Cooped Up in Chicken Coops

California chickens may get to spread their wings.

There is a new proposition in California that stipulates that animals caged for food consumption must have larger cages. People are rarely aware of the living conditions of the animals we eat. I strongly believe that eating a stressed out animal leads to poor human nutrition. We understand how stress ravages our own bodies, why would we think it would be different for animals?

We use the term "cooped up" and now I know why. The standard cage size per hen is the size of a 8x11 piece of paper. Can you imagine having your food and water dish in the front of a piece of paper and the rest of your living space in the back of a cage the size of a piece of paper? Proponents of this cage size say a chicken has "plenty of room" to turn around in their cage.

Proposition 2 will stipulate that a chicken must at least have enough space to spread its wings. This size change will impact large chicken raisers but can contribute to a higher quality egg. Companies are given up to six years to help companies transition to more humane accommodations.

This proposition will affect other animals as well.



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There is a new resource in town:
Denver Metro Living at its Finest:
Life in South West Douglas County
Lifestyle, Events, News and Gossip, and Real Estate for Castle Rock, Sedalia, Louviers, Larkspur, and Castle Pines and Castle Pines North in Colorado

Read more about Proposition 2 in California.

Watch YouTube videos on Prop 2 - against animal cruelty.

Mona's Restaurant Denver: Review

If you are a regular shopper of a natural grocery and if you've cut out trans fats and other preservatives out of your pantries at home then you may find that going out to eat often makes your stomach churn and leave you feeling sluggish. Even though I love going out to eat I've noticed that I have to be even more careful of the choices I make or else I will feel awful afterward, even if the food is delicious. Breakfasts are an even greater challenge as the oils restaurants use to make eggs are often incredibly greasy and rancid.

I am pleased to say that Mona's Restaurant in Denver offers a great, healthy, simple gourmet menu. I went to the new location on South Broadway a few Sundays ago. A friend of mine suggested the place. I took a look at their menu online but didn't find it too exciting at first glance. They have a seemingly basic menu and I braced my gut for the usual dinner fare.

I was in for a nice surprise. We didn't have to wait for a table at 11:30 on a Sunday morning.
I chose the Davinci's Crab Cake Florentine and was pleased that the muffin was replaced with a bed of steamed spinach. My breakfast was delicious. They also support local ranches by offering free range chicken, and meat without antibiotics and added hormones. It isn't easy to find restaurants that are making that commitment here in Denver. Their eggs are also free-range, antibiotic free. Even though I eat organic, grass fed meats at home, I've become vegetarian when I go out so that I can avoid corporate farmed meats so it was a refreshing change to be able to choose for any of the meat items on the menu.

Colorado Green Living - Green living for your health not just for our beautiful Colorado environment.

Taking Your City Hide to a Country Life

Just as there are romantic notions of life in the West, some have romantic notions of life on a farm or ranch. I suspect that most ranchers and farmers were born into that lifestyle and from what I read; many are doing everything they can to get out of it. But how can you learn about country life if you were born in a concrete jungle or in a suburban sprawl?

My attraction to an exodus to acreage, open spaces, fresh air, small livestock, and organic gardening, may be cut short by my impatience with my internet connection speed, who knows. Still, it is tempting to think about living out among the elements instead of watching them on the Weather Channel.

Personally, I am interested in having pygmy goats and alpacas. They are adorable, great for children, have tax advantages, provide income through milk and hair harvesting and apparently, they are not very high maintenance.

There is a prominent alpaca raising community here in Douglas County and the free alpaca shows at the Douglas County Event Center have drawn me into their charm and income potential for their luxurious fleece which is harvested without harming the animal.
If you are thinking about leaving the city to get back to a more simple, natural life, and want to learn more about how to make the transition and learn about having, goats, chickens, alpacas, and even honey bees, then you may find the following sites fun and informative.

Looking for more?
Goodbye City Life
Easy to understand articles about raising and selecting goats, chickens, and honey bees

Pictures of Pygmy Goats – Warning: They are adorable, your children will love them

Free “Raising Alpacas” Newsletter

Loveland, Colorado Alpaca Ranch

Tax advantages of raising alpacas

Find Colorado Farmers' Markets

The Colorado gold rushes filled many with hopes of wealth and encouraged them to go to great lengths to pan for rare gold nuggets. Today, living in a state where most think vegetables and fruits come from a major grocery store, I feel like the dedicated gold seeker as I look for fresh, locally grown early spring produce.

