BN 20: Apples, DIY & Homesteading

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posted on

September 14, 2024

Hello from TF!!

[sorry, a bit long, since this is Tuesday & today's emails in one. 😬]

We originally purchased this property because we wanted to grow some of our own food and become self-sufficient.

As we tried finding ways to leave the day jobs and generate some income, we started selling some of the excess, like meats and soaps and then decided we much preferred bringing folks to the farm instead of the farm to the city and that's when Burger Night was born!

So while we may not exactly be homesteaders right now like we originally envisioned, we strongly encourage others that are interested in learning anything about anything and to do whatever they can!

Live in a tiny city apartment? Make sourdough!

Anyone can go to the farmers market and get to fermenting!

Make your own apple cider vinegar (seriously, nothing could be easier and Bragg's is no longer good, another food lost to corporate control).

We were crazy overwhelmed trying to learn every single skill (we even had a milk cow) so the more you can learn now, before you have the land or the farm, the better and easier it'll be!

Currently on your property and already doing it? Keep adding more and more skills to your repertoire! Maybe it's time to see if there are things you don't know....have you fermented your own hot sauce to enjoy on all those eggs yet?? Or, have you made your own mead from all your honey?? What do you know about knots?

And, no matter what, you can start compiling or growing your library of resources now.

Remember, the Internet is dead. AI has killed it - you can trust nothing your eyes show you on there now and forget googling for answers, the answers are all bought and paid for, it's a "good ol' boys club" now and finding answers will require some work.

Good ol' books. Knowledge and experience written down for you to learn from. By folks actually doing it (not an algorithm).

What do you want to learn?

(also, we're thinking about winter workshops so hit reply and tell me what you would prefer to learn in-person!)

The problem is that these authors are not you, we all have different resources, abilities, etc, but you don't know what you don't know, so you just gotta start. Kinda like how our steep hills throw most of the pastured pig stuff right out the window but we didn't really realize that until we started doing the things.

Just do it. (ugh, corporate even took "just do it".)

If you lose your house, the stock market crashes, your car is repossessed, you WILL sill HAVE your knowledge and your skills.

You can't lose what you know. Even if the wifi is off.

I mean, not that any of those things are going to happen but learning new skills is very empowering.

Even if you don't become a homesteading hero and never own a square foot of ground, it will help you appreciate the folks doing it even more!

Suddenly $10 for a loaf of sourdough is worth every penny, driving to get a gallon of A2/A2 milk in the afternoon? wow. how easy life is. $20 for a quart of health-creating sauerkraut? why so cheap? $10 for happy beyond organic eggs? I was paying more for artificial multivitamins I peed out! $20 for a lb of organically raised 100% gf/gf beef delivered to my door with a few clicks....I'm not sure life can get any better. 😄

Food making kits!
Not pictured: drink making kits: beer, mead, wine and more!
(Also, make an awesome gift!!)

Think you can't make your own loaf of bread? Wrong. Andy makes amazing bread with almost zero effort! (He got his recipe from Laos at Lazy Monk Brewing, so see? It's all about spreading knowledge and encouragment!)
You can definitely do it too. 🥖🤩

Farm Store Sales

For the readers or library-builders we've got books for sale on:

fermenting
chickens
canning
sourdough
raising bees
raising chickens
general self-sufficiency
homesteading how-to
and more!

For the doers, we've got the following kits and supplies on sale:

Sourdough
Seed kits: flowers, herbs, salsa, pizza, veggies
Quick pickles
Fermented pickles
Kombucha starter kit (will make enough for the rest of your life!)
Fermented hot sauce
Cheese making: Italian or Mexican
Wine making: pinot grigio or cabernet sauvignon
Beer making: IPA, Ale or Oak-aged ale
Hard cider
Hard seltzer
and more!

And finally, for the person who is a little bit of both and also wants to TRY what others have done, we have this week's Bundle of the Week! (Also great if you like saving as much as possible.

