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Pantry
How much do you spend each month on your food? According to the USDA, the average family of four currently spends $600-1200 per month on food, depending on quality and how thrifty you are.
If you’re reading this email, I know that you value nutrition and the environment. This means that your food budget is either on the high end of the spectrum or off the charts.
Don’t feel guilty. It’s ok. The reason you are choosing these foods is because you deeply care about your family’s health and the sustainability of our natural world.If you’re in need of some justification, here are 5 reasons why you should spend more on your food:
1- Your family’s health is a top priority. Feeding your family high quality food enhances their health and happiness. With food, you absolutely get what you pay for. Nutrient dense food that’s free of junk - from additives to animal injections to the molecular structure - takes care to produce.
2 - You care deeply for the environment. The next generation needs food, water, and air. Without sustainable farming practices, these basic human needs are at risk.
3- You can reduce your healthcare costs. By eating well, your family will need less healthcare in the long term. Spend now, save later. Spend more on natural, nourishing foods and less on lab-induced pharmaceutical drugs and procedures.
4 - You support small farmers. The modern American food system has not only spoiled our soils and nutrition but it has also taken rights from our farmers. Our small farmers go above and beyond to grow food the way it’s supposed to be grown - with care for the plants, animals, humans, soil, and the sustainability of our environment.
5 - You value above and beyond customer service. When you pay more, you typically get a faster response time, easy credits/refunds, and answers to any question you may have. Also, products are likely guaranteed for quality and freshness.
When you care about nutrition and the environment, food is the last place you can scrimp. Buy second hand clothes and furniture, go to free events for entertainment, escape consumerist culture… but please make sure to eat well!
Feeding a family is challenging, no matter what. But managing finances can seem nearly impossible.
You obviously want to provide your family with the most nourishing healthful foods possible. But, you also need to do it without breaking the bank.
Here are 5 ways to maximize your food budget:
1. Eliminate food waste.
Pay attention to expiration dates. For farm fresh foods that do not have expiration dates, I write the date I receive it on top with a permanent marker. Then, I keep the food quickest to sour in the front of the fridge.
For products that do come with expiration dates, you can take some time to re-think your take on expiration dates. Expiration dates are more for food quality than food safety. Foods are generally good after the expiration date passes. Use your senses and trust your gut.
Freeze everything you can, and only thaw foods you know you are going to use soon.
Keep inventory of what you have. There are many benefits to keeping a well organized pantry, where inventory can be easily assessed. I keep a white board on my fridge, where I can list my frozen foods and fresh veggies and jot down my meal plan for the week.
And, meal plan. This will ensure you are buying what you need, not just what you want (more on that later).
2. Avoid impulse buys.
Making a grocery list is a great way to do this. Whenever I’m running low on an essential or making a meal plan, I immediately add items to the list. Since my phone is usually handy, I use a simple list app. The list is shared with my spouse, so we can coordinate.
Once you have your list, stick to it. One or two exceptions are allowed, but try your best to stick to the list.
Also, never ever shop when you’re hungry. Really, don’t do this.
3. Eat less.
I’m being a tad facetious here, but it’s true. Americans are unfortunately accustomed to oversized portion sizes, and it shows with our rising obesity rates.
Serve your family normal portion sizes. And serve your kids micro-sizes. The goal is to finish your plate and then go for seconds if you truly are hungry. It’s better than eating everything just because it’s there or tossing food in the garbage.
Also, eat real food with value, and steer clear of processed food. Eating nourishing nutrient-dense foods will keep your body feeling full for longer. Empty calories mean that you’ll feel hungry faster, ultimately wasting many calories and your budget.
4. Make everything yourself.
Buying pre-prepared foods or eating out is very expensive. You’re paying extra for the labor to produce it. If you cook more at home, you will see a significant drop in your food spending.
And kudos. Homemade food is often better for you - void of processed ingredients, fillers, preservatives, and so on.
5. Change your meal-planning approach.
When it comes to eating well, meal planning is one of the easiest things you can do to set yourself up for success. There are so many ways to plan meals but, after trying it once or twice, you will quickly figure out what works for your family.
