Vegans of BYC!!

[BelovedBirds]

Interesting thread. Not vegan--far from it. I am not a fan of factory farming and have been buying more ethically raised meat. I've found the meat to be better and not really cost that much more than other stores. All of the vegan baked goods that I've tried have been just fine. The gluten free pretzels I tried were better than regular. For a microwave sausage, I think morningstar is better than regular. Not sure that says much as those pre-cooked sausages are just nasty. I am happy to never buy eggs- tho I'm not saving money there, I know what is meant by cage free and outdoor access. I also know what they eat sans what they catch.

Welcome to the thread! It's good to meet more people who choose to buy/produce ethically raised products! Yes vegan baked goods are pretty good! I home bake a lot of cakes/cookies/deserts and honestly I couldnt tell the difference- takes a lot of practice though, and hunting around for the best recipes--
One of my favourites is homemade brownies, only takes 10 minutes to make and bake, and they're the best I've ever tried!

What do you think of vegetarian/vegan meats, have you ever tried them? Some are still pretty bad, either too tough or too soft, and some don't even taste right- but there've been some big milestones lately, like macdonalds making a vegan burger! Now that is worth trying. My parents are trying to go vegetarian, and absolutely loved it. I don't think it'll be long before we have good enough substitutes for a lot of things- and then perhaps more people will have a plant based diet, or perhaps go between to reduce the amount of meat/dairy/eggs they eat. I think its good to source food ethically and know what you eat, which is why a lot of people are turning against factory farming now--
Eggs are definitely simpler, its my preference to feed eggs back to the flocks, but if people want to eat them, I dont see anything wrong with that! With the high number that chickens/ducks etc can produce, it probably makes sense to use them to reduce what you have to buy!

 

[Brooks_]

What do you think of vegetarian/vegan meats, have you ever tried them?

Very few with mixed reviews. I would be more likely to do a veg, nut, grain diet over imitation meat dishes.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Very few with mixed reviews. I would be more likely to do a veg, nut, grain diet over imitation meat dishes.

honestly I kind of agree! With meat imitations when the texture is off it completely throws me- So I'm starting to prefer skipping the alternatives and make entirely new dishes. Like a falafel wrap instead of a fake chicken one!
Still cant resist *some* replacements though, a few are actually pretty good!

 

[Callender Girl]

I am glad to see that some folks who aren't vegetarian or vegan are responding to this thread and that no one here is bludgeoning them with opposing views or condemning them for what they choose to eat.

I don't feel I can ever "throw stones" because I spent the majority of my life eating meat and dairy products. And, enjoying them.

I hope this thread continues to be a safe place for anyone who wants to participate. And, that it continues to promote plant-based food options for everyone.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I am glad to see that some folks who aren't vegetarian or vegan are responding to this thread and that no one here is bludgeoning them with opposing views or condemning them for what they choose to eat.

I don't feel I can ever "throw stones" because I spent the majority of my life eating meat and dairy products. And, enjoying them.

I hope this thread continues to be a safe place for anyone who wants to participate. And, that it continues to promote plant-based food options for everyone.

too true!
I only dedicated to a vegan diet end of last year-so I do NOT feel I can judge other people. I also ate a lot of very poorly produced products- so how could I judge someone for eating more ethically produced meat/dairy?
We're all on our own "food" journey", and though I hope people become more open to plant based foods, that's up to other people! I'm just glad to meet people who buy carefully/ethically, raise their own animals well, and are friendly in this topic!

This thread is exactly what I hoped, a mix of different people and different diet choices talking openly!

 

[Iluveggers]

Yes, this has been refreshingly positive!

I AM glad to see that it seems everyone here is concerned about the treatment of animals. That to me is the main issue.

 

[troyer]

I have been drifting toward veganism for some time, mostly because of the cruelty to the animals. I live in a state that has a long history of industrial meat production -- which has included cramped porcine gestation crates and stacking poultry into tiny cages where the birds poop on those below them and have their beaks mutilated.

As managing editor of a weekly ag/farm publication I had awareness of what was going on but just couldn't imagine life without eating meat. For many