Wright Dairy Farm: An Oasis for Cows, an Oasis for Me

Like most gardeners, I try to support local farms when I can. When those farms make it possible for me to buy specific foods I enjoy, I want to support them even more. My most recent farm visit has been to Wright Dairy in Alexandria, Ala.

Over the past few years, I’ve slowly whittled down my food consumption (by type, not amount). In 2009, after watching Fast Food Nation, I quit eating beef cold turkey; in January 2010, I revised to not eating any meat or eggs that aren’t locally farm raised [I define "farm raised" by the animals actually living on the farm, (i.e., walking around, eating bugs and grass, and existing as they have evolved to exist), not in a feed lot, coop, or other concentrated area] or hunted by someone I know and trust will kill with one shot; in January of 2011, I stopped eating all seafood except boiled crawfish and some mollusks (mussels, scallops, oysters, clams) and quit drinking milk unless it comes from a small, local farm. There is no small, local dairy farm near me, so I quit drinking milk and severely limited my cheese and butter consumption. This has not been fun. I love milk. And butter. And cheese. Also, cornbread made with soy milk isn’t as good. It just isn’t.

That was a long diatribe to say that I finally got to visit Wright Dairy a couple of weeks ago when my husband and I went to visit a friend in Atlanta. On our way back to Mississippi, we took a short detour and stopped in this quaint little place for some goodies. I knew we wouldn’t be nearby for a while, so we stocked up. We bought 2 gallons of milk (froze one), 2 pounds of butter (cut up into 8 pieces and froze all but one), three blocks of cheese (raw milk, farmhouse cheddar, yellow cheddar), and 2 single servings of ice cream. Maybe dairy overload, but it’s got to last awhile. We ate the ice cream on the spot, and I can confidently say that it was the best ice cream I’ve ever had. Edmond had butter pecan (his favorite), and I had black walnut (my new favorite).

Wright Dairy produces milk unlike most others in a couple of ways:

1. They have a small herd of cows that live like cows should–grazing, laying in the sun, not producing milk like machines, etc.
2. They don’t give their cows growth hormones (rBST/rBGH) to increase yield. Not sure why this is a problem? Watch this and this. Also consider that the U.S. is one of the few developed countries that doesn’t ban rBGH. Also, Monsanto markets the drug. ‘Nough said.
3. They don’t homogenize their milk, which allows it to separate, meaning the cream rises to the top. It can be scraped off for coffee or the milk can be shaken to redistribute the cream. This also means that many people who are lactose intolerant can drink their milk. Read here for an explanation.
4. They don’t ultra-pasteurize their milk like large-scale organic dairies because the milk isn’t meant to sit for weeks on the shelf at Walmart or Publix. This means it doesn’t last for months but that it tastes better.
5. They raise a few different types of cows to get a good balance of volume and cream content.

Let’s have an exercise. Close your eyes and imagine one of those happy-cows-come-from-California commercials. Better yet, watch one here. See all that green? Lush pastures, healthy animals, space?

 

Now look at this:

Factory dairy farm feedlots

 

Where’d all that grass go? Not quite the same, is it? There are many, many reasons to avoid conventional, grocery-store dairy, even organic. I won’t get into all of them (despite my temptation), but I will point you here and here. Don’t want to look? You should. Think about what it means if you don’t want to look. Not sure what it means? It means you know something wrong is going on, but you are unwilling to acknowledge it.  It’s a hard pill to swallow, I know.

Now then, back to Wright Dairy. It was amazing. There was a small herd of cows (I’d say 50 or so but didn’t count). They were surrounded by acres of green pastures on which they mostly laid down the whole time we were there. I’m not sure exactly how to measure happiness, but they looked content. They had space, they weren’t standing knee-deep in feces (which is what makes those feedlots in that above picture brown), and they weren’t eating out of grain troughs. They looked like the cows in the commercials, but they weren’t as perky and annoying. Edmond and I ate our ice cream and sat and watched them. Every now and then a farm worker would walk by and say hello, but otherwise, it was quiet and peaceful. Sounds too good to be true, I know, but trust me, it was that good.

Wright Dairy milks their cows only once a day (in comparison to up to three times per day at factory dairies), and if you are around at 4 p.m., you can watch them do it. We weren’t there at the right time, but I find comfort in knowing that they would let me watch if I wanted to. Farmers who are willing to let you watch them generally are doing the right thing. Farmers with chicken coops containing 30,000 birds lock those coops and have no-trespassing signs for a reason and it ain’t ’cause the chickens will find a way out.

The Wright Dairy store is small and sells buttermilk, whole milk, 1% milk, and chocolate milk; butter; a variety of cheeses; ice cream; and a few other odds and ends. The man and woman at the checkout counter were just as friendly as your favorite country neighbors and as helpful too. And their promise that the milk tastes better than any other is absolutely true. If you’ve ever wondered why plain milk is sometimes called “sweet milk,” visit Wright Dairy. You’ll taste why. It really is sweeter. And nothing is added to the whole milk and buttermilk. Nothing at all.

If you live at all near north Alabama, I suggest a day trip over to Wright Dairy. They are open every day except Sunday and some holidays. Check out their Web site for details. If you don’t live nearby, they won’t ship to you, but you may find a dairy farm near you at Eat Wild.

And to end with a happy sight, here are some cows from Wright Dairy.

Happy cows come from Wright Dairy

 

Photos linked to their sources

 

WeedGuard Plus Paper Mulch Review

One of the best barriers between the ground (aka weeds) and your top layer of mulch is paper. Paper suppresses weeds and suffocates weed seeds; however, it still allows heat, water, and air through to your soil.

