Nutrition and Local Sustainable Farm Raised Food.

To start out I should try to define sustainable and since it is not in the dictionary.  I try to use the meanings that make the most sense and is what in my mind sustainable means to me. Sustainable the ability to support, keep alive, endure without giving away, to keep going continuously, and uphold the validity of. So for me buying local ecologically farm raised food not only sustains us nutritionally and our overall health, but our community economically too. In addition the land around us, the animals indirectly and directly connected to that farm or backyard and Mother Earth.

When I mean sustainable I don’t mean the farmer down the road who sprays for pests and weeds using artificial chemicals, excessively uses artificial fertilizers, and raises animals or crops in big monocultures and pumps them full of medicines to keep them alive. This form of farming does not sustain I know I am a farmer and gardener as some of you know, and struggle everyday trying to do the right thing ecologically for my land, animals, and keep some cash coming in to keep the farm going and get the things I need for the animals and farm. As you can see I didn’t mention organic in my heading and it is not because I don’t think organic methods are bad per se, but sometimes they are not the most sustainable either and with our government involved I don’t know where organic will end up it is becoming big business which is a shame it was for small family farmers to earn a decent living not corporations.

So we can apply this meaning of sustainable to many things not only gardening or farming, but how we further process and cook our foods. What kinds of utensils, dishes, and cookware do we use? What kinds of foods and ingredients do we use to cook with? Is it whole foods, whole grains, home canned and stored that are not overly refined and processed like white flour, sugar, and most things found in a box or bag with preservatives? Are we eating things more in season and fresh or are we depending too much on foods shipped from far away and out of season? Do we raise, grow, and pick our own food and go to our local sustainable farmer or do we go to the nearest big chain grocer and buy everything we need? Do we recycle and if so do we try to buy things that will last, can be recycled, and turned back to the earth quickly by composting?

I know this is hard believe me I have a tough time too finding things I don’t grow or raise myself and even fall into the category of buying out of season though I am getting better everyday. I at least try to keep most it in the USA, I have and will buy some things we can’t grow here and that is ok to me. As far as I know we can’t grow cocoa beans and vanilla.

It’s an on going learning process our society has been conditioned to just throw it away and buy another or get it at Walmart it’s cheaper and easier. Well, there are problems with big corporations like Walmart, etc and that is a whole other issue we won’t deal with here.

Our world is full of human made chemicals from the things we eat, wear, use, drive, and live in, on, and around. The Earth is taking a beating and so are our bodies physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some would say we can’t afford to eat local sustainable or organically grown food and I can understand what that person is saying. From my experience with my health, my animals’ health, and the health of the land that is in my stewardship I cannot afford to not eat, grow, and live without being sustainable or practicing some sensible organic methods. Here are the benefits from my experience, more energy, feel and look better (skin and hair are healthier), maintain a decent weight, clearer thinking, and just my overall health is much better than it was just a few years ago. I have had trouble controlling weight even as a young child and when I think back on why that was (I am only 38 now) I realized it was the things I was eating and being fed.

I got smart 15 years ago and realized I couldn’t use soap made in the store I had oily skin, but also had dry skin what a mess. I couldn’t find anyone making them at the time that wasn’t full of colorants or perfumes, so I started making my own herbal soaps. Unfortunately back then I didn’t realize it was also the food I ate that gave me trouble too. That took my animals for me to get the bigger picture. I was doing everything right as I was taught and read by the agriculture schools, but yet I didn’t understand why I was having trouble health wise with my animals. Then I started to investigate and it became an overnight obsession to find some answers. In learning from my animals’ health problems I have learned that my own allergies, asthma (that come and go), facial blemishes, unbalanced skin oils, and weight problems stemmed from the healthy well-grown, nutritious food I was eating from our local grocers. They are not to blame totally and neither are the farmers who think what they are doing is right they were told the same as I was and we believed and wanted to. But it is time to change and it is a hard and slow process we need more nutritionally grown food, the animals, plants, and land taken better care of because we are what we eat.

Love and light
Liana

BeeKeeping Adventures

My dad came up Monday for the monthly Central MN Beekeepers Association Meeting. It is a good group a lot of helpful people. There is always lots of interesting stuff to talk about; they have a presentation each month, treats, and door prizes too. I brought eggs since the prizes are usually a tool and some beekeeper magazines most of the members but us beginners get them. Maybe I will have to bring some every month until I get more buyers rounded up for my eggs or sell my extra hens. Laughs The members seemed to really like that as a door prize and good advertising for me.

The group is great for helping out new members provided they come to meetings and help with the demonstration hives at the Paul Bunyan Nature Learning Center. I have been to three meetings and dad two meetings so far. He finally joined last night and met another beekeeper over by him. They had a professor from the U of MN come to speak about bees it was interesting. Last month a couple of the members did a presentation on beeswax candle making that was great. I even got two candles no one wanted them as door prizes so the secretary gave them to me. He was one of the presenters and I gave him a dozen eggs in return.

I had ordered my bees at the last meeting with queens from Don just in time too. Dad didn’t get his ordered he wasn’t sure if he was going to get bees this year or not. But he got lucky though. There is a member who has two established hives with bees provided they survive the cold snaps here we had. I called her today when dad was still here and told her we had heard she had two and wanted to sell them. She was happy and said she was going to check on the bees to see how they were doing today. Linda seems like a really nice person and we will get the bees in late march. Yea!! So we will be sharing I think one new colony and one established each. I will keep positive thoughts so all our bees and hives are here and ready to go in April.

