Podcasts about wytheville

They know what you saw… and they'll make sure you never talk about it. Who or what are the Men In Black?Download The FREE PDF For This Episode's WORD SEARCH Puzzle: https://weirddarkness.com/MalevolentMIBGet the Darkness Syndicate version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateDISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.IN THIS EPISODE: The mysterious Men in Black have been around long before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones put on the black suits and sunglasses. The encounters with these strange men have been taking place for decades. Sometimes unnerving, often bizarre, and almost always chilling for those they approach. (The Sinister Men In Black) *** Legend has it that a four-legged fiend with glowing eyes and a blood-curdling howl stalks the area of Devon, England. The mystery creature was seen only yards away from a party of schoolchildren, the animal has a thick, shaggy coat, rounded ears and large front limbs which would be powerful enough to tear human flesh. Is it man's best friend – or a hell hound?  (Phantom Hound) *** Life presents people with all sorts of unexplained phenomena. One of the strangest is places disappearing. It might happen on a hiking trail, or in the forest, or alongside gravel roads in rural counties… but then some happen in the most surprising of places – for example, in the center of New York City. (Places That No Longer Exist) *** Weirdo family member Chris Francis has a dark story to tell – literally dark. As in black-hole dark. (Black Hole In The Basement)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate and Only Accurate For the Commercial Version)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In00:02:00.566 = Show Open00:04:08.719 = The Sinister Men In Black00:21:52.911 = Places That No Longer Exist00:56:54.909 = Phantom Hound01:03:53.483 = Black Hole Basement01:14:59.448 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The Sinister Men in Black” by Erik at Paranormal Scholar: http://bit.ly/2Vgdzxp“Phantom Hound” by Nick Redfern for Mysterious Universe: http://bit.ly/2OnKvTf“Places That No Longer Exist” by Donn Saylor for Graveyard Shift: http://bit.ly/333CG9u“Black Hole Basement” by Weirdo family member Chris Francis=====(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: July, 2018EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MalevolentMIBTAGS: Men in Black, MIB, UFO sightings, alien cover up, government conspiracy, extraterrestrial encounters, shadowy figures, black suits, UFO investigations, alien abduction, unidentified flying objects, UFO threats, mysterious men, Wytheville UFO, Danny Gordon, Maury Island incident, Rendlesham Forest, Ronald Reagan UFO, secret government agents, creepy encounters, UFO intimidation, real men in black, black hat agents, UFO silencing, paranormal investigation, weird darkness, creepy stories, conspiracy theories, unexplained phenomena

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel" Show with IFWTWA, travel writer and author Kathleen Walls talks about her experiences in beautiful and historic Wytheville, Virginia.  For a small town, she visited a huge array of diverse attractions, ranging from the home of a woman who was once acting President of the United States to a safari where the animals run loose and you are enclosed in a bus. Read her story about it all, here: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/experience-the-one-and-only-wytheville/  Kathleen Walls is publisher/writer for American Roads and Global Highways at https://www.americanroads.net/. A member of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous magazines and online publications. She is also an author of numerous travel books, online travel guides, and fiction novels. Learn more about her books at https://katywalls.com/.  Learn more about the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) at https://www.ifwtwa.org/  Follow this podcast here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm1chVylr9kzBMftUgBoLS-m 

UFOs Over Wytheville, Virginia.Please support Charles Lear by picking up his books from Amazon or your local bookstore. Follow Our Other ShowsFollow UFO WitnessesFollow Crime Watch WeeklyFollow Paranormal FearsFollow Seven: Disturbing Chronicle StoriesJoin our Patreon for ad-free listening and more bonus content.Follow us on Instagram @mysteriousradioFollow us on TikTok mysteriousradioTikTok Follow us on Twitter @mysteriousradio Follow us on Pinterest pinterest.com/mysteriousradio Like us on Facebook Facebook.com/mysteriousradio]

What happens when the eerie world of Asia's Hungry Ghosts collides with a chilling UFO encounter in small-town America? In this spine-tingling episode, we dive into the terrifying tales of restless spirits from the East, cursed with insatiable hunger and haunted pasts. Then, we transport you to Wytheville, Virginia, where an entire town was gripped by a series of UFO sightings that defy explanation. Join us as we unravel the mysteries that blur the lines between the living, the dead, and the unexplained! Prepare to question everything you thought you knew about the paranormal… TikTok @cryptique_podcast YouTube @cryptiquepodcast X @podcastevil IG cryptiquepodcast Let us know about your worst nightmares at cryptiquepodcast@gmail.com For a small one-time donation, you can buy us a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/cryptiquepi Cryptique is a podcast and YouTube channel that covers A.I., aliens, alternative dimensions, alternative history, astrology, bigfoot, black eyed kids, conspiracies and conspiracy theories, consciousness, cryptids, cults, extraterrestrials, fays, feral kids, flat earth, folklore, forbidden knowledge, ghosts, giants, ghouls, goblins, government cover ups, haunted items, hauntings, hat man, hidden archeology, hidden realms, indigenous cultures, lake monsters, men in black, mystic powers, near death experiences, nightmares, numerology, occult, paranormal, politics, psychic abilities, psy ops, psychedelic research and experience, reincarnation, religion, remote viewing, Sasquatch, shadow people, spirits, Tartaria, tarot, the afterlife, true crime, true stories behind horror movies, UFOS, ultraterrestrials, urban legends, yokai, Yowie.

Send us a Text Message.This week we look into the incidents that happened in 1987 in Wytheville, VA.  The area experienced 3,000 sightings between 1987 and 1989.  These incidents were the inspiration behind the annual Wytheville UFO Fest that began in 2021. Support the show! Become a Lurk Patron!New Merch Store!Vote for us in the Paranormality Magazine's Top 10 Paranormal Podcast List!To see photos we discussed in this episode, please follow us on our Social Media platforms:Lurk on FacebookLurk on TwitterLurk on InstagramWe have a new Facebook Group join in the discussion! Lurk Podcast Facebook GroupWe are also now found on YouTube- Lurk on YouTubeBackground Music Royalty and Copyright Free MusicIntro and Outro music purchased through  AudioJunglewith Music Broadcast License (1 Million)Support the Show.

It's Friiiiday and we have guest host Daniel Govaer to talk about the optimism of VinFast despite Q4 losses, 40k on the hood of one Toyota, and the potential to have a Dealer - Governor in West Virginia. Show Notes with links:New EV OEM VinFast's is confident in its path to profitability despite a widening Q4 loss, the Vietnamese EV maker eyes an ambitious sales horizon for 2024.Q4 losses deepened by 3.4% quarter-on-quarter, totaling $650.1 million, signaling a 1.3% increase from Q4 2022.Aiming to triple its sales to 100,000 units in 2024, despite missing its 50,000 target in 2023 due to slow EV adoption and pricing pressures.Expanding globally, including plans for new factories in North Carolina, India, and Indonesia, targeting major markets with a novel battery leasing scheme."This year, we expand globally... So we are confident that we are going to achieve the guidance," states chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy.Toyota is slashing $40,000 off the hydrogen powered Mirai's MSRP as Shell Hydrogen announces its departure from operating hydrogen fueling stations in California, complicating the refueling process.The offer, exclusive to California, includes $15,000 in complimentary fuel and zero percent financing for qualifying buyers of the 2023 Mirai Limited models.Inventory is showing challenges with just about two dozen Limited models remaining, highlighting the niche appeal amid infrastructure constraints.Toyota is also including a $15,000 hydrogen fuel card with the Mirai, amid growing concerns over the dwindling number of available hydrogen refueling stations in California.There is also a 0% financing incentive that could be valued at over $6500…making the total incentives on the deal worth around $60kSticker price is $67,095Is it possible that the next Governor of West Virginia could be a Dealer? Chris Miller, a Southwest Virginia auto dealer, is stepping into the political ring with a vision to overhaul the state's economy."Chris Miller, owning multiple dealerships across states, is running for Governor of West Virginia, aiming to leverage his business acumen for state governance.Miller's personal journey from battling addiction to becoming a successful business owner and now a gubernatorial candidate highlights his resilience and dedication to change."At the end of the day, if I ran my businesses the way the government spends our tax dollars, I'd be broke," Miller shares, underlining his motive to enter politics.Chris Miller owns the Dutch Miller Auto Group, which he operates with his family. The group has 13 dealerships, including one in the Southwest Virginia town of Wytheville, along with dealerships in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kansas.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email ASOTU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automotivestateoftheunion

Phil thinks he has Parkinson's and asks Adam to call Michael J Fox.   ESPN's Pablo Torre stops by and tells us about how his mother doesn't understand why he is a sports caster after he went to Harvard, how his show got cancelled on the same day his child was born and how much he and Adam both love Tony Kornheiser.   ADAM'S TOUR DATES https://www.adamferrara.com/#tourdates-section     February 8-10 Philadelphia PA Helium Night Comedy Club   February 16 & 17 Long Island NY Governor's Comedy Club   March 9th  Jasper, IN The Asta Theatre   March 22 & 23 Rutherford, NJ Bananas Comedy Club   March 29th Wytheville, VA Millwald Theatre

After travelling 12 hours from Watertown, New York to Wytheville Virginia. Trav joined the Mississippi Sea Wolves for the weekend against the Blue Ridge Bobcats and made his Sea Wolves debut. Dave Wheeler joins the show to evaluate Trav's performance, how has Biloxi, Mississippi been since moving in and where is he living? New podcast episodes every Sunday at 11am eastern!Buy SHEATH and get 20% off the best underwear on the planet with code "BIZKIT69" at https://www.sheathunderwear.comGet 20% OFF Manscaped + Free Shipping with code "BIZKIT" at https://www.manscaped.comINSTA ► https://instagram.com/slanginthebizkit?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/slanginthebizkitLISTEN ON THE GO  ► https://linktr.ee/SlanginTheBizkitTimestamps00:00 A sweet southern bell02:10 Sheppard's pie04:02 Biloxi beaches and Trav's winter wardrobe05:40 Courtney Ryan is Trav's new woman crush06:30 Unconditional love from a high value woman08:00 Pay day in Watertown.... or so you thought10:05 12 hours from Watertown to Virginia13:00 What time is it in Wytheville? 12 past Ridgen14:18 Sheath Underwear use code "BIZKIT69" for 20% off the best underwear money can buy15:45 The hate is real for Trav16:50 How Trav found out he was starting17:45 Trav's breakdown of his 1st start for Mississippi19:00 Wytheville arena20:05 Trav gets sent BACK in22:00 Dave Wheeler's breakdown of Trav's performance24:15 "I don't care anymore" - Trav28:00 The beagle farm28:55 Jackie Moon of pro hockey.... Joe Pace31:45 Living and car setup in Biloxi35:16 Laundry at the rink38:23 Manscaped use code "BIZKIT" for 20% off and free shipping39:20 Best looking man in the FPHL42:00 is the FPHL trying to bury Trav?46:10 Mississippi Sea Wolves home opener and REBRAND night48:40 Why the vlog is 2-3 weeks behind at all times

Club takes the galaxy in this season finale. Listen in as we cover the marbled alien accounts in the sleepy Virginia town. Support this podcast & find more ways to listen on the go at https://anchor.fm/scary-movie-club | don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at scarymovieclubcast --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scary-movie-club/support

PLEASE SHARE WEIRD DARKNESS® in your social media and with others who loves paranormal stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do! Find Weird Darkness in your favorite podcast app at https://weirddarkness.com/listen.==========HOUR ONE: Most news reporters would relish the opportunity to cover the story of a flying saucer sighting… but one case in 1987 left one radio newsman wishing he'd never heard of the letters U-F-O. (The Wytheville UFOs and Men in Black) *** One was reported as wiry and slightly muscular, and around 6 feet tall. It might have been humanoid in shape – but there is nothing else humanlike about these bizarre entities being encountered in Japan. (Creepy Humanoids in Japan) *** The circumstances surrounding some shocking historical moments remain as diverse as the deceased themselves. From Hollywood starlets and defiant outlaws to made men and political martyrs, some of these disturbing fates were the result of cold-blooded murders, while others came from tragic, unfortunate accidents. Regardless of how they happened, each demise yielded unsettling images that you will not want to look for online.(Don't Google These Deaths)==========HOUR TWO: 
The British public believed that actual divine warriors were on their side against the Germans in World War I. We'll look at the true story behind the angels of Mons. (The Angels of Mons) *** What do you do when you don't have the manpower to arrest all of the drug dealers in town? Hold a wedding and put them all on the guest list, of course! (The Fake Wedding Drug Bust)==========SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME: In Victorian England. Some women had the responsibility of taking in young, unwed pregnant women and caring for them until they gave birth. Baby Farmers, as these ladies were called, were in their positions because of their love for children and the desire to see them start life with hope. But Amelia Dyer was so sinister, she was rumored to be responsible for the deaths of 400 children. (The Ogress of Reading)==========SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT'S SHOW:“Creepy Humanoids in Japan” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: http://bit.ly/35gEXiM “The Wytheville UFOs and Men in Black”, from Paranormal Scholar: http://bit.ly/2O2W7dW “Don't Google These Deaths” by Seterah Janda for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3ujrnn8s“We Were Not Alone” submitted anonymously at WeirdDarkness.com“The Ogress of Reading” by Jamie Bogert for The Line Up: http://bit.ly/2pCo1nK “The Fake Wedding Drug Bust” by Melissa Sartore for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/wu97r8et ==========Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com//syndicate Advertise in the Weird Darkness podcast or syndicated radio show: https://weirddarkness.com/advertise Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.==========PODCASTS I HOST:Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/listenParanormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paranormalitymagMicro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/microterrorsRetro Radio – Old Time Radio In The Dark: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/retroradioChurch of the Undead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/churchoftheundead==========(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)=========="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46==========WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2023, Weird Darkness.==========CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/archives/16550This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3655291/advertisement

Join Shayn, Orin, & Jennie as we dive into The Wytheville UFO Flap! Thanks for tuning in to the 42nd episode of "Bizarre Encounters". Don't forget to like, follow, share, & review. We appreciate it!.Send us a message if you have had an encounter and would like to be on the show OR would like to have your encounter read/played on the show!!!.Social Media/Merch/Patreon/Email/Submit Encountershttp://linktr.ee/bizarreencounters...Please Check Out:​"Bite Size Bizarrities"Come one, come all and gather round as Shayn, Orin, & Jennie share bite size portions into the bizarre around the campfire.Available on this podcast feed!.Inquiries of our Reality (Shayn)Social Media/Email/Donate/Merch/Patreonhttp://linktr.ee/inquiriesofourrealitypodcast.The Framework: UFO Research Center (Orin)https://www.instagram.com/theframeworkufo/.100percent___thatwitch (Jennie)https://www.instagram.com/100percent___thatwitch/.CryptoteeologySpecializing in wearable cryptids and monsters and the stories behind them. Discover a relatable monster for any casual occasion.https://www.cryptoteeology.com/https://www.instagram.com/cryptoteeology/https://www.facebook.com/Cryptoteeology.Open Minds Media (OMM)https://linktr.ee/open_minds_media...Intro & Outro By:Socio-Beathttps://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sociobeat/conundrumhttps://socio-beat.bandcamp.com/..Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/bizarre-encounters/donations

Traded to the Watertown Wolves from the Wytheville, Virginia expansion team. All the details on the trade sending Trav to Watertown, FPHL news, Connor Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg, and the Titanic voyage from Oceangate imploding. New podcast every Sunday at 11am eastern! :) Buy SHEATH and get 20% off the best underwear on the planet with code "BIZKIT69" at https://www.sheathunderwear.comGet 20% OFF Manscaped + Free Shipping with code "BIZKIT" at https://www.manscaped.comINSTA ► https://instagram.com/slanginthebizkit?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/slanginthebizkitLISTEN ON THE GO  ► https://linktr.ee/SlanginTheBizkitTimestamps00:00 Fresh chop and fresh team01:32 Pro basketball in Winnipeg, The Seabears 02:00 FPHL parody02:42 Saskatchewan Rough Riders and watermelon helmets04:44 Traded to Watertown Wolves08:51 The story of behind Watertown trading for Trav13:55 Thank you Watertown and Charlie Pens jr for believing in me16:35 Sheath Underwear use code "BIZKIT69" for 20% off18:05 What is Watertown, New York like?21:16 Nickelback's best album and song25:56 FPHL travel schedule out of Watertown28:15 Thank you Wytheville, Virginia30:35 Connor Hellebuyck WILL NOT return to Winnipeg36:00 The greatest podcast perk of all time39:15 Dave Wheeler needs a podcast instagram page41:10 Adin Hill's a coffee junkie42:40 Virginia Rhino's expansion team44:10 Elmira Crush return to the FPHL45:10 Dealware Thunder fold the tent and go home45:55 FPHL divisions for 23-2446:50 Carolina and Mentor share the SAME Bus to FPHL games49:49 Manscaped use code "BIZKIT" for 20% off and free shipping51:54 Oceangate sub implodes en route to Titanic Wreck57:28 Titanic is cursed, here is why

Virginia Beach, 2014, Lt. Ryan Graves and his squadron the VFA-11 "Red Rippers”, began to pick up strange objects on their instruments within the traditional training area off the coast of Virginia. For weeks, the objects would disappear and reappear daily in different areas over the water. The objects would often materialize in groups of six or seven. This event passed on with no discernible conclusion as the objects were seemingly ignored. Traveling from the coast of Virginia to the southern parts of the Shenandoah Valley, a similar event occurred in 1987 where a local radio station was flooded with reports of UFOs for weeks after the local sheriff and his deputies reported seeing strange illuminated objects in the night skies. This case file, join the Theorists as they cruise some country roads for mountain mommas in…The Wytheville UFO FlapAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After being drafted by the Wytheville, Virginia team in the FPHL expansion draft, they must now sign or trade Trav. The Delaware Thunder relocate to New Jersey and Elmira returns. Dave Wheeler joins to breakdown Sergei Bobrovsky and Adin Hill's cup run and ultimately why he refuses to join social media. New podcast episodes every Sunday at 11am eastern! :) Buy SHEATH and get 20% off the best underwear on the planet with code "BIZKIT69" at https://www.sheathunderwear.comGet 20% OFF Manscaped + Free Shipping with code "BIZKIT" at https://www.manscaped.comINSTA ► https://instagram.com/slanginthebizkit?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/slanginthebizkitLISTEN ON THE GO  ► https://linktr.ee/SlanginTheBizkitTimestamps00:00 Dave Wheeler refuses to join social media03:58 Will Trav join Wheeler in The Morning?06:16 John Grahame, Stanley cup champ with Tampa Bay08:30 Royal Canadian Pacific passenger train is $80,000 a day to charter09:47 Vegas Golden Knights Goalies: Lehner, Brossoit, Hill, Quick, Thompson10:36 Adin Hill is gonna get paid this summer15:28 Sheath Underwear use code "BIZKIT69" for 20% off17:35 Sergei Bobrovsky's legendary playoff run21:35 Wytheville needs to sign me or trade me27:24 Arena in Wytheville will hold 3000 fans29:25 1st game back vs Motor City30:45 The greatest perks in podcasting33:15 Manscaped use code "BIZKIT" for 20% off34:35 Delaware Thunder move to New Jersey35:53 Elmira returns to the FPHL... for the 4th time39:50 FPHL broadcasts every game for FREE on Youtube43:47 Connor Mcgregor KO's the Miami Heat mascot46:24 Adam Hadwin tackled by PGA Security

Trav is no longer property of the Motor City Rockers. As we turn the page and look ahead to Wytheville, Virginia this coming season. This is his final message to the Motor City Rockers players, fans and staff. Dave Wheeler joins the show to talk about the Stanley cup finals, Adin Hill, the NHL being rigged and passenger train service in Western Canada. New podcast every Sunday at 11am eastern! :)Buy SHEATH and get 20% off the best underwear on the planet with code "BIZKIT69" at https://www.sheathunderwear.comGet 20% OFF Manscaped + Free Shipping with code "BIZKIT" at https://www.manscaped.comINSTA ► https://instagram.com/slanginthebizkit?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/slanginthebizkitLISTEN ON THE GO  ► https://linktr.ee/SlanginTheBizkitTimestamps00:00 Donair is Canada's Greatest Food01:48 Hockey Bus TV setups03:05 Work smarter, not harder as a Rookie04:31 Wytheville, Virginia we owe you an apology07:18 Arena construction in Wytheville09:33 Baton Rouge team has an official name and coach11:33 Wytheville Express or Wytheville Generals?14:26 Sheath Underwear use code "BIZKIT69" for 20% off15:49 Paige Spiriniac or Mikayla Demaitre?17:50 Ultimate Promotion in pro hockey this year20:10 Slangin' The Bizkit mugs22:00 Final message for the Motor City Rockers29:58 FPHL travel schedule32:37 US military and veterans night in FPHL34:24 Adin Hill has been lights out35:13 NHL is rigged... here is why37:33 Gap between NHL goalies has closed so much lately40:21 Manscaped use code "BIZKIT" for 20% off and free shipping42:01 Alberta and BC need long distance passenger train service from Vancouver to Banff

***DISCLAIMER*** Forgot recording tools, audio may be shaky at times We are here for Wytheville UFO Fest!!!! We go over the Danny Gordon story and talk Appalachia UFO

The FPHL officially adds 2 new teams for 2023-24. Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Wytheville, Virginia. Trav is now the former goalie for the Motor City Rockers after being taken in the draft. New podcast episodes every Sunday at 11am eastern! :)Buy SHEATH and get 20% off the best underwear on the planet with code "BIZKIT69" at https://www.sheathunderwear.comGet 20% OFF Manscaped + Free Shipping with code "BIZKIT" at https://www.manscaped.comINSTA ► https://instagram.com/slanginthebizkit?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=PATREON ► https://www.patreon.com/slanginthebizkitLISTEN ON THE GO  ► https://linktr.ee/SlanginTheBizkitTimestamps00:00 Booty shake Monday at the palomino club in Winnipeg01:51 Delaware Thunder and Elmira Mammoth are done!04:28 Danville Dasher will come back to the FPHL in 2024-2505:08 Wytheville ... how do you pronounce it?07:50 Will Ferrill will play John Madden in a new movie09:30 Golf Caddy's and Michael Block13:30 Sheath Underwear use code "BIZKIT69" for 20% off15:39 Drafted by Wytheville20:20 What is the Wytheville pro hockey team called?23:25 Trade is coming soon possibly27:52 Aaron Rogers rolled into New York like Scott Stapp of Creed29:49 Kyle Dubas in bed with Pittsburgh31:56 Arizona Coyotes draw less fans than FPHL teams33:00 Manscaped use code "BIZKIT" for 20% off and free shipping35:47 Philadelphia Flyers gave up Sergei Bobrovsky for nothing37:00 Ilya Bryzgalov needs to return to the podcast39:00 Summer schedule and podcast plan40:10 Wytheville express

With Wytheville UFO Fest right around the corner, the AI Guys decided to do a deep dive into the mysterious UFO flap of 1987 that took place in and around Wytheville, VA. We dive into the work, research, and accounts of one man, Danny Gordon, who took the mantle at this time and independently attempted to get to the bottom of what was going on. In John Keel fashion, Mr. Gordon experienced a lot of the high strangeness that goes along with investigating these types of matters. Threatening phone calls, men in black, his home broken into, and pictures missing are just a few of the things he experienced. Become AI Kinfolk over on Patreon atpatreon.com/appalachian_intelligenceJoin our Discord server https://discord.gg/zrETKx68Please rate and review this episode wherever you listen to podcasts.Reach out to us with your own stories at appalachianintelligence@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter at @AiAppIntelPodFollow us on Facebook at Appalachian IntelligenceFollow us on Instagram @appalachianintelligenceSubscribe to our YouTube channel Appalachian IntelligenceSend us weird, wild, cool, and interesting stuff to the show's PO Box atPO Box 855Haysi, VA 24256Intro Music - The Colonel - Zachariah HickmanOutro Music - Dark Dream - Brad Hill Support the show

Minor League Rando and Marc the Prospector are back this week for an SPHL/Fed review, Wytheville coming to the Fed, along with talking about Fayetteville and Vermillion County's new issues. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mlrando/message

Johnita shares details about the accident retold through her journals. How can life change so drastically and completely, in the blink of an eye?

