The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
    • The Family Economy
    • Durable Trades
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
    • Audio Recordings
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  Ivar’s Workshop
The Grovestead
The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
    • The Family Economy
    • Durable Trades
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
    • Audio Recordings
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  Ivar’s Workshop
  •  Blog
  •  Events
    • Farm Camp
    • Workshops
    • Internships
  •  Publications
    • Durable Trades
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
  •  Farm Stand
  •  About Us
  • Farming

What’s for Dinner?

  • October 13, 2021
  • 3 comments
  • 425 views
  • Becca

For dinner I roasted a chicken. It was too big for the roasting lid to fit, so I covered it with foil and gave it an extra hour. With the kids at the table, Rory pulled the bird out, lifted the foil and said, “Um, Becca. This is a turkey.”

“What? No. How do we have a turkey in the freezer? Where did it come from? Shoot. I should have kept it for thanksgiving! But that’s really small for a turkey.”

I took a bite, “this is not turkey.” He took a bite. “Hmmm. You’re right.” A conversation followed about how it might be a goose. We all had a vague memory of someone coming to our farm and saying they left a goose for us in the freezer.

Rory prayed, “Lord, we thank you for every way you provide for us. And tonight we thank you for this… poultry. Whatever it is.”

“Was it from Lorry and Jen?” Yes! Yes, it was agreed. This was a goose from our friends.

After dinner I attended a homeschool meeting with moms from the area. A discussion started up: tell me you live in the country without telling me you live in the country. One mom spoke up: “Today my husband had a bunch of important meetings lined for work and the Internet went out. Turns out gophers had chewed through our fiber optic line.”

Then I said, “Oh, I’ve got one. Tonight I roasted a bird for dinner, and we still don’t know what kind of bird it was…”

Later I texted Jen, “Had your goose for dinner!” She replied, “Might be the best text I’ve ever received. We don’t raise geese.”

Meanwhile, Rory was texting her husband:

For the record, we still do not know what we are dealing with. It has a VERY tough skin. My personal best guess is that it was a rooster from the hen house we had butchered with the fryers this summer. I think that’s pretty likely, but Rory isn’t on board with that theory. He’s certain it is not a rooster.

So let us know if you happened to slip a bird in our deep freeze. And if you did, sorry about what I said about the tough skin!

0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Avatar photo
Becca

I am a mother of six, married to a never-saw-it-comin' aspiring farmer in Southern Minnesota. As new farmers, I write about our transition from the city to the country with hopes of sharing our joy and gratitude for all that we are learning.


NOW SHIPPING!

The Family Economy

Discovering the Family as It Was Designed to Work

"...a clarion call for the restoration of the family economy in the twenty-first century." —KEVIN SWANSON

PURCHASE


Durable Trades

Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time

"Not every book is necessary—not by a long shot—but Durable Trades is necessary." —WENDELL BERRY

PURCHASE


Receive our Print Newsletter!

We publish a free quarterly newsletter to encourage Christian families and cover articles about farming, family, and faith.

SIGN-UP

You May Also Like
View Post
  • Farming

how to get things done

  • March 18, 2025
  • Becca
View Post
  • Farming
  • Gardening

Harvest Time

  • October 25, 2024
  • Becca
View Post
  • Family
  • Farming

Project Season

  • April 19, 2024
  • Becca
View Post
  • Farming

Power Down: Quiet Focus on Your Real Life

  • March 21, 2024
  • Rory
View Post
  • Farming

Reflections from Our First Power Down

  • March 21, 2024
  • Rory
View Post
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Farming

Now Printing! The Family Economy

  • March 8, 2024
  • Rory
View Post
  • Farming

Evaporating Day

  • February 27, 2024
  • Becca
View Post
  • Events
  • Faith
  • Farming

Deep in the Heart of Texas

  • November 30, 2023
  • Becca
3 comments
  1. Renata says:
    October 15, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    Best blog ever! Love the story. You would know it was a goose if it had A LOT of fat drippings. Geese are very high in fat. I have had the following poultry with tough skin: turkey in the freezer WAY too long, post-menopause hen, rooster dying of old age. The last two were given to us by friends who had just started farming.

    Reply
  2. Nancy says:
    October 15, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    I love it!!

    Reply
  3. Judy says:
    October 16, 2021 at 9:08 pm

    The “best” chicken and noodles need an old, tough hen/rooster boiled all day with root veggies then the addition of homemade noodles. That was and still is Mats favorite. Some old layers can get big.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • MACHE in Duluth
    • May 18, 2025
    • 39 views
  • Awesome and Wonderful, part 2
    • May 13, 2025
    • 52 views
  • A Day at Blissful Bee Pastures
    • March 30, 2025
    • 235 views
Popular Posts
  • Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing for Sheep
    • December 27, 2016
    • 26.1K views
  • Where’s the Beef? It’s time to build our own supply chains.
    • April 25, 2020
    • 24.4K views
  • The Rory’s and the Becca’s
    • April 16, 2024
    • 23.2K views
EMAIL LIST
Contact
The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  Ivar’s Workshop
Copyright © 2022 by The Grovestead. All Rights Reserved.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.