8 products homesteaders produce (pork sausage, sauerkraut, tallow skin cream, sourdough crackers, honey, beeswax candles, apple pie jelly, maple syrup
2 DIY kits (seeds & pickles)

Over 20% off at just $74!

Shop the Sale

Homesteaders Sampling Kit is the Bundle of the Week!
We would be able to ship or deliver this, just hit reply that you'd like to order one since it's not listed in the online store.

AVEnue Orchard is back on our farm Friday AND Saturday, slingin' their amazing homemade products and this week's BOTW will feature their Apple-Jalapeno jelly, along with fresh apple, pepperjack and more. 🍎🍏🍎🍏

Burger of the Week: Applejacks Burger

Avenue Orchards Apple-Jalapeno jelly
Apple slaw
Pepperjack cheese
Smoky bacon
100% grassfed beef patty
A toasted ciabatta bun

The Applejacks Burger is a another new one, so no picture yet, but check out how productive one of our little apple trees was this year! Not too bad for literally doing nothing except cutting off a branch every couple years. Well, we did plant that comfrey around it a long time ago, but that's it.
Don't know why there's comfrey everywhere? Ask me! (or grab one of those aforementioned books. 😉 Also, feel free to take some!)

Thursday, September 12

Save 20% on the Burger of the Week

Trivia is over for the year. :( :( :(

Andy still has that gosh darn day job and there is SO MUCH we want to get done this fall so I'll be bartending so he can work.

I'm always happy to ask you some questions whilst pouring beer though so maybe I should say "organized trivia" is over, the questions can go on.

Friday, September 13

Meet the Makers! 5ish-8ish

Bring your questions and get ready to try some unique products you didn't know you loved & needed! 💚

AVEnue Orchard

Try their infused syrups before committing to a bottle, be sure to try the savory ones too, like the black umami garlic and they have drink mixes!! (Reminder about upcoming holidays!)

LIVE MUSIC from "Q" aka Quenten Brown, 5-8pm

Singer, songwriter, art teacher, artist, and landscaper, ”Q”, aka Quenten Brown, has spent the last 20 years running the ridges, playing every bar, front porch, beer garden, private event that he can, and enjoying the experiences that each unique venue brings along the way.
The result is an engaging uplifting experience for both performer and audience. Songs are delivered with a wink and a nod, ensuring that all are ‘in’ on the curious experiment that is a live performance.

This is our first time having Q at the farm!
You can expect to hear music by the Black Crowes, Mellencamp, Stevie Ray, Tom Petty, and Springsteen and a few originals too!

Saturday, September 14

LIVE MUSIC from TravAce, 5-8pm

TravAce is a seasoned singer-musician with a voice that will warm your soul. He has kept the party alive across the Tri-State Area for 25+ years. He plays everything from Classic Country to Classic Rock and sprinkles Party Anthems in between. His voice and guitar will bring the energy wherever he plays solo or with his band.

Another first-timer! TravAce is a seasoned singer-musician with a voice that will warm your soul. Let's warm his with a warm welcome!

Sunday, September 15

Family Day! Buy one get one FREE kids meals all day!

Speaking of kids....

Save the Date

Family Fun Day, Sat, Sept 28

Every day is a family fun day, but the 28th will be a little extra special with some help from our friends. Hope you can join us!

UPDATES & REMINDERS

The "ish"s are back on Friday and Saturday night closing times since it gets dark early and can get very cold early. We may close at 8:30 if the weather and darkness lead us to believe no one else is coming, so if you are coming after 8pm, call or text to make sure the kitchen will be ready for you!

The bar and fire keep going until everyone's had enough though. So no hurry there. Just one more. :)

End of the season is coming ❄

Sunday, October 6th is our official last Burger Night of 2024.

We may do pop-ups on the weekends if the weather is nice, depends on how the pre-winter projects are moving along. Let us know if you want to help!

