Welcome to Well Fed Wednesday! Every week you can come here to:

Share your Real Food recipes and posts.

&

Check out other people’s Real Food recipes & posts.

The rules of this carnival are simple:

1. Make sure your recipe & post is about Real Food, meaning nothing processed, with unsoaked stale grains (like packaged flours), or with refined sugars.

2. Post your link below.

3. Share a link back to this post on your site (on the recipe or post that you’re sharing).

4. Leave a comment below.

That’s all!

And come back Saturday to check out my favorite posts in my Weekly Wrap Up!

Do you have kitchen scraps? I bet you do! What do you do with them? Run them down the garbage disposal? Throw them away? Gasp! But that’s not GREEN!  All humor aside, really, truly, those veggie scraps can be a seemingly magical additive for your garden–if they’re composted. Do you own a composter?

I just bought one, and I am SO excited to use it. I was thinking, this is a PERFECT item to give away to one of YOU, also! This particular composter holds 80 gallons and it turns and aerates the compost. It is called the Lifetime 60058 Compost Tumbler, and it’s worth approximately $179.99! It’s got a lot of really positive reviews on Amazon. I think you (and your kitchen scraps) are going to like it!

Just throw your kitchen scraps and weeds inside, rotate it, wait, and you’ll have something that looks like this (and a cute hair cut too!):

*Compost sold separately, hair cut not included.

Here is the scoop!

By Entering & Commenting, you are agreeing to the following rules & conditions:

• No purchase necessary.
• The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• Winner will receive a Compost Tumbler worth approximately $179.99.
• Giveaway is only open to those 18 or older and who reside in the Continental United States.
• Contest ends on 5/26/13 at 12 am Pacific Time.
• One winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter.  If I find an entry to be invalid (they did not do what they said they did), a new winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter.
• Winner will be announced here on the blog on 5/27/13.  The winner’s name will be published in the post (email address will not be published) and the winner will have 48 hours to contact me so I can mail you the blender!
• By the way, this is technically called a “sweepstakes” not a “giveaway” because the winner is chosen at random based on an entry.
• Void where prohibited by law.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was shared at Fat Tuesday.

Happy Weekend! I’m starting a new tradition here at The Well Fed Homestead, where I share with all of you what my favorite resources were from the week. I’m going to be posting this on Saturdays. First, I will always share a few of my favorite posts from my Well Fed Wednesday blog carnival. If you’d like to participate in Well Fed Wednesdays, you can come enter your links starting 6 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday night! I will also share some of my other favorite resources from the web.

Favorite Posts from this week’s Well Fed Wednesday Blog Carnival:

1. Agave Syrup is Bad for You! I totally agree! Agave syrup is not the healthy, alternative sweetener that is is touted as.
2. Chocolate Banana Pops because these look totally amazing! My kids will love me forever if I make these!
3. Health Benefits & Recipes for Apples and Asparagus I love this kind of information! It’s good to be educated about real foods!
4. No-Fail No-Pound Sauerkraut I SO want to try this. Last time I made 6 heads of cabbage worth of sauerkraut at one time–talk about WORK! I would have loved to know about this no-pound version!
5. Paleo Smoked Turkey & Crunchy Vegetable Salad Looks like a yummy salad!

Favorite Posts from around the Web this week:

Welcome to Well Fed Wednesday! Every week you can come here to:

Share your Real Food recipes and posts.

&

Check out other people’s Real Food recipes & posts.

The rules of this carnival are simple:

1. Make sure your recipe & post is about Real Food, meaning nothing processed, with unsoaked stale grains (like packaged flours), or with refined sugars.

2. Post your link below.

3. Share a link back to this post on your site (on the recipe or post that you’re sharing).

4. Leave a comment below.

That’s all!

And come back Saturday to check out my favorite posts in my Weekly Wrap Up!

I love the things that I learn from all of you on Facebook. If you’re not following, you’ll want to make sure to join in on the conversation! I want to start sharing some of the things that I’ve learned with you right here! This week on Facebook, I asked “Do your kids mow the lawn? How old were they when they learned how?”

The answers varied, between the ages of 6 and 12. Here are the percentages:

6 years old – 5%

7 years old – 11%

8 years old – 5%

9 years old – 28%

10 years old – 22%

11 years old – 11%

12 years old – 17%

What do you think? What age should a child be to mow the lawn?

photo credit: zieak

Welcome to Well Fed Wednesday! Every week you can come here to:

Share your Real Food recipes and posts.

&

Check out other people’s Real Food recipes & posts.

The rules of this carnival are simple:

1. Make sure your recipe & post is about Real Food, meaning nothing processed, with unsoaked stale grains (like packaged flours), or with refined sugars.

