On The Way to Polyface

...Continued from The Road to Polyface...As we got on the road I was excited and nervous. Here I was in the car with Joel Salatin and we were on our way to Polyface Farm!  I had read about Joel and the farm, seen them in movies/videos, even met Joel once, but here I was in a car, with him on the way to the farm!  Virginia was beautiful, even in the winter. We started chatting immediately and of course, Joel wanted to know why I was there. So I started telling my story. I explained the story of how I became interested in the food industry. I explained that even though I lived in a condo, I did what I could to eat real food. I explained that I had a plot in a community garden down the street from my garden where I raised enough food to eat, share and preserve. He, of course asked how I fertilized my garden. So, I told him I had worms.  Which I did.  They lived in their own worm condo in my kitchen where they made compost from my kitchen scraps.  Although it didn’t make enough to support my entire plot (20’ x 40’), they helped a lot!  The worms have now found a new home with my neighbor, Kara. I might write more about worm composting later because it is a subject worth exploring and explaining more in depth. Worms are fun and make the best compost!

I also explained that I have wanted to raise my own animals for food for a long time, but couldn’t because I live in a condo. Instead, I learned how to hunt and I also found many local farms to support. For those in Colorado, here are some of the farms I support in case you are interested:

·         Sun Prairie Beef – Grass fed beef, chicken

·         Dream Acres Ranch – Raw goat milk, eggs

·         Grant Family Farms – Veggies, pasture raised eggs, chicken, and other meat

·         Larga Vista Ranch – Grass fed dairy, beef, pasture raised pork

If you look around, you will find local farms just about anywhere!  What about price, you ask?  Well, that is a subject for more in-depth discussion later, but the simple answer is yes, it is generally more expensive. But, in my opinion, it is worth it and there are ways to buy good food on a budget. We spend a lot of money on stuff (junk) that that matters far less than good healthy food. Healthy food matters for the health of the earth, the critters, and of course us!  And our families! But again, that is a discussion for another time…back to the story.

So, we chatted for a while and then Joel had to make his phone call. I enjoyed very much listening to him answer the questions of the person on the other end. He talked about the state of our food industry and his new book, Folks, this ain’t normal, until we arrived at Polyface Farm. When we got there, he drove me past his house and on up to Daniel and Sheri’s house (his son and his wife) where I would be staying.  He explained that there were several other “check outs” there and that the group would be split up for meals. Half the group would eat at their house (Joel and Teresa’s) for one day, and the other half eats at Daniel and Sheri’s. And then the next day we swap.  I nodded, we said our goodbyes and he headed back down to his house as I went in to the basement apartment that I would call home for the next two days.  I am very grateful Joel picked me up so we had a chance to chat because he had to head to California very early the next day for a speaking engagement.