Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
When you have poultry or waterfowl grow-outs (but especially waterfowl, since they make such a mess with water), a tractor is invaluable. It keeps them safe from predators but allows the growing birds to scratch, bathe, find bugs, eat greens, and enjoy fresh air and sunshine – creating a “controlled” free range (more precisely, pastured) environment. Buying a well-made hoop tractor can be expensive, so we make our own.
The black raspberries growing wild along the fence are ripening…and they’re delicious! As I was picking berries, I startled a Northern Mockingbird out of a tangle of brush at the top of the fence and realized that she was sitting on a nest.
It’s been rainy lately, which means the ground is muddy…which is how pigs prefer it. And they don’t want stinky, feces-filled mud – they like “clean” dirt (oxymoron?) that’s been carefully mixed with water into a perfectly-pastelike consistency. The mud also helps keep them cool, and protects their skin from the ample biting insects out here. All hail mud!
I’ve heard many people say that service is “dead” these days, meaning that companies place such little value on it that they don’t train their employees on how to provide good customer service or fail to monitor to ensure that it’s occurring consistently. That statement does resonate with me – I find that many of the employees I encounter seem to hate their jobs and that bitterness seeps into every interaction. While I appreciate how difficult it must be to feel stuck in a toxic job, treating customers poorly is simply unacceptable – and companies need to know about it.
Continue reading “Why You Should Complain When You’ve Received Poor Service”
This is the season when water kefir really shines: it’s hydrating and delicious, and wonderful after a bit too much time in the heat. Citrus adds bright flavors to the kefir, but when you turn plain orange kefir into orange cream, it kicks it up several notches!
Like chocolate oranges? I sure do – velvety chocolate with a whisper of orange is a divine pairing. How about in a dense, moist cake with the surprise players of milk kefir and sauerkraut?
Continue reading “Eat This: Chocolate-Orange Kefir Cake (With Sauerkraut!)”