Join us as we look back at the recent Wytheville UFO Festival where we were guest speakers and vendors.  We will also go over some upcoming events you can catch us at and stay tuned to the very end for a brief snip from our lecture at the event on this episode of Wild & Weird Radio.Hosts: Ron Lanham, Joe Perdue, Jessi Leigh Consider supporting us by sharing this video or visiting our shop and picking up an item or two.Visit The Wild & Weird Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/wildandweirdwvHellbent Holler: https://hellbentholler.com/https://www.wythevilleufofest.com/https://unsolved.com/gallery/wythevil...https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Matt and Daniel discuss the Wytheville UFO Fest, and discuss some weird discussions in the news

Following the epic Wytheville UFO Festival, we discuss the event that it was commemorating. Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/ItsAsherz THE MERCH: https://on-wednesdays-we-talk-weird.creator-spring.com CALL US: 773-59-WEIRD (93473) Follow the Podcast on Twitter: twitter.com/WednesdaysTalk Follow Asherz and give her your money: linktr.ee/ItsAsherz Follow Pat O: Linktr.ee/DoctorX2112 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/onwednesdayswetalkweird/message

Matt and Daniel look into the events that happened over Wytheville, Virginia 35 years ago. UFOs were in the sky for 3 years over this town. Why? They also talk about their adventure into Flatwoods and Sutton WV! Wytheville UFO FEST - June 11th, 2022

In this Fine Episode:  You're listening to CreepGeeks Podcast This is Season 6 Episode 246:  Stranger Things 4, Wytheville UFO Flap, and Upcoming Celebrity Paranormal Shows! I'm Greg and I'm Omi! Hello! Please take a second and Vote for us at Paranomality's Favorite Podcast of the month contest! Here's a link- Vote For Your Favorite Paranormal Podcast We'd appreciate it!  Thank you to our Patreon Supporters: Dav, John,  Isiss, John, Bobby, and Phil! Want to Support the podcast? Join us on Patreon! CreepGeeks Paranormal and Weird News is creating Humorous Paranormal Podcasts, Interviews, and Videos!  What is the CreepGeeks Paranormal and Weird News Podcast? CreepGeeks Podcast is an off-beat podcast exploring the paranormal, cryptid, supernatural, and simply absurd nonsense circulating the web. Broadcasting paranormal news and strange experiences from our underground bunker in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Hey Everyone! You can call the show and leave us a message!  1-575-208-4025 Use Amazon Prime Free Trial! Did you know YOU can support the CreepGeeks Podcast with little to no effort! Won't cost you anything!  When you shop on Amazon.com use our affiliate link and we get a small percentage!  It doesn't change your price at all. It helps us to keep the coffee flowing and gas in the Albino Rhino!  CreepGeeks Podcast is an Amazon Affiliate CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page    We've got Bigfoot Coffee! Support the Show: CreepGeeks Swag Shop!  Website- CREEPGEEKS PARANORMAL AND WEIRD NEWS Hey everyone! Help us out!  Rate us on iTunes!  ‎CreepGeeks Paranormal and Weird News Podcast on Apple Podcasts   CreepGeeks After Podcast Dinner is: Kielbasa and Cabbage FORTEAN TERMs OF THE DAY: FLAP:  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flap  a state of excitement or agitation : TIZZY, UPROAR b: something that generates an uproar “The TicTac UFO flap has doubled  the interest in Ufology amongst everyday folks” Stranger Things 4 Feels like Montauk.  All The Sneaky Pop Culture References Hidden In 'Stranger Things' Season 4  Stranger Things 4's Most Significant '80s References  Wytheville UFO Flap Wytheville UFO Festival:  Wytheville Ufo Fest  Wytheville UFO Sightings | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki  UFO Encounters over Wytheville, Virginia - 1987 Facts about Wytheville:  Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in southwestern Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville's population was 8,211 at the 2010 census. Stuff to do around Wytheville: https://www.visitwytheville.com/history-2/   Post Traumatik- Stumbled across you on YouTube. My band Post Traumatik just released a new single “Flight of the Mothman” we will be honored if you dig it and would like to use it on your podcast. The song will be featured in the upcoming release of the found footage movie Mothman 2022 by Joshua Brucker. Here is the Spotify and YouTube's links for it. Let us know what you think, it's a high energy banger! Thanks Tony Malandro Post Traumatik Flight of the Mothman Flight of the Mothman on Spotify New Celebrity Paranormal Shows: Join Jack Osbourne and Actor Jason Mewes (of Clerks) on a Wild Backcountry Hunt for the Legendary Cryptid in Jack Osbourne's Night of Terror: Bigfoot | New on Travel Channel Kesha crosses over as ghost hunter in upcoming docuseries   Discovery+ and Travel Channel Announce Full Slate of Paranormal and True Horror Shows  Looking for something unique and spooky? Check out Omi's new Etsy, CraftedIntent: CraftedIntent: Simultaneously BeSpoke and Spooky. by CraftedIntent  This Patron supported episode is brought to you by Dav, Isiss, James, Bobby, John and John!  We really appreciate their Patronage! Get Something From Amazon Prime! CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page     Cool Stuff on Amazon -Squatch Metalworks Microsquatch Keychain:  Microsquatch Keychain Bottle Opener with Carabiner. Laser-cut, stone-tumbled stainless steel. DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE USA.  Amazon Influencer!  CheapGeek and CreepGeeks Amazon Page's Amazon Page   Instagram?  New Stickeres, Bigfoot Keychains and Swag on CraftedIntent on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftedIntent  Creep Geeks Podcast (@creepgeekspod) • Instagram photos and videos   Omi Salavea (@omi.salavea) • Instagram photos and videos  CreepGeeks Podcast (@creepgeekspodcast) TikTok | Watch CreepGeeks Podcast's Newest TikTok Videos  Need to Contact Us? Email Info: contact@creepgeeks.com  Attn Greg or Omi  Want to comment about the show? omi@creepgeeks.com   greg@creepgeeks.com   Business Inquiries: contact@creepgeeks.com   https://teespring.com/stores/creepgeeks-podcast-store   Music: Music is Officially Licensed through Audiio.com. License available upon request. #ghost, #ghosts, #paranormal #creepgeeks Tags: ghost, ghosts, paranormal, creepgeeks, april fools, paranormal news,

People in Wytheville, Virginia, experienced a large number of strange events in 1987.

Books and Crannies in Martinsville, Virginia found customers from all over the country during the pandemic. Givens Books in Lynchburg found a loyal customer who returned week after week for another Agatha Christie novel. And while Oracle Books in Wytheville opened shortly before the pandemic, the support it's received from the community has them feeling right at home. In this episode of Hometown Stories, cozy up and join your next virtual book club. 

We were joined by Robin and William from the Wytheville UFO Festival to talk about the all new festival celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Wytheville UFO wave. There were thousands of UFO sightings in that area of Virginia from 1987 until 1990. There's still no explanation. Wytheville UFO Fest June 11, 2022https://www.wythevilleufofest.com/All of our links including GoFundMe:https://linktr.ee/UnrefinedPodcast

This is an exciting episode. I get snowed in at a hotel in Wytheville, Virginia, visit New York and try rock climbing. Things are moving and driving!!

Beginning in October 1987, there was a UFO flap in Wytheville, Virginia. Thousands of people in the area reported seeing extraordinary things in the sky, but the most commonly told story that came out of the flap centers around a single witness who, it seems, was singled out for harassment by some unknown entity or organization.On October 7, 1987, reporter Danny Gordon of radio station WYVE called the county sheriff, as he regularly did, to see if the sheriff had any news for him that day. The sheriff told Gordon that three deputies, all ex-military, had reported seeing a UFO that day. According to Gordon in the course of his appearance in a segment devoted to the Wytheville flap in Season 4, Episode 18 of Unsolved Mysteries, the story was used as what he calls a “ha-ha” piece at the end of that day's newscast. Read more →

UFO story with plenty of intrigue.  Late night phone calls. Threats. Break ins, impersonations. Thousands of witnesses.  Plus, why the aliens among us may be living at your local zoo.

The I-81 Corridor Improvement Program consists of innovative, targeted improvements that will have a substantial effect on the safety and reliability of a critical portion of our nation's infrastructure. This podcast series focuses on discussions with VDOT on current improvement projects.

In the 1950's Wytheville, VA was thrust into the national spotlight for having the highest per capita ratio of the polio pandemic. It was running at twice the national average. Wytheville, then a tourist destination, had to shut down and put up a sign to warn travelers away.  We can find a lot of similarities in how we handled that outbreak in Appalachia and how we are handling COVID-19. "We've been to this rodeo before," as one elderly man recently told me.  #Appalachia #pandemic #polio #Wytheville #SummerWithoutChildren

BoA:Audio returns to the realm of UFOs with our guest, filmmaker Sean Kotz, who discusses the 1987 UFO flap in Wytheville, Virginia, which will be chronicled in his forthcoming documentary Strange Country: A Different Kind of UFO Docume

Today, we are chatting with Wythevillve Downtown Executive Director Todd Wolford about the exciting downtown of Wytheville and some upcoming events in 2021. Wytheville in a central hub destination in Southwest Virginia off I-81. If you're looking to travel to West Virginia, North Carolina, Northern Virginia, or Southwest Virginia, chances are, you'll be passing through Wytheville. Coming out of the pandemic, Todd and the team at Wytheville want to give back to the local community by showcasing a large-scale celebration on July 3rd. Packed with music, food, and downtown charm, this family fun event will be one to not miss! To find out more about Wytheville and upcoming events, be sure to visit: Downtown Wytheville Visit Wytheville To find out more about Southwest Virginia and all the fun things to see and do, be sure to visit: Visit Southwest Virginia --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/storiesfromswva/message

Episode Notes This week we're catching up on the Charlottesville Comprehensive planning process with Erin O'Hare. We'll talk about what the current draft would mean for affordable housing and life in the city and the region. Then we're going to hear from an Albemarle family about their efforts to support anti-racism work in the county schools. Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for a conversation with Sam Gleaves. He's a musician, educator, and activist from Wytheville, Virginia who uses his talents in bluegrass and old time music to tell the unsung histories of Appalachia's LGBTQ+ community. https://cvilleplanstogether.com  http://www.samgleaves.com

The twins are not fighting. It might seem like that, though. This episode covers everything from health and fitness to guitars and pencils - from CrossFit to the mountains of Southwest Virginia, Billy Preston to Paul Williams and so much more - including a cool instrumental from Chris. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - "Airwolf Blitzer" - Instrumental by Chris Yale 1:43 - Greetings and about the instrumental / Logic Pro 2:47 - We're not fighting / Fuente Anejo 888 4:00 - Health & fitness / Chris' flip-flops / Achilles heels 5:01 - Eating seeds as a pastime activity 5:35 - Kretschmer 6:05 - Roger's son and coach / More fitness / Nutrition / Insect protein / Cricket protein / Buddy Holly's Crickets 7:45 - Roger's son competed in Fittest of the Coast / CrossFit Wando 8:52 - Riffing on CrossFit 9:23 - Coloring and hunting for Easter Eggs 9:35 - Neil Young "After the Gold Rush" 10:05 - Harry Nilsson "Without You" / Eric Carmen "All By Myself" / Celine Dion "All By Myself" / Eminem "Without Me" 11:10 - Paul Williams interviewed by Brian Koppelman 12:10 - Wytheville, VA and "The Pencil" 12:57 - Pencil quality check / Dixon Ticonderoga 13:35 - Quality and the Global Marketplace 13:30 - Quality and guitars / Chris' guitars / Quality can be found everywhwere 16:32 - Returning guitars / More guitar talk / SansAmp Acoustic Flyrig / Sansabelt pants 19:41 - Popeil Pocket Fisherman 20:45 - Recent gigs at LuLu's North Myrtle Beach / The mix / PreSonus / QSC 23:49 - "Let's unpack this" / "Let's stick a pin in this" / "Hey there" / Jen Psaki 24: 56 - Busy Myrtle Beach / Vaccine talk / Hygiene / Chemicals 26:50 - Inner Space ride at Disneyland back in the day / Billy Preston "Outta Space" 27:48 - Chris' session with Billy Preston / Joe Hicks / Roger Dollarhide / Paramount Recording Studios 29:37 - Drinking in Hollywood / Four Aces / Frolic Room / Firefly / Old Drunks / Drinking at lunch / The Old Spaghetti Factory with Mark Mulkeen / The People Tree / Gower Gulch 33:22 - BUZZ WTR / New booze versus old booze / Seltzers / White Claw / Jameson 34:08 - Roger's daughter is a Hibernophile 35:02 - Freestyling versus talking points 36:15 - 33 Episodes already / Jesus died at 33 / Elton John "21 at 33" DeBarge "All This Love" 37:20 - Happy birthday to our friend Stan Obrycki            

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2013/06/26/love-and-lynching-in-wytheville-raymond-arthur-byrd/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genealogy-adventures/support

Actually, the title of this post should have been finding my father's and my sister's connection to the St. Clair / Sinclair / Sinkler family. Their DNA tests have proved a long-held suspicion of mine. It doesn't look like I inherited enough St. Clair DNA from my DNA test to prove it. That's the autosomal DNA inheritance roll of the dice for you. If you're also using DNA tests to confirm and/or discovery family connections, this is another reason to have a number of people from your immediate family do the old spit or swab in tube thing. In my decade-plus long ancestral journey, DNA testing has unlocked some surprising discoveries. It's confirmed some things my family knew. It's also disproved other theories. One thing it's proven so far is that my African-descended family didn't take the names of enslavers they liked or who may have treated them 'well' within the American chattel slavery system. Nope, they took the surnames that were theirs through birthright. All of them. My link to the St. Clair family is via my father's paternal grandmother, Jane Ann White. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2016/11/26/ann-st-clair-of-wytheville-va-finding-my-lost-connection-to-the-st-clair-sinclair-family/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/genealogy-adventures/support

Church planter David Osborne shares his testimony and what life is like planting a church in Wytheville, Va. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daryl-grimes/support

Welcome to the second podcast of Hillbilly Lily. A podcast about Appalachian culture and to hear their amazing voices. My guest on this episode is a dear friend of mine. She owns a local art school in Wytheville, Virginia, called Rose Cottage. She is apart of many arts communities throughout the southwestern Virginia area. She is owner of MoonBow Artworks, studied and graduated at Virginia Tech for Architecture, she also teaches STEM programs at the local Wythe county schools. Her name is Jen Otey, a wonderful local artist from Wytheville, Virginia. She has traveled all throughout the United States and I can’t wait for you to hear all about her stories. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lily-formato/support

Welcome to the first episode of HillBilly Lily Our first guest and dear friend of mine, Robby Suthers, an appalachian artist from Wytheville, Virginia. Robby is a contemporary artist that focuses on colorfield and expressionism. Hear his story. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lily-formato/support

Rev. Doug Silvers is the pastor of two churches in Wytheville, Virginia, a town of about 20,000 residents.  Doug's experience is unique because he started at this church just two months ago.  Not only has he had to implement many new methods of doing ministry, he's had to do them in a setting where he is also getting to know his congregation and is building trust there.

Probation Peer Support with Eddie Wiggins About the Episode Date: August 20, 2020 Episode 4: Probation Peer Support with Eddie Wiggins Summary Peer Recovery Support has been shown to help increase success in community living for adults with mental health conditions who return from a period of incarceration. The goal of Probation Peer Support is to provide a mental health peer support component as another recovery wellness tool for individuals under probation supervision. Mental Health America of Virginia contracted with the Virginia Department of Corrections for a pilot project in 3 state probation districts: Portsmouth, Winchester and Wytheville. Two Peer Recovery Specialists co-facilitate weekly wellness groups to adult probationers who have mental health or co-occurring mental health and substance use needs. The peer recovery support model uses evidence-based principles of recovery as defined by SAMHSA, and facilitators are trained in the WRAP or a similar model. The pandemic has limited implementation, but phone support is being provided in one district and other virtual support options are planned to help fill the project's goals until in-person groups can resume. Also, probationers may call the MHAV Warm Line at any time for peer to peer listening and supportive reinforcement of recovery principles.   Key Topics Overview of probation peer support program Challenges faced in establishing a new program during the COVID-19 pandemic Continuing education opportunities for peer recovery specialists interested in forensic peer support Eddie Wiggins is a Registered Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist, as well as, a certified Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Peer Recovery Support Trainer for 3 years. Mr. Wiggins is a certified WRAP facilitator. He has previously, worked with the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board’s “Next Step Psychosocial Unit” as a Peer Specialist facilitating educational groups and activities. Currently working with Mental Health America of Virginia as the Probation Peer Manager, he supervises PRS facilitators in three Probation and Parole Districts in the state of Virginia and is responsible for developing and implementing a pilot wellness support group for the Virginia Department of Corrections. He has also held the position of Member-At-Large with SAARA of the Peninsula, volunteering to go into the Newport News City jails to co-facilitate recovery wellness groups for criminally involved individuals seeking to find their pathway to recovery. Prior to working with Mental Health America of Virginia and the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board, Eddie worked with the Peninsula Alcohol Safety Action Program as a Facilitator for 12 years; the Chesapeake Bay Alcohol Safety Action Program In Virginia Beach, VA, as the Executive Administrative Assistant and Coordinator for the ASAP Facilitators. He served as a Residential Substance Abuse worker and Mental Health Technician at two local Rehabilitative Substance Abuse/Mental Health facilities. He has created training curriculums for, ”at-Risk-Youth” while serving as an Information System Consultant and Trainer with the City of Hampton, VA. With 29 years of long term recovery and wellness practice, Eddie, has spoken at many different venues both locally and elsewhere to individuals that struggle with addiction and mental health disorders to improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

Wytheville's R.P. Johnson's building was built in 1939. The business, established in 1840 was a large manufacturer of wagons and carriages until 1928. Now the site is a downtown gathering space in the form of Seven Sisters Brewery. Join property developer Bill Smith, brewer David Clark, and Downtown Wytheville, Inc. Executive Director Todd Wolford for a conversation about the community and this important transformation. "This has been a game changer for our community," says Wolford. Hear the full episode here and read more about the project at virginiamainstreet.com

In today's episode, I had the chance to speak with Michael Gillman about the work he does at the Thomas J. Boyd Museum in Wytheville, Virginia. Michael is the Coordinator of Heritage Sites and Programs for the Wytheville Department of Museums. The Department of Museums includes three museums and a museum gift shop located in downtown Wytheville. I had the pleasure of visiting the Thomas J. Boyd museum for a feature story on the Polio pandemic, while there I also had the chance of seeing Michael's feature exhibit on pioneer SWVA decor. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to see some great exhibits and learn about Southwest Virginia history in Wytheville, to pay these museums a visit. If you would like to learn more about the Thomas J. Boyd Museum, you can begin your journey here. If you would like to learn more about the Stories from Southwest Virginia Podcast and more fun things in Southwest Virginia, you can visit our website here. If you would like to be featured on the Stories from Southwest Virginia Podcast, you can do so by vising our webpage linked above, or by emailing cthompson@myswva.org for more information. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/storiesfromswva/message

Today I’m going to review how to get raw milk cheese in Virginia via our herd share program. And, because I have lots of new listeners, I’m going to review our creamery project. I do want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to my veteran homestead loving regulars. Thank you so much for stopping by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. As always, there’s a lot going on and there is not nearly enough time in the day to get everything done. And as always, I love it. It’s so good to be alive. Homestead Life Updates We are finally getting a break from the heat. Rain has finally returned – at least for the time being. There is still quite a bit of summer left to go. Herd Share Program It has been a while since I talked about our Herd Share program. We offer you the opportunity to have your own part of our dairy herd. You too can experience what we are blessed with by virtue of operating our homestead. I know all of you cannot possibly do what we are doing, but you’d like to have the benefit of fresh dairy products from pasture raised cows. The way you obtain raw milk cheese in Virginia is to purchase part of the herd and then simply pay a monthly boarding and maintenance fee and we will take care of everything else for you. On a weekly basis, you come to the farm and pick up your fresh milk products. We have butter and cheese year-round. During the active milking season we also have fresh, raw A2A2 milk and Yogurt. We guarantee fresh milk from the first Saturday in May through the last Saturday in October. Sometimes we have milk earlier and sometimes it lasts longer into November. As I said earlier cheese and butter are available year-round. We have many members who are only in it for the cheese and butter. If you are not familiar with A2A2 milk, I have a podcast on that topic titled, “What is A2A2 Milk?”. Link in the show notes. Or just go to our website (give web address), click or tap the podcast menu item and browse for it. It’s a way down the page as it was well over a year ago that I did that podcast. The Area We Serve For those of you out there listening to the sound of my voice, if you are in the southern/southwestern Virginia area or northern North Carolina area, we are here for you. It is about an hour trip from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and perhaps an hour and a half from Greensboro. In Virginia, Martinsville, Hillsville, and Galax are all less than an hour away. Wytheville is slightly over an hour. It takes us an hour and 10 minutes to get to the downtown Farmer’s Market. Roanoke is 2 hours from us. Floyd, Christiansburg and Blacksburg are somewhere in between. Herd Share Pickups We are open for on-farm sales and herd share pickups: Saturdays 3 - 5pm and Tuesdays 10am - 12pm. Come on out and get yourself some homestead sunshine. Take a look at how our animals are raised. We’ll answer all of your questions and make sure you get the best grass fed and finished beef, lamb and goat on the market today. Tuesdays 10am – 12 pm and Saturdays 3 – 5 pm.  Creamery For new listeners I want to go over what we are doing with our creamery. My husband, Scott, is single-handedly building our USDA inspected dairy facility. It is a monstrous task. He has been doing the physical work on it for three and a half years. Long before that he was drawing up the plans. He was born with a hammer in his hand so he is very skilled at doing these drawings. We had long discussions about what we needed to include. The dairy inspector has been involved every step of the way. Many hours went into the design before the first bit of ground was dug up for the foundation. Once it is complete, we will be able to offer our raw milk cheeses to the general public. Right now, it is only available via our herd share program that I just talked about. The milk, butter and yogurt will only ever be available via herd share. Unless and until the laws change in Virginia. There are many different sections to the creamery building project. There is a barn, a milking parlor, a milk storage room, a full bath, the cheese make room, two cheese caves, a commercial kitchen and a storefront where I will do business with all of you. Barn The farthest away from my back door is the barn and animal loafing area. This is where we will collect the cows for milking. It is covered and will keep the donkeys out of the rain and snow. There is also a small area on the other of a wall from the stanchion platform. That will be used for various other aspects of animal husbandry. Milking Stanchions and Milking Parlor From the loafing area, the cows walk up four short steps to get to the stanchions. This area is set up with metal bars that keep the cows together and at the perfect angle for milking. The cows walk into the stanchions and eat a little snack while we are milking them. We are standing below them where the floor of the milking parlor and the rest of the building is about 2 and a half feet lower than the elevated barn floor. Let’s do a virtual tour of the rest of the building. You are currently standing on the floor of the milking parlor. It is open and breezy. The design is one we saw at another dairy near us. They got the idea from a trip to New Zealand. Most milking parlors are closed in, dark, and humid. Ours has a roof but no sides. The air freely circulates. Imagine you were facing the cows in their stanchions. Now turn around and face the other way. The rest of the creamery is now in front of you. Milk Room Directly in front of you is the doorway to the milk room. This is where the milk is stored. There is a direct pipeline from the milking parlor to the milk room. Its main feature is a large stainless-steel bulk milk tank. Our tank will hold up to 80 gallons of milk. The milk must be cooled quickly and this is the piece of equipment that makes that happen. In accordance with USDA inspection rules, it must be emptied, cleaned, and sanitized at least every three days. Directly to your left would be the wall of the large cheese cave. There is no access from this side, called the dirty side. To the far left is a utility room. It holds the washer and dryer and the pipeline milking system. That thing is really loud. I’m glad it will be behind closed doors in the utility room.   Full Bath You are still standing in the middle of the parlor floor. Directly to your right is a doorway to the clean side. Walking through the doorway, immediately on your right is a bathroom complete with shower. We will be able to come in dirty and sweaty from milking and take a quick shower and get into clean clothes before entering the “clean side”. When you walk into this section the bathroom is on the right and in front of you is storage area for clean clothes, aprons, gloves, boots and so on that are used within the cheese make room. It is the ultimate in clean spaces. There are even pans of bleach water at various locations to keep the soles of boots clean and sanitized. Cheese Make Room Past the storage areas is the entrance to the cheese make room and a hard-right turn will lead to an entrance/exit door to the creamery on the right. We are going to enter the cheese make room. In here we find all of the tools and equipment used to make the cheese. A vat is the centerpiece. But there are lots of cheese forms or molds for shaping the curd. There are sinks and tables – all stainless steel. Shelves contain various sets of weight, measuring tools, and cleaning supplies. In the corner is the magnificent cheddar cheese press we special ordered from the Netherlands. The floors have a tile with a special and very expensive grout that will hold up to the acid pH of the cheese whey. It empties out of the vat directly onto the floor and flows down to a floor drain in the corner. The Cheese Caves After entering the room, turn left and walk all the way across the room to the exit door. It leads to a common area between the cheese caves and the kitchen. Directly in front of you is the door to the small cheese cave. To the left is the door into the large cheese cave. To the right is an open doorway to the commercial kitchen area. The raw milk cheese caves are heavily insulated rooms that will maintain specific temperatures and humidity. We are currently using the small cave to age the cheeses we are making for our herd share members. It is complete except for electricity. Scott has something rigged up that works quite well for the humidifier, a small lamp, the window air conditioner and Cool Bot. The Cool Bot is an electronic device that fools the air conditioner into thinking it is warmer than it actually is so the air conditioner will continue to run. Most won’t cool a room below 60 degrees. But with a Cool Bot we can get our temperature down to the low 50’s which is ideal for aging cheese. The small humidifier keeps the humidity well over 70% and sometimes as high as 83%. I’d like to get it to go higher. Still working on that detail. The large cheese cave will be similarly equipped and has enough space to house an entire year’s worth of cheese. Some of our cheeses need at least 8 or 9 months to reach a decent maturity and will only get better with time. Commercial Kitchen Standing in that entry alcove, large cave on the left, small cave in front of you, turn right into the commercial kitchen. You can see yet another entrance/exit door. It’s not there yet, but you will eventually see a large stove to the left of the door and a triple sink to your left against that wall. Stainless steel tables will be in the middle of the room. Freezers and refrigerators will be lined along the wall opposite of the door. A window above the chest freezers will give visitors a view into the cheese make room. Far to the right you will see the door to the storefront. And that is the last room in the building. Of course, it also has an entrance/exit door. This door is where you guys would enter the building to pick up product. Another window here that looks into the cheese make area. When it is finally complete, we will have an open house for you all to come and see how it all turned out. Classes in cheesemaking and food preservation will also be a time where you all can see the final creation. And if you are a herd share owner, weekly and/or monthly visits bring you even more access to all of it. That went a little longer than I originally intended but I get so excited when I’m talking about our creamery. I want everyone to know how wonderful this project is and what a wonderful job Scott is doing to bring our dreams to life. How about some homestead updates on the animals, gardens and orchard. Animals All of the animals are doing well, even in the heat. The cows produce slightly less milk on really hot days, but for the most part they are doing a splendid job of producing milk and otherwise munching lazily on grass all day. The calves are getting bigger every day. Luna’s eye is healed and it looks like she will have permanent scarring on her eyeball. We now have the flies under control and do not foresee any future issues with pink eye. We are down to just two bulls being raised for meat. I called the meat processor today to get them scheduled. It will be October 2021 before they can be processed. There are still hiccups in the food supply chain due to the virus. It looks like it is going to take quite a while to get that flow back to normal. The overflow from the closure or reduction of service from large processing plants keeps overwhelming smaller, custom processing operations used by small farmers.    The goats and sheep are also doing very, very well. I am pleased that we have had no issues with lambs this year. It is the first time in our history on this homestead that we have come this far without losing a single lamb. A 70% to 80% survival rate is much more common for us. I noticed the coats on the donkeys are really glossy today. Probably a month ago they finally shed all of their winter coat. Quite often they roll in the dirt and dull their coats, but we had rain last night and they were particularly glossy this morning. Garden The heat has kept me busy watering the garden. I don’t know if I mentioned this in prior podcasts, but I hope to have drip irrigation in place next year. We keep improving our gardens each year and I think it is time for the automatic watering system to get going again. We had it working for a couple of years, but we have not reconstructed it since the entire garden was redesigned four years ago. The peppers, tomatoes and sunflowers are the centerpieces of the garden at the moment. Many of the sunflowers have bloomed. They are gorgeous. The tomato plants are loaded with green tomatoes. I saw an orange one this morning I will have to go our there later and see if there are others. The peppers are producing well. Some of the peppers are smaller than I think they should be and I believe that is due to not enough fertilizing. I need to step up my game in that arena. Well now that I think on it, the basil, oregano and thyme are also worth note. I took an oregano leaf to Scott the other day and let him smell it and identify it. Don’t you just love the smell of fresh basil and oregano? I’ll be drying some of that for use this winter. Orchard A lot of the blackberries are getting eaten by the birds. There is a ground hog hole in there also. He is probably taking advantage as well. Scott went out there with the chain saw and cut a path between the rows. I might have mentioned that last time. He started last week and just yesterday finished all of the rows. I can freely pick berries now. But there is still so much that needs to happen with cleaning up those rows of blackberries. Now that I have a clear path, I foresee the final clean up happening much later. In the fall or perhaps even in the winter. The strawberries are completely overrun with weeds. I have a task on my calendar that says, “weed the strawberries”. It also says it is four weeks overdue. Do you have any idea how many weeds have taken over in four weeks? It’s a lot. There are far more weeds than strawberry plants. Looking on the bright side, the larger weeds are much easier to pull up all at once. And with just a little work, it makes a very big dent. Feeling you have accomplished something is very easy when you see the earth where previously it was covered in large green things with lots of stickers. Final Thoughts That’s it for today’s podcast. I hope you enjoyed the tour of the creamery. It’s good to review how far we have come every once in a while. If you looking for raw milk cheese in Virginia or nearby, I hope you’ll consider joining our herd share program. We make really fine cheese and our milk is rich, nutritious and, best of all, delicious. The butter I make is the best I have ever tasted and I have had other grass-fed raw milk butters. Mine is superb. You won’t find this kind of quality and flavor anywhere else. If you enjoyed this podcast, don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcast listening app. Also, please share this podcast with any of your friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. Thank you so much for listening and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. To learn about herd shares: Visit our website Herd Share page To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

