We bought 3 types of butter recently because I want you to see the difference in color based on the cow’s diet. This is important because there are some loud voices in conventional agriculture that say “calories are calories”, doesn’t matter whether the cow eats donuts or grass. The focus is on volume and production, not on nutritional benefits for the cow and thereby the human.
It’s obvious looking at these three types of butter that more fresh grass equals a darker colored butter. So what does that mean? The darker yellow means more beta carotene. Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, and supports vision along with immune function. I have also read that it protects skin from oxidative stress. Additionally, more fresh grass translates into more vitamin K2 in the butter. K2 is very important for our body’s ability to absorb calcium into bones and teeth, so it does not deposit in soft tissue or arteries.
It’s still important to know your farmer because “Big Food” has caught onto consumer interest and has ways to modify color without grass.
So what color is your butter?
This is also why I don’t just take any old fish oil. The fermented cod liver oil is mixed with concentrated butter oil from cows on Spring grass. This supplies the K2 I mentioned. It helps our body utilize the benefits of the cod liver oil, which is fermented not high-heat processed like many fish oils. Get yours at Green Pasture with 10% off using promo code “ALISON” at check out. https://greenpasture.org/
I wasn’t a committed homeschool mom from the second my first child was born. I did quite a bit of research because I wanted to learn more about how kids learn - and truly what kind of environments are not just best for learning ABCs but for overall health and development. I wasn’t even sure I would be a good teacher. After reading many books written by education “experts”, we landed on homeschool.
I really had to unravel quite a bit of what I thought was “school” before I could even begin. I went to the same private school K-12 and equated learning with perfect exam scores. As a student, I forgot a lot of what I crammed into my head because I wasn’t learning for the joy of it - I was learning to survive.
I have come to see how much a child learns through simply living - and being bored! They are innately attuned to art, nature, science, nutrition, play, language - if only we give them a chance. I have truly loved homeschooling my kids, especially all the time we get to spend...
I lived for many years with the idea that I would be a career woman first and someday get to kids.
Biologically, this makes little sense as it gets harder to have kids as a woman ages. But even more mind boggling, I didn’t really even think much of it, like the way one considers what he or she is having for dinner. Actually I probably put more thought into dinner. Being a mom was a complete afterthought. One day a friend and I were eating lunch in downtown Seattle and she smacked some truth into my noggin. I decided, ok what the heck. What do I have to lose? We had our first when I was 38 - I found out I was pregnant the week I resigned from my TV news job. Our second came when I was 41.
If I could talk to younger me, I’d tell her that no career is worth delaying or sacrificing motherhood. It has been the most incredibly humbling, soul-stretching, heart-throbbing, belly laughing adventure I’ve ever had.
And don’t forget to grab the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from...
When cell tower companies apply for a permit, they often claim that it is for public health or safety.
The truth is that in-home streaming has become so popular, they see a new multi-billion dollar profit frontier and are trying to get you to bundle your cell phone service with your Wi-Fi. If we are not careful, this will mean multiple cell towers in neighborhoods everywhere.
Our neighborhood just got fiber and we already have 3 cell towers nearby. Now they want to build a 4th tower next door.
Please help us stop the unnecessary tower from going up right next to our farm. Send a quick email to:
“I oppose the Blue Sky cell tower application CU-2026-00003 in Crystal River. It is unnecessary. Please deny the conditional use permit.”
