Nuff corn...

My corn has all started turning ready. As with everything else its being put in the freezer to eat. This lot is only from a third of my crop so lots more to come. And I am telling you I have never eaten corn like this before - so sweet and crunchy. Lovely wholesome organic food!

We also dug up all the beetroot and that is all pickled for winter. So most of the veg I planted in the summer has come to an end. All I have on the go for winter is some curly kale, spinach and cabbages.

Things have really slowed down a lot in terms of activity. It's raining more, darker earlier and of course Ramadan has started so I dont have then energy after a day's work to get out there are graft. Project wise there is not much on - still trying to get the field fenced off for my first flock of sheep, getting a proper poultry area fenced off and that's pretty much it. Which suits me!!

I came across this new Muslim eco-group called The Voice of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Check our their newsletter and the website. They seem like a nice bunch of people who seem to appreciate the deeper connection between man and his environment.

The Horse and The Ego

Sounds like a great name for a pub doesn't it?

I went horse riding today for the first time since we moved here. One of the reasons I wanted to move was to take the riding a bit more seriously but I found I never had time to go riding - today I forced myself out of the office for a half hour lesson. Anyway, I hated the lesson - the instructor was useless, we didn't hit it off, I got pissed off, she continued to be useless and I don't think I'll go to that riding school again.

Anyway, back to the title of the post. If you ever want to understand how the ego works then take up horse riding. Many people may be familiar with the term "jihad" but only in the sense of war or as "they" like to label it, "terrorism". This is jihad correct, but what many people don't realise is that the greatest jihad in Islam is against the self, i.e. the ego. The ego gets in the way of most things and until you learn to control its animal impulses you don't develop on a spiritual or wordly level. For example - the ego says I want that Lexus car worth so and so. If I have it I will be cool, a success, something to talk about. However, this is ego talking. If you thought outside of your ego you'd probably think, actually I just need to get from A to B so I'll buy a Fiesta and donate the rest of the money to a charity, to the poor, etc as that will give me more brownie points with Allah when judgement comes. In short, the ego puts the self above others. Islam teaches that others come first and foremost. So in order to be a good Muslim, it is necessary to fight your ego so that you control it and it does not control you.

What's this got to do with horses? Well ride one and you will see. A horse is a powerful animal - so is the ego. The horse is stubborn and lazy - so is the ego. The horse needs constant reminders in the form of nudges, kicks and an occasional smack with a whip - so does the ego. Like the ego a horse will just go off in any old direction if you are not in control. You need to be constantly aware, observant and in control otherwise the horse does it own thing. It perfectly sums up the experience of trying to bring you ego under control and reminds of that fact you need to be constant and harsh against it. As with the horse, if you bring it under control it can be an extremely powerful tool that can be used for good.

Berries galore!

Took the boy for a walk around the perimeter of our field. In between stopping him falling down ditches, getting stung on nettles and babbling on about "vejbles" (his new word for vegetables) we managed to get a bowl of berries.

We also picked a few cooking apples off one of the trees we have so the Mrs will be making us a nice apple and berry pie tomorrow for dessert.

I finally managed to move the chickens (the one I'm going to eat) this evening to a new bit of pasture where they can roam a bit more freely. One of them, I think, is ready for cooking now. He seemed quote plump so I guess he may have to go first. On top of that he has learnt to cock-a-doodle-do pretty well now which can be quite annoying at the crack of dawn. They didn't venture out of their hut this evening so it will be good to see them out tomorrow morning with all that room.

So you'll be seeing more blood and guts here again soon as chicken number one gets it!

Lamb skins

Remember the four lambs in the previous post? Well, I finally got the skins back today. Look at that....flippin' fantastic.

The tannery I took these to have done a cracking job - come up really clean, smooth and fluffy. One of them is for the owner of one of the lambs and the rest are for me.

As we have child number two on the way I will use the smallest for their push-chair to keep them warm when out this winter. The rest we'll use for rugs or to sit on. I am also going to start selling them, so if anyone wants a quality British lamb's fleece let me know.

Anyway, got to run. The chicks (well they were chicks) are being moved tonight as I have set up a new bigger area for them to run about in until I eat them; plus we are going blackberry picking in the field - smoothies for breakfast tomorrow.

Maybe its coz I'm a Londoner......

Went back to London this weekend for my boy's birthday party. God I was itching to get out!! It did my head in!! I think I have truly got London out of my system now: the so called "perks" of London really mean nothing at all now. The noise, people, traffic, dirt, etc drives you to distraction.
On the Sunday we were sat in the car and my wife was saying, "How can you not miss London? Bla bla bla" at which point I pulled up to park the car. It just so happened I pulled up next to a Sarf London Yoof (translation: south London youth) who proceeded to limp next to the car, suck his teeth with lollipop in mouth and look at me like I was a piece of shit under his shoe. Hmmmm......do I miss London?

The Canadian Halal Meat Industry

I was sent this clip today. Some if it touches upon what I have been talking about on this blog re: halal meat. In the clip you will see some people blatantly taking the issue into their own hands and using it to their own profit; some of the things these people come out with is shocking. No moral, ethical or religious fibre. Just kill the animals, butcher them and make a quick buck.

Wing-er Clippin' Good

Finally got round to clipping my hens' wings yesterday. They kept escaping from their electric fencing and walking around the garden which I didn't want. The process may look a bit horiffic but it does not hurt them. It is like us having our hair cut.

