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mapsedgeYesterday, we met our food.
I don't mean that metaphorically, as it happens. I mean it quite literally. We met, for instance, a lamb - which Katie bottle fed as a part of the festivities - that sometime in the future will be slaughtered and sold to us as chops, or shanks. We drove past the pen where the broiler chickens are kept - one of their number is upstairs on our stovetop, thawing. I caught and held for the children one of the chickens that provides us eggs. Katie made a challenge of catching the chickens, not an easy task. She ran around the pen where the Chester Whites are kept that will provide us ribs, roast, and bacon.
We met our food.
Since Katie's diagnosis of Asperger's and suggested treatment of an all natural diet (not low fat/no sugar, just natural) we have made the effort to find suppliers of better quality food than we can get at, say, Price Chopper. Animals raised in good conditions, free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Michelle found Parker Farms at a local producers gathering at the Sermon Center back in March, and signed us up for meat. (She also found Door-To-Door Organics, and now we get a delivery of fruits and vegetables to our door every Saturday.)
Yesterday, the Parker family had a picnic for their customers, and took us on a tour of the farm. The chickens, hogs, cows, and sheep run free, have adequate water, food, and shelter, and were all active and apparently healthy. The food was good; the company, after the ice thawed among all us strangers, was mostly pleasant. (The only animals we didn't meet were the cows, who were a good mile away in another pasture.)
It was a very good day. I am now satisfied, more than I ever was before, with our decision to buy from them. You can't beat locally grown, there's no doubt about it. We're also saving money, which is a definite plus.
I don't mean that metaphorically, as it happens. I mean it quite literally. We met, for instance, a lamb - which Katie bottle fed as a part of the festivities - that sometime in the future will be slaughtered and sold to us as chops, or shanks. We drove past the pen where the broiler chickens are kept - one of their number is upstairs on our stovetop, thawing. I caught and held for the children one of the chickens that provides us eggs. Katie made a challenge of catching the chickens, not an easy task. She ran around the pen where the Chester Whites are kept that will provide us ribs, roast, and bacon.We met our food.
Since Katie's diagnosis of Asperger's and suggested treatment of an all natural diet (not low fat/no sugar, just natural) we have made the effort to find suppliers of better quality food than we can get at, say, Price Chopper. Animals raised in good conditions, free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Michelle found Parker Farms at a local producers gathering at the Sermon Center back in March, and signed us up for meat. (She also found Door-To-Door Organics, and now we get a delivery of fruits and vegetables to our door every Saturday.)
Yesterday, the Parker family had a picnic for their customers, and took us on a tour of the farm. The chickens, hogs, cows, and sheep run free, have adequate water, food, and shelter, and were all active and apparently healthy. The food was good; the company, after the ice thawed among all us strangers, was mostly pleasant. (The only animals we didn't meet were the cows, who were a good mile away in another pasture.)It was a very good day. I am now satisfied, more than I ever was before, with our decision to buy from them. You can't beat locally grown, there's no doubt about it. We're also saving money, which is a definite plus.
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Date: 2009-05-31 19:03 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-01 13:35 (UTC)It was a good experience for both kids - and the grown-up kids, too. Katie spent a lot of time playing with one of the Parker girls - because of the Aspergers', Katie has no real, steady friends - and the two had a high time all over the farm. Jami (and every other boy child) found the sandbox. I took my guitar and noodled on the edges.
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Date: 2009-06-01 18:14 (UTC)