Farm Fresh Even In Winter

Winter can leave those of us who seek farm fresh produce craving the bountiful days of summer. Once the Farmer's Markets pack up for the season, most of us are left with the dull, flavorless, and expensive produce at the grocery stores. Not very appetizing is it?

But did you know that produce grows year round here in Texas (and in many other areas as well). But several gardeners head inside for winter and leave their gardens behind where greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, lettuce, beets, and onions could be growing. I too am quilting of abandoning my garden at summers end. It seems by then the plants and myself are burned out by the summer heat.

This is a great place for your local CSA to step in. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By joining you are buying a share of a local farm and in return you receive a weekly portion of produce. And when I say, "produce" don't picture the stuff you see at your local grocery store in your head. Instead think of crisp spinach leaves harvested just an hour before you arrive, fresh tender baby carrots free of pesticides, and a few vegetables that you have never even seen before!

Check out localharvest.org to find a CSA near you. Several groups will give you a deal on the price if you volunteer a few hours of farm work (a great project for kids). And the owners are usually generous with recipe ideas for those new veggies you will be taking home. They will also offer tips for storing and freezing excess so nothing goes to waste.

For those of you who are local, I use Bill's Organic Gardens and they are wonderful people! Every week we receive a very generous portion of organic vegetables some of which have been new to me and I am a dietitian! This forces me to get out of my rut and eat a variety of vegetables and discover new favorties. Those of us in this group often exchange the new recipes we've discovered to help each other out. It's one of the cheapest and healthiest adventures I have ever been on!

I put off joining a CSA for a long time because I have grown my own garden since I was in college (think pots on an apartment balcony). But I know now that I have been missing out!

Bill (from Bill's Organic Gardens) has just expanded his land and crop so it's a good time to join. There is a link above to his website where you can get more information and contact him. You can always contact me for questions too. If you do join, be sure to tell him that I sent you!

For the sake of full disclosure I must tell you that I do have a financial relationship with Bill's Organic Gardens. But that financial relationship did not happen until after I became a customer and saw the quality and value. Now I am anxious to get the word out and Bill has asked for my help.

More Good News For Those in Dallas

Let's be honest, meat from animals raised in a pasture without the use of hormones, antibiotics, and genetically modified grains is expensive. Have you seen the prices at whole Foods and Sprouts (I'm talking to the city folk, not us locals :)? As some of you know, purchasing the whole animal has saved this frugal housewife a ton of money!

Going directly to the farmer is an option for you guys in Dallas and Fort Worth as well. Many of you have asked about purchasing a whole animal and transporting it back to the city. I looked into it and here is the deal.

I spoke with Jerica from True Fields and she explained a few options you guys have. First of all you can purchase a whole animal from her with the perk of a price break. You can then have it processed at the place they use out here which puts a road trip in you near future. For some of you that might be a bonus. After all, fall is beautiful in these piney woods and you might have a dietitian who is an old friend that you want to see that lives near by;). Transporting the meat in an ice chest on dry ice will be sufficient for food safety.

Another option is to pay to have the animal transported to a facility near you and have it butchered there.

All this effort is worth it though. Not only do you have the advantage of speaking directly to the farmer and learning all about how the animal was raised but you also have the choice of how it is processed. What cuts of meat would you like? How do you want it cut? Are there any specialty items you want?

And the convenience of having high quality meat in your freezer cannot go unmentioned!

True Field's contact information is on their website, truefields.com. They will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Texas Daily Harvest

You may have heard me talk about this dairy in my nutrition class or read about them on my blog. Now you can check them out for yourself. Their website is up and running now so pop on over, texasdailyharvest.com. You might be surprised to find that a store or farmer's market near you is carrying their delicious products. Archer's personal favorite is their Greek yogurt. My new favorite is their Gouda cheese that I tried for the first time last night. I made a cheese soup with the organic Gouda, fresh raw cream, homemade broth, and veggies. You can't do better than nourishing and amazingly tasty food! Don't forget, if you don't see your local store listed on Texas Daily Harvest's website, you can always ask your store to carry their products. Sprouts, Whole Foods, and small health food stores are always looking for high quality local products.

Click here to receive the Texas Daily Harvest newsletter. A certain dietitian that you know is writing articles for their newsletters ;).

Enjoy the harvest!

Real Milk For Everyone

A new bill is in the works that would allow raw milk to be sold at farmer's markets, farm stands, and to be delivered. Under current law raw milk can only be sold at the farm. I know for us that means driving at least 1 hour there and 1 hour back. And in my book that's a little difficult to add to our weekly excursions to say the least. That's why we have set up a milk co-op where we take turns driving out to the farm.

This law will help support local farms and in effect the local economy. And as an added bonus it allows the consumer easier access to real unprocessed food. Why do they make it so hard in the first place to get food that doesn't say General Mills or Nabisco on it?

For more details and to find out how you can help click here.

Farm Day

This past Saturday the farm True Fields hosted their first Farm Day. I rode home with another mom and a total of five children. Judging by the noise level on the way home, Farm Day was a big hit with the kiddos! I believe Savannah said she wanted to go to Mrs. Jerica's farm everyday, even on Christmas and Valentines day.

