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Grass Fed Beef

Thanksgiving Turkeys

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Preserving food is a discipline. It takes discipli Preserving food is a discipline. It takes discipline to do the work of growing food, harvesting it, and preserving it. It takes planning and sacrifice. ⁣ ⁣ When the tomatoes are ripe, they’re ripe. When it’s time to pick peaches, it’s time. Ripe food waits for no one. ⁣ ⁣ We no longer travel to the beach in the summer because frankly, it’s impossible. (We tried, believe me, and it was a disaster.) Over time, we’ve learned to rearrange our family trips and keep our summer calendar open for harvesting and processing. ⁣ ⁣ It’s worth it! Every time I pop open a can of homegrown, home preserved tomato sauce or peaches or pickles or jam, I’m grateful. Grateful for the chance to know this kind of life. Grateful for the discipline it teaches me. Grateful to raise my family this way and grateful for good clean food.⁣ ⁣ What are you hoping to can this year?⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣ ⁣ #canningandpreserving #canningjars #homecanning #canningseason #canninglife #canningtomatoes #preservingfood #canningqueen #homesteadmama #igrewthis #growserylist #growingfood #growyourownfood #growfood #growwhatyoueat #eatwhatyougrow #realfooding #larder #farmfoodie #realfoodie #slowfoodmovement #realfoodrevolution #sustainablefood #homegrownfood #homegrownveggies #masonjars #foodinjars #homecanned #homecanning #makeitmorethanameal
Compared to other nations, Americans spend very li Compared to other nations, Americans spend very little income on food. Isn’t that interesting? ⁣ ⁣ Part of the reason for this is that our government subsidizes big agriculture and especially the big operations growing corn. This makes corn-based foods much less expensive than they’d otherwise be. ⁣ ⁣ And just about everything that comes in a can or box contains corn. It’s not the good corn, either. It’s GMO corn sprayed with pesticides. ⁣ ⁣ Even meat is made possible by this corn: animals like cows, who are designed to eat grass, not corn, are fed corn because it’s cheap and it allows beef farmers to raise more animals and bigger ones, faster. ⁣ ⁣ We opted out of this system and you can too. You don’t have to grow your own beef in order to eat the good stuff. Find a local farm! Even if you live in an urban area, I’m betting there’s a local farm that makes drops near you. Regenerative farmers actually love coming to the city because there is such a market there for their products. They need you and you need them. ⁣ ⁣ Need help finding good meat? I’m sharing tips (and a special offer) in my stories. ⁣ ⁣ Have you switched to pastured or local beef? What made you do it?⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣ #grassfedbeef #pasturedbeef #localbeef #eatlocalgrown #knowyourfarmer #realfooding #realfoodie #farmfoodie #farmfood #locallygrown #shoplocally #eatcleanfood #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarm #localfarm #localfarms #localfarmers #slowfoodmovement #realfoodrevolution #cleanmeat #pasturedmeat #pasturedmeats #healthyfamilyfood #cleanbeef
We love hosting farm tours! This was our largest g We love hosting farm tours! This was our largest group yet, with over 80 kids and about 40 adults. ⁣ ⁣ A few highlights from the tour…⁣ 1. Goat milking demonstration ⁣ 2. A few kids got to pitch in⁣ 3. Meeting the pigs⁣ 4. Chicken life cycle: egg, chick, hen ⁣ 5. Forming a goat chute (to herd them out to the field)⁣ 6. Chatting at the farm stand⁣ 7. Our best farm helpers ⁣ ⁣ We ended with a planting activity: every kid got to plant something to take home. They could choose from zinnias, sunflowers, or our homegrown loofah seeds. ⁣ ⁣ Who knows? Maybe we also planted seeds of regenerative farming today. Maybe one of these kids will grow up and plant a garden, get some chickens, or even start their own homestead. ⁣ ⁣ I hope so. 💕⁣ ⁣ PS: local folks, are you interested? We’re thinking of opening up the farm for a few more tours like this. If this is something you’d enjoy, please let me know! ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #farmtour #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #permaculturefarm #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfood #localfarm #localfarmers #loudounfarms #loudouncounty #homesteaders #homesteadfamily #smallfamilyfarm #thisishowwehomestead #homesteadlife #homesteadliving #modernhomesteading #cultivatingahomestead #growingfood #cultivatingtomorrow #sustainableagriculture #sustainablefarming #smallscalefarming #smallscalefarm
