried goat milk before, and didn't like it, try again! A few of my family members claim that they don't like the taste of goat milk, and even say that they can distinctly taste the difference between raw goat milk and pasteurized cow milk. But I can't even count the number of times I have given these family members raw goat milk without them knowing, and they thoroughly enjoyed it! It's pretty funny. ;)
So, wish me luck as I embark upon my dairy-less month; we'll see how I fare...
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tastes Like Chicken
A couple weeks ago, my family and I went up to Portland for the day. On our way there, we passed by a Foster Farms chicken CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). The landscape surrounding the place looked starkly neat, and six huge, dome topped buildings loomed in the background. Each one was roughly 100' wide, and 180' long, and had no windows to speak of.
These buildings had 18,000 square feet inside, and housed 20,000 to 40,000 meat chickens. Most buildings average 36,000 chickens per building, making a total of 216,000 chickens in that one area.
As we were passing that farm, going 60 mph in our van, I looked at those "barns" and tried to conjure up an image of 36,000 birds inside them. I couldn't do it. My brain can't seem to wrap around the thought of that many birds in such a tiny space. Most chickens need a minimum of 3 square feet each. These birds each have roughly .5 square feet to themselves.
I thought about just how well the industry has hid these things from sight; A lot of people pass by that farm everyday and never realize what's inside...
Cramped in their dark, dusty, ammonia-reeking homes for 8 weeks, these 'broilers' (term for meat chicken) can barely move due to their unnaturally large size and suffer from numerous illnesses such as ammonia burns, respiratory diseases and crippled legs. They can do nothing but eat food that is placed in front of them, and grow fat.
When their 8 weeks are up, they are loaded onto a truck, to be slaughtered, by Latino-American, and Mexican workers, who speak no English (the industry uses foreign workers specifically because they don't speak English. If they can't speak English, then they can't tell anyone about what's going on.), are treated badly, and are payed a small pension for their work.
And yet, by looking at those huge buildings, you might never guess that they had such a story behind their walls...
We Americans are so disconnected from our food source, that we can't even begin to imagine such a thing. To us, chicken looks like this:
It's in a nice, neat package, it shows a picture of rolling green hills and a red barn on the plastic, and the whole thing looks very different from how it was when it was alive. I think this is part of the reason why most Americans don't really care about the CAFO situation. They just see the finished product. It doesn't look like a real, clucking chicken with beady little eyes. It just looks like meat. Mentally, there is no connection.
It just doesn't seem right that the industry can legally cram that many animals in one spot, pollute our water and air, and mistreat the workers, all for the sake of supplying us Americans with "cheap" food. Is our food truly "cheap", though? Is that low price tag really worth the end result that comes with CAFO meat? Tasteless, arsenic tainted meat that wears down the immune system; damaged agricultural land, from spreading animal waste on it; poor health of the workers, and the people who live near the factories; a miserable existence of the animals who are forced to live in cramped quarters.... All of that, for cheap food?
Does chicken taste like everything, or does everything taste like chicken? In all honesty, we shouldn't catch ourselves saying that something "tastes like chicken", but we do. I know I do. The food industry uses breeds of animals that grow quickly, not animals that taste good; and consequently, we are left with foods that really don't seem to have a flavor of their own. Our chicken is virtually tasteless, and our other meats are getting closer to being that way. Our food should be PACKED with flavor; it should have its own taste, and not leave you thinking that it tastes like chicken, if it isn't. The cause for this loss is they way they are being raised, (CAFO style) the feed they are fed, (corn, soy, dead cows, paper, chicken manure, etc.) as well as how they are harvested (we won't go there today), and stored. It all adds up to either a flavorful cut of meat, or a tasteless excuse for a cut of meat.
I'm not saying here that you are a bad person if you buy store bought chicken. What I am saying is that I think it's time that we Americans need to start taking on a little more responsibility with our food choices. There are multiple ways to get alternative, grass-fed meats. Local farmers are one way, or you can try Farmer's Markets, CSA's, Co-op's, Local Harvest.com, placing a 'wanted' ad in the newspaper, calling your local extension office, googling it on the internet.... It goes on, and on. Use your imagination! Sourcing you own food can be incredibly fun (and rewarding)!
These buildings had 18,000 square feet inside, and housed 20,000 to 40,000 meat chickens. Most buildings average 36,000 chickens per building, making a total of 216,000 chickens in that one area.
I thought about just how well the industry has hid these things from sight; A lot of people pass by that farm everyday and never realize what's inside...
Cramped in their dark, dusty, ammonia-reeking homes for 8 weeks, these 'broilers' (term for meat chicken) can barely move due to their unnaturally large size and suffer from numerous illnesses such as ammonia burns, respiratory diseases and crippled legs. They can do nothing but eat food that is placed in front of them, and grow fat.
When their 8 weeks are up, they are loaded onto a truck, to be slaughtered, by Latino-American, and Mexican workers, who speak no English (the industry uses foreign workers specifically because they don't speak English. If they can't speak English, then they can't tell anyone about what's going on.), are treated badly, and are payed a small pension for their work.
And yet, by looking at those huge buildings, you might never guess that they had such a story behind their walls...
