Carnivorous Cravings

We've all had them at some point in our life, yes, even the vegetarians and vegans in this world, at some point you also have craved the deliciousness that comes with a juicy steak.  We've all had those carnivorous cravings.

This past weekend was my birthday weekend.  A fabulous weekend shared with friends and family.  I wrote my Physiology exam on Friday, and then it was time to enjoy the weekend.  Friday night, I celebrated with a few friends from the city.  I had to be up early Saturday so I could make it from Edmonton to Calgary for my Lacrosse game.  Unfortunately, because of my bad burn, I was still unable to play!

Saturday after the game my team went out in Calgary to celebrate my birthday.  It was then that I had one of those carnivorous cravings!
Before we had even sat down, I knew what I wanted.  Steak sandwich, medium rare.
The chef delivered me a steak that was delightful, grilled to perfection.  But just not as good as a home raised steak!

Sunday brought more lacrosse. The team traveled to Sherwood park for a game.  It was an early game being Father's Day, and after the game my family headed to my Opa and Oma's house for a quick visit with my dad's side of the family.  After this, my mom's side of the family came over to have supper and some birthday cake.
Once again there were some carnivorous cravings and the family enjoyed some homegrown beef.

This weekend I got a pretty awesome birthday surprise! If you have been keeping up with my blog you will know that all I wanted for my birthday was a kitten!
Well...

I got my wish.  Good friends of mine, Eryca and Justin and their family got me two little babies!
Super sweet, super crazy, ad super wild.  Oliver sleeps with his mouth open, and Otis suckles on his own fur to comfort himself when he goes to sleep.  Not your ordinary carnivore kittens!

But back to the main point!

Alberta Beef on your plate is probably one of the best ways to solve any carnivorous cravings that you might have.

McDonalds, Quiznos, and Jack Astors restaurants would also agree.
All three of these restaurants support the Canadian Beef Brand.
From November 2009 to January 2010, Quiznos ran a feature sandwich called the Triple Cheese and Roast beef.  If you had ever tried it, it was awesome.  What made it even better was that the Beef Information Center (BIC) made sure that the meat was 100% Canadian Beef.  This sandwich was sold in 456 places across Canada, what better a way to ensure that Canadian's are getting the best beef possible.

McDonalds is one of the largest supporters of Canadian Beef.  Throughout Canada, McDonald's serves approximately 2.5 million customers every day.  This means that they are using more than 64 ,million pounds of locally raised, Canadian Beef, every year.  McDonald's Canada uses 100% Canadian beef for all of the burger offerings (BIC).
For more information on McDonald's supporting Canadian Beef check out these facts:
http://www.canadianbeef.info/ca/en/fs/mcdonalds/
McDonald's

And it doesn't stop there.  The Canadian Beef brand has 110 industry partners, and 56 brand license agreements with retail, foodservice and processing operations.  Some of these partners include: XL Fine Foods; Costco Canada; Canada Safeway; McDonald's; Boston Pizza; Panago Pizza; Sobeys in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes; abc Family Restaurants and T&T Supermarkets.  These are all big supporters of Canadian Beef.  I know for sure which stores I will be supporting!
Canadian beef is packed with 14 essential nutrients.  It is yummy and good for you!

1. Protein - used to fight infection, build muscles, growth
2. Phosphorous - builds and maintains strong bones and teeth
3. Zinc - helps build the immune system
4. Iron- brain devbelopment in babies and children.  Iron in beef is absorbed more readily than from plant sources
5. Pantothenate - helps energize the body 
6. Thiamin - helps with appetite and normal growth! Energy!
7. Vitamin B6 - assists protein building and immune system
8. Vitamin B12 - helps all the cells in muscle, brain and nervous system.  Found naturally only in animal foods!
9. Niacin - essential for nervous system and energy
10. Magnesium - contributes to health of bones and teeth
11. Vitamin D - maximizes calcium and phospohrus absorption.  Found in Canadian beef is more potent than in plant sources
12. Potassium - maintain healthy blood pressure, prevents bones from losing calcium
13. Riboflavin - helps energize body
14. Selenium- anti-oxidant

Many of you have probably heard of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Health Check Program.  What you likely didn't know is that there are eight cuts of Canadian Beef that qualify for this program!  That's right! Eight different ways that you can surrender to your carnivorous cravings, while still staying in the Health Check Program!

