Who's Your Farmer?

Do you know your farmer? Do you know your dairy farmer? Farmers feed our nation and the world but every farmer is local to somewhere. It’s important to know where your food comes from and how it gets from the farm to your dinner table.

Why is it important you might ask? It’s important to know how your food is being produced. To know that the American farmer produces the safest food in the world.

This is one of the reasons I feel so passionate about this little blog that I write. I want you to know that we, as dairy farmers {Dominic is a 4th generation Dairyman}, care. We care for our cows. We respect our cows. Farming is in our blood. We respect and sustain the land that we farm on. For our family. For you. For the future generations that will hopefully be able to continue this important legacy of farming.

Dominic moving a newborn calf to the calf barn "nursery".

If it weren’t for farming, my dad may not have decided to come to America from the tiny Azores island of Sao Jorge where he was born and raised. He came to this country 54 years ago and after a short two month stint at a sheep farm, he found work as a Milker at the Peters Dairy in Sebastopol , CA. A farmer gave him his first American job. I know he was grateful back then and I am grateful because come to think of it, I could have grown up into a little Portuguese mama living on that tiny island 900 miles away from the mainland instead of the California girl I am. Phew! {not that there’s anything wrong with being a little Portuguese mama}

Farming is important. For the farmer, for the farm worker, for the world. We love what we do and we love that we help feed the world.

If you're from California {or even if you're not}, you might want to check out this website "Know A California Farmer".  This is a new interactive website that launched September 1st which contains blogs, pictures, and videos posted by farmers and ranchers about themselves and what they do - from wine growers to dairy farmers.  My friend, Katie, from North Dakota had a hand in putting it together and I think it will be a great asset to CA residents.

Happy Tuesday!

Pin It

Boneless Buffalo Wings with Spicy Blue Cheese Dip

I love Buffalo Wings and Chicken Tenders, but most have a ton of fat. Here is a healthier version of them. The kids love them for dinner or a snack and with the playoff games coming up, this recipe will keep things a bit healthier without giving up on the taste. When our family watches football, my kids, ages three and five, are not very interested in the game......they do, however, enjoy tackling each other at any chance they can, but that's another story. Anyway, I try to find something fun for the kids to do in these situations. Well, I found a fun, educational, virtual farm game for the kids to try out. It teaches about farming in the U.S. in a fun way, all while learning math, social studies, language arts and science. It is set up by American Farm Bureau ~ check it out www.MyAmericanFarm.org and you do not need to 'log in', just play! Boneless Buffalo Wings 8 servings (2 wings, 1/2 cup vegetables & 2 tablespoons dip each) Ingredients Spicy Blue Cheese Dip• 2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream • 2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Wings & Vegetables • 3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip) • 3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot, divided • 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, divided • 2 pounds chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note) • 6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour • 6 tablespoons cornmeal • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided • 2 cups carrot sticks • 2 cups celery sticks Preparation 1. To prepare dip: Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 2. To prepare wings: Whisk buttermilk, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 3. Meanwhile, whisk flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside. 4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until evenly coated. (Discard remaining marinade and flour mixture.) Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. 5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, placing each piece in a little oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to the platter. Drizzle the chicken with the reserved hot sauce mixture. Serve with carrots, celery and Spicy Blue Cheese Dip. Tips & Notes• Make Ahead Tip: The chicken can marinate (Step 1) for up to 1 hour. • Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk. • Ingredient note: Chicken tenders, virtually fat-free, are a strip of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of the chicken breast, but they can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.” NutritionPer serving: 256 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 4 g mono); 83 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 31 g protein; 2 g fiber; 353 mg sodium; 248 mg potassium. Pin It