If you are working toward a more traditional diet and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, and week 3, 4, 5, and 6 are get your fats right.  Another fat that our family has added in the last several years is coconut oil. We started using coconut oil more for the health benefits than as replacement for a different fat.

Week 4: Learn about the benefits of coconut oil and start incorporating it into the diet.

Continue reading “Week 4 The Benefits of Coconut Oil” →

Continue reading “Fun Farm Fact” →

I shared eight things I wish people would have told me when I was in high school in a recent presentation. I will be sharing number five today.

Continue reading “Today is the Day!” →

We are so thankful and undeserving to be expanding our little beyond organic farm to an extra 22 acres this spring. We have not been able to meet the needs of all of our customers, and we are looking forward to growing our sheep, milk cows, pigs, and chickens to serve more people with beyond organic, pasture raised food. Praise the Lord! We are purchasing this land from Cory’s mom and dad, and it is located just north of our house. We are planting cool season cover crops in most of the area and doing an experiment of oats and peas together on the rest. The cover crop mix we are using contains several varieties of plants with our hope of suppressing weeds and improving soil health at the same time. We will mob graze the area to add even more fertility naturally.  We would love to have you out for a farm tour!

I shared eight things I wish people would have told me when I was in high school in a recent presentation. In this fourth tip, I think I need to say that I did hear this, and I wish I would have listened sooner to this wisdom. I will be sharing number four today.

Continue reading “Reading Widely and Researching Both Sides” →

We discovered that there is a real need for soy free, beyond organic, truly pastured chickens on Saturday and will be doing another round for sale in the fall. Our newsletter subscribers will be the first to hear about reserving our fall birds. You can sign up for our newsletter by going to our website and putting your email address into our pop-up menu or simply sending us a message through Facebook, giving us a call, or sending us an email. We would love to hear from you!! I figured a very high loss for our chickens in the spring, so Lord willing if all goes well, we may have a few extra in June. We will also use our newsletter first to let you know. ? Email: mentinkfamilyfarms@gmail.com and phone number: 402-764-2212. Have you tried chickens that were raised outside on green grass? What did you think? You can learn more about our practices at this link.

Yesterday Annika asked if they could play on the sledding hill. This is the worst pasture area on the farm for weeds. When I went to check on them, I found them very excited and proud. They happily reported that they were “weeding” the hill!

Fun Farm Fact: It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. It can actually take even more with silver maples, compared to sugar maples, which are more common in our area.

All of our hams that we sell and use ourselves are uncured. Meaning this is a fresh piece of meat with no nitrates/nitrites, colors, or harmful preservatives added. I have been having a great time experimenting with a lot of recipes. Thankfully my family hasn’t minded being my guniea pigs! HA! This ham roast was incredibly easy and had great flavor, but don’t expect it to taste like those processed hams you get at the store. It has it’s own unique sweet and spicy.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. salt

¼ cup maple syrup

Directions: Thaw your ham roast (something I forget to do too often!). Combine your seasonings and rub them all over the roast. Place the roast in a pan and cover it with aluminum foil. I like to use my glass baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 3 ½ hours. After this time baste the roast with the maple syrup (I started with about 1 tablespoon in a bowl so I didn’t waste any precious syrup), stick it back in the oven uncovered, and continue basting it every 10 to 15 minutes. Once the temperature reaches 170 degrees your roast is ready to eat. This usually takes another 45 minutes to an hour. We paired this with fresh lettuce salad, cooked carrots, and fresh sourdough bread. Yum! If you try this recipe, we would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments.

One of our goals on our beyond organic farm is to be transparent in everything we do. I no longer trust labels, and I believe there is a lot of fraud and lies in the organic/natural farming industry. As part of our transparent farming practices, we really encourage farm visits and welcome them any day, but Sunday. Anyone is welcome to see anything they want and we are happy to answer any questions about our farming practices. You may want to watch this video first though as part of our transparency. You can click the link here.