A Local Farm in the Dutch Countryside

I was in charge of our date this week so I thought we would go check out the local farm that was about a 40 minute bike ride from our house. I try to follow the dietary recommendations of the Weston A. Price Foundation which centers around traditional methods of preparing food and therefore lots of raw dairy, lacto-fermented foods, organic and grassed meat, organic fruits and vegetables, with soaking grains and beans, homemade meat stocks, and plenty of good fats, barring all processed foods. This stuff just makes sense! Why would I want all of the good nutrition to be killed through pasteurization and processing or microwaving?  Foods have a certain way they need to be prepared so that we get the maximum nutrition possible from them. I really enjoy learning this stuff and feel so empowered when I know exactly what is in my food and how it is prepared. You can find out more at westonaprice.org. I'm not this skinny by chance! 

This method of preparing and eating food is a bit more expensive because of buying organic, but we save money by not eating out and therefore making things homemade, and we aren't going to the doctor all the time. I feel that you cannot put a price on health. At first it is a bit time consuming because you have to teach yourself a bunch of new habits and new tools for cooking. I have been trying to grasp all of this for over a year and a half and I'm still not quite where I would like to be with it. After you learn it, it becomes second nature and it doesn't take too much more effort. These are skills that I am going to be using everyday and for the rest of my life so all the effort to learn it, is worth it to me. I still don't have a great kitchen so I cannot prepare everything the way I would like yet, but I do what I can, and I should have a wonderful kitchen soon.

Andrew is still eating Paleo so we definitely don't see eye to eye on the subject of fats. Granted, he is on a weight loss diet and fats are good for a sustainable diet and in maintaining weight. We are experimenting a lot with gluten and how food in general affects us. Andrew has to eat often because of the lack of fats and carbs and filling food. Up until this week I was eating my normal breakfast. I soak a cup of oats in kefir and water over night and then heated it up on the stove and added cinnamon, honey, bananas, blueberries, and nuts and raisins. I often had to add a couple of snacks before lunch. I eat a good amount since I am breastfeeding. Recently I added butter to the oats and raw milk to round out my breakfast and I didn't feel hungry until 5 hours later. That is so interesting to me and shows me a bit about the role that fats play in our diet. 

I feel that this is one of the most important things I can learn: the proper nourishment of my family. It is very different from the average households approach but I feel it is worth all the effort. I can't wait to get Colin in there to help me.

It takes more effort to get raw dairy since many places make it illegal for stores to sell it, so I have been asking around (the foundation has a local chapter leader who helps point you in the right direction and I am apart of a natural parenting Facebook group in Amsterdam and they are so helpful as well) and checking out different sources. I have finally found a couple of places in the city but I wanted to visit a farm anyway. This one sells raw milk ice cream when the weather gets nice. I will definitely be taking Colin next time.

We started off in the city

With busseling traffic and tons of entertainment

It is hard to get around without a GPS in a city that doesn't always label their roads. We get lost a lot.

We finally got into the beautiful countryside and come across this tiny town called Zunderdorp, where the farm is. it was just outside the northern city limits.

They had many man-made canals, I guess for irrigation, and the sheep were grazing right by the road.

We made it to the farm and were delighted by what we saw.

Keeping it Dutch

They had tons of Hens treated humanely with no hormones.

We got to see where they kept their calves, goats, and bunnies? (I forgot to ask why they had bunnies). We couldn't see the whole farm because of heavy machinery and such but it was very lovely and they answered all of my questions.

We went to the milk tap and met and talked to the owner of the farm who gave us fresh milk in the glasses that we had to bring ourselves.

Afterwards, I told Andrew that we have always done the city thing but that I might actually be a countryside girl. I can imagine living in a French cottage in the countryside with plenty of fresh air and green grass for our kids to play in. I could get my local fresh dairy and food from my farmer. It could be really great. 

We are loving being in the middle of the city but I don't need shopping, museums, and restaurants at my finger tips. I actually prefer living somewhere where shopping for fresh food is more inexpensive and convenient. Right now I have to go to an expensive store for organic products and I can go to the organic market across town but only on certain days when the farmers come. There are a ton of great options for healthy food here, don't get me wrong, this is Europe. I just think there is something to be said for living less expensively on the outskirts, with nature and with fresh local food at your fingertips. I want my children to see gardens and farms so that they know where real food comes from and then prepare it with me. The city can be visited weekly by bike. 

I'm just trying to figure all of this out. Hmmm... we will live in the city while here in Amsterdam and mostly because it is closer to Andrew's work and we want to feel like we are living in Amsterdam and feel connected. I think the countryside is a good option later down the road, maybe 5 years, and when we have a car. Would we need a car? I don't know all of the logistics but since changing the way I eat and becoming more naturally minded, this idea sounds perfect. A little house in the French countryside or in a village. One major condition for our choices in housing is that we have to wake up in an inspiring place. Oh man, this is reminding me of a post I did a while back called We Will Live in France Someday.

This is funny that I am now coming to this realization that I don't mind living in the countryside (it does have to be a certain kind of countryside) because I NEVER thought I would be that kind of person. I'm glad that Andrew is okay with this idea. So am I a city person or a country person? I think right now there are equal pros and cons and that maybe the city or the country is right for a certain time in my life. I dunno but the wheels in my brain are turning.

Raw milk kefir is a superfood rich in probiotics which help clean out that gut that is being damaged by toxic foods and boosting your immune system. I gave Colin some kefir the other day and it is some sour stuff when made right, bubbles on your tongue because it is alive, an acquired taste. By the way, I am still trying to understand all of the nutritional science stuff so my science talk is really dumbed down. The kind I gave him wasn't raw milk kefir since I just found out how to get that and am excited to try that on him. I am really excited to get some kefir starter grains and make my own. Anyway, he loved it and I mixed it with banana to make it even yummier for him. You have to start young with this stuff so that they know what real food is and crave it from the beginning. 

This is a picture of Colin's kefir face as he is eyeing the glass of kefir.

The other day at church, the American missionaries made brownies for a baptism, our Dutch friend said he did not enjoy them because there was too much sugar. I grew up with that crap so, of course, I loved all the sugar. They prefer slightly sweet things here and I have really seen the light. It is still really hard for me to stay away from processed sweets and  processed foods made by other people because I have yet to figure out how to deal with eating this way outside of my home. Colin will go to friends homes and nursery and we will eat at other peoples homes or at social gatherings. We have gotten a lot better but we aren't strict with ourselves. One thing that has helped me is deciding that if I wouldn't give it to Colin then I shouldn't eat it myself. It is much easier for me to say no to certain foods for Colin because I am much more protective of what he eats. I don't feed him grains or gluten yet so when he turns 1, then I think the baked sweets will be easier to resist with him around. I need to prepare snacks for ourselves before going out so that we have healthier options. Change takes time.

All of this is a huge change in how we live our life but I really like the way things have been going for us since we have gotten more serious about what we eat since September. If we see such positive results in how we feel and look then why stop?