"THE DIRT"

Bear with me this week. I have a bunch of interesting turkey details to share with you. This year the turkeys will be on demand! That means you order one when you need one. No preorders this year. Fall turkeys will start going to the processor on September 29th and will continue to be sent through November. That means that you can start ordering whole turkeys soon! As of right now, there are some turkey cuts available. Here are the basics - Our turkeys are a “white” breed, live on green pasture, and are naturally raised and processed. I am always wanting to find out more about how my food was produced. This year, I’m diving deep to answer the question, “What’s in the feed?”

Have you ever noticed that our raw cow milk tastes clean and not barny? Have you noticed that it lasts longer than other raw milks? Our dairy farmers work hard for this. It all comes down to cleanliness... and therefore milk safety. We test every batch of milk on site for general bacteria counts. Here's how and here's why.

Ever wonder why our food costs more? It costs more than most supermarket food (even the organic stuff). And, when you compare to other farms, it often costs more, too. Here are 5 big reasons why, from farming standards to fair pay to how we do our pricing.

Imagine that you're shopping in a cheese department. You spot some raw cheese. Hooray! So, you buy the cheese. But then, you read the fine print on the back of the label. For example, on Organic Valley's raw cheeses, it says "Heated to 158F for 15 seconds". Ugh!!! What's up with this? Another greenwashed label? Shouldn't raw cheese not be heated at all? Doesn't heating to 158F negate the purpose of purchasing raw? Let's dive a little deeper into what raw cheese is, why it's important for your health, and the regulations on raw cheese.

I know a lot of you don't eat a lot of nuts... but maybe you kinda miss them? I know I do. It's so much work to soak and dehydrate them at home (to get rid of the antinutrients). It's easier to just not buy them at all. If you want to purchase presoaked nuts, they're hard to find and prices can be crazy. And then of course there are PUFAs to consider. I mean, don't you wish almonds didn't have a 2010:1 omega 6/3 ratio? Don't you wish walnuts weren't so ridiculously high in PUFAs? Don't you wish Brazil Nuts didn't have so many oxalates? Enter macadamia nuts...

In general, fruits and veggies are considered “healthy” foods. But, our complicated food system has, of course, complicated this. Farming practices matter. But, even after produce is harvested, chemicals can be applied to coat produce and keep it looking fresh for a long time. Let's look into the ingredients in produce coatings, the new Apeel coating, and what to look out for when being a smart natural food shopper.