Meet Christian, my new crush.

Yesterday, I fell in love. The kind of love that made my eyes light up and my heart swell with warmth. The kind that made me want to just put my arms around him and hold him tight. I don’t know if it was his huge brown eyes, that he approached me, or his thick brown fur. Perhaps it was the cute way his ears twitched like tv antennae searching for a signal when I spoke to him, as if he were really listening to my words…

Whatever the reason, after meeting him – Christian – I definitely had a newfound appreciation for donkeys. Yes, brown, furry, mini-donkeys to be exact :) Christian and his lady friend Belle approached me at the fence and entertained me as I snapped a few photos and told them how cute they were until I moved on to see the rest of Baxter Barn.

Belle and Christian

I wasn’t expecting to fall in love, you see. Jake and I drove out to Baxer Barn in Fall City the other day simply to purchase some pastured chicken eggs. We had been wanting to visit a farm for ages, and finally made the effort to do so. We thought we would simply show up, pay for the eggs, and come home. But we were much more fortunate than that. We were greeted by the owner, Cory, and he gave us a tour and answered all of our questions about his chickens. (Thank you, Cory, for your kindness and your time!)

Cory, Owner of Baxter Barn

The chickens at Baxter Barn are true scavengers, they eat bugs and peck the grounds and mill all around the farm with the other animals, and their diet is also supplemented by some organic veggies. This means they lay better quality eggs than the ones from factory farming, which in turn means a healthier you for eating those eggs :)

A true pastured chicken!

After this experience, I definitely encourage you to visit your local farms. (See yesterday’s blog post to find one near you!) See how the animals live, what they eat, interview the farmers and just soak it all in. Besides being good for your health, being around these animals also feels so good for the soul. I came home with so much more than chicken eggs that day. And I’ll definitely think twice next time before I consider calling someone an ass :)

Enjoy some photos from around the farm, and, as always – Happy Eating :) Joey