Lean Beef Choices (100 grams raw meat)	Fat (grams)
Eye of Round	5
Inside Round	5
Sirloin Tip	5
Top Sirloin	6
Strip Loin	8
Flank	8
Cross Rib	9
Outside Round	9
Extra Lean Ground Sirloin or Round	10
Extra Lean Ground Beef	10
Lean Ground Sirloin, Round or Chuck	15
Lean Ground Beef	15

www.beefinfo.org

The Canadian Beef Information Center offers a really cool way to see just what the nutritional value of
Virtual Beef Counter

This website is awesome! It is so easy to see just what you are getting from your beef! As you can see above, when I scrolled over the "Roasts" tab, a drop down list pops up with a list of different types of roasts.  This allows you to choose which kind of roast you will be cooking.  In the example above, I had clicked on the "Steaks" tab, and then chose the "Blade Steak".  This made a small nutritional report come up, as shown.  This allows you to compare different cuts of beef, cooked and raw, to see just how the nutritional values compare.  Pretty great.  Just shows you how much the Canadian Beef Industry really care about our consumers!
Of course, these values will vary depending on how well the meat is cooked, and how much of the fat is trimmed, as well, it will vary from animal to animal, but this gives you a pretty accurate average!

Canadian Beef Merchandising Guide  - This has everything you need to know on cuts of beef!


How does lean beef compare??

To chicken

To Fish 

Fact: When you see something say "lean only" it means that the beef has been trimmed of any visible fat and only includes marbling and muscle tissue.

Fact:  The nutritional value of Canadian Beef and American Beef differ due to the differences in production!

Fact:  Ground Beef that is drained and rinsed after it is cooked with hot water, will have reduced fat content!

Fact: One of the main saturated fats in lean Canadian beef is Stearic acid.  An issue with saturated fats is that they often have an affect on cholesterol levels.  Not Stearic acid, it has little effect!

Fact: Grass fed beef and grain fed beef both contain 14 essential nutrients.  Studies have shown that grass fed beef has elevated levels of Omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, but it is undetermined whether these increased levels are high enough for health benefits! Therefore, all beef is good beef!

Fact:  Beef is made mainly of water and protein.  Of course there are smaller amounts of fat, vitamins and minerals.  The proteins are the main nutrient in beef! Proteins help us fight infections, grow, and build muscles. Proteins = muscles, muscles = strength.  Muscles and strength attract the babes! Who doesn't want to eat Canadian Beef!

Fact:  Beef is graded Prime (best), AAA, AA and A.  The higher the grade, the more marbling in the meat.  It is the marbling that gives the flavor to the beef, makes it the most tender and juicy! The majority of Canada's beef is AAA.

Fact: Beef is aged by processors for 3 to 21 days at a controlled temp and humidity.  This allows the fibres to relax, making our meat more tender with stronger flavor!

Fact:  The color of the meat is not a good way to indicate freshness.  A change in color could be due to anything from a stressed calf to a difference in packaging

So.  Now that you know just how fantastic Canadian beef is, I'm sure you're having some carnivorous cravings.  So what will you cook for diner??

Check out these recipes!
Beef It's What's For Dinner
Beef Info Recipes

http://www.beefinfo.org/

No Place For a Cat

With my birthday at the end of the week, I had to think long and hard about what I wanted! This is the question that I always dread.  I get nervous and try to ignore the question altogether.
Or else I throw out random, unrealistic things, such as a hotel (Paris Hilton style), a new car, five cows, or a trip around the world.  Of course, these things rarely happened.  I guess the car really wasn`t that ridiculous as my parents got me my sporty Honda Civic for my 16 birthday.  Have fun topping that one up mom and dad.
This year I really don`t know what to say to people when they ask.  I want everything and nothing.  I am so happy with all the lovely things that my parents give me that I don`t really need anything else.  My life is pretty much perfect.  I have two jobs which help me pay for school, and my parents and grandparents always have my back when it comes to life.  I have an awesome family, fantastic friends, and I live on a great farm.  What more could I really ask for?
And then it clicked.  For the past two years our cat population seems to be dwindling.  Growing up I had a slight obsession with cats.
And by slight, I mean huge.
First of all, "kitty" was my first word.  In our old house, our hallway window was at a low enough level that I could stand and look out into the yard.  My mom said that I would stand there for hours and watch the kittens play.  As I got older I was always surrounded by cats.  I spent every waking moment that I wasn't at school or sports outside with my animals.

In grade 3 one of our barn cats had a small orange kitten.  I made it my habit to name all of the cats on our farm, even the year that we had a total of 40 at one point (I guess that's what happens when you have 7 mama cats).  Thankfully, that year no one else in our community had kittens and everyone wanted some.
But back to the orange cat.  She pretty much had the most original name, Baby Orangie.  I know.  It's like calling the black cat Blackie.  Anyways, this cat was my baby.  I could do anything with her.  I would go to my grandparents every day after school and play with her.  My grandma would let me sneak the cat into her house.  I had a small shoe box with blankets in it for her.  She would lie in her bed and let me brush her, dress her up, pretty much do anything.
Grandpa didn't like animals in the house, so whenever he would come in one door, Orangie would go out the other.

