At the feed store

Yesterday was a great day! I got to meet up with my best friend from highschool and her husband.  Actually her husband and I planned a surprise lunch for her, she had no clue! So we all got  done eating and decided to go to Tractor Supply that was close so I could pick up the meat chickens, for our farm. This is our first year raising and butchering our own chickens so we are excited about this experience.

So we get to the store and looked around. I looked at all the cute chicks (and yes thoughts of sneaking some other chickens and a few of the ducklings there, did pop in my head. But then Tom popped in my head and those thoughts went away haha). So I asked the Saleman if he could give me 13 of the Cornish rock chicks. He boxed them up and took me to the register, and told me to have a nice day. I thank him and told him to have a nice day as well. So while waiting in line there was a lady in front of me. My friends and I were looking at the different magaizines while we waited for my turn.


The lady in front looked over and said oh what kind did you get. I said, " oh the meat chickens". she stared at me with a  confused look. She said what do you do with those? I said, " you butcher them." Once again gave me a confused look. Then her look turned to disgust. I could tell she was not happy so I went on looking at other things while she finished checking out.  I could hear her under her breathe saying, " that is just cruel!", " If you have to do those kinds of things it is time to find a job". Yes I kept my composer( let me tell you I wanted to tell her a lot), because I really felt what good would it do? The mind set that woman had I really didn't feel if I said anything it would have made her change her mind.  So the lady left with her bags and still mumbling things under her breathe and the last thing she said I didn't hear.

The cashier looked at me in disbelief that the lady had said all those things. She couldn't understand why the lady was that rude either. She said," where does she think her chicken from the store comes from?",  Apparently the last thing she said to the cashier was, she wasn't going to shop their anymore because they sell baby chicks ( like meat ones) and that is just horrible.


I guess the reaction of the lady today made me really think, about wow am I really a cruel person for doing this? Am I a horrible person for wanting to raise our own food?

The answer is "NO!". We are a family that enjoys the farm life and likes to know what our animals eat, do , etc. We are thankful and we are sure to thank God for them . Are we weird to do this, to grow our own food, to raise our own meats? Well depends on who you are? haha Personally I don't think we are, we are just wanting to go back to the days when this was normal. Everyone would have chickens in their backyard, families would have their own gardens and survive on that till the next summer harvest. Back when making your own laundry soap, seasonings, hanging laundry, and not using electronics that often was normal. That is the life we thrive for and we hope that someday, even if we have one person start planting a tomato plant, green beans or lettuce in their backyard. Or someone who gets the passion to try canning or freezing their own garden veggies. Or even to go and support a local farmer who grows and sells their vegetables, eggs or meats. Every little bit counts, then I can have a 100 of those ladies talk about me that way.

So for now we will enjoy the cute little fluff balls that have taken residence in our home, until it gets warm enough for them to go out in the chicken tractor and then in April we will pray and thank the Lord for letting us raise these chickens and for the blessing they will be to us and others

Just another day on the homestead......


~ Katie

~

Is it Spring yet?!

Oh Spring, where are you?! There is still snow on the ground but the sun is coming out this morning.

My mind has been drifting these days of garden plans and seed starting. Fruit trees to plant and berry bushes to buy.

The snow is still here but my hear and mind are in spring. The laundry flying in the warm spring breeze and the chickens digging in the warm dirt.


I got my seed order back in December! haha  I am so ready for Spring to be here!


I wanted to share my seeds for our garden this year with you. So here is what we will be planting:


And before I forget, we purchased our seeds from Baker Creek Seed Company, if you haven't seen their site I would totally recommend it! They have so many seeds, I would buy them all but I don't have enough land! Ha!


Okay back to business.


Peas- Improved Maestro

Pepper- Horizon Bell (purple)
              Golden Cal Wonder ( yellow)

Tomato- Amish Paste
               German Pink (great for canning)
               Mortgage lifter
Beans- 
            Blue Lake Bush 274

Carrot-
          Little Finger (good for eating!)

Onions-
           Stuttgarter

Pumpkin-
               Squash Alligator or Jacare ( great for pumpkin pie, keeps really well)

Broccoli-
              Waltham 29

Cucumbers-
               Cucumber Muncher (Burpless great for eating fresh or pickles)

Lettuce-
          Red romaine

Zuchinni-
             Fordhook Zucchini (freezes well)

Corn- (this will be our first year growing corn, we will be purchasing another kind as well)
         Country Gentleman (shoepeg type corn) Freezes well

Beets-
      Early Wonder


So there are the seeds for this year! Excited to see how they all do.

~ Katie

Why do I do this?

As I am sitting in the office, I can hear the wind whipping outside. Another cold night and time to go do the feeding. I dread it, just like I do every night it is cold like this. The  everyday going outside to break the water in the  troughs that froze over (even during the day).The hauling of buckets filled with cold water, as your hands feel like they are about to fall off.  Making sure the animals have extra bedding and are locked up for the night to stay warm. Check the heat lamp is working for the baby kids.  Some nights I come in and think to myself, "Why in the world am I doing this?! I could just not have animals and be able to stay in my warm house snuggled in a blanket with a good book!".


It is because I love it!

 Love going into the barn to be greeted by all the goats running to me , saying their hellos. And the babies as they run and jump off me in excitement. It's going into the chicken coop, after running from the harsh snow that is stinging my face, to hear them talking quietly amongst themselves. It's feeling a warm egg in my frozen hands to give me warmth on my walk back into the house.  To see my boys out with us hauling water and food to the animals in this weather and hearing them laugh and talk to the animals even though it feels like single digits.


That.... that is why I do this.

To be able  to use those fresh eggs from our chickens to make a delicious meal for my family. To cook vegetables that I sweated and took hours to prep, can and freeze to feed my family.


That is why I do this.

To feel the dirt between my fingers once the ground has thawed in spring. As I begin to plant a small seed that will produce delicious, nutrient rich vegetables for us to enjoy through the long winter months.

That is why I do this.

To feel closer to God in all the nature that is surrounding me. To feel so blessed with all that we have been given. To want to be a ministry to others as we live this way.

That I why I do this.


~ Katie