We Americans are so disconnected from our food source, that we can't even begin to imagine such a thing. To us, chicken looks like this:
It just doesn't seem right that the industry can legally cram that many animals in one spot, pollute our water and air, and mistreat the workers, all for the sake of supplying us Americans with "cheap" food. Is our food truly "cheap", though? Is that low price tag really worth the end result that comes with CAFO meat? Tasteless, arsenic tainted meat that wears down the immune system; damaged agricultural land, from spreading animal waste on it; poor health of the workers, and the people who live near the factories; a miserable existence of the animals who are forced to live in cramped quarters.... All of that, for cheap food?
Does chicken taste like everything, or does everything taste like chicken? In all honesty, we shouldn't catch ourselves saying that something "tastes like chicken", but we do. I know I do. The food industry uses breeds of animals that grow quickly, not animals that taste good; and consequently, we are left with foods that really don't seem to have a flavor of their own. Our chicken is virtually tasteless, and our other meats are getting closer to being that way. Our food should be PACKED with flavor; it should have its own taste, and not leave you thinking that it tastes like chicken, if it isn't. The cause for this loss is they way they are being raised, (CAFO style) the feed they are fed, (corn, soy, dead cows, paper, chicken manure, etc.) as well as how they are harvested (we won't go there today), and stored. It all adds up to either a flavorful cut of meat, or a tasteless excuse for a cut of meat.
I'm not saying here that you are a bad person if you buy store bought chicken. What I am saying is that I think it's time that we Americans need to start taking on a little more responsibility with our food choices. There are multiple ways to get alternative, grass-fed meats. Local farmers are one way, or you can try Farmer's Markets, CSA's, Co-op's, Local Harvest.com, placing a 'wanted' ad in the newspaper, calling your local extension office, googling it on the internet.... It goes on, and on. Use your imagination! Sourcing you own food can be incredibly fun (and rewarding)!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A Mennagerie Farm Giveaway!
Now! Onto happier subjects other than head bonking and CNG people! (referring to the post below)
Mennagerie Farm is hosting a giveaway!!
And the prize is....?
A lovely collection of Heirloom seeds, just in time for planting season!
This collection will have a generous variety of seeds that would be sufficient for a medium sized garden and will range from extremely rare seeds, to not-so-rare, to just-plain-beautiful varieties! (pictures do not show exact varieties that will be in the collection)
To enter, just leave a comment below, and just for fun, tell what your favorite veggie is!
The final drawing will take place on March 12th, so save the date!
Mennagerie Farm is hosting a giveaway!!
And the prize is....?
A lovely collection of Heirloom seeds, just in time for planting season!
This collection will have a generous variety of seeds that would be sufficient for a medium sized garden and will range from extremely rare seeds, to not-so-rare, to just-plain-beautiful varieties! (pictures do not show exact varieties that will be in the collection)
To enter, just leave a comment below, and just for fun, tell what your favorite veggie is!
The final drawing will take place on March 12th, so save the date!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Do You Hear Something?
If you do, and it sounds like a loud, "KA-BONK, KA-BONK, KA-BONK", then don't worry; it's just me banging my head up against a wall.
I am still working my way through the hoops and hassles that come with the attempt of being Certified Naturally Grown....Thus the head bonking.
I've done almost everything. Almost everything, to meet the standard. Then, a couple days ago, I received an e-mail from the people who run CNG with one seemingly small question.
Those people honestly have no idea what they are asking.
There is a creek running between our property and the neighbor's, and the distance from bank to bank is sufficient enough to create a buffer.... Except in one small spot. That one small spot is only 15' from bank to bank and so the CNG people have innocently asked if we could possibly somehow extend that buffer to 20'.
Huh? What do they want me to do!? Bring in an excavator and just POOF! Dig away the bank on my side? Isn't that illegal to mess with property lines? Or, I know, I'll just grow a huge hedge 5 feet from the bank and call it good. Sheesh, I'm just a farmer, not a magician!
KA-BONK, KA-BONK, KA-BONK!!
I think this might be the Lord saying that right now, it's not time to be messing with certifications. But part of me is still being stubborn and wants to keep on trying. [sigh]
Any suggestions?
I am still working my way through the hoops and hassles that come with the attempt of being Certified Naturally Grown....Thus the head bonking.
I've done almost everything. Almost everything, to meet the standard. Then, a couple days ago, I received an e-mail from the people who run CNG with one seemingly small question.
Those people honestly have no idea what they are asking.
There is a creek running between our property and the neighbor's, and the distance from bank to bank is sufficient enough to create a buffer.... Except in one small spot. That one small spot is only 15' from bank to bank and so the CNG people have innocently asked if we could possibly somehow extend that buffer to 20'.
Huh? What do they want me to do!? Bring in an excavator and just POOF! Dig away the bank on my side? Isn't that illegal to mess with property lines? Or, I know, I'll just grow a huge hedge 5 feet from the bank and call it good. Sheesh, I'm just a farmer, not a magician!
KA-BONK, KA-BONK, KA-BONK!!
I think this might be the Lord saying that right now, it's not time to be messing with certifications. But part of me is still being stubborn and wants to keep on trying. [sigh]
Any suggestions?
Surprise!
Soooo, I was getting a little bored with the old blog look. So I did some changing today! What do you think of it? Should I change it back to the old look? I'm not real sure if I like it or not, yet.... I'm still working on tweaking the small details, such as changing the word color on the sidebar (don't know why it's being so problematic!).
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