There are some basic things to consider when you’re meal planning:
Once you have those things determined, record it! Your meal plan should live in an obvious and easy-to-access location. I’ve tried notebooks, phone apps, and sticky notes. But, my personal favorite is a white board on the fridge.
Once you have a plan, enact it. Make your shopping list and start making meals!
6. And, I’ll add one more to the list. Keep reading :)
I’ll elaborate on some of these food budget maximization strategies in the coming weeks.
Whether every few days or every few weeks, meal planning is when you think about what you’ll be eating in advance, make a plan, and stick to it.
Especially when raising a family, meal planning is essential. It helps you reduce waste, minimize your food budget, save time, and limit your stress.
Figuring out a good system that works for you can take a few tries and can always be refined. Here are some strategies that will help optimize or make meal planning easier.
Consult your calendar first.
Check to see if you have any events coming up that week. Oh, and make sure to confer with your partner, too.
You may realize that there will be days you don’t need to cook or maybe days when dinner will be rushed. You can plan ahead to have something in a slow cooker or pre prepared, ready for dinner after a busy day.
Ask your family what they like to eat.
I love having short interviews with my kids about what they’d like to eat. It’s great to involve them in food selection and planning and helps develop healthy relationships with food.
Asking first is also a great way to please your family and have them eat what you make.
Think seasonally.
This will help you save money. A strawberry salad in February is definitely not the most cost effective way to eat.
It’s the fall now. Embrace winter squash, root veggies, and roasts. Think stews, soups, and chilis.
Embrace freezer meals.
This is the ultimate time saver. I know some moms who prep 30 meals one day each month. Basically, they only “cook” one day per month.
A freezer meal is when you prepare food, usually raw, beforehand. It’s frozen in a gallon ziplock bag or other container. When you’re ready to use it, thaw and cook.
Freezer meals are excellent for the colder months, when fresh veggies are limited and more expensive and your home would benefit from the heat of one pot meals.
Use your slow cooker.
The slow cooker is amazing for busy days. Stick something in in the morning, and you come home to a hot home-cooked meal.
Slow cooker meals are really easy to prep, too. Some of my favorite slow cooker meals are roasts, stews, and chilis, which are especially amazing in the winter.
Utilize transformative meals.
In my mind, many meals come in pairs. For example, almost every time I roast a chicken, I make chicken soup. Or, transforming leftover stir fry into a frittata. Or, making pizza with leftover pasta sauce. Plan for this, and it will change your life.
Mix it up with spices.
The same meal can taste totally different depending on the spices you use. Consider an easy chicken veggie stir fry. Adding cumin and chili powder will give it a Mexican flavor. Add some curry for an Indian flavor. Or adding basil, oregano, and parsley gives an Italian flavor. I try to buy all my herbs in bulk to save on high quality herbs.
Plan for leftovers.
Include leftovers in your meal plan. They make great breakfasts or lunches. Or, make double so you cook two nights of dinner in one blow.
Prep ingredients ahead of time.
I do this a lot. I might chop veggies in the morning for that night’s meal. When it’s time to cook in the evening (when my kids have an abundance of needs), all I have to do is throw it in the pan.
Prepping ingredients works really well for packing lunches. If I already have the chicken cubed, peppers sliced, and drinkable yogurt poured into a small container, all I need to do is load the lunchbox.
Go with theme nights.
This can make meal planning easier and fun. Taco night, surf & turf, breakfast for dinner, casserole night, slow cooker night, kids cooking night, homemade pizza night, Asian-inspired cuisine night, sandwich night… the list could be quite long.
Don’t overstuff the refrigerator.
It’s so easy to do this. However, it’s so overwhelming and nearly impossible to use it all. With meal planning, you should be buying exactly what you need for a certain period of time. No overstuffing. No overbuying.
Keep a well-stocked pantry and know what’s there.
A well organized pantry goes a long way when it comes to optimizing your food budget and meal plan. Know what essentials you use and what to always keep in stock.
Make a shopping list.
This is essential. Once you make your plan, look through your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Anything you do not have, add to your list. Then do your shopping. Do not deviate from the list. And, please, never shop while hungry.
Keep a meal journal.
Although I personally prefer a white board on the fridge, there are major benefits to journaling your meal planning. You can look back and see what you did before, what worked and didn’t work. On a lazy week, you could simply repeat what you did before.
