It has been well over a year since I updated this site, but I have been very busy with several projects. I mentioned that I had set up a new website called My Athletic Life, and now I am in the process of setting up another. This one is called An Entrepreneurial Life. A couple of weeks ago, I set up a different site, but the topic hasn’t resonated. So, I will focus on a topic I know – what it’s like to be an entrepreneur.
Please check it out.
I know I have been terribly slack about posting about farming/gardening here at Soil to Sustenance – I am still spending most of my time writing for my new site My Athletic Life. However I have a new post called “My Strategy for Dealing with Deer on the Farm” over at The Paleo Solution. Enjoy!
We have a new addition on the farm this afternoon. Penny gave birth to a healthy baby bull calf (tentatively named Bruno). What is so amazing to me is that less than three hours after being born, this baby can RUN. Humans are complete underachievers.
Hello everyone. The work at My Athletic Life is keeping me EXTREMELY busy these days, but I did want to let you know of my guest post at Robb Wolf’s site today “A Flock of Fowl: Keeping Backyard Chickens.”
Yesterday we harvested our first of four rows of sweet potatoes (about 100 lbs). These Carolina Ruby sweet potatoes grow exceptionally well in central North Carolina even when we have a dry summer like this year. We will keep them in the garage (covered and damp) for about 2 weeks to cure, at which point they will be ready to eat or store in the house for up to 6 months.
FYI, today I have a guest post at Robb Wolf’s site called The Grass is Greener, but the Weeds are Taller. In this post, I outline some of my plans for the farm now that my days are a bit busier with the new website My Athletic Life. Please take a peek at my guest post as well as the new site if you have time.
Thanks for reading!
As you can probably guess from the title and the picture, I had a little “incident” with Penny recently. Last week our family was awakened at midnight by a persistent pounding at the door. While we don’t live in the middle of nowhere, we do live at the end of a LONG street with only a handful of neighbors; therefore it was quite unusual for someone to be 1) POUNDING ON our door and 2) to be doing so at such a late hour. Needless to say, we were extremely concerned about who might be at our door.
Turns out it was a member of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Our cow Penny, for reasons only known to her, decided that it would be a good evening to push through her fence and go for a stroll. When I say a stroll, I really mean a 1 mile romp down our road, all the way to a reasonably well traveled 45 MPH road. Why that far? I have no idea.
At 12:30am, I drove my truck to the end of our road, parked, and walked an additional ¼ mile to find Penny being tended to by the Sheriff and Animal Control. After thanking them and apologizing, I lead Penny the entire mile back to the house. We were extremely fortunate that she wasn’t hurt and didn’t cause any damage.
So I ask, do you think you want to own a cow?
1) We harvested our first “new” potatoes yesterday (a mixture of La Ratte fingerlings, Cranberry Red’s, and Arran Victory). They should make a great side dish tonight to go along with our Spice Rub Slow-Cooked Chicken from Everyday Paleo.
2) The NIH has halted a major trial of a combination drug (a statin and Niacin) that was expected to have benefits to people with cardiovascular risk. “The lack of effect on cardiovascular events is unexpected and a striking contrast to the results of previous trials and observational studies….” Here is a link to more information.
3) Yesterday our family sampled the burgers (grass fed beef) and fries (cooked in duck fat) from Bull City Burger and Brewery. Highly recommended!
4) What do you think about these two? Separated at birth?
Posted in Farming, Food, Health
Tagged Burgers, Everyday Paleo, Niacin, Potatoes, scotty mccreery
As I mentioned in The Illusion of Nutrient-Dense Food, pastured animals should be on, well, pasture and not a bare patch of ground. During the winter this is not always possible; however with the warmth of spring and summer, there really isn’t a good excuse.
And with that warmth, many of my early season crops like lettuce, spinach and arugula have rebelled and are attempting to “bolt” or go to seed. This makes the greens very bitter, but to a chicken they are divine. So rather than waste this good green forage, I have recently moved my portable chicken netting to encompass the greens.
Before
After
I am also trying some experiments with black soldier flies (BSF) as supplemental food for the chickens. BSF larvae are insatiable eaters and will consume/convert large quantities of organic material into wiggly protein that chickens love. Here is a short time-lapse video of what BSF larva can do to a hamburger in only 5 hours.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.“ - Hippocrates
In my wayward vegetarian days, before finding Weston A. Price and eventually Paleo, I ate my fair share of faux food: soy ground beef crumbles, egg substitutes made from tofu, heart-healthy margarine, and my favorite, seitan (pure wheat gluten). For those of you that don’t know what I am talking about, check out this 30 second “public service announcement” from Ron Swanson of NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Continue reading
Posted in Farming, Food, Nutrition, Uncategorized
This is the second season I have grown Hakurei turnips, and they look fabulous! Instead of growing them in my poorest soil (like last year), I amended several raised beds with double doses of compost. Most root vegetables need this loose soil structure created by the compost so they can easily expand.
The Hakurei variety is also known as the Tokyo or salad turnip. The Hakurei is a perfect cross between a turnip (earthy) and a radish (spicy) with a hint of sweetness. While typically eaten raw, tonight I am roasting them in the oven to go along with grilled pork tenderloin. In addition, I will use the turnip greens (sautéed) as a second side dish.
These turnips are becoming more and more common so look for them at your local farmers market. And remember to save (and eat) those greens.
