Re: WELCOME to NEW MEMBERS! (Sara by Mora, MN)

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the idea Will!! Ok, my name is Sara. I live close to Mora, MN

with

my husband and our 3 children. I got the Nourishing Traditions from the

library

after hearing so many good things about it. I realized it wasn't a book I

could just

read in three weeks, I needed to have it! So I found a copy from someone on

mothering.com and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. Should be here any

day now.

Currently we eat horribly. I know that, I'll admit it, even though it is

embarrassing.

I really want to change our food choices to something healthy and that

tastes good...is

that going to be possible(the taste good part!!). I've tried some " natural "

foods before

that were pretty icky.

Is it best to just start slow and ease our way into it? I don't know that

we have the

money to just cold turkey everything and get all new food. I'm hoping to

make a trip

to Whole Foods Market down in Minneapolis in the next day or two to pick up

some things.

Speaking of Whole Foods, does anyone shop there? Any recommendations on

things

that we " must " pick up there?

I've been a member of this email group for several weeks now, and it's been

very interesting

to read. I hear about people soaking their grains...I am very curious about

this. Will N.T.

cover all the details of this? Where will I be able to buy the grains in

MN?

We moved up here in Sept, and we have 4.61 acres. We are planning late

spring or early summer

to get a couple dairy goats for our own fresh, raw milk, and to have

chickens too. If anyone has

any info on raising goats and/or chickens in a natural way(no antibiotics,

vaccines, etc.), please

let me know. Since we have the space to do it, we are also planning on a

big garden. I would love

to have food we grew to eat.

One last question. Besides the Nourishing Traditions book, are there any

other books you would

recommend that would have the same healthy foods?

Well I think I've probably written too much. Sorry. Thanks for any help,

advice, etc.

Sara

[Guest guest]

Sara,

Welcome to the group!

I recommend just easing into NT. No need to throw away food that you've

already spent your money on. (Or put your family into shock.) Just gradually

replace with better choices as things run out. I don't necessarily recommend

the recipes in NT, but embrace the concepts. You CAN expect the foods to be

delicious!

I used to shop at Whole Foods...If you want to save some money, I

recommend becoming a member of the Twin Cities Natural Foods Coops. I

believe the lifetime membership is around $90. You get member discounts

and occasional coupons. I figured the payback is a year or two. I think it's

alot

more economical in the long run.

Your plan for your property sounds great! I'm envious!

Kathy

[Guest guest]

We're doing the same thing that you're starting. We have 3 goats and 3 dozen

chickens as

well as raise broilers in the spring. 2 of our 3 goats were bred this winter (I

think I missed

the boat on the last one) and we're planning on selling any baby girls and

keeping the

baby boys to raise for meat- for our self and to sell (there's a new butcher

that's opening

this year in Silver Lake that will only be for goats!) I have a garden that

keeps growing

every year- my dh even built me a root cellar last year I still want a

little jersey cow

since I want the cream and I prefer cow cheese over goat cheese.

I found several publications very helpful- Acres USA is a wonderful magazine and

they

have a great bookstore. I got a bunch of my chicken books from them. Any books

by

Salatin are very useful. APPPA (American Pastured Poultry Producers Assoc) is a

good

resource. Plamondon is on their board, he has republished some old

poultry books

(I think he calls himself Norton Creek Press) as well as has a free

e-newsletter.

Countryside magazine is my favorite homesteading magazine.

Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom seeds are good garden source.

I've

discovered the deep mulch method and I don't do much with tilling or weeding if

I have

enough mulch- it's the only way to do a big garden.

I joined SFA- sustainable farm assoc as a way to make contacts and it has been

extremely

helpful for that. Now I get all of my feed locally grown and ground and I only

go to the

feed mill for things like feeders, fencing or collars.

Where will I be able to buy the grains in MN?

>

> We moved up here in Sept, and we have 4.61 acres. We are planning late

> spring or early summer

> to get a couple dairy goats for our own fresh, raw milk, and to have

> chickens too. If anyone has

> any info on raising goats and/or chickens in a natural way(no antibiotics,

> vaccines, etc.), please

> let me know. Since we have the space to do it, we are also planning on a

> big garden. I would love

> to have food we grew to eat.

> Sara

>

[Guest guest]

We're doing the same thing that you're starting. We have 3 goats and 3 dozen

chickens as

well as raise broilers in the spring. 2 of our 3 goats were bred this winter (I

think I missed

the boat on the last one) and this spring we're planning on selling any baby

girls and

keeping the baby boys to raise for meat- for our self and to sell (there's a new

butcher

that's opening this year in Silver Lake that will only be for goats!) I have a

garden that

keeps growing every year- my dh even built me a root cellar last year I

still want a little

jersey cow since I want the cream and I prefer cow cheese over goat cheese.

I found several publications very helpful- Acres USA is a wonderful magazine and

they

have a great bookstore. I got a bunch of my chicken books from them. Any books

by

Salatin are very useful. APPPA (American Pastured Poultry Producers Assoc) is a

good

resource. Plamondon is on their board, he has republished some old

poultry books

(I think he calls himself Norton Creek Press) as well as has a free

e-newsletter.

Countryside magazine is my favorite homesteading magazine.

Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom seeds are good garden source.

I've

discovered the deep mulch method and I don't do much with tilling or weeding if

I have

enough mulch- it's the only way to do a big garden.

There are some goat groups around, but I'm just starting to get them figured out

and I'll

probably have to start with conventional groups and filter the info as I go.

There is a goat

seminar in Rockford this Sat.

I joined SFA- sustainable farm assoc as a way to make contacts and it has been

extremely

helpful for that. Now I get all of my feed locally grown and ground and I only

go to the

feed mill for things like feeders, fencing or collars.

Start small and work your way up. Have your fences and housing in place before

you get

the animal (we always end up doing it backwards and it's always very stressful

on me).

Chickens are a good starting place.

I do buy the wheat for our bread in 50 lb bags at our little local health food

store in

Cokato- it's only about $10/bag.

What's really amazing is that 5 years ago I knew nothing about any of this!

Good luck with

your adventure!

Lynn

Where will I be able to buy the grains in MN?

>

> We moved up here in Sept, and we have 4.61 acres. We are planning late

> spring or early summer

> to get a couple dairy goats for our own fresh, raw milk, and to have

> chickens too. If anyone has

> any info on raising goats and/or chickens in a natural way(no antibiotics,

> vaccines, etc.), please

> let me know. Since we have the space to do it, we are also planning on a

> big garden. I would love

> to have food we grew to eat.

> Sara

>