Now get out there and make something!! (and we'd love if you came to enjoy the music, food and beer others are making on our farm soon too.)

Your farmer & project-loving friend,

Stephanie Schneider

p.s. Only 3 more weeks after this one!

Pricing Updates & Freezes

Heads up, farm friends, it’s that time of year when all our behind-the-scenes costs start creeping up again, and unfortunately we have to pass along a few updates on delivery/shipping starting tomorrow. We’re still the middle man in a lot of ways, and the middle is getting a little more expensive. 🙃

Celery in meat - more deception?

UPDATE, 12-19-2025: I just learned that synthetic nitrites, aka pink salt, are pink because red dye is added to it. But, since it's at such a low percentage it is not required to be labeled on the meat (more bs in my mind). So that would be a point for Team Celery; however, with red dyes being banned, all the red dyed pink curing salts are now being phased out. So point is nullified, Team Celery still loses. Today we're talking about something that really irks me, really gets my britches in a bunch, really makes my blood boil, really drives me up the wall....but I will do my best to not devolve into anger and name-calling, I am clearly a professional so we'll keep this educational and factual because that's what you're here for and I don't even know where to get knickers from to twist. I'm obviously in such a state of controlled rage because it's Easter and so up popsCELERY. 😡Obviously. The gist of it: My belief is that nitrates and nitrites in meat should be avoided due to the creation of nitrosamines and that this is created whether the nitrates/ites are from the chemically pure lab-created (aka synthetic) nitrate/ite or if they are from concentrated nitrates/ites derived from celery because the same reactions will occur and be treated by your body in exactly the same way and it's best avoided. To further confuse matters, "their [synthetic nitrate/ites compared to those derived from celery] chemical composition is absolutely the same, and so are the health effects," says Joseph Sebranek, Ph.D., Morrison Endowed Chair in meat science at Iowa State University. 1 Just like how my blood sugar will spike if I eat a spoonful of sugar or a hunk of sugar cane. 🥄🌿REGARDLESS of what the label on the raw sugar cane says - it could say "natural", it could say "organic", it could saw "raw", it could say "derived from natural locations".....my blood sugar will spike because my digestive system is 100% immune from marketing gimmicks or downright deceptions.A+ work digestive system....please teach the eyes. 👁👃👁 Finding smoked meats without any added nitrates/ites in ANY form from animals raised well and organically on a small farm and then processed by an animal-welfare approved butcher that cares about health is quite a feat! Congratulations! 🎺🎺🎺Pictured: our $99 March Bundle of the Month (not pictured: included recipe cards and all the transparency we offer, mostly because it's transparent).Now that it's Easter time, the SMALL FARMS I follow are out there telling their customers that their hams are "uncured" and contain NO nitrates/ites because they use "celery" and therefore it's healthy....either they are directly saying it's healthier or are very heavily implying it. But they are literally say "NO nitrates/ites included" in their emails and social posts.Which is actually 3 lies. ‼ Lie 1. It's not uncured. Celery-derived nitrates/ites are chemically the same BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. No literally. There's more. Since the USDA will not classify celery-derived nitrates/ites as being a curing agent (which makes zero science-sense) they will also not regulate it's use and so it's basically it's like the wild wild west.Not only that, but I have had butchers personally tell me that they then use MORE just to be "safe"!And the fact that nitrate/ite levels in meats using celery-derived nitrate/ite compounds is at least the same as synthetically sourced nitrate/ite was actually found to be true by researchers. So again, the chemical will behave the same, like a curing agent, regardless of how it came to be. Chemistry. Lie 2. It's just some celery - you know, the green leafy vegetable that is good for you. Well, yes but no. That's just like saying high-fructose corn syrup or glucose syrup is corn. 🌽Yes, but no. Yes it was derived from corn but after extensive further processing and concentration. If you told me "here's some corn for you to eat", I would imagine a cob of corn or perhaps a bag of frozen corn, I wouldn't think you were handing me a spoonful of glucose syrup. Same with the celery.They are not rubbing the meat with a stalk of celery, they are highly refining and processing the celery to extract out the naturally-occurring nitrates/ites and concentrate them which they then use as a substitute for pure synthetic nitate/ite curing salts. The entire point of adding the celery-derived nitrate/ites is for the nitrates/ites, not for flavor or nutrients or color or anything else. Nobody is even pretending there is any other reason for it's use except to act as a cure. Lie 3. It's healthier. I feel like we proved the point as far as celery nitrates/ites are the same chemically as synthetic ones and your intestinal tract also can't read, so just like my intestinal tract, it is what it is.The nitrosamines are created and probably cause colorectal cancer. But, wait, the celery option itself actually gets even a little bit worse. Okay, so it's true that nitrates/ites naturally occur in foods - especially leafy vegetables or any veggies with higher water content (because nitrates/ites occur in water) so then the veggies themselves