In addition to my use of newspaper in the garden, I also use paper mulch. Last year, I bought WeedGuard Plus non-fertilized paper mulch rolls, and they worked amazingly well. These rolls are available in a variety of widths and lengths, so you can customize your purchase to your garden size. I like WeedGuard Plus paper mulch because it is heavy grade, easy to apply, effective at suppressing weeds, and environmentally friendly.

Heavy Grade. The paper is the consistency of really heavy construction paper. It can easily be punctured to plant seeds or seedlings but doesn’t tear with every movement. It also held up nicely to rain for the first half of the season.

Easy Application. If you have a really big space, and access to a tractor, you can attach the rolls and just drive in a straight line while the paper trails along the rows. Or, if you’re normal, like me, you can just roll out the lengths you need, cut, and walk the paper to the rows.

Weed Suppression. The paper does its job smothering out weeds. I laid it on top of full-on lawn, and the grass was smothered out in about a month. It also prevented grass and weeds breaking through it for the first half of the season. Once the paper starts to break down, though, you could see weeds come through if you don’t have enough mulch (hay, leaves, etc.) on top of it. I made this mistake last year.

Environmentally friendly. WeedGuard Plus is 100% biodegradable, and the non-fertilized rolls are OMRI listed. Don’t be silly and buy the fertilized rolls. You don’t need chemicals meant for warfare to grow great food!

Rating. 9/10

Justification. The paper broke down before the growing season was over, which means that their claim that it can float on top of the rows isn’t entirely accurate. It needs additional mulch on top or a second application mid-season. I’m going with additional mulch on top because leaves and pine straw are free.

I won’t lie, WeedGuard Plus isn’t cheap. For that reason, when I ran out last year (becuase I failed to order enough to cover the entire garden) and was going to buy a second roll, I shopped around for alternatives. I found several and ordered one from Amazon. Mistake. Read that again. Mistake. Although that company claimed the weight of the paper was the same as WeedGuard Plus, they lied. They sold me craft paper, not heavy-duty mulching paper. It was flimsy and tore with the slightest bit of twisting or dragging when I put it down. And, as I’m sure you can imagine, the first storm managed to rip the rest to pieces.

Over and over again, I learn the lesson that you get what you pay for. That is certainly the case with paper mulch. Spring for the WeedGuard Plus. I promise you won’t be disappointed, and if covered with plenty of other mulch, it should last the entire season and then compost down into your soil for the next year.

This year I ordered two 35 in. x 500 ft. rolls, which should be plenty to cover my garden and even have some left over for next year or other areas of the yard.

If you choose to buy WeedGuard Plus rolls, I suggest laying the rolls out before planting. It is much easier to plant through the paper than to try to pull already-planted seedlings through holes. I plan to cover the garden with paper, then cover again with mulch, then poke holes and drop seeds through and lightly cover with dirt. For the few seedlings I buy, I will just dig bigger holes and plant directly in the paper and pack in the soil around the seedling.

In case you’re curious what this stuff looks like, here’s a picture:

Pepper plants with WeedGuard Plus.

Photo linked to source

Youngstown Gardening Gloves Review

A good pair of gardening gloves can make all the difference. Cheap gardening gloves often have poorly placed seams and skin-irritating fabric. I had one such pair last year and threw them out after just a few uses, and the pair I liked were ripped breaking up a dog fight (another story for another day). So I got to go shopping for new gloves this year, and I sprung for some good ones. They aren’t the $50 kind that Martha Stewart might wear, but they are the nicest gloves I’ve owned. And, so far, they’ve been well worth the $15 I paid for them.

Mine are this red color. They are also available in pink.

While shopping at my local co-op, I found these Youngstown gardening gloves. I’ve used them for two raking sessions and one hedge-trimming session so far, and I have no blisters. None! They are comfortable, soft, durable, and a perfect fit.

Comfortable: These gloves are slightly padded on the palm to allow for a little support when picking up sharp objects. They also have a short wrist cuff, which I like because it keeps my hands a little cooler. In addition, the wrist cuff has a velcro closure to allow a customized fit.

Soft: The padded palm is soft, which is nice, but the gloves also have a terry-cloth panel on the thumb, which is perfect for wiping the sweat off the brow or nose. The fabric also seems to pull moisture away from the skin, so when I take them off, my hands aren’t soaking wet and gross.

Durable: To be fair, I haven’t had them very long, but I can already tell they are durable. The material is not flimsy, and the fingertips are reinforced, which should keep the seams from snagging. The stitching looks tight as well, and they are machine washable.

Perfect fit: These are not one-size-fits-all gloves. They are sold in small, medium, and large, and are designed to fit women’s hands. I bought medium after trying on small and medium in the store, and they are just the right size.  The aforementioned velcro also contributes to the perfect fit.

My rating: 10/10

My justification: They are the best gloves I’ve ever owned

If you’re in the market for some new gardening gloves (or even if you’re not), might I highly suggest the Youngstown gloves. If you’re a man, you might try these. Go out and get some new gardening gloves this year and get ready for spring!

Photo linked to source.

Becoming a Dirt Diva with Annie Spiegelman

I probably should have timed my comeback a little more strategically. I have done one yoga session since my last post. Yep, one. I’ve been quite busy writing some grant proposals, and have neglected most other activities non-work related. I also simultaneously started reading Ulysses. Yep, Ulysses.

I do plan to remedy this next week.

I have, however, been thinking about my garden. I’ve been reading through Talking Dirt by Annie Spiegelman. This was a stocking stuffer from the dear husband, and I’ve really enjoyed it. For you gardeners, or want-to-be gardeners, I highly recommend it. It’s concise, practical, and full of suggestions for easy-to-grow plants. And it’s all about organic ways to garden. Earns an A for its wonderful gardening advice. Earns an A+ because it’s also quite funny.

Image from Amazon