As a poultry farmer, I do keep up to date on the things going on around the country with poultry. Now, there are a lot of things going on! Probably the most widely broadcast news is the spread of avian influenza across the country, which is now spreading to cattle and a few people. Before you go looking for a mask and swear off all poultry, dairy, and beef products, I would love for you to do some digging (after you read the rest of this).

The main reason that this is happening is because of confined feeding operations. In the giant chicken barns, that house 10,000+ birds each, major care is taken to disinfect everyone and everything that goes into the buildings. The birds inside have lived a completely sterile life and have no sunshine to kill of pathogens or provide them with dietary and health benefits they need.

They are also getting fed the equivalent of cereal for their entire life. All the nutrients and minerals they need to grow are in pellets that are available every 5 feet. These chickens are happy! I mean who doesn’t like cereal and a comfortable home? But it’s doing them a disservice just as cereal and comfort sets us humans up for issues. Without sunshine, exercise, and variety in their diet, they are absolutely the easiest targets for bacteria and toxins that could enter the sterile barn somehow and easily spread through the large, confined population!

Generally if a chicken starts acting off or looks sick, it is removed immediately. The issue with avian flu is that a chicken can get sick and spread this fast through the house. Generally, birds are only tested for illness if there are sweeping losses in the flock. There have been producers that say one chicken out of 100 tested positive for avian flu and because of the one positive test (could’ve easily been a false positive), the entire flock has to be euthanized. The scary part of this to me is that the birds are only being tested because they are in proximity of other farms with positive cases. They test healthy birds and will destroy entire flocks based off of one positive test. I would say that the scariest thing to a producer is the government coming in and deciding what happens to your animals based on their findings. It’s meant to help, but it’s a very flawed system.

Am I worried about our chickens getting sick? A little, but I feel like we are raising them in the best way possible that they have the best chance of never getting it or never getting sick from it. It is spread by wild birds and our birds are outside with them, so we probably have a greater risk. Yet, I have not heard of any farmer raising chickens outside tell me that Avian influenza wiped out their flock so I think this is another issue with how we are raising animals and growing food rather than believing that this will kill all the chickens.

I believe that this is that same with the cattle supposedly contracting avian influenza. The cases have been on dairies, where the cows are confined and fed a diet of grain and forage instead of being out on pasture to graze an assortment of vegetation.

I worked at the poultry unit and the dairy while I was a Cal Poly student and I saw this firsthand. At the time, I didn’t see anything wrong with how they operated because I was new to everything and was happy to do what the experienced professors and older students directed me to do. This is what’s happening with employees at the dairy getting sick. Sanitation practices are great but can also be a great disservice to the people having to clean everything with antibacterial soap and bleach because it kills all the good microbes that they need to stay healthy. It’s necessary to keep up the sanitation practices because there would be a lot more people sick if they didn’t keep things as clean in this environment and with animals with little access to a rich diet, exercise, and sunshine.

Looking at this from a holistic management standpoint, I do believe that the root cause of the this and other diseases that are wiping out animals, plants, and people is poor health. If you choose to buy the cheapest food, chances are that it was raised poorly, grown with chemicals, and is not going to provide much nutrition. It’s not the farmer’s fault either. Most of them do not know any other way than what they have learned or are being told to do by the feed companies or grocery stores that make the bulk of the profit from their work.

The good news is that the word is getting out there about better ways to farm. More customers are demanding change to better farming practices. If you can’t afford better food, make sure to try and eat mostly whole foods, avoid the junk, and get as much exercise and sunshine as possible. It’s not easy, but if you want to feel empowered instead of scared the next time there is another pandemic or disease spread make sure to put your health first and help those around you do the same! We really have to all work together on this instead of pointing fingers. Stay happy and healthy and support the farmers putting the health of their soil, crops, and animals first for you!

Digging into some history I learned that pork was traditionally cured because it is such a large animal that curing it with salt kept it from spoiling too fast. Before we enjoyed refrigeration, pork was traditionally cured with salt and smoked to help it to stay fresher longer. This was very important to survival for families and also made the pork more palatable.

When pork is cured there are two ways this is done according to USDA labels. There is a natural cure or “nitrite-free” and regularly cured meats. Naturally cured meats still contain nitrites in the form of sea salt or celery powder that have naturally occurring nitrites. Regularly cured meats use sodium nitrite, which is a chemically made nitrite source. Nitrates are less commonly used and have been linked to cancer. Nitrates and Nitrites are used to keep the pink color in pork, but more importantly to reduce bacterial growth during the aging process. There is an argument by pork producers that the pink color cannot be achieved without this and that consumers will not purchase pork that have a more gray color. Traditional methods have been able to achieve the pink color, but most producers do not want to spend the amount of time curing necessary (up to 18 months).