In today’s podcast “Best Animals for a Homestead” is the topic. We have tried many animals and plan to try a few more. The best animals for a homestead will depend on your goals and land situation. I’ll talk about our thought processes and how we came to choose our animals and specific breeds. Let me take a minute to say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. If it were not for you, this show would not exist. I appreciate you all and hope you and your families are doing well. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week. Our Virginia Homestead Life Updates Because this podcast is generally about the best animals for a homestead, I’ll keep the garden and fruit portion relatively short. Garden The garden is amazing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We love this ground cover. The plants are thriving like they never have before. Even with the harsh heat we have been experiencing, everything is thriving. Tomatoes The tomatoes are coming on strong. There seemed to be only a few tomatoes for a while, but now when I go out there, I see every plant has many, many tomatoes. It won’t be long now. The only type of tomato I am growing this year is a paste tomato. I will get my slicing tomatoes from other vendors at the farmer’s market. My tomato crop is specifically designed to produce lots of tomatoes to be used in making tomato sauce and barbecue sauce. Peppers Peppers are up next. You can’t have tomato plants without pepper plants. They are all doing so well. The sweet banana peppers starting bearing first, then the jalapeno and cayenne started ripening. I’ve harvested only one green bell pepper but many more are in the near future. The plants are strong and bearing lots of fruit. They just need to get a bit bigger. It’s going to be a fabulous year for peppers. That green bell pepper was out of this world. I like to cut up a banana pepper and sprinkle it over my eggs while they are cooking. The peppers get cooked just enough to add their fabulous flavor to the eggs. Potatoes All of the potatoes have been harvested. We had about 75 square feet of red potatoes and 25 square feet of Yukon Gold potatoes. Most of them were quite small but also quite healthy. They are the size of new potatoes, about two to three inches in diameter, and I am treating them as such. Rather than curing and firming the skins, I’m letting them be with their thin skins so perfect for boiling and roasting. In the past we have lost many potatoes before getting them out of the ground due to rotting with fungus. Again, this time all healthy. I’m ready to plant again. Crowder Peas I started picking the crowder peas a few days ago. And then again last night I picked them again. I will wait another day or two and give them another go. I have great luck with crowder peas every year. It appears this year will be a bumper crop year. Basil and Other Culinary Herbs This is my first year for really growing basil. I am really pleased with how easy it was to grow this herb. I’m packaging up 2 cup bags to take to the farmer’s market. Come see me on Saturdays in Wytheville, VA 8 am to noon. I’m including a fresh Basil Pesto recipe with every purchase. If you’re not in my area and want the recipe, I’ll put a link in the show notes. Or just hop over to our website at Peaceful Heart Farm dot com and select “recipes” from the menu. It will be at the top of the list. The Oregano and Thyme are also doing well. The parsley and cilantro don’t look so good. I’ll have to investigate how to do better with those two. I think the Rosemary will also do well, but it grows much slower. Because we have lamb, we use a lot of rosemary. And I love it when it’s fresh. Dried works okay. But fresh is the best. I have a little bit of mint growing here and there also. I want to try a mint sauce recipe with our lamb. I haven’t had the opportunity to do that so far and am looking forward to it. I may make some mint jelly as well. Sometimes mint sauce recipes use mint jelly or offer it as a substitute ingredient. Fruit The blackberry bushes are producing lots of fruit. However, it is such a jungle down there I’m not really able to harvest it. We have been doing other tasks and have let them get overgrown. Blackberry canes are very prolific. Perhaps you’ve had some wild ones invade your space. They can be a real pain. Most of ours are thornless, but there are many wild volunteers that make picking the berries a greater challenge. Certainly not as much of a challenge as picking from a patch that is entirely wild with an abundance of thorns, but a hindrance just the same. I really enjoy picking berries when there are no thorns. Well, I guess we need to just take a day to go in there with hedge trimmers and cut out the overgrowth and clear out the wild ones. I’m pretty sure they already have a pretty good foot hold and are solidly mixed in with the thornless ones, but with diligent effort we can keep them under control. It’s just one of those homestead jobs that is not really fun. Some things on the homestead are wonderful and other things are really unpleasant. Getting my ankles ripped up by blackberry thorns is unpleasant. I guess I could wear thick socks. But it’s ssssoooo hot out there. Is it hot where you are? Moving on to the animals. Animals I’ll give a health and wellness update and then some information on how we came to have these particular animals. After I cover what we have, I’ll go into some that we want to have but don’t have yet. Sheep Sheep were the first animals that we added to the homestead in 2010. We started with a dozen pregnant ewes. We added a breeding ram, grew the flock to over 70, then scaled back to our present flock of six to eight ewes and one ram. This year we had eight ewes and have now added 9 lambs. All doing well and keeping together for the most. The health of our flock has steadily improved over the years. We chose katahdin sheep. It is a meat breed as opposed to a fiber breed. They are referred to as hair sheep. That means that they shed their wool every spring. We do not need to keep up with having them sheared every year. There are other hair sheep, but after research we decided on katahdin due to their excellent mothering instincts and their ability to thrive on pasture. They have internal parasite issues comparable to other breeds. I don’t think there is any way to get around that issue. Breeding for parasite resistance and managing our pastures has improved our flock health tremendously. If we knew in the beginning what we know now, we would have asked a few more pertinent questions before purchasing. We would have looked at the eyelids of a few of the ewes before we bought them. The flock we purchased came with a heavy worm load. They literally needed to be wormed every 3 or 4 months just to keep them and their lambs alive. Indeed, we lost a few ewes and lots or lambs before we got it under control. Naïve as we were, we did not even know it would be a problem. Oftentimes we as humans go into a situation thinking everyone thinks and acts as we do; that is a great illusion. They would of course be caring for their animals in a manner similar to our plan. Not true. Anyway, over the years we have learned how to tell when they are stressed with parasites and act quickly to bring it under control. Because of this kind of husbandry, we no longer have what I would call real issues with parasites. We may go an entire year or more without using chemical wormer at all. In other years, it may only one or two animals that get treatment. In the past four or five years we have not had to use much at all. This spring, not one single animal needed treatment. Oh, they still have the parasites and have to be monitored. But they are able to handle it effectively. A healthy flock can be maintained without chemicals. Pasture maintenance and management is the key. Well, good genetics are also important. But even the best genetics will fail if the pastures are not managed well. Donkeys Donkeys were the next animal to be added to the homestead. We chose miniature donkeys. Working with small animals was what we were comfortable with and these beauties fit the bill. Daisy was pregnant with Sweet Pea when we purchased her. Both are still on the homestead and both are doing very well. Sweet Pea ended up being bigger than her mom. I’m not sure she would even qualify as a miniature. They must be 36” or less at the shoulder. A few years later we added Johnny. He produced several foals for us including Cocoa whom we still have. He produced so prolifically that we decided that enough was enough. We wanted to keep him so we enlisted the vet to change him from a Jack to a John. It is fitting is it not? A John is a gelded Jack. Johnny is a John. He will no longer produce Jennys. There is another term for Jenny before they have their first foal, but I can’t remember it right now. Johnny and Cocoa are also doing well. The problem we have with the donkeys right now is we simply don’t need four. Eventually, we will be selling Johnny and Sweet Pea. Daisy has always been a favorite and Cocoa is my next favorite. They are just friendly and loving. Sweet Pea is an attention hog. She is so friendly she will keep pushing and nudging you from behind for more attention. Johnny is quite shy but if he lets you get close, he really enjoys a good scratch as much as the girls. We chose donkeys as guard animals for the sheep and lambs. And ours are very good at it. They have kept the coyotes away. We only had one bad incident with coyotes. Spring lambing was in full swing. It rained heavily one night and the pond flooded out into the field. The donkeys were on one side and the sheep and lambs on the other side. We came out to find three lambs destroyed by the coyotes. But again, that was the only incident. We’ve lost a lamb here and there to other predators. But the coyotes stay away. That was and is always the main concern I have with sheep and lambs. Coyotes can be devastating to a flock of sheep. Cows and Calves I’ll start out with saying that all of the cows and calves are doing very well. I have started using a natural fly spray and it is working. I’m am very pleased. Flies are a real problem when you have cattle. It’s the poop, you see. Flies love to use it as a breeding ground. And cows make a lot of poop. But with a few squirts of my special fly spray twice a day, we are keeping them at bay. We did have that issue with Luna and pink eye that I talked about last time, but I am keeping a close watch on her and making sure she gets her fly spray twice a day. The spray does not diminish the fly population. Later, we will have chickens to help keep the fly population down. More on that later.  As I have mentioned before, we have Normande cows. For you guys that are new, there is a whole podcast on why we chose Normandes. I’ll put a link in the show notes. I’ll just summarize it here. It started off with me wanting to have a family cow for milk, butter and cheese. Quickly that grew to wanting a small herd to make handmade farmstead cheese. We chose the Normande breed to one main reason along with a few more major/minor reasons. The main reason is they are a dual breed cow. We needed to have a calf every year to have milk. The calf would be grown out for meat. That was the original plan. The dual breed was perfect for that. The calf would produce excellent meat and the cow would produce excellent milk. Usually a cow is either excellent at producing beef or prolific in making milk. The Normande does both. There are other breeds that are considered dual breeds but we settled on the Normande because of the other major/minor characteristics that were important to us. I did want to make cheese and the Normande, as well as being a dual breed, was genetically bred in France to produce the finest cheese. They were also bred to sustain themselves on grass. We did not know how great a boon that was until we purchased that Jersey and saw how much supplemental grain she required just to maintain her weight. The Normandes have no such requirement and still produce similar amounts of milk. Other great things are that they have extremely beautiful coats. They are docile, very docile. Here again, the Jersey cow gave us the true contrast there. Sure, the Jersey has those beautiful and gentle eyes. But let me tell you, they can be quite aggressive. Mostly with the other cows, but she has certainly challenged us from time to time as well. We will eventually sell her and stay with our Normandes. She is a lovely cow and we have learned a lot. But the Normande is the cow for us. We purchased Claire and Buttercup in 2011. Claire was bred to an angus bull and gave birth to a lovely calf. Willis has been gone for many years but I still remember the joy of that first calf being born. Buttercup is a full sister to Claire and one year younger. The next year we added Cloud, Violet and Lilly. We also purchased a bull, Teddy, with that lot. Teddy was sold a few years back. Cloud was a bred heifer and gave birth to Dora who we lost last year. Dora had complications following a breech calf. Well, the complications likely happened before the birth began. She was two weeks early, hence the breech position and subsequent infection that took her down. We purchased Butter, a Jersey cow, last year for her A2A2 milk. She was our seed for starting our herd share program. At that time, our cows had not been tested for the A2A2 genetic trait and we wanted to offer A2A2 milk to our herd share customers. Our current herd consists of the matriarch, Claire, and her sister, Buttercup along with Cloud, Violet and Butter. That’s five cows for the moment. We also have two heifers. Cloud gave birth to Luna in November last year and Buttercup gave us Virginia just five weeks ago. It will still be a while before the two heifers add milk to our supply. Luna will be bred summer 2021 and will give birth to her first calf in spring 2022. Virginia will follow the year after. Or we could breed her in September or later in 2021 for a calf in the summer or fall of 2022. We shall see. It takes a while to build a herd. Goats There is way too much information on various goats for my information here to be of much use. I wanted Cashmere for my knitting projects. There is no registered cashmere breed, though there is an American Cashmere Goat Association. With cashmere it’s all about the fiber. Lots of goat breeds produce cashmere. A cashmere goat herd is simply one where selective breeding has produced the finest fiber. That was my only criteria for a goat breed – other than we needed pasture maintenance. They are great at keeping those wild blackberries down. I can’t turn them loose in the blackberries we are growing on purpose. They will not distinguish between wild thorny, thorny blackberries and our lovely thornless ones. They will simple eat everything in sight. They eat the briars and wild roses as well. Goats eat lots of plants that the cows and sheep won’t touch. They keep small trees and bushes under control as well. Left alone the pastures would be filled with all kinds of bushes and young trees, especially pine trees. They can really take over the edges of a pasture quickly. Future plans include thinning out the cashmere goats to nothing and then bringing in some meat goats. Right now, Kiko is the breed at the top of my list, with Spanish waiting in the wings. They are both meat goats with low parasite loads and little hoof maintenance. That’s another reason for my change of heart with the goats. Our current herd requires regular hoof trimming. If I can shop well, the next one will not. That’s all I’m going to say about the goats. You may be thinking of milking goats or meat goats, but I really don’t have a lot of information in those areas to add to your knowledge.  Quail The quail chicks are hatched. We have 52 in the brooders and 4 more still in the incubator. Two of those in the incubator will live, one other is a maybe will live and the fourth is not going to make it. There is a problem with its legs and it cannot stand. Let me back up a little bit. There is a lot to this story. Most of them hatched on Saturday. They stay in the incubator for up to three days. They need to dry off and get some strength in their legs and they need to be kept consistently warm. The incubator provides that environment. They were scheduled to go into the brooders on Tuesday. That date changed to Monday based on a couple of different incidents. Power Outage So much has happened that it is a little bit of a blur. I can’t recall whether it was Saturday evening or Sunday evening when we were blessed with rain and I thought, “great, I don’t have to water the garden”. Watering the garden had become nearly a daily activity. It was a tremendous thunderstorm. So tremendous that the power went out. The incubator was off and those 50 plus babies were now in danger. A call to the power company revealed that the power was guaranteed to be back on by 3:00 am. Good to know, but without the incubator or some other source of heat, those newly hatched quail would not survive. Scott came to the rescue and hooked up the generator and selectively turned on breakers so the incubator was functional. It was quite the balancing act. The cows still needed to be milked so he also turned on the breaker that would provide power to the portable milker. After that, the circuit breaker for the portable milker was turned off and the one for the water pump was turned on so we could clean up the milking equipment and get showers. That one was turned off and the circuits for the freezers were turned on. Thankfully, the power was back on long before 3:00 am. Stabilizing the Incubator The problem with the power going on and off and the incubator is stabilizing the heat and humidity. While they are just eggs, this has not really been a problem. But the last two hatchings required me to vent the humidity and temperature just a little to keep from suffocating the babies. For whatever reason, when there are so many baby birds in there, the humidity goes off the scale and the machine has trouble maintaining the proper temperature. It tends to get too hot. To get to the point, the next night I barely got any sleep at all. Somewhere between trying to stabilize the humidity and temperature, I let it run out of water in the middle of the night. Now the humidity was way too low. I added the water back to the tray and closed the lid completely to wait for the humidity to come back up. That, of course, caused the temperature to get too high and the incessant beeping began again. I vented that and went back to bed. And another hour later, the humidity was now too high again. So I get up again and vent the humidity and then leave the lid just a tiny bit open. Early Move to the Brooder Between the power outage and the constant struggle to maintain the proper temperature and humidity, I was very ready to put in the little guys into the brooder a day early. That meant that some of the eggs may not be finished hatching and it might cause them to die. I took the risk, and as quickly as I could I got the babies out and put the lid back on the incubator. More issues last night with the humidity and temperature. Scott wanted to turn it off but I wanted to wait. One more bird had hatched out after I took out the original 52 and there could be others. Today I waited as long as I could and then opened the top to check out the eggs. I found a very healthy bird, the bird that could not use its legs and two more that were not out of their egg shell yet. I helped them most of the way out and waited. One of those looks pretty good but the other, I don’t know. He may not make it. There were two others that died in their shell. Likely all that fiddling around with the temperature and humidity hurt them. It’s all good. I was not sure we would have very many eggs hatch at all. I am very pleased with 53 very healthy birds and perhaps one or two more. So why do we have quail? Why not chickens? That’s the next topic. Other Animals We Want Chickens Chickens are a natural as a “best animals for a homestead” in general and especially if you plan to make cheese. They can drink the whey and it is a great protein supplement. Another great advantage I mentioned earlier. We can use them to eat the fly larvae. Again, a great protein supplement. Less purchased feed. Of course, the best thing about chickens is they provide both meat and/or eggs, depending on the breed you choose. We will be choosing a dual-purpose bird herd as we chose a dual-purpose breed of cow. We eat lots of eggs and of course we love eating chicken. Chickens are a great first animal to have on a homestead. They are small, easy to learn about and fairly quickly provide food for your family. They do need a good shelter. Therein lies the reason that we don’t have them yet. Scott is putting all of his time into building the creamery. No time for building additional animal shelters. Well, except for the quail. He built their hutches in about a day. To build the chicken facilities would take maybe up to a couple of weeks. It also means learning and studying a new animal. No matter how many animals you have experience with, a new one requires additional education and experience. Sometimes just figuring out how to accomplish a needed task is a trial and error experience over days, weeks, or months. Don’t get me wrong. I love learning about new animals and how to care for them properly to get the best result for them and for us. But it does take time and effort that we are currently investing in other areas. Perhaps next year we will add chickens.  Pigs And perhaps next year we will add pigs. Pigs are truly one of the best animals for a homestead. Rumor has it they are easy to grow. Starting out with growing out small pigs purchased from someone nearby is the best way to start. Their growing season also intersects with our cheesemaking. Pigs also like that high protein whey. They are a natural addition to a cheesemaking operation such as ours. I can’t wait to give them a try. There is a breed call Idaho Pastured pigs in which I am very interested. We shall see if I can find any in our area when the time comes. We will be raising pigs for meat. And rumor also has it that pigs raised on whey make some very tasty bacon. Rabbits I just want to add one more that is a maybe. Rabbits. I think rabbits would just be fun. But I also thought I would have fun with the fiber goats. We shall see. You can only do so much. There is only so much time in a day. The best animals for a homestead list sometimes needs to be narrowed down to what is actually manageable.  Final Thoughts That’s it for today’s podcast. There are lots of animals to choose from and many breeds within each species. You will have to do a lot of research on what will work for your goals. We prefer dual purpose animals. We prefer heritage breed animals. These both fit with our goals to raise animals sustainably and with as many natural husbandry techniques as possible. Each of our animals has a purpose on the homestead. They all contribute to the health of our homestead environment. Fertilizer, pest control, weed control, parasite control and so on. All done with animals and some natural products such as apple cider vinegar and essential oils. What do you think are the best animals for a homestead? What are your goals? What are your values? The last two questions define and support the first question. The system you put in place will be unique to you. I hope I’ve given you some ideas about how it might be done. If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. References: Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe Why Normande Cows To learn about herd shares: Visit our website Herd Share page To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

Bryan Underwood is a brilliant musician. He left Wytheville, VA as a teenager to attend Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. There, he honed his craft, spread some Appalachian culture, and finally "learned" how to make spaghetti. Bryan is an awesome guest, because he recognizes how special his Appalachian roots are, in spite of having a broad background that includes a New England education. Bryan talks about his family, their cooking traditions, holiday gatherings, and family heirlooms. He is so charming and witty, you're going to love hearing from him in this episode. Get comfy, we know you're not going anywhere, and enjoy the show with Bryan Underwood.

Moto 9 In this episode, we hit the COVID-19 crisis on the head. We touch on what WE think is in store for the 2020 moto season, not only here in Ohio, but across the country. We also hit on this past weekend's Victory Sports FMF Arenacross Championship at the APEX Center in Wytheville, Virginia. The OMPR Boys were down there in full swing, and had a couple special announcements that we hit on in the show. ***WE DO NOT CONDONE ILLEGAL TRESPASSING OR OTHER ACTIVITIES!*** http://www.everett328productions.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Motohioshow/ https://www.facebook.com/everett328productions/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/OhioMiniMXOhioPitBikeRiders/ https://flowvisionco.com/

In this episode, you'll learn about the Wytheville Community College, and the various programs that are available to help students start a meaningful career in a high demand occupation. Discover the options available for students, including transfer and concurrent enrollment opportunities. 

