{My New Crush} submitted by Joey

Yesterday, I fell in love. The kind of love that made my eyes light up and my heart swell with warmth. The kind that made me want to just put my arms around him and hold him tight. I don’t know if it was his huge brown eyes, that he approached me, or his thick brown fur. Perhaps it was the cute way his ears twitched like tv antennae searching for a signal when I spoke to him, as if he were really listening to my words…

Whatever the reason, after meeting him – Christian - I definitely had a newfound appreciation for donkeys. Yes, brown, furry, mini-donkeys to be exact :) Christian and his lady friend Belle approached me at the fence and entertained me as I snapped a few photos and told them how cute they were until I moved on to see the rest of Baxter Barn.

Belle and Christian

Jake and I drove out to Baxer Barn in Fall City the other day simply to purchase some pastured chicken eggs. We had been wanting to visit a farm for ages, and finally made the effort to do so. We thought we would simply show up, pay for the eggs, and come home. But we were much more fortunate than that. We were greeted by the owner, Cory, and he gave us a tour and answered all of our questions about his chickens. (Thank you, Cory, for your kindness and your time!)

The chickens at Baxter Barn are true scavengers, they eat bugs and peck the grounds and mill all around the farm with the other animals, and their diet is also supplemented by some organic veggies. This means they lay better quality eggs than the ones from factory farming, which in turn means a healthier you for eating those eggs :)

A true pastured chicken!

After this experience, I definitely encourage you to visit your local farms. (See yesterday’s blog post to find one near you!) See how the animals live, what they eat, interview the farmers and just soak it all in. Besides being good for your health, being around these animals also feels so good for the soul. I came home with so much more than chicken eggs that day. And I’ll definitely think twice next time before I consider calling someone an ass :)

Enjoy some photos from around the farm, and, as always – Happy Eating :) Joey

http://paleogirls.com/

{Where’s the Beef?} submitted by Joey

Pastured eggs, straight from the farm.

It’s unfortunate that finding great-sourced protein isn’t as simple as walking in your local grocer these days. Well, unless you’ve done your homework and know where to shop and exactly what you’re looking for. We’ve done our research, and it still feels as though we’re learning something new every day.

Even the shops that do source the healthiest forms of meat don’t always make it easy on the shoppers… from terms from like organic to natural to grass-fed but, wait, is that 100% grass-fed or mostly grass-fed then grain-finished beef? And those chickens and eggs – are they free-range, like for REAL on a farm, or do they just get a small window to go out if they want or can even get to it from their crowded barn? Do they eat organic food? And is that organic feed or real bugs and stuff they find on the farms? I tell you, shopping for the best can be simply exhausting.

We’re working on a local guide for all of our Seattle friends, but until then I wanted to share two websites that Jake found that have been great resources for us to learn a bit more about where our local food is coming from. We even visited one these farms we found on here today to pick up some pastured eggs, and I’ll have a full post coming up on that shortly.

So, to find some great-sourced protein and veggies in your area, check out the following websites. To get the best answers about each farm, visit their websites (links are usually included), and go check the farm out for yourself!

{EAT WILD}

{LOCAL HARVEST}

Our friends at Whole 9 Life also wrote this spectacular post on Chicken Eggs recently. Sort of an “eggtionary” to help ease your shopping confusion:)

Happy eating! Joey

http://paleogirls.com/