concentrate that, some a little more than others, and we eat it, but that is seemingly okay. Kind of like how nicotine is naturally occurring in some veggies and actually might be good for you in small doses of that raw form, but I'm doing my best to stay focused here. Just remember, the problem seems to be the heating up of the nitrates/ites in a protein-rich environment, not necessarily the nitrates/ites themselves.Okay so what else are veggies that are full of water going to be full of? That's right - pesticides, herbicides and whatever else is floating around in or dissolved in all that water they are drinking or being splashed with. Celery currently ranks #16 on the EWG's pesticide contamination list (again, they don't look at any of the other -ides) and, here's the kicker! Non-organic celery is used to make celery-derived nitrates/ites even for organic products! 3So along with those celery nitrates/ites comes the concentration of whatever else was in that celery. I mean, at this point, if we didn't have this godsend of an option with our butcher of "D. None of the above".-------> we would choose synthetic over "celery". <------- Now at this point I should just leave well enough alone and send you on your merry way to digest all this info but I'm not really a professional like was indicated earlier so before we go, I'd like to show you this label and you tell me if it's telling you the truth and can be trusted or if it's deceiving you: It's hard to read but under the white banner it says "No Nitrates or Nitrites Added" and then in the asterisk at the very bottom in the white it says "except those naturally occurring in....celery powder" which you'll see below was added. 🤣 what?? so which is it? added or not added?That would be like if the Snickers or whatever candy bar said "no sugar added except for those naturally occurring in corn" instead of "high fructose corn syrup". 🤯And, of course, it says "uncured" in giant letters as part of the name, which it chemically is not Again, the back is hard to read though it does say you can have "peace of mind" eating this (more like, I'll give you a piece of my mind Applegate).A close-up of just the ingredients is included. Notice that the celery is not organic even though this is an organic product. It's not just celery. Some butchers will say "vegetable" or use carrots or beets or some other veggie or combo of veggies but it's all the same - a veggie being highly processed to extract and concentrate nitrates/ites to then be used as a better sounding cure. Could actually be worse depending on how much those other vegs concentrate bad stuff. Okay so they both said "no nitrates/ites added" but also then added the concentrated form of celery nitrates/ites which is chemically exactly the same as the synthetic nitrates/ites and behaves exactly the same way....as a cure.Okay and here's a picture of our label - what do you notice? The label says "uncured", the ingredient list does not include any vegetables or any asterisks that say "except for..." so it really is uncured and there really are no nitrates/ites added. Just good meat that was in a salt & sugar brine and then smoked the old-fashioned way using a smokehouse and hardwood chips! No water injections or reforming either. Just a smoked ham. That's right - actually no nitrates added. Congratulations! You have just unlocked a new set of decoder glasses complete with a ring! 👓💍This is a big deal, as the "Celery in Meat" ring + glasses are both are very hard to collect. This got much longer than I expected so I am going to save the butcher story for next week. I am also a little concerned I'm on the verge of starting a cult with all these secret super powers I am giving you so stay tuned for part 2 as to why and how we ended up here - clean meat, raised organically on our small farm and processed well. No way are we going to work so hard on raising the best meat we can (hand-fed pastured pigs!) only to have questionable ingredients added at the butcher! Hard pass. Of course if you want to eat meats with nitrates/ites in any form - great! If you aren't worried about nitrosamines, great! If you don't think I'm right or my references are not trustworthy, that's all fine. Of course, you probably shouldn't expect to be invited to present at the Annual Convention of Chemists, aka ChemCon, but that's fine, you've got better things to do anyway. 🧪 I just want you to be able to have the CORRECT and trustworthy information you need to make those decisions. And right now, "uncured" meats and "celery" are a huge pile of lies, deception and greenwashing. This really might be the worst example of greenwashing I can think of, specifically because we assume the word celery = better and we assume we can trust all these small farms. It's actually worse even than meat being able to be labelled "Product of USA" no matter where it's from because at least small farms aren't doing that to their blindly trusting customers. Ugh, it all just makes me so sad and frustrated. Also a small pro-tip, according to my chef friend, celery is best left out of broth making too as it brings some unpleasant flavors with it (nitrate is that you??). So keep celery in its place: Bloody Marys and we'll all be fine and live forever. Hmm, a drink actually sounds really good right now. Thanks for being a part of our little farm and I hope you really can trust us - I don't think we are self-deceived (although that's the thing about being self-deceived) and we do our best to be as transparent and honest as possible, but you'll never get the full story until our reality show becomes reality. ❤ Your farmer & founding-member-of-the-Church-of-the-Flying-Anticelery-Monster friend, Stephanie Schneider

