A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to participate in a “Barnstorming” Tour along with three other bloggers.  (From left to right:  Valerie, Anne, Tina and Me)  The wonderful people over at Stonyfield organized the event to educate us (and in turn, our readers!) about the organic farming process.  Stonyfield is dedicated to organic living and producing healthy food.  I have to say, after a few days of learning about the organic farming process versus conventional farming, I am convinced!

I took so many photos on this trip and there were too many to post here!  Check out the galleries on our Facebook page.  Farm Photos and Factory Photos.  If you want to really experience the “Barnstorming” Tour for yourself, check out this video with highlights from the trip.

We learned so much about the organic process, but there was one thing that really stuck with me from this trip.  If you ask a conventional farmer about the lifespan of their cows, he will often tell you around 4 years.  When you ask an organic farmer the same question, he will proudly point out cows who are 14 years old.  All without fertilizers, pesticides, hormones or antibiotics.  Our health and our lifespan mimics what we consume. I would rather live a long, happy and healthy life just like these organic cows!

One of my favorite memories from the trip was being greeted with an ice cold pitcher of milk and a batch of warm blueberry muffins after our tour of the grazing fields at Howmars Farm.  Jonathan’s wife made the recipe from the Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Cookbook and they were hands down the best blueberry muffins I ever ate!  It was so thoughtful of her to prepare this snack and after learning about the organic process you could virtually taste the TLC in every bite and each sip.

I uploaded the recipe to the Better Recipes archives.  Click here for FARM FRESH BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Start with the best organic ingredients!

In one bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, mix plain yogurt (Greek style is my favorite!) with baking soda.  The step is the secret to these perfectly fluffy muffins.  The combination creates an awesome chemical reaction and the yogurt foams and grows!

In a third bowl, combine sugar, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Alternately fold in the yogurt mixture and the flour mixture into the egg mixture.  Just be sure to not overmix!  We want to have nice, fluffy muffins.

Fold in the blueberries.  I picked these up at the local farmers market!  When fresh blueberries aren’t available or in season, you can use frozen berries that have been thawed.

Bake in until golden brown and enjoy with an ice cold glass of organic milk.  This is as close to the farm experience as you can get in the comfort of your own kitchen!  Thanks so much to Stonyfield, my fellow bloggers and, of course, the farmers for this fantastic experience!

Categories: Around the World, Better Recipes, Foodie Events, Fresh and Healthy, Tasty Travel | Tags: Bread Recipes, Custard & Pudding, Dessert Recipes
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