Mystery Meat

Seriously? 

Have you read the article about the tests recently done on Taco Bell's "Taco Meat Filling" (I previously referred to it as beef)?  They reveal that only 36% of the mixture is actually beef.  This is frightening...and disgusting.

But here is the worst part.

Legally, it must contain 40% beef to be called Taco Meat Filling.

So before we bash Taco Bell for their atrocities against mankind, let's remember that they are only about 4% off the mark.  The disturbing thing in this story is that, simply put, we only expect that our "beef" should contain 40% actual beef.  What is wrong with us that we accept that? 

I have talked to some who say that, hey, it has food products in it and therefore it's not a big deal. And it tastes good (okay...can't deny that).  So why do I care if it's only 36% beef? 

Learn to care, my friends.  Today's it's oats, soy, yeast, corn starch, and preservatives. What will it be tomorrow?  If we never ask, we'll never know.  And if we don't demand better for ourselves and for our children by voting with our food dollars, then we secure for our children a future where real food is the privilege of the few.

Soylent Green anyone?

It Matters

My wife and I had opportunity to watch the documentary “FoodMatters” recently.  It’s not the first time we’ve watched it.  I would recommend it as a worthy use of your time. 

By the way, if you use Netflix, it's an instant watch.

The main premise is that we are not eating as we should and that, as a culture, we neglect vitamins and vitamin supplements in favor of anti-biotics.  We make these choices even when more natural methods would work.  It explores this culture of ours and the predisposition we have toward the use of medicine. 

Yet I walked away with a different impression as I watched it this time around.  As usual, I thought about all the ways in which I need to improve my health and that of my family.  I thought about the foods I should be eating, the vitamins I should be supplementing, and the nutrients I should be seeking out.  And, as usual, I was overwhelmed and ate a bowl of ice cream to feel better.

It did help by the way.

This time, though, I thought of all the stuff I’m not doing, and then asked myself why I wasn’t doing any of it?  To put it another way, I asked myself what I could start doing now.  How could I improve my health right now?  I’ve learned much over the years about healthy living.  I’ve found that there is one thing that all the health experts agree on.  They all agree that we need to be healthier.

But that’s where the agreement stops.

There is no magic pill, no silver bullet that will lead to good health.  It has to start small.  After watching the movie, I decided to take some vitamin C supplements and eat more foods that contain C.  Why?  Simply put, we’re in the cold/flu season.  Why not take some preventative measure before I get sick?  This is a no brainer, but I wasn’t doing it.  So now I am. 

Living a healthy lifestyle in modern America is difficult. 

Did you just read that statement?  Did it strike you as odd?  It should.  Here we are in one of the richest countries in the world.  We throw away more rotten and out date foods than some countries will even be able to produce.  We have access to, and the means to buy, fruits and vegetables.  We have whole aisles at the store committed to vitamins.  We have entire stores dedicated to healthy living.  Yet we are a people who read about healthy living more than we live healthy.

Why? 

I submit to you that we are a lazy people.  I know I am.  Here’s an example:  I ordered coffee (yes, I buy it online, yes I am a coffee snob) and forgot to specify that I needed it ground.  I don’t have a grinder.  So each morning I am painstakingly grinding my own beans with a mortar and pestle (As a side note, it tastes absolutely fabulous.  Not sure why the mortar and pestle makes a difference, but it does). Even as I grind, I’m thinking I should just buy a grinder, you know, and then use it every time I order.  Yet as I sit and think about this now, it takes me approximately 5 minutes in the early morning to grind the coffee fresh.  But that 5 minutes is more than I want to spend.  That’s because I’m lazy.  This laziness translates to my health choices.  I know what I should and should not be eating, but McDonald’s has already prepared it.  I know how much I should and should not be eating, but there’s more food piled high on the table.  So I indulge….every single day.  If I indulged only once in a while, say once a week, I would be in good shape.  But I don’t.  I indulge every day.

But I don’t have to.  And you don’t either.

Start today.  Let me know what you choose to do.  No matter how healthy you are, no matter how natural your food choices, do something more.  Do just one more thing.  Do it today.  Tell others.  Take one step at a time toward pulling away from the indulgence that is all around us.  It may not be easy, but in the long run, it will be worth it.

Hope

It's been nearly two months since I posted anything.  We've been on a roller coaster ride during that time.  I haven't really known what to share, or how, but I think I'm ready to dive back into the blog-o-sphere.

In October, I posted "Cheaper by the 1/2 Dozen".  In that post, I talked a lot about having a large family and what that tends to mean to society.  I got a lot of feedback on that post.  All from people who felt, as I do, that children ARE a blessing from the LORD, not a burden we can be released from in 18ish years. 

