By Angie Mentink
The heat has been intense lately here on the farm. We are anticipating a cold front to move through sometime today. We are all looking forward to it. In the mean time we are heading to the dam for some much needed relief after nap time. We are approaching my favorite time of year. It’s a time filled with abundance, cooler nights, and a time to reflect on what worked well and what needs improvement. Continue reading “The Heat of the Summer”
By Kailey Mentink
This summer has been busy and hot but it has also been very pleasant. We have been able to appreciate a quantity of fun activities such as swimming at the pond, spending time as a family, and playing with our new puppy, Spice. We also have had a fun time playing with our cousin, Kate. She arrived from Lincoln on Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon we took a trip to the Platte River to go canoeing. Continue reading “Enjoying Summer on the Farm”
By Angie Mentink
I have been struggling for months wondering if I should post this topic. Finances are such a personal thing, and I struggle with telling our story, but it was thanks to hearing other people’s stories that changed our mind-set and allowed us to get out of debt in a short amount of time.
Continue reading “How the Lord Led Us Out of the Slavery of Debt”By Angie Mentink
*Sheep have the highest CLA levels of all animals!
*Sheep raised on pasture have twice as much lutein, 14% less fat, and about 8% more protein compared to grain-fed lamb
*Lamb is an excellent source of Vitamin B 12 and a good source of niacin
*Zinc and selenium are found in high amounts
*Lamb is rich in iron, mostly in the form of heme iron, which is highly bio available
*Often people that cannot tolerate beef do well with lamb! Continue reading “Our Hair Sheep”
Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July on the actual day, a Monday, we scheduled our festivities for the day before, Sunday, July 3. We originally had planned on going down to the dam and swimming, but when Sunday arrived, we decided against that idea. The sky was overcast and a chilly wind was blowing, making the day way too cold for swimming. Continue reading “Fourth of July Frolics”
By Alena Mentink
Butchering our first duck came about in a rather unpleasant way. It started with a snapping turtle that the boys discovered on the sledding hill. The turtle looked harmless enough, but thankfully the boys knew better than to touch it. They thought it might be a painted turtle, like we have seen before, but since they were not at all sure, they left it alone. Continue reading “Enjoying the Weather”
Our family has been enjoying the beautiful spring weather and spending lots of time outside. Now that Dad has finished setting up the play set, the babies love to play there and also enjoy helping Mom in the garden. The boys have taken several fishing trips down to the dam. Continue reading “Work and Recreations on and off the Farm”
By Alena Mentink
The rain we received has been a huge blessing. The pastures and hay fields suddenly sprang to life and became a carpet of green. The lilac bushes leaped into bloom, although we think that a late frost killed a large portion of the flowers. The bees have become active and have been feasting on the many dandelions surrounding our property. Continue reading “The Blessings of Spring!”
By Alena Mentink
This week truly has felt as if spring has come. Part of the reason for this is due to the warm weather. Another reason is because we have been planting seeds. At the end of last week we repotted all the house plants that we ordered. Continue reading “Signs of Spring on the Mentink Family Farm”
Permaculture is working with nature instead of against it. It is also making thoughtful observations before putting useless labor into a project. Instead of thinking that things need to be done a certain way, permaculture is remaining open to new ideas. The term permaculture is made up of the words permanent, agriculture, and culture. This means that you are creating a permanent, self-sufficient food supply that will sustain a culture. Permaculture was first created for the use of food production. However, because permaculture is an idea that stimulates new thoughts, permaculture is continually growing and changing. Continue reading “What is Permaculture?”
