Failure? Perhaps.

Today I wanted to hit up the dairy farm prior to the weekend rush. I dropped B at Grammy's house and set off on my way. I was so excited! I planned to purchase raw milk, kefir, mozzarella, butter, and eggs. Since there are some risks associated with raw milk consumption I had done some research. I researched both the farm and the questions to ask. I'm a great planner, as you may know, but I'm consistently thrown by the inevitable hurdles of execution. You could call it naive, innocent, or just plain dumb. After all, I AM thirty-years-old, so I should, perhaps, have a better grasp on reality by now, right? (Ryan would say, YES!)

Anyhow, the farm's website indicated that it spanned thirty-two acres in Tomball, the cows were rotated through the pastures for maximum grazing opportunities, and I was welcome anytime. As I turned onto the property I noticed that there were about ten cows in the front pasture. Two of which appeared to be Jersey cows good for milking. Then the proverbial red flags started rising. As I drove at a turtle's pace to take a closer look at the livestock and their home, I became very aware that these cows were underfed...perhaps even starving. On a lean cow you can see hipbones as their body weight pulls towards the ground, but I could count the ribs on these cows. I looked down at their "pasture" to realize that they were "grazing" on what looked like a dead golf course, sans artificial hills. There was nothing for them to eat. Now, I understand that there has been a drought here in Texas, but if you are in the business of using your livestock for a living, it seems pretty imperative that you actually NOURISH them...even if this does mean supplementing their diet. I was terribly disappointed. This was plan "A," and I was so confident that I had no plan "B." I turned around and left the alleged thirty-two acres (that suspiciously looked more like five) and headed back to the highway.

I was able to find a farmer's market a few exits down, and I needed some garlic for my gardening pursuits that will commence tomorrow. I also picked up some more lettuce, an onion, some eggs, a bell pepper, and a beet (because I've actually never eaten a beet before, but I'm 98% sure I'll love it!) Okay, so truth be told, I also purchased a pint of salsa made right there on site. It would have cost me the same amount of money to make or buy the salsa, and I do have a weakness for the stuff. Hey, it WAS local. (I drank the entire pint within an hour, seriously...good stuff.) Since my next stop was the grocery store to purchase flour for next week I was elated to find flour at the farmer's market! It was whole wheat that was ground at a mill a few blocks away. Of course, the wheat was Texas-grown too. I purchased three pounds. My total bill at the market was $15. Not bad!

Since the dairy farm couldn't provide me with what I needed (at least on a moral level,) I was forced to go to HEB wherein I purchased two cheeses, milk, butter, and yogurt. It cost me about $25 which is probably close to half of what I would have paid at the dairy. Having said that, my goal is to support the local producers, so I will re-open my search for a good farm.

The whole wheat was definitely a deviation from the white flour I had been used (though unbleached, of course.) Here is the bread I immediately baked. You'll notice that the flour comes in these cute little bags...awe...


The big failure of the week is that I did, in fact, step foot in a grocery store despite my goal not to. Having admitted that, I'm sure you'll appreciate that it was a mere consequence of the moral injustice suffered by my bovine friends at the dairy.

Recall that I have two more goals this week: to eat all of the produce from my food share and to plant some garlic. Stay tuned for the final assessment tomorrow!