Have a template.
You don’t need to start from scratch every week. Having a basic outline for what types of meals you’d like is a great baseline for meal planning. Here’s an example:
Hungry yet? Happy meal planning, folks!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday.
At this time of year, like most people, I spend time thinking about what I’m thankful for. This year, I am especially thankful for the health of my family, small farmers, and that I was able to attend the annual Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) Conference.
At the WAPF Conference last weekend, it was wonderful to be in my bubble. Everyone had an interest in a junk-free lifestyle - from nourishing food to EMF prevention. I was immersed in knowledge about the benefits of eating traditional diet: lots of animal fat, lots of animal protein, lots of veggies and fermented foods, and a little carbs. It’s the diet that humans evolved thousands of years to eat.
So I get back from the conference, and then comes Thanksgiving. If you’re talking about traditional foods, Thanksgiving dinner should fit right in.
But… one of our family members is vegan. Gasp!
So, what does my family do? We veganize Thanksgiving, which moves it so far beyond a traditional diet. We replace the natural nourishing foods with factory-produced or GMO ingredients. We replace animal protein and animal fat with soy and vegetable oil. It’s opposite of the diet I choose to eat.
When a family that eats a traditional diet has as vegan friend over, they cater to the vegan. But it doesn’t go both ways. If I were to eat at a vegan family’s house, they wouldn’t serve me meat.
This really gets me thinking. There are so many varying food trends and doctors recommendations and even the USDA promoted food plate (formerly known as the food pyramid). They’re trying to solve problems created by an industrialized and government-subsidized food system with inaccurate science.
These trends and hopeful solutions go beyond home kitchens and infiltrate school lunches, restaurants, supermarkets, everywhere.
The current trend towards a plant-based diet makes me realize how my traditional diet is endangered and perhaps at risk of extinction. My diet is being pushed aside, and small farmers are at risk.
At the conference, Sally Fallon, founder and president of the WAPF, so eloquently explained that thirty-something small Wisconsin dairy farmers all went out of business in the same day last year. They were pushed out by government policy and big agriculture.
Listen, I’m not interested in changing anyone’s food choices (and I’m talking about choices, not allergies). Everyone should have the right to choose what they put into their body. However, I am interested in being proud to eat a traditional diet and share the benefits with whomever would like to know.
I urge you to bring your traditional foods to family celebrations and potlucks. I encourage you to be proud of how you eat.
When you bring those “strange” dishes to events, be prepared for the comments. “That looks like a heart attack on a plate,” or “That poor animal.” Be prepared for this with snappy comebacks. My favorites are “That’s inaccurate science” and “There’s death in all farming, even plant based farming.”
I also encourage you to put your dollar where your mouth is… or your mouth where your dollar is. Sally recommends spending 50% of your food budget sourcing from small farms.
I am so thankful that I still have access to the foods of my choosing, foods that maintain the health of my family. And, I am equally thankful for the radically traditional small farmers who work hard to bring those foods to my kitchen.What are you thankful for?
Once you’ve been eating 100% grass fed and finished beef for a while, the conventional grain-fed counterpart loses its luster. Truly pastured grass-fed beef will be tougher and full flavored (and sometimes even a bit “gamey”), making the conventional option often taste mushy and lackluster. How has this become the normal American standard?
A complex nutty flavor is simply delicious and yellow fat that accompanies it are both signs that you are eating beef from a healthy well-raised cow. The color of beef fat is indicative of nutritional content, and the flavor is directly correlated to its diet.
Fat color is a function of what kind of vitamins are present in the cow's diet. The key ingredient that makes grass fed beef fat look yellow instead of white is beta-carotene, which is stored in the fat.
Beta-carotene is a natural form of Vitamin A, an essential nutrient, which the body can convert to Vitamin A as needed.Beta-carotene is also an antioxidant, important for protecting the body against free-radicals. Grass contains beta-carotene. Grain does not. When you see yellow fat, you can infer that the meat is also packed with Omega-3s, CLA and TVA (super healthy fats), saturated fat, carotenoids, and trace minerals.