You can make your own cheese just as well as anyone. A few years ago, I offered a piece of my cheese for tasting to a coworker. Her response was, “cheese can be made?” I’m not sure what she thought about how cheese got to the grocery store. I regret not asking her though I was sensitive to not making her feel uncomfortable about not knowing how cheese is produced. I’ve heard kids sometimes think their food simply comes in cans and boxes. Meat appears in the cooler section by magic. There is no concept of plants and animals as the origination point. Lots of people today have no connection to their food. Since you are listening to this podcast, I’m going to assume you are not one of them. I’m thinking you are very interested in the answers to the question, “from where does my food originate?” I’ve spoken before about the basis of cheesemaking and today I want to talk about the basics of the equipment and setup you need to be able to make your own cheese at home. Every part is very important and not that expensive. Much of it involves using what you may already have in your kitchen.  I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates You Can Make Your Own Cheese – Part I Greek Meatballs and Yogurt-Mint Sauce Homestead Life Updates Creamery The roof of the creamery is on and dried in. The floors are swept clean and look wonderful. It’s a little dark in there. The doors and windows we purchased last year have been kept under a tarp. They are now inside and safe from the weather. According to Scott, that is the next step, getting all the doors and windows in place. He’s putting the wood frames into the concrete blocks right now. Cows The birthing events draw ever nearer each day. Less than two months remain before Claire is scheduled to give birth to a beautiful purebred Normande calf. All is going well with no issues to report. Sheep, Goats, and Donkeys The sheep, goats, and donkeys are doing well. They are eating hay and eating hay and eating hay. That’s what they do in the winter. Quail Same for the quail. They are eating their 24% protein chick feed ration and huddling together to stay warm. They look great!! Game birds need a higher protein ratio than domestic chickens. Can’t wait until the quail start laying eggs again and we can start hatching out the cute little quail chicks. Let’s talk cheese. You Can Make Your Own Cheese I’m sure many of you want to develop new cooking skills and you can make your own cheese. It does take practice and you may even need to attend a hands-on cheesemaking workshop, but cheesemaking can absolutely happen in your home kitchen. You’ll need some equipment, a cheesemaking space, and sanitation procedures. Having a proper space with the right equipment and knowing how to keep the space and tools properly cleaned and maintained goes a long way to making it fun and successful. You will want cleanable, easily maintained equipment and surfaces that pose no risk when used to manufacture food for human consumption. So, let’s take a look at all of those issues and help you get set up to make cheese! Because there is so much information, this will be two podcasts. This one will cover all the equipment. The next will be about setting up your space and the cleaning requirements and methods. Choosing Equipment First, I’ll go over how to choose the things you will need and want to have on hand for cheesemaking. Some are optional, especially at first, depending on the cheese you want to make. And due to the popularity of home cheesemaking, you can often find local stores carrying many cheesemaking supplies as well. I’ll put a link in the show notes for one of my favorite resources, New England cheesemaking. Their website is cheesemaking.com. Pots and Vats The primary considerations when choosing the proper receptacle to make your cheese is the material and condition. Whether you make your cheese in a 1-gallon pan on the stove or in a steam jacketed cheese vat, your receptacle is best if made of high-quality stainless steel. You may or may not know this, but stainless steel comes in varying grades. The cheaper it is, the less likely it will hold up well over time. You may even find that it will rust in spots. For home use stainless steel pots with stainless or tempered glass lids—a type of glass that is fine in high heat situations—can be used. Just be aware that glass can break and ruin a batch of cheese. A coated or enameled surface is also fine for home use, as long as you inspect it before and, even more importantly, after use. If you notice a chip missing from your enameled pot when you’re done making cheese, you should suspect that it is in your cheese. That cheese will need to be thrown away. In any case, the surface must be easily cleaned. So, any deep scratches or rivets on the inside, the surface, or in nooks are undesirable. In the commercial world they are not allowed. The next factor for you to consider in choosing your pot will be size. The most common at-home cheese vat is a double-boiler-type set up of a pot set in a sink of warm water or inside a larger pot of water on the stove top. Personally, I have a 12-quart stainless steel pot and a 24-quart stainless steel pot that I use in my kitchen sink. The smaller pot I use to make a one- or 2-gallon cheese in the larger pot I used to make cheese with 4 to 5 gallons of milk. If you choose to use your stovetop, look for a large stainless-steel pot and an enamel or stainless-steel water bath canner. Walmart carries these products as well as canning supply retailers. For the stovetop, you will need a mechanism to keep the inner pot containing the milk off of the bottom of the pot with the heated water. This allows water to circulate underneath your pot of milk. You can use a wire cooling rack or even just a few Mason jar lid rings at the bottom of the canner the rings will rust, but if the water bath pot is not also used for cooking, it is a problem. In general, all of my cheesemaking supplies are used only for cheesemaking. One other option I will mention is using your slow cooker. I’ve never used mine to make cheese, but I’m pretty sure it would work. A half-gallon to 1 gallon of milk would be the limitation there for me. Speaking of which, I have used my Cosori instant pot to make queso fresco. That cheese is so simple it requires nothing more than the stainless-steel instant pot and a slotted spoon. Check out my website for that recipe. I’ll put a link in the show notes. Milk Storage Containers You can skip this section if you are making cheese with milk your purchased from the grocery. Yes, you can use store-bought milk. As long as it is not ultra-pasteurized. Whole, pasteurized milk purchased from the grocery store will make a decent cheese. Obviously, it’s not the same as making it with raw milk from your own cow or from raw milk you obtained via the rules in your state. And there are a few differences in ingredients and amounts of culture, but pasteurized milk will make any cheese your heart desires. If you are collecting your own milk or buying it from your neighbor, there is a good chance that you will store it for at least one day. We use stainless steel cans with tight-fitting lids but these are expensive. Our 2 ½ gallon stainless steel milk cans were at least $60 each plus shipping. Mason jars are a great option here. We use the ½ gallon size. I also have a bunch of 1 gallon jars. Less jars to empty and clean but harder to find. Just keep in mind that if you find a chip in the glass, it’s likely in the milk. Keep the milk very cold and use it within one day. If you wait longer, the naturally occurring enzymes and bacteria will overpopulate and overrun the cultures you add. You will get cheese, but who knows what it will be. Forms, Hoops, and Molds These items usually need to be purchased. It’s one of a few things that is worth the investment. In all honesty, you are probably going to spend more money on cheese forms than you need to. It is pretty much impossible to know early on what types of cheese you will end up making the most, what size wheels you will be happiest with, and how many forms you really need. Don’t get too stressed about it. You may even be able to craft your own. The main thing to remember is that they must be made of some kind of material that is easily cleaned and not negatively affected by the acid produced by the draining cheese—so no aluminum or copper. As an aside, the terms “hoop,” “form,” and “mold” are pretty much interchangeable. As long as they are easy to clean and made of food grade material, you can come up with some pretty creative options, such as plastic colanders, salad spinner bowls, or even food storage bowls with drainage holes drilled in the sides. Some people even use large diameter PVC pipe or plumbing piping for cold water lines as cheese forms. Keep in mind the ruggedness of the form if you will be applying weight during draining. The less pressure that is used, the more options you have when selecting forms. If you’re making a cheese that requires a great deal of pressure, such as cheddar, you will need a very sturdy, straight sided form or a curve sided form designed to take the pressure exerted by a mechanical press. More on presses later. When shopping for forms made specifically for draining cheeses, you will have many choices. You will likely end up with some that you only use once or twice, and maybe you can even give those away to another cheese maker who is in the early experimentation phase. The plastic forms come in four basic types: those meant to be used with cheesecloth and pressure; basket type forms for ladled, unpressed curd; micro perforated forms with many tiny holes to simulate the effect of cheesecloth; and Kadova type forms that had a built in mesh lining. The Kadova and micro perforated forms are notorious for being difficult to clean. But they also eliminate the need for cheesecloth and cleaning involved with its use. Cheesecloth, Draining Bags, Mats Cheesecloth serves two purposes during draining: first, it helps keep the loose curd in a shape while it knits back together, and second, it helps wick whey away from the cheese and toward drainage holes in the form. It is important to choose the right fabric to properly drain the type of cheese you are making. In general, you can apply the following policy: the finer and softer the curd, the tighter the weave of the cloth should be. The fabric sold in most kitchen and department stores that is labeled as cheesecloth has a very open, gauze like mesh and is not suitable for draining cheeses. Instead, you will want to buy real cheesecloth from a cheesemaking supply company. Draining bags are designed specifically for making soft, spreadable cheeses. They have a very fine weave and are sturdily manufactured. A great substitute is a white pillowcase, which you will, of course, clean and sanitize before using. If you have any sewing skills and the right equipment, you can sew your own draining bags. Draining mats can be used directly under cheeses such as brie and Camembert during draining and aging, under forms during draining (to help keep the form itself up out of the draining way), and under hard cheese during aging (to promote airflow around the cheese). Many people use plastic needlepoint matting as a substitute. It looks almost the same and works as well. It is low in cost and is usually available for purchase locally (rather than having to be ordered, like the “official” cheese matting). Reed mats, such as those designed to make sushi rolls, can also be a good choice. Weights and Presses Creativity is the name of the game here. Some cheese will require a specific press, but most can be improvised. The options are almost limitless when setting up a way to lightly press cheeses—from stackable cheese forms and jugs of water or sand to barbell weights. I’ve used them all. Keep the following things in mind when designing your pressing system: stability—will the weight shift and come crashing down when you are not observing the pressing? And cleanability—are the weights cleanable and contained so they don’t leak or leech any nonfood substances or chemicals in your cheese? If you find you must move up to a mechanical press, you have two basic options, then multiple choices within those options; a single wheel screw type press or lever press. Your choice will likely revolve around the number of wheels you plan on pressing at the same time. Small single wheel presses that can press 3 to 4-pound wheels can be expensive, and it will be quite time-consuming to have more than one or two wheels that you need to remove from the press, redress, and turn. When choosing a single screw type press, look for durability, cleanability, and pressure scale. The most expensive are made from all-stainless-steel parts—and of course, these are the most cleanable and durable. Some single presses are made from wood and laminate parts. Finally, the lever press, also called a Dutch or Holland lever press, because of its long history of manufacture and use in that country. Lever presses designed for home use are usually made of a hard wood such as maple. It is important that they not be made of a softer wood, as the lever arm from which weights will be hung can crack if it is not sturdy enough. Lever presses can be freestanding or attached to a wall. You can purchase a premade kit for single wheel versions of those presses and find plans online. I used to have one of these mounted on the wall. Scott made it for me. Alas, I’ve taken it down and I don’t think I have any pictures. It was my main press when I was making 3 to 5-gallon cheeses. It was simply a long stick of wood that would fold up and out of the way and then fold down when I needed to use it. My weights were 1 gallon and half gallon plastic milk jugs. I put them on the scale and added as much water as I needed to reach a specific weight. I believe I had a 2-pound, a 4-pound, and 8-pound weight. They each had a small piece of rope tied to the handle which I could loop over the arm of the lever press. Miscellaneous Tools You will need quite an assortment of miscellaneous tools, such as ladles, curd cutting knife, measuring cups, measuring syringe, colander, thermometer, timer or clock, a scale for weighing curd, and brine “tank.” If you are also waxing cheeses, that will require equipment as well. A perforated cheese ladle can be either purchased or modified from a long handled, slotted stainless steel skimmer. The ladle is used to gently stir the curds, and the perforations allow for the whey to flow through the spoon, as well as to help disperse coagulant and calcium chloride when being added to the cheese milk. A curd knife is used to cut the coagulated milk into curds. Again, you can purchase one or use a long, narrow spatula; a frosting spreader; or even a thin piece of stainless steel. There are some small-scale cheese “harps” on the market, but beware of blades that are too thick or spaced too widely—once you make large cubes, is a bit more difficult to cut them smaller evenly, as they are now moving in the vat as you try to cut them. A small-scale harp can be fabricated by creating a stainless frame that is strung with nylon fishing line. While it is not necessary to invest in such a harp, it will give you the advantage of nearly perfect cubes of curd. When a harp is turned it around about, it cuts concentric circles that must then be cut vertically. Leaving you with more of a pie shaped curd than a square one. For measuring liquid, you will need a variety of measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a couple of plastic syringes in 5 cc, 3 ml, and 1 ml sizes. A cubic centimeter (CC) is the same as a milliliter. If you have a nice little set of syringes, you will be able to make super accurate measurements of coagulant and calcium chloride. For measuring dry powders, such as cultures, accurately weighing and dividing into unit doses is always the best choice but is often not practical for home cheesemaking. For measuring really tiny doses of mold and ripening cultures, you can purchase a set of tiny measuring spoons that will help measure amounts from just under a quarter teaspoon (1 mL) down to 1/60 teaspoon (0.05 mL). It is a good idea to have a plastic or stainless-steel colander for holding draining bags while filling, draining curd, and other surprisingly handy uses. Don’t use aluminum strainers, as the metal will react with the acid in the whey and cheese. You don’t need a fancy thermometer for making cheese, but you’d do need to make certain it is accurate. You can use the simple, metal probe thermometers you can get for a few dollars at the grocery store. Using a piece of stainless-steel wire, you can fashion a nifty little hanger so the thermometer stays suspended and you can still close the lid on your vat. A clock or timer should be available for monitoring times during your cheese makes. Your cell phone probably has a timer on it. If you are brining cheeses—and you will be—you will need a container large enough to float all the wheels in a batch (or you can use multiple containers). Brine should be stored at either aging room temperature of 50 to 55°F or in the refrigerator between use. If you’ll be waxing cheeses for aging, plan on a double boiler, pan, or dedicated crockpot that is used only for this purpose. The wax pretty much takes forever on all utensils. A variety of natural bristle brushes will also be needed for waxing. I’m going to stop here for this podcast. In the next one I will finish up this topic covering “creating a cheesemaking space” and “keeping things clean”. Once you have those topics under your belt, you’ll be set to make the best cheese right in your own home. It’s time for today’s recipe. Greek Meatballs with Yogurt-Mint Sauce Slow-simmered in a rich tomato sauce and served over rice with a tangy yogurt sauce and crumbled feta. Yum, yum. What You Need Meatballs 2 lbs ground lamb 4 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped Zest of ½ lemon ½ cup olives, chopped (green, black or mixed) 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ red onion, chopped ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ cup bread crumbs 1 egg Olive oil for browning meatballs Tomato Sauce 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon cumin, ground Salt and pepper to taste Yogurt-Mint Sauce 1 cup Greek yogurt Zest of ½ lemon Juice of one lemon ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar Garnish Feta, crumbled Fresh herbs (mint and oregano) What To Do Meatballs Combine meatball ingredients in large mixing bowl. Form meatballs. Heat a large pot on medium heat. Add oil to coat the bottom. Add half the meatballs, keeping space between them. Brown well on one side and flip to brown the other side. Roll to sides and brown. When nicely browned, put on a plate and repeat with remaining meatballs. Put on plate. Tomato Sauce Add crushed tomatoes, garlic and cumin to pan. Scrape bottom and combine well. Add meatballs, season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer. Turn down to low. Cook for about an hour with lid slightly open. Scrape bottom occasionally to prevent burning. Meatballs are done when tomato sauce thickens. Serve with Mint Sauce and Feta Over Rice Prepare rice of your choice. Combine the yogurt sauce ingredients. Spoon yogurt sauce on top of meatballs and crumble feta over it. Garnish with fresh herbs and olive oil. Final Thoughts That’s it for today’s Peaceful Heart FarmCast. I hope you are enjoying your winter wherever you are in the world. Well, I guess if you are south of the equator it is summer. If you are south of the equator, I hope you are enjoying your summer. The winter blues are coming on me in small amounts at the moment. No where near the levels of past winters and for that I am grateful. If it wasn’t raining would go out and watch a few animals grazing peacefully. That can cheer me up any time. If I had milk, I could make cheese and that can cheer you up as well. I hope this introduction to setting up your own kitchen for cheesemaking is helpful. It really can be done. When I have completed the second half, there will be a written transcript of the two podcasts on my website. I’ll make a downloadable pdf version that you can print and study. Those Greek meatballs are fabulous. Give it a try and let me know your variations and improvements. We have ground lamb available for purchase at the farmer’s market in Wytheville, 2nd and 4th Saturdays and at the farm Tuesday mornings 10am to 12pm or Saturday afternoon 3pm to 5pm. If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.” Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. References: Queso Fresco Recipe New England Cheesemaking Supply Recipe Link Greek Meatballs with Yogurt-Mint Sauce To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

Mark Elliott joins us to recap Wicked Derbies’ Redneck Rumble in Sturgis, KY and go over the United Points Series roll out. We will also look ahead to the Florida Southern Nationals with Mark before shifting to Billy Monroe, who will preview Wytheville, VA’s Blue Ridge Bash. We finish out the hour with Randy Mosloski … Continue reading Mark Elliott, Billy Monroe, Mosloski & Thomas ..::..Crash Course Podcast #306 →

We’re OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS! Visit http://www.WeirdDarkness.com/OVERCOMING to make a donation of any amount to help those struggling with depression and anxiety! Tired of commercials interrupting your listening experience? For just $5 per month you can listen to all past, present, and future #WeirdDarkness episodes commercial-free – plus BONUS AUDIO and news about the podcast! Learn more at http://www.WeirdDarkness.com/WEIRDO.Feel depressed or hopeless? Visit http://www.iFred.org. Suicide thoughts? Call anytime (800)273-8255.IN THIS EPISODE: Legend has it that a four-legged fiend with glowing eyes and a blood-curdling howl stalks the area of Devon, England. The mystery creature was seen only yards away from a party of schoolchildren, the animal has a thick, shaggy coat, rounded ears and large front limbs which would be powerful enough to tear human flesh. Is it man’s best friend – or a hell hound?  (Phantom Hound) *** Life presents people with all sorts of unexplained phenomena. One of the strangest is places disappearing. It might happen on a hiking trail, or in the forest, or alongside gravel roads in rural counties… but then some happen in the most surprising of places – for example, in the center of New York City. (Places That No Longer Exist) *** Weirdo family member Chris Francis has a dark story to tell – literally dark. As in black-hole dark. (Black Hole In The Basement) *** The mysterious Men in Black have been around long before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones put on the black suits and sunglasses. The encounters with these strange men have been taking place for decades. Sometimes unnerving, often bizarre, and almost always chilling for those they approach. (The Sinister Men In Black)STORY AND MUSIC CREDITS/SOURCES…“The Sinister Men in Black” by Erik at Paranormal Scholar: http://bit.ly/2Vgdzxp “Phantom Hound” by Nick Redfern for Mysterious Universe: http://bit.ly/2OnKvTf “Places That No Longer Exist” by Donn Saylor for Graveyard Shift: http://bit.ly/333CG9u “Black Hole Basement” by Weirdo family member Chris Francis for Weird Darkness.Background music provided by EpidemicSound and AudioBlocks with paid license. Music by Shadows Symphony (http://bit.ly/2W6N1xJ) and Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) is also sometimes used with permission. SUPPORT THE PODCAST…Become a PATRON (Official Weirdo): http://www.WeirdDarkness.com/WEIRDO Visit my sponsors: http://www.WeirdDarkness.com/sponsors Subscribe to my other podcast, “Lifelines: Verse Of The Day”: https://www.spreaker.com/show/lifelinesverse MY RECORDING TOOLS…* MICROPHONE (Neumann TLM103): http://amzn.to/2if01CL* POP FILTER (AW-BM700): http://amzn.to/2zRIIyK* XLR CABLE (Mogami Gold Studio): http://amzn.to/2yZXJeD * MICROPHONE PRE-AMP (Icicle): http://amzn.to/2vLqLzg * SOFTWARE (Adobe Audition): http://amzn.to/2vLqI6E * HARDWARE (MacBook Pro): http://amzn.to/2vQzD5g I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use. If I somehow overlooked doing that for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I’ll rectify it the show notes as quickly as possible.***WeirdDarkness™ - is a registered trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright © Marlar House Productions, 2019."I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 *** How to escape eternal darkness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IYmodFKDaM

Today at the farmer’s market speaking from one herbalist to another, I was reminded that activated charcoal is a simple treatment to use. That will be my topic for today. It has been years and years since I’ve been sick with anything and even longer since I’ve had any kind of stomach or gastrointestinal illness. Activated charcoal can help. But first, welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back veteran homestead-loving regulars. That you so much for stopping by the FarmCast. I appreciate you all so much. First up on the agenda, I’m so excited to share with you all the great activity going on at the farm this week. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates Stomach Virus – Traditional Remedy Ginger Tea with Honey and Lemon Homestead Life Updates The Quail We have 47 quail eggs in the incubator. These little guys are a joy to raise. They are so hardy. We started with 24 hatchlings and still have 23. The only one we lost was due to a snake. With baby chicks, almost always you lose one or two – or more – due to failure to thrive or some early disease. Not so with quail. We had them outside before they were 2 weeks old. Almost fully feathered, they were fine with the temps in the 70s during the day and high 50s and low 60s at night. They are hardy birds. In less than three weeks we will have new babies. The Creamery The concrete block walls to the milking parlor are complete. There is a video on Facebook with a short tour of that part of the building. Scott has spent quite a bit of time today moving the milking parlor equipment into the area. For the longest time it has been stored just waiting for this moment. Who knows when the actual installation will happen, but it is exciting to see the first portion of the creamery coming into being? In addition to the milking parlor equipment installation, it still needs a roof. There is still so much to do. The Cows The cows are moooving along nicely and munching down on all that grass. If you’ve never been around cows you are missing the perfect example of peace in action. One of the reasons that I wanted a milk cow in the first place is the sense of peace that comes from working with them and there is no closer relationship that when you are milking them. They are truly beautiful creatures. Smelly but beautiful. We still have one more bull calf available. You can call us at 276-694-4369 to get more information on these guys. There are two to choose from, but we are only selling one. The last one we will keep for beef. He will take a couple of years to grow out, but these Normande cows make some great steaks and roasts. Speaking of beef, we have a limited quantity of beef available. This will be the last for a while so get in touch with us now if you are interested in a quarter or a half. The Lambs The lambs and goat kids are frolicking in the grass and growing like weeds. It is amazing how fast they grow. The lambs and kids are nearly the height of their mothers already. Watching them get down on their knees to nurse is comical. Well, it doesn’t look like so much fun for mom, but they seem to patiently endure. They are all old enough to be weaned and we will separate them in the next couple of weeks. It is important to get the boys out for sure. Otherwise, we end up with unauthorized breeding and we can’t have that. No we can’t have that. The Garden Let’s talk about the garden. The tomatoes are coming on strong. I have lots of them sitting on shelves ripening. I would prefer to pick them when they are already ripe but the raccoons make that impossible. Every night they go out into the garden and pick a few and take a bite or two out of them. Then they get another one and take a bite or two out of that one and so on. These guys are grabbing them before they even get all the way red. I wonder if they would like fried green tomatoes. No matter. I’ve taken things into hand and am just circumventing their intrusiveness and picking the tomatoes as soon as they show any sign of ripening. The plan is to make lots and lots of tomato sauce. I made some last year for the first time. It was much easier than I thought and I look forward to making more this year. I use tomatoes in stews. I use a lot of tomatoes in stews. Up to four quarts in a 4-gallon batch. If I use tomato sauce instead, I think I can use 2 pints instead. Much less storage space for the tomatoes. Last night we shelled Mississippi Silver Crowder peas. There is a large bowl ready to be cooked and eaten. There will also be some left over to be canned. I love growing these. The plants are resistant to everything and they put on lots and lots of pea pods. The pods are 7-8 inches long with about 20 peas per pod. They shell easily and they taste of good. They can be dried and cooked similar to black-eyed peas, but I prefer these to be green and I like to add a few snapped green pods. Again, these are very easy to grow and produce very well. The Orchard We had a neighbor come over and pick some blackberries a few days ago. I simply do not have time to pick them and process them. Blackberries are a lot of work. I don’t like the seeds and always take the extra steps necessary to get the seeds out. It’s not really hard, but it is time consuming. Besides the issue of time, I still have tons of blackberry jam and blackberry syrup from last year. Our blackberries are always prolific. We grow several varieties of thorn-less and the berries are large and juicy. I’m probably leaving out a bunch of other stuff that is happening here, but I’m going to close off the farm updates for this time. The Farmer’s Markets Oops I almost forgot to mention the Farmer’s Market. Come see us at the Wytheville Farmer’s market on Saturday mornings 8 am to noon. Starting this Friday you will also find us at the Independence Farmer’s market from 9 am to 1 pm. I’ll have lamb, beef and goat as well as lots of information on herd shares. Who knows, maybe even some cheese samples. I was going to start at the Independence Farmer’s market this past Friday, but I had an incident that has not happened in many, many, many moons. I had a stomach virus or perhaps it was that salami. I don’t know. It was one or the other. In any case, I was sick as a dog for a good 12 hours. Let me tell that story and provide some info on the perfect remedy. Activated Charcoal – Traditional Remedy for Nausea and Vomiting And as I mentioned earlier, while at the Wytheville Farmer’s market I spoke with another herbalist and she reminded me of activated charcoal when having issues with stomach upset. In the heat of the sickness I was trying to think of what to do and I was so sick I couldn’t remember what I had on hand to deal with it. When she promptly said “activated charcoal”, it was one of those face-palm moments. Of course, I have tons of it on hand for exactly that purpose. Number one, I’m almost never sick and number two, my head hurt so bad I couldn’t think straight. I did act on the headache. My sinuses were inflamed and I don’t know why. I was sure that a massive head cold was about to take me out for days. Well, I took out my trusty echinacea and goldenseal formula and dripped some directly into my nasal passage. It burns. Only a couple of drops but POOF, gone. No more sinus issues. If I could only have thought so quickly about the activated charcoal. It’s a matter of what I use more often and what I have never had the occasion to use. Now I’ve had the occasion to use it but didn’t but it’s unlikely I will forget next time. Let me give you the goods on activated charcoal. Activated charcoal Charcoal isn’t just for your backyard grill. Even though charcoal makes most of us think of glowing embers and yummy barbecued kabobs or steak, it has stomach soothing medicinal properties too. The CDC reports that 19 to 21 million Americans will get the stomach flu, and charcoal might just help you get back on your feet faster. What is the Stomach Flu? What’s often referred to as stomach flu, stomach bugs, or even food poisoning can be caused by bacterial infections or viruses. This inflammation of your gastrointestinal tract might be referred to as gastroenteritis or norovirus, but in either case the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. The illness comes on quickly and can have you off your feet from one to three days. Common treatment recommendations include drinking fluids, getting rest, and following the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet. None of those are on my eating list so an old Native American remedy would have been a much better option. What is activated charcoal? Activated charcoal is made with a variety of burned materials including bamboo, wood, coal, or coconut shells. This treatment was used by Native Americans hundreds of years ago, and there’s even some record of it being used by Egyptians. Activated charcoal is processed at high temperatures and results in a black powder that is incredibly effective at absorbing a variety of substances. Charcoal is “activated” when a high temperature is used in combination with an activating agent that expand its surface area. This is what gives activated charcoal its incredible absorbing powers. Why do people take activated charcoal? Most commonly used to treat poisoning and drug overdoses, activated charcoal is now gaining attention as a remedy for stomach bugs that cause nausea and vomiting. The theory is that activated charcoal can absorb the bacteria responsible for causing stomach flu (the same way it is used to absorb poisons). You can also have a virus that can cause the same sort of tummy troubles, and activated charcoal may help with the symptoms. How should I take charcoal? You can buy activated charcoal online in capsules or powder. If you feel the nauseating symptoms of a stomach bug coming on, or if you are actively vomiting, you can put the powder in some applesauce, if you have capsules you can open them up. A common recommendation is 500 to 1,000 mg, two to three times per day. It is recommended that you take other supplements at different time as the charcoal can absorb good nutrients as well as the bad stuff. If you notice any worsening symptoms after taking the supplement stop taking and call your doctor. It’s important to note that activated charcoal should be bought from pharmacies and health food stores, it is not the same as regular charcoal. Activated charcoal, unlike regular charcoal, is food grade and safe to take internally.  You can give it to children, but check with your pediatrician beforehand. If you get the okay, start with ¼ of a capsule (about 200 mg) in some applesauce and repeat no more than 2 times a day. If you or your child continue to have abdominal pain or persistent fever, you must see your doctor. Home remedies are great but they are not the be-all, end-all for medical treatment. Side Effects & Safety Activated charcoal is safe for most adults when used short-term. Side effects of activated charcoal include constipation and black stools. More serious, but rare, side effects are a slowing or blockage of the intestinal tract, regurgitation into the lungs, and dehydration. Special Precautions & Warnings: Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Activated charcoal might be safe when used short-term if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, but consult with your healthcare professional before using if you are pregnant. Don’t use activated charcoal if you have any kind of intestinal obstruction. Also, if you have a condition that slows the passage of food through your intestine (reduced peristalsis), don’t use activated charcoal, unless you are being monitored by your healthcare provider. Medications taken by mouth (Oral drugs) interact with Activated Charcoal Activated charcoal absorbs substances in the stomach and intestines. Taking activated charcoal along with medications taken by mouth can decrease how much medicine your body absorbs, and decrease the effectiveness of your medication. To prevent this interaction, take activated charcoal at least one hour after medications you take by mouth. Alcohol Interacts with Activated Charcoal Activated charcoal is sometimes used to prevent poisons from being absorbed into the body. Taking alcohol with activated charcoal might decrease how well activated charcoal works to prevent poison absorption. Syrup of Ipecac Interacts with Activated Charcoal Ipecac is taken by mouth to cause vomiting after suspected poisoning. It is also used to treat bronchitis associated with croup in children, Amoebic dysentery (a severe diarrhea), and cancer. Ipecac is also used as an expectorant to thin mucous and make coughing easier. Small doses are used to improve appetite. Activated charcoal can bind up syrup of ipecac in the stomach. This decreases the effectiveness of syrup of ipecac. For lesser stomach issues there are lots of teas that can help. Ginger Tea with Honey and Lemon Ginger tea has been used for thousands of years as a cure for nausea and digestive problems. It offers a variety of health benefits and healing compounds to alleviate upset stomach. Many people reach for the ginger ale when feeling symptoms of stomach pain or nausea, but ginger tea contains higher concentrations of the compounds that alleviate these digestive issues; making it the better choice for feeling better faster. This tea is made using fresh ginger root and packs a punch when it comes to healing symptoms of upset stomach. Ginger is a natural remedy for nausea and is often used to treat morning sickness in pregnant women and motion sickness caused by planes and boats. In fact, a Thai study examined pregnant women with symptoms of morning sickness and found that 28 out of the 32 individuals saw an improvement in nausea when given a daily dose of 1 milligram of ginger root. As a rule of thumb, one cup of ginger tea contains about 250 milligrams of ginger so aim to drink two to four cups of this tea to alleviate feelings of nausea. What You Need 1” Fresh ginger root, grated ½ Lemon Honey, to taste 2 cups water Equipment Grater Glass container or teapot Strainer What To Do Peel one-inch piece of fresh ginger root and grate into a glass container with a filter. Thinly slice lemon and add it to the container with the ginger. Add honey. Pour boiling hot water into the container and steep for five minutes. Strain and serve hot. Final Thoughts Are you keeping up with all the stuff going on at the homestead? It’s a lot to handle but we love it. The cows, sheep, goats, donkeys and quail are a barnyard variety that keeps us in a constant state of wonder and amusement. These guys are a hoot. We love sharing it all with you. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and come see us at the Farmer’s markets in Wytheville and Independence. Or heck, come see us on the farm. Tuesday mornings and Saturday afternoons. We’d love to share some of this more directly. Get some activated charcoal and keep it on hand for that occasional stomach upset. It doesn’t to bad. There is no expiration date. It is the porous form that absorbs the toxins and that doesn’t change once created. And remember that mild upsets can be alleviated with a little ginger tea. If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.” Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.   References WITH HYPERLINKS Recipe Link Ginger Tea with Honey and Lemon To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

