My Dream Farm

By now, most of you know that I'm pretty passionate about procuring food from my beloved farmers and of my intention of having our own farm soon. I've been lucky enough to meet all sorts of farmers who have shared with me their knowledge and some incredible experiences. Through my time spent working with and learning from farmers, I have been able to develop a clearer picture of how I will work with the land and animals to create a vibrant, productive farm.

I plan to create said farm employing some principles that I hold dear. I truly respect and value Biodynamic farms. I believe that this style of farming produces a nourished farm organism that 'gives back' to the land, rather than just taking. In addition, the food produced on Biodynamic farms is superior to any other I've ever tasted because it's packed with an energy, an abundance of nutrients, and things we can't really measure, but just inherently know are right.

This animal was shot, skinned, and gutted in less than an hour. Look at the beautiful, yellow fat from that solely pasture raised animal.

Aside from that, one of my strongest convictions lies in slaughtering and butchering my own animals. I can not tell you how many farmers I have met that shake their heads at the way their animals have been butchered. I have no intention of raising animals with incredible care only to load them on trucks and have them butchered at a commercial facility, by people who have no connection to that animal. At one of my friend's farms, I was lucky enough to take part in the butchering and slaughtering of animals. Before that, I would say that my understanding of what it meant to be grateful for my food was shallow, at best. There is a great duty, for those of us who eat animals, to understand what it truly means for that animal to give its life for us.

I have seen animals slaughtered in so-called sterilized factories and I have slaughtered animals in the sunshine. I know which one is more sanitary and I know which one is right. I could not compromise on that point.

So, my dream farm...  I see my cows (I know the breed, but I don't want to say, let's just say they're an ancient breed that do well on grass and harsh Canadian winters). There's some sweet lambs over there, up on the hill, chewing grass. Over on the other side of yonder hill are the chickens. Sweet chickens for eggs and yummy chickens for our bellies. They too will be slaughtered on the farm. There's heritage pigs on pasture, maple trees that give us syrup, and bees that give us honey. Every now and then we get a mama cow that we can borrow some raw milk from. There's all sorts of green things, veggies, and berries sprouting up everywhere! Oh, and look, there's my sweet hubby and our cool kids sitting in the morning sun waiting for me to join them for breakfast! Better go before it gets cold!