We're Back! Sort of...

Doesn't this just show how Internet illiterate I am sometimes? I had no idea you could change your blog name!

I had planned on deleting this blog because we moved back from overseas, and a lot of the information was irrelevant (like, say, continent of residence!!). But then I noticed it was still getting a lot of traffic, particularly for the info on hobby farming quail. So, I did a little research, and instead of deleting, I learned that I could update everything! :)

So, some of the links in this blog are no longer working even though the photo albums that contain the images have not changed. I guess that's technology for us. I will try to get them fixed and get everything updated as time allows. We changed our location and our name, but our goals are still the same: to raise hand raise grass-fed, pastured, healthy food in sustainable, earth-friendly ways and have fun doing it! :)

For now, I will sing off with a photo of a good friend of mine.

     
~ Fresh Start Farm TX ~

What would you do if someone tried to give you a poisonous gift?

Manifest Haiti: Monsanto's Destiny

"Like any benevolent disaster capitalist corporation, Monsanto extended a hand in a time of crisis to the 65 percent of the population that survives off of subsistence agriculture. But not just any hand was extended in this time of great need, rather: a fistful of seeds. The extended fist was full of corn seeds, one of Haiti's staple crops, treated with the fungicide Maxim XO. With similar benevolence, not just any tomato seeds were donated to the agrarian peasants, but tomato seeds treated with Thiram, a chemical so toxic the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled it too toxic to sell for home garden use, further mandating that any agricultural worker planting these seeds must wear special protective clothing."

This is a most shameful manipulation and exploitation of a country that is suffering some of its worst natural disasters in history! Shameful!

Food, Inc. - Part 1/7 In German!

Egg-cellent Nutrition From Pastured Hens!

Egg testing found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture contain:

• 1/3 less cholesterol   
• 1/4 less saturated fat
   • 2/3 more vitamin A  
 • 2 times more omega- 3 fatty acids  
 • 3 times more vitamin E
   • 7 times more beta carotene

These amazing results come from egg samples collected from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture

Original article: http://handcraftedcoops.com/home-raised-eggs-offer-superior-nutrition

Who Taught You Turkey Wrangling? :)

No, no, I don't mean real wrangling! Our daughter frequently "chats" with our birds through the windows, and this day she went outside to record part of the conversation she was having with Taloa, our Beltsville Small White Turkey. "Taloa" means "sing" in the Choctaw language. :)

Something to think about

www.stopsmithfieldfoods.com/

The only way to implement change is to stop buying these kinds of products.

Raising Quail...to Raise Quail!

A great read for anyone interested in raising quail in a more natural way!

A Different Philosophy on Keeping & Breeding Button Quail

http://www.thatquailplace.com/articles/index.php?id=8

Saying Farewell to Summer!

Wow, what an eventful summer we've had! If you would have told me in the spring that it would be so busy, I would have doubted. It's funny how, even though you don't have much planned, life tosses things at you from all angles!

Since spring, we have raised more chickens,

Gideon the goose,

and more...and more...and more rabbits -- and we should have 3 pregnant does right now!

We still have the dogs, the cat, and we adopted kittens from the neighbors and placed them in new homes.

The garden we planted in spring has been a great experience, and we just pulled in 120 pounds of fresh veggies this past week! The corn is still growing, as well as some zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, and I'm sure a few other things, so we're not finished. Not only that, but there is just an excitement and a lot of gratitude that comes with the harvest -- a joy that some people will never experience, but one that is older than all of us. I should read up on how generations past celebrated harvest. Maybe a unit study for the kids... :)

Wishing you all Fall blessings from the farm... Now we have to get ready to go pick apples! :)

A few recent pictures of the flock

Four Myths About Eggs

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/132/four-myths-about-eggs.html

Our baby Embden Goose, Gideon

We hatched an Embden goose this month (some of the other eggs were infertile). His name is Gideon, and he's our first goose. He's so cute and funny! And he already loves to eat the dandelions.

We're hoping to start a good gaggle and sell some eggs next spring (2011). If we have enough, we might sell some geese for Christmas dinner, too.