Meat in the freezer
Our family came to visit the farm and my sweet little cousin asked what our chickens names were, her mother replied, "they are not pets, they don't have names". Astonished, she asked why anyone would have chickens that weren't pets, her mother asked, "where do our eggs come from?" It was in that moment that she realized where our eggs came from and said, "shut the front door momma, they don't have to go to Kroger!"
We no longer buy our eggs from the grocery store and it's our 2018 family and farming goal to not purchase any meat from the grocery store. So if not the grocery store, then where, you might be asking. Here is our plan for the future and how our goals can have a ripple effect into your freezer.
After brainstorming our ideas for filling the meat freezers, we have three options.
1. We will be hitting the woods this year and next in an attempt to hunt for wild game. Deer, turkey, and squirrel will be harvested right here on the farm. The meat already lives here, we watch it walk through our field and forest.
2. We will be raising our own and in time possibly your meat- eggs, meat chickens, hogs, rabbit and cattle eventually. We will be feeding these animals on our own pasture and forest, locally harvested hay or by non genetically modified feed depending on species.
3. We will be purchasing from local farms. It takes an entire farming community to keep the freezers stocked. We've always bought beef and sausage from Tyler's grandpa at Keener Cattle Company and we just purchased half a beef from our friends at Brown Cow Farms. I love opening our freezer and seeing all the beef. Another great option is your local Farmers Market.
Just like my little cousin, most of us don't make the connection beyond the grocery store. We don't think twice about where or how our meat was raised, what the animal ate, and how it was processed. If and when we do make this connection our imagery often will be greener and cleaner than the reality.
In 2018 we plan to know exactly where our meat comes from; what it ate and where it was raised. Comment and let us know if you'd like to take on this goal and challenge with us!