The Traditional Family Cow is the topic of today’s podcast. She has just about been pushed out of existence. Lots of us are trying to revive this wonderful, quality food source. I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to you veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates The Traditional Family Cow Crab & Artichoke Dip Recipe Homestead Life Updates The cows are doing great. Every day, twice a day, I walk out there and find them grazing peacefully on the grass. I circle around behind them and start calling out, “let’s go, let’s go” and they all start toward the milking shed. They walk pretty slow. Sometimes inside I’m all raring to go and I want to push them a little faster—as if the milking machine would go any faster—and they never really cooperate. They move pretty much at their own pace no matter now anxious I might be. Scott has Butter already up in the shed hooked up to the portable milker. So these guys are just mozying along at a slow pace on their way to the lounging area. That’s where they will hang out until Scott gets done milking Butter. No need to hurry. I’ll take a lesson from them and endeavor to maintain my inner peace. It’s a nice daily ritual. Lambert does not come running anymore. We weaned him off the bottle about a week ago. I still feel like I’m missing something when I go out to the field. Shouldn’t I be doing something else before bringing in the cows? Oh well, it will pass. And every once in a while, he still comes running up looking for a bottle and I can give him a little petting. The donkeys sure love their petting. All four of them got their hooves trimmed a few days ago. Daisy and Sweet Pea just stand their placidly—for the most part. They do shimmy a little bit every now and then. But Johnny and Cocoa still dance around a lot. They try to lay over all of their weight on Scott while he is holding up one of their hooves. Or they jerk that hoof around while he is trying to hold it. Cocoa had a little mishap when she did that. The grinding tool that Scott uses to file their hooves nicked her. We put some pine tar on it to keep the flies out and it looked to be a small enough scrape to heal in a few days. We weaned the one boy kid from his mom a couple of days ago. He’s merged in with the other boy goats. We have six in there now and four sheep. One ram and 3 lambs that will go to the processor soon. Let us know if you are interested. I know I always talk about Wytheville, but if you are in the Winston-Salem or Greensboro, NC area we can help you there too. Pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested. I still haven’t got the onions out of the garden. Perhaps this week I can get to that. The tomatoes are looking really good as are the black, red, and white beans and the Mississippi Silver crowder peas. Yum, yum. I wonder how the blueberries are doing. The birds are probably having a field day out there. It has been more than 4 or 5 days I think since I picked them last. I canned eight 24-oz jars of blueberry pie filling and froze two quarts of fresh blueberries that will go in pancakes and yogurt. More yum, yum. Let’s get on to the topic of the day. The Traditional Family Cow In a previous podcast I talked about The Tradition of Dairying. I gave a brief history and finished up with the growth of the large dairies in the 20th century. Today I want to follow up on that and talk more specifically about small dairy farms and the family cow. What was happening to the family cow while commercial dairying was being conformed to the 20th century model of food as commodity? Along with small farms of every sort, she was being priced out of existence. If you talk to old-timers you will hear the statement, “it doesn’t pay to keep a cow.” American food is cheap, or at least appears to be. Starting early in the 20th century, an elaborate system of subsidies has kept food prices artificially low, part of a cheap food policy that brands food as a commodity and the cheaper, the better. Quality is an afterthought if it comes up at all. This policy has been continued by every administration. Perhaps you are familiar with farm subsidies, payments to farmers designed to assist them in producing their products at predictable levels. Among the less frequently recognize effects of subsidies is that by covering part of a farmer’s costs, he or she is then able to accept a lower price for the crops or milk, so you pay less for food. Pointed out even less frequently is the government assistance that goes to processors. Everything from special university research projects to tax-deferred production plants may be paid for wholly or in part by tax dollars. Highway costs are shared by all taxpayers but benefit truckers—and the food industry—disproportionately. This is sometimes referred to as corporate welfare. These are some of the hidden costs of cheap food. In reality, you are paying more for your food from the grocery store than you may have realized. It’s just harder to see it because it is in the form of taxes. It is you and I, the taxpayers, that are paying the money in the form of taxes that then goes to the farmer, the processor and the transportation industry all via subsidies. With food costs comparatively low, even the formidable efficiency of the cow is hard put to offer an obvious fiscal advantage. Milk prices are low because dairy farmers, even taking rapidly diminishing subsidies into account, are paid at a rate that barely covers costs and they cannot market their milk freely. They must sell to consortiums under fixed contracts that are government regulated. And processors have certainly made milk conveniently available to markets. If a plot had been hatched to eliminate small farmers, place milk production and distribution in the hands of a few, and permit almost everybody to forget what milk was meant to taste like, a better plan could not have been devised. Consider also that in terms of buying power, American wages were high during the first 60 years of the 20th century and our dollars still buy more food than in any other westernized country. So keeping a cow does indeed cost more than buying milk at the store. Most people considering getting a family cow are no longer motivated by the old-timer view that the object of a cow is to “pay”, reasonable as this may be. Quality dairy products and the desire for a more centered way of life are what people now want. Cost is secondary. Treatment of commercial milk Pasteurization has its detractors and I am among them, but there is no doubt that milk distribution as we know it today would otherwise be impossible. The creation of the current distribution network ensured the destruction of the small, local dairy farm. Pasteurization destroys all bacteria including benign strains and it destroys enzymes, besides physically altering milk protein. In addition, by the 1950s virtually all milk was also homogenized. ‘Pasteurized and homogenized’, which appear on every container of milk, are not really related at all. They came about for different reasons. “Homogenized” means the milk is subjected to pressure and agitation which knocks apart the butterfat globule and stops it from doing what cream would naturally do: rise to the surface. This, too, was presented to you, the consumer, as a great advance but first and foremost it served the distributor. Back in those days everybody wanted cream, but after its pasteurization treatment with heat the cream was lumpy and unimpressive. Homogenization offer the advantage of distributing the cream evenly throughout the milk. The advantage for distributors was less charming. Once pasteurization made it possible to sell milk two or even three weeks after it left the farm there emerged a problem with a sort of sludge settling to the bottom of the bottle. This sludge largely consisted of dead bacteria and the macrophages that consumed them, and the longer the bottled milk sat, the more evident the sludge. With homogenization it becomes invisible along with the cream. Don’t let me put you off store-bought milk all together. Worst things are in ketchup and peanut butter. This might seem reason enough to get a cow herd share with us, but wait. There is more. Now we have BGH, bovine growth hormone, to consider. Consumers have expressed virtually unanimous objection to the fact that milk may now legally contain BGH which is passed into the milk as a result of the cow’s daily injection. The history of milk distribution does not offer much reassurance that your concerns will end the practice. Antibiotics, contrary to widespread belief, are never fed to dairy cattle; nonetheless, they sometimes do find their way into milk following teat treatment. The cow as security Does the future seem uncertain to you? One of the best ways to take charge of your own future that of your family is to raise and grow your own food. This is a life-affirming choice of action and one that may well offer better odds than going about armed to the teeth. Inasmuch as this is hardly a new idea, many schemes for self-sustaining food systems have been devised and revived from traditional methods. One method involves growing algae in vats on the roof. Another promotes earthworms and other insects as ideal basic food. There are systems for backyard fish ponds capable of growing many pounds of fish called tilapia by adding manure and other waste to their water. Some people advocate growing family size patches of soybeans along with other vegetables to provide food security. All of these approaches offer food security of a sort, along with major problems. Algae tastes awful, insects don’t appeal to the Western palette, tilapia are nourishing but boring. An all-vegetable diet is seriously boring and is extremely labor-intensive. I recommend the cow. If the biggest animal you’ve ever known personally was a golden retriever, the cow may seem like a giant step into the unknown. We can help with that. With a herd share we will do all the work and you still get the benefit of raising your own food. Amazing cow magic that most people don’t know about An overarching truth about the traditional family cow is that she drives your small farm economy. By living on a constantly renewing resource, grass, she is able to support herself and her calf and still provide milk for you. And a cow does this on a free resource made of water and sunshine. Through her sovereign ability to convert grass, which otherwise has no value, to milk and meat, which does have value, the cow produces a wealth of nutrition. Crab & Artichoke Dip Recipe Dip into this rich and creamy snack and a favorite bottle of wine. Use your slow cooker to make this recipe—it’s a perfect fit for a relaxed “friends” night. This recipe is keto-friendly if you leave off the crackers and dip your bacon in it. TOTAL TIME:  Prep: 20 min. Cook: 2 hours      YIELD:  3-1/2 cups. What You Need 3 cups fresh baby spinach 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups shredded Peaceful Heart Gold cheese (or substitute Harvarti) 1 can (6 ounces) lump crabmeat, drained 1/2 cup sour cream 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Assorted crackers (or bacon if you go keto) What to Do In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add spinach; cover and boil for 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Drain. In a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker, combine the artichokes, cheeses, crabmeat, sour cream, salt, pepper and spinach. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until cheeses are melted. Serve with crackers—or BACON. Nutrition Facts 1/4 cup (calculated without crackers): 158 calories, 12g fat (8g saturated fat), 50mg cholesterol, 279mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 0 fiber), 9g protein. Notes Peaceful Heart Gold matches well with sugary fruits like figs, raisins, walnuts, hearty, rustic bread, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and light-bodied Pinot Noir wine. Just as it accommodates spices and other flavors, Peaceful Heart Gold’s creamy-smooth, tangy flavor complements a wide variety of foods. You can shred it on a pizza instead of—or in addition to—mozzarella. It melts beautifully over burgers and in casseroles, and is fabulous in a grilled cheese. Final Thoughts That’s it for today’s farm updates and thoughts on the family cow. If you’re interested in that herd share, get in touch with me via email (give email address). You can also contact me through the website. www.peacefulheartfarm.com and go to the contact page. Call us at the farm at 276-694-4369. We’d love to talk with you in person. And give that recipe a try then go to the recipe page and provide your feedback in the comments. Let others know how you did with it and any modifications you made. If you enjoyed this podcast, please go to Apple Podcasts and write a review. And don’t forget to subscribe. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.” Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. Recipe Link Crab and Artichoke Dip To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

  The consumption of dairy products has been a mainstay for as long as mankind has been able to capture and milk animals of all kinds. Sheep, goats, cows, bison, water buffalo, donkeys and horses. All are still milked to this day. There may be others. These are the ones of which I am aware. I want to talk about this tradition that has helped our species thrive and develop over the centuries and millennia.  But first, I want to take that blessed moment to say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to you veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the homestead every week. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on in our neck of the woods this week. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates Why We Drink Raw Milk Traditional Kefir Recipe Homestead Life Updates Oh my gosh, is it hot where you are? Whew!! We’ve been experiencing a real heat wave here. Temperatures that are normal for late July and August. Thank goodness that we will be back to normal for next week. Highs in the high 70’s and low 80’s. Today is great. The 90-degree days drained the energy right out of me. I expect that in the middle of summer. But come on, it’s still 3 weeks until the summer solstice. Garden and Orchard Speaking of draining energy. The garden is burning up. Well is would be if we weren’t diligently watering every day. The orchard too. And the weeds are still progressively taking over. This time of year I’m really pressed for time. Milking twice a day. Making cheese. Going to the Farmer’s Market and on and on. As I’ve said before, the garden gets pushed down the list of priorities. This too shall change in the future. It takes a lot to get a business off the ground. Once we are more established, we can let up a little bit, I think. Creamery A little progress has been made on the creamery. It is still creeping along compared to the plan that Scott originally made, but it is what it is and we persevere. It’s the journey that is important. It’s the system that we are setting in place that is important. Goals come and go, but the system remains. Animals We still have a couple of baby bulls for sale. If you are looking to improve the beef and dairy genetics of your herd, the Normande cow is a good bet. Visit our website at www.peacefulheartfarm.com and go to the contact page and let us know of your interest. We also have a 1-year-old and a proven 2-year-old bull that are available. As we move to AI for our very small herd, we no longer need bulls. One less thing to keep up with. We have our ground beef on sale $6.00 for one pound, $250 for 50 pounds and $500 for 100 pounds. We also have a few – very few – lambs available. Again, go to the website and let us know of your interest in a whole or half lamb. $380 for a whole lamb and $200 for a half. www.peacefulheartfarm.com Alright that’s it for homestead updates. Let’s get on to the topic at hand. Why We Drink Raw Milk I’m going to talk about why we consume dairy products; the benefits. Our dairy products come straight from our grass-fed cows with no alteration from their live state. It’s all about the nutrition. Traditional foods raised using traditional methods produces that traditional robust health of days gone by. I’ll get to the specific health benefits in a moment. If you’ve been told that drinking raw milk is dangerous, you’ll be surprised to know that you’ve been misled.  The truth about raw milk? An extensive look into research and claims made by the FDA and CDC related to raw milk being dangerous have been found to be completely unwarranted. It actually benefits your body in many ways, and although it might have earned a reputation among some for being dangerous, you shouldn’t miss out on all this amazing superfood has to offer because raw milk benefits are truly impressive. What is “raw milk” exactly? It’s milk that comes from grass-fed cows, is unpasteurized and unhomogenized. This means raw milk contains all of its natural enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals — making it what many refer to as a “complete food.” Eggs fall into the “complete food” category also. Everything needed for growth and health is contained in the package. No need for sterilization or added sugar. But can’t raw milk cause problems due to the risk of consuming bacteria? The risk of this happening is very, very low. In fact, according to medical researcher Dr. Ted Beals, M.D., you are 35,000 times more likely to get sick from other foods than you are from raw milk. Reference in the show notes. You can get sick from consuming any food. Your risk of illness from raw milk is quite small. The CDC reports that there are an estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses diagnosed each year. Yes, your heard that right. 48 million. Of these 48 million illnesses, only about 42 (about 0.0005 percent!) each year are due to consumption of fresh, unprocessed (raw) milk. Dr. Chris Kesser did a thorough investigation to get the true impact of raw milk illness and death (as the CDC makes it sound inevitable). He found that your chances of becoming hospitalized from a bacterial illness caused by raw milk is three times less than your chance of dying in a plane crash. The statistics indicate that most accusations and concerns over raw milk have been overstated, and because of that its health benefits remain underrated. Raw milk benefits are numerous and can help address a large number of nutritional deficiencies that millions of people, especially those eating the standard American diet, are currently experiencing. For instance, raw milk benefits allergies and skin, all while containing beneficial nutrients available in a living product. Five Benefits of Raw Milk 1. Reduces Allergies Studies now suggest that children who drink raw milk are 50 percent less likely to develop allergies and 41 percent less likely to develop asthma compared to children who don’t. A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology involved 8,000 children with various diets, and one of the conclusions that researchers made was that by drinking raw milk, children experienced “naturally immunizing” effects. As documented on the Real Milk.com website, many other studies carried out over the past century have shown that raw milk benefits and supports children’s growth and development in other ways too. Examples are: increased immunity against infections, dental health boosted and support for skeletal growth. Again, reference in the show notes. You might be wondering: How can raw milk reduce allergies, and isn’t dairy tied to high rates of intolerance or sensitivities? Nutrients like probiotics, vitamin D and immunoglobulins (antibodies) found in raw milk naturally boost the immune system and reduce the risk of allergies in both children and adults. Enzymes found in raw milk help with digestion but are often reduced or destroyed during pasteurization. Without those enzymes, lactose intolerance is much more likely. 2. Helps Improve Skin Health Dairy might have a bad reputation when it comes to causing or worsening acne and skin inflammation, but this is far from the case with raw milk. As I’ve said, the benefits of raw milk are numerous, but surprisingly one of the most common reasons that people consume it is to benefit their skin. The success stories of people consuming raw milk to improve conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne are very widely reported. Raw milk benefits the skin for the following reasons: It contains healthy fats: Because raw milk contains large amounts of healthy saturated fats and omega-3 fats, it supports skin hydration.  It supplies probiotics: Probiotics in raw milk can kill off or balance bad bacteria in your gut, which can dramatically affect the health of your skin. Research shows that inflammation and unbalanced gut flora contribute to skin issues such as acne and eczema. 3. Helps Prevent Nutrient Deficiencies  According to the USDA, nearly 300 calories a day in the average American’s diet (out of a total 2,076 calories) can be attributed to added sugars or sweeteners. In comparison, nutrient-rich foods like raw dairy, fruits and vegetables only contribute about 424 calories. One serving of raw milk contains about 400 milligrams of calcium, 50 milligrams of magnesium and 500 milligrams of potassium. These minerals are vitally important for cellular function, hydration, building bone density, blood circulation, detoxification, muscle health and metabolism. 4. Can Be Used to Make Probiotic Foods Probiotics are microorganisms that line your gut and support nutrient absorption. They also help protect you from foreign invaders like E. coli and parasites. The best way to include probiotics in your diet is to get them in their most natural state, which includes raw milk products, such as cheese, kefir and yogurt. Real, raw and organic probiotic yogurt, cheeses and kefir have been consumed by some of the healthiest populations living around the world for thousands of years. Some disorders probiotic foods are known to help with include: Diarrhea Inflammatory bowel disease Irritable bowel syndrome Skin infections Weakened immune system Urinary track infections Vaginal yeast infection 5. Doesn’t Contain Added Sugar or Synthetic Ingredients In addition to pasteurization, conventional milk also usually undergoes a homogenization process. Homogenization is a high-pressure process that breaks down fat into tiny particles — however, fat subjected to high heat and pressure becomes oxidized and rancid. Many low-fat dairy products also have thickening agents added to make up for lost texture. Raw milk needs no added thickeners or shelf-stabilizers and also doesn’t contain added sugar or flavors. Most foods have some levels of natural sugar, including raw dairy, which has the type called lactose. The natural sugar in dairy is balanced with other nutrients and therefore not a concern (even healthy for you in moderation). Raw Milk Nutrition Facts Raw milk is truly one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world and has a nutritional profile unlike any other food. I understand if you’ve been cautious in the past about drinking raw milk because of all the negative media it might have earned. Let me help ease your mind. As a species we have been drinking this luscious, delectable beverage for thousands upon thousands of years. Today more and more people are drinking raw milk. We are slowly getting back to wholesome, unadulterated food that has served us for millennia. Over 10 million Americans now drink raw milk on a regular basis. They do so because of the benefits which include: Healthier skin, hair and nails Nutrient absorption Stronger immune system Reduced allergies Increased bone density Neurological support Weight loss Help building lean muscle mass Better digestion What exactly makes raw milk such an incredible superfood? Let’s take a look at its unique nutritional profile, and it will become clear. Raw Milk Benefits: Nutritional Profile of Raw Milk Fat-Soluble Vitamins A, D and K2 Because raw milk comes from cows or goats grazing on grass, research studies have shown that it contains a higher level of heart-healthy, fat-soluble vitamins than milk that comes from factory-farm cows. These vitamins support the brain and nervous system and are crucial for development, focus and brain function. Fat-soluble vitamins also support bone density and help naturally balance hormones. Short Chain Fatty Acids, CLA and Omega-3s In addition to being high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, raw milk from grass-fed animals is a rich source of butyrate, a short chain fatty acid that’s widely known to control health issues related to inflammation, slow metabolism and stress resistance. Additionally, raw, grass-fed milk is packed with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has been tied to cancer prevention, healthier cholesterol levels and can even help reduce body fat. Essential Minerals and Electrolytes: Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium Raw milk is one of the highest sources of minerals and electrolytes, of which many people need more. Whey Protein and Immunoglobulins By far, the best-tasting curds and whey protein come from our raw milk. CHEESE. Also, whey protein is fantastic for anyone who’s looking to burn fat and build or retain lean muscle. Whey is high in the following enzymes: alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin. Probiotics: Kefir, Cheese and Yogurt Probiotics are only found in small amounts in raw milk, but when you ferment raw milk to make foods like kefir, yogurt or cheese, the good bacteria dramatically increase. In fact, there are no other foods in the world as naturally high in probiotics as cultured dairy products. And these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to raw milk benefits. Raw Milk Benefits vs. Conventional Milk Let’s compare. Dairy products have gotten a bad rap over the years, but this is actually mostly due to the pasteurization process. When milk is pasteurized, it destroys many of the nutrients that make raw milk beneficial. Why is pasteurization even performed in the first place then? Because it exposes milk to very high temperatures, it can also kill harmful bacteria that are possibly able to make their way into the milk. However, as I mentioned before, it’s very rare for these types of bacteria to be found in milk to begin with. There are other options to ensure the bad bacteria doesn’t get into the milk in the first place. Key nutrients and enzymes are greatly reduced during the pasteurization process. If you consider the fact that many of these nutrients are not only reduced, but altered from their original states, you can understand that some of these nutrients are completely unavailable for your body to use and can be very difficult to digest for many people. Allergies and lactose intolerance are higher with pasteurization as well. Another major negative of pasteurization is that it destroys the digestive enzymes needed to break down and absorb certain nutrients. In the previously mentioned study, researchers found lactase (the enzyme in dairy) levels are greatly reduced with pasteurization, which is one explanation as to why so many people are lactose-intolerant. A survey conducted by the Weston A. Price Foundation found that of 700 families interviewed, amazingly about 80 percent of those diagnosed with lactose intolerance stopped having symptoms when they switched to raw milk. Raw Milk Nutrients To put things into perspective, according to medical studies, the following nutrients in raw milk are 100% fully active and during pasteurization they are altered or destroyed: Vitamin A, 35% reduction; Vitamin C, 25-77% reduction; Vitamin E, 14% reduction; Iron 66% reduction; Zinc, 70% reduction; B-Complex Vitamins, 38% reduction; Calcium, 21% reduction; Enzymes, 100% destroyed; Immunoglobulins, damaged; Whey Protein, denatured. Again, all of these nutrients are 100% active in raw, unpasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk is a lesser product. As I mentioned earlier, they end up adding stuff to a product that was perfect before pasteurization – unless contaminated by careless practices. Our Herd Share Program Want to have the freedom to consume raw milk? Join our herd share program. Own part of our cow herd and enjoy the benefits that we do every day. During the summer we have fresh milk, yogurt, butter and sometimes a bit of cream, while in the winter we have aged cheese and more butter. The way it works is that you buy into our herd of dairy cows. We will care for them for you and we will gather the milk benefits for you. We will even process those benefits into fermented products such as yogurt and cheese. For a full share in the herd it is $60.00. A half share is $30.00 and you can also choose multiple shares. One and a half is $90. Two is $120.00 and so on. Once you own part of the herd, you simply pay us a maintenance and service/processing fee on a monthly basis. A full share is $44.00 per month, a half is $22.00 per month, 1 and a half is $66.00 per month, 2 shares is $88.00 per month and so on. What you can expect to receive from your cows is milk, yogurt, cheese, and sometimes butter and cream. Every week I will let you know what is available and you choose how you want to receive it. Choose 1 item from the full share list or two items from the half share list. We milk the cows seasonally which means your cows will provide you with milk and yogurt from the first week of May through the last week of October on a weekly basis. For the other six months we will continue to store and manage your cheese and butter. You can pick up your share twice monthly at the Farmer’s Market in Wytheville or from the farm. That’s it. For more information, go to www.peacefulheartfarm.com/virginia-herd-shares. And feel free to call or email me with your questions. How to Make Traditional Kefir Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. The drink originated in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Russia, where it is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. These instructions will be for cow’s milk kefir. Milk kefir is not only easy to make, it is a delicious, probiotic-rich, versatile beverage your whole family can enjoy. This recipe uses the direct starter culture. You will not have to maintain kefir grains. Perhaps you can learn that a little later. What You Need Equipment: Glass or plastic container Plastic, wood, or stainless-steel stirring utensil Coffee filter or cloth Rubber band to secure the cover Ingredients: 1-quart raw cow milk (Needs to be very fresh. Don’t wait as the competition between beneficial bacteria is quite fierce.

