Being a parent motivates you to do better, act better, live better. We give great thought to what we allow to occupy our children’s time, inspire their imagination, and fill their bellies. As farmers at heart, we naturally care about giving our kids the best options when it comes to food. In fact, my husband and I cared so much, we actually started raising our own chickens with little more than a make-shift coop & a tiny backyard. It didn’t take long to realize that we wanted to do this full-time. We wanted to raise food in a way that was ethical and superior to what we could find in the stores. We wanted to show our kids a better way forward. So, that’s exactly what we’ve set out to do.
I remember the first chicken I prepared for our family – there were so many feelings!
Pride- in raising this chicken from start to finish.
Excitement- to share this abundance with our loved ones.
Gratitude- for the soil, the harvest and the nutrient-dense protein we have to sustain us.
I didn’t know it at the time, but these first flutters of farm life were laying the foundation for what we would be embarking on as a family in the very near future.
I found myself wanting to share this new experience & newfound love of farming with others. I wanted to share the knowledge I was gaining about how animals should be raised and why it matters. I wanted to demonstrate the difference between the color and taste and texture of our product versus what is typically on the shelf at your big chain grocery store.
Fast forward today. We have now been farming for a whole year. As a farmer, you fall into a familiar rhythm of tending livestock, preparing livestock, heading to the market. Repeat. Over time, the connection between mission and purpose can become muddled. After all, we usually don’t get the opportunity to have a face to face conversation with our customers, regaling them with all the fascinating features of farm life. Until last month! Last month, we hosted our first “Farm to Table” dinner. We had the opportunity to connect with our local community over a delicious, home-grown 4-course meal. The menu was curated by The Kayay Collective, who specializes in African Cuisine. The meal showcased the flavors and recipes of South Africa.
This dinner reaffirmed our “why” by allowing us to connect with our local community – it reminded us that in a time like this, community matters. And, because community matters, looking for ways to bring positive change within our community through producing food with integrity is deeply motivating to us.
During the dinner, we took the time to engage and connect with the community who supports us on a regular basis. We even opened the floor for questions and shared the process of our day to day tasks. There’re only so many social media posts we can manage a week.
This event was the perfect milestone to show how far we’ve come. Sharing the table helped give our mission a face, a purpose, and a path forward. Seeing our local community connect around the table was extending our farm & family with everyone who attended that evening.
I’m currently planning our next dinner series called “The Farmers Table”…
This is an initiative to bridge the gap between food and community. Now, more than ever, we want to encourage you to connect with your local farmer. Our goal and hope is to restore this relationship, starting with a meal.
I can’t wait to share what’s next!
Please join us by sharing, continuing the conversation below, and connecting with Paige at the following:
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Hey there, Homesteading Mama’s!
I’m Rachel from @frontier_homesteading. My husband Ryan, three children and I have been homesteading for about 10 years now, first in Wyoming and now in Alaska.
We currently have milk goats, pack goats, sheep, a pig, a cow, chickens, rabbits, bees and a dog. Seasonally, we also have more pigs, meat chickens and turkeys….
Stained glass windows date back to the 7th century. With the earliest known reference dating
from 675 AD when workmen were imported from France to Britain to Glaze the windows of a
monastery…
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