The other day while talking to my grandmother (who lives 1000 miles away from me), she said, "Were you affected by that egg recall??" My response, "Ummm... Grandma... I don't buy my eggs from a grocery store." I quickly reminded her that I get my eggs from my own backyard or locally from my Farmers' Market.
We've had our backyard chickens since the Spring of 2008. Ok... maybe you're thinking that we live on a farm... nope... we actually live in a neighborhood and a nice one at that.
Deciding to get chickens was, admittedly, NOT my idea. In fact, I resisted the whole thought of having chickens in our backyard. I had this horrible vision of what our backyard would look like with chickens.
It doesn't look bad... it's actually kind of cool ;)
So.... the decision and convincing to get hens came from my husband. Ever since our oldest son could talk, he wanted to be a farmer. My husband thought that it would be a good idea to get some chickens and support my son's passion for farming. I, of course, didn't really think that was a good enough reason (I mean what would we do if he wanted to drive Monster trucks??). But somewhere along the way, my husband convinced me (yes, he threw out the environmental aspect) that it was a good idea....
Making the decision to get chickens has been one of the best things we have ever done. I love knowing where my eggs come from.... and that it's not places like these:
"Free-Range"... isn't so FREE.
It's no wonder that a half a billion eggs have been recalled. The conditions in which those poor birds live isn't natural... isn't even close to sanitary... and isn't even the slightest bit humane. Our birds roam free** in our backyard... when our garden is in limbo they have free range to pick at all the plants left over from the growing season, the compost bin is one of their favorite places as well as the wooded area around our yard.
Also, having chickens is one of those things that was part of what pushed me to stop eating meat. My husband and I talk about how much we've learned from having chickens... they're so sweet, curious, mischievous, smart... have individual personalities... AND they've become part of our family...
We don't didn't have a rooster when "Big Momma" became broody...so once she sat on some eggs for a few weeks... we felt it was our responsibility to make sure she experienced motherhood. Nope, those babies didn't hatch from her eggs... but she LOVED, taught and protected them. It was one of the most amazing things to see.... EVER.
And... I just got caught up in how much we love our chickens that I almost forgot to mention that the eggs we get from our chickens are AMAZING!!! The first time I cracked one open I was in awe of the color (ok... no lie... I still am). Before we had backyard hens, I always bought organic (no ifs, ands, or buts)... but organic does not mean humane. Eggs from truly happy chickens that have a varied diet are almost orange in color and have so much flavor. I would NEVER buy eggs from a grocery store again... even if it was my only choice.
Thinking about getting some backyard chickens?? They're super easy to care for... check out this website for more information: Backyard Chickens
Not ready for backyard chickens? Start buying local eggs. Search for farmers in your area at Local Harvest
**Our chickens have a pen area that is netted for their protection when we're not outside with them. If you're interested in the "why"... you can read about that here.
Ok, so for those of you that read this and know me... this may seem to come out of left field. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, I've had a sense of anxiousness about sharing my most recent revelations. I've only told a handful of people, so.... for those who I haven't told and have had my BBQ burgers, my chicken pot pie, Boeuf Bourginon, etc etc etc... you may gasp at what I'm about to say.
Since October, I have made the commitment to stop eating meat.
Now, this isn't something that I've taken lightly and it's certainly not something that has happened overnight... Also, understand that I'm not sharing this to convince anyone to stop eating meat... only to share my experience... so that maybe one part of it will connect (or resonate) with someone. Maybe that someone will make the decision to only eat meat from humanely raised animals or maybe go meat-free for one meal or meat-free for a full day OR maybe like me... take the plunge into the unknown ;)
So... for those who are interested... this is where I'm coming from...
For the past couple of years, we've had egg laying hens-- yes, I know all hens lay eggs-- but that's what we have them for. From them, I've learned that chickens have personalities. Of course, they are not as affectionate or compassionate as our dogs and cat... but they're individual, curious, nervous and mischievous. AND.... when they die, I feel sad. While watching "A Mighty Heart," it was said that he (Daniel Pearl) was cut into 10 pieces... I thought "Who could do that?... but wait...we do that to chickens." And I could never get that thought out of my head. Last March, I was doing research for a newsletter that I was writing for Earth Day.... in google I typed "Tips for Earth Day Everyday"... and with that I stumbled across www.goveg.org. The pictures and videos of the factory farm cruelty was all over my computer screen and like a train wreck... I couldn't look away. (WARNING: The following video is absolutely horrid.)