To decide which is better comes down to the consumer. Obviously if you are health conscious, you’ll be more inclined to purchase the naturally cured meats. But, as a health-conscious person, you should still look at the ingredients and know if they are good for you. Celery powder can have higher amounts of naturally occurring nitrites than chemically created sodium nitrite. We get the majority of nitrates in our diet from vegetables, so it makes sense that celery powder is a large source.

Sodium Chloride is just the chemical name for salt, so seeing it on a label for cured meats isn’t a big red flag. If the package says sea salt, then you can know it may be a step above table salt. Most naturally cured meats will also have a list or herbs and spices used as well. If you do see “natural flavors” on a package, you may want to do a little more research. Technically it means that the flavoring came from a natural food source such as a fruit or vegetable, but it was most likely done in a lab using many techniques to extract the flavor. They are still much better than artificial flavors that most likely are petroleum based.

If I’ve learned anything, we tend to try and make everything better and more efficient. From researching, it really comes down to how the pigs are raised that will have the greatest effect on your body’s reactions to eating pork products. Raising pigs inside facilities on cheap corn and soybean feed allows producers to produce a lot of pork at a minimal cost. The problem is that these pigs are being raised on a diet that is full of chemicals from what is used to grow commercial corn and soy plants. The other major problem is they do not get sunlight, so they are deficient in vitamin D which is a natural antioxidant. This leads to the pork produced being full of chemicals that will then be transferred to the consumer. Curing the meat using poor ingredients will make the likelihood of carcinogens higher.

My personal conclusion from researching this is that I will stick with uncured meats and continue to consume naturally cured meats from pork raised well. We prefer to add our own flavorings and marinades anyways, so we are happy to add our own sea salt, herbs, and spices. The only pork that we really do enjoy cured is ham and we do enjoy that sparingly. I still believe that everything is good in moderation and variety is key to health. I also am so proud and thankful that we raise and provide healthy meats for our family and community. I hope that we can always continue doing this and feel great about what we are eating.

Please do your own research and decide for yourself though! I’ve included links to my favorite articles for information, but there are many out there!

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So if we are being honest here, the only whole chicken I ever dealt with before raising our own meat chickens was the whole, COOKED rotisserie chicken from Costco. It was pretty much a staple weekly and I loved how easy it was to get chicken for multiple meals from this one chicken!

Honestly, when we started selling meat chickens, I really didn’t know how we could compete with that Costco rotisserie chicken. Our chicken was way more expensive than Costco and it wasn’t even cooked yet! As a busy, working mom, I honestly saw that whole uncooked chicken as this scary burden. I didn’t know what to do with it.

So I eased into this. I enrolled in a broth academy course to learn from a master all the ways to cook chicken, make broth, and use chicken in delicious recipes. After watching, learning, googling, asking questions, and watching videos, I felt like I could do this!

I used the Juciest Chicken Recipe in a dutch oven the first time because I had time one Sunday and thought if it tasted good, there might be something to this whole chicken thing. It was pretty simple and it turned out so good!!! My family was impressed and there were hardly any leftovers because we all just kept eating it! Discovering that I could be a great cook with something that scared me gave me confidence to cook more healthy meals for my family.

Since that first whole chicken, I have cooked so many whole chickens in many ways and have always had great results! I have happily cooked them for our family, big family gatherings, potlucks, and friends. Everyone has always been very happy and full. I also credit my great kitchen success to our tasty and nutrient dense chickens. I don’t know if I would call myself a master chicken chef yet, but I might be on my way to becoming one 

If a whole chicken intimidates you too, you are not alone! Like anything else in life that looks like a challenge, you’ll never get through it until you try. If you don’t have great success on your first try, I would be very surprised! It’s surprisingly easy. I want to help because it really has changed my life in how my family eats more nutritious meals almost every single day! Chicken and fresh veggies is a staple many nights of the week at our house.

If you have time and want to really impress your family and friends give the Juiciest Roasted Chicken Recipe. It works best with a dutch oven, but you can use a baking dish and aluminum foil if you don’t have a dutch oven. If you don’t like touching raw meat, you can just plop this into your baking vessel from the package and then season it without even touching it!

