In April, we bought half a cow... grass fed organic beef... and we love it. It was quite a sacrifice to make financially, but we felt that it was better for us, and we really wanted to try it out, and we are sure glad that we did! We actually know what we are putting into our bodies, and I know it didn't come from an assembly line of cows in cages in a nasty slaughter house. I guess it makes me feel better knowing that it ran freely on Dan and Julie's farm :)
So, back to the all natural thing... I was looking for an alternative to the rice cereal since it is that time, and what I ended up doing was made some pured potatos with breast milk and Luke absolutely LOVES them... so yesterday, I talked to Kyle, and we are going to eat more healthy, and I threw in there... we should go organic... I figured it would be a little bit more, but HOLY MOLY!! I went to Fred Meyers, and I was shocked! They have a pretty good Organic and natural section, but I almost feel like I need to be rich to shop in that section. I bought some bread, eggs, yogurt, granola, fruit and veggies...just the basics, and not very much at all compared to what I normally buy, and I spent over 100.00 on food that filled 2 paper grocery bags. I mean, I would love to make this sacrifice for my family, but goodness gracious... I am a stay at home mom and we have ONE income, and that is just not in the budget.
We do want to start using more natural products, but we are going to have to start small, and slowly start incorporating them into our home. It is just discouraging that it costs more to buy something that is less processed. Groceries in general are going up and up, but organic is crazy expensive! But starting small will hopefully make it less overwhelming. Our main goal is to not eat anything out of a box.
So, since the whole organic thing, I have become a canning fool!! Canned a bunch of Italian plums, dehydrated some too, and they are super yummy!! I also pureed some and put them in the freezer for Luke when we have intestinal issues :) Made a batch of Raspberry Jam, 2 batches of Loganberry Jam, and 1 batch of Marion berry Jam... YUMMMM!!! We eat a lot of PB&J in this house, so this is more of a necessity! Also, we have some apple trees on our property, but they are not good to just bite into. Some have some worm spots in them, but if you cut those out, they are something AMAZING!! And perfect for applesauce! It takes a long time to make the applesauce with peeling, cutting out the bad parts, cutting them into small chunks, and then actually making the sauce and canning it, but it is SOOOO worth it. There is nothing like homemade applesauce. So for now, that's all the canning I have done...next year I hope to do a lot more with the veggies in my garden, but this year, it just didn't happen with a new baby in the house... we had other things going on :)
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| Yummy canned plums!! |
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| Blake LOVED helping! |
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| Sometimes the ugliest apples make the best applesauce!! |
How did you pick the farm where you purchased your cow? We are looking into finding a good place..we have a butcher here in town..did u get to pick how you wanted the meat?
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ReplyDeleteNext year consider getting a "ricer" for making the applesauce. I have a small one that holds about 2 quarts at a time. It's this cone shaped metal thing, wide part at the top, with holes in the sides, that sits in a stand. You place it in a large bowl or pot, and use the wooden bat thing to smash and swirl the cooked apples through the holes, while leaving the peels, cores and any seeds in it. Still some work, but eliminates the need to peel the apples. And it comes out smooth enough that even Luke could eat it. Now, if you want the chunky kind, you have to do it the other way. Just a thought. If you have any more apples to process this year, and want to borrow mine, just let me and we'll figure out a way to get it to you!
Thanks Marilou! My husband likes it chunky, so I am going to be doing it the old fashioned way HAHA... In a way, it is almost relaxing!
DeleteOne of the owners of Hermanson (where Kyle works) was getting ready to butcher on of their cows and they asked us if we were interested. His wife runs the "cow business" but they are Grass fed Herferds. I can give you some of the meat to see if you like it... all breeds taste different, as I have found out HAHA
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