part of something
You know we've been kicking along here on the farm for a year, running the market stall for six months ahead of that. We're having a good go at figuring it out, making a living farming on a very small acreage, rather than just homesteading and living sustainably which frankly would be cheaper.
A lovely lady who is in charge of the meat puchasing for an organic buying club contacted me recently about chickens, and she and her friend and six children between them showed up today to pick up an entire batch of freshly processed pastured free-range chickens.
We had a walk around the farm and chatted about sustainable food and small farms and chickens and pigs and coffee. It was lovely. And for the first time (maybe I'm really very slow) I felt part of something bigger. When we started here we were so busy running to try and keep livestock alive and figure out what we're supposed to plant when and baking baking baking that I never really articulated our reason for being, you know? Yes, we wanted to grow and raise clean food for our own family but now we're raising it for lots of other people's families and that is super cool. I felt a little bit proud of that for the first time today.
Because instead of just complaining about the supermarkets which I've done a lot of, we're actually offering an alternative. Little bit proud.
It's school holidays. While Adam was at the abattoir we weeded self-seeded tomatoes out of the carrots and picked all the green beans in the house vegie garden. We cut back the basil (dramatically) and made a lot of pesto.
You can see the bottom of our menu board here. Here's the whole thing:
I never intended to blog this board otherwise I might have subconsciously put slightly flasher meals on this week. This board is mainly for Henry who always likes to know what his next meal is. Sometimes people edit it – I think Dad rubbed off the green beans on Friday when I had a sudden mad desire for wombok salad with the trout. The board works well. I get a lot of feedback from the smallies about it.
I can tell you for sure there'll be basil pesto all over next week's menu. Pesto and beans. Seven different ways.
Thanks for hanging out with us on this ride of ours. I appreciate your company.
xxx
Mucklemam
April 24, 2013 at 7:00 amIt is so good when you can affect change, both in your own family, but also in your community. We are desperately in need of a alternative to big, powerful producers and the mass production of food (where we have definitely lost our way). Your garden looks lush and amazing. And I love the blackboard idea for meals (we have ours on a piece of paper on the fridge). It is a very kiddie friendly way of meal planning – might be ‘borrowing’ that idea. Thanks for all the laughs and inspiration I get from stopping by your blog. xx
Linda Halkyard
April 24, 2013 at 9:21 amWe would love a place like yours so we could buy straight from the famer we have in a small suburb 3 Coles and 3 woollworths how ridiculous is that’s and we are supposed to be in the outer suburbs you know country ha ha we have no choice so we are starting to grow our own in our small backyard thanks for listening
Linda in Victoria
Just Joyful
April 24, 2013 at 10:10 amWe menu plan, and at the moment it is written on a piece of paper stuck on the fridge with a magnet. The blackboard idea is just SO MUCH BETTER!!! Kinda gives the feeling of being in a rustic cafe.
It’s good that you are seeing yourself as part of something bigger. It’s a great thing, and you should feel proud. I certainly appreciate what you are doing, and love reading about it. But it’s also good to remember that the most important thing is your family – the other stuff can’t get in the way of them.
Julie @ Tui Creek Tales
April 24, 2013 at 10:25 amForget being a little bit proud, you should feel a whole lot proud! You have worked so hard to get to where you are now and you are a real inspiration to me and others. We have 10 acres and I would love to provide produce for our community.
I love your menu board, I really need to get into menu planning as all too often these days I’m getting stressed out about what we’re going to have for dinner. Would love to know how you do your slow cooked pulled pork, we’ve just harvested a pig and I have quite a few roasts in the freezer that I’m not confident in cooking, previous attempts have turned out dry and overcooked, I just can’t get it right! Is there a particular cut you use?
Keep up your awesome work and your blogging, I love visiting here 🙂
Julie
Jacinta
April 24, 2013 at 12:56 pmI went to the shop the other day and had to choose between about 20 different kinds of sliced bread…i just wanted bread for my sandwich! So i went home and made it myself. It may have taken longer but i knew what was in it and frankly i didnt need all the other stuff, added fibre, half seed, linseed, gluden free, omega7, really? It’s bread people.
What you guys are doing is this but on a massive scale. I hope that i can do it too one day down the track. To be able to go outside and just get food is so much fun and i hope you realise how lucky you and your family are and keep up the great work 🙂
Brenda
April 24, 2013 at 5:05 pmThank you for growing and providing as you do, I probably don’t get to reap your rewards as I’m in Victoria, also, I think the menu looks yummy, I’ll come for dinner any time! xxBrenda
Ania
April 25, 2013 at 9:27 amWe painted a blackboard on our kitchen wall and it’s so popular! I’ve been doing a weekly meal plan for almost a decade; my husband especially likes to come home and see what’s on. To me, the meal plan is a fundamental part of eating sustainably- it means nothing is ever wasted and I only need to get to the shops once a week. We never throw any food out and have a really balanced diet. I don’t know how busy people manage without it!
Tracey
April 25, 2013 at 3:01 pmYou’re doing something amazing – you all deserve to be proud.
And I love you’d menu – sounds seasonal, available and friendly to the cook, the grown ups and the little people. We no longer menu plan, instead I will write on my kitchen white board the ingredients (from the garden mostly) that I need to use that week.
Keep up the good work, and keep writing about it! We live following your journey.
rhondajean
April 27, 2013 at 12:44 amYou are part of something, you’re part of the solution. I’m glad you feel proud because you deserve to be.
Nancy in Canada
April 27, 2013 at 2:10 amLove the board! Am drooling for beans now.. thanks 🙂 .. our garden isn’t even planted yet.. late frosts prevent it.
You not only do all that – you encourage the rest of us with this lovely little blog. xo
Claire Kulyk
April 29, 2013 at 10:23 pmOh wow I just always love reading your blog, so inviting, warm, inspiring. It’s simply, great! I usually miss reading it for a few weeks, then suddenly notice the email alerts and have a good catch up about life on Buena Vista farm and it always cheers me up. Alas I don’t have a farm, just a traditional old block in down town Gerringong but I love that I’ve been able to enjoy your chooks eggs and biscuits. Keep it up and if you ever want to adopt a 40 yr old mother of four…….one’s available just down the road ; )
Stay lovely,
Claire