Welcome to the August 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Farmer’s Markets

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about something new they’ve learned about their local farmers.

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All photography courtesy of the much more photographically talented half of this parenting partnership, J.

Our family eats a lot of eggs. And when I say a lot, I mean that two adults and a one-year-old (Happy first birthday, Oliver!) consume on average six dozen eggs each week. Sometimes more.

People often ask how it is that we don’t get tired of eating eggs for breakfast every single day. The truth is, fresh, free-range eggs just never get old. They have an unbelievably rich taste, texture and colour, when compared with their grocery store counterparts. The flavour is deeper and more complex, with subtle variations from one egg to another.

We have found that the freshest eggs tend to come directly from the source, whether it be from a farmer at one of Vancouver’s weekly farmer’s markets, a vendor at the Granville Island Public Market, an ad hoc roadside stand in one of Vancouver’s agricultural suburbs, or more recently, a farm belonging to my friend Chris’ family.

Sucellus Farms – named, appropriately, for the Celtic god of agriculture and fermented beverages — is a small family farm that raises cows, goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits and puppies.

Farmers Lee-Ann and Greg strive to run their farm in a way that produces healthy, happy animals, and has a beneficial impact on the environment. Animals are kept in spacious outdoor pastures, and are predominantly grass and forage-fed. Lee-Ann cites Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin of Food Inc. fame as one of her greatest farming inspirations.

We have been buying eggs from Sucellus Farms through my friend, and in late July, were fortunate to be able to arrange to visit Lee-Ann and Greg’s farm, and to meet – among other animals – the chickens who produce our daily eggs.

When we arrived at the farm, the first order of business was meeting Evie, the large and very friendly German Shepherd who guards the hen flock from predators when they are free ranging. Next, we visited the three goat enclosures.

Sucellus Farms raises goats for meat, dairy and breeding purposes. The goats are kept in large pastures, and taken on daily walks up and down the farm’s meandering driveway, where they help Greg and Lee-Ann to keep the weeds and sprawling blackberry bushes at bay.

The goats live with large dogs, like Hayden, who help protect them from the local coyote population.

The day prior to our visit, Lee-Ann had purchased some new baby goats from auction. The kids were just a few days old, and were still being bottle-fed.

I was lucky to get a chance to feed two of the babies. Seems I had more success bottle-feeding another mammal’s babies than I did with my own baby!

Goats are extremely characterful and curious animals. They were particularly interested in little Oliver, and all enjoyed getting to know him. One of the babies even gave him a kiss on the cheek!

Next, we met Doofus, the calf, also just a few days old. Lee-Ann and Greg are planning to breed Doofus, in the hopes of producing a dairy calf to provide them with raw milk. In British Columbia, health regulations prevent the sale of raw dairy; however, farmers are permitted to keep and consume the raw milk from their own animals. Sucellus Farms also sells a small quantity of grass-fed beef once each year.

After a quick look at the meat chickens, we finally got to visit the very hens who produce the eggs we eat. The hens are kept in a large outdoor enclosure, and allowed to roam free under Evie’s close supervision. They have a large hut that serves as both a shelter and an area for their nesting boxes.

The chickens feed on a combination of chicken feed and forage (grass, seeds, insects), and they always have fresh water available.

Together, we watched the chickens hunt and peck in the dirt, as all happy chickens should.

Then, Lee-Ann gave us a freshly-laid green egg — still warm!

At the end of our visit, we bought six dozen more of Sucellus Farms‘ amazing eggs. Unlike the eggs you get from the grocery store, these eggs are all different shapes, sizes and colours. Even the yolks are different sizes and colours! They are almost too beautiful to eat… almost.

Have you ever had the opportunity to trace your food back to its origins? Are there foods your family  regularly consumes that could be bought directly from a farmer instead of from the grocery store? What are some other ways to teach your children about the provenance of the foods they eat?

Some fun facts about eggs:

1. The colour of the egg is determined by the breed of the chicken. For the most part, brown hens lay brown eggs and white hens lay white eggs. Sucellus Farms‘ Ameraucana hens lay the striking green and blue eggs you see in this photo.

2. All of the eggs from a particular hen will look similar. See if you can tell which eggs in the photo may have come from the same hen(s).

