Since we make almost all of our food from scratch, we go through a lot of salt! To save money I started buying our salt by the 25-pound bag. This bag lasts about 4 to 6 months in our large family. Salt will not go bad, but over time it can collect moisture (especially if it’s not stored properly) and may get clumps in it. This is why a lot of companies add unnatural anti-caking agents to their salt. One of the reasons we use Redmond’s, Celtic, or Himalayan salt is because they don’t add anticaking agents.

Most of us have been taught that all salt is bad for us, and I used to believe it. The more I learn though, the more I realize that chemical laden, processed salt is harmful, but natural salt like Celtic, Himalayan, and Real Salt are good and necessary. The salt that most of us are familiar with (white table salt) has been stripped of most of its minerals (besides sodium and chloride). One of the minerals that is removed is potassium, which can protect our bodies from potentially negative effects of excess sodium by helping the kidneys process it more efficiently. White table salt also contains unhealthy additives like sugary dextrose, anti-caking agents, and bleaching compounds.

For over ten years I have welcomed people out to our farm and had many conversations with others over the phone and through email, because they had heard or seen what we were doing and they wanted to learn more. In order to help more people, I started “Get Your . . . Right” back in 2022. I shared a lot of the changes we have made in the last several years to improve our health, energy, focus, and flavor of our food. The feedback from this has been better than I expected.

This is the time of year that a lot of us set goals for the new year. I like to do a lot of planning and goal setting during this time. With the holidays over and the colder weather on the farm, I have more time to think and plan. I am constantly tweaking these throughout the year and praying and asking for wisdom and help in attaining them.

One of our family traditions for New Year’s Eve on our farm is to have a fun snack and play games after chores and an early supper. One game we may play again this New Year’s Eve is a game we made up for Christmas last week. We had a lot of fun with this, along with a lot of laughs. Even the little ones participated with some help from an older child.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from the Mentink family! As I look back over this last year, I am so thankful for all the ways the Lord provided for us. The drought made farming/homesteading look a little different this year, but we have made it through with plenty. We also had a lot of time together as a family, which is something we really enjoy!