Things That Boggle My Mind

1. Walmart-brand fair trade coffee.

I went to Walmart the other day because I was in dire need of more coffee, and noticed that they have Sam’s Choice fair trade coffees. This confused me a little, because of Walmart’s reputation for treating their employees poorly, so… apparently they care more about farmers in other countries than people right here? I know the case is more likely that they want to look good and people are starting to demand more fair trade so they’re just speaking to that demand, but it’s still a bit of an oxymoron.

I’ll admit that I don’t always buy fair trade, I almost always drink Yuban 100% Columbian just because that’s what I grew up with. I did end up purchasing some of the Sam’s Choice fair trade though, because it seemed to be the best choice out of the limited selection. I even decided to live a little and try Costa Rican (like I said, I always drink Columbian out of habit) because I was in the mood for something different… and it was in a pretty purple bag. I think I may have found a new favorite country of origin for my coffee!

2. “Animal lovers” who eat meat.

I’m going to try to keep this short, because otherwise I could rant and ramble forever and not get anywhere. But there are so many people out there who claim to love animals, they even donate to and work at (or even run) humane societies and animal protection agencies… yet they eat animals, an act which necessarily causes pain and suffering to the animals and is not necessary for our survival. This discord between actions/opinions will never make sense to me (or most other vegans), and I’d like the people this describes to think long and hard about why they say they love animals but still eat them, and then get back to me. Like, seriously.

Read Full Post »

Beautiful Day on the Farm: A Photo entry

It was so beautiful outside on my day off Wednesday that I took the opportunity to walk around and take pictures of the farm and some of the animals.

Waiting to be fed

Sun starting to go down over the top of the farm

Overlooking the Upper Hospital

“]”]

Guess what? (chickenbutt)

Feeding Time!

Old Rainbow Logo

Snow Bunny Buddies

Outside bunny shed

Circle of hay inside bunny shed

Hello little bunny!

Bunny nuzzles

The setting sun

Overlooking the cow pasture

Seeing the beauty here and the wonderful lives we give the animals is so wonderful after coming back from the dark, miserable stockyards yesterday. Most days on the farm the sky has just been a hazy shade of winter, but that just makes the days when the sun comes out so much better.

Read Full Post »

Field Trips to the Stockyard

Today we went on a field trip to the stockyard where animals get auctioned off. We watched baby calves get pushed around a ring while people stood on bleachers bartering for their lives. All the calves were under a week old, some of them just born this morning, and none of them living to see the end of the day.

On the way to the stockyard, Don firmly lay down the rules as to how we were to behave while there:  No animal rights messages anywhere on our clothing/accessories. No recording devices of any kind, whether it be a tape recorder, camera, even camera phone. Don’t point out to the farmers if we see an injured animal. Don’t start up anything with anyone. We’re here for educational purposes only. We are to be the best advocates we can, but this is neither the time nor the place for that.

What we are about to see may be highly disturbing to us. People treating animals like commodities instead of beings. Children being desensitized to the suffering of animals at a young age — tales of an 8-year-old boy harshly prodding at cattle with a stick, being cheered on by his older brother, “atta boy!”  A family event, everyone going to see the animals auctioned off to their death sentences before they’ve had a chance to live. And this is just a small town livestock auction, nothing near the horrors hidden behind the walls of factory farms. It’s absolutely OK to cry, and if it got too intense for us we could always go back in the van.

By the time we got there, we were no longer sure we wanted go at all, but we were already there. We tentatively followed Don inside the building, feeling hugely out of place among the camoflauged hicks and deathmongers that filled the place. But today was a relatively quiet day, so we didn’t have to bear witness to the worst abuse or suffocatingly close quarters that might be at the stockyard. Don’t get me wrong, it was still vile.

If you’ve ever seen a baby calf you know just how adorable they are. If not, then you’re missing out big time. Their big brown eyes with the long eyelashes, their awkward walks and jumps around… the thought of taking something so wonderful right out of this world is almost too much to bear. One calf came over and started suckling on Tabitha’s finger, so starved for love and food. It’s heartbreaking to know that this was probably the only love he’d ever get in his entire lifetime, but at least we were there to give him that.

These calves, of course, are a byproduct of the dairy industry. What most people don’t understand is that even if you go vegetarian, you’re still supporting the slaughter of these animals because dairy cows must be impregnated once a year in order to keep producing milk. What happens to the calves? They aren’t needed, so they get sent straight to slaughter.

I am so proud to be here at Farm Sanctuary helping animals directly. The contrast between the short, uncared for lives at the stockyard and the long, loving, happy lives our animals get here is amazing, and I am so happy to be on the right side of the fence. I gladly get up early every morning and go out in the freezing cold to help these fortunate animals because they deserve it, and at the same time I am learning so much so that I can be the best advocate I can be. Because hearsay is nothing in an argument when put up against “I’ve been there. Have you??”

