How Much Meat Will I Get If I Buy Half a Hog?

Buying pastured pork from a local farmer is the next best thing to raising your own pigs.
However, it may be a bit confusing.
When I first considered buying a half a hog from a local farmer I wanted to know what it would cost, and how much meat I would be getting for my money. When I asked the farmer I was told, "it depends on the size of the animal and what cuts of meat you choose." This didn't help me as a first time buyer, so while what he said was true, I'm going to try to give you a better idea of what you might actually get when you buy half a hog.

In the end, we decided to raise our own pigs, rather than buy one. Here are our girls, Bacon and Sausage on the day we brought them home. Aren't they cute?

A farmer can only sell you the butchered and packaged meat if it has been butchered in a USDA inspected facility and packaged for resale. That type of butchering costs significantly more, and raises the cost to the farmer, which then gets passed along to you, the consumer.
However, if you buy the live animal from the farmer, (whole or half), he can then deliver it to the butcher for you, and you will pay the butcher directly for your processing when you pick up the meat. This is more cost effective, because the butcher is in effect butchering your own meat for you, and the regulations are different.

Here are the girls in September. We raised them on plenty of pasture and supplemented with non-GMO feed.

So let's get down to brass tacks. 

Here is the math:

We raised these pigs to a goal weight of 250 pounds. One came in at 268 pounds, and the other at 238. The hanging weights were 184 and 170 respectively. 

Our price was $3.50 per pound hanging weight. 

Let's say you wanted to buy half of the smaller of our two pigs. You would have paid us $297.50 for your half of the pig. 

When you take the pig to the butcher, there is a kill fee and processing fees. You have a choice of having the pork all as ground meat, (which is the least expensive way to go) or getting the various cuts of meat, or some of both. In addition to cutting it up and packaging it, the butcher (for an additional fee) will cure and smoke the meat, and season the sausage. We wanted all the various cuts, to see what we liked best, and we had everything we could smoked, cured, and seasoned. So the butchering price reflects the most you would have paid, which was $71.67 for your half of the smaller pig. 

Here is a link to pig butchering costs at Cabool Kountry Meats, where our pigs were processed.

This brings your total to $369.17 for 59 pounds in cuts of meat, which equals $6.26 per pound for non-gmo, organically raised, pastured pork. We did a simple search online and found the following per-pound prices for similarly raised meat:  ribs $30 a pound, whole ham $8.50 a pound, and bacon $12 a pound.

At only $6.26, you are getting quite a bargain. 

But you are probably wondering how much meat are you getting. What does 59 pounds of pork look like? 

Remember, it will vary from animal to animal. Some will have more ham, some will have more bacon. Your pig might be bigger than our 238 pound girl when it goes to butcher. Keeping that in mind, the following video shows you exactly what we got from half of our girl, and a general idea of what half a hog looks like when it's ready to go in your freezer.

Here you will see our girls being raised on pasture and how we cared for them. We strive to raise happy healthy animals, and want you to feel confident that you are getting the best quality meat and produce for your dollar.  Happy bacon tastes better! 

Pulled pork sandwich from our pigs.

I can honestly say, this is the best pork I have ever tasted. It doesn't even compare to store bought meat. I will be raising pigs as long as I am able. 

Have you bought locally raised meat? If not, why not? What would make it more likely that you would do so in the future? If you have, what was your experience? Would you do so again?

Tiny House Living in a 3,000 sq ft Home

Thing Two has a pretty bad sore throat. This morning, I was making her some tea with honey and brought her a paper towel to put her tea bag on when she's finished with it.
"Hey! I have small dishes I bought just for that purpose! I wonder which box they are in?"

For the past two years we have been living between two states. The bulk of my time has been spent in Missouri living with my parents on their farm where we are building our barn house. Chris has been mostly living and working in California, where he stayed with his folks in their two bedroom apartment. The girls (Thing One and Thing Two) are homeschooled and have been able to split their time between the two states.

Chris and I are fascinated by the tiny house movement. The minimalist lifestyle, low cost of living, and low environmental impact are fantastic. We considered tiny house living. Then Chris, who is 6'6" and pretty much the definition of big AND tall, spent two years living in a tiny apartment. He discovered he's not a tiny guy. Plus, we have stuff. So, no tiny house for us.


