Black Minorcas in their breeding shelter. Murray’s Farm, Cambridge Ontario. Recorded with my Samsung Galaxy S3 device.
One of my favourite breeds, the Minorca is a breed of chicken originating in Spain. They have red faces, huge red wattles and large red combs. Their earlobes are large and white. They lay large white eggs.
Pastured eggs are the rage of the food world right now, mostly because of flavour. A heritage chicken takes three times as long to mature and start laying eggs regularly as its factory equivalent. What it lacks in speed, it makes up for in taste. A textbook example of slow/real food.
After The Winter Solstice | Southwestern Ontario, Canada
Frozen yet beautiful the wonder of winter grips the land. I left the sullen mood of the city behind to spend the last days of the year on the farm. After the winter solstice you feel the sun’s life energy slowly returning as the days begin to grow longer.
Neighbouring Barn – Southwestern Ontario
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This building on the property used to be a church built back in the 1800’s.
Back on the farm the miracle of autumn is spectacular…
The crisp cold air, exploding colours everywhere, the harvesting of our own food, the playfulness of the animals and the smell of the soil underfoot.
The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life. – Wendell Berry
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops,but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” ― Masanobu Fukuoka
7:00am dark outside, Murray’s Farm, Cambridge, Ontario “Pigs need a feeding, Turkeys need a watering, Eggs need collecting…”
I prefer to leave the city and spend time on this farm whenever we can. Doing chores from morning to night, experiencing a true heritage farm lifestyle. As I wrote in one of my previous posts “farm life is hard work yet there’s something essential about growing your own food. Getting back into rhythm with the earth and animals that sustain you.”
Why do I love spending time on a farm? I love to watch and nurture the crops & plants. I love to live in the presence of the animals. I love working outdoors. I love watching the weather. I love the independence that farm life provides.
Support Your Local Farmers…
Food performance surveys show that a majority of food shoppers are willing to pay more for food grown locally on small family farms.Follow that up with consumer buying habits and we will change the tradition of farming in North America.
Don’t Eat Anything Your Grandmother Would Not Recognize As Food!
Cambridge, Ontario. “Doing my chores from seven in the morning until seven at night”.
Experiencing the life of a farmer at my friend’s heritage farm. Sustainable living and ethical farming is hard work. Yet there’s something essential about growing your own food. Getting back into rhythm with the earth and animals that sustain you.
Adopt food sustainability as a lifestyle. Grow your own urban vegetable garden. Eat whole, raw and natural foods. Reduce your consumption of fast and overly processed foods. It you’re on a plant and animal diet source out free range, pasture raised/grain fed meats from your local farmers.
In many communities food resources go furthest when people produce their own food near to where it is consumed.
Taking it globally, hunger-relief organizations provide assistance not in the form of cans of food, but in technology, education and programs that teach sustainable farming.
YouTube Description: Murray’s Farm aka. “Grey Gardens” – 5:00pm EDT. June 10, 2012 || Cambridge, Ontario area. Self shot by John Zeus
This is my first farm video. Another way to share experiences at the heritage farm. Videos and photography are a hobby and I’m strictly an amateur. Hope you enjoy the clip. Thanks for visiting my site.
A February morning, Cambridge Ontario, Canada | Murray’s Farm: Heritage breeds of chickens.
On a cold wintry day I took these photos while collecting farm fresh eggs in the hen house.
Heritage breeds are some of the breeds of chicken that have neared extinction due to commercial farming which does not favour their characteristics. Commercial chickens are very far away from natural. These Heritage chickens are wonderfully natural and interesting to look at. Lack of demand has led to dangerously low numbers due to lack of breeding. Over the years, North Americans have moved from family flocks to commercial poultry. The convenience factor has resulted in many chicken breeds nearing extinction.
Extinction of a breed would mean the irrevocable loss of the genetic resources and options it embodies.
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Heritage Breeds In A Hen House #birds #greatnature #heritage #chicken #animals #chickenfarm #nature
There is a need to ensure the future of agriculture through the genetic conservation and promotion of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. – John Zeus
9:00am, Monday February 13, 2012. Farm, Cambridge Ontario. I took this photo this morning while collecting eggs in the hen house. I’m back in the city now after spending the weekend at my friend’s farm. I got some great shots while doing the chores. I’ll post the rest of the album later in the week, ‘Winter at the farm’.
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ABOUT JOHN ZEUS
(Link to his Bio) John Zeus “Zeus” is a highly involved and effective leader, mentor and learning coach.
His hobbies include, urban farming, local food initiatives, boxing, blogging, canoeing and hiking.
In this space he explores personal interests, identifies challenges, shares solutions and takes action with others.
JOHNZEUS.COM 
February 28, 2013
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