Just after Thanksgiving, my wife and I found out that we had lost the baby I was blogging about.  She was about 17 weeks along.  The baby, they believe, had died a week or two earlier.  It was a painful blow.
The truth is, I took it harder than I thought I would.  I was depressed for several days and had a hard time communicating with others.  I knew I'd be sad, but it took weeks to really start feeling like my old self again.  And even now that I'm "on the mend", it's still different somehow.

But why? Why did it hurt so much?  Really, I had no relationship with this baby.  We'd never met.  So why did it hurt so bad? 

I think it has something to do with hope.  There was a hope, an expectation, that we would meet.  There was a hope that he would move from that infant stage into a toddler.  There was a hope that he would grip my finger tight and call my name when he was scared.  I expected him to grow into a man.  There was hope that he would marry and have his own kids.  There was a hope that we would know each other on a friend/brother level when he became that man.  I expected him to outlive me.  There was hope.

When we were at the hospital and they were sorting all this out, that hope began to wane.  The vision of that future together began to blur.  When it was all said and done, that hope was gone. 

When there is no hope, there is nothing to look forward to.

I know some are reading this post who have lived with tragedy and despair in ways I never have.  My heart goes out to you.  This is the first major loss close to me.  I've been insulated in that way.

Yet there is hope.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you realize that I'm a follower of Christ.  And that is where the hope is.  I can't say I really understand what's happened.  I don't really see anything in some sort of master plan.  I know that God blessed us with another child, and now that child is gone before we really had the chance to get to know him.  I know that the loss hurts.  I know that I don't want that to happen again.  Yet in all that, I also know that there is a God and He cares. 

And that's what faith is.  I don't know why this happened, but I don't need to know.  I can't see the "master plan", but that's because it's not mine to see.  My wife and I had to draw a line in the sand and say, out loud to each other, that we will walk with God no matter where He leads.

Is that just a crutch for those of us who are weak?  You bet it is.

To see with my heart
To know with my soul
To be guided by a Hand I cannot hold
To trust in a Way that I cannot see
That's what Faith must be
-Michael Card

Bringing Home the Bacon...or Whatever

What do you thinking of hunting?

A noble endeavor that hearkens back to our ancient ancestry?

Maybe the time of year you are a "widow" for days or weeks?

Just a way for folks to go into the woods and relive their childhood fancies once again...but with real guns this time!

No matter what you think of, hunting really is a time honored tradition most often handed down from parent to child generation after generation.  We tend to consider a man's sport, but that is not the case.  Globally, there is much to suggest that in many cultures, the women were the hunters and gatherers.  True, men do tend to gravitate to the sport, but it's not exclusive to them.

I happen think it is part of the simple life. 

Let's boil it down to its simplest form, the essence of hunting if you will.  You go out and bring home meat.  That's it.  You did nothing to raise it.  You did nothing to help the breeding process.  You go out to bring home something you did little work for.  And you eat.

Pretty simple.

Okay, I realize that's over simplified, but it does really capture the essence of hunting.

Anyway, I think you get the point.  In years gone by, it was a way of life.  Perhaps more literally, it was a matter of survival. It's true that if you had no other means to get food, hunting would become the most vital activity you would engage in.  Early on, many cultures learned to live off the land, plant their own crops, and store up meat and animal fat in reserve for a time when game might not be so plentiful.

And still, despite the stress and mess of killing your own game and preserving it, I'd still have to call it the simple life.  Notice the name of this blog is not The Easy Life.  It has been my observation over the years that simple and easy are not synonyms.  Hiking with a 30 pound pack on your back is simple....but not easy.  So killing your own game, dressing it, roasting it, and preserving it calls to us from a simpler time.

I confess, I am a poor hunter.  I typically hunt only on public lands...along with 50 million other people.  I have not gotten a clean shot off to take down a dear.  Some years I see nothing at all.  Yet I persist.  I persist because there is so much to be said for sitting down on an old stump on the edge of a tree line, listening for the crunching of leaves or snow and the familiar hollow sound of antlers brushing against the tree branches.  I feel the peace that washes over me as the sounds of the forest are all that I hear.  I long for the openness that a day in the woods affords me.  I long for the..well...simplicity of it all.  Some day I hope to take the game I have hunted for all these years.  But until then, I will continue to hunt the peace and simplicity I long to find in the quiet stillness of the woods.

What could be more simple?

Cheaper by the 1/2 Dozen

It's official!  Sometime in May we're expecting another little Rough Rider on our homestead!  For those who are keeping count, that'll be a 1/2 dozen young'uns running around our little 900+ square foot home.