We designed our house, The Big Red Barn, based on some floor plans we saw online, only bigger. If we were going to build this home, we wanted it to be comfortable for many years to come. So ceilings were raised to 10' downstairs and 9' upstairs. Doorways were all widened to 36 inches. The garage was added, along with a shop, and an above ground tornado shelter big enough to house cots and emergency supplies.

We are building debt free which means we don't have a mortgage and are paying cash as we go. In addition, we are doing as much of the work ourselves as possible. So although we have been working on the house for over a year, it's nowhere near completion. Click here to watch our house being built week by week.

In our Big Red Barn house, we have a 530' sq area over the garage that was designated for storage, with hopes of turning it into an efficiency apartment at some later date. We are tired of sharing space. We are ready to be living in our own home. And so we turned that storage space into a little apartment and worked on the upstairs bathroom enough to make it functional.



While it's not true tiny house living, it does feel like it. It's a cozy little space where our family can be together. I do admit though, sometimes the walk to the bathroom at night through the uninsulated part of the house is a bit cold.

"I wonder which box _____ is in" is a frequently heard phrase around here. It's usually followed by, "Are you sure we kept that when we moved?" We are looking forward to making a lot of progress on the house this year, and getting into the rest of our boxes. I think when we finally start unpacking for real, two things will happen. One is that it will feel like Christmas. I've got things I love that I've forgotten I even have, such as the tiny plates on which to put one's teabag. The second is that I am going to scrutinize every item coming out of a box. Do we actually love or need that item? If we've lived without it for two years is it actually necessary to keep it?

In the meantime I am content because my family is finally all together in one state.

What would your dream house look like? Are you a tiny house person or would you rather live large?

Tough Decisions on the Farmstead

This week we had a bit of a scare with Scar the Goat.

Our Pretty Girl. #ScarTheGoat #farmstead #homestead #milkgoat #missouri #ozarks

A photo posted by Lorella & Chris (@planbeeorchardandfarm) on May 13, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

Like cows, goats are bred for either milk or meat. I want to have milk goats. Correction. I want to have goat's milk. And goat cheese. Especially goat cheese. In June of 2014 I purchased a doe kid with the intention of having her bred so I can milk her.  Scar the Goat is is a sweet little mix of kiko and nubian, so she's a meat/milk cross.
This fall I took her to a friend's farm to hang out with her boyfriend for a couple weeks. I didn't have her vet tested, and wasn't sure whether she was pregnant. We found out that she was when she miscarried earlier this week. A goat's pregnancy is 5 months, so she was mid term. It was quite sad.
We took care of Scar as best we could. I donned medical gloves and pulled the afterbirth and felt inside of her to see whether there was a twin that needed to be pulled. I couldn't tell.
We provided her with water, fresh bedding, and a heat lamp. We gave her vitamin shots and a special feed called Calf Manna. We put Apple Cider Vinegar in her water. Then we watched and waited. And we discussed our options.
Our farm animals are livestock, not pets. The cost of having a vet treat her would easily have cost more than twice what it cost to purchase her. Since Chris has left his city job and moved here full time our budget is extremely tight. We had to decide how much we would be willing to pay to save her life if infection set in or if indeed there was another baby inside her.
Farmers make really hard decisions like this on a daily basis.
I recently was part of a conversation with a farmer who had spent hundreds on a weak calf trying to restore it's health. He said, "I finally decided I couldn't spend anymore and the calf would have to either make it or not."
In both his case, and ours, there were happy endings; his calf lived, and Scar seems to be doing well. I'm still keeping a close eye on her.
Her buddy Timon is also sticking close.

Le goats. Settling in. #goats #countrylife #farmstead #weedeater #midwest #homestead #missouri #farming #farm #nigeriandwarf #goatsofinstagram

A photo posted by Lorella & Chris (@planbeeorchardandfarm) on Jul 26, 2015 at 10:29am PDT

