“We are going to create a more digital, traceable and safer food system.” says Frank Yiannis, the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner of the office of food policy and response. He also said they will implement this through the record keeping clause of the FSMA. So what are some of the aspects of this New Era of […]
In October of 2019 the FDA held a public meeting to discuss A New Era of Smarter Food Safety. Many ideas, concepts and agendas were introduced but for this article, I want to focus on just one. How implementation would be regulated. The meeting opened with remarks from Frank Yiannas, a food safety expert serving […]
There has been a torrent of proposed ideas and policy changes, that if implemented, would not only incinerate family farms, they would destroy our food system and bring about the greatest famine this country has ever seen. This is an introduction to this series, Scorched Earth, where we will take an up close and personal […]
When adding livestock of any kind, there are some major concepts to consider and implement. I look at our livestock as a long term investment. As such, I have a few strategies I use to ensure a return on my investment of blood, sweat, tears, and money. The first is the why. Be sure the […]
This time of year everyone needs a pick me up. Something that’s packed full of energy, is filling and nutritious but feels like a cheat day. Even our livestock need this comfort food and for our chickens, it’s all about flock blocks. So what is a flock block? It’s basically a form of suet cake […]
Legends and folk tales are peppered with truths. My all-time favorite fairy tales is called the Wild Swans. It is a story of six princes who were turned into swans and their only salvation would be if their sister could knit them each a vest made of stinging nettles. There is a fantastic modern retelling […]
I struggled with the idea of doing this article because I have always felt it would cheapen the sacrifice made by the animal. But peoples need for this knowledge out weighs my personal feelings on the topic. TOOLS: A sharp filet knife is what I like to use best, but the fat and skin will […]
There is more than one way to skin a cat and there’s more than one way to tan it’s hide too. Home tanning is not for the faint of heart. It takes patience, determination, and a hell of a lot of sweat equity, but it is well worth the time and effort. I am a […]
Our homesteading journey is still in it’s infancy, going into our fourth year. We have put most of our efforts into our garden, wild crafting, food preservation techniques, and raising rabbits for meat. As complete and total novices to every aspect of this lifestyle, it has been well worth it to ease into the livestock […]
Making soap at home isn’t nearly as difficult as I had originally thought. All you need is a few tools, ingredients and a few hours. When choosing tools and utensils for soap making be sure to use them for just this purpose. Also be mindful of what each is made of. You want to be […]
Gaia's Sanctorum 