Knowing where our food comes from.

Matt and I have always been a tad concerned about the way us Americans eat.  We were both ingrained with some really bad habits, fast food for one.

When our chickens began to lay we started talking about how nice it was to know where that food had come from and what had been done to it and the animal that created it.  It was a powerful feeling realizing that we could indeed be in charge of our food and have a say in how it is created.

With that start we began to wonder what other actions we could take to become more aware of our food and to cut out the middle man.

This lead me to Whistling train farm. http://www.whistlingtrainfarm.com/

Luckily their winter share season was starting that week and I was able to get in on it.  Each Wednesday I drive about ten minutes and pick up a bounty of fresh, just pulled out of the ground veggies.  This is a one week small share.

I remember thinking that the veggies were smaller than I was used to seeing in the store and they were dirty… Well, go figure :) There was a slight hesitation as I stood there looking at the small, dirty veggies.  Then I felt anger that I have been conditioned to see this as unappealing and to think of the modified, chemically loaded, preservative full, shipped from who-knows-where  stuff in the stores as desirable.

Our salads have never tasted so good! The kids eat one for every meal if allowed. I have eaten things I have never before seen nor tried.  I have held this veggie in my hands, knowing right where it was grown and how. Have actually peeled, prepared and cooked a variety of squashes in our meals and have felt strangely empowered by the experience. Hard to explain, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes from serving your children squash ( and not the frozen or canned prepared stuff either) and having them like it.

  We discovered that when serving Acorn squash, make a couple because T.J. will eat a whole one by himself!

sitting down to whole wheat buttered noodles with Tatsoi.

Shelley and her hubby are extremely friendly and Shelley keeps a blog telling you what you will get every week, how to cook it and recipes and info about the different types of veggies and growing them.

Once hooked on the veggies, I noticed they had milk. When talking to the farmer I discovered that they use and don’t sell their milk but a nearby farm, Meadowood, did. http://www.meadowwoodorganics.com/

They didn’t currently have milk shares available, but we could take our chances with their being extra milk in the retail fridge.  this is about a 20 min. drive for us and worth every second.  they have an adorable little store and not only offer Raw Jersey milk in old fashioned glass bottles but they also have raw cheese, chicken and duck eggs, prepared and packaged beef and ham, honey, and cheese and yogurt and sour cream cultures.  What more could a girl ask for?

The first time I went to both of these stores I was surprised to find that there was no one there to wait for me.  At Whistling train they have signs above the veggies that tell you how much of each item to take and you check of your name.  At Meadow wood you fill out a slip with what you took and leave your payment and slip in the cash box.  Wait a minute…  You mean you can actually run a fair business on the honesty code?  What a concept for us Americans.  We had experienced this a few times in Germany but never here.  It was liberating to discover that honesty and trust still do exist and I felt respected by the thought that these farmers knew I would always be fair and honest with them.  I love knowing that I am supporting their families and not a corporation.

I have spoken with the husband on occasion and have really enjoyed our short conversations about life on his farm.  The wife is on facebook and is witty and fun.  I put us on a wait list for the milk shares when one of their cows delivers at the end of the month and she noticed that I had been buying milk on a weekly basis.  While they can’t get me on a milk share sooner she did request that I start paying at the milk share price rather than the retail price.  It was nice to know that they are in touch with their customers and make efforts like this to let us know they appreciate us.  Bet Safeway isn’t tracking or noticing how often I buy milk.

These are the exact chickens that we eat our eggs from:

They are now each laying one a day which gives us five eggs a day. We are hoping to add Americanas to our flock in the spring. They lay Easter colored eggs and I just think that will be cool.  Then we will have a plethora of eggs with plenty to sell to ya if you want em!

The other day while I was at the farm I called Matt and asked if we needed eggs as our chicks were laying sporadically and production wasn't high.  I had forgotten that we had recently been given some store bought eggs.  He responded with “Well, we have five of ours and two dozen of these white ones?”  He said White ones” with a tone that implied, why in the world would we have white eggs in our house?  It was funny.