2. Post your link below.

3. Share a link back to this post on your site (on the recipe or post that you’re sharing).

4. Leave a comment below.

That’s all!

And come back Saturday to check out my favorite posts in my Weekly Wrap Up!

Today is May 4th, and if you’re a Star Wars fan, you won’t be able to get through the day without at least watching 1 movie. Maybe an entire marathon. Ready, set, go! May the 4th be with you!

I married a Star Wars fan. He owned a duplex (he lived in half and rented out the other half) when we were dating each other. His duplex was decorated in Star Wars movie posters and action figures. I added sunflowers to his bathroom, stenciled vegetables to his kitchen, and flowery pillows to his couch…and slowly moved all of the Star Wars stuff to 1 room. (He calls the days before me “the dark ages”…Truthfully, I think he LIKED the sunflowers in his bathroom).

To marry this great guy (who really was and IS great!), I had to watch Star Wars. It was a pre-requisit. I did, gladly. (They’re good movies, but I prefer Ever After, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, PERSONALLY!). We even watched Episode 1 in German in Rothenburg, Germany, on our honeymoon. And now, almost 14 years later, we have 4 little Star Wars fans running around our home. My hubby was so proud when our daughter, at 3, was making light saber noises. He still has his big box of Star Wars action figures up in the barn, and we pull it out on special occasions. Today will be one of those days.

When we had our first son, Isaac, my aunt gave me a Star Wars Cookbook as a baby shower gift. My husband was delighted. Our kids still love looking through the book.

We’ve had a few Star Wars parties, and I’m sure there will be more to come. I once made a cake with a green meringue frosting all over it (I used my creme brûlée torch to make it brown in areas) and then put a Yoda character on top. I made green jello and put Jabba the Hut on top. I used to make Yoda Soda with lime sherbert and 7up. We eat differently now, though….How do you make a REAL FOOD Star Wars day? I’ve thought of some ideas for you!

Look at this Star Wars themed bento:

You can find Star Wars Cookie Cutters, Stamped Cookie Cutters, a small Star Cookie Cutter and Light Sabre food picks on Amazon.

Here’s another great lunch picture:

You could make Star Wars themed fruit snacks with Darth Vader molds, or  R2D2 molds, or a Han Solo mold.

Make Jabba jiggler (and put a big Jabba the Hut on top) by making Homemade Jello.

For Yoda Soda, you can make this tasty, healthy Peaches N’ Green Smoothie from Food Loves Writing.

Wookie Cookies could be anything, really. Maybe Grain-Free Mudslide Fudge Cookies from Food Renegade or basic Coconut Flour Cookies from The Coconut Mama.

For breakfast, make “Twin Sun Eggs” by frying 2 eggs together like this:

(omit the toast if you are grain-free)

You could make some Homemade Marshmallows from Mommypotamus and call them Hothmallows!

What ever you decide to make, you’ll need to put your hair up in 2 buns (1 on each side–women), pull out a toy light sabre, and spend the day geeking out!

photo credit: woordenaar, anotherlunch.com, anotherlunch.com, mccun934, nickstone333

Happy Saturday! I’m starting a new tradition here at The Well Fed Homestead, where I share with all of you what my favorite resources were from the week. I’m going to be posting this on Saturdays. First, I will always share a few of my favorite posts from my Well Fed Wednesday blog carnival. If you’d like to participate in Well Fed Wednesdays, you can come enter your links starting 6 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday night! I will also share some of my other favorite resources from the web.

Favorite Posts from this week’s Well Fed Wednesday Blog Carnival:

1. Carrie Healed Hashimoto’s Disease with the GAPS Diet  I love this post, because pre-GAPS, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease. My Dr. refused to test me again post-GAPS, because she said that it “doesn’t change.” Not true! Diet makes all the difference!
2. Dry Beans vs. Canned: Making Your Own “Fast Food” Good info–no reason to buy canned beans!
3. Probiotic Gummy Candy Recipe Ooh! A sneaky Mom recipe!
4. What is Guar Gum? Good info on this mystery ingredient that seems to be in everything!
5. You are Not What You Eat This has been on my mind a lot lately–I think I’m going to go buy some charcoal tablets and do this test! Check it out!

Favorite Posts from around the Web this week:

1. How to Find, Identify & Cook Fiddleheads I had no clue what a fiddlehead was until I read this post! I am very fascinated by the idea of searching for wild edibles–but scared at the same time. We own about 30 acres of farm land, and even though we only technically grow/raise food on a few acres (so far!), I know that there is food on our land that we aren’t even aware of. Knowing how to identify edible plants is a basic survival skill. (I’m picturing a famine, like in The Good Earth, and knowing exactly which types of bark we can cook, and what leaves to add to soup, etc.!).
2. 12 Unique Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Cauliflower Because getting my kids to eat veggies was once a struggle–and I know it is for many of you, too! These are some tasty ways to cook cauliflower for adults, also!
3. Whats in Your Skincare Products? Our skin is our largest organ, and I think that people pay far too little attention to what they are putting on their skin!
4. Oil of Oregano Have you tried it? Oil of Oregano is AMAZING, potent stuff!! One time I got a bad cold and ear ache (aka yeast in the ear). I took Oil of Oregano by mouth and got better quickly! It is good stuff to have on hand! And here is one more post about Oil of Oregano.

Have a great weekend!

So, you want to get a dairy cow, but you have no clue what kind to get. There are some things you need to think about when choosing a cow: do you plan to sell the milk? (Is it legal in your state?) If not, you probably don’t need a cow that produces large quantities of milk. Do you plan to make a lot of butter? Then you will need a cow that produces a lot of cream. Here is some basic information about each breed to help you determine the kind of cow that is right for you.

Ayrshire

Coloring: red and white

Average Weight: 1,200 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 5-6.5

Butter Fat: 3.9%

Protein: 3.3%

Originated From: Scotland

Original Environment: harsh winters & rocky terrain

Known for: good udders, small fat molecules in the milk (easier to digest, makes creamy cheese)

Brown Swiss

Coloring: light brown or gray/silver with a white muzzle and a dark nose

Average Weight: 1,300-1,400 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 5.3-9

Butter Fat: 4.0%

Protein: 3.5%

Originated From: Switzerland

Original Environment: harsh climate, slopes of the Alps in Switzerland

Known for: large quantity of milk, long lifespan, sturdiness & strength, ability to stay in lactation longer than other breeds, best milk for cheese market (due to high protein and large quantity), quiet temperament

Notes: large calves, may have difficulty calving first time

Dexter

Coloring: black, brown and red (most are black)

Average Weight: 600-700 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 1 1/2-2 1/2

Butter Fat: 4%

Protein: ? (I cannot find this information anywhere!)

Originated From: Ireland

Known for: smaller cow (400 lbs of meat), lean meat, perfect small-farm cow, strength (can be trained to pull things), birthing without assistance, longevity (can keep calving/milking for up to 15 years), smaller fat globules in the milk (easier to digest), good mothers–will nurse 2-3 calves from other cows

Note: can carry a gene that leads to dwarfism, will lead the cow to have stillborn calves with a deformed “bull dog” face (can check for this with a DNA test)

Guernsey

Coloring: white and brown, orangish-red

Average Weight: 1,100-1,200 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 4.6-5.5

Butter Fat: 4.5%

Protein: 3.5%

Originated From: British Isle of Guernsey

Known for: good disposition, yellow milk because of extra Carotene/Vitamin A, few problems with calving, quick breeders, early maturation

Holstein-Friesian

Coloring: black and white or red and white

Average Weight: 1,400-1,500 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 8-10 (some say up to 14!)

Butter Fat: 2.5-3.6%

Protein: 3.1%

Originated From: Germany

Original Environment: grass pastures

Known for: large quantity of milk, used in almost all commercial operations

Jersey

Coloring: light brown, gray, brown, cream or black

Average Weight: 900-1,000 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 4-6

Butter Fat: 4.9%

Protein: 3.7%

Originated From: Britain’s Isle of Jersey

Known for: best disposition of all dairy cows, easy calving, early maturation, high fertility, rich and creamy milk, hardy, not great beef but ok

Milking Shorthorn

Coloring: red, or red and white

Average Weight: 1,300-1,600 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 6

Butter Fat: 3.8%

Protein: 3.3%

Originated From: Britain

Known for: easy calving, long lives, multi-purpose (beef, milk and pulling power)

Red Poll

Average Weight: 1,200-1,250 lbs

Average Gallons per Day: 4-5.25

Butter Fat: 4-4.75%

Protein: 3.5%

Originated From: England

Environment: lush grass, sandy beaches and marshland

Known for: good for beef and milk, early to mature, long life, hardiness, docile temperament, ability to gain weight from grass, good fertility, healthy calves, endangered

Welcome to Well Fed Wednesday! Every week you can come here to:

Share your Real Food recipes and posts.

&

Check out other people’s Real Food recipes & posts.

The rules of this carnival are simple:

1. Make sure your recipe & post is about Real Food, meaning nothing processed, with unsoaked stale grains (like packaged flours), or with refined sugars.

2. Post your link below.

3. Share a link back to this post on your site (on the recipe or post that you’re sharing).

4. Leave a comment below.

That’s all!

And come back Saturday to check out my favorite posts in my Weekly Wrap Up!