Jerica and Matt Cadman opened up their farm to the community with the goal of educating others on the importance of sustainable farming and the nutrtional benefit of eating meat and dairy products raised in this environment. The educational aspect was hidden amoung the fun child-centered activities including milking a cow, making butter from fresh raw cream, collecting eggs from the hen house, feeding the pigs, and going for a hayride. And then there was the farm fresh scrumptious food. My daughter alone ate at least five of Jerica's fresh sausage balls and about 5 pieces of her homemade motzerella cheese. Refreshing homemade ice cream made with honey provided the finale for the evening.

The kids had a blast and learned where their food actually comes from (or where it should come from) and the parents gained insight that will hopefully affect future food choices. Sign up for their newsletters on their website, truefields.com so you will knowwhen the next Farm Day rolls around. It's something you don't want to miss. Heck it's worth going just to meet the Cadman's. This young couple's passion for health and sustainable farming (not sure if that's the correct term) are evident the first time they open thier mouths. These are the types of people you trust to get your food from. These are the type of people you want to get your grocery dollars. I have read that every dollar you spend on food you are indirectly farming. I farm at True Fields.

And on a side note, their piggies taste wonderful! We ordered a whole pig from them this past summer (it's less expensive if you buy the whole thing) and the meat has been tender and delicious. We have been so happy with thier products that we have already purchased 2 turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Site for sore eyes and a hungry palate

A friend of mine recommend this website to me a couple of months ago and I perused it a bit and thought it worth sharing. The writer of this blog/website is a stay at home mom with four boys who also gardens and makes everything from scratch. As I dug in further to her site I could tell that she believes similarly as me that if God didn't make it, we shouldn't eat it. When I noticed somewhere on her FAQ page that she is a fellow WAP (Weston A Price) momma, I knew I had to plug her page.

Check out heavenlyhomeaker.com for recipes, gardening tips, and more. For those of you trying to figure out the "soaking the grains" thing and have still not bought the cookbook Nourishing Traditions, her site offers recipes. Just this morning I made her breakfast cake recipe. And the name breakfast "cake" is no misnomer. This dish should be accompanied by a birthday candle and singing! In my opinion it is way too sweet to be an appropriate breakfast choice but if you cut the honey down to 1/4 cup (even 1/2 a cup would be an improvement over 3/4 cup), add dried nuts for protein, and serve with a cup of raw milk, buttermilk, or kefir then you have a decent breakfast that can be eaten on the go. You could even send a couple of pieces of high quality nitrate free bacon or sausage to go with it.

If you make any of her recipes that you like let me know. I love to share the good, bad, and disgusting so we can learn from each other.

More shop talk

Now that my weekend break from blogging has ended it's time I continue on with our Fun Fat Week. And I must get this blog up soon or I fear you will all start calling me Paula Dean and picture me at home licking sticks of butter in light of my last post.

My dear friend Katy has asked a plethora of questions to begin our week with. I think we will kick off this post with a few of those.

She and her husband have recently watched the documentary FOOD INC (which I highly recommend) and it has left her disgusted with the America's current food supply but still full of questions. Such as, "Now that I know all of this, where do I get my food?" The documentary ends before before addressing that very question of what to do next. Sounds like a good place for us pick up.

Katy also asks if meat and dairy are the most important place to start when beginning to eat healthy. My disappointingly unscientific answer is, "Sounds good to me." The truth is if you are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) any change is good. Just please start somewhere. Anywhere. I chose fat to discuss first on my blog because it is probably the most misunderstood part of our diet. And well, it's fun! We will hit other American phobias including those scary carbs somewhere down the line. But for now let's get back to the fun world of fat.

If you are like Katy and disgusted by the meat and dairy products at your grocery store you are probably in search of alternatives. You may remember in an earlier post I recommended shopping in grocery stores as little as possible. When you shop at a store and buy prepackaged food, the only information you have is what is posted on the label. And in trying to read the label you may find it so full of nutritional lingo and mambo jumbo that it is about as helpful as trying to read an organic chemistry text book with no chemistry background.

Our favorite places to shop in lieu of the store are:
Texas Daily Harvest (Their products are available at Coppell's Farmer's Market)
Bear Dairy
Our local Farmer's Market
Lucky Layla's (A dairy located in the middle of Plano I kid you not!)
Martin's Berry Patch
Produce stands along back country roads
Food from friends and relatives kitchens and gardens
The forests of East Texas where my husband hunts
My in-law's farm (we harvest a cow from there every year or two)
My own backyard
True Fields
and many more I am forgetting at the moment but you get the idea.

I cannot state this often enough, I am not perfect. I still have to go to the store for a few things. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that. But we try. And with that effort about 75% of our food does not come from a grocery store.

Animals aloud to roam free and eat grass have more omega 3 fatty acids in their meat vs an animal only being fed grains (the ones at your local grocery store) which leads to meat with more omega 6 fatty acids. Likewise the eggs from free roaming chickens are also higher in omega 3 fatty acids. Did you think God intended only fish eating Eskimos up north to benefit from omega 3's? We once had a source until we decided to change the natural food chain and mass produce food.