If you are a busy, the slow cooker is your friend with a whole chicken! I really like this recipe. All you need to do is cut up your favorite veggies. I like celery, onions, carrots, and some potatoes and line the bottom of your crock pot with them. They make a bed for your chicken to cook on while staying off the direct heat. Season with your favorite seasonings and set it for 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

You can even use this method with a frozen chicken if you forget to defrost it ahead of time. You just need to set it on low only and you will need to wait until it’s thawed slightly or once it’s cooked to season it as they won’t stick to the frozen chicken. If you use the slow cooker and like crispy skin, make sure to set the oven to broil near the end of the cooking time and just take the ceramic pot out of the crock pot and put it in the oven to crisp up the skin.

You can’t go wrong and a whole chicken will provide you meat for tonight’s dinner and leftovers for tomorrow night too (if your family doesn’t devour it the first night because it’s so tasty)!

So if you are afraid to handle a whole chicken, what if I told you that you can cook a whole, raw chicken without actually touching it. You will need to handle it when it’s cooked, but hopefully the taste and delicious smell makes that very easy. Here are the steps to do this:

1. Cut the package of your thawed chicken, just at a corner. You want enough to drain any juices without having your chicken fall out of the bag.
2. Hold onto the bag and chicken and pour any juices down the sink.
3. Cut the bag open the rest of the way and slide that chicken into a big bowl.
4. Season your chicken with any spices that you like and a little olive oil.
5. Using tongs, flip the chicken over in the bowl and season the other side.
6. Put it in the cooking vessel of your choosing and you’re done!

I hope this information gives you some confidence in cooking a whole chicken. Once you do it, you will love having that easy dinner every week! I really like cooking the bigger chickens so I can have leftovers, but the smaller ones are less intimidating to start with.It’s the best value because there is a lot of extra cost involved parting and packaging chicken. Plus, you can make amazing chicken stock using our chicken stock recipe and amazing bone broth from the leftover bones and cartilage using our bone broth recipe. You also get all the parts and can please your family members who love lean breast meat and those who like the darker thigh meat. Happy cooking and please reach out with any questions that you might have!!!

I’ve listened to plenty of podcasts urging everyone to get more organ meats into their diet. Why? According to many health experts, they are packed with tons of nutrients that our bodies need to thrive.

Many health experts also say that like cures like. For example, if you are having heart issues, you should consume heart. This is because the nutrients found in the heart of an animal are the same ones that our hearts need to function. The same is true for all your other organs, which makes sense. Liver is prized by many and said to heal a multitude of health related problems, not just liver issues directly,  because it is so packed with essential vitamins and minerals.

Eating a whole food source of these nutrients is also much better for you than taking individual supplements because the nutrients that you need may require other nutrients to be absorbed properly by your body. If you are just taking an iron pill because you were told that you are anemic, you may not be able to properly absorb and use that iron without other important minerals. Eating a whole food, which contains many different nutrients, will give your body a better chance at absorbing the needed nutrients.

Another great benefit to organ meats is that they are much cheaper than your usual meat derived from the animal’s muscle. For a fraction of the cost, you can consume a few chicken hearts and get a huge nutrient benefit compared to just eating a chicken breast. Obviously, it’s good to have balance, but it saves money and could benefit your health by swapping out a regular meal a week to one that utilizes organ meats.

My mom cringes when I talk about this because she grew up having to eat liver and onions once a week. She said the family dog was well fed under the table those nights! Liver is one that is a nutrient powerhouse, but maybe not the best to start off with when beginning to eat organ meats. I have been taking a beef liver supplement and have noticed a great change in my health, but I really want to eat the real thing to save money and get more benefits.

I am looking forward to trying liver recipes and sharing them. So far, the chicken liver pate I made is pretty good on sourdough, but no one else likes it so I need to work on that recipe. I also have a beef liver in my fridge that I have planned to shave off bits to mix in with ground meat. If you have any tips or favorite recipes, please share them with me!!! I know a lot of our customers are way ahead of the curve on organ meat consumption!

Everyone said chicken hearts are the best one to start with due to its mild taste. They were right!!! I made them according to this super easy recipe and they were delicious! They reminded me of hotdog, and I could easily mix them in to other recipes. My two-year-old surprisingly ditched the pizza she wanted for dinner and ate half of my chicken hearts. I was happy to share knowing that she was getting some excellent nutrition, especially compared to the pizza!

Super simple and very tasty chicken hearts! Pan fried with some olive oil after being well seasoned.

If you want to give organ meats a try, start with chicken hearts and you will not be disappointed! We sell them in half pound packs so you can give them a try. The recipe calls for a pound, but a half pound was a perfect amount for my daughter and I.

Click here to add chicken hearts to your order, or pick them up from DJ at a local farmer’s market.