If you use something, it naturally becomes worn down, right? Think of a pair of pants you’ve owned for a long time. Or even your favorite hat. Well, folks, the earth is the same way. For a long time, a large part of the conversation in agriculture was sustainability and sustainability is very important, but there has to be more to the picture.
Life can feel hectic at times. Whenever this happens, it’s often a human instinct to cut corners on your diet. There are easier options that don’t require from-scratch ingredients so why not save myself some time and opt for those? The problem is that “easier” masquerades as “better” in the short term. Your nerves literally send a “happy signal” as a result of the time you saved.
There is no doubt in our minds that 100% of our customers are aware of the Coronavirus news by now. And, while there have even been some platforms pointing out the specific fact that an event like this can (already is) causing e-commerce sales to rise, we don’t ever feel the need to utilize mainstream news or events to promote our products. That being said, we’re also not remaining ignorant to what’s going on right now and we have taken some time to focus on the facts and focus on how Dutch Meadows meaningfully exists in this whole situation. So, here it is:
Chickens naturally enjoy scratching and pecking. It’s just their nature. And that’s what we let them do at Dutch Meadows in Paradise, PA. We even go the extra mile to ensure they have access to, not just pasture, but fresh pasture that hasn’t been overworked in any way - either by the chickens’ own pecking or other natural elements.
If you ever see the word “sweet” in a description, or perhaps in any of the personal messages we send to our customers, you can rest assured this NEVER means we added any sugar or other additives to alter the deliciously natural flavor of our butter. In fact, we perform the minimal amount of processing necessary to make sure our products are safe and healthy for consumption while being as close to their organic state as possible, as mother nature intended.
Just as you may have known about the many types of milk, or may have discovered since becoming a Dutch Meadows customer, there are also many types of honey. If we boil it down in simplest terms, we have raw honey and processed honey. Raw honey comes directly from the hive while processed honey is altered in some fashion before being bottled. There are different types of processing but generally the term means that the honey has been pasteurized. You’ll often find that other sources refer to the processed honey as “regular” honey but we try to avoid that term since we believe raw honey should be the real norm and what’s “regularly” used by consumers, so we’re remaining mindful of our message to be the change we want to see.
Mache greens are a cold weather salad green. They’re similar to Tatsoi, which is an Asian variety of Brassica. They are planted after the corn harvest so some people even refer to them as the corn salad green. Lamb's lettuce and fetticus are two other name variations.
Bear with us as a small business producing, processing, and selling at a responsible level. We’re planning to re-stock the lamb in the very near future and thought it’d be a great idea to equip you with a few recipes before doing so. Give these a try! Many are delightful any time of year but some make for an extra special treat for the holidays.
Remember Margaret Mead’s wise words, and a personal credo of ours, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Dutch Meadows not only possesses the ability to produce organic raw dairy from Heritage cows like Jersey, Fresian, and Dutch Belt, we also offer A2 raw dairy products. One of our latest specialty products to hit the shelves is Raw Heritage Butter.
Here at Dutch Meadows, we’re fans of those “good ol’ days” when pies were made with care, and natural ingredients, like spelt, which is why we don’t just offer spelt pies, we offer an entire line of spelt baked goods. But why spelt? What the heck is it?
We are obvious fans of the center dish of a grand holiday meal, especially if it’s a pastured turkey, pastured duck, 100% grassfed lamb, or another responsibly raised, grassfed, healthy and flavorful dish. However, we all know that center of attention wouldn’t be the star of the show without its supporting sides. That’s why we thought we’d pique your appetite and inspire your holiday experience with a fun roundup...of roundups. Each one falls within its own category and style. Find your favorite and enjoy!
The turkeys are raised all natural on pasture. They are heritage breed turkeys that do very well on grass. Although turkeys are excellent foragers, they cannot survive on insects and native plants alone. To supplement what they may not be able to find on the land, especially as the seasons change, Christ also offers the turkey a soy free and non-GMO feed.
Gathering for a meal, especially in the comfort of someone’s home, that has been prepared by hand, is right for so many reasons. It’s steeped in many cultures and, when it involves good, truly natural ingredients, it’s far better for your health than eating out regularly or eating on the run. But it’s human nature to become tired of something if you’re doing it too regularly and it’s in those moments of disinterest where we often lose sight of why we’re performing an act, like cooking at home, in the first place.
Did you know we offer “beyond organic” produce from local farmers that are grown using no chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, or any harmful sprays? Everything is organically grown with our family, the soil’s, and our customer's health in mind, naturally. Please keeping mind that our variety changes every week as to what's in season. This also means, when you see something you like, go for it, like these fall treats.
Our turkeys come fresh with all the giblets included. We do our best to get as close to the average size as possible, but we need a size window to work with because we don’t over-process these and can't guarantee the exact size. When turkeys are raised in tiny feedlots, with poorly modified diets, and processed on a packing line, it enables these big box brands, like Butterball, to unethically pump out the turkeys you find in a mainstream grocery store that are, within the confinements of a particular brand, all relatively the same weight, color, etc.
We are tired of the question being asked “is raw milk safe?” when really the statement should be made that “milk from commercially raised cows is dangerous to consume”. Unless it’s pasteurized. But there’s no need for pasteurization if you avoid the commercial methodology of raising cattle (and other dairy animals) all together.
You may not need convinced that raw milk is healthy. You may just need to find a way that you really enjoy consuming it. Drinking a glass of milk is not for everyone. So here are some additional ideas for getting raw milk into your diet. We opted for recipes that leave the milk raw and therefore still offers the maximum nutritional benefits. Try some out and let us know what you think!
Purchasing from these farmers allows them to continue to steward the land and actually off-set the carbon footprint. Think of the money you spend with them and the advocating you do for them (tell a friend) as an investment. Because it truly is. It’s an investment in the future of our planet, but also your health. What price can you put on that? If you don’t have your health or you don’t have your surrounding environment to enjoy, what do you have?
If your egg preparing expertise stops at fried or scrambled, then you might not think to add eggs to a soup dish but a medium boiled or poached egg is a great way to spruce up a mundane meal and add diversify the nutrients of your lunch or dinner. Here are the many ways to prepare eggs and some classic dishes that you might consider adding them to.
