Pork Chops Come From Where?

I stumbled across this video the other day and thought it would be a perfect fit for The Beginning Farmer Blog since pigs are such a big part of my farm. It appears that the video is from The Better Bacon Book: Make, Cook, and Eat Your Way to Cured Pork Greatness which is a book/set of videos available only on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch. It actually looks like a pretty cool "app" with videos on how-to cure your own bacon, build a smoker out of a trash can, and even some history of bacon. Plus, it is only $2.99 so maybe I'll have a review shortly ...

So, incase you have ever wondered where the baby back ribs came from as opposed to the spare ribs then I suggest watching the video. Oh yeah ... and this guy seems pretty good at what he does! Have any of you ever cut up your own hog or cured your own pork? I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips ...

Rediscover Style Part 2

Here is the other Rediscover Style post featuring yours truly…

http://www.rediscoverstyle.com/?p=983

Send me your link in the comments below of “your style” will you?

Xo

HomemakerAng

In the spirit of farming, family and faith,

I am a guest of Rediscover Style blog...

I am humbled, more than honored to be a guest at Rediscover Style for my style of dressing.

Thank you Valerie for featuring my style.  Read more about my “fashion budget” and more

here with quite a few pictures today and tomorrow.  I will update with tomorrow’s link tomorrow…  

http://www.rediscoverstyle.com/?p=969  Day 1
http://www.rediscoverstyle.com/?p=983 Day 2

xo

In the spirit of farming, family and faith,

It's beginning to look more like...

See some more Maple Valley Farm Christmas right on Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/HomemakerAng/christmas-at-maple-valley-farm/

The "cool" thing about my Pinterest boards (all of them) is that I only pin our home, our life etc.  I do not repin others photos etc. 

Show me your Christmas links below on how you decorate.  I want to see!

xo

In the spirit of farming, family and faith,

Photo previously posted by Fifi and taken by Mark Lohman

What happens in palm springs stays in palm springs!

so after the last post this one is a bit of a a left turn... but I just got back from an incredible 4 days in Palm Springs and the Riveria resort with my 7 sisters by blood, marriage and choice - : ) and it was the best birthday a girl could possibly ask for!! It was all sunshine love and indulgence!! I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of women that are my family!!let's just say I was NOT on the farm...  : )

What happens in palm springs stays in palm springs!

so after the last post this one is a bit of a a left turn... but I just got back from an incredible 4 days in Palm Springs and the Riveria resort with my 7 sisters by blood, marriage and choice - : ) and it was the best birthday a girl could possibly ask for!! It was all sunshine love and indulgence!! I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of women that are my family!!let's just say I was NOT on the farm...  : )

Truck Farming

I can't tell you how many times people have said to me that they can't believe I am farming without a real pickup (it's even been said here on the blog). Since we began the farm I have been doing all of my farming with a somewhat trusty and clunky SUV. The great thing about the SUV was that I could haul lots of people or take the seats out and use it to take calves to the vet, haul buckets of corn, pick up feed from the feed store, and even take large round bales to the cows (that involved a couple of chains and I would not suggest trying it at home). I used the poor SUV to push things (the license plant is hanging on barely), to pull trees out of the timber (the better the tread on the tires the better off you are), and of course to pull the stock trailer to pick up and drop off countless pigs, sheep, cattle, and chickens.

But, last year I decided to step up into the pickup world ... I purchased a mini-sized Chevy S-10 with 4 cylinders and five speeds! It worked okay for piling full of coolers and driving to the farmers market, but for any sort of "truck" job it fails miserably. That is why when the rear-end on the no longer trusty SUV took a death blow this year at the end of summer I knew it was time to step up to a "real" truck ... one that had a bed you could fill up, one that could pull big things, and one that was big and loud and red!

There is just one thing though ... If I believed in luck I would have to say that I have bad luck when it comes to purchasing vehicles or just plain vehicles in general! So, even though I was excited to get a truck I was not excited about looking for one and buying one ... which is why it took two months. Finally after getting the feeling that my friends were tired of me borrowing theirs ... I landed on this beauty ...

Now I am a real farmer ... I have a big red truck that is loud and can pull lots of heavy things! It's not a new truck ... it's not a low mileage truck ... it has some rust covered up with paint ... and it has your typical bumps and bruises. But, it will be a nice addition to the farm and I know that my friends will appreciate me not borrowing theirs (really they have been a huge help though!).