Veganism and The Best BBQ I’ve Ever Had…

I used to be vegan. In fact, I went through two phases of veganism. Once during high school after I watched a documentary on how farm animals were being mistreated by “big AG” towards the ends of their lives. And the second time was during my summer internship in Pennsylvania the summer before Trev and I wed. That time was to help build character in myself. Lol. Both times I eventually went back to an omnivore diet. One of the biggest reasons we felt called to this farming venture is that we wanted to be in charge of where our food came from, and it didn’t matter if they were fruits and veggies or if they were meats.

And the experience that sealed the deal for both of us was during our time up in Montana. After we got married in October of ‘21, we moved onto Hardscrabble Ranch, right outside of Bozeman. It was a guest ranch that had chickens, pigs, yaks, Irish wolfhounds, and a black lab, and they just happened to be looking for ranch hands for during that winter season. That was our first time experiencing the daily grind of doing chores and taking care of farm animals. Choring is especially grounding and made us have an incredible schedule (especially if animals are dependent on you). You have to take care of them no matter how many degrees it is below zero. (-27 was the record) We learned a lot about life that winter, got a lot tougher, and we also learned what we wanted our future to look like. 

The experience that made me dismiss veganism all together, was participating in a whole hog BBQ. The guest ranch hosted all kinds of events, from corporate retreats, and weddings, to bat-mitsva’s. During a particular holiday party hosted for the employees of a cross country skiing club, they bought a live pig off the ranch, and had us butcher it and serve it up as BBQ. 

The vegan teenager in me was a little hesitant about hurting any kind of animal. But at the end of the day, if I’m willing to eat an animal, I’d better be willing to kill it as well. 

On the opposite end, the rancher and life-experience enthusiast parts of me had a hay day. It was fun to try something I’d never done before. 

I’ll spare you the gorey details, but I will say, when we smoked it for seventeen hours, pulled it all apart, seasoned it, and served it up on brioche buns with coleslaw to a party of eighty folks, we were sold. (STILL the best pulled pork I’ve ever had, shout out to Peter Stewart, the chef AND ranch owner)

And that is how we found the vision behind Simple Living Farms: to grow (healthy) food, cook it up, and serve it to the world. Food is at the bedrock of every culture because it’s meant to be eaten and shared within a communal setting. 

As a bonus in this equation, being able to give a farm animal the best life it could’ve possibly had in exchange for the delicious food that came from it was reason enough for us to want to get into farming already. It’s a sacred exchange that has taken place for thousands of years. We take care of animals, and they take care of us by providing food. 

All this to say, we do already have a few events coming up where we’ll get to serve people the food we’ve grown. Plus we’ve already hosted a few close friends and family members at our place and served them a “smorgasbord” of farm food as Trev calls it. But what I’m really looking forward to most is hosting big ole farm dinners. 

While we did have a farm dinner planned for after our next farm tour (Sept 28th), we decided against it because it would’ve spread us too thin during this season. It’s only been six months since we’ve started this whole dang thing, give us a break! Also, to become successful in life, you have to say “no” to a lot of things in order to just focus on one thing. We’ll get there one of these days, though. And I have no doubt about that, because of the simple fact that it’s what we are called to do. 

Your farmers, 

Trev & Viv

Upcoming Farm Tour

We are excited to announce that we will be driving out to Oklahoma this week to pick up some Black Angus calves. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have them for the farm tour. This is a brand new venture for us, and we have little experience working cattle, but Trev and I’s specialty is building the plane as we’re flying it. 😉 It’ll be great!

Last farm tour was a blast. We had a little over twenty folks come out and tour the farm, ask questions, pet pigs, and eat hand-crafted, wood-fired pizza at the Van Till Family Farm Winery afterwards. Trev and I probably had more fun than the folks that came to tour! We are having another one in a couple weeks, and details can be found below under the “Farm Events” section. Even if you came on the last farm tour, we have added TWO more enterprises to our farm since then. Cows and broilers (meat chickens). Excited to see y’all there!

Shipped From Our Farm to Your Porch

We’re ecstatic to announce that this winter we’ll start shipping to the lower 48 states! Yes, you heard that right… From sea to shining sea (except you Alaska and Hawaii, sorry)

The best thing about Home Delivery is you can get our farm's pasture raised goodness anywhere in the country! We have a special box that keeps everything super cold and we even have a super special box for delivering eggs! Free delivery on orders of $150 or more!

Join the wait list here

How in the heck can you ship frozen meats across the country?!

Check out this video from our friend and farming compatriot, David. He’ll explain how your order shows up on your porch still cold.

How will ordering work?

It’s easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Check out our “What’s in Stock” section of the newsletter below for what we’re currently offering and pricing.

2. Until our website is up and running order by calling or texting Trevor at (816) 310-9631 or by emailing him at [email protected]. During this step Trevor will coordinate payment with you.

3. Your order is on the way! As long as you’ve placed your order by Sunday night, your order will ship on Monday. Check out the map below to see how quick you’ll get your order!

Farm Events & Important Dates

• Farm Tour - Saturday, September 28th from 11am-12pm - Rayville - Free

  • Join us for an afternoon of fun for the whole family! We’ll meet at the Van Till Family Farm Winery (13986 Highway C Rayville, MO 64084) at 11 am, take a hay wagon over to the farm (about a mile away), meet the pigs, broilers, cows, and chickens, and teach on a couple of our favorite stewardship practices. Around 11:30 we’ll take the hay wagon back to the winery and anyone who wants to stay for lunch is welcome. They have to-die-for pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven! - Please RSVP by replying to this email or texting Trevor @ (816) 310-9631

• From our farm, shipped fresh to your doorstep - shipping pork, chicken, and eggs to the lower 48 states, coming this winter!

What’s in Stock

• Eggs - Our hens are pasture raised, rotationally grazed, and non-gmo - $5/dozen

• Chicken - Like our hens, our chicken is pasture raised, rotationally grazed, and non-gmo - click here for price sheet 

• Pork - Pigs were butchered on 7/18 - Our pigs are forest raised, rotationally grazed, non-gmo, and heritage breed (Red Wattle)

  • Whole hogs (120 lbs of meat), half hogs (60 lbs of meat), and custom cuts (bacon, pork chops, ribs, sausage) available.

How It Works

• How do I order? Text Trevor @ (816) 310-9631 your order by Tuesday night

• When do I get it? Delivery day is every Wednesday - home delivery available or pickup in parking lot at 8:15 pm @ Zion KC (1800 W 69 Hwy Excelsior Springs, MO 64024)

• How do I pay? Payment is collected upon delivery. Usually folks pay with cash, Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, check, Grateful Dead vinyl record, or spicy ranch dressing. Okay, well maybe not the last two;)

-Blessings

Your Farmer,

Trevor

Thank you for supporting regenerative agriculture and transforming the land future generations will inherit - one bite at a time!

How You Can Help In The World of Tech - Please Don't Skip This

#1 Add [email protected] to your email contacts. - This prevents our emails from going to spam and makes sure you get important information.

#2 Open Every Email - Even If You Don't Read Them :)
So this may seem small but it really really matters. Why?

Basically Google and other email providers track how often an email is opened to guess if it is important or not. If you don't open an email often enough than your inbox may stop showing it altogether. But it has a cumulative effect so if enough other people don't open theirs you might not see it too. 

We are trying to walk back this trend and we could really use your help. Even if you don't have time to read the email ( I totally get it - no hurt feelings) would you please open it first and then delete it?  Thank you for keeping our small farm from being erased by big tech email filters!

#3 Share about our farm with your friends!
It really really makes a huge difference when you share with others about where you get your pasture raised bounty from! Plus it can make a huge difference in their life as well.

#4 Like us on Facebook + Instagram and share kitchen creations, unboxing pics, and all things Simple Living Farms
When you share about our farm we try to repost if too our page. It's really pretty cool to see!

Thank you for going the extra mile to support our family farm and regenerative agriculture! It is an honor to be your farmers!