What could be better than watching the excitement in a child’s eyes while she watches baby chicks watch her. It was an amazing sight that I won’t soon forget. We had the pleasure of visiting Codman Community Farm in Lincoln, MA today. It felt like stepping back in time, and a perfect time to leave the Iphone in the car. Despite a little rain, we wondered all around the farm. It was “self-serve” and we took advantage of being able to stop and take in the chicken coop for as long as we wanted.
I understand now the difference between cage free birds versus what we viewed today. These birds had access to the outdoors, and also had a cozy place to lay their eggs inside. There were lots of different breeds of chickens, and also a few ducks and turkeys too. Yes, it is a farm that raises animals for feeding purposes. They do it humanely and in the spirit of preserving tradition in an environmentally sound manner. The Codman Farm has been run continuously for over 150 years and is now owned by the Town of Lincoln and is run by the local citizens.
We picked out a number of meats (frozen) and also farm fresh eggs. The prices were reasonable, and after seeing the amount of work that goes into producing it, you don’t really think about the cost. My husband is really looking forward to the bacon, but wished we could have bought some meat fresh instead of frozen. We plan to return to the farm when our daughter is older so we can explain where our dinner meat comes from. I want her to know it can from an animal and doesn’t just appear in a package. Maybe she will choose to become a vegetarian, but it’s up to her to make that decision. In the meantime, we are happy to share with her some of the local agricultural traditions of our area.
If you are interested in finding a farm to visit in your area, the best place to search is via Local Harvest. Even farms without websites are typically listed and include information about visiting, products available, and contact information. If you are in the Massachusettes area and would like to visit Codman Community Farm, they are located at 58 Codman Rd, Lincoln, MA and are open 7 days a week.
Maybe it will spark an interest in raising chickens in your backyard, I know it has for me. On my new reading list: Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition
So happy to find you! I'm here from the LBS Tea Party. Your blog is very inspiring! I'll be back!
We have a couple of local farms my girl and I visit regularly. I am totally with you on wanting her to know where food really comes from!
What fun! Great pictures 🙂