"For All Hobbits Share a Love of Things That Grow"

A trip to Polyface Farm, and a recipe for the best baked oatmeal ever

I am still processing my trip to Polyface, for the Brownstone Institute’s “Reclaim Your Independence” retreat. I’ve been going through my notes, and there will be lots to write about! As of today, two of the talks are posted on the retreat’s site, and I believe the rest will make their way there too.

Quite apart from the talks though—and they were all fantastic and inspiring—on a personal level there was just something utterly magical about it all. The space, the company, the food… Something about being there for those two days, and with this particular group of (also magical, inspired, and fearless) people has left me flying through each day with more energy than I ever knew I had. Any time I gather with like-minded (and like-spirited) folks, I always come back recharged and feeling good about the world. But this was different. This was an order of magnitude different. And I’m not sure why.

Maybe it was the setting:

Joel Salatin’s beautiful regenerative farm, about which I have heard so much for so many years, but had never visited until now. Let me just tell you: It is a magical space. It is clean, orderly, beautiful… I have always felt that there is a “spirit” to physical spaces, that each space has its own energy and that there is something spiritual about that energy. I’ve come away from my visit to Polyface believing that that energy can be cultivated and encouraged, and that that is what Joel and his family, and team, have done. If what I’m saying sounds weird and woo-woo, all I can say is: Go and visit it yourself, and you’ll experience what I mean.

When I was a little girl, my fantasy was to live on a farm and have a horse. Or probably lots of horses. I had an idea in my head of a farm as being something beautiful and pleasant to be in. I’ve visited many farms over the years, and a few have indeed been beautiful and pleasant. But most of my memories of farms include large stinking piles of cow dung and foul smells everywhere. There was none of that at Polyface—and there are reasons for that, which I will be writing about.

Maybe it was the company?

I rode up with four dear friends and liberty activists from Kentucky, and we shared an Airbnb together. Getting to spend time with them was great fun, as was seeing some people I already knew (although in a few cases it was our first time meeting in person), and meeting some new ones.

I’ll just say this: Being around people who are not ruled by fear, who are working in whatever little corner of the whole world of things that need to be worked on, and who have a real love for humanity, who believe deeply in human liberty… is uplifting. It is energizing.

Or maybe it’s the oatmeal?

I eat pretty low-carb. I don’t usually have grains, or sugar. But on a trip like this, or when something extraordinary is put in front of me, I’ll make exceptions. This is one exception that is going to stay with me:

This is the baked oatmeal that was served for breakfast each day at Polyface. And it is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I’ve started making it at home, and I imagine we’ll be eating this for a long time to come.

Here is the recipe:

Baked Oatmeal II

Breakfast

Prep Time: 10 m Cook Time: 40 m Servings: 8 Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar (I substituted coconut sugar in one batch, and allulose in another. both worked well.)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup dried cranberries (we used raisins.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in

milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in dried cranberries. Spread into a 9x13

inch baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes

The oats were donated by retreat participant, Scott Below, of FactoryFreeOats. I do think the oats make a difference—I’ve ordered them, and used them in my most recent batches. Highly recommend.

So I don’t know. I don’t have a definitive answer for why I am feeling so great after this trip. Since returning, I’ve been getting up early every morning—something I haven’t done regularly since high school. So maybe that’s it. Or maybe it’s just a combination of all of the above.

But a few things are clear: 1) Being around folks who are steeped in positive energy, whose life-force is strong, and who have no time for fear, is a powerful, powerful thing. Don’t imagine that all of that stuff doesn’t rub off on anyone who is around them; 2) Being in nature is important. Being in the sun, being among trees and plants and, yes, cows and chickens, is something we are meant to be doing. It’s good for us; 3) This is one I’ve resisted for many years, but I think getting up in the morning is important, and energizing. And I’m going to stick with it.

That’s it for now. I’ll be writing more about the specifics of how Polyface operates, and about some of the other wonderful talks we heard there. And really, do try the oatmeal.

UPDATE: Oh, and we also prayed. As we started out on our voyage, and then again on the way home, we prayed together. For exactly this.