But now I have some more decisions to make. Will I have her bred again? What are the risks of a second miscarriage? Do I need to make any changes to her environment or care? She won't be ready to breed again until fall, so I have some time to research and make a plan, but I certainly don't want to do anything to risk the health of one of our animals.
The loss of an animal is just one example of the types of hardships homesteaders and farmers face every day. Another friend of ours came home to a dead sow with eighteen dead piglets inside her. Not only does this take an emotional toll, especially after one has done his best to care for an animal, it affects the finances of the family as well. Those piglets would have grown up to provide food for his family, and the rest would have been sold and provided income. I don't think I fully understood how hard that would be when I decided to leave city life and be a farmer. We read and watch videos and attend workshops and ask mentors, but there are still times unexpected realities happen.
At Plan Bee Orchard and Farm we aspire to lead a more organic life with close ties to our food and land while providing quality produce and products for our consumers.
Being a small farm and keeping such "close ties" means we feel the pain of loss when we lose an animal, but it also means we celebrate all the more when an animal is saved.
Last year my mom had a calf that "was down". This means the animal is so sick that it can no longer stand. Often times it's impossible to bring an animal back to health after it's down. I had been busy working on our house build and mom was busy caring for my dad, and neither of us realized the calf was malnourished. I worked with the calf every day. I rubbed his muscles. I fed him a special diet. I got car straps under him so we could lift him and make him walk and exercise.
And to end on a happy note, here is his story:

Mom's Jedi Power: Teaching Contentment and Debt Free Principles, while Fighting the Entitlement Attitude on My Homestead

"From now on, the only words you may say when someone provides food for you are 'thank you'!! You will not complain! Do. You. Understand?" I spat out between gritted teeth at my young daughters.

It had happened again. Despite my best intentions at teaching and modeling gratitude, complaining had once again become the norm in our home.

This time, the time that pushed me over the edge of sanity towards a free-fall into the head spinning, flaming eyed beast of a mom, aka: the Dark Side, it was a complaint about which flavor oatmeal I was making for breakfast.

I snapped. 

"I am not required to feed you something different for breakfast every day. In fact, I could feed you the same breakfast, the same lunch, and the same dinner every day, and there is nothing anyone could do about it. I am only required to provide food. I only make something different because I get bored."

We had just read the Little House on the Prairie series, and so I continued, "Do you remember that winter Pa, Ma, Laura and her sisters were so hungry they ate hay? I bet they would have been glad to have  this oatmeal, or any oatmeal for that matter."

Then I went a step further; I took it global. 

"You've seen the pictures from my trip to India, haven't you? Have you seen the one of naked children washing their clothes in the gutter? Why do you suppose they are naked? Probably because they only have one set of clothes. And you feel the need to complain about breakfast?"

We have so much for which we are thankful, and yet, far too often we fall into the trap of being discontent. Whether you are eight, eighty-eight, or somewhere in between, it is all together too easy to have the same attitude as displayed by my child that morning: "I don't like that kind."

Discontentment will cause us to spend more than we should, to complain, and to be unhappy. 

So how do I combat that in myself and in my children?

Here are four things I do in my home that seem to help. 

*Practice Thankfulness and Contentment

I choose to be happy. I choose to be satisfied with what I have. It is a decision I make and strive to model and instill in my girls. We discuss thankfulness.

Each fall whenever we feel thankful we write it down and put it in the thankfulness jar and read them together periodically.

*Earn It

I am an adult. I work for my money. Then I buy what I want. That is how the world works. I don't get handed everything I want just because I want it. The same goes for our children. They work for us and are paid for jobs and have to save up for things they desire. Not only do they get a sense of accomplishment, but they have a better understanding of the value of a dollar.

Thing Two earned this trampoline at age nine. 

At only thirteen she bought her own horse.

*Discuss and Live Debt Free Principles

We don't use credit cards. We pay cash whenever possible. We talk about what it means to buy on credit or take out a loan or use a credit card. We do the math. We make suggestions like, "Why not pay yourself a car payment for a few years and then buy a car with cash instead of being tied to a car payment?" 

*Give

 It is amazing how discontent can be battled with one's own generosity. The Things and I have volunteered collecting food for the less fortunate. They spend time at the local nursing home talking with the elderly and work with the children in our church. We give of our time, money, and possessions. 

Thing One paid for half the trip to Nicaragua herself. Thanks to those of you who donated the rest to make the trip possible! While there she saw true poverty first hand and gained a greater understanding of just how wealthy we in America truly are.

What do you do to fight the entitlement attitude in your home? How are you teaching contentment? 

Perma-huh?

When Chris and I made the decision to leave the city and head to the farm, we only had a vague idea of what that would entail. We knew we wanted to grow and raise more of our own food.  We knew we wanted to do so with more organic and less conventional methods. But that's about it.