The flavor of the meat is affected by what the cow is finished on in the last 60 days. Cows finished on grain will have a “mild” flavor, whereas cows finished on grass will have a stronger “nutty” taste. The time of the year that a grass-fed pastured cow is processed affects its flavor. Cows finished on healthy fresh grass will taste better and have more distinct and complex earthy undertones.
This is why, even though our cows are fed grass all year, most of our beef cows are processed in June or October, at the end of peak grass growing seasons.
One of my favorite and super easy beef dishes to prepare is a chuck roast. I suggest marinating the roast in buttermilk overnight. Roast slowly or cook in a slow cooker with a few cups of water, a bay leaf, some thyme, salt, and pepper. This simple preparation really lets the flavor of the beef shine. Enjoy your beef!
Tallow. Bacon grease. Lard. Butter. Goose liver. These are bad, right?
After a lifetime of anti-fat propaganda based on soft science, it’s understandable that you may still be fearful of butter and steak. However, there’s an overwhelming amount of research (and common sense) telling us otherwise.
We need animal fat. Humans have evolved for thousands of years to eat animals.
There are many reasons why animal fat is healthy. I’m not going to get into super specific scientific reasons. Rather, I’m going to focus on what I believe to be the two most important reasons you should eat animal fat.
1. Animal fats are stable.
Animal fats are not prone to spoil or turn rancid. On a molecular level, they no not oxidize or break down, releasing free radicals into your system.
Vegetable oils and spreads oxidize over time and when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. Once oxidized, they cannot serve a constructive role in your body’s health.
2. Animal fats (from animals fed a natural diet) provide vitamins found in no other foods.
Animal fats naturally contain vitamins A, D3, and K2, which are all incredibly important for healthy functioning of your body.
Vitamin A supports vision and the immune system.
Vitamin D3 maintains good bone health and immune system.Vitamin K2 prevents the buildup of calcium in the arteries, which makes them hard.
Vitamin K2 puts calcium where it belongs - into the bones - to keep them hard.
These are all fat-soluble vitamins. This means your body needs fat for the vitamins to be stored and used.
Animals are our natural multi-vitamin.
Whether this is shocking news or a confirmation of your beliefs, in modern times, it’s difficult to know what’s the “truth”. You’re surrounded by misinformation on all sides. However, when it comes to animal fat, it’s time to unlearn the propaganda and be acquainted with the happy, healthy truth.
For me, this started with a bottom up approach. I have listened to transformative stories of healing from people who changed their diet and saw outstanding results. I challenge you to talk to friends and family members. What dietary choices are they making, why, and what changes have they noticed over time?
If you do not incorporate many animals fats into your diet, I have an additional challenge for you. I challenge you to replace your vegetable oils and spreads with animal fat. Keep cooking your normal meals, but just use different fats. Take on this challenge for 4 weeks, and see how you feel. If you notice a difference, let me know!
Eggnog is an old fashioned drink, a very old fashioned drink. Although its exact lineage is debated amongst historians, there is general consensus that it originated from the early Medieval drink called posset.
Posset is a drink made with hot milk curdled with wine or beer flavored with spices. It was served in a two-handled pot and was used as a cold and flu remedy. The warmth calmed your shivers, the nutrition from the milk gave your body sustenance, and the alcohol and spices helped fight disease.
Posset recipes varied from region to region and over time, and out of this cacophony of home kitchen wisdom came a variety of milk-based delicacies including.... eggnog.
Eggnog is a rich, chilled, sweet dairy-based beverage. It’s made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and spices. Yum! You most likely drink eggnog in a short 2-3 week window surrounding the Christmas holiday.
It was the British aristocracy in the 1700s that made eggnog a holiday drink. They would add expensive liquors and spices to milk to preserve it through the winter months (yes, aged eggnog is a thing).
Eggnog was eventually brought to the Thirteen Colonies. As the world modernized and access to food improved, it was adopted by the masses as a treasured holiday drink.
Today, access to food is complicated. There’s so much of it around, but just not the kind I’m looking for. Store-bought eggnog is like this. It’s in every store right now, but I won’t buy it there.
Store-bought eggnog is engineered to be delicious and consistent. But, it’s loaded with additives, contains a ridiculous amount of sugar, and has less than 2% egg yolks. It really should be called milknog. And don’t get me started about the pasteurization, regulations, etc.
