Transition

written by

Joel Salatin

posted on

April 1, 2024

The winter-to-summer transition is my favorite sprint of the year.

Here at Polyface, we have several spring times. They could be classified like this:

Spring Transition

Hay Season

Fall Transition

Here’s the spring transition:

1. Take laying hens out of hoop houses to either Millenium Feathernets or Eggmobiles

2. Start broiler chickens in the brooder house.

3. Get pullets out of the brooder house and into pasture shelters

4. Move cows off hay and onto pasture

5. Move pigs from winter quarters into the hay shed to do pigaearate compost

6. Prune fruit trees and grape vines

7. Move rabbits from hoop houses to summer quarters

8. Clean out hoop house bedding in order to plant vegetables or host seminars

9. Survey all fences and repair them for the season

10. Start the gravity water system feeding to all the fields

11. Open farm store on weekdays

12. Prep and begin planting the garden

It’s a crazy busy time but the hectic pace also brings amazing moments of gratitude, provision, and beauty.

Here is a list of those:

1. We had 10 calves born in 30 hours

2. This morning I saw nightcrawlers copulating—new worms in the making

3. Apple blossoms swelling

4. In the last week, we spread countless loads of compost and got nice rains immediately

5. Patrons and guests visiting the farm and store all week

6. Pigaerating making hundreds of tons of compost

7. All ponds are full, ready for the season

8. Green grass

9. Robins

10. Chicks

11. New farm truck

12. New sawmill engine

I don’t know how you view the seasons and how you mark transitions, but I think we benefit when we consciously recognize life’s cycles and articulate thankfulness. With that in mind, thank you for going through this journey with us.

And if you need to wiggle your toes in some new spring grass, caress a chick, or sit on the edge of a field to watch calves cavort, please know you’re always welcome at Polyface. We’re here for you, eager to embrace another season, and excited to serve you again. Thank you and come on out. We'd love to help you find inspiration in this fertile season.

Joel

cows

chicken

pigs

compost

eggmobile

garden

pigs

spring

Why Choose Fermented Foods?

My grandparents on my father’s side used to make sauerkraut in wooden barrels in the basement. My mother’s side made cheese and salami. I could smell these concoctions throughout the entire house. Fermenting is part of your national heritage, no matter your family’s country of origin. Alongside nourishing grass-fed/grass-finished pastured meats like Polyface raises, every person should include real fermented foods into their diet. This method of food preservation goes back farther than most realize, reconnecting us with ancient traditions, long before the refrigerator-freezer was invented. Every culture consumed something fermented every day. Here are the reasons why I like fermented foods. Fermentation preserves food without using high pressure, high heat, or chemicals, so it both conserves and increases them. The nutritional value of fermented foods lies mostly in the pro-biotic bacteria that are present, and byproducts of their digestion. The bacteria’s digestive “waste” is a collection of vitamins, enzymes, and co-factors needed for every system of the body. These include: Vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, and K2 Superoxide dismutase (SOD, an antioxidant) GTF chromium (assists sugar metabolism) Glutathione (a potent detoxifier) Phospholipids (cell membrane building blocks) Digestive enzymes Beta 1,2 glucans (present in shiitake mushrooms; modulates immune system) Fermentation neutralizes or eliminates these: Phytic acid (present in seeds, nuts, beans, legumes) Enzyme inhibitors (also present in seeds, nuts, beans, legumes) Nitrites Prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) Oxalic acid (binds minerals) Nitrosamines (known carcinogen) Glucosides Probiotics and enzymes in whey neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, allowing your digestion to access the nutrients in the food. Enzymes are proteins. Proteins are delicate molecules with very complex structure and shape. The structure of the enzyme gives it its function. Without structure and form, the enzyme will not do its job of catalyzing biochemical reactions. Without enzymes, biochemical reactions would cease. Enzymes are denatured (unraveled or broken down) by high pressure, high heat, acidic conditions, toxic chemicals, and electrical disturbances. Once denatured, they lose their form and shape, therefore they lose their function. Unlike canning and commercial processing, fermenting occurs at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, encouraging beneficial bacteria to thrive. Temperatures above 117 degrees Fahrenheit denature enzymes and kill probiotic bacteria. If you wonder what 117 degrees feels like, it’s the temperature at which you cannot touch an object with your bare hands and hold it for a few seconds. If it’s hot, but you can still touch and hold it in your hand and not pull away, it’s under 117 degrees. This innate protection mechanism (i.e., reflex) prevents your own protein (i.e., skin on your finger) from being denatured. It’s also a good indicator of when your food is hot enough to kill probiotics and denature enzymes. For best results, fermented foods must be eaten raw, never hot or cooked. Fermented foods are safe and protective against pathogens. USDA scientist Roger McFeeters, who oversees a fermentation laboratory, says, “The lactobacilli can number a billion per gram of tissue at the height of fermentation. The bad bacteria can't compete." According to McFeeters, lacto-fermentation has caused no known food-borne illness. "As far as we know, it's been going on for thousands of years. It's perfectly safe.” The sauerkraut that my grandparents made had a layer of raw pork chops embedded in the salted cabbage. When the sauerkraut was done, you could safely eat the pork chops raw! They were pre-digested by the bacteria, and “cooked" by the organic acids in the kraut. Probiotics prevented pathogens from establishing. None of us ever got food poisoning. My grandmother lived to be 100. Fermented foods have anti-carcinogenic properties. They normalize blood pressure and heart rate, help to break down fat in the liver, and maintain healthy systemic pH. And they are quite tasty. In the supermarket, look for fermented foods in the refrigerated section, not on the shelf with canned foods. Shelf-stable canned foods were subjected to high temperatures. The probiotics and enzymes have been denatured. Look for “live cultures” or “live probiotics” on the label. Eat something lacto-fermented every day, like your ancestors did. Just a tablespoon or two of sauerkraut or an ounce or two of cheese is enough to have the desired effect. Choose a salad dressing made with raw apple cider vinegar, or a tablespoon of a fermented condiment such as ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise. Try a fermented beverage, like kombucha, beet kvass, or ginger ale. (Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon has some great recipes for all of these.) The original condiments were digestive aids. They’re easy to make. Try it. May you be deeply nourished! Susan

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Thanksgiving

The older I get, the more grateful I am for my parents who embraced different. Indulge me in a couple of stories from our family's past to illustrate how we relished "maverickness".

Transition

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