Then Chris discovered permaculture, which is a method of sustainable agriculture, derived from two root words: permanent and agriculture. According to wiki, permaculture is an integrated system of design ... that encompasses not only agriculture, horticulture, architecture and ecology, but also economic systems, land access strategies and legal systems for businesses and communities.

The basic tenants of permaculture are care of the earth, care of people, and return of surplus. You can read more about these at this permaculture ethics website, but in a nutshell, it's using the land in a manner that conserves rather than destroys, growing things in a responsible manner so that it is helpful and not harmful to people, and sharing the excess by returning nutrient to the soil and allowing livestock to graze surplus edibles in planted areas. 

Swale and Berm

Some of the practical applications we will include on our property are water catchment, swales and berms, and high density cropping systems. We live in an area that gets approximately 44 inches of rain annually. With the addition of gutters on buildings, tanks, and gravity fed irrigation hoses, we can water our crops with rain water, which will reduce the amount of water we draw from the well, and the amount of elecricity we use. Also, our orchard will be planted in berms with swales uphill of each. This design allows for maximum retention of water around the plants, thus reducing the amount of watering needed overall. High density cropping systems mandate planting other crops between the main crops. For example, in our orchard, we will have fruit trees, and between them, edible bushes, nitrogen fixers, herbs, and cover crops. This results in creating a challenging environment that uses competitive interactions and will increase greatly the suppression of weeds by the desired crop; the benefit to the permaculture farmer is less weeding and more harvesting in the same area through over planting desirables.  Of course, these are just a few examples of the numerous ways in which permaculture is beneficial. 

Many of these principals have been in use around the world for hundreds of years. Permaculture is the study and implementation of these practices. According to Bill Mollison, the father of permaculture,  "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system."

I am extremely proud of Chris, because in addition to working full time he has completed the Permaculture Designer Certificate course with Geoff Lawton, and is nearly finished with his second, Permaethos under Josiah Wallingford, Jack Spirko, and Nick Ferguson. These consisted of a minimum of 72 hours of instruction time for each course, and many more hours of study and work. 

We look forward to sharing with you the design principals we incorporate into our permaculture farmstead going forward.

Hitch up your wagon!

Before I moved to Missouri, this was how I envisioned homesteading:

When Chris and I decided to leave the Los Angeles area, and move to the country, we had this crazy idea that we would like to support our family by growing and raising most of our own food, and by running agriculture based businesses from our own farm. This idea was inspired by friends of my cousin, whom we had never met, who left SoCal and moved to Colorado and are doing something similar. In so doing, we would be leading a more organic life, with close ties to our food and land, while providing quality produce and products for our consumers.

Turns out, it's a thing. And it has a name:

Homesteading.

The modern day homestead, sometimes called a farmstead, doesn't start out on a wagon at the sound of a gunshot. It starts when one decides to become more self-sufficient, and takes action towards that end. In our case, homesteading is a process. We are not attempting to go completely off grid from day one. While we will have our own well and septic system, we will rely on electricity from the power company at first. We will gradually build our orchard, kitchen garden, market garden, and increase our animal stock.

Our goal is to make fewer trips to town for supplies and to be able to depend on our own resources.

As we build zone by zone, we will keep you updated on the progress of our little homestead. It's an interesting journey from city life to country life. We are transforming the way we think about everything we consume as we try to live more simply. 

Have you made any decisions to become more self sufficient, simplify your life, or have a healthier lifestyle? What changes have you made? What challenges have you faced along the way? What would you like to know more about as we document our progress?

What's In a Name?

We have given much thought to naming our farm.

One possible name: Lone Tree Meadow

We wanted something meaningful, but we also wanted something memorable for potential customers.

We have toyed around with several names including Lone Tree Meadow (my idea) because we have one tree in the middle of our pasture, and Militia Springs Farm (my husband's idea) because before our town was called Ava, it was named Militia Springs as it was a civil war encampment.

In the long run we plan to have many features as a part of our permaculture homestead, including a small orchard, growing a variety of produce, as well as beekeeping, and raising chickens and livestock. In addition we hope to market ourselves in a variety of ways, maybe a CSA, selling at farmers' markets, pick your own produce, or all the aforementioned. 

Most importantly, this adventure is our great do-over. We "uprooted" our family in our early forties to move cross country where we could really grow and thrive and live our dream. (How our adventure started as a crazy idea)

How could we come up with a name that would encapsulate all of our ideals, business goals, and our family's personality?