So...I’m left with two options - buy it from a small farm or make it myself.
If you have the time, eggnog is really easy to make. Here are the ingredients:
You can mix these ingredients raw (like we do on the farm) or you can heat it. It’s your choice.
To get a fuller eggnog, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Then add the other ingredients.
To get a frothy eggnog, beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Then stir into your finished eggnog. I highly recommend doing this to farm bought or homemade eggnog. It’s wonderful.
So, please, enjoy your eggnog during this winter. When you toast with eggnog, please consider what you are toasting. Toast to home remedies, good health, history, and real food access.
You just went through a good amount of effort to get your radically old fashioned milk, and then you boil it?! What gives? Let’s look into this more closely to understand the reasoning, benefits, and compromises of boiling milk.
First, let’s talk about the reasons why someone might boil their milk. There are two common reasons - culture and fear.
Some people boil milk because they are afraid of the living microorganisms in unprocessed dairy. Perhaps they have an immune deficiency. There’s a small chance they are allergic to specific bacteria. Or maybe they’ve been conditioned to believe that raw milk is dangerous.
And some people boil milk because that’s how their mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and so on did it. We have a good amount of members from India who boil their milk. They come from very hot regions of India. Boiling the milk helps it keep longer in the sweltering heat. It’s simply part of their culture.
When you heat milk, some things are lost and some things are gained. It’s a compromise.
When it comes to lactase, you are trading taste for digestibility.
Milk in its raw form contains lactase, the enzyme your body produces to breakdown the lactose in milk. Lactose is a milk sugar that makes milk sweet. The lactase will continuously breakdown lactose. It’s slower when colder, but it’s still happening. This is what makes raw milk slightly more sour day by day and eventually clabber.
When you heat milk above 135 F, the lactase naturally present in milk is obliterated. This prevents your milk from souring. How wonderful to have fresh tasting milk! On the other hand, boiling milk removes the lactase, which your body needs to digest lactose.
When it comes to microorganisms, you are either embracing the micro-biodiversity of life and digestibility or fearing and discarding all microorganisms.
Fresh unprocessed milk contains a bounty of live microorganisms. In addition to lactase, there are beneficial bacteria and enzymes that cleanse and add to your digestive system to help you break down and process all food - not just milk. However, there is also the potential for harmful pathogens transferring to milk produced by sick cows or dairies with unsanitary milking conditions.
Boiling milk will effectively eliminate all microbiology - good and bad. On the positive side, if there were any harmful pathogens, now there aren’t. On the bad side, once you boil milk, you lose all beneficial microbiology, ultimately creating a vector for disease. Pasteurized milk goes bad in a very bad and dangerous way.
Another note is that boiling milk destroys vitamins C, B12, B6 and more. There is only a loss here, unless you add minerals back to (fortify) boiled milk.
Yup. There certainly are some big compromises when it comes to pasteurization. There’s no one right way about this. Pasteurization is truly a personal choice.
Whether you are on the fence with pasteurization or are confident in your decision, you can do a simple experiment at home to explore what pasteurization does to milk. It’s fun (and a little gross) to see what happens.
Take your milk, and boil some. Make jars of both raw milk and boiled milk. Label them accordingly; don’t forget the date. Now let them sit, some in the fridge and some at room temperature. Can you make a prediction? What will happen over time?
It’s been a while, and we are so happy to be sending out our weekly news again :)
Spring is here. It’s a time for re-birth, for coming out of hibernation, and for joy, despite any hardship you may be facing.
As Ann Bradstreet said, “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant."
We may honor this time of year by deep cleaning, getting outside more, or planting starts for this year’s growing season. The farmer is busy setting up fences and preparing to make hay.
This spring, the farmer is growing something that you didn’t know about - a baby!
The farmer and his wife welcomed their fifth baby into their family on December 31, 2018. Lena S Miller was born at a birth care center and weighed 6 lbs 9 oz.
She’s grown so much already and is already rolling. Her favorite thing to do is smile. Her brothers and sisters are infatuated and love little Lena so much.
After having a baby, it’s always good to have some quick, easy meals to prepare for your family. One of the farmer’s wife’s new favorites is Philly Cheesesteak.