Orangie even accompanied me to our small, country schools on a few occasions.  All you city folk, beat that show and tell surprise!  When you go to a small school with 14 kids in your grade you get anything from dogs to frogs in your class for show and tell.

I would spend countless hours in our hay loft with the kittens.  I did everything from giving kittens eye drops, to teaching the little babies how to drink from a dish.  Note - when I say "teach them how to drink from a dish" I didn't literally lean over the dish and start lapping up milk! I would dip their little noses in the warm milk.  They would then lick their little faces and realize how yummy the milk was! This would start them on their way to weaning from their mamas!

My handsome little man

All my kittens would have names.  And I would remember them.  Yes, I was obsessed, I admitted it already.
One morning before school I was in the barn feeding the cats and I could hear meowing, kittens.  I climbed into the hay loft, couldn't see them.  Back down into the main part, couldn't find them.  The noise was coming from the wall.  The kittens had climbed into the lean-to part of the hayloft and fallen into the wall!
Our barn is quite old, and the walls were hollow.  The kittens were stranded! I didn't even know what to do.  I tried thinking of ways to save them, and I realized there was no way I was getting them out.  I didn't want them to have to die.  I love my animals, and the minute they get a name they become that much more special.
I started crying. What else was there to do? My babies were going to die.  Once again, Grandpa came to the rescue and diligently got to work taking the boards off of the wall, saving the babies.

I have so many more kitten stories that I could share, but I am afraid my blog would be chapters.

So I decided I wanted a couple of kittens for my birthday.  But they couldn't be just any kittens, I wanted to pick them out.  So I started looking around Kijiji and I found exactly what I was looking for.
"Sweet Rescue Kittens For Adoption, Apply Now"
Why not adopt from a shelter! Help them out since they help out all the homeless and neglected kittens.  What better a life for a cat than to live on a farm where they get milk and cat food each day, a warm barn and heated shop to sleep in, a huge place to run outside, a family that loves them and mice!
So I clicked the link and my heart melted when I saw Bella.

Bella, only a month old, needing a family. 

I wanted her.  Who wouldn't! I wanted to be her mommy, and cuddle her and care for her!
So I clicked on her link and it took me to a website called SAFE - Saving Animals From Euthanasia.  Perfect, I would love to help these people out.
I can't find a number so I click the link that says "fill out an application".  Seriously?  I never made people fill out applications when they had our kittens.  Now I am worried, did my kittens go to unloving families.
On the application there are questions that say things such as what type of home do you have, will the cat be inside or outside, have you had a pet before, why do you not have you previous pet, have you ever been charged for an animal crime, will the animal be spayed, and the one that surprised me will you allow our team a minimum of three follow up visits to see your pet.
Wow.  I feel like I didn't give my kittens a chance for survival! I didn't do follow up visits.
So I filled out the form.  I said that I loved animals and that I wanted a kitten to live in our shop, who could have free range of the shop, barn and farm.  What a better life for a cat! Grow up with a family that loves you and cares for you, with two other kittens your own age, and a huge farm to play on, as well as a great opportunity for health care and warm meals every day! Is there a better life for a cat?  Some people in this province aren't even guaranteed all those things.
So I sent in the form.  By this time I was super excited.  I couldn't wait to get my new kittens!
My email flashed. A response!
I was so excited.  Best birthday ever!

I opened...

I read quickly...

The smile faded from my face.

"Thank you for taking the time to fill out an adoption application which we have reviewed and declined."


Declined!!!

How was the best life for a cat ever declined!

Apparently, they only want the adopted cats going to places where they will only be indoors and have a lifelong companion! I wanted to be a lifelong companion!

I had put on the sheet that I didn't want my kitten spayed, I wanted it to have a set of babies so that we would be able to have enough cats once again to control our farm mice.

Wrong answer.

Apparently they only give their cats to people who are going to spay them.  They said that there are too many homeless cats in the city that need homes so they are trying to control that by spaying all the cats.  I do understand why they make that a rule, especially in the city, and it is a good idea, but the farm is a different situation!

Well, on our farm, and in our farming community, we need cats.  It isn't us with the problem! I completely understand where they are going with the whole spaying thing, and I would have got them spayed if that was a requirement!

But apparently the farm is no place for a cat.

They said that Bella has never been outside and would likely end up being owl or coyote bait being out on a farm.

Seriously.  Before cats were domesticated they only lived outside.  And our German Shepard barks all night long, it's not like the coyotes sleep in the hayloft with the cats.  I wasn't just going to take her down to our bush and put her in an episode of "Cattracker" featuring a coyote.

I honestly felt somewhat offended.  I responded to the e-mail.  They say that they are having a problem with the cat population in the city.  I suggested to them that if they gave rural families a chance at adoption, they might be able to more easily find their cats good homes.  I told them that the animals on our farm are cared for like they're are part of the family, given a proper diet, love and affection, and medical attention.

