Today I am excited to have Brandon Sheard from The Farmstead Meatsmith website and farm community.  I have been a member of their online community for a couple of years and have learned so much about growing animals responsibly, butchering, curing, smoking and preserving. They…

We Smith’s have used olive oil for years. It was on the weekly Costco list for the longest time. We felt confident that the Italian OO that they sold was from where they said it was…Italy. We also felt better about buying NON organic OO…

One of the great legacies of the Stanwyck’s (Joe’s Fleece Fields, etc.) was that they worked closely with their neighbors to insure excellent livestock feed was available at an affordable price. We wanted to continue that at Lake Joy Farmstead. We have partnered with The Red…

Considered one of the oldest pedigree pig breeds from England, these droopy-eared white pigs with distinctive black spots are making a comeback. Originating from the Berkeley Valley in England near Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Old Spots (GOS) were very near extinction as recently as the 1970s. Once…

A little farm life update. We got pigs! We decided to get them for a couple of reasons. Food, of course (since we rarely follow 100% kosher except our salt). We have adopted the idea of each animal having to serve a purpose. Food is…