Put the thawed steak in a skillet and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. The farmer’s wife uses paprika, celery salt, nutritional yeast, and salt. Add water or broth until almost covered. Cook and cook on low heat for 2-3 hours.
Serve Philly Cheesesteak as a main dish or on a sourdough bun with melted cheese, sauteed peppers, and fermented ketchup.
The farmer has been pretty busy the past few months, from growing his family to making some pretty exciting changes to his business (all good in my opinion). Please hang tight for these updates, which will be coming in the next couple weeks.
I am so thrilled to be out of hibernation. Feel free to reply and say hi!
If you are an active member with us, you may have noticed that many of our meat products disappeared in the past month. What’s up with that? Let me explain.
The farmer has been under intense scrutiny recently, and one of the agencies looking into his practices is the USDA. The farmer’s ethical and regenerative farming practices are certainly on point, but the USDA had concern with his meat processors.
You see, as a farmer, you have a good amount of freedom in regard to how you choose to raise your animals. You can choose a natural vs. conventional diet, pasture-raised vs. confined feeding operation, antibiotics vs. homeopathic treatments, and so on.
However, when it comes to processing meat, the USDA is strict.
All of the farmer’s meat products were processed in USDA facilities. However, some of these facilities were not certified for sales across state lines. The farmer is changing that part of his business model.
The farmer has removed all meat products that are not USDA certified for sale across state lines. And, he is switching to processors that are USDA certified for sale across state lines.
Sounds simple, right? Nope.
First, you need to find a small batch USDA processor.
A grand majority of USDA processors are directly aligned with large farming operations. They do not accept small batch animals from small farmers. And, different processors only process certain animals. There are few options for small farmers in regard to USDA.
I should also note that becoming a USDA processor is a costly and time consuming process with lots of paperwork. You need maps, water tests, marketing plans, disposal procedures, town approval, logbooks for everything, product labels, and so on. Everything needs to be approved and inspected. It’s not practical for small-scale operations, except those committed to providing access to real food... and staying in business.
Luckily, our farmer has found smaller local processors who are USDA certified for sales across state lines.
Then, the farmer needs to make sure the processor aligns with (or is willing to accommodate) his real food values.
A processor needs to submit a plan that aligns with the regulations put in place by the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Working Group. These regulations are designed to reduce dangerous pathogens, reduce food-borne illness, and modernize meat and poultry production.
So, let’s say a processor adds ingredients to meat to make products like sausage or bacon. Those recipes would need to be approved as part of a HACCP plan. So, to avoid questionable and synthetic ingredients like phosphates, nitrates/nitrites, natural flavors, and refinery syrup, a farmer needs to find a processor willing to have natural recipes approved (or willing to use spices provided by the farmer).
So now, the farmer has found his processors. It’s time to iron out the details.
As with embarking on any new endeavor, there will be bumps in the road. For the next few months, the farmer will be working closely with his processors. He needs to ensure they meet his high standards for natural food production as well as having those HACCP plans USDA approved.
You may notice some changes, but please know that these changes are temporary. As always, the farmer strives to provide you the healthiest, most nutrient-dense, most synthetic-free products possible.
The moral of the story is that nothing is impossible. Albeit challenging, it is possible to work within the government regulations to provide junk-free food to consumers.
So, when is more meat coming back in stock? Here’s what to expect.
Grass-fed Beef - Very soon
Pastured Pork - May 1st
Pastured Poultry - May 15th
Pastured Lamb - July 20th
Pastured Goat - November 30th
The struggle for real food is undoubtedly real. Thanks so much for your ongoing support, especially as the farmer makes this important transition.
The farmer is proud to announce that he now has a Raw Milk Permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture!
The Raw Milk Permit allows the farmer to lawfully produce and sell raw milk for human consumption in the state of Pennsylvania. It means that the farm has been inspected and follows all regulations under the Milk Sanitation Law:
Per the requirements of holding a Raw Milk Permit, the farmer will have regular tests and inspections to maintain his permit.
On top of this, the farmer also has on site testing equipment. He tests every batch of milk for total coliform count and standard plate count. This is above and beyond what is required by the PA Department of Agriculture.