Yesterday dad did some bobcat work for me. He hauled my chickie poo pile to a new spot to compost and piled up some dead trees. Today we burned 6 brush piles and just hung out. It has been really nice out the past two days so it made the work more enjoyable anyways. We did lots of talking about ideas with the bees, selling eggs, extra herb and veggie plants, etc. I mentioned maybe we should sell at the local flea market and see how we do selling stuff. Mom and him are having a garage sale I may take some things there and help them out with it.

Dad is good mechanic and electronic guy so he could sell some of his handy work there too. One way for us to make a little cash, while I go to school and him do lots of work around home on their place and he likes to help me too. I have to admit I need. Laughs

Love and Light
Liana

Pastured Poultry Ventures

Ok....... maybe not in central Mn this time of the year, but the chickies are in movable pens the rest of the time. Here is a photo of my large hopefully mobile chicken greenhouse I built 3 years ago above. I made some modifications to it or move the furniture around so to speak since this photo. I will get a picture of it now with my feathered friends in there. It works really great in the winter. Yes it does get really cold it when we go way below zero, but the chickens do really well and when the sun comes up and they are moving around it is quit comfy in there. Today it was over 30 degrees really sunny and nice out so, I let my little feathered friends venture out to dig and lay under the bunny cages on the south facing side.

As you can see the sides are loose I can roll them up for air circulation in the summer. Believe me it can get really hot in there. In the winter I tie them down good and stack straw bales all around the sides for insulation purposes and cuts down on drafts too. I hope this summer I can get it out in my near by field so the chickens can fertilize, clean-up the bugs, and eat plenty of grass.

I also built six 4'x10' chicken tractors I modified the original plans from the book 'Chicken Tractor'. Instead of one 4'x10' lid to open on the top I made it into two 4'x5' lids. Less likely a chickie will fly out and you will have to chase it around the yard to get it back in. Believe me unless they think you are the greatest thing next to a frog snack it isn't any fun. Unless they are big pets like most of mine are and like the attention. lol

 

Here is a picture of one of my tractors with some residents in it. I like the tractors best for raising broilers and layer chicks, but not for laying hens. I start out with 20-30 babies and as they grow I thin out each pen to 20 then 10 birds. The hens don't work as well because they really dig and scratch in the ground. There are several holes in the yard from them finding grubs or worms. Also during rainy periods we have a muddy lawn, muddy chicken feet, and muddy eggs. lol

Broilers are lazy really and the young layers haven't got the scratching thing down to a science yet. Eventually after at least 8 weeks I start letting the layer chicks out to run around the yard by propping up one end of the pen. They really enjoy that by this time they are big enough my cats don't bother them and smart enough to hide in the pens or under a spruce tree. At dusk they happily go home to the pen to roost and I let the house down. To help facilitate them going back I keep their food and water in the pen.

I wouldn’t raise my chickens any other way the best tasting chicken you will ever eat and the best for you also. The same with the eggs they are fluffy, really yellow, and tasty nothing like the store bought.

Love and light
Liana

The old D-15 is back!!

The weather was not the greatest today, but the part was in to fix the tractor and dad came up to help me. He got here about 8:45 am and we went to go get the part. Got back about noon I was hungry so I whipped up some leftovers and we ate. The picture above is sort of what my tractor looks like with a few exceptions, such as age, use, and a loader on it.

Then came the dreaded part going to take the broken axle/spindle off the tractor and bring it up to the shop to fix. I sprayed the parts the other day with lubricant to loosen them which helped except two bolts dad broke off. They were old and rusty. That part wasn't too bad it was getting the broken piece off the spindle of the wheel so we could put the new on. It was a battle but we got it off and the new piece on, greased, and back out to the tractor to get it on. We put the battery back in and she popped right off and I was moving right along. Yea!!  I love that old tractor. Dad wanted to go for a walk so I went with him. I have to admit I was kind of chilly, but I survived and the walk was good for me.

We got back about 4:30 I guess I finished up chores and scurried in the house to warm up and eat supper. Dad left and I thanked him for helping he said just ask when you need it. It was a good day for him. We spent many years not talking or being together so today was good.

Love and light
Liana

Below zero temperatures and a broken tractor

Here in central Minnesota it is really cold and that is an understatement. That is a summer picture of a part of the farm. It is only 12 below but feels like 30 below. That is just way too cold for me. It has been cold like this since for sure Thursday.

Friday I went to get some hulless oats for my calves and chickens at the Buckwheat Growers(certified organic grain mill) in Wadena. I came home got the tote out of the back of my Ranger truck and proceeded to go out to get the cows a couple of bales of hay. Everything went alright was almost to the feeders when I hit a dip in the road. Oh man the left front axle on the old faithful D-15 bit the dust and I came to a halt. So much for hay that night. The cows were alright they still had a bit left and they could eat on that bale until Saturday. Gramps helped me get the 6080 Allis(his tractor) started & the bale carrier on the back.

 I called a few parts places and got a part order to get he old girl fixed found out later gramps told me the wrong part so Monday I have to call and get the right one ordered. The 6080 has a loader with a bucket on but no spear makes putting bales in round feeders interesting to say the least. I really miss the old tractor the poor old thing is still outside by the cows. Gramps and I are waiting for the weather to warm up to tolerable to go get the tractor.

It is Sunday and I ventured out this morning to feed the chickens, pick eggs , check all the waters, and make sure everyone has snow too since it takes no time for water to freeze.

Love and light
Liana