Today we present an encore episode about a polio epidemic which swept through Wytheville, Virginia in the 1950's.   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and on most other podcast apps. Thanks for listening to our stories of Appalachian history!

I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week. There’s a lot going on. It’s spring. Lambs are coming. Calves are coming. Plants are sprouting. There is not enough time in the day to get everything done. This will go on for a while. I love it. It’s so good to be alive. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates The Taste of Cheese Best Lasagna Ever Homestead Life Updates We have lambs. This morning we found a set of triplets who are doing well and a single. There are still 4 more ewes yet to lamb. We still only have two calves. They are drinking all of the available milk from one cow. So no cheese, butter or yogurt yet. In the garden Scott planted 50+ strawberry sets and I planted over 100 strawberry seedlings that I started indoors a few weeks ago. I am overwhelmed with celery. I started way too many seedlings. Likely I will offer some of this from the homestead store later this summer. Home-grown celery is nothing like the bland, tasteless stuff in the grocery store. My tomatoes and eggplant seedlings are doing great. It will still be a few weeks before they can be planted out in the garden. Today, we placed row covers on our cabbage. Hopefully, this year we will actually have a crop that the cabbage moths don’t destroy. Pray for us in that regard. We’ve never been successful because of those pesky cabbage moths. Integrity and love for the land keeps us from using any poisons. This could just be the year for cabbage for us. In the orchard the kiwis are going crazy. We had a few very small fruit starts last year but I got too busy and did not keep them watered enough. The fruit dried up and fell off before it got to any size. I’ll be keeping a better eye out this year. The grapes and blackberries are putting on leaves. No blooms yet but soon. The blueberries have bloomed. June is the month for those lovely jewels to reign supreme. If we can keep the raccoons out, we just might have a blueberry crop this year. We got an electric fence up last year, but most of the blueberries had already been eaten. We’ve had rain and more rain. Our homestead is doing okay with all of this wetness, but lots of flooding just south of us in North Carolina. We will be getting even more rain this evening. Our location keeps us safe, though there is mud everywhere. Especially where 1,000 pound cows are tromping over and over up and down the travel lanes to the milking shed. The creamery walls are steadily rising. I have to give it to Scott, he is consistent. Every moment he has available, he is out there making that happen. He did give me a half hour or so this morning to help with those row covers for the cabbage and it was much appreciated. Hey, I have quail eggs in the incubator. Yes, quail eggs. In just 18 days, we will have quail chicks. I think I mentioned that I don’t like to interrupt Scott in his faithful mission to get that creamery built. So, building housing for chickens and pigs is out of the question at this time. However, he has said he will give me a half-day to build a couple of simple quail breeding cages. The quail will be providing much-needed eggs for us. We eat a lot of eggs and are constantly facing the decision to buy cheap less-than-optimally nutritious eggs from the grocery or paying lots of money for those great farm fresh eggs offered by our fellow Farmer’s Market sellers. The Farmer’s Market eggs are definitely worth it but our budget will be less stressed with us growing our own eggs. Lastly, let me talk about the Herd Share program we are working on. We want to offer you the opportunity to have your own cow and reap the benefits that we are blessed with by virtue of operating our homestead. I know all of you cannot possibly do what we are doing, but you’d like to have the benefit of fresh dairy products from pasture raised cows. Soon you will be able to purchase part of the herd and simply pay a monthly boarding and maintenance fee. We will take care of everything else for you. On a weekly basis, you can come to the farm and pick up your fresh milk products. We are still working out the details of what we will offer as far as value added services and how much we will charge for that service. Butter and yogurt for sure and perhaps some fresh cheeses such as mozzarella, cream cheese, or lemon cheese. Let us know what you want. After all, we are doing this for you. How can we serve? For those of you out there listening to the sound of my voice, if you are in the southern/southwestern Virginia area or northern North Carolina area, we are here for you. It is about an hour trip from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and perhaps an hour and a half from Greensboro. In Virginia, Martinsville, Hillsville, and Galax are all less than an hour away. Wytheville is slightly over an hour. It takes us an hour and 10 minutes to get to the downtown Farmer’s Market. Roanoke is 2 hours from us. Floyd, Christiansburg and Blacksburg are somewhere in between. We are open for on-farm sales and herd share pickups: Saturdays 3 – 5pm and Tuesdays 10am – 12pm. Come on out and get yourself some homestead sunshine. Take a look at how our animals are raised. We’ll answer all of your questions and make sure you get the best grass fed and finished beef, lamb and goat on the market today. Tuesdays 10am – 12 pm and Saturdays 3 – 5 pm. The Taste of Cheese A few episodes ago I talked about the sensory experience of taste. Next, I talked about the basics of cheesemaking. Today, I’m putting those two together. This episode is going to be all about the taste of cheese. What is it? Where does it come from? As I said, in a previous episode (link above) I talked about the basics of cheesemaking. We learned about how complex organic compounds in milk are transformed during the cheesemaking and aging processes. Many of these compounds are broken down into other water or fat-soluble compounds. Some of them are volatile, which means they can be detected as flavors or aromas by our taste buds and the smell receptors in our noses, respectively. Let’s explore where these flavors and aromas come from, and delve into how we perceive, describe, and compare them. Whether professional or amateur, the way all cheese people approach the subject of flavor is framed by Prof. Frank Kosikowski’s theory of component balance. According to Kosikowski’s model, very specific compounds in very specific amounts and combinations are responsible for the often-mind-boggling array of flavors detected in cheeses, yogurts, and other dairy products. When we talk about a cheeses flavor profile, were referring to its overall taste as comprised by multiple individual components. Any fine artisanal cheese has many distinct aroma and flavor components, which, when well put together, form a whole greater than the sum of its parts. While each fine cheese is unique—with individual pedigree and identifiable terroir—it is also similar to others of its type; in fact, it distinguishes itself precisely because of the way it’s many volatile compounds combine, interact, and balance each other to present a signature flavor profile. The more components a cheese has in its flavor profile, the more complexity it is said to possess. If one or more of those components dominates and drowns out the others, we say the cheese lacks balance. If it only has a few of them, we say it lacks complexity. Where Do Cheese Flavors Come From? The three principle nutritive substances found in cheese—casein (milk protein), butterfat, and lactose (milk sugar)—are the building blocks of its flavor. Those volatile compounds we perceive as cheese aroma and flavor, often referred to as “aromatics,” come from two principal sources: first, the plants the animals eat and the breakdown of chemical compounds in those plants during the animals’ digestion process; and second, during the cheesemaking and ripening process the action of key enzymes, secreted by microorganisms, is used in breaking down those three “building blocks”. Dairy and flavor scientists who study cheese generally estimate 20 to 30% of aromatics come from the feed the animals eat (and the water they drink). The remaining 70 to 80% is determined by cheesemaking and ripening parameters. As we learned in the basics of cheesemaking, making cheese is mostly a process of dehydration, that is of increasing the percentage of milks solids; in terms of taste, the flavors of these aromatics become more focused and concentrated. Starter cultures release their enzymes, which continue working after the bacteria cease to function, and remnants contribute their animal or plant enzymes. These agents start the breakdown and flavor making processes. Molds, yeasts, and bacteria introduced during cheesemaking and/or ripening secrete their own enzymes, which in turn act on the fats and proteins to create volatile compounds. Each different substance contributes it specific flavors. Brie style cheeses, for example, obtain their delicious mushroomy flavors from the white candidum species of Penicillium mold growing on their rinds. Thistle rennets used in certain traditional Portuguese and Spanish cheeses lend a typical hint of bittersweet flavor. Terroir: From Cow Pasture to Cheese Plate Common sense tells us what the animals eat will affect their milk and thus have a tremendous impact on the cheese. The greater the amount of natural, local food our animals consume, the more of our lands’ character (terroir) will eventually end up in our cheese. A study co-authored by Drs. Carpino, Licitra, and Barbano and published in 2004 in theJournal of Dairy Science, examined the difference between cheeses made from the milk of pasture fed cows versus ones made from the milk of those consuming a TMR or dry formula feed (TMR is total mixed ration). The study provided conclusive scientific evidence for two key concepts of flavor origin: first, pasture feed yields more flavors and aromas; second, native plants and grasses offer unique aromas and flavors, that is, terroir makes a big difference. The study showed that a significant portion of the aromatics came from specific plants known to have been eaten by specific animals. As the cows chewed up grasses and flowers, crushing them and oxidizing the chemicals within, aromatics got released into the animals’ digestive tracts. Those aromatics eventually made their way into the milk. Even later they emerge as aroma and flavor-giving substances in cheeses. How to Describe Flavor and Aroma Aromatic compounds are described by way of references to other substances with the same flavor or aroma. Many flavors and aromas are very, very specific; others are significantly more vague or complex. An example: to most people—even serious foodies—the chemical name diacetyl means absolutely nothing; however, the reference “movie popcorn butter” has immediate resonance. Its aroma is unique and has no other clear reference; in fact, the chemical diacetyl was used for many years to create artificially flavored buttered popcorn. To know cheese, you’ve got to taste it—and lots of it. By far your most crucial skill as a cheese connoisseur is your ability to taste, first recognizing what’s in a cheese and, second, articulating what it is you like and don’t like about it. Tasting cheese in a vacuum is difficult: there is nothing to compare it to. Once you have two or more cheeses, you can develop references and begin to see the range of possibilities, and eventually accumulate a vocabulary based on your personal library of cheese experiences. Again, taste lots of cheese. Another way of tasting cheeses is alongside wine or other beverages which provide further contrasts and/or complements. Sometimes a wine or beer pairing with cheese will evaluate both partners and in almost every case it will reveal something interesting about each of them. How Do We Taste Cheese? What we perceive as cheese flavor is made up of a few fundamental components: first, the four flavors detected by the taste buds on our tongues—sweet, sour, bitter, and salty; and second, the thousands of odors we can pick up with our noses. The pleasures of cheese tasting are made possible by two things. First, the incredible sensitivity of our olfactory system—we can pick up something on the order of 10,000 aromas—and second, its physiology, namely, the retronasal passage connecting the nose to the mouth at the top of the back of the throat. These oral and nasal perceptions, added together, comprise an overall taste impression, or “flavor by mouth.” When you include the additional factor of texture, you have another compound sensation called mouth feel. Remember I spoke of these in the previous podcast on Why Food Tastes So Good. Link is in the show notes. About 90% of what you taste in a cheese’s “flavor by mouth” is aroma. Our sense of smell comes into play twice: first, when we put a cheese under our noses and, second, when we put it in our mouths. One reason for the difference between the smells and tastes of cheeses is due to our ability to smell only surface volatiles, in what flavor scientists called the “headspace” of a cheese (the immediate vicinity of its surface). When we put cheeses in our mouths and begin to chew, however, all the different aromatics inside them become available. Four tastes and thousands of aromas. Many of the compounds on a cheese’s surface, including that which makes an ammonia smell and quite a number of potentially stinky, barnyardy (even somewhat noxious) odiferous substances, have actually had a mellowing effect on the interior of the cheese. If you can get past the initial smell, you will find they are among the ripening agents responsible for balanced flavor development and are one reason why a really smelly cheese can taste quite mellow and mild. Once we put a cheese in our mouth, another breakdown process has begun: Our body’s own digestive enzymes, starting with those contained in the saliva, go to work at releasing flavor compounds. Multiple component taste factors immediately come into play, starting with those four primary flavors of the tongue and including the tingle, rasp, or caress of the cheese’s textures stimulating all those nerve endings on our palates and creating an overall impression of flavor by mouth, plus mouth feel. Cheese and the Four Primary Flavors Of those four flavors of the tongue, fine cheeses do exhibit quite a bit of underlying sweetness and also sourness. After all, milk sugar (lactose) is one of the three building blocks of flavor, and fermentation, producing lactic acid. It is the first step of cheesemaking. What about bitterness? A little bit of basic bitterness goes a long way. And if at all, we only want a little and it must be balanced. Next comes “salty.” This is the most common flavor in all cheeses. Like any other flavor component, salt should be in balance and it should complement the other flavors. Of all cheese defects, over-salting is the most frequent. Salt should emphasize or bring out a cheese’s other flavor components—not call attention to itself. The tactile sensation of a cheese—how its texture is perceived in your mouth—is an important part of its overall profile. Whether it’s satiny smooth and near liquid or crunchy and more crystalline or anywhere in between, a fine cheese’s texture and consistency will settle over the tongue in a particular way to deliver a distinct impression. As with flavors and aromas, personal preferences come into play: some of you will prefer softer types, others will salivate over harder ones. In any case, contrasting tactile sensations can enrich your cheese experience. How to Practice Tasting Cheese The main steps in tasting a cheese are look, touch, smell, taste—wait, think about it and reflect, and don’t miss the finish. Clear your palate; do it all over again with the same cheese again, take your time and move on to the next one only when you’re good and ready. What to Look For: Examine the rind and, if it’s a cut piece, the interior or paste. Make a note of all the textures and colors there and also if there are any interesting, different, curious or potentially meaningful markings. Think aesthetics: what is it about this cheese that looks good or bad and/or bodes well for how it might taste? Bear in mind that some very scary looking cheeses can be very delicious. How to Assess Cheese by Touch: Poke it, tap it, run your finger over the service, roll or press a small portion of the paste between a thumb and forefinger. How hard is it? Does it have any resistance, any kind of springy, bouncy consistency or texture? How does it break or crumble? A tactile assessment does not make or break a cheese’s reputation, but it’s an interesting piece of the bigger picture. By the way, if a cheese feels too cold, give it more time to warm up to room temperature before going any further. How to Smell Cheese: Take a good sniff. A very common question we ask is, “Why do some cheeses smell a lot stronger than they taste?” This question leads quickly to the realization that the character and intensity of the cheese’s aromas do not necessarily coincide with its flavors. A strong cheese may have a deceptively mild aroma; a real stinker may taste mellow and mild. Also, make sure your hands are clean and free from any kind of perfume or other potentially conflicting odors. Tasting Cheese: Take your time throughout the tasting but particularly with the all-important moments after you put it in your mouth. Keep a clean, clear neutral palate and an open mind. This is where a little bit of good white bread (classic baguette or its equivalent) and a sip of water or some other fairly neutral beverage can help clear your palate of any potentially clashing or conflicting flavors. Just a tiny piece of bread works like a swab to take acid and fats off the tongue so you can taste a cheese more clearly. Take a small bite of the cheese at first and make sure it comes into contact with every part of your tongue and as much of the inside of your mouth as possible. This is important because your taste buds are spread around the tongue and other parts of the back of the mouth and also because different receptors may focus on different flavors. Chew slowly and gently. Note all the flavors on the tongue and try to determine whether they are in balance. Be sure to note the initial sense attack and also to what extent there is an evolution of flavors: some fine cheeses make a strong immediate impression; others build from a quiet start to an impressive crescendo. As the cheese settles over your tongue and then migrates to the back of your mouth, begin to taste its full flavor profile. Note its texture and mouth feel. Wait for the finish and see how long it lingers; great cheeses don’t disappear quietly or slink away meekly, but they frequently offer distinct final impressions. Finally, Describing Cheese Descriptions can be quantitative or objective as well as qualitative or subjective. Outlining a cheese’s appearance is more objective than trying to capture all of its aromas and flavors. Observers can generally agree whether its rind is reddish orange or orangish red. Once taste and preference enter the equation, however, all bets are off. A cheese that tastes sour to you may seem only slightly tangy to me. One I feel is lush and luxurious may strike you as boring tub of butterfat, but hopefully we can objectively identify and acknowledge the traits upon which we base these opinions. It can be a valuable exercise to compare tasting notes with your cheese-lover friends. In the beginning you may find it difficult to move past such seemingly mundane adjectives as salty or buttery or creamy. That’s fine. People attach all kinds of different tags to an item in order to keep track of it in their memory banks. After years of tasting, there may be still many cheeses that you file under simple terms like buttery or crumbly, but with experience, your vocabulary will broaden. The more cheeses you taste compare, the more sophisticated your descriptions and references will become. To assist you in developing your vocabulary I’m going to offer a couple of free downloads one will be sample vocabulary terms that describe color, color modifiers, firmness or density, texture, mouth feel, flavor and aroma, flavor modifiers, and subjective, qualitative, or interpretive terms. The second download will be an outline of the basic cheeses by types and categories. How Are Cheeses Classified? Categorizing cheeses can be a useful extension of describing them. It helps you find substitutes or alternatives when your preferred cheese isn’t available, and it can help you create an interesting, varied selection when putting together a cheese plate for your friends. Any categorization system that accurately describes cheese traits can be useful not only in sorting them out but also in understanding and appreciating their various qualities and attributes. The basic international categories include: Fresh, chevre, bloomy rind or soft ripened, washed rind, natural rind, uncooked and pressed, cooked and pressed, and blue. Other types include: stretched curd (pasta filata) and whey cheeses. Due to the melting pot that is America, the American Cheese Society Awards have a huge number of categories. These categories include: Fresh unripened, soft ripened, American originals, American made/international style, cheddars, blue molds, Hispanic and Portuguese style, Italian type, butter, low fat and low salt, flavored, smoked, farmstead, fresh goat, fresh sheep, marinated, aged sheep, aged goat, and washed rind. In the end, they are still all based on the international categories. What Makes a Cheese Great? In assessing greatness complexity of aromas and flavors, stimulating textures, balance, distinct or unique character, and impact—in the sense of making a memorable impression are central. You might taste a cheese once, and not even remember its name, but you can’t get it out of your mind. Maybe it doesn’t even have strong aromas or flavors—after all, great cheeses can be very subtle—but it begs you to try it again. If a cheese is unique, it may qualify as great. But, to be an exceptional cheese, it doesn’t absolutely have to be one-of-a-kind. Cheeses that are variations, or even imitations, of great types should not be automatically ruled out. They may be very similar in character but at the same time could possess enough individual personality to stand out. My favorite cheese, cheddar, comes to mind. A great cheddar will stand out. Another key question: does it truly express its terroir? Great cheeses, like great wines, have an uncanny ability to transport you. Merely good cheeses taste like a type or are recognizable as a category; great ones taste like the place they are from. An outstanding Chianti beams you right to a sundrenched hillside vineyard beside a dusty road in Tuscany. Likewise, a taste of a perfectly ripened Appenzeller take you to a flowered mountain meadow with a backdrop of majestic glaciered Alps. Great cheeses live and breathe; they evolve and grow—not just from cheesemaking through ripening but on your palate when you taste them. Cheeses with profound, complex flavor profiles inhabit your mouth and offer a broad evolution. They start with an attack, subtle or not-so-subtle, hitting the taste buds of the tongue with fundamental flavor highlights. Those flavors develop and expand, melding and competing with myriad aromas, working their way back to the retronasal passage and up into the intellectual and memory centers of your brain. You are excited, stimulated, challenged. Tasting a great cheese makes you say, “wow.” Strong or mild, hard or soft, you’re bowled over by its brilliance. At this point I’m going to remind you that we now have store hours where you can come to the homestead and see our terroir. We currently have various grassfed meats available and I would love to talk with you about what you are looking for in your dairy products. Before the end of summer, we will have cheese, yogurt, and butter available for our herd share members. Let’s talk about you owning part of a cow herd. Best Lasagna Ever Good Lasagna takes a little work, but it is so worth it. What You Need 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 1 pound lean ground beef ½ cup minced onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste 2 6.5-ounce cans canned tomato sauce ½ cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil ½ teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 12 lasagna noodles 16 ounces ricotta cheese 1 egg ½ teaspoon salt ¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese What To Do Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. While noodles are boiling, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. To assemble, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish. In layers, arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with one third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 ½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Final Thoughts Whew, that was a long one. There is a lot going on here. Between the plants and the animals, things are growing, growing, growing. We are still looking for 3 calves and who knows how many more lambs—Scott just stepped in and said we have another set of twins. Three more ewes still need to give birth. I’d say no more than five more—that is unless someone else has triplets. Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with our homestead life. Go out there and taste some cheeses. Then come visit us and taste our cheese. We think you will be delighted. Our traditional food practices make great food choices for you. We are dedicated to providing you with the most nutritionally dense foods money can buy. Remember to visit our website, zip down to the bottom of the page and get those 2 downloads for expanding your vocabulary in your quest toward cheese connoisseur status. You’ll also receive a notification for a free download of my herbal bone broth recipe. Try out that exceptional recipe for lasagna and then ask us about the possibility of fresh mozzarella from your own cow via our herd share program. Yum, yum. If you enjoyed this podcast, don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcast listening app. Also, please share this podcast with any of your friends or family who might be interested in this type of content. As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.” Thank you so much for listening and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. References Expand Your Cheese Vocabulary Classifying Cheese by Type and Category Recipe Link Best Lasagna Ever To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm Instagram www.instagram.com/peacefulheartfarm/

In our A-Block, I talk about 80-year-old John Johnson of Wytheville, VA, who has a mission to identify the dozen long-dead white-color men involved in the last lynching of a black-color person in Virginia (in 1926; the victim's name was Raymond Byrd); the Big Interview is with Donna Minter of the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute;…