So, what now?
The farmer needs a bottling permit to lawfully bottle his milk for sale. To get this permit, he needs a milk bottling machine, which costs a whopping $15,000.
After the recent RB51 issue, the farmer has been financially struggling. He’s lost a significant amount of income and also had many unintended expenses. The farmer simply doesn’t have the funds to make this purchase.
He’d love to increase sales, but he cannot take on more customers until he is fully permitted. He cannot be fully permitted until he purchases this machine. It’s a catch-22!
Please help our farmer stay in business and continue providing you with nutrient-dense farm fresh foods. You can learn more and make a donation here:
https://gofundme.com/manage/help-an-ethical-amish-farmer-save-his-farm
In the Amish community, handouts are not allowed. You need to work for what you have. However, an emergency is an exception to this rule. This is an emergency.
Please, your help is needed! Any amount you can give is appreciated more than I can explain. And, please do share with your friends and family.
More than 1,200 Pennsylvania dairy farms have gone into bankruptcy since 2012. Don’t let another small farm die. Let’s help the farmer get back on track to pass down his farm to his five young children.
The farmer launched a GoFundMe campaign last week to raise money for a bottling machine so he can lawfully bottle and sell raw milk in Pennsylvania. And, it was a big success! The farmer surpassed his $15,000 goal!
The farmer will use these funds to purchase a bottling machine, build a wall (which is also necessary for the bottling permit), and pay off some of his outstanding bills (of which there are many). Once his permits and licenses are in place, the farmer will be able to reopen his store to new customers (more on that in the coming weeks).
Once the fundraising goal was met, the farmer and I had a good conversation about suffering.
Choosing to be a farmer is, in many ways, choosing suffering. It is back breaking work making hay or moving chicken tractors. It is relentless. The cows need to be milked twice a day, every day, no matter what. And, it is unpredictable. One terrible storm can ruin an entire season, create bounties of extra work, and sink you into debt.
And why do farmers choose this suffering? Well, there’s probably lots of reasons. For our farmer, it was his calling. He wants to give back, because we need real food. He wants to regenerate the soil, provide nutrient-dense food for families, and treat animals respectfully. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.
Suffering is unavoidable and needed. It is a part of life.
Everyone goes through periods of suffering - in their families, their jobs, their marriage, and their communities. It is human nature to persevere. Periods of suffering allow you to feel greater intensities of happiness.
After the long cold winter of hibernation, the spring blooms look magnificent.
When the farmer met the fundraising goal, he gave notice to his suffering. And he gave notice to the generous people that are supporting him. It is the collective goodness pushing him out of a period of suffering.
Sincere thanks to everyone who donated and shared the campaign. Many thanks go out to the Real Food Consumer Coalition, who helped the farmer immensely in the past few months. Also many thanks to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the USDA, who have also been very kind and helpful.
As Anne Frank wrote, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”
Human nature to help others is hope for the future. Thank you for hope.
Spring is here. The grass is growing. You know what that means. It’s time to make hay!
I had the pleasure to visit the farm this week. The sun is shining. The grass is certainly green and at least two feet tall. Yup, it’s time to make hay.
Hay is integral to agriculture. It’s how you can sustain animals in the colder months. And, you need to plan ahead.
As the saying goes, you need to “make hay when the sun shines.”
The average American nowadays is pretty disconnected from producing their own food. However, the saying can relate to many aspects of modern American life.
For example, let’s take your family. You need to “make hay” with your children.
Especially when your kids are young, the sun is shining, and you take the opportunity to spend time with them. Whether this is through eating meals together or playing games or going on vacation. Every minute counts. Bonding with family when you can ensures that you can stick together when your kids grow up or through troubling times.
Another example is with your health. You need to “make hay” now to ensure the healthiest future.
Taking good care of your body when you are in good health is so important. This includes eating food that is nourishing, exercising regularly, and taking time to nurture your soul. The stronger you can be in health gives you the best chance for your body to overcome illness, disease, and trauma.
My last example is financial. You need to “make hay” when you are financially stable.
This may mean saving for retirement or college or investing in real estate or an investment account. Even if you only have a little left over, it’s important to save for the future, when you will need it.