I grew my own onions! The seed heads pictured here I grew my own onions! The seed heads pictured here were saved and tucked away for the winter. In early February I sowed them in soil blocks and will plant them out this week. ⁣ ⁣ The only trouble is, I lost the label and can’t remember what type they are! 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s possible they’re green onions/scallions and not bulb onions, but time will tell. ⁣ ⁣ The important thing is that I completed the process from seed to plant to seed to plant. I think I’ll try it again this year, too. ⁣ ⁣ Onions are biennials, which means it takes two years to harvest your own seeds. The first year they grow a bulb. Normally you’d harvest the bulbs for curing, storing, and eating. To save seed, simply leave a few in the ground (depending on your zone—I’m zone 7A). The other option is to harvest the bulbs and store, then plant the bulbs again in spring. ⁣ ⁣ The second year, allow them to flower and wait for the flower head to dry up and set seed. ⁣ ⁣ Then snip off the entire head, place in a brown bag, and shake. Save the little black seeds and don’t worry about cleaning out the debris. ⁣ ⁣ You can also skip the shaking part and at seed-sowing time, just pinch off small sections of the seed head and rub between your fingers to release seeds into the soil. ⁣ ⁣ I’m not the most organized seed-saver, but do find it to be a worthwhile endeavor. I love seeing the entire cycle take place and knowing how to keep the cycle going. ⁣ ⁣ Do you save seeds from your garden?⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣ ⁣ #seedsaving #seedsaver #growingonions #onionseeds #zone7a #zone7agardening #kitchengarden #raisedbedgarden #growingveggies #veggiegardening #organicgardening #seedstarting #soilblocks #soilblocking #seedlings #heirloomseeds #growingvegetables #gardenmama #homesteadmama #homesteadgarden #growingfood #growyourownfood #growfood #growwhatyoueat #eatwhatyougrow #realfoodrevolution #slowfoodmovement #permacultureveggies #permaculturegarden
Celebrating my favorite guy today for his mileston Celebrating my favorite guy today for his milestone birthday! ⁣ ⁣ Everyone always asks me how I do it all, but the real question is how he does it all—full time corporate sales job, livestock farmer on the side with a small meat CSA, supporting all my entrepreneurial ideas for the farm and the blog and the Airbnb, on top of investing in a small group of guys weekly and deeply engaging with his sons on the daily. ⁣ ⁣ To be completely transparent, there are still things about him that drive me bonkers, but those are mostly the things that help to refine me and make us a good team. ⁣ ⁣ Tonight our family sat down and watched a video created in his honor, comprised of messages from more than 20 important people in his life from over the years. So many special people and sweet memories—people he’s invested in, learned from, and lived life with over the decades. ⁣ ⁣ That’s the kind of person he is, the kind his friends love to celebrate. ⁣ ⁣ Here’s to 50 more years of big dreams, sweet memories, and driving each other bonkers! 💕🥳⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: @beckiekirker ⁣ #thebig50 #homesteader #homesteading #marriedwithafarm #lovetheoneyourewith #beating50percent #marriedforlife #marriageisforever #stillmarried #stilltheone #istilldo #marriagegoals #stayinginido #lovewhatmatters #unconditional #marriedwithchildren #instagramhusband #homesteadinglife #homesteaders #homesteadliving #beanarch #beantrellis #growingbeans #heirloombeans #veggiegardening #permaculturegarden #homesteadgarden
Someone has a new job! Haddon is our best goat he Someone has a new job! Haddon is our best goat helper: he helps with daily milking, takes the goats out to pasture every morning, and leads them back to the barn every evening. ⁣ ⁣ So Greg finally put him in charge of straining and chilling the goat milk every morning, too. He’s doing such a great job! And now the milk isn’t accidentally left in the freezer. 🙌🏻⁣ ⁣ It’s so important to give kids genuine responsibilities. Train them for the task, expect excellence, and watch them shine. ✨⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #kidscan #capablekids #raisingarrows #farmkid #homesteadkid #homesteadkids #goatmilk #rawmilk #freerangekids #kitchenhelper #ohheymama #thefamilynarrative #homesteadfamily #dairygoats #boymama #parentinggoals #lifeskillsforkids #mamahood #homesteader #homesteadmama #homeschoolinghomesteaders #homesteadinghomeschoolers #homesteadlife #homesteadliving #homesteading #homegrownfood #homegrownkids
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