Months flew by and I couldn't stop thinking about what I had seen and it seemed there was always something to remind me of it. Suddenly, steaks no longer tasted good to me. (Seriously, I'm the girl who ordered my steaks medium-rare.) Then I read that "one of the best things that you can do for the environment is to give up beef." So I figured that was a good place to start.
(I took this picture at my husband's cousin's farm)
The facts-- from environmental to health standpoints-- are all over the net... and they're quite overwhelming. There are a few blogs that I read that I think sum it all up quite nicely... and, of course, are good reads: http://veganyogini.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-vegan.html
But then as I cut out beef... I realized that this was about more than just the environment. I thought about how I justified eating animals and after everything I read and saw... those justifications didn't sit well with me. I had feelings of disconnectedness to where food comes from and what it actually was at a grocery store. What I know is that, realistically, if I walked in the grocery store (or meat market) to get meat and had to pick out a live chicken, cow, pig, turkey, etc....to be butchered, I couldn't and wouldn't do it. That's when I realized that this HAD to be more than just beef. And sure, in the middle of this epiphany, I thought about how meat tasted so darn good... I LOVE bacon... in fact, I've always said that I think it makes everything taste better... chicken pot pie/ dumplins/ soup... hamburgers... all AMAZINGLY GOOD. BUT, I remembered how I used to eat stuff like Hostess "junk" cakes, Fattie Debbie snacks, and a lot of other prepackaged crap... And you know what? They no longer taste good. With that thought, I know that meat has the same fate.
I tell myself... I can and will do this... no labeling myself... I'll take it one day/meal at a time.
I've made the decision that I'm still going to eat fish... I'm pretty thorough in choosing a sustainable fish (and often buy it from my local Farmer's Market)... am I justifying it? Probably... but I'm OK with that right now.
Have I been scared? Yes. Have I had second thoughts? Definitely. Have I backed up and said to myself that I can do this? Absolutely. Now, one of the things things I've had people asked me is, "What about the kids??" Of course, that was (and is) my biggest concern (and often my reasoning for questioning myself). I won't force my beliefs on them. They (7, 5, and 3) are great eaters... I keep thinking that I don't want to screw that up. So.... while I've taken huge steps, they're right along with me with teeny tiny baby steps. They know that I'm not cooking "cow" anymore and for the most part they're with me. However, when they want to eat chicken fingers (go figure), bacon, sausage, etc.... they eat them...BUT they are also trying (and liking) all sorts of new foods.
Some things that I'm doing that are helping me transition to a plant-based diet are:
In the first couple of months, when we went out somewhere, if there was a vegetarian option... I chose it. It was an easy way to try something new without committing the whole family to it.
The ability to keep an open mind (and looking at packages of meat for what they truly are) is making me believe in ALL of the possibilities. Besides, it's exciting trying new foods and my taste buds are totally changing.... just like I knew they would :)
Cookbooks, recipe sites, blogs... it's a new way of thinking... and I know that I can't possibly do it on my own. (Thank you Mom, Tracy and Aaron for listening to my ramblings ;) )
I have prepared myself for the looks of "Seriously? Why would you do that?" But even so, I know that's the exact reason that I've kept this all on the down-low. **Is there anyone in this world that likes to be labeled or judged?????**
I look at the foods that I cooked and think about what I like to eat. More often than not there is a vegetarian version of a meal I used to eat, such as: Chicken Parm... now Eggplant Parm :)
I realize that not everything I cook is going to taste like the "meat" version, but I'm ok with that. One of the first couple of things that I tried were vegie dogs (the taste is uncanny to the real thing) and Tofurkey (it does not taste like Turkey, but it's not bad). I've also made vegie sloppy joes, seitan stroganoff, fish tacos (I know they're not vegetarian, but that's how I found my way to cut out beef), homemade vegie burgers, vegie chili, chickpea cutlets, tempeh (or seitan) stir-fry, quinoa...
Once you open yourself to the possibilities... trust me... they are endless.
So, I'm thinking that as I find a vegetarian dish that I absolutely LOVE, I will share the recipes and maybe inspire you to try something new :)
Want to buy sustainable and humanely raised meat? Check out:
