This morning I took my every-other-monthly trip down to the farm that I buy most of my meat and eggs from. It's about an hour drive south west to the other side of Jersey. I can take the interstate or back roads. I choose to take the back roads. Just as much a I enjoy knowing where my animal products come from, I also enjoy the trip. It forces me to get out of my daily grind and slow down, if only for a few hours. The drive is through barren woods and farm country where you get glimpses into a time when farming was something everyone did.
There are barns with old tractors, old pick-up trucks, silos and vast fields that, when harvested, provide food for many, many people. It is also refreshing to speak with Carla, the owner and operator of the farm. She is full of life and truly has an intimate knowledge of all the animals she cares for. I believe that if you are going to eat meat then you should take care to see how they live and how much work it takes to provide for that animal.
Some people ask me 'how can you eat meat after you meet the animals that you will eventually eat?' (tongue twister) I ask them, how can you eat meat that comes from god knows where, is fed who knows what, and is killed, processed, packaged, and shipped half way across the country (sometimes world) and then sits on a shelf waiting to be sold, then it sits in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat it? Gross!
I have done some research on the farming practices in this country. They are not farms, they are factories. I take pride in the fact that I don't feed myself meat that has been raised on antibiotics and corn or soy, or confined to a feed lot. So instead of traveling 3 blocks to my grocery store, I drive 1 hour each direction to get my meat and eggs directly from the source. And I feel good about my choice.
How far would you travel to buy superior food?
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