Spring has finally arrived. At least the spring equinox has passed. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. Looking forward to sharing the homestead life with you. Today it’s about “getting in touch with the land”. Today’s Show Homestead Life Updates What Does It Mean To “Get in Touch with The Land?” Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe Homestead Life Updates Retraining cows Now that spring is approaching, we are preparing to begin the milking cycle once again. I’m excited. I can’t wait. Milking the cows is one of the great pleasures of our homestead life. Every fall we stop milking the cows. That causes the cow’s milk to dry up. This step in husbanding our animals is important. We want to make sure that each cow has the energy reserves she needs to feed her developing calf. After she has her calf, she has lots and lots of milk – more than her calf needs, and milking begins. Before that date, it’s important to get the cows back into the habit of walking to the milking shed every day. They need to be reacquainted with that process. To fulfill that need, we have started walking them up to the milking shed every day. It has gone pretty well so far. They get there just fine. It’s the part that comes next that we will be working on diligently for the next week or so. It has been a while since they’ve actually been inside the milking shed. There are some unfamiliar aspects to the milking shed. And then there are those that have never been in the milking shed. We’ll get them there with a little practice. The Milking Shed Last year we erected a newer version of our temporary milking shed. We used it the previous year in the only flat place nearby the corral. Scott even ran power out there. Unfortunately, the corral area is also a lowland area and a lot of rain water flows through there. Not a problem if you only use it occasionally. Twice a day for milking is a different story. We were trudging through mud. All. The. Time. The temporary floor of the milking shed was a few sheets of plywood. That was fine as long as you didn’t step off the plywood. Everything around the area was deep mud, made deeper by the weight of those cows. Last year Scott moved the ShelterLogic Shed-in-a-box structure to higher ground and made a small animal loafing area to hold the cows while two were in the shed. It was level and he made sure the water would flow around it. We didn’t need the plywood floor. Or so we thought. There is always a lesson when using temporary structures. Afterall, we evolved our permanent structures based on each previous need. The Concrete Pad in the Milking Shed A few days ago, Scott poured a concrete pad under that shelter. It took him a day of very hard work. It’s beautiful and will serve us well this season. But why did we need it? Last year we milked one cow. This year we will be milking 5. Here are the basics of how that works. Under the shed are two spaces for cows to be milked. They walk in and put their heads into a stanchion. We secure their heads which keeps us all safe during the milking process. The milk cows get two handfuls of a sweet treat during the milking season to keep their health at a maximum while they produce lots of milk. Once they finish that, they start working on the hay. Everybody stays calm and content. Once the milking is done, they return to the rest of the herd hanging out in a small pen just outside. The Milking Process So why did we need the concrete pad? One of the lovely things about having animals is their freedom to express themselves at any time and anywhere. The shear amount of feces and urine from 5 cows on that dirt floor would be overwhelming. The way it worked last year was that we might go days without one of the cows practicing the eliminating of waste with abandon. Then again, it may happen day after day, twice a day. We were putting down lime in large amounts. So, the concrete pad, while taking way a day from Scott’s working on the creamery, was well worth the investment. I can’t imagine the mess 5 cows would have made had we done it the same way as last year. The concrete pad is slightly slanted. Scott being the genius that he is, also made sure of a path for washing away the mess. I feel blessed and can’t wait to give it a go. Last year I had to balance my stool on tree roots. Calves and Other Animals No news on when the birth of the first calf might be. We are watching and watching. Other animal news, the two young goat kids spend a great deal of time outside of the fence. We don’t worry about that because they just go back in as needed. The flock of sheep, the herd of goats and two donkeys moved into the garden area to graze the grass down before the garden gets going and they are not allowed in there. The Garden We took the plastic covers off of the raised beds today. Yay, I can plant. Well, as soon as it warms up just a little bit more. We’re right on the edge. I’m ready. The plants I have started inside are ready. Come on weather. Get with it! And that brings me to the topic of the day. What Does it Mean to “Get in Touch with the Land”? The first thing I want to talk about is the movement of the seasons. The extremes of the summer and winter solstice and the balance in the middle with the spring and fall equinox. Winter The force of nature is immense. The universe is immense. Everything about our world outside of the shelter of our homes is untamable and works on its own schedule. Let’s take a look at this past winter. It has been a long and hard winter, not just for us, but for many throughout the country. Major snow, deep cold, and the flooding accompanying the interminable rains. Here in southwest Virginia we have been blessed with the first dry spell since August last year. It’s the first time since August that we haven’t had rain each and every week. Sometimes torrential rains for days on end. Heck, we had to alter the pathway we bring the cows to the barn. Their usual pathway went through the creek bed. Only the creek bed has been flooded countless times since late last summer. With seven 1,000-pound cows trudging through it day after day to get water, it became a quagmire of mud. Bringing them back and forth twice a day for milking looked like a nightmare in the making. Yay It’s Dry! We have been blessed with a week of dry weather. It’s not something we had any control over and we are grateful for the break. Many in the Plains states continue to suffer the ravages of the weather flooding their lands. Why would anyone want to do this on purpose? Why would anyone do this knowing that nature was going to slap us hard from time to time. I can answer that in 5 words. It makes us feel alive. It’s all about life and death and the continuous cycle of the seasons. The continuous cycle of death and rebirth that gives us a deep appreciation for the life we have as well as the gifts of our family. We appreciate the gifts of our plants and animals. Seasonal Affective Disorder The seasons move on a rhythm and winter flowed toward spring. I commonly experience seasonal affective disorder. For me it usually begins some time in January. For others, it can start as early as late fall before the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. The depths of darkness. The season of winter is a time of everything shutting down. Outside the world becomes more immobile. The animals cluster together. The water freezes. The trees spend their time growing underground where the temperature is stable. Above the ground they look dead. As the winter wears on I become more lethargic, less active, and quite dull. This is an inner experience I’m describing. Outwardly, life goes on. Tasks are completed if more slowly. Stuff gets gone. Because, after all, the globe is still spinning on its axis and time keeps going. But as it goes on and on, each day I would feel a heavier load pressing down on me. This year my perspective was different. I’m here “in touch with the land” and I think it made a difference. Even though I could feel the pressure of hunkering down, I was not quite as profoundly affected by it. And the day it changed was profound. Spring Has Sprung I woke up on Thursday morning, the day after the vernal equinox, and I felt great. For no particular reason, I felt great. And I knew it was over. Winter is over. The winds are blowing very strongly today on a day cooler than normal for this time of year. It doesn’t matter. My heart and soul know that the time of hibernation is over. Spring is here. I don’t really know what it’s like for others that live farther south where the trees and flowers have been blooming for a week or two or more. Did they feel it all the way up to the first day of spring? I don’t know what its like for those farther north still in the depths of frozen snow and ice. Do they feel it? Even though they may not see it for weeks, do they feel it? In truth, we have a week or two before we can expect truly spring-like weather. We could easily get another snow. But it doesn’t matter. The globe has turned in its endless journey around the sun. The moment when the center of the sun is directly above the equator is past. The hours of daylight continue to lengthen. The daffodils are blooming. Our peach, plum, and cherry trees are blooming in the orchard. We have starting the journey toward summer. Summer At the peak of summer, our tolerance for the heat has likely begun to wane. The extreme of the solstice will now take its toll. Will we get enough rain? Even though we were flooded for months and months, we will need rain during the summer to keep our animals and crops hydrated. The cycle of life and death is there in every season. This is what it means to be in touch with the land. We are close to life and we are close to death every day. We are reminded daily of the wonder of life and the fragility of life. Isn’t that what we are all looking for? That connection with the natural cycle of life and death and the wonder that is creation. I strive to be filled with awe in every waking moment. It’s pretty easy in spring, summer and fall. Getting in Touch with Modern Technology Sure, I get distracted by Twitter and Facebook and the latest cooking gadget. These are great things that have made our lives easier. Each invention throughout history came to fulfill a need. And each one brings with it the opportunity make life easier, safer, more uniform. Today, in the US, the lowliest person has a better chance of surviving to old age than the average person of 100 years ago. In the early 1900s disease was still rampant and modern medicine was in its infancy. The nationwide transportation system had yet to be built. People were closer to their food source by necessity. You just couldn’t get fresh food as far across the country before it was no longer fresh. All of that changed rapidly throughout the 1900s. The more we got mechanized, the less we had to worry about the fickleness of mother nature and the cycles of the calendar. And the more distance we placed between ourselves and death. Nature is Ruthless and We are Humbled Nature is hard. Nature is ruthless. Being in touch with the land and living close to that knowledge gives me the sense of my place in the world. I am such a small speck in the larger planet and universe. Isn’t that what it means to “get in touch with nature”? Isn’t that what we seek? When the facts of death are thrown in our face daily, it gives us the deepest respect for life. We know that we are alive. We are grateful to be alive. Obsession with our creature comforts and personal issues becomes small and petty. We are focused on something much greater than ourselves. It’s taking that thought into the activities of our daily lives that makes the difference. You know, we spend a lot of time creating food here. In that process, we experience a great deal of love for our animals and we put in a lot of work hours into supporting them. We care for their lives. These are domesticated animals. Their lives are in our hands. We work hard for them. The amount of effort we put into providing the best possible environment for them is worth the effort we put forth. Our investment of blood, sweat and tears is what makes us all more human. Support Local Farmers As we share our stories, the opportunity for you or anyone else to participate abounds. You don’t have to be the one putting in the effort required to make it all work. But you can be the one that supports the ideal of nurturing ourselves via nurtured plants and animals. It doesn’t have to be all factory farming and monocropping. Your support for the local farmers in your area brings a little bit of peace to the world. Sometimes we feel like we don’t make a difference. It’s easy to change that. It’s easy to teach your kids to know they make a difference in the world. Connect with your local farmers. Visit their farms when they offer tours. Make sure your kids can play in the dirt of a farm garden. Let them pet the smaller animals and watch with awe from a safe distance the larger animals grazing peacefully. Let your children know that these are not just beautiful plants and animals, but the sustenance that keeps us all alive. What an awesome responsibility we have in caring for our plants and animals so they may feed and take care of us. Keep your ears peeled for when we offer farm tours. It’s coming. We are all just small specks in the enormity of the universe. And we are all integral specks in the creation and maintenance of it all.  Well, I just went on waxing poetically there. Let’s get down to brass tacks and talk about today’s recipe. How about an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe If you’re going to enjoy cheese, I can think of no better way than melted on some toasted bread slathered with butter. A grilled cheese sandwich is simple to make but improvements can always be made. This recipe will give you the confidence to make your grilled cheese sandwich spectacular. Here are some tips for making that perfect grilled cheese sandwich. 4 Tips for the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich Tip #1: Use a really great bread. I have some great bread recipes that will be coming along shortly. For now, you might want to visit your local farmer’s market. I don’t think I’ve seen one in a long time that didn’t have some local lady making some awesome bread. You can experiment with whole grain varieties, sourdough, or pumpernickel. Experiment to your hearts content. Just make sure its not sliced too thick and doesn’t have a lot of holes. Otherwise you either don’t have enough cheese to bread ratio or the cheese leaks out. Yikes. Tip #2: Using butter is great but have you tried mayo? Usually we use butter on the outsides for sure. Sometimes we butter the insides as well. But what if we used mayo on the outside and butter on the inside – or vise versa? Mayo is basically oil, eggs, and a splash of vinegar. The oil browns the bread really nicely when used on the outside and the vinegar adds a bit of tang. Tip #3: Use the right cheese. American cheese melts really well, but man o man is it boring compared to other choices. You definitely want a cheese that melts well. Just about any aged cheese will work well, with the exception of really hard cheeses like parmesan. So, gouda, cheddar, gruyere, fontina, and so on. Look for availability of our Clau d’ ville Aged Cheddar, Ararat Legend washed-curd cheese and Pinnacle alpine-style cheeses this summer at the Farmer’s market in Wytheville. Tip #4: Cook it slow. Keep the heat in the medium to medium-low range. You want the bread to toast at the same rate the cheese melts. You definitely don’t want to burn the bread before the cheese is fully melted. Press is firmly with a spatula. You can even put a heavy pan on top of it while it cooks. That pressure is going to give you that super crispy crust. What You Need 1/3 cup (3 oz) of cheese per sandwich, sliced or grated 2 slices of bread per sandwich 1 Tbs Butter per sandwich 1 Tbs Mayonnaise per sandwich What to do Apply butter or mayo to one side of the bread. Flip it over and apply butter or mayo to the other side. Lay it on a plate. Lay the cheese on top of the bread. Lay the cheese on top of the bread. Apply butter and mayo in the same way on the second slice of bread. Lay it on top to complete the sandwich. Repeat to assemble all sandwiches. Heat your grill or frying pan to medium-low. You can raise the temperature to medium if your cheese is melting rapidly enough. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Grill until lightly browned and flip over. Continue grilling until cheese is melted and bread is browned on the second side. Press down with a spatula to get a crispy panini bread crust. Final Thoughts No matter the size of your household, you can get in touch with the land. From container gardens of herbs on your balcony to a full-blown backyard garden, from a great relationship with your family and pets to a backyard chicken coop and goat pen, there are opportunities to view nature in all her glory. Take the time to just gaze with awe and remember how small we are in the larger scheme of things. Use that awe to inspire you to do something for someone else. Use random acts of kindness to show appreciation for the wonder of life that exists all around us, every day. All we have to do is look. I hope you’ll take time to enjoy that grilled cheese sandwich with close friends and family. You’ll find the recipe on our website. www.peacefulheartfarm.com Sign up for our email list. I send out a newsletter each week with easy links to the recipes. Included will be the link to the latest podcast. You’ll also find links to articles about cheese in the news. Remember, getting in touch with the land by making a huge investment in a homestead is not required. Simply get in touch with someone who is in touch with the land. Listen to their story. Embrace their story. Live vicariously through them. Make their story your own via your friendship and custom. Understand what it takes to be close to the land. Understand the immensity of nature. Your farmer will share that with you. In that sharing lies your connection to the land. As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.” Thank you so much for listening and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace. Recipe Link Grilled Cheese Sandwich To share your thoughts: Leave a comment on our Facebook Page Share this show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram To help the show: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Peaceful Heart FarmCast on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Spotify Donate on Patreon Website www.peacefulheartfarm.com Patreon www.patreon.com/peacefulheartfarm Facebook www.facebook.com/peacefulheartfarm

For this week we take a look at some very mysterious lights that appeared in Virginia and a brutal killer from South Africa. Get ready for scary mysteries Twisted Two's Please support Scary Mysteries! Check out our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries... - There's a lot of cool access, giveaways and even a custom episode! Buy awesome original shirts made by Scary Mysteries https://newdawnfilm.com/scary-mysteri... Subscribe for Weekly Videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiE8... _________________________________________________________ Scary Mysteries Twisted Two's: Whytheville UFOs and Donnybrook Serial Killer #1 Whytheville UFOs Nestled in the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Whytheville, Virginia is a small town where usually nothing out of the ordinary happens. But on October 7, 1987, a radio reporter named Danny Gordon checked in with the sheriff and was told of an incredible story. The sheriff claimed that three Whytheville officers had seen a UFO. Taking the story with a grain of salt, Danny reported it on his broadcast as a sort of entertaining piece. But then calls began flooding in from his audience who calimed to have seen the strange object too. Danny then set up October 17th as a special night for listeners to call in with their UFO sighting stories and the station was overwhelmed. One lady described the UFO as long and huge with blinking lights as it quietly moved through the sky. Meanwhile, a male caller said he saw it as egg-shaped and another person said it was flashing red, green and white lights as it moved. Danny initially believed there was a rational explanation for what it must have been. He thought it was probably an experimental military craft courtesy of Virginia’s Langley Air Force Base which was nearby. #2 Donnybrook Serial Killer The town of Donny Brook in South Africa has had its share of ups and downs. But from in1995, the residents there grappled with a different kind of menace – among them lived a psychopathic serial killer who randomly terrorized the community. Christopher Zikode was only 21 years old when he began his life of crime. The first time he was arrested was in July of 1995 when he attacked a young woman. He was charged with the attempted murder of a lady named, Beauty Zulu, but was unfortunately set free on bail. Instead of reforming after his prison encounter, Christopher only grew more vicious. During his time out of prison, he committed five additional offences. This included two attempted murders and three housebreaking charges with intent to rape and murder. Despite being young, or perhaps because of it Christopher was a brazen criminal who did not care much for tactics. His main MO was to break down the front door of his victim’s home – often choosing single women who lived alone – but he also didn’t mind if there were males there either. Once inside, he would shoot and kill the men first, Making sure they were dead by executing them with a shot to the head.

Live from Wytheville, VA onboard Rolling Glory One. Jeffrey loves sleeping on the bus. Man sentenced to 30 years after firing gun into grass. Former MLB player Mike Schmidt apologizes over sexist remarks. Outrage over girl’s culturally appropriated prom dress. Duji might have Hepatitis A. Tech Tuesday. Snitzer caught pirating movies.

Troy D Black Was born and raised in Wytheville, VA. I am 48, married 28 years and have two children (grown). I've called several places home over the years including Charlotte, NC and Roanoke, VA. Some could say I was born into the paranormal. Being raised in the country I would listen the older people tell stories about houses that were haunted and places in the woods that should never be visited at night. As I got older I experienced ghostly encounters enough to where I put together a group when I was in high school. I then got into UFO's, Bigfoot, MIBs and corners of the supernatural. I've worked in several different factory and a few small government jobs. And in security as well. But no matter where I have lived or visited I was always drawn to those places that many only whisper about. Do I believe in the paranormal and other mysteries like it? When you have seen things that others say can't be real it is easy to say yes. I would enjoy putting another team together. But until that time I will continue to read, research and interview when I can.

Today you'll learn about Somic America, located in Wytheville, VA, and the various positions that exist within the company. Discover what skill sets the company is looking for, what the hiring process looks like and some of the benefits of working for Somic America. About Somic America: A leading supplier to the automotive manufacturing market, Somic America specializes in the manufacture of ball joints for suspension and steering systems, and rotary dampers for seat and tailgate applications.