The longer spring days are urging my body to find local produce that still has its water and nutrient content in abundance. Because our climate is not like California or Florida, most of us have to wait until June or July to shop our local markets. At least that is what I used to think but Santa Fe has a winter farmer's market. I haven't been yet, but I am curious to see what is available there. Maybe Coloradan's just aren’t that committed to local produce.

Thankful a few hearty souls open the farmer's markets early so I plan to show up right away to see what is available.

Boulder's Farmers Market opens April 5, 2008

Fort Collins' Farmers Market opens April 19, 2008

Highlands Ranch Farmers Market opens early May

Durango's Farmers Market opens May 10, 2008

Find a local Colorado farmers market near you

Find a local farmers market anywhere in the United States

Shopping at farmers markets is a fun experience that not only gets you outside, exposes you to different kinds of produce that you may not find in the main stores, helps you learn more about sustainable agriculture when you talk to the local farmers, gives you a burst of flavor and moisture because the produce is fresh, supports local economies, and it is an affordable way to eat organic food.

Safe Green Living - Because not all sustainable living is healthy for humans. Tips for non-toxic, organic, sustainable green living.

Why Buy a Hobby Farm

guest article:

Buying a small farm is generally an emotive experience. Every purchaser has a unique set of reasons for taking such a step, however, general themes can be identified and several broad categories of hobby farmers can usually be observed in most regions.

For Investment Interest
Astute investors will often purchase a parcel of land close to the urban fringe with the expectation that the urban sprawl will inevitably produce handsome profits from subdivisions or redevelopment. Such farmers will often carry out a minimum of work and may graze some animals in order to keep the property tidy. It is unlikely that long-term activities such as re-vegetation will take place.

For Lifestyle Or Privacy
More commonly hobby farmers have a desire to live away from the prying eyes of neighbours, but be near enough to the city in order to commute to work. Some owners may have little interest in working the property as a place for agricultural production, and as a result, carry out a minimum of work maintaining the site.A pleasant environment for the children is often cited as the reason for moving to a rural property. Others may combine the benefits of a rural lifestyle with the personal aim of land regeneration. The land may not be used for agricultural purposes, but there is a desire to see the site nurtured for the sake of fauna and flora. These are certainly noble ambitions.

For Retirement And Memories
I have met quite a few older migrants who want to relive past rural experiences, similar to their native homeland. Many such people migrated to the city, spending a lifetime working at menial tasks within a factory setting. An element of nostalgia is apparent, yet they take lavish pride in their farm and usually develop highly productive farms. Often these farmers choose to live in the city near their families and commute to the farm. Unfortunately, time is often against such people, and due to an inability to maintain the property with age, there is no choice but to sell.

For The Enterprising Spirit
There is also a brave and adventurous group of hobby farmers who want to try their hand at something new or novel. The range of enterprises is only limited by one’s imagination and in general a few years are needed before the enterprise is deemed a success or failure. In the meantime the owner may work full time, operating the enterprise on weekends. The majority of such enterprises are doomed to failure, but this is often a learning experience leading to success in the future.A very wide range of enterprises such as emu growing, native bush foods, snail production and garlic cultivation may be attempted. From hundreds of new projects, some will be a success, but the majority will be a learning experience at best and a financial disaster at worst. In many cases insufficient planning and research is carried out, or the owner soon comes to the conclusion that far too much work is involved for the potential returns.

For Passion And Challenges
In my case I have no great illusion or grand plan, but I look forward to the physical challenges involved in maintaining 5 acres with limited capital. I hope one day to look upon my farm with pride and to grow and share some of the fruits of this labour.

About the Author
This article is taken from Alf's Hobby farm site at My Hobby Farm. Alf also writes in details on farm machiney and implements covering Tillers and cultivators as well as Farm Tractors.

City-dwellers Return to the Farm and Gardening

I am currently reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (2007). Barbara Kingsolver is a popular novelist who wrote the lovely stories "Animal Dreams" and "The Bean Trees." Kingsolver is one of the few successful, creative women I've encountered who use motherhood and domesticity to cultivate their creativity, making it richer than before. She seems to balance the two with ease and good nature.

