It has been one crazy two weeks here on the homestead. We had house guests all last week, so sorry for the lack of posts folks! We saw a great concert, all in all a nice relaxing time. Any who, here's a run down of this week on the stead front:
- Set up a space in our laundry room with a light to start some seeds...
- My awesome friends who are staying with us this spring helped me rake/ clean-up the back yard and flower beds (all complete with garden netting to keep my pesky and wonderful hens from eating all my volunteer wildflowers!)
- They also totally rocked helping me clean my disaster of a garage (which has sadly turned into a storage unit for a family member, hopefully soon we can move that stuff out so I can move my rabbit cages into the garage and make a permanent tack area for all my equine tack and things... If you know anything about rabbits you'll well know they do great in subzero temps but terrible in scorching ones, so I would like to provide them some better shade and our garage stays cool as ever through the summer months)
- Brought home 6 count em' 6 new ducks!!! A mated pair of Cayugas, a mated pair of Mallards, and two additional Mallard drakes who will be making their way to the freezer very very soon. These girls began laying the very next day! I acquired them from a fellow bird lover whose ducks were being over run by drakes, so naturally she needed to cut out some testosterone to save the appearance and nerves of her poor hens a full post on my love for ducks to come!
- Six new laying chicks came home February 28th! A few Barred Rock, a Deleware, an Ancona, an Americana, and a Welsummer (at least that's my guess on that last one, she/he came from a fellow steader on CL, so we shall see) will make their home with us and be laying by this fall! -----affiliate link
- We finally welcomed our first batch of meat chicks to the farm only a couple days after the laying babies! 20 red ranger broilers to be packed in the freezer in about 12 weeks! I cannot contain my excitement at this!!! (more on the babies later)
**The babies are currently housed in an ole stock tank fashioned into a nifty brooder.
Ok, Quincy we read your barnyard banter, now what the heck is up with these GMOs you speak of?!?
GMOs are a cornerstone to our want, no, need to change the lifestyle and eating habits of our family. GMOs are part of the reason why we do what we do. Aside from wanting to get back to basics and teach our children of a more natural way of life, I want my children and my bearded baby daddy to be healthy through this adventure.
For me this all started with the last state elections. We had a bill on the ballot in Oregon for GMO labeling.... and honestly I'm kicking myself in the pants everyday for seeing that ballot and never taking the 5 minutes to sit down and vote.
Hi, my name is Quincy and sometimes I forgot to vote.... Ok, so I may not be politically active or even care for politics much at all, so much about money and power, so not what this farm Mama wastes her time with....
Not that politics are a waste of time..... Am I just digging a deeper hole? Moving on, ahem..
But seriously with new horses, preparing for the pigs, checking the coop a billion times a day for any signs of an egg, and surviving the woes of morning sickness this past fall I was not in any way worried about when to submit the ballot or what was even on it. I had heard in passing about the recreational marijuana bill and the GMO bill but didn't really ever get around to doing my research on either one very thoroughly.
The reading material on this topic goes on and on. It is not of my intent to rant on and on and throw statistics at you. I'll give ya a little of my side of things without totally overwhelming you, I hope...
I only ask that you take the time to do the research yourself and make your own choice, I beg you keep the health of your family in the front of your mind...
Ok ok...
My interpretation of GMOs is that they are genetically modified organisms....
So... They are fake?
In a sense yes.... and no...
Scientists have genetically altered the DNA in our food sources to make them something that they are not, for one reason, or another. I've even heard some weird stories about genetic testing that go so far as to say that there are even goats who have been genetically altered to lactate spider silk...
WTF?
Excuse my French but that was the initial thought bubble floating over my head when I heard that on a documentary called 'GMO OMG.' Which ALL of you should watch, in this day and age almost everyone has a Netflix membership, it is on there, don't make excuses! Ya ya that's a lot to take in all at once. Point is there's obviously some bored scientists out there pushing the borders and limitations of nature.