I know not everyone will have large families like us.  I wouldn't expect that.  God blesses as He chooses.  Some He blesses with children.  Others get blessed in other ways.  He calls each family to a certain role.  For us, we've been called to raise a large family.  How large?  Your guess is as good as mine.

It's been interesting to hear some of the conversations, and see the reactions, to a family our size.  When we had three, people were amazed at our "large" family.  When we had four, they gasped in shock and awe.  When we had five, some were disgusted.  With six on the way, I can assure you of some of the things we'll hear.

You'd better have a good job to support all these kids.

You can't give enough love to each child when there are so many.

The older children do nothing but act as small parents their whole lives.

I sure am glad it's not me.

Don't you know what causes that?

There are, of course, many more.  I'm sure a few came to your head.  You can't help it.  The stereotypes are handed to us in so many ways and most of them are subtle.  When was the last time you heard a song where the singer referenced more than two children (occasionally three)?  When was the last time you watched a serious drama that had more than a boy and girl?  Ever look at a tax form?  There will be four lines for your dependents.

If you have less than three children, or none at all, I will not look down on you or question your reasons.  You are to fulfill God's calling on your life whatever that may be.  But why is it that everyone assumes you should have a small family?  I think there are many reasons that play into that assumption.

As for my family, the bottom line is this: This is what we've been called to do and this we will do.

But, just for kicks, let's address this perceived problem.  What if it is somehow wrong that I have such a big family.  What do I do now?  Which one do I get rid of?

They're all so unique, and, in their own way, so integral to the family unit. I have to ask myself some questions.  Questions like how do you function without your first born who nurses his mother, of his own free will, when she's struggling with "morning sickness"?  He brings her food and drink, books, and anything else she may want.  And who will handle all the detailed chores that no one likes if the second born isn't here?  He can fold the laundry just as good as his mother and he comes up with creative solutions to problems.  But the third born, he likes the rough and tumble tasks that challenge him physically.  He likes to run in and give his mother hugs and kisses and let her know she'll be okay and then run out again once he's sure of her love.  Then what of the fourth born and only daughter?  Who will add that softness that only a daughter can possess?  And where would we be without the fifth, the 2 year old, who is ready with a smile all day long.

It's no easy thing.  Having all these people in one house brings its own set of challenges.  But its funny...I can't think of a single one I'd get rid of.

Talking Turkey - Part 2

In a part 1 of Talking Turkey, I promised I'd document the rest of the season so you could get an idea of what it takes to raise turkeys.  So here I am.

And what a ride!

When we last left our little band of wild rebels, they were about 12 weeks old.  I really had no idea how long to keep them.  I had reports from different sources that you could keep them anywhere from 12 to 25 weeks depending on the size you wanted them.  The "size" of a farm raised animal, however, can be very subjective.  Size is based on a variety of factors: breed, feed, additives, pasture quality, conditions, weather, hatchery (or sire for non-poultry), stress, other livestock on the premises, etc.  So you can see that to really plan your flock (as much as that is possible) requires a historical pattern that you can glean from.  You have to know your feed, your pasture, your conditions, and the final outcomes of your livestock.

In this case, I had none of that.

As you may recall from a previous post, I fully expected to lose some or all of the turkey flock because of how I raised them.  But God was merciful and we lost none of the 10 poults we purchased.  So I let them grow.  Around the 12 week mark, or so, I began to realize that they were putting on weight fast.  And although we all like a big Thanksgiving Day turkey, there are limits.  So we put a cap on the season at 18 weeks.

I am so glad we did that.  We'll get to why I'm glad we did in a minute.

We ordered the Broad-breasted Bronze turkeys and, if you remember, I ordered a straight run.  I found them to be a hardy breed that withstood a variety of less than perfect circumstances.  They endured:

• Living with chicks
• Having their pen blow away
• Living for several days in a small chicken coop (while the pen was repaired)
• Wind gusts up to at least 30 miles an hour (see the point above about their pen)
• Heat well into the 90's (fairly high for Michigan)
• Unforgiving rain
• Nighttime cold into the mid 30's (fairly typical for Michigan in the fall)
• An insane farmer
• Lot's of insane farmer's kids
• Lot's of insane farmer's friends and family (read on...)

And in spite of all that, they thrived.  They did quite well.  If you're planning on feed rations, my records indicate that the turkeys' ate approximately 950 pounds of turkey feed.  That's almost a 1/2 ton!  You can look at in terms of the individual bird and assume that you need 5.3 pounds of feed per week per bird.  But understand that you're talking about a sliding scale.  They eat less than that in the beginning and more than that at the end.  But that will help you decide how much feed you need based on the size of your flock.  The water was much more difficult to calculate, but I think a fair guess would be 200 gallons.  That will change dramatically depending on the weather conditions so take it for what it's worth.