Making hay is not easy. It’s hard work. And it takes time.
The farmer needs to plan to make hay. He waits for the grass to grow and for the weather to be dry. He cuts the grass and tedders it (spreads it out). Then, it must sit and dry. Patience is needed to wait for it to have the perfect moisture content for baling, which typically takes 1-3 days, depending on the weather. He needs to coordinate with his neighbors to help with baling. He cannot do it alone. He needs more horses and more workers.
The same is needed for “making hay” as a modern American. You need planning, patience, perception, and coordination. You cannot do it alone.
Once you are done “making hay”, however much you need to nurture your life, you can be assured that you will be ok through the cold winter.
The farmer knows that he needs about 15,000 bales of hay to make it through the winter. So, when the sun is shining, he’s always making hay.
How much hay and of what type do you need to make? I suggest making some now in solidarity with the farmer.
Best wishes for your hay making this season!
This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. This is undoubtedly a human holiday, but I’d like to reflect on all things that bring life into the world. This includes something slimy and delicious and somewhat mysterious… kombucha!
Kombucha originated around 2,000 years ago in the Far East. It is a bubbly tangy fermented beverage with tremendous health benefits for your brain, your heart, and especially your gut.
The active culture in kombucha is called a SCOBY (which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). My kids like to call it the “kombucha mommy”.
As long as it’s fed and treated properly, the kombucha mommy will keep growing and producing kombucha babies indefinitely. Incredible!
You feed the kombucha mommy black tea sweetened with sugar (cane sugar, honey, or other sugars). Then, the mommy jumpstarts the fermentation process, eating the sugar and producing enzymes and lots of probiotic bacteria.
When consumed, these probiotic bacteria line your digestive tract and support your immune system, as they absorb nutrients and fight infection and illness.
The kombucha mommy takes the shape of the container it’s in and typically floats at the top. When healthy, it will continue to get thicker and thicker.
The kombucha mommy is odd to handle. It’s slimy and feels a bit like smooth raw chicken breast. You can chop up the mommy and make more mommies and even more kombucha.
Just like most human mothers, the kombucha mommy works tirelessly. It grows as its babies grow. It needs to stay in balance. And, it relies on input from the outside world to stay healthy.
Thank you to all the mommies this week who work tirelessly for their families. Thank you to the humans, cows, pigs, birds, bees, and all the other mommies. Without you, we would not have this beautiful diversity we call earth.
As Barbara Kingsolver wrote, “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws."
I toast to you (with kombucha, of course)!
Miller’s Biodiversity Farm goes deep.
The farmer doesn’t simply trust a product label or offer short answers to his customers. He finds fellow farmers and companies he trusts and provides accurate and transparent information about his products.
Every detail counts.
Sure, the farmer feeds his animals a natural diet and makes sure they live an active lifestyle. No, he doesn’t give vaccines or routine antibiotics. No, he doesn’t use chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. No, he does not feed or sell GMO crops.
But those farming practices are the broad strokes. He goes deeper.
For example, you may have read last week’s news about the routine use of chlorine for washing chicken, even certified organic chicken. We disclosed the alternative sanitizer that our processor will use - Chixcide. Chixcide is lactic and citric acids made by fermenting corn and cassava.
A few customers reached out to see if the corn is GMO-free. Great q uestion! We followed up with the Chixcide producer and found out that the corn is in fact GMO free. They even gave us the certificate to prove it.
We also learned that all of Birko’s products are approved for use on certified organic food. This is a company who is headed in the right direction.
This is all great, but... if you’re reading this email, then you probably know that GMO-free does not mean that synthetic herbicides and pesticides (like glyphosate) are not used.
You probably also know that the “certified organic” label is not all it’s cracked up to be.
So the research continues. We are working with Birko to find out the source of the corn and find out definitively if glyphosate (or other chemicals) would be present in the chicken washing solution.
Every minute detail counts. Anything that would touch your food - the soap for cleaning equipment, the iodine for cleaning teats, the solutions used at the processor - affect food quality.
It’s not only about how the food is raised but also about how it’s processed.
Our farmer wants to keep his food as natural and nutrient-dense as possible. So he does his research. And, as a consumer, I hope you do, too.
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