Category: Diary

Spring Flowers

This year (2011) was a terrible year for veld fires in our beautiful valley.  At one stage it felt like living in a volcano, with a ring of fire on both mountain’s.

And Wickedfood Earth was not spared. In June a devastating fire swept through the farm, destroying fences , irrigation and a number of fruit trees.

On the positive side, this years spring is a blaze of color with a phenomenal selection of spring flowers raising their heads literally from the ashes. We’re busy capturing this miracle for prosperity.  Below is a selection of some of the flowers we have come across to date.

If you’re interested, come back from time to time as the list starts to grow.

We are also in the process of identifying the various flowers, but this will take time.

Please also feel free to comment.

To view full size images, click on the individual image, or alternatively click on the first image and then scroll through the slide show with controls at the bottom of the image.  To return to this page, just double click on the full screen image.  Enjoy.

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Grassfed beef the Facts

Chemicals, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics are just a few of the nasty toxins we make our bodies ingest everyday through the consumption of certain meat and dairy products, vegetables and fruits. While awareness of the harmful chemicals used in the growing process of fruits and vegetables is increasing, many people remain unaware about the use of antibiotics and hormones used commonly in the production of grain fed, or feedlot meat (click here for the full story). Did you for instance know that 70% of all antibiotics manufactured in the United States are used to feedlot meat industry.

The problem has become so critical that the Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, and other health and science groups filed suit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for allowing factory farms to do just that — waste precious antibiotics on healthy livestock, just to help them grow fatter faster. Read more…

At Wickedfood Earth, we believe strongly in the concept of natural farming. We have made a conscious healthier lifestyle choice. When eating meat, we opt for free range. And for beef it means grass-fed. Not only is grass-fed much more humane than feedlot, it is also much healthier for you.

In a recent study that was a joint effort between the USDA and researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA, grass-fed beef came up as better for human health than grain-fed beef in these top ten ways:

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. Better ratio of omega-6 to 3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease.

Information in this article was adapted from information published by the the American Grassfed Association, Click here for more information on the subject.