Part of our mission on the farm is to be a place of retreat and refreshment for those in the city as well as a place for discipleship and furthering intentional discipleship and mentor relationships.
Just a quick note to let you know it is TIME TO ORDER for fall 2019:
Get your orders in before we’re all sold out for the season. We’d love to raise the nutrient dense food you want to serve to your family!
Here a link to our ordering information so you can contact us in the way that’s most convenient for you: Order soon!
Egg season is coming up and the chickens will soon be laying overtime.
A dear friend of ours sent us this message awhile back and I wanted to share it with you all: “I’ve accidentally created a delicious quiche! Thought I’d share!” – Laura.
Thank you Laura, I look forward to enjoying this in the coming months.
Havarti cheese slices
5 eggs
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1. Sauté onions about 10 minutes in butter.
2. Add pork, sage, brown sugar, and salt and pepper.
3. Put pie crust in pie pan, and put the sausage onion mixture on the bottom.
4. Top with havarti cheese.
5. Mix together eggs, milk, and a dash of salt and pepper in a bowl and pour over the cheese and sausage.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Enjoy!
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There are so many reasons we came north to farm. Actually, not long before we made the move we thought we were to be missionaries in Cambodia, working alongside church planters to help others care for creation rather than continue the careless exploitation of the land that many have adopted. Why in the world are we here in rural Minnesota?
Well, maybe we needed to make the agricultural mistakes here first and learn a lot ourselves still. Maybe our boys will take over and we’ll still head out, maybe not. We have continually learned that we cannot determine our future in many aspects. Sickness happens, poverty happens, and good things happen too. We do know that we are to be faithful wherever God has us and in many ways we are doing exactly what we would be doing in Cambodia, but here among the rural people of Minnesota.
As we lived in the city we had worked with many over the years that had little knowledge of how to work and where food came from, so we started Gardens of Praise, an urban agricultural development project that strives to go beyond reconnecting urban people with nature to reconnecting them with their Creator and to bring the knowledge of how to produce their own food into the city through holistic farming experiences.
As that moved forward, we also sought to be part of a farm school project here on our farm. However, the community was quite against it since we failed to accurately portray who we were bringing to the farm. They thought inner city youth = thugs, druggies, etc. None of the youth we were thinking of were involved with drugs or had been in trouble with the law. Yes, their parents had, but these youth were trying to get out of the cycle.
As that was shot down, we still had the desire to bring young men and women that had been discipled in Christ, but were still in a hard spot, up to the farm to continue to be discipled and learn the value of work and where our food comes from. What about inviting mentors and youth up to a working farm to share a weekend working together, furthering relationship, and learning the amazing intricacies of how God has ordered this world? What about internships to teach young men and women the value of working as unto the Lord even when the work is tough and smelly? What about retreats where people can just get out of the city and find joy in God’s creation and those they retreat with?
Others came alongside us and pushed us this way. And now we’re here working out what it means to glorify God in farming day to day. We started with savings and the conviction to stay debt free. Mat’s family already had the land and some equipment that was necessary. Our objective was to become profitable within five years in order that we could then focus on our other goals of internships. We do have people up for retreats and such, but hope that with an established farm we would have more time and resources to devote to such things, such as building a larger housing area for groups or being able to spend more time teaching. Though we knew it would be a lot of work, I was surprised at the constant need to always be working. Our animals needed to be fed and cared for or they would not survive. Problems and equipment needed to be fixed or something would die, etc. We also had young children, so having people come actually set us back for the first few years. Also, with the constant work, it became a high stress job. A stressed out host isn’t much fun to be around.
Our story isn’t over, but we’ve come a long way in this farming endeavor. March 2017 will mark our fourth year on the farm. We started in March 2013. We have been so happy to host those interested in farming and to share what we can with them and our immediate community. Mathew is an amazing resource to myself, others and the church. What God has done through him here in Northern Minnesota has been a joy to see. Endurance is not always easy, but the fruit of endurance is so satisfying. Our practices are improving, our product has definitely become quality, and we’ve learned so much from our previous mistakes. Slowly we move forward.
So what am I getting at by telling you our story? Well, when you buy anything, you are supporting the farmers and producers and the practices of production behind that product. In buying our food you are supporting what we are trying to do here on the farm. We are in the business of practicing careful dominion over creation – land, animals, and people. Consider purchasing a portion of your meat supply from us this year.
How do you order from us? Visit our Ordering Information page (link also in top bar menu).
Keep up to date with what we’re doing through our regular Facebook or Instagram posts.
Our week in pictures: The boys and I took a week off to help Daddy with a number of projects. Enjoy some pictures from our week. Click a picture to read how it was part of a rewarding week of work.
This is just a quick post to highlight a new page we put up on our website that shows you opportunities for volunteering at Righteous Oaks Farm. It also allows you to let us know what projects you might be interested in helping out with. Check it out at: https://righteousoaksfarm.com/volunteer-oportunities/
Adding nine teenagers to our crew for a week was a new experience to say the least. Monday through Friday we did little else but try to keep nine teenagers and our three young boys doing something. They fed and harvested chickens, baked, cooked, made jam, did wood crafts, canoed up and down the river outside our front door, fished, had family devotions or quiet time, cleaned out the old chicken coop when they forgot the rules, took turns with meal preparation and clean up, watched the documentary Fresh, prepared our small brooder for tiny guinea fowl keets (so cute), woke up early to get the keets at the post office, etc. It was a cold and wet week, so we changed a few of the original plans.
How did we do it? First, we had a lot of planning going into the week. We had a schedule set and posted. A meal plan was in place. We were flexible with the plan, the schedule, and the meals, and adjusted them when weather or other circumstances arose. The most important factor was that we had help. Mat’s mom was the school kid’s chaperone for the week. She has had lots of experience and she does an awesome job with large group events. Mat’s dad happened to have the week off and helped with much of the outdoor activities. He is also amazing and a non-stop work machine.
Anything we would have changed? I would have been more proactive in dolling out work. These kids were willing to move if directed. I do think they were kept plenty busy though, because nothing was broken. I would have been more intentional in getting Dena, Mat’s mom, to rest. I had mandatory rest time because I laid Josiah down three times a day and realize this was extremely helpful for my sanity this past week. I would have tried harder to not expect these kids to act like Christians (because most weren’t) and given more grace. I would have been firmer in my expectations and quicker to show authority when disregarded.
Saturday came and we took a much needed vacation. We are all worn out. Overall, we feel good about our time with them and hope they feel the same.
If you have, please continue to pray:
• Mat and Peter both had deer ticks this weekend and Mat’s is developing a rash.
• We are getting a few pigs for pasture today and have never raised them.
• Our week is filling up fast, Mat will likely need his rest and I am hoping he does not over work himself.
• We will continue to receive groups throughout the summer and fall.
Righteous Oaks Farm 