As they grow, you can start to tell which ones are Tom's and which are Jenny's.  I think we ended up with 3 Tom's and 7 Jenny's.  Now it's not an exact science, but the Tom's are usually pretty large.  They all grew long fat waddles and a long beard (starts at the upper beak and grows long....kind of like ZZ Top).  They also tend to fluff out their feathers and strut around the pen.  This is because we ordered a straight run.  You can certainly specify which gender you prefer.

The day finally arrived.  We had decided to do the needful at age 18 weeks.  Since I have a regular "town job", we always process on a Saturday.  This was no exception.  But the day was incredibly sunny, in the 70's (warm for us) and the sky was a beautiful blue.  Yet another gift from God...

*WARNING* I am going to write in some detail about the processing event.  I will not use excessive description as it is not necessary.  However, there are pictures and as a fair warning, if you do not want to read about how the turkey's were dispatched, you may want to click over to another post.





Wrangling
Catching the birds was the most fun for the kids I think.  Remember, they are more aggressive than chickens.  The little Rough Riders tried a variety of methods including lassoing, trapping, and catching.  The easiest way for us was to take a 5 gallon bucket with a hole at the end and slide it , top first, over the bird until it fits snugly inside.  This quiets the bird and restrains its wings.  See below for an explanation of the bucket.

Killing
Traditionally, the killing takes place in a killing cone.  This is a bit of sheet metal folded into a cone.  You can see it in the back of Sara Palin's

 Scalding
You need lots of room for the scald.  I like my water at around 153 degrees.  You may like it more or less.   The choice is yours.  The old timers say to put Dawn dish soap in your water.  It cuts grease and therefore cuts the natural oils on the turkey feathers.  I didn't do that and really didn't have any problems, but you may want to give it a try.  Make sure you have enough room to swish the bird around.  Here, you can see I used a 30 gallon galvanized garbage can.  The burner is propane and from a turkey fryer (ironically enough).  It was about 1/2 full when we used it.  It worked great.  For me, the stand was a little high and a step ladder would have worked well. I'm assuming, at this point, that you know about scalding.  If not, you can google it or search YouTube and you'll find plenty of info.   Scalding turkeys and chickens is about the same.  The big differences is that the turkeys are MUCH heavier.

 

Plucking
You can pluck by hand.  With the turkeys it's no problem.  If you get that scald right, the feathers come out pretty easily.  We used the Whizbang Chicken Plucker.  You can learn more about it here.  It can't handle a whole turkey being thrown in, but I put the turkey in and just rotated it myself.  I'd estimate it took off at least 80% of the feathers.  The rest of our "team" used pliers to finish off the plucking.  That's very important.  Make sure some patient people are there to help.  Pull up a chair.  Have a chat while you pluck.  It's just like life should be...shared with others.

Evisceration (fancy word for gutting)
It's just like a chicken...only bigger.  Check this video out for some detail.

Bagging
We have one person who is completely indispensable that does quality control after the evic..evis..the gutting.  That person makes sure everything is out (if you know what I mean) and washes the bird down.  Once that's done, you can either let them cool in water first, or bag them and then put them in water.  It's your choice.  We order or bags from Cornerstone Farm Ventures.  Good products, good prices, and speedy delivery.

And there you have it.

So for you stat addicts, here's a wrap up:

• 9 friends to help (because they wanted to)
• 10 turkeys
• 7'x12' movable pen
• 18 weeks
• 200 gallons of water
• 950 pounds of feed
• Broad-breasted Bronze
• Smallest turkey - 15.5 pounds
• Largest turkey - 33.5 pounds

So now you now why I'm glad we stopped at 18 weeks.  33 pounds is a big turkey.  Looks like we'll be having lots of people over for Thanksgiving!

For the Love of Potatoes

Potatoes.  I love them.

Fried, baked, smashed, boiled.

Buttered, smothered, salted.

We actually planted them this year.  What a great thing.  You put them in the ground.  They grow.  I eat.  Ahhh....

It doesn't get simpler.

Oh it's hard work as many of you know.  Growing your own food is not for the sloth.  But how rewarding to harvest the fruit of your labor and enjoy.  It's a gift from God really.  He created in six days and rested the seventh.  He sat back and enjoyed the fruit of His labor.  Is it any wonder that the very same activities are so pleasing to His children?

A friend and I dug up some of the harvest, digging our hands deep into the soil.  The smell climbs into your nostrils and begins to quicken the pace.  It reminds you that your are engaging in the oldest of man's activities.  You are taking dominion over the earth.  Your actions, your care and patience, make a difference.  You are doing what you are created to do.

So eat, drink, and enjoy the work God has given you.  And fry up some potatoes while you're at it.