Category Archives: Commentaries and Essays

I woke up this morning and came down to my office. I should have done yoga. I should have meditated. Instead, I fixed my attention on the woodstove. It’s late May, for Pete’s sake, I shouldn’t need a fire. But … Continue reading →

I was invited recently to sit in on animal science class at a college about 10 miles away from my house that has a strong agriculture program. This week, the class was discussing the farm bill, and the students were … Continue reading →

For nearly 20 years now, I’ve been fully immersed in the local food movement, investigating and promoting the ways that it helps to heal the earth, build community resilience, improve local relationships, enable healthier partnerships between humans and livestock, and … Continue reading →

Bob and I acted as though it were completely natural when Sara and Raymond, friends of ours with a CSA about 30 minutes from here, wrote about a month ago and asked us if we’d assist them with a barn-raising … Continue reading →

If there’s a romantic image that tugs at our heart strings as much as the thought of homegrown tomatoes, it’s the multi-generational family farm. In a culture that has spurned the union of the generations — that frowns upon the … Continue reading →

By Shannon Hayes Helpful hints for when you buy (and roast) your first pasture-raised Thanksgiving turkey November has rolled in, a promising Thanksgiving is on the horizon, and it is time for me to post my annual Pastured Turkey tips, … Continue reading →

By Shannon Hayes Two nights ago my mom left a message on my voicemail: **sigh** Your father’s crying. One of his favorite pigs just died, the coyotes killed another lamb last night, and one of the ewes delivered a set … Continue reading →

  When an email from the group Food Democracy Now! landed in my inbox last week, asking farmers to occupy Wall Street, it seemed only right that I notify the subscribers of GrassfedCooking—a free monthly e-newsletter I run for other … Continue reading →