Thankfully the GMOs that reside in our food aren't so intense. It's simply a case of big corporations cutting logistical corners as they always have and will continue to do. In order to increase profits, seed companies have modified the seeds to be more durable and resistant...
Resistant to Round Up so farmers can douse their fields with weed killer and not lose a single corn or soy plant (the two main GMO food sources). Corn plants that have been modified in order to release their own pesticide..... Literally, the plant is a pesticide..... Research this folks! In seed form much of the corn we Americans eat is registered through the FDA as first and foremost a pesticide and secondly as a food product. Something like 95% of the American food supply contains GMOs, and roughly 30 something % (I know so technical) of Americans are aware of GMOs. Rant done!
What have I been feeding my child...?
What have I been feeding myself, or this growing baby inside me?!
I had no idea.
I was as clueless as countless other Americas still are.
No better word describes the state I'm in... Or have been in for months now... than complete and utter shock. How can our government regulate and approve something that has been labeled, voted out, or even banned in 16 plus countries on the planet. Why you ask?
There hasn't been enough research to prove they are safe for human consumption. What we do know is it allows countless farmers to cut corners and increase productivity. We also know that since the time that GMOs were introduced in the states, our country has become one of the top ranking counties in relation to highest rate of illness worldwide. We're one of the sickest countries on the planet, and I don't mean sick as in the stupid slang form of cool, I mean we have the highest obesity and cancer rates out of developed countries.
Here's a fun fact to bring you out of those doldrums, the same or higher yields have been proven possible on organic non GMO farms all over the country.
Since the first month we found out this scary and shocking truth we have been on a mission to rid our household of GMOs in every way possible. And, it has proven to be much easier than I ever thought it could be.
No better word describes the state I'm in... Or have been in for months now... than complete and utter shock. How can our government regulate and approve something that has been labeled, voted out, or even banned in 16 plus countries on the planet. Why you ask?
There hasn't been enough research to prove they are safe for human consumption. What we do know is it allows countless farmers to cut corners and increase productivity. We also know that since the time that GMOs were introduced in the states, our country has become one of the top ranking counties in relation to highest rate of illness worldwide. We're one of the sickest countries on the planet, and I don't mean sick as in the stupid slang form of cool, I mean we have the highest obesity and cancer rates out of developed countries.
Here's a fun fact to bring you out of those doldrums, the same or higher yields have been proven possible on organic non GMO farms all over the country.
Since the first month we found out this scary and shocking truth we have been on a mission to rid our household of GMOs in every way possible. And, it has proven to be much easier than I ever thought it could be.
Were making more of our own products from within the home, and finding better ingredients even if they cost just a little bit more. A few dollars here and there are worth my families health in my opinion by a long shot. We have also received a catalogue from Azure Standard to begin ordering GMO-free organic grains in order to put our new grain mill to use, THANKS MOM and DAD!!! There are also so many other products which we purchase regularly that can be found within the AS inventory. I mean look at that catalogue! Woo its definitely something to snugg
le up on your couch with and spend some good quality highlighter time. SO SO SO many organic and GMO free options are available in this amazing catalogue, and better yet, Azure Standard is located in Dufur, Ore, only about 150 miles from where I sit right now ranting about its magnificence......
What can I say, girlfriend loves to shop in bulk. Even better, there are 4 drop sites within 5 miles of my house. Cutting out stressful and inconsistent grocery store trips is my end all be all. I hate grocery shopping..... I don't mind running in for a thing or two but usually always leave with 5-10 items I had no intention of purchasing. Buying in bulk helps us to save money and prevent any spontaneous purchasing on my end. And the reliability of non GMO food supply made it a decision that much easier to make. Hopefully soon we will be receiving monthly or quarterly deliveries of wholesome foods once the budget begins to realign after some serious vehicle issues.
Well there you go I'll get outta your hair for a bit.
Anxiously waiting for seeds to sprout,
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