Well, in our case we mulled over a kajillion and one ideas but left it alone for a while because nothing sounded quite right. Then it came to us out of the blue. Or rather it came to my husband. But I loved it from the first time I heard it and agreed it was the perfect name for us. 

Introducing:

Home Grown Chicken Really Tastes Better

The ginormous 6.5 pound organic pastured chicken from processing day.
(it's on a 10 inch plate)

I've often heard about the difference in taste and appearance of veggies from the kitchen garden compared to store vegetables. They taste better and look better. In fact, I experienced it myself; I never liked strawberries until I started shopping at a farmer's market. I had no idea there would be the same noticeable difference between farm raised fresh meat and boughten meat. I recently had the opportunity to eat that chicken pictured above. Let me sum up this entire blog post in one word: yum.

We are starting to raise our own animals for meat, and we may sell them at some point. I have no qualms about raising and caring for the animals that will end up on our dinner table. Our chickens are free-range and our cows are pastured. They don't live in cramped dirty conditions. We know what they've been fed, and what their living conditions are. They are happy and healthy. 

However, I'm not sure I can handle the actual process of changing them from live animal into meat. Butchering fees are costly, and most folks round here do it themselves. So when I heard that our friends the Deakynes were going to have a chicken butchering day I asked if we could help. They were happy to have us, so the girls and I got up early one October morning to try our hands at processing chickens.

Carter and Tracy taking chickens to the freezer

Lesleigh dove right in and handled the "whiz-bang," which is a machine that removes the feathers from the chicken after it's been killed and dunked it hot water. Carter didn't want to deal with the processing part, so she helped with packaging and weighing the birds after they were cleaned and chilled. I worked at the evisceration table cleaning the gizzards. It was a little icky, but I survived.

Here's the video I made detailing the process:

It was an interesting experience, and I think I might be able to help should we decide to process our own meat. 

Sunday we ate one of the chickens that we helped butcher. It was honestly the juiciest chicken I've ever cooked. At first I thought I might just be enjoying it that much because I had worked so hard that day. But everyone at the table commented that they could actually taste a difference between that chicken and the store bought chicken we normally eat.

Have you ever butchered your own meat? Can you taste a difference in store meat and home-grown?

Swinging In the Fall

Carter loves to swing and she loves her Grandpa. She gave me permission to post this paragraph she wrote for an English assignment recently.

"Swinging In the Fall" 

by Carter 

In the fall, my grandfather and I go out and I clamber into the old tire. He asks me how I like to be pushed and I explain, but before he pushes me he forgets. He pulls me back further and further; the excitement flows through me mixing with fear. Then it comes, he lets go, and I am sent flying past the trees. The brisk air hits me along with the smell of grass and apple pie. I cannot help a smile breaking out upon my face. I reach out with my legs and kick up a big pile of crunchy orange and red leaves. I hold onto the rough rope tightly as I swing backwards. I start to slow down, and I feel a little sad and disappointed because I know that the fun is coming to an end. I turn back to say, "Thank you for pushing me," to my grandfather. He looks at me and asks, “Don’t you want to go again?” in his deep comforting voice. I hastily reply yes and he pulls me back. Then I'm off again, brown hair streaming back behind me.

What did I just say?

Did you ever have a conversation with your child that left you shaking your head? Not because of what they said. Rather, I'm talking about those moments when you just shake your head and laugh because of what you said.
That happens to me fairly often.

I'm a little bit ashamed to admit that there was a fly living in my bathroom for several days. I don't know what kept it alive. I was kind of hoping that if I ignored it long enough, it would just die or go away. After nearly a week I determined that it had to be dealt with. So naturally I turned to Carter, my thirteen year old daughter. She's much more handy with a fly swatter than I am. My hand-eye coordination? Nil.

Carter The Fly Killer

"There's a fly in our bathroom," I explained, "I want you to go in there with a fly swatter and shut the door, and don't come out until one of you is dead.  Preferably the fly."

What?

I don't know. It just came out.


What odd thing have you heard yourself say to your child?

After much searching, we decided to build on my mom's property rather than buy a place of our own., and construction has begun! It is so exciting to see what began as drawings and dreaming turn into reality.

Want to see pics of the progress? Here you go: Home build photos

We are also posting daily time lapse videos in this playlist.

 And Here is where we post weekly update videos.