Look for ranches near you that provide grass fed meats on eatwild.com and localharvest.org. Be sure to ask them if you can purchase a whole animal from them to have butchered. It is usually much cheaper than buying it piece by piece over the year.

If you and your husband don't hunt (wild animals are naturally grass fed) find someone who does. The south is full of trophy hunters who don't plan to eat their meat.

Ah, and then there is farm fresh milk and dairy products. I just have to let out a big yummmmmm after typing that. Aside from the fact that they taste awesome they too benefit the cows munching grass instead of grain. I won't go any further in explanation than that right now because dairy deserves it's own post. Maybe it's own week. Look for sources on the websites listed above and realmilk.org. This is another one to ask around on. Sources may be closer than you think.

As a side note, it took me forever to write this post. I have so much information I want to share but I am trying not to be overwhelming. And I have a love of science so reining in my scientific explanations is harder than one might think. On that note I think I will stop here today even though I feel like I have only written a brief introduction to the subject of fats in grass fed animals.

TURKEY ALERT!!!!

True Fields in Jefferson Texas is taking orders now for Thanksgiving turkeys. If they don't have enough interest then they won't order any so they need to know ASAP. These turkeys will be free roaming therefore their meat will be higher in omega 3's from eating grass and bugs with less omega 6s like pinned up grain fed turkeys are. Plus no hormones, antibiotics, or additives.

Email Jerica to let her know you are interested info@truefields.com and check out their website while you are at it, truefields.com.

I'm not sure if they will be shipping turkeys or if they are for pick up only. Ask Jerica if you are interested.

Don't Eat The Budget!

For those of you who are locals, our farmer's market is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. Vendors get there at 6:30 AM and sometimes sell out by 10:30 so shop as early as you can.

Their prices blow away the overpriced, waxy, and sometimes flavorless produce at the grocery store. Bell peppers are only 50 cents vs. $1 or more at the store. I picked up 1# of yard beans (like green beans except really long! Like 2 feet long! These are fun for kids and tasty too.) for $1.50 and it made a HUGE pot.

Stop by and check them out. My kiddo had a blast picking our her own food and talking with the farmers. Hope your family enjoys saving money while buying fresher, healthier, and tastier food too!

How to Shop for Healthy Food

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is how to read food labels so that they may decipher what food is worth buying. My reply is rarely appreciated but I'll repeat it again. It's easy, just don't buy food with labels and then you don't have to worry about reading them!

And just where do you buy food without a label? You buy it where food comes from...farms. If you shop at your local farms there will be no gimmicks, misleading marketing, confusing food labels, or mutilated food. What you will get is a bouquet of amazing aromas (there is nothing like the smell of perfectly ripe food), produce bursting with flavor that will not be left to rot in the crisper but rather begs to be eaten, and the story of your food from seed until consumption.

In the previous post I put a link to a farm listed on http://www.localharvest.org/. Devour this site! Punch in your zip code (or a zip code where you are traveling to this summer) and you will find local farmer's markets, grass fed meats of all kinds, farm fresh eggs, cheeses, milks, yogurt, kefir, butter, grains, vegetables, fruit, CSAs, honey, herbs, and just about anything else edible you can imagine that comes from the earth (and should we eat it if it didn't come from the earth?).

I'll be posting many resources on this blog but this is one of the best comprehensive sites there is. Just thinking about it makes me want to go into the kitchen and get one of those soak-your-chin-and shirt-down-to-your-toes, juicy peaches form a local orchard!

Bon Appetit!

Cleaning the Refrigerator for Lunch

In a rush and on my way out the door for work the other day I realized I needed something for lunch. I rummaged the fridge and found several fresh ingredients to throw together for a salad.

Mixed greens

Fresh spinach

Blackberries picked the previous day at a local farm

Crispy pecans

Feta fresh from the dairy

Cinnamon salad dressing leftover from the salad made the night before

Oh my, let me tell you how awesome the cinnamon salad dressing tasted with the juicy blackberries, salty feta, and nutty pecans! I could eat this all summer.

Pick your own blackberries and blueberries at Martin's Berry Patch
4534 Farm Rd 968 West
Marshall, TX 75670
903-660-3283
Only $9.50 to fill a whole bucket!
They store easily by freezing flat on a cookie sheet and then once frozen place them in a freezer bag. Don't wash them before you freeze them. It toughens the skins.

Fresh from the farm feta

Texas Daily Harvest

A certified organic dairy and farm.

275 CR 1455

Yantis, TX 75497

903/975/1100

They have wonderful organic raw and pasteurized cheeses but the feta is by far my favorite. This farm has been featured in the Dallas Morning News and can be found at a few farmers markets in Dallas. The Granary in Longview and Tyler often carry their cheeses. If you don't see them, ask for them and they will order them for you.

This farm also offers butter, yogurt, produce, eggs, and fresh grains.

Talk about one top shopping!

For more information you can always email me or check out the link below.

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M33172

The city may have Whole Foods but out here in the country we have access to the actual whole foods before the go to Whole Foods!

Country living is the Good Life.