the fruit of my hands...

I'd like to think I'm bettering my family by cooking from scratch, and us raising our own food and such. I like it when I can pull a chicken that we raised on our farm out of the freezer. I know what that chicken ate, because we fed it, I also know what it didn't eat and know that he/she lived the way a chicken should. You know outside in the fresh air, able to eat bugs, scratch the ground, roll in the dirt, all the fresh water/food it could want and 20 or so of his/her friends. We put them in a chicken tractor and move them everyday to a new spot. They also fertilize a field that really needs it, putting out what they put in! I'd like to think it had a good life and one bad day. That is what we strive for with our animals that we eat. I believe that Joel Salatin said that of his animals. I like that our kiddos help with the chores and know that we will be eating these chickens and we need to take good care of them, so in turn they will take care of us. Filling our bellies! The chicken tastes so much different then the store bought ones. I couldn't believe the diffenernce the first time we had one. I'll admit the first time we raised meat chickens we learned A LOT. What not to do and what to do differently the next time around. It's OK that we didn't do we everything right, we learned and now we have a better system. The point is we tried. Thats all you need to do is try. I'm not a fan of watching the killing of them, I get a bit squeemish. But once they are dead and the blood is out I like to put them on the plucker! I haven't been the one to gut them either, again squeemish. I have watched them get gutted and it's not that bad. Really makes me NEVER want another hot dog though. YUCK! I do get the wonderful job (I like that job)of washing them out and freezing them. I also do get to make sure there are not more guts left in them. At one point I did have to have a brother in law help me with that, too many guts. I got a little grossed out. I know what a girl right?!! LOL. It's OK I can poke fun of myself! My husband is wonderful and doesn't expect me to do the things I don't like when it comes to killing them. I stand off in the distance. At some point if I can stomach it I'll help more, but until then I do what I feel I can handle. Besides it stinks. Even outside in the open. YES we do it outside!! Gasp. I'll admit I've never seen the killing of any other animal, and I'm OK with that too!! Just a side note here, I have killed mice and rats, but don't intend to eat them nor do I like them! Some of the kiddos don't mind at all, and others can't handle it. In time I'm sure we will all just do it. No rush. When I do cook a chicken Emma asks if I can put "the rubbin' stuff on it?" She's French like her mother and talks with her hands, and gestures with her little hands back and forth like she's rubbing stuff on the chicken with a look of excitement on her face, her large, round, blue eyes twinkle with life! I usually always do put the "rubbin' stuff" on a chicken when she asks. I'ts too cute! What is "rubbin' stuff?" Well sometimes it's a Pampered Chef mix, and if I don't have any of that stuff I mix my own stuff and rub it on the chicken!

My own mix of E.V.O.O. rosemary, fresh garlic, salt, & pepper. That is what I had on hand for this bird! 

Mr. Chicken, with the "rubbin' stuff" sitting on a holder. You can put a can of beer, or soda in the holder and make it juicier  and flavored. I haven't tried it yet. But it makes it kinda  fried on the outside. 

Mr. Chicken all done. Smells good and tasted even better!

Homemade bread. Half wheat, half white is how I make our bread! Slap on some homemade butter/jelly and your in business!!

Add some sort of homegrown veggie and you have a meal!!  

Is that not farming?