Shunning Butterballs for Hutterite Turkeys

November 23, 2007 · Filed Under Hutterite Food, Hutterites · 1 Comment 
Original Story from “The Flathead Beacon”
Demand for fresh, local turkeys on the riseGary Wurtz, Joe Wurtz and Jake Hofer, left to right, unload turkeys at Rosauers in Kalispell that were raised at the Sage Creek Hutterite colony near Chester. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon


As Flathead Valley residents sit down to gorge on Thanksgiving dinner, thousands will share an interesting connection: They’ll be eating turkeys bred and slaughtered at Montana Hutterite colonies.

The weeks leading up to the holiday are a busy time for several northwest Montana Hutterite colonies as each colony kills and cleans hundreds of turkeys, then packages and transports them to grocers. Most of those turkeys end up here, in the Flathead Valley.

“It keeps everybody busy, but it’s farm life you know,” Daniel Kleinsasser, of the Pondera Colony near Valier, said. “In ours here, shucks, just about everybody and their dog are working on this; at least 50 people.”

The Pondera Colony delivered about 1,000 turkeys this week to grocers in Whitefish, Kalispell and Lakeside. The Sage Creek Colony near Chester, brought 1,100 birds to the valley, and another 800 came from the Kingsbury Colony near Conrad.

The turkeys are a significant, annual economic boost for the self-sufficient Hutterite colonies and a consistent seller for grocers who say people seek them out over other brands. Despite a higher price, usually around $1.25 per pound, stores like Rosauers, Apple Barrel and Markus Foods had full lists in the weeks before Thanksgiving of people eager to reserve a Hutterite bird. Most don’t know much about the colonies that they’re intent on purchasing their holiday staple from, but they agree on one thing: The Hutterite turkeys just taste better.

“All of our stuff is raised natural, no antibiotics or steroids,” Kleinsasser said. “Once you eat it you notice a difference. We raise chickens too, and sometimes we’ll run out and we’ll go to the store and buy some and they just don’t taste the same.”

Some of Montana’s more unique farmers, about 4,000 Hutterites live in roughly 40 colonies throughout the state. The colonies are usually limited to around 100 people, who follow strict beliefs derived from a 16th century Anabaptist movement. These beliefs, based on early Christian teachings and a belief in a strict separation of church and state, include a form of communal living, communal ownership of property, nonviolence and opposition to war, and adult baptism. They retain the dress, customs, language and austere lifestyle of their German ancestors and are most easily identified by the women’s black-and-white polka dot headscarves.

Turkeys are hardly a colony’s sole source of income: Hutterites produce about 60 percent of the state’s pork, 50 percent of the eggs, and about 17 percent of the milk in Montana. Additional revenue comes from selling fresh eggs, and seasonal produce.

“It’s a challenge to stay competitive, but I like getting Montanans something good to eat,” Joe Wurtz, of the Sage Creek colony, said. “We raise food for Montanans. I like people in Montana; they are nice and it’s good to share this good food with neighbors.”

Wurtz and his nephew Gary Wurtz, 21, joked around as they unloaded turkeys at Rosauers last week, teasing companion Jake Hofer, 17, about his family – “There’s more Hofers than gophers in our colony.” A two-hour drive from their colony the three had several stops across the valley before returning home, where this week the colony will hold its own Thanksgiving celebration, albeit without football and lounging.

“Oh yeah, we eat some turkey and then go back to work,” Gary Wurtz said.

Story By Keriann Lynch < e-mail her your comments.. of The Flathead Beacon

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Happy Thanksgiving Friends

November 22, 2007 · Filed Under Holidays, Videos · 2 Comments 


I wanted to take this time and thank each and every one of you for your amazing support and your friendship.

This blog has become a part of my Internet family and I appreciate you for giving me that gift.

This Thanksgiving day we have a whole lot to be thankful for. We have family and friends around us and in the end that is all that really matters. Add faith in GOD and LOVE for human-kind to the mix and you have a reason to smile and be thankful not just this day but every day. It is not how fancy of a car you drive or how full your bank account is. Material things die the second you leave this earth and they cannot be taken with you.. The memories and the legacy you leave behind is what will live on forever and ever with those you leave behind..

The important things in life are those that you cannot purchase with dollars or that be replaced by working more hours. Love, Appreciation and Generosity are just a tip of the iceberg of what really makes a human life worth living..

As you sit down with loved ones this Holiday Season, think about what makes every person around you special. To many times we focus on the little mundane things, we disagree with, that our loved ones or people in general do. We tend to forget that we ourselves are not perfect and are probably more irritating than our entire family and friends put together. I for one need to sit back sometimes and focus on the beautiful and unique spirit that every person has… every time I do that it helps me appreciate and be thankful for that person and it helps me forget about the silly little thing that annoyed me in the first place.. EVERYONE is a GIFT that God has given us, and we need not abuse that gift. Every person you encounter in life leaves a footprint within you in one way or another, and we need to return the gift .. with interest :)

Life is too short to be annoyed. Love one another and give thanks that you were given another day to LOVE someone who needs you to be their FRIEND!

Michael W. Smith says it best with his amazing song “Friends”

Happy Thanksgiving Friend and Blessings from my Family to Yours..
Jerry

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Say Hello to Leask Hutterite Colony

November 7, 2007 · Filed Under Hutterite Books, Hutterites · 6 Comments 

Sara Anne Wollman works in the community kitchen while Marlo and Mariah keep an eye on the action. Herald photo by Karen Longwell

By Karen Longwell of The Herald staff:
A morning visit to the Leask Hutterite Colony is an educational experience and a look into a unique culture.

The colony is located about 65 kilometres southwest of Prince Albert.

With Mary-Ann Kirkby, Prince Albert author of the book “I am Hutterite“, as a guide, I was able to photograph and meet people on the colony.

There are about 75 people living in the colony.

The community is designed with the kitchen building in the centre. Residents take their meals in the dining hall and all the women work together to prepare the meals.

Resident homes are built in a square shape around the kitchen and outside of the homes is the farm. There is grain farming and dairy cattle.

The colony also has a school and church at the core. Students learn from both a Hutterite teacher and a non-Hutterite teacher until high school level.

High school students can study through courses on the Internet.

Young people learn English in school but the first language, a German dialect thought to have originated from the Corinthian province in Austria, is spoken within the colony.

Clothing styles are traditional and modest. Long dresses and headscarves for women; pants, shirts, suspenders and hats for men.

There are more than 40,000 Hutterites living on about 400 colonies throughout Canada’s Prairie provinces and in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Washington and Montana in the United States.

klongwell@paherald.sk.ca

For more info and Pictures please click here

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Inspire – An Amazing Video

November 5, 2007 · Filed Under Videos · 1 Comment 

As we walk through the shadows of the day we leave a piece of us with every single footstep!

We touch those who want to be touched and we inspire those who are willing to be inspired..

Are we doing all we can though? The question is.. Do we inspire to the best of our ability?

We only get one chance to shine.. and the light in the window of our soul shines brighter every time we INSPIRE someone!

LET’S INSPIRE BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION THIS HOLIDAY SEASON and LET’S CARRY IT ON IN 2008!

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