3. As a hen gets older, she will lay larger and larger eggs.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 14 with all the carnival links.)

• 10 Simple Ways to Make the Farmer’s Market More Fun for Kids — Lorie at Reading Confetti shares ideas and books to help kids get the most from the farmers market experience.
• 10 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter About The Importance of Shopping at the Farmer’s Market — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the ten lessons she hopes to impart to her daughter about the importance of shopping at local farmers markets.
• Charmed by Two Small Town Markets — Shannon at GrowingSlower was charmed by two small-town farmers markets while on vacation.
• The Olympia Farmer’s Market (and a giveaway!) — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes and family took a trip to their state capitol to experience a new market. See what they saw, and enter to win a book written about that very market.
• On the Hunt . . . At the Farmer’s Market! — Exploring the farmers market by Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy writing at Natural Parents Network — with a scavenger hunt!
• Exploring the Market … Alphabet Style — That Mama Gretchen is in the midst of creating a learning tool for her toddler and it’s all about the market!
• Unschooling at the Farmers Market — Megz at Aspen Mama loves building memories as a vendor at the Market.
• Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities to help your family get the most out of a trip to the farmer’s market.
• Markets — How sustainable mum has fitted a monthly farmers market into a weekly food shop.
• The Farmers Market In Under An Hour (“Carl Style”) — Andrea and family at Tales of Goodness adapt their farmers marketing approach to make everyone happy.
• Tales Of a Troubled Gardener — Sam at Love Parenting writes about her dream of self-sufficiency and her lack of gardening skills!
• A Few {Of The Many} Reasons Why I Love Our Farmer’s Market — Even though the experience can sometimes be less than peaceful, MomeeeZen shares why she enjoys taking her family to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
• Experiencing the Farmer’s Market from a Different Perspective — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM had a great time letting her toddler lead the way at the farmer’s market…
• Ask A Farmer’s Daughter — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter answers questions about her life growing up on a small family farm in New England.
• Giving Up the Grocery Store — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her family’s summertime challenge to eliminate trips to the grocery store and rely almost exclusively on local, farm-fresh foods.
• Urban farming and fresh food in the city — Lauren at Hobo Mama takes trips to farms, gardens, and markets within reach of a big city.
• Market Tip: Get to Know Your Farmers — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger finally gets up the guts to talk to her farmers and learns she is among ardent food lovers.
• New Farmer’s Market Find — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is excited to make a new find at her new farmers market.
• “The Real World” Grassroots Edition — jessica at instead of institution takes some time out to write a love note.
• 9 Insider Tips for Farmer’s Market Newbies — Dionna at Code Name: Mama chatted with a few farmers to bring you some insider information on how to get the most out of your local farmer’s market.
• The Place Where I Can Say “Yes!” — Erica at ChildOrganics gives you a tour of her favorite vendors at her local farmers market and discusses the benefits of creating community through the market.
• Raw Local Milk — Jorje shares her family’s field trip to a local dairy. Learn what you can appreciate from a small town farm at Momma Jorje.com.
• Italian Secret Vegetable Soup Recipe — Alinka at Baby Web convinces an Italian Farmer & Cook to reveal a precious minestrone recipe and shares it with her readers.
• Where do our eggs come from? A visit to Sucellus Farms. — Carli at One Fit Mom takes her family to meet the chickens that have been providing their daily eggs.
• Beyond the Farm — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy and her family enjoy looking beyond the food at the local farmer’s market to see the wares of the over vendors.
• Magic at the Market — Do you ever take time to really look at the food you eat? Amy at Anktangle enjoys marveling at the beauty (and the utility) of the foods and goods available at the farmers’ market.
• Farmer’s Market Discoveries — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen reminisces about the discoveries she’s made at the Farmer’s Market throughout the years.
• Are You Getting the Most out of Your Farmers’ Market? (My List of Not-So-Common “Musts”) — Sheila at A Living Family shares some uncommon ways to squeeze even more joy and connection (and yumminess!) from your local farmers’ market experience.
• Pick Your Own And Eat It — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares their trip to a PYO farm and the journey from picking to eating her favourite food