My Dad Has Dementia; Don't Be Sorry

Carter and Dad on the swing

In January 2014 I moved myself, my two girls and our dog 1,670 miles across the country from the city life of Southern California to rural Missouri. We moved in with my parents. My husband is still living and working in California, but will be joining us once our house is built. We left California for several reasons, including (but not limited to) changing our lifestyle, becoming self sufficient, and lessening the Hollywood influence on our teen daughters. We moved to Missouri for a very specific reason: to be nearer my parents. 

My dad has dementia. 
Upon hearing that, most people respond by saying, "I'm sorry." I understand that is a natural compassionate response, but I'm not sorry. At least not sorry for myself. Am I saddened my dad often feels confused? Of course! Am I sorry my mom has to watch her husband change day by day? Yes, definitely. Am I sorry for me? Not at all. 

I love splashing through puddles with my dad, doing farm chores with him, and watching him push my kids on the tire swing (or vice-versa). We make pancakes together and watch reruns of Matlock. I love that each day he delights anew in details I often overlook. Today we looked out the kitchen window and he told me to watch the backside of the leaves as the breeze moved the branches. 

Me and Dad in the garden

I'm thankful for the opportunity to grow. I'm grateful that I am being stretched in ways I never imagined. I'm honored to be here at this stage in our lives. I'm thankful that I get to help my mom. I'm so very glad to be able to spend this time with my parents, at a point in my adult life when I can actually recognize and appreciate them as individuals. 

I'm thankful my kids are learning that life isn't always about "us four and no more". They are learning to sacrifice, and put the needs and desires of others above their own, and to respect and honor their elders. 

I can't speak for all persons who have family members with dementia, only for myself, but if you want to say something kind and find yourself at a loss for words, here are a few things I love to hear:
"How are you?"
"Tell me about your dad."
"I'm glad you are there for him and your mom."

There are hard days. And I know there will be more as we walk this path together. But I am so glad to be a part of this journey.

Organic Ideas

In our move from the city to the farm we are completely changing our lives around. And as we do so, we have been taking the opportunity to decide what is really important to us. What are our values? What is essential? What is extra? 

  

How do we want to shape our home and our businesses? 

I'm sure these values will change as we grow. Most of them are very different than the list I would have made five years ago, and that list is different than the one from ten or fifteen years ago. But it's where we are now. 

Here (in no particular order except for the first one) are some of the things that will govern our decisions in the next several months:

Biblical Principles

We are followers of Jesus. First and foremost we will strive to live life the way God wants. We will incorporate principles of stewardship, honesty, integrity, reliability, respectability, and kindness (and many others) in everything we do. We decide things after prayer and study. We make mistakes and we forgive one another. This guides everything we do. 

Buying Local

When possible we prefer to patronize small businesses. We recognize the hard work and immense effort required to run your own business. We want to see our friends and neighbors be successful, so we will be a part of that as much as possible. 

Building Community Relationships

We want to know our neighbors. We are part of a church here, and when we move we will join a church there. We look people in the eyes. We listen. We will learn your stories and be honored that you share them with us. We will partner with local businesses. 

Authenticity

Y'all know me. I not only share my successes, I also tell you about my mommy fail moments, my goofy side, and some of my disappointments. We are real people on an exciting adventure. We will share with you our attempts to try new things. We'll let you know what works and what doesn't. We truly care about our friends and family, and as we start businesses we desire to be authentic with our customers as well. 

Barter

We believe in trade. Cash is just paper. Credit and ATM cards are even less than paper. They're just promises of transfers between banks. But do they actually send a physical dollar over for every electronic transaction? I doubt it. Money has no intrinsic value. Don't get me wrong. I'll take your money. But "barter is better". Want something we have? Make an offer for trade.

Family 

Part of the reason for this move is to be nearer my parents, and also to provide a better family life for ourselves and our daughters. If we start an endeavor and it impacts our family negatively, we'll make changes. We will look for ways to support families in our sphere of influence. We will treat our customers and community as extended family. 

Gratitude 

We are thankful. We have been given so much. We are thankful for each and every customer. We can not adequately express the gratitude we feel for our family and friends who are cheering us on and encouraging us, but we will try. Thank you. We love y'all.  