Intro ⦁ This week we are going to explore the French Lop Rabbit breed. ⦁ Item of the Week: Holmes window fan ⦁ The plant of the Week: Sweeds and Turnips ⦁ Word of the Week: Alleys ⦁ Folktale: Rabbit and Dear race ⦁ And finally end with the rabbit news of the week If you would like to support the podcast, you can support through Patreon for one dollar a month. Patreon is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators you can also support the podcast, and help keep the lights on, whenever you use Amazon through the link at Hare of the Rabbit on the support the podcast page. It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. If you’d like to get “more bunny for your money,” there’s not much better choice than the French Lop. If this breed can be described in one word, it is “cuddly.” This is the only lop-eared beed that is placed in the “giant” size category, and Frenchies are gentle giants indeed. Although French Lops are not widely bred due to the space and feed they require, a number of people keep “just one” as a cuddle bunny. By breeding together the English Lop and the Flemish Giant or French Butterfly rabbit back in the 19th Century, fanciers developed the hugely popular French Lop rabbit. The French is different from it’s English cousin as it’s bigger and its drooping ears are shorter. It also weighs slightly more. The lovely French Lop usually weighs in at around four-and-a-half kilograms, but can weigh more and can live to be more then five years old. French Lops are 1 of 5 lop-eared breeds that the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) recognizes. They are the largest breed of lop, weighing in at 11 lbs. minimum when they reach their adult age class. Some can weigh as much as 16 lbs., while 12-13 lbs. seems to be an average weight within the breed. History The French Lop rabbit was first bred in France around 1850 by a Frenchman named Condenier. There were several other breeders that bred the Lops during this time period, however the credit is given to Condenier as the originator of this breed. The French Lop breed resulted from a cross between the English Lop and the Butterfly rabbit of France. The Butterfly rabbit is still bred in France and can be seen at the Grand Prix Show in Paris. This rabbit closely resembles our Flemish Giant of today, but is shorter in body and weighs approximately 15 pounds. The French Lop Rabbit was first breed in France and established in France as a rabbit for meat during the mid-19th century. Between the period of 1850-1910 there was great popularity of both the French and English Lop on the continent of Europe and in England. In fact, they were referred to as the "King Of The Fancy". Mr. Woodgate of England contributes the downfall of the French and English Lops due to the fact that they obtained such perfection during this period that they lost their challenge to the breeders. The French Lop increased in popularity in neighboring countries such as Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In 1933, it was reported that ten French Lop Rabbits were brought over from the Netherlands and exhibited in the UK, although it was not until the 1960s that French Lop Rabbits became a popular mainstream rabbit breed in the UK. French Lop Rabbits were imported into the United States in 1970-1971. As rabbit fancying became more popular the breed was further developed to have a thickset body that was heavily boned and a large bulldog shaped skull. The French Lop bred today differs greatly from its original form in that it functions more as a companion and exhibition animal today, than as a meat and fur producing animal of the past. Overall Description Giant and cuddly, French lops are the largest breed of lop rabbits. In fact they are the only lop considered a “giant” breed. They are gentle giants with a commercial body type and glossy rollback fur. The French Lop is a very large rabbit, typically weighing around 10-15 pounds, they don't have a maximum weight in the show standard. With lop ears of between 5 and 8 inches long that hang down below the jaw, and an almost cubic appearance with a short thickset body and large head. The front legs are short and straight and the hind legs are carried parallel to the body. The French Lop has a dense, soft coat that comes in two color varieties: solid and broken, and within these categories can be found a number of different rabbit colors. The French Lop comes in many colors and these can either be solid, or broken – where they can display a mixture of white and another color. Colors include white, blue, black, agouti, chinchilla and sable, among others. The fur is short, dense and very soft. Their ears are usually 5-8 inches long and hang just below the jaw, but aren’t as long as the English Lop’s. French Lops also have a thick body and a large head with a wide forehead and chubby cheeks. Their ears are well-shaped and fall open without folding over. Body French Lop bodies should be shaped more or less like New Zealands, and should feel like boulders. They are prone to becoming a little flabby and developing a “skirt” – that is, a roll of skin and fur around the lower hindquarter. The coat is a long and glossy rollback, which means that the fur slowly and gently returns to its original position when stroked against the grain. The head is set moderately high on the shoulders and is broad and bold. Ears are topped with a fluffy crown. Maximum ear length is not desired on this lop breed like it is on the English. Ear carriage and shape are important. Ears should be horseshoe shaped and fall open without folding or rolling. French lops have a rollback coat, which needs little grooming. Simply brushing it once a week should be enough to remove loose fur. When they are molting more grooming may be necessary. Again, many color varieties available which include Black, White, Brown, Blue, Agouti, Chinchilla, Opal. Sooty Fawn, Siamese Sable, Orange, Fawn, Steel and Butterfly. The French Lop has a good climate tolerance for all climates Important Things to Look out for When Buying Show Stock: Things to Avoid: A long, narrow, or flat body. Hindquarters that are chopped or undercut. Junior does with large dewlaps. Long, narrow head or flat crown. Pointed muzzle. Blemished ears, ears with poor carriage, narrow, folded, or thin ears. Ears that turn out away from the rabbit’s cheeks. Weak ankles. Broken patterned rabbits with unmatched toenails. Fine bone is a disqualification. Fur that is silky, long, harsh, thin, or very short. care A French Lop is able to live outside and inside; a large waterproof hutch that shelters the rabbit from any rain, snow, or heat is acceptable with a run attached. French Lops do not handle heat well, so make sure they have adequate protection like a frozen water bottle or a fan. If kept inside, a hutch or a cage can be used. It is infinitely preferable to keep rabbits in pairs - you should only ever consider getting a single rabbit if you can spend several hours a day with them. The rabbits should have a large run for exercise and mental stimulation - lack of exercise can contribute to obesity, gut stasis and behavioral issues. Due to their relatively larger size in comparison to other breeds, the French Lop may require a large hutch/run to move around freely. They fare well in both outdoor and indoor cages but keep in mind they are still rabbits and not dogs and they will chew and you need to bunny proof. A large wooden hutch should be provided for the French Lop – he’s a big rabbit and will need plenty of space in his home to hop, stretch out and stand if he chooses to. The hutch should be placed out of direct drafts and full sun and could be placed in a light, well-ventilated shed if there is one available. If not, his hutch should be fully waterproof and should have a mesh front with a cover to keep out any wind or driving rain, and he should also have a covered area where he can build his nest and escape for some peace and quiet. If your rabbit is going to be kept in the house he can have the run of the place providing anything important is kept out of the way. Take the time to litter train him and he will be clean too, although he will appreciate somewhere quiet to rest where he will not be disturbed. French Lops can be very lazy creatures and sometimes he will appreciate a place where he can observe the action, rather than take part in it. He will also love a nice warm lap to sit on too. They can live perfectly well indoors or outdoors but it must be remembered that this is a rabbit and not a dog or cat. They will chew indiscriminately so anything you treasure, including shoes, mobile phones, clothes and cables and wires, should all be kept well out of the way. He can be litter trained, but as a rabbit, it will not be easy and will take time and patience. That said, it can be done! diet It is recommended that the French Lop receive a standard intake of a high quality, high protein pellet. It is common for some owners to provide treats, although in very limited quantities, which can include a slice of strawberry, or other healthy foods. Commercial treats are available in the pet stores in shops and can be occasionally used, although even more sparingly, since they typically feature a higher sugar and starch content. Some of the vegetables that rabbits enjoy are romaine lettuce, turnips, collards, kale, parsley, thyme, cilantro, dandelion, and basil. The green, leafy tops of radish and carrots also are excellent sources of nutrients—more than the vegetable itself. New vegetables should be introduced slowly due to the delicate digestive systems of rabbits. It is recommended that cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage be avoided, as they cause gas and can lead to gastrointestinal stasis, which can be fatal. Vegetables such as potatoes and corn should also avoided due to their high starch content. Research what kind of fruits, vegetables and greens are rabbit-friendly and if you’re not sure if a particular food can be eaten, the rule of thumb is simply not to give it to them. Stop, research, and/or ask your veterinarian if it is bunny-safe before feeding. French Lops also require an unlimited amount of fresh water, usually provided for in a water crock, tip-proof ceramic pet dish, or hanging water bottle. A proper diet is also important to ensure other digestive problems don’t develop. For example, if your rabbit develops diarrhea because of a poor diet, their soiled coat can attract flies in the warmer months (especially if it is outdoors) and if the rabbit is unable to groom himself properly, the flies can lay eggs in his fur (near the bottom). When those eggs hatch, they will begin to eat your rabbit while they are still alive, causing them extreme pain- this is called fly-strike. To avoid this, make sure your rabbit eats a balanced diet and check their fur for any flies that may have landed on soiled fur. Health Breeding The ideal age for the female French Lop rabbit to start breeding is 9 months. It is recommended that they should not have any more litters after the age of three years. The French Lop rabbit can produce large litters, usually between 5 and 12 with a gestation period of between 28 and 31 days. On average they give birth at 30–32 days. The French Lop does not have any health issues particular to its breed, however As with most rabbit breeds, there are some conditions which affect the species as a whole that are the biggest threat to your pet’s otherwise good health. Dental issues are the number one cause of illness in rabbits so it’s vital that you keep a close eye on the quality of your rabbits teeth. By feeding a diet that’s high in fiber and roughage, your rabbit’s continuously growing teeth will be kept worn down. They can suffer with overgrown teeth and enamel spurs and if these are allowed to develop your pet could find it difficult to eat or may develop injuries in his mouth that may become infected. Prevention is better than cure so providing a diet that’s high in good quality hay and fibrous green vegetables is essential if you are to avoid dental problems. A good diet is also crucial to the health of your rabbit’s digestive tract and if the diet is not adequate, he can easily develop diarrhea. The French Lop also has a tendency to become a little overweight, which most rabbit parents don’t notice because of its already large size. Being overweight can cause a multitude of other health issues so always be aware of how much you are feeding your gentle giant. Watch the French lop’s condition, they tend to get a little flabby. They can develop a “skirt” of loose skin around their hindquarters. Temperament/behavior This is a bunny that simply loves to be adored, and he’ll return that adoration tenfold. The French Lop is renowned for its gentle, docile demeanor and he will tolerate handling and other animals and children very well. Providing your animal is socialized and handled correctly from a young age he will make an affectionate and playful companion and will be fantastic with children. It should be remembered that because he is a larger rabbit he can be strong and will not make a suitable pet for a first-time owner. Their hind legs are very powerful and the can kick out if startled, which, if you are holding him at the time, could cause injury. They are known to have a placid and relaxed temperament, and can tolerate other species. When socialized well at a young age they are a wonderful family pet, and are very gentle with children. Rabbits are highly social animals and should always be kept with a companion - however care should be taken when introducing them as adults. Neutered rabbits will be less likely to fight - male-female pairs tend to be strongest. Like all rabbits, they may go through a "teenager" stage, where they are reaching sexual maturity and might become aggressive. It's less common in the French Lops though than other breeds. Apart from their distinctive appearance, French Lops are also distinguished by their endearing and gentle temperaments. Bred for decades to be an easily handled breed, their large, imposing frames are misleading as most French Lops are very docile in nature, they are usually quite fond of interaction with humans and are much less active and more relaxed than a great number of other rabbit breeds. The French Lop thrives on human interaction and loves to be picked up and petted. This large breed of rabbit makes for a wonderful pet due to their calm, docile temperament. These gentle giants have a huge personality each different than the other rabbit. At first glance, it can be mistaken as a small dog but make no mistake about it, this rabbit is just as cuddly as any dog you’ve ever had. They thrive on human interaction and love to be picked up and petted, making them ideal for couples who want to take the next step into pet parenthood or singles who would like some animal companionship. As a good natured and social animal, the breed will thrive on interaction with people as well as with other rabbits. They can be quite playful and will enjoy some simple toys to keep them occupied. The French Lop does tends to have large litters, sometimes with as many as twelve offspring. The average lifespan of a French Lop rabbit is about 5 to 7 years. uses Rabbits tend to be bred for one of four things: meat, fur, show, or pet use. Even though this is a large breed of rabbit, they are gentle and easily handled. This makes them good for pets or show rabbits as well as meat production. At a minimum of eleven pounds, it is occasionally mistaken for a small dog at first glance. Unlike some other giant breeds, the French Lop has commercial body type rather than semi-arch. Although perhaps slow to grow out, the French Lop yields a good amount of meat and can even be shown in market pen classes. The French Lop rabbit was mainly developed as a meat rabbit breed. And was a very popular meat rabbit breed in the mid 19th century. The breed is very suitable for commercial rabbit farming business for meat production. French lops are most commonly used as show rabbits, though with their large, commercial type they can also be used for meat. In fact, they can be shown in the meat classes. French lops also make good pets, as long as you keep in mind that these rabbits are at least 11 pounds, and will need roomy cages. Today it is a popular meat rabbit breed and also raised as pets and show animal. The French Lop is a large breed of rabbit that makes for a wonderful pet, due to their calm, docile temperament. Club The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) maintains the breed standard for all of the recognized rabbit and cavy breeds for it's international membership. Recognized breeds are eligible for Registration and Grand Champion recognition. The AMERICAN RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION, INC. is an organization dedicated to the promotion, development, and improvement of the domestic rabbit and cavy. With over 30,000 members throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad, its members range from the pet owner with one rabbit or cavy to the breeder or commercial rabbit raiser with several hundred animals. Each aspect of the rabbit and cavy industry, whether it be for fancy, as a pet, or for commercial value, is encouraged by the organization. The British Rabbit Council (BRC) is a British showing organization for rabbit breeders. Originally founded as The Beveren Club in 1918, its name first changed to British Fur Rabbit Society and finally to The British Rabbit Society. Today, the BRC among other things investigates rabbit diseases, maintains a catalog of rabbit breeds, and sets rules for about 1,000 rabbit shows annually in the UK. Owners of house rabbits are also encouraged to join the organization to learn how to care optimally for their pets. “Presented” means that they are there on exhibit for the ARBA committee to see and vote on if they would like to accept the new breed. The breed is recognized by both the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the British Rabbit Council. The French Lop Color Guide allows many colors, but this breed is shown in only two classifications: solid pattern and broken pattern. Today the French Lop shares a national specialty club with the English Lop, and that’s fitting enough, since they were brought to this country along with the English Lop in the early stages of the American rabbit fancy. The breed was first developed in France, as the name suggests. The first record of it being shown is in 1850, by a breeder named Condenier. It is not one of the most popular breeds, but also is not in danger of extinction at this time. Learn About the History and Objectives of the Lop Rabbit Club of America. In April of 1971, the National Lop Rabbit Club of America was formed and later became known as the Lop Rabbit Club of America. The object of the LRCA is to popularize, promote and improve the breeding of the Lop rabbits, to encourage fanciers and exhibitors with the help of this club's services which are at their disposal. Our American Standard has for years recognized both Lop breeds. Through the great efforts of many early Lop breeders, the Lops have gained enormous popularity and recognition in this country. The original stock was imported from Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Germany during 1970-1971. The future of our French and English Lops in America looks bright and promising. The Lop Rabbit Club of America invites you to join our organization. We are one of the most progressive Rabbit Clubs in America. As a member, you will receive our Official Club Guidebook, plus the Lop Digest which is published quarterly. Most importantly, you will be able to enjoy the breeding and exhibiting of two of the most unique and irresistible breeds of rabbits known to man - The French and English Lops Have I Missed Anything? If you know something about the breed standard, history or status of this rabbit, please let me know. Do You Have a Story About This Particular Breed? What do you love about them? Do you have any tips or tricks up your sleeve for what might make this breed happiest? Perhaps you're a breeder of this type of rabbit. Let us know, and maybe we can set up an interview? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Lop https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/breeds/rabbits/french-lop/ http://www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/breedsrabbitfrench-lop/ http://rabbitbreeders.us/french-lop-rabbits http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-breeds/french-lop-rabbit-breed-information/ http://www.frenchlopcare.com/about-the-french-lop-breed.html http://www.lrca.us/ http://www.roysfarm.com/french-lop-rabbit/ Every week I would like to bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience, and I have researched enough to recommend. This weeks item is a window fan! I have had a Holmes window fan for over ten years. It has a temperature setting so that you can set it to come on at a specific temperature. I have used it in the window to draw in or out air, and I have used it in a door way to move air from one room to another. This could be used in a room with a rabbit to draw cool air through from outside, or if you have a rabbit barn with a window, this Holmes window fan could be used to draw some air through. This Holmes window fan is cost effective and draws in fresh, cool air from the outside or exhausts stale, hot air from inside. The Holmes window fan can do both simultaneously because each of the two fans can be set independently to draw in or exhaust out, allowing the unit to exchange inside and outside air. Operable either manually or automatically—with its thermostat turning the fans off and on to maintain a selected temperature—the unit has a one-touch electronic control and two speeds so it can be adjusted to specific conditions. It's designed to fit double-hung, vertical-slider, and casement windows.   Plant of the week - Sweeds and Turnips Word of the week: Alleys Our FolkTale: http://www.native-languages.org/trickster-rabbit.htm Rabbit is the trickster figure in many Southeastern Indian tribes. The Rabbit Trickster is generally a light-hearted character who does not engage in serious wrongdoing and features in many children's stories; however, like most tricksters, he is prone to humorously inappropriate behavior, particularly gluttony, carelessness, and an overinflated ego. In the folklore of some Southeastern tribes, it was Rabbit who stole fire and brought it to the people. http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowtheDeerGotHisHorns-Cherokee.html In the beginning the deer had no horns, but his head was smooth just like the doe's, He was a great runner and the rabbit was a great jumper, and the animals were all curious to know which could go farther in the same time. They talked about it a good deal, and at last arranged a match between the two, and made a nice pair of antlers for a prize to the winner. They were to start together from one side of the thicket and go through it, then turn and come back, and the one who came out first was to get the horns. On the day fixed all the animals were there, with the antlers put down on the ground at the edge of the thicket to mark the starting point, While everybody was admiring the horns the rabbit said: "I don't know this part of the country; I want to take a look through the bushes where I am to run.". They thought that was all right, so the rabbit went into the thicket, but he was gone so long that at last the animals suspected he must be up to one of his tricks. They sent a messenger to look for him, and away in the middle of the thicket he found rabbit gnawing down the bushes and pulling them away until he had a road cleared nearly to the other side. The messenger turned around quietly and came back and told the other animals. When the rabbit came out at last they accused him of cheating, but he denied it until they went into the thicket and found the cleared road. They agreed that such a trickster had no right to enter the race at all, so they gave the horns to the deer, who was admitted to be the best runner, and he has worn them ever since. They told the rabbit that as he was so fond of cutting down bushes he might do that for a living hereafter, and so he does to this day.   News Carla Wilson 1949 - 2017 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestarpress/obituary.aspx?n=carla-wilson&pid=185872286&fhid=19244 Carla Wilson, 68 Portland - Carla Wilson, age 68, a resident of Portland, passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Carla was born February 7, 1949, in New Castle, Indiana, the daughter of Noel and Kathleen (Williamson) Myers. She graduated from Wes-Del High School in 1968. Carla worked at the Pennville Library for many years and was also an ARBA Rabbit Judge for many years. She was a member of the Hickory Grove Church of the Brethren; she was also a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association, Indiana Rabbit Breeders Association and also a Jay County and Delaware County 4-H Leader. She married Larry Wilson on September 20, 1969. Survivors include her loving husband: Larry Wilson - Portland, Indiana; 2 sons: Kelly (wife Jennifer) Wilson - Portland, Indiana and Aaron (fiancé Nicolle Courtney) Wilson - Muncie, Indiana; 1 daughter: Linsy (husband Cody) Zigler - Lynn, Indiana; 2 brothers: Dave (wife Kaye) Myers - Orlando, Florida and Ron (wife Linda) Myers - Fayetteville, North Carolina; 1 sister: Emma Lou Bocook - Munising, Michigan; and 5 grandchildren. Visitation for Carla Wilson will be held on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the Williamson and Spencer Funeral Home in Portland. Funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at the Williamson and Spencer Funeral Home in Portland with Pastor Earl Doll officiating the service. Burial will follow in Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Muncie, Indiana. Memorials may be directed to Hickory Grove Church of the Brethren. Envelopes will be provided at the funeral home. Online condolences may be sent to www.williamsonspencer.com. Published in The Star Press on June 22, 2017     Hundreds of Animals Still Recovering After Being Found in Fresno Moving Truck http://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/hundreds-of-animals-still-recovering-after-being-found-in-fresno-moving-truck/746534266 FRESNO, Calif. -- Nearly 1,000 animals are still being cared for after being found in an old moving truck in South West Fresno on Friday. Fresno Humane Animal services officials said many of the animals are recovering but some may have a long road ahead. Kendyll Lyons, a kennel worker at Fresno Animal Humane Services has been working long hours to make sure the hundreds of birds, bunnies, quail and others at Fresno Humane Animal Services survive. "We have had the occasional bunny, the occasional rabbit but never anything like this," said Lyons, kennel worker, Fresno humane animal services. On Friday, Fresno Humane Animal Service employees said they recovered 955 animals from a moving truck in Southwest Fresno. "It was 107 degrees inside when we got there and certainly that is not as hot as it has been. Thank goodness for that," said Brenda Mitchell, Fresno Humane Animal Services Board President. The animals were transferred to Fresno Humane Animal Services' air conditioned warehouse, where they have been closely monitored. But, even with the care from animal experts, officials said 10 have died since Friday. "I don't know if it is related to those conditions but certainly their age and the fact that they are fragile little creatures," said Mitchell. Officials said they could lose even more animals. Many of the birds have injuries, feather loss and officials said many of the rabbits are too young to be without their mothers. "I would be very surprised if some of the little rabbits made it," said Lyons. The workers said they will continue taking care of each one until they are fully recovered. Officials said when their investigation is complete they will start finding homes for all of these animals.     A 'Furfest' in Wytheville http://www.swvatoday.com/news/article_20980352-5856-11e7-8b75-572ee59e7b10.html The fur was flying at Wither’s Park Thursday morning as adults and children gathered, along with dogs, a cat, even a rabbit, for the annual Chautauqua “Furfest” pet show. Border collie Greeley Joe was top dog, taking home the People’s Choice and Best in Show Awards. Greeley Joe’s owner, Cora Chrisley, 15, said she started training the 1-year-old pup when he was about 6 weeks old. “Just whenever we would play or during potty time,” she said. Nothing special. He takes to it really well.” Already, Greeley Joe can sit, lie down, shake hands, circle, catch a Frisbee and fetch (which he loves). The Best in Show Award is awarded in memory of Marsha Jones, a Wythe Arts Council member who promoted the pet show for years before she died in 2007. Her family has continued to sponsor the Best in Show Award in her memory. Jones’ young family members, Cali and Beach Molinary, attended the show. Nearby, Debbie Yates watched her 6-year-old granddaughter, Kyla Yates, play with her rabbit, Cocoa, who took home second place for the cutest pet. They also entered golden retriever Nellie in the show, who snapped up third place in the “best trick” category. She shakes hands. “We came just for fun and to watch; we love the festival,” Debbie Yates said. “I thought it would be good for her (Kyla) to participate. She did real well walking her out there. I think it builds self-confidence, don’t you?” Patty Hall’s Pomeranian, Shadow, won honorable mention in the “cutest” category. Hall’s friend, Ann Harrison, arrived too late to enter her Shih Tzu, Gizmo. They were at the pet show with 10-year-old Gaige Dawson and Hall’s daughter, Christi Armbrister, who was visiting from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. “We just came to watch,” Harrison said. “It’s so neat and wonderful to see all the dogs and we saw a rabbit and a cat and some sweet people.” Here are the Furfest results: Look Alike: First place: Chloe (Annette Gilliam) Second Place: Greeley Joe (Cora Chrisley) Best Trick: First place: Greeley Joe (Cora Chrisley) Second place: Chloe (Annette Gilliam) Third place: Nellie (Debbie Yates) Honorable Mention: Copper (Oscar Montgomery) Largest: First place: Baby (Payton) Second place: Chloe (Annette Gilliam) Third place: Bo (Jackie Alley) Honorable Mention: Copper (Oscar Montgomery) Smallest: First place: George (Cora Chrisley) Second place: Lanie (Lili Belle) Third place: Romeo (Zachary Coley) Honorable Mention: Roscoe (Maranda/Mariah Wall) Best Costume: First place: Keni (Oscar Montgomery) Second place: Roscoe (Maranda/Mariah Wall) Third place: Baby (Payton) Cutest: First place: Benji (Joe and Marsha Turpin) Second place: Cocoa (Kyla Yates) Third place: Peanut (Blair Jackson) Honorable Mentions: Shadow (Patty Hall), Nellie (Debbie Yates), Bo (Jackie Alley), Addison (Cora Chrisley) People’s Choice: Greeley Joe (Cora Chrisley) Best in Show: Greeley Joe (Cora Chrisley) To reach Millie Rothrock, call 288-6611, ext. 35, or email mrothrock@wythenews.com.     Colorado's Iconic Rabbit Ears Peak just lost a chunk of its ear http://www.9news.com/news/local/colorados-rabbit-ears-peak-loses-chunk-of-ear/449687186 STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO. (AP) - An iconic sight near Steamboat Springs is missing something. Rabbit Ears Peak looks a little different after losing a chunk of one of its ears. Steamboat Pilot & Today reported Thursday the western ear of Colorado's iconic landmark is significantly skinnier and pointier following what appears to be an erosion event at the top of the rock formation. The Rabbit Ears are remains of pyroclastic materials, which are layers of extruded rock and ash. It's a popular landmark and hiking spot for tourists and locals alike. Dr. Barbara EchoHawk, a professor of Geology at Metro State University, says Rabbit Ears Peak is the result of volcanic explosions from 30 million years ago. Check out the before and after here. Because of the way the magma erupted in a vent from the ground, Dr. EchoHawk says there are some large and some smaller pieces of volcanic rock. During its formation, these pieces were broken by steam eruptions, causing cracks in the rock, that eventually, naturally, will crumble and fall away as these cracks line up with other joints in the rock. Even the rabbit ears themselves are just smaller, leftover pieces of the original formation. Dr. EchoHawk says more erosion can be expected in the future as the rock and its cracks freeze, thaw, freeze and thaw. U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Chad Stewart says he made a point to look at Rabbit Ears Peak on a drive he took this week after he was informed of the possible change in the rock's appearance. The piece that broke off was at a height that would not be easily accessible to humans. Stewart says there are also no rock climbers permitted to operate at the rock formation, making this scenario more unlikely than natural erosion     On View | 'Bunny Attack: An Exhibit of Illustration and Photography http://host.madison.com/wsj/entertainment/arts_and_theatre/visual/on-view-bunny-attack-an-exhibit-of-illustration-and-photography/article_c5249055-1dd3-5998-a604-0ccf04fd401f.html Dreams, nature and dark emotions stimulated the creativity displayed by artist Bunny Attack at Bos Meadery, 849 E. Washington Ave., Suite 116. “Bunny Attack: An Exhibit of Illustration and Photography” will be on view through the end of June. “It is through a quiet observation that most of my work comes to life,” Bunny Attack said in her artist’s statement. “Introverted and imaginative, I spend my life in a state of observation and interpretation; I am mostly drawn to the colors of the fading day, the patterns and details presented in the natural world, the stories that come to life via melodies, harmonies and lyrics in my favorite music.” Bunny Attack’s works in the exhibit include black-and-white illustrations featuring anthropomorphic animals, sullen self-portraits, and double-exposed film photography that all carry a dark and mysterious theme. Part of her earlier collection “The Dangers of Living,” all the black-and-white work was composed once she had developed a personal style she was happy with and was able to really focus on creating detailed illustrations. “The newest works have more color, and are a bit more playful, although still being on the darker side of things,” Bunny Attack said in her press release. Bunny Attack has no formal art education other than a couple of photography classes. “Drawing has been a favorite (pastime) for as long as I can remember, and in high school I picked up a love for photography,” said Bunny Attack in an email. “It took time and much trial and error to develop the style I have now, and I’m happy with the work I’ve produced thus far and am excited to experiment more and advance in my techniques.”   William Shatner From Captain Kirk to ... Bunny Handler!!! http://www.tmz.com/2017/06/17/william-shatner-better-late-than-never-cast-bunny-rabbit-show/ EXCLUSIVE William Shatner may have explored new worlds where no man has gone before, but now he's in Sweden ... running around with rabbits. The legendary "Star Trek" actor is in Stockholm shooting for his new comedy/reality show "Better Late Than Never" ... and showed off his skills as a bunny handler. Spoiler alert -- he wasn't great at it. Rabbit show jumping is big in Sweden -- kind of like the Westminster Dog Show in the U.S. Shatner and his fellow cultural icons on the show -- Henry Winkler, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman -- all took part in the rabbit racing and looked like they had a blast. As usual, host Jeff Dye was their guide.  

Happy Halloween, podcast listeners! On today’s episode, we have two stories for you. First up, Steve tells the story of the Wampus Cat, a Cherokee legend. Then Rod tells about the legend of the Major Graham Mansion just outside Wytheville, Virginia, which has made that house into one of the premiere Halloween destinations in Appalachia. […]

Tonight we’ll be talking and getting to know our fellow PSN broadcaster, Debra Jayne East. Debra is the author of Radiance, a novel that’s a NDE love story. It has its basis in reality! Her Book! https://www.amazon.com/Radiance-After-Debra-Jayne-East/dp/1495456870/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 Here is Debra’s bio: “Debra Jayne East grew up in a rural town in Virginia and from an early age she had an interest in writing, astronomy and science. In 1968, close to midnight, her family went outside to see what their German Shepard dog was barking at. Looming over the hill, a lens-shaped object the size of a tractor trailer with a rotating band of blue, white, and red lights hovered silently in the moonlight. That was the first UFO sighting she experienced at twelve years of age. “That was only the beginning of the family’s sightings with the most significant one happening in 1987 after a large UFO flap in Wytheville, Virginia. After hundreds of sightings by military, the sheriff’s department, and many locals including radio newscaster Danny Gordon, her parents woke up to find a strange triangle-shaped landing marks in their back field. “After her career and raising a family, Ms. East returned to her first love and began writing paranormal books and also researching the UFO phenomenon. This led to her hosting her own radio show six years ago and she is still giving people a voice to tell their stories today. ‘It’s my legacy,’ she smiles. ‘I like to believe we are all a piece of the puzzle. I not only interview people like Bruce Maccabee, James Bartley, and Peter Robbins, who are experts in their own fields but the everyday person, researcher, or abductee with unique stories to share.’ ” Check out her Facebookpages https://www.facebook.com/debrajayne.east.5 And blog http://notesfromtheundergound.blogspot.com/

Before the release of the Salk polio vaccine, polio epidemics were commonplace in the United States. In 1950 one such epidemic hit the Commonwealth of Virginia, with the Appalachian town of Wytheville being so badly hit that it made national news. On this episode of Stories, Rod and Steve tell the story of the 1950 […]

Join Crystal, Alan, and Chris as they welcome back none other than Debra Jayne East! BIO: Debra Jayne East was born the oldest of six girls in Martinsville, Virginia. Her interest in UFO’s started at 12 years old. Late one night the family dog was barking and when they went outside a huge dome shaped UFO loomed above the hill side close to their home. Since that time, UFO’s have made appearances in her life at each new location she has moved to. Her parents were even involved in the famous 1987 Wytheville, Virginia UFO event. Since that discovery, Debra has continued her search for truth in being the host of radio shows like Sky-Watcher Radio, Millennium’s Edge and now Starlite-17 Radio Show. She has interviewed the top researchers and advocates in the field such as James Bartley and Eve Lorgen {who are expert researchers on Reptilian agenda} Steven Bassett, UFO lobbyist in Washington, Kosta Makreas of ETLetsTalk organization. She has interviewed scores of several best-selling authors such as Nick Redfern and A.K. Kuykendall along with everyday people who have their own extroidinary abduction stories to share. “No one has all the answers, she says. We all are a piece of a much bigger picture and need to work together to get answers.” Debra also produces other radio shows, does life coaching and writes paranormal books on Amazon as well. http://myBook.to/RadianceLoveAfterDeath https://www.facebook.com/heartstoneproductions http://starlite-17.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/debrajayne.east.5

On December 18th, 1915, widower and President, Woodrow Wilson, married Edith Galt, from Wytheville, Virginia. The new First Lady went on to help her husband through a stroke and, some say, actually run the country during the last year of his presidency. On today’s episode, Rod and Steve tell her story. You can subscribe to […]

Join Angel & Alan as they welcome none other than Chris Brown during the first hour, and Debra Jayne East during the 2nd hour! Both live on Skywatchers Radio! BIO: Chris Brown claims to be an eye witness to two separate possible UFO sightings. Both transpired in the same location right out side of his home. One of these events involved a close encounter with a saucer-shaped object. The following event involved a floating orb navigating through the neighborhood streets. A more descriptive detail of this case report can be reviewed here. His young son is an eye witness to the sighting... BIO: Debra Jayne East was born the oldest of six girls in Martinsville, Virginia. Her interest in UFO’s started at 12 years old. Late one night the family dog was barking and when they went outside a huge dome shaped UFO loomed above the hill side close to their home. Since that time, UFO’s have made appearances in her life at each new location she has moved to. Her parents were even involved in the famous 1987 Wytheville, Virginia UFO event. Since that discovery, Debra has continued her search for truth in being the host of radio shows like Sky-Watcher Radio, Millennium’s Edge and now Starlite-17 Radio Show. She has interviewed the top researchers and advocates in the field such as James Bartley and Eve Lorgen {who are expert researchers on Reptilian agenda} Steven Bassett, UFO lobbyist in Washington, Kosta Makreas of ETLetsTalk organization. She has interviewed scores of several best-selling authors such as Nick Redfern and A.K. Kuykendall along with everyday people who have their own extroidinary abduction stories to share. “No one has all the answers, she says. We all are a piece of a much bigger picture and need to work together to get answers.” Debra also produces other radio shows, does life coaching and writes paranormal books on Amazon as well. http://myBook.to/RadianceLoveAfterDeath https://www.facebook.com/heartstoneproductions http://starlite-17.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/debrajayne.east.5

Please join us for a live interview with Eddie Manuel at Backintyme.biz at Blog Talk Radio. Eddie will talk about the Manuel Family who are of Lumbee & Melungeon descent. The Manuel family shared a Portuguese heritage, as well as Native American. Eddie will share with us his DNA scores and what those means to him, as an educator, father, husband & Melungeon descendant in the 21st century. Eddie Manuel, has made his home in Wytheville, Va for 35 years. He is an adjunct professor teaches American, World History and Military Leaders at Granthum University and serves as consultant to the Melungeon Heritage Association. Eddie has also built a "Melungeon Village" in his back yard. "To be honest, in the beginning I did not care about history at all. That was, until I read several books by Dr. Brent Kennedy, who opened my eyes to my Melungeon identified ancestry. When I completed the DNA testing is when I realized the magnitude of the truth in origins, for my family. The analysis provided familial matches from Saudi Arabia, and Palestine. Furthermore, validating my family history of Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Native American ancestry. I have been able to trace my ancestry back to early 1600's related to William Hennings Bryan and Daniel Boone. I was also able to obtain records from the National Archives which I learned of the families ties to the Creek and Seminole Indians." Talking Points King Manuel Native American, Lumbee, Creek, Seminole Variations in Manuel Surname spelling North Carolina (arrival to coast) Stories of Portuguese Pirates in NC DNA Labana Manuel Gypsies Indentured Servants Lumbee Discrimination toward the Manuel Family www.backintyme.biz    

From Uganda comes this tale about how two jungle critters who were once friends became foes, and in the process tells why frogs have no tails and why lizards have puffy cheeks. It seems appropriate because like the frog and the lizard, we recently swung on a rope from a tree when we went ziplining in the back yard of some friends near Lima, NY, where we recently performed. We come to you from Abington, MA, where we've been geting into the fall spirit by performing at a haunted attraction, as we love to do at this time of year.  And we ask your help in finding a couple of stories requested by a young fan who left us an absolutely adorable message. Happy Listening,Dennis (Narrator, Frog) and Kimberly (Narrator, Lizard) Upcoming shows in Washington D.C., Seaford DE, Wytheville and Grayson, VA

BoA:Audio returns to the realm of UFOs with our guest, filmmaker Sean Kotz, who discusses the 1987 UFO flap in Wytheville, Virginia, which will be chronicled in his forthcoming documentary Strange Country: A Different Kind of UFO Documentary.

[audio http://blogmyfuturevccs.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/vahighered-podcast-ep03-080211.mp3] VaHigherEd Podcast: Episode 3 – Jeff Kraus talks to Jenna Boyer of Wytheville Community College, who plans to take advantage of one of the guaranteed admissions agreements to continue her college career in biomedical studies. Listen to her talk about her experience at Wytheville and her day at the General Assembly. Tune in for the [...]

This podcast features a conversation with Bill Gilmer of Wordsprint Printing & Graphic Communications of Wytheville, VA, a participant in the TMC Conference, about his highly successful approach to selling graphic communications services into niche vertical markets. Hosting the conversation is John Hyde, NAPL vice president and senior consultant. Download the podcast here (13.0 mb stereo MP3 file, 14:17 duration). For information about the many benefits of membership in NAPL, call (800) 642-6275, Option 4, or visit www.napl.org. Keywords: NAPL, customer service,top management conference,tmc,Santa Barbara,forum,conference,printing,press,graphic,communications,NJ, Paramus, podcast, lubetkin

This podcast features a conversation with Bill Gilmer of Wordsprint Printing & Graphic Communications of Wytheville, VA, a participant in the TMC Conference, about his highly successful approach to selling graphic communications services into niche vertical markets.Hosting the conversation is John Hyde, NAPL vice president and senior consultant. Download the podcast here (13.0 mb stereo MP3 file, 14:17 duration).For information about the many benefits of membership in NAPL, call (800) 642-6275, Option 4, or visit www.napl.org.Keywords: NAPL, customer service,top management conference,tmc,Santa Barbara,forum,conference,printing,press,graphic,communications,NJ, Paramus, podcast, lubetkin