Masanobu Fukuoka a Japanese farmer and philosopher said, “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
Four years ago when we moved to the farmstead, I knew so little about food production. As much as I interacted with farmers through the restaurant, the real knowledge about what their day to day lives were like, the battles they fought just to bring me that milk or that box of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, I knew none of it.
Then we started the work of doing it ourselves. I won’t lie, like many of my choices in life there was lot of arrogance (or maybe we should call it over confidence).
“I can do this. How hard can it be?”
Well, farming has a way of humbling you each and every day! The most important lesson we have learned is that we cannot do this on our own. We are slowly but surely building a network of farmers to work with right here in our area. Whether it is garlic seeds, fertile chicken eggs, advice on how to organically deal with blight or a massive infestation of aphids, we could not do this without them.
Hobbits Haven
When it comes to our weekly farm boxes, we are so excited to work with Hobbits Haven. An amazing micro dairy just down the road from us in the Cradle which supplies us with strictly grass-fed, raw milk products.
In the summer the milk is topped with a thick layer of cream that often seals the bottle shut. Freshly churned butter. Double thick cream. Soft fresh feta cheese. Absolutely incredible products that we are so excited to share with our customers.
The aspect of Hobbits Haven that I love the most is how well these cows are cared for and how happy they really are.
Meet Jason, The Farmer
In the last 26 years, Jason and his mom, Genneane, have created an absolute heaven for animals. Hobbits Haven is a 26 hectare property, with lush green rolling hills and animals galore. Ducks, geese, sheep, horses, cows, dogs…so many creatures running around free. You might even find one or two wandering into the house or at the very least lounging on a patio (and I am not taking about the dogs).
Jason, in a effort to use as few pharmaceuticals as possible, has a morning process that involves the cows lining up and waiting their turn to go out to pasture. One by one that go through the gates, checked on the way for ticks. Ticks are manually removed by hand, and then it is out to pasture for a day of eating. The Jersey ladies who are milked each day in a beautiful outdoor milking room, are last in line to go out to pasture, but by 9:30 they are all out the gates and enjoying the green grass.
For winter, Jason has to have grass, so options are to buy out, or grow his own. This year, he set aside land to grow winter feed crops to hopefully sustain the herd all winter long. If he doesn’t have enough, he will purchase lucerne and grass feed. More expensive than other feed, but worth every penny to make sure that these cows are fed the very best natural diet.
Hobbits Haven is an amazing place, where nature, the farmer, and the animals work together to create something truly beautiful. For me it certainly lives up to its name.
Why is it so important to choose grass fed dairy?
Not only is it far better for the cows to be fed a natural healthy diet, but it means your milk and dairy products are far healthier for you.
1) significantly higher levels of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
2) It contains higher concentrations of vitamins B2, B7, and E, as well as beta-carotene, which acts as an antioxidant
3) The omega-6/omega-3 ratio is improved and closer to a 1-1
Please keep in mind…
Grass fed milk can vary seasonally (sometimes even weekly) in taste and cream levels based on the pasture the cows graze on.
The milk Hobbits Haven supplies is raw, unhomogenized milk.
While there may be a lot of controversy surrounding raw milk, we honestly believe in its many benefits. We do encourage you to do your own research and decide for yourself what works for you and your family.
However, it is super easy to pasteurize milk at home. Simple heat the milk in a double broiler till it reaches 72°C for 15 seconds. Then cool to 4°C quickly and store in the fridge.
We hope that you will check out our farm box options and that you will get to try some of these incredible dairy products. We imagine that you will love them as much as we do.
