Stephen and Sarah

We were delighted to have Stephen and Sarah come visit Thursday through Sunday after returning from their honeymoon. We enjoyed time at Birch Bay, BBQ with friends, wedding slide show and just being together. It was hard saying bye and there were some tears but we're also very excited for them as they start on this new phase in life. God bless you sister and new brother!

(thank you Laura for the picture)

Buxton Projects

We put in new electrical for the freezers

Digging a trench to bring water to the new milk house

Pouring a slab for the new milk house

Headed out to the pasture to do some work

Spreading gravel on the drive way

The driver sticker reads "I don't care how you do it up North"

New step for the shop

The new milk house slab

The True Significance of the Wedding Covenant

With the loss of oral tradition, much of the wedding ceremony’s meaning has been overlooked. What is the purpose of the white runner beneath the bride’s feet? Why do the bride and groom feed a piece of cake to each other? Why does the groom enter the sanctuary or auditorium first?

I found this book to be not only very educational in understanding the wedding covenant traditions but also its rich and holy symbolism of the marriage of Christ.

Ultimately, the ability to choose what I will feed my 3 trillion intestinal flora and fauna is the final freedom. Who cares how much gas is in the car when I have no food choice? What good is religious liberty when I may attend church having only eaten irradiated, genetically prostituted, amalgamated, extruded, reconstituted, flavor-added, MSG-laden, nitrate-stabilized, Archer Daniels Midland pseudo-food? - Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin's Books

Today I finally finished the last of Joel Salatin's books. I borrowed the first few from a friend and read them during my breaks at work last harvest. Since then, I've got all 6 books.

The first I read was Joel's first book You Can Farm. During my time in Virginia Joel signed my book and wrote "oh yes you can!" This book is subtitled:  "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise."  A veritable compendium of information, Joel pulls from his eclectic sphere of knowledge, combines it with a half century of farming experience, and covers as many topics as he can think of that will affect the success of a farming venture. Since visiting Polyface in Virginia I'm wanting to read this again. It'll come more to life having seen the farm and some of the ways they do things.

Next I read Salad Bar Beef and Pastured Poultry Profits. In these two books Joel covers all the ins and outs of raising Beef and Poultry. Note: Joel has since revised some of the ways he raises his cows after the influence of Greg Judy and Ian Mitchell-Innes.

Holy Cows and Hog Heaven is written for food buyers to empower them in their dedication to food with integrity.  Farmers who give it to their customers say that folks who have read it have a new level of understanding and a delightful attitude about the farmer-consumer relationship.  A short, easy read, this book will make you laugh and cry, all in a matter of minutes. 

Joel calls Family Friendly Farm his soul book.  Right now, four generations live at Polyface.  That requires vision, grace, and an attractive farming and business model.  The subtitle, "A Multigenerational Home-Based Business Testament" delineates the far-reaching implications discussed in these pages. It's worth reading just for the 10 chapters titled "10 Commandments for Making Your Kids Love the Farm."

In Joel's latest book, Everything I want to do is Illegal, he takes the time to rant and on about every regulation, law, government official, and more. Although Polyface farm has been glowingly featured in countless national print and video media, it would not exist if the USDA and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services had their way.  From a lifetime of noncompliance, frustration, humor, and passion come the behind-the-scenes real stories that have brought this little family farm into the forefront of the non-industrial food system. It'll open your eyes to what the small farmer has to goes through.

Harvesting Peppermint

Today I harvested our first peppermint. It was the first time I'd done it so I researched a little and found the following information:

When the plant starts to grow vines that are a good 5" or so, cut all the vines down. Cut them all relatively short, but be sure to leave a couple sets of leaves on each vine. This way the peppermint will continue to create food for it's roots.

As it continues to grow, keep cutting it back to a few inches. This will make it start to get bushier toward the base of the plant, and you'll get a greater yield.

There are many different ways to store your peppermint. The best way to use it is fresh. I'm hanging mine to dry and then will pull off the leaves to use for tea after the growing season is over. Peppermint is my favorite tea!

Visiting the Weese Family Farm