A glimpse at life in the Drifless Region of SW Wisconsin

24 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Resources, travels

I’ve heard from many of you who would like to pick up & move somewhere where there are more like-minded people who care about things like organic food, and living a little more simply, away from the hustle & bustle of major metropolitan life. I LOVE this short video put together by Organic Valley, headquartered here in SW Wisconsin. It gives a glimpse into why I’m so thrilled to call this place home… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TntyVqSFQUI

Why I want to get chickens!

23 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Eco-friendly living, Resources

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I posted the other day that we normally get them from our friends farm, but every now & then they run low so I bought some at my food co-op the other day, for $4/dozen, and they just don’t compare! This photo doesn’t even do them justice, but the one on the left is from a local farmer who has 5,000 birds in a huuuuuuge barn. Yes, they are cage-free, no they do not see the light of day & are fed solely organic grain. On the right, free-ranging, bug-eating, occasionally a bit of grain to supplement, they are SO orange & delicious. The pale yellow ones just look & taste like they’re lacking, and even my 3 1/2 year old expressed an immediate dislike of the yellow ones, telling me “Mama, I DO NOT like yellow yolks, I like orangey yolks”

Also, when I was commuting to college I’d stop by the farm with 5,000 chickens to pick up eggs for my food co-op, and literally vomited once & left gagging every, single time, the smell was soooooo horrible, I couldn’t do it anymore! So another case in point, NOT ALL ORGANIC food is created equally…. And I’m determined to have eggs by next summer, while our friends are able to mostly keep us stocked, we go through a ton of eggs & I don’t want to rely on anyone else to provide for us!