Holiday & Sale Updates & Deadlines

Since the weather refuses to co-operate I've been trying really hard to get all the products online but whooo boy! It's a big task. I've added a TON though and am actively working through all the candles. It's day 8 of the 12 days and today all candles, melts & diffusers are 20% off!! I love these new candles made from upcycled wine glasses, check them out here! I'm working through the milkhouse candles now - my success here will depend on my level of success in the physical farm store, if we are busy, you won't see much more added, if we are not, they should keep showing up! We have something for all the candle lovers out there:🐝100% beeswax only.🐝100% beeswax with essential oils.🕯️Diffusers with essential oils only.🕯️Soy-wax with high quality fragrance oils.🕯️Electric candles with built-in 6 hour timers, they are even dipped in and made from wax so they look really legit but without the fear of fire or forgetting to blow them out. And without the pain of turning them all on every day! I love them. We have every shape and size: taper, tealight, small and large pillars, toads, mushrooms, fox, corn and more! Even the DIY candles are on sale today! So no matter your candle preference, you'll want to stop by the farm store for some free sniffs today! Open 2-6pm Table Centerpieces Unfortunately, we are woefully low on holiday centerpieces for your table (you guys are learning from all of our selling out in past years!). We have some beautiful pork tenderloins that make a great centerpiece especially when wrapped with bacon (or use a pork roast and make the family-favorite (and easier-than-pie) Bacon-Wrapped Kalua Pork which will IMPRESS). We have hams, but we may need to combine a few smaller ones to get to your desired poundage. No whole beef tenderloins but we do have filets (again, bacon wrapping is pretty spectacular) pair them with a whole side of one of the wild Alaskan salmons and you'll have the perfect surf & turf! Deadlines Until Christmas, ignore the online default deadlines (every time I try to override them, I screw something up): we will ship non-meat orders ASAP until the 23rd (flat $9, free for orders over $179). To bypass the store's limitations, follow these steps. Order MEAT and we'll ship this week if you are ready with Monday the 22nd being our last ship day (and a risky one for some of you, especially since the meat will arrive frozen, so plan accordingly!). Thank you so much for shopping small! Ironically, it makes a WORLD of difference to not just our little farm family but to all the small businesses you buy from through us too. We have 100s in our little farm store that we'd love to show you. ✨ Holiday Sale