Meet Our Chickens

Well, they're not really our chickens, but these are the chickens that lay the eggs we eat every morning! This is proof that our eggs really do come from pastured chickens, which is a big deal to us.

And this is our farmer, Mr. Keith Hocutt. He raises the chickens and cows that we're going to eat. We went to the Hocutt farm last Saturday to pick up some chickens that we ordered from them. The Hocutts killed the chickens that morning and put them in the big tank you see below to keep them cool for their customers. We also ordered a side of their beef, which we should pick up shortly. It's much, much cheaper to buy organic, grass-fed beef in bulk.

This is Mrs. Hocutt weighing the chickens. The Hocutts recently retired from the mission field and started their farm. They were Christian missionaries for the Southern Baptist IMB in the Andes Mountains of South America. They now live in Grant, Alabama with their children.

Look at all those chickens! Stephen got to pick out our birds.

The Hocutts are so very kind. After we picked up our chickens and had them packed away in coolers in our van, Mr. Hocutt took us on a tour of the farm and then down a little trail to see the Tennessee River. This was the first time Mary got to play in a river, and she loved it! What I loved the most was seeing the place where our food comes from. It's important to us to teach our girls that food comes from a farm, not from a big store. Now, we're not to the point yet where we make everything ourselves from scratch, but that is the goal we're working towards. Getting our beef, chicken, and eggs from one local, organic farm is a big step in the right direction for our family.

If you're interested in learning more about the Hocutts and their farm, just email me or leave a comment and I'll get you their contact information. They're going to collect orders for chickens again in February, if anyone is interested. The average chicken cost $15, and you get the whole chicken for that (2 breasts, 2 wings, etc.). It's a really good deal, and you know what you're getting and where it's coming from. They sell their eggs at the Hampton Cove Farmers' Market out on 431 past The Greenery, if you'd like to try those, too.

If you haven't seen the post about the pumpkin patch, scroll down and check it out.

Have a great week!