We have Moved

Thank you to everyone who moved their subscription over to the new www.zweberfarms.com site. Our new site holds our blog, recipes, farm information and meat ordering all in one place. It is Zweber Farms central. So head over there today and subscribe. You will not want to miss any of the action.

If you haven’t move yet, you missed the start of our new Free Teacher Resources, 3 tips to make juicy hamburgers, and a great video of our cows going out to pasture.

Don’t delay move over to www.zweberfarms.com today!

Trust me, you will be glad you did.

Emily

We are Moving!

Well not the farm… But this blog is now moving to http://www.zweberfarms.com 

With the help of one of our customers, we have created a new website (it is still under construction so please bear with us). Please go there and sign up to receive our updates and posts. We don’t want to miss anyone so please do not delay.

Thank you!

Emily

 

Wordless Wednesday-Family Pasture Walk

Yesterday, we had our first 60 degree weather since last fall. Tim was itching to go check the culverts and see how the pastures were fairing. We took the hike as a family just before sunset. I wish I would have had my camera. Instead I took a few pictures from my phone.

It was warm enough to be without a coat, except for Hannah

Erik was making bridges out of the branches that fell with last week’s storm

Our trip started in the yard. We followed the “river” and see where is went.

No trip is complete without a really big stick

“Don’t fall in Jonnie!”

A full moon was rising behind us as we walked

Made it to the top of the hill (stick and all)

The heifers greeted us as we made our way back.

Milking was just finishing as we walked into the yard.

Hannah got all tuckered out from the fresh air.

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The Sound of Chickens-Monday Funnies!

The Prairie Home Companion does an annual joke show and they often feature this song about chickens. It makes me laugh so hard I cry. I picture our hens fleeing our milk truck or large tractors as they are crossing our driveway. Wonder if we should have chicken crossing guards…

 

Sound of Chickens

 

Now that is what I Call a Winter Storm on the Farm

Yesterday and last night we had a major winter storm. The day started out with light snow. Then it moved to rain. We had over one inch of rain before it turned back to snow/ice over the night.

This is what Jon and Lisa woke up to:

You can see the weight of the ice damaged some trees and a river is running through the back yard. Some of our calves got spooked last night and were out this morning. We are not sure what happened, but the sound of the breaking trees might have done it. Also, our dog, Boo, completely chewed through the wall in our mud room.

A kind of day like today calls for only one thing:

Organic. It’s Worth It-New Website

This weekend the whole family had a chance to experience the MOSES Organic Farming Conference. Over 3300 farmers were in attendance making it the largest organic farming conference in the nation. This conference is one of my favorite conferences of the year. I am not sure if it is all the delicious organic food, the great chance to meet awesome and inspiring organic farmers, or all the new ideas that we take away. While wondering the trade show with a sleeping baby, I found the Organic Trade Association booth.

They have a new website that is a go to for all things in organic information. Need information on what the Organic label means? What to learn why did it is important to eat organic food? Need tips to make buying organic affordable? This website has it all: Organic. It’s Worth It.

There is a lot of great information on this website. I recommend it to anyone who has questions about organic food and organic farming. There is also a section with recipes (but  any recipe can be organic, just use organic ingredients).

Enjoy!
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Brave cat or not so smart?

You be the judge

Happy Birthday Tim! & Homemade Brownie Recipe

Today is Tim’s 29th birthday. To celebrate he will be spending it on the farm (not much different from any other day). The biggest difference is that we will be celebrating with large homemade brownies! Tim loves brownies. In fact, instead of wedding cake at our reception, he got his own brownie.

Fudgy Brownies: by Kathy Kirkland (You Deserve Dessert)

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted (I used Organic Valley)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs (I used Zweber Farms)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13×9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and butter. Stir in cocoa, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Pour mixture in pan
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Cool completely.  Serve with a big glass of cold and creamy Organic Valley milk.

Happy Birthday Tim!

Tim (age 5) with Uncle Roy at Zweber Farms

Jon and Tim Zweber

Cajun Bone in Pork Chop Recipe: 30 minute meal!

It is hard to find recipes that include bone in pork chops. Since the bone in takes much longer to cook, the pork industry has focused their recipe developmental on boneless chop. I love bone in chops because they provide a little more flavor. So when I find a simple way to prepare bone in chops, I jump at it. Here is one that is sooo simple that you have to laugh, but it is really delicious.

• 2-4 Zweber Farm bone in pork chops
• 1-2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (I make Emeril’s recipe)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle seasoning on both sides of the chops. Place in baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the chops once. Make sure the chops reach an internal temp of 145. Let them rest 5 minutes and serve.

Easy as that! They come out juicy and perfect. Pair with green beans, brown rice and a large glass of Organic Valley milk.

Of course I forgot to take a picture, maybe next time. But this is what they would have looked like if I had

source

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There is Hope for Tim’s Wedding Ring

Remember this post “My Husband Doesn’t Wear His Wedding Ring”? In the post I mention that Tim lost his first (and very expensive) wedding ring while working with calves. I am sure the ring is now in one of our fields waiting to be eaten by a cow.

There is hope that we might find it though. Today there is an article on Mail Online  titled Wedding ring eaten by calf  three years ago is re-discovered… inside cow’s stomach at butcher’s shop.

The farmer lost his ring while feeding calves. A calf sucked it off his hand. When it was time to butcher the fully grown animal the farmer asked the butcher to look for the ring. Low and behold, it was there!!

Cattle swallowing metal objects is actually a bad thing. There is even a name for it Hardware Disease. This is when a metal object is swallowed and it is pushed through the rumen to the reticulum. The reticulum is one of the compartments in the bovine stomach, and its function is not well understood. However, the contractions of the reticulum force the object into the peritoneal cavity where it initiates inflammation.

To help prevent an infection, cows are sometimes fed magnets to prevent the metal objects from piercing the stomach walls.

 

So here is to hoping we find Tim’s wedding ring…someday.