Giving Back

I like purchasing from companies that do good for others. TOMS is one example. For every pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child somewhere in the world. There are others; Burt's Bees gives money to non-profit start ups. I want Not A Farm Girl to be that kind of company. I recognize how extremely blessed I am. I want to now bless others and make the world a better place than I found it. I haven't worked out all the details, but to start with I am going to donate a percentage of Not A Farm Girl products (lotions, soaps, shampoo, etc.) to shelters for women and girls. I have other ideas for future service projects after we move, more about that as we go.

Organic

Most people associate organic with food. However, there are several definitions in the dictionary, and one definition from Dictionary.com is: organic - simple and healthful and close to nature.

That's what we're about as a family and that's what Not A Farm Girl will strive to be as a business. 

What Goes Around

At 2:20am last night I was suddenly wide awake after hearing the high pitched "beepbeepbeep" from our alarm that signals an outside door had been opened. I thought most likely the door leading to the garage hadn't closed all the way and the dog had pushed it open, so I went to check. I considered waking Chris, but he has to get up even earlier than I for work, so I let him sleep.

As I made my way down the dark hall I was confronted by a person turning towards me from the kitchen. 

My brain registered that it was my twelve year old daughter Carter before my body did, so I stood there clutching her arm and gasping in air as one does when surprised, and trying to slow my racing heart. 

Turns out she and Lesleigh (my thirteen year old) had decided to sleep in the back yard because it was too hot in the house. "We left you a note, Mom." 

Um yeah, maybe I would have seen that if it wasn't pitch black and the middle of the night. 

Which reminds of the time there was no note...

About three or four years ago I woke in the middle of the night, and as moms are wont to do, I checked on my girls. (At that time their ages were about eight and ten.) Carter was nowhere to be found. I was whisper calling her in a panic. I woke my husband. Finally I woke Lesleigh and asked if she knew where her sister was. "Yes", she sleepily replied, "She's in there." I looked where she was pointing. The closet!! Carter had made up a little bed on the floor of Lesleigh's closet and pulled the door nearly shut. 

When I posted that mommy nightmare on Facebook, my childhood friend posted in reply, "Karma. That's all I'm saying."

Oh, right. 

My best friend Betty and I lived around the corner from each other on a T shaped cul-de-sac. I lived on the long leg, she lived on the right top side. The very cool thing about it was that our back yards met at a corner. We learned at a pretty young age -I'm thinking I was about four or five- that we could pile stuff up and climb over to visit. 

Betty had a very cool playhouse in her back yard. And on the particular night she was referencing with her "karma" comment she and her brother were going to sleep in it. So we made grand plans. Wild plans. The best plans a five and seven year old could come up with. And on that fateful night, we *almost* got away with it. 

My grandmother was babysitting. As soon as she put me and my brother to bed and turned out the light I climbed out the window and crept stealthily across the backyard, slipped over the fence, and into the playhouse. What exhilaration! What joy! A secret sleepover! 

Our celebration was short-lived, however. Before very long, Betty's dad came out and asked if I was there. I sheepishly crawled out from under the sleeping bag and allowed him to walk me home. It turned out that my grandmother also had that need to check on sleeping children; she had noticed my absence and phoned the restaurant where my parents were dining. They rushed home and called the police, who then went door to door looking for me. To this day I remember the fear and relief together evident on my parents' faces. 

So I guess in a way I deserve those middle of the night mommy frights. 

Here's a picture off Betty and I a few years later. (I'm on the left, she's on the right) I had moved away at age seven, but we remained friends; we remain friends to this day. 

Have you had any of those scary "Where is my child?!!??!" moments? What childhood adventures did you have? I'd love to hear all about it. 

Not A Farm Girl Buying Local

We have become firm believers in buying local. Two or three years ago, I wouldn't have really understood the importance and value of supporting local businesses. 

Small business owners depend on loyal repeat customers. Big chain companies can afford to lose a few customers. Mom and Pop shops can't. They work long, hard hours. They put their heart into their products and services, and that passion often makes a noticeable difference in the quality. 

Buying local might cost a little more than purchasing from a chain store, but it's  good for the local economy, because those business owners return the money to our community through their purchases and giving. 

That being said, I don't buy local simply for the sake of buying local. If I get lousy service, or a mediocre product, I'm certainly not going to continue to patronize a local business. But when I find one that excels at what they do and engages me, and views me as a person, not just a dollar sign, you can bet I'll be back! 

Valentino's Pizza is just such a shop. 

Lee Alanouf is awesome. He'll spin and toss the pizza dough and put on a show for us. He remembers our "usual". He talks to us while he's working and doesn't make us feel like we're interrupting. 

Another reason we love Valentino's? They give back to the community, donating over $40,000 to the Casa Youth  Center since 2009. 

But the real reason we return is the taste. They make everything fresh each day in the shop; the dough, the sauce, everything. The pizza is amazing!

Do you buy local? If so, what are your favorite shops?

Naturally Urban Farm in Bellflower, CA

I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon and Eric Schermerhorn at their home yesterday. They, along with their seven children and Jay (helper on the "farm") have a large organic garden and raise chickens right here in my town. 

They call their city farm "Naturally Urban". Be sure to visit: Www.naturallyurban.blogspot.com

I enjoyed visiting with them and learning about gardening. The interview will be posted on my YouTube channel: NotaFarmGirl. 

              Shannon and I

Here are some take-aways that I learned during our chats between takes. 

*keep your ground covered by mulch or foliage. Exposed ground loses both moisture and soil. 

*walking barefoot while you garden allows you to feel what's going on in the soil. 

*blackberries and raspberries like to grow downhill. 

*if you live in the country, keep a couple extra chickens for their predators. It's natural, unless they're eating more than their fair share. As Jay says, "Everyone's got to eat."

Me with Jay and either Fluffy or Puffy. (They're sister chickens that look alike.)

Shannon also highly recommends this book:

She said, "When they say 'Five Minutes a Day' they actually mean ONLY five minutes a day." She gave me a loaf and it was super yummy! I've already ordered my own copy. 

I am amazed every day by how willing people are to share their knowledge and expertise. I am thankful for friends old and new as I journey from the city to the farm. 

Drowning in a Sea of Things

In my blog description I say we are moving to the farm to lead a "simpler" life. By no means do I think simpler equals easier. In fact, in many ways, it will be much more difficult than our life in L.A. We will have land and gardens and livestock. We may have to renovate our home. We will have to be more careful with our spending and live a more frugal life. So, that being said, in what way will it be a simpler life?

One thing we have decided to do to "simplify" is to own fewer things. Chris has introduced me to the tiny house movement. Check out http://tinyhouseswoon.com/

We are not tiny people by any means, and its doubtful we would ever be comfortable in a true tiny house, but the idea of living with only what you need really appeals to us. Maybe in part because of how much that contrasts with our current lifestyle. 

It is amazing how much stuff we have. I am constantly shifting piles of stuff and trying to find a home for each thing that we own. I am drowning in an ocean of things we may or may not need, but have become accustomed to having. Here are some examples of how we are stuffed:

This is my "nightstand" full of stuff. And the corner? Piled with purses and blankets and stuff. And on top of the shelves: more stuff. The next picture is my hat, scarf, and swimsuit shelf. It's Southern Cali. How many scarves do I actually need here? Not that many, for sure. Just had a thought... why do I own about a dozen scarves and only two swimsuits when I live just twenty minutes from the beach? I blame the body image driven SoCal culture. But that's another blog post entirely.

Now I am faced with the overwhelming task of sorting, selling, giving away, and packing all this stuff. It's daunting, that's for sure! Just look at the garage:

I decided to begin in the kitchen. Here's what the cabinets looked afterward:

Here's what I decided we could live without:

We are slowly chipping away at our stuff. It's not easy to let go of things, but it is very freeing. It's also easier to keep clean. At least that's what they tell me. I'll let you know whether it's true. 

We'll probably never live in a "tiny house". Nor will we be minimalists. I believe we will, however, learn to have only things we love and use and have a place in which to keep them. 

For more of our story be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel NotaFarmGirl. 

Lesleigh's Corner

Lesleigh asked to write a blog post for me. Here it is, in her words:

Our 2-week update

We have a progress update for you.  

So far we have started decluttering and sorting all our items. Some of the items are being set aside for the big garage sale. 

Our donation website is up and running and we have gotten our first donation!  If you would like to you can do so at  www.gofundme.com/notafarmgirl .  

Chris has decided what one of his businesses will be and he will announce what it will be on his YouTube Chanel.  By the way if you haven’t all ready posted a name for the contest you can do so at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcD2GLxcYI8 down in the comments. You can post more than one name if another suddenly hits you. Don’t worry we want to hear all of your suggestions. 

Make sure to go check our videos cause you’ll never know when there is a new one.