The idea is to cut back the flight feathers from one of their wings. When they then try to take off they dont have the balance to do so and sort of spiral into a crash.

In the process of doing all this I discovered their poultry house has red mites! Disaster has struck, so I am off to the farm shop to buy anything to kill the bastards before they kill the chooks.

In the news: Organic sales up!

The Guardian reports that sales of organic produce have increased 30% in a year. Although I have issues with the whole "organic label" thing it is still a very good sign that people are starting to take this seriously. Suprise surprise all the supermarkets are now stocking organic produce - wonder why?

You can read the article here if interested.

An emotionally draining evening

Last night I slaughtered 3 lambs for some friends who have recently had children. It is customary for Muslims to make a sacrifice for newborns - it becomes their first act of charity in this world as the lamb goes towards feeding friends, family and the poor.

Anyhow, I found the whole process a bit traumatic and very emotional. By the third one I was desperate for it all to be over. None of the animals suffered, in fact they passed on very peacefully, but I just really felt a bit shellshocked at the end of it. It made me question how people working in abattoirs must feel. They must go one of two ways: 1) get completely detached from the process and see each animal as yet another "job" on the conveyor belt or 2) become quite impacted by it in a deeper way. Either way it can't be good!

Yet again the whole experience really made me question the meat industry. As a nation we eat way too much meat that is causing us to breed, farm and slaughter animals at a crazy rate. It should not be like this, however the British Meat industry has to keep making money I suppose. That's why I am convinced that for those wanting an alternative approach to meat is to search out local people who see their animals as animals first and not profitable commodoties. They are more than likely going to care a lot more about how their animals live and die than mass producers.

After last night I have also vowed never to eat meat I have not slaughtered personally (unless a trusted friend has). I somehow don't feel right about it....can't put it into words but I want to make sure the animal I eat was killed with compassion and that genuine sorrow was felt when it went off to lambs' paradise. Otherwise I think that animal has been disrespected in a way......I felt sad last night and it has really knocked me for six.

My Dad came and watched the procedure too. I thought he was going to be a bit shocked but he said he was quite impressed with the swiftness of the procedure and relatively humane approach to the whole thing. He told me about a book called The Jungle by Upton Sinclair in which the author exposes the disgusting and barabaric practices of the meat industry in Chicago at the turn of the century. The book describes thing like pigs being hooked into their hing leg and hung upside down on a conveyor belt (alive) until they met up with the guy with the knife who would just slash them open. If they didnt die then it was up to someone else with a big mallet to go crack their heads open. There are lots of horrible other little tales in there - I am actually going to read it as it is the first expose of the whole meat industry.

Anyway it made me think that it is quiet funny that people now describe Halal slaughter as barbaric. The Abrahamic faiths had been slaughtering according their (very similar) ways for centuries, always ensuring compassion was shown to the animal. Then just because the "West" all of a sudden gets exposed by people like Sinclair they change their ways and get a bit more health & safety conscious and now somehow occupy the moral high ground. Makes you think.....

Lots going on at the mo and still loads of jobs to do. My hens escaped again today! I have to clip their wings tomorrow or I will never get round to doing it. The farmer who rents our field is taking a couple of his cows off for the abattoir tomorrow. Will be sad to see them go - the family sort of built a relationship with them and my boy will wonder why 5 became 3? Still got to pickle my beetroots which are MASSIVE now and also harvest all the carrots and stick them in the freezer. I have missed the boat for veg to plant over winter so it looks like the only thing I can stick in will be lettuce - great. Will have to be much better organised in 2007 and get things in the ground when they should be in.

Oh and I went rabbit hunting the other night with a neighbour. Took my bow and arrow - shot at 3 rabbits - hit none! The next morning I was so determined to get one I went and sat up a tree at the end of my field waiting for them before dawn - didn't see a single one. I WILL get one soon - but suppose I had keep practicing the archery in the meantime.

to Stun or not to Stun?

Again as part of my research into the meat industry I have met quite a few local smallholders who either breed lamb or goats. A few of them whinced when I mentioned I slaughtered animals in a "halal" manner. One even told me I was "barbaric" and that "if they can ban fox hunting they can ban halal". Well, what could I say? Most of these ideas are based on ignorance.

For one most people think that all halal meat is not stunned. In fact, most halal meat in the UK is stunned. I thought this was the case and it was confirmed today by another local abbatoir owner I was speaking to. If Muslims think that their meat is not stunned then think again. 95% of abbatoirs in the UK stun their meat. However, this does not make it "haram" meat, i.e. unlawful to eat. I asked my teacher and scholar about this and he said that as long as the stun does not kill the animal, i.e. the heart is pumping, then it is still halal. The actual act of stunning is considered "makruh" (disliked) but it does not make the meat impermissable. This viewpoint is accepted within Islamic school of law now, but obviously not by all.

As I have said before I truly believe that stunning is for the benefit of the abbatoir owners and those that profit from the meat industry. It really cant see how it is for the benefit of the animal?? Sure they are unconscious when they are killed but why is that humane? So I did some research (I like research) and found this very interesting study carried out in Germany on pain felt by animals when slaughtered - some with stunning and some with a knife.

In the study they surgically implanted electrodes onto the surface of animals' brains. They were then left for a few weeks to recover. They then tested the animals' pain when they were slaughtered. The results showed those that were slaughtered with a knife felt no pain compared to the others that did.

You can read the report here.

But due to the law in the UK most meat will continue to be stunned - its not ideal but there is not much we can do about it.