A farm is no place for cats.  It seems somewhat hypocritical.

These cats look pretty happy to me. (this was a couple years ago when my cats were everywhere)

Fact:  Cats love mice.
Fact:  Cats are predators, they love hunting, and pouncing on things.
Newsflash: Cats like being outside too!

I'm heartbroken.

Tell me a kitten wouldn't be my companion!

Time to find a new kitty.  Any ideas anyone??

Sam

Once upon a time...

For decades "once upon a time" has been used to begin stories, usually fairytales, to introduce us to the enchanted characters and the "happily ever after" that the story leads up to.  I consider my life a fairytale.  No, I'm not princess, I don't have a fairy Godmother, there are no castles or crowns and I will never have a Royal Wedding.  However, it only seems appropriate to start my story with a "once upon a time" as I consider farm life as close to a fairytale as they come.  
So this is the start of my story; I hope that you will take a walk with me through the everyday life of a farmer's daughter, I can promise each and everyday will have something new and exciting to offer you, as farming always does.


So back to the story...


Farming is just like a fairytale, the main characters in the story often face trials and tribulations just as the main characters of any fairytale.  Often life rewards a farmer each and every day, God provides us of small indicators almost each day to remind us of why we love what we do.  Whether it is a healthy new baby calf on the ground, a new crop coming up through the soil, or a full field of round bales during harvest, it seems that there are small rewards everywhere you turn.  

Of course, as in any fairytale, there are hard times faced to get to the reward.  Since I was young I have experienced many of these hard times with my father and grandfather.  From droughts to extremely wet conditions, a healthy cattle market to BSE, issues in bio-security and traceability, and unfair, false media portrayal.  These things are discouraging, however, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and even though a farmer may be struggling through a hard time, there are always small rewards and benefits during the hard times.  


My father and grandfather have always set a great example for me, as even through the tough times they continue to work hard and try to see the best in every situation.  It is always better to look at the glass as half full, rather than half empty.  They have taught me hard-work, dedication, passion, and a love for faith, family and farming, above all else.  


On Sunday mornings my father and grandfather get up extra early to get the chores done so they can join the rest of the family at church. They never lose sight of the things that are most important in life.  They never lose sight of their goals and their dreams.  They don't let work get in the way of their family time, but that's because family time involves the farm.  The farm is something that we can do as a family.  It is more than a job; it is our way of life. I feel so blessed to wake up every morning and know that my father and grandfather are just outside.  


In a fairytale the prince never loses sight of his goal.  When the prince sees the dragon guarding the castle, he doesn't give up and go home, he battles with all he has, and eventually his hard work is rewarded in a huge way.  This is the same as farming.  When there is a drought on the land, a farmer can't just throw down his gloves and head home, he has to try and get a crop, being innovative on ways to feed the cattle that year, and just pray that the next year will bring good moisture, and eventually the hard work pays off.


Farming is a fairytale.  It is rewarding and fun, and it is a job that each member of the family can take part in.  We love our animals just as much as a young child loves their dog.  We care about the environment and we pride ourselves in being stewards of the land.  I can't think of a more picture perfect, happy ending, then sitting around a fire with family after a long day, watching the sun set, hearing the birds chirp and watching the baby calves in the pasture play.  We have endless room to run and grow, and my closest neighbor is a pen of 4-H calves.  How can it get much more perfect?  
  
To give you just a couple of fairytale examples...


Sleeping Beauty:
I am sure many of you know the story of Sleeping Beauty, locked high in the tower of a castle, waiting to be saved by a noble prince.  Just as Sleeping Beauty was stuck high in a tower of a castle awaiting rescue, so are the farm kittens every year stuck high in the hay loft, awaiting rescue to the ground level by the noble prince, my dad. 

Baby kittens on our farm, awaiting rescue from their noble prince, the farmer

Cinderella:
One of the most famous fairytales, of a Princess adventuring somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.  Had Cinderella not lost her shoe on the steps, no one would have ever found out that she had been to the ball, where she was not supposed to go.  Just as Cinderella broke rules and got caught from a lost shoe, as do little country princesses as they adventure into deep puddles in corrals and fields.  Even though they are told to stay out of the deep puddles, the farmer can always tell the princesses have been there...

... often a little boot is sacrificed in a mud puddle.  A small, muddy foot is often found not far from the boot.  The farmer is able to reunite his little Cinderella with her missing shoe.  


I hope you enjoyed the beginning of this fairytale, and I encourage you to continue following the story.  If there are any requests for pictures or stories of the farm, or any questions on how we do things, let me know, I would be more than happy to feature an explanation on a certain piece of machinery or a technique that farmers use! 


Have a good day everybody!!!  


Sam