Read Full Post »

Ed. Lunch & Billy the Calf

Yesterday we got an adorable little black calf named Billy at the farm.  He was born at a dairy farm and destined for slaughter because he was seen as a waste, not being a dairy cow, but Billy was saved by a Truxton farmer named Larry who couldn’t bear to think of a baby calf being killed without ever enjoying life. So Larry took Billy and ended up bringing him to Farm Sanctuary, where he will be able to live a long, happy life knowing he is safe from the factory farm practices to which he was almost destined to fall prey.

Photo by Karen Nalani Encarnacion

Read Billy’s press release here.

In other news, today was the first educational lunch (ed. lunch) for all the current interns here at Farm Sanctuary. Every Wednesday, we go down to the People Barn where Don Walker, the intern coordinator, cooks us an awesome vegan lunch and then we get to learn about different topics related to animal advocacy, veganism, the Farm, etc. Today’s lunch was broccoli and rice casserole, glazed carrots with a difference, and chocolate mousse pie (recipes below, except for the pie). Man, I am a long-time broccoli hater (I try to like it, honest!) but this casserole was so good, especially paired with the glazed carrots… salty paired with sweet, they complement each other so well! I’m glad I liked it so much, because Don serves it the first Wednesday of every month, and I’ll be here for three months so I get it three times.

Today’s ed. lunch topic was History of Farm Sanctuary and Veganism, which is the first ed. lunch of every month (meaning I’ll be getting the same schpiel February and March). We talked about how Farm Sanctuary was established, what Farm Sanctuary does, and briefly about veganism as a lifestyle. Although much of what we talked about was just reiterating stuff I already knew, I did learn a few new things as well.

For example, I knew that Burger Kings across the nation sold veggie burgers, but what I did not know was that that started at the Burger King in Watkins Glen as a result of pressure from everyone from and visiting Farm Sanctuary. The veggie burgers did so well, they tested it at more Burger Kings around New York and eventually it became a menu option nationwide. While I personally will never get a veggie burger at Burger King and therefore support the fast food industry, hooray for mainstream vegetarian options!

We also talked about ballot initiatives Farm Sanctuary has worked on, such as helping Florida to become the first state to have any sort of legislation against farm animal cruelty, and of course advocating the passage of Prop 2 in California in 2008. We also mentioned some major rescues Farm Sanctuary did, such as Hurricane Katrina, the Iowa floods, and Colombus, OH tornado rescues.

It was great learning about all the stuff Farm Sanctuary has done and is currently working on, and I look forward to learning about more topics at future ed. lunches and of course eating more of Don’s awesome cooking! Now time for the recipes (sorry, again, no pictures):

Broccoli and Rice Casserole (from The Compassionate Cook)

2-3 crowns of Broccoli

1 1/2 - 2 cups rice

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups boiling water

2 tsp salt

1-2 Tbs soy sauce or tamari

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules

1 tsp onion powder or granules

pinch of turmeric

1 cup nutritional yeast

pinch of paprika

Preheat oven to 350

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.

2. Steam broccoli to desired tenderness.

3. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to boil.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat.  When the margarine is melted, whisk in the flour then whisk in the boiling water (It should thicken and bubble).  Whisk in the salt, soy sauce or tamari, garlic and onion powder or granules, turmeric, then the nutritional yeast.

5. Spread the rice in a casserole dish and then spread the broccoli over the rice.  Pour the sauce over the rice and broccoli.  Sprinkle paprika over the top.

6. Bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes.

Glazed Carrots with a Difference

2 Tbs vegetable margarine

¼ Cup brown sugar

¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon

2 cups chopped carrots

1 medium onion, chopped

Melt margarine over low heat.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until desired consistency. 

Alternatively, you can steam the carrots and onion first.  Mix all ingredients over low heat until margarine and brown sugar is melted, then Serve immediately.

Read Full Post »

Greetings from Vegan House!

Dear blog,

I apologize for completely neglecting you ever since the end of VeganMoFo. I just got so caught up in life and other goings on that I (yes, I’ll admit it) basically forgot about you. But no more! Yesterday I moved into Vegan House, starting my three-month internship at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. I currently don’t have any way of uploading photos, but I hope to rectify that shortly so that I can keep you all fully updated with what’s going on down at the farm. As for now though, you’ll have to just deal with my words alone.

I am currently living in a small house with 4 other interns, all of whom are vegan. One housemate just made some “pasta et cetera” salad for lunch, which was really good. It had of tri-color rotini, mushrooms, spinach, kale, almonds, and some soy cheese. I really need to get down to the grocery store to purchase some produce to cook with.

This morning we had our orientation. Don, the intern coordinator, came and told us all the basics of living up here and then walked us around the farm to show us where everything was. I’m so excited to be working directly with animals, but it is f***ing cold outside!! Also, I seem to have already come down with a cold so I’ve been pumping myself full of Emergen-C’s. Mel, my coworker at the health food store back home, would be proud.

That’s all I have for now, but I’ll be sure to update with stories and hopefully photos from the farm!

Much love,

Lou

Read Full Post »