The book is also authored by her husband, Steven L. Hopp and her daughter, Camille Kingsolver. The authorship is just one example of the commitment her family took to bring awareness to the degradation of the food we eat.

Her family decided to change their lifestyle, move to a small farm and commit themselves to growing their own food and only eating locally for year's time. The book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an account of their year. It is more than a memoir. They include resources, statistics about pesticide use, petroleum costs for food delivery, food diversity and variety changes, and factory farming. They also help city-dwellers understand why small farms are still critical to our society and not merely for nostalgia.

They aren't the only ones plucking themselves away from the convenience of grocery stores and urban living. Many people are choosing to return to small farm living as a way to live a sustainable, healthy life.

Looking for more?Farm Challenges: a hobby farmer shares his experience

Learn how changes in the Farm Bill could lead to fewer choices for consumers.

Organic fruit growing grants

Want to grow your own food without moving onto a small farm? Try organic container growing.

Non-toxic green product information

Desperately Seeking Organic Food in Castle Rock

My husband and I moved from Littleton to Castle Rock, Colorado three years ago. We absolutely love the town but during the winter and early spring we find ourselves back in Littleton twice a week to buy fresh organic produce. I am deeply envious of the large Vitamin Cottage that recently opened in Parker and we often go there to stock up on their non-limp produce.

But the more I learn about developing a sustainable life the more I become convinced at how ridiculous it is that we drive 15-20 miles each way to buy organic produce and antibiotic free meats. However, I am not willing to give up organic food to eat from my local grocery store just to save on my petroleum use.

One may argue that large local chains offer more organic foods than ever before. I agree, they offer more foods with the organic label; however, the strict guidelines for organic labeling are continuously being lowered thanks to the powerful influence of conventional food lobbies. This dilution of the organic label allows more companies to affordably get into the game but it means the consumers are left with less healthy foods. Organic labels are quickly becoming meaningless.

To try and avoid this dilution, I try to only buy from companies who have been in the business a long time and who have higher standards for their organic food quality than the government imposes. I tend to think that companies who only offer organic products and who have been in the industry for a long time have higher quality standards. I will share information about these companies as I research them further. So while large grocery stores do have more "organic" food, I rate those products as better than conventional but by what margin? I do not yet know. Whole food nutritionists urge us to eat locally grown organic foods for optimal nutrient content and minimal adverse earth impact.

Eating locally grown organic foods is challenging to do when you live in states with long winters. Our short growing season in Colorado and seasonal farmer's markets also makes it challenging to eat locally. So the winter and early spring months find me making my bi-weekly trek to larger suburbs to forage for the healthiest food available. Meanwhile I hope for and lobby for a small natural foods grocery like Vitamin Cottage or Wild Oats to take root in fast-growing town of Castle Rock.

Eating Local in Colorado

The Colorado growing season is starting to take root and I can't wait. Last summer my husband and I visited a local farm using "zero impact" agriculture methods to grow the most delicious, satisfying local produce I've ever tasted. When I eat fresh organic vegetables and fruits I need to keep a napkin handy because they burst with water and flavor. Organic vegetables and fruits make conventional fruits and vegetables taste like Styrofoam blocks in comparison to organic live foods. I didn’t think eating vegetables could taste any better until I tried the produce from Willow Grove Farms in Castle Rock, Colorado. Located just off Highway 85, Willow Grove Farms is oddly sandwiched between Castle Pines and a large new-home development in Castle Rock called The Meadows.

Willow Grove is a sustainable farm whose compact rows of vegetables and herbs takes up little space and minimal water but provides ample supply and abundant flavor. I created the most interesting, nutrient rich salads using their spring greens.

If you are interested in eating local, whether it is to reduce your carbon footprint, support local farms, or to eat fresher foods to get the most nutrient benefits possible but you do not want to maintain your own garden then I strongly encourage you to visit the Willow Grove Farms website to find out about their delivery schedule. Their season hasn't started yet but soon they will offer succulent greens followed by other vegetables and herbs. Sign up them now to find out which vegetables are in season and are available.

Just how helpful is eating local for the environment and our dependence on petroleum?"If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. That’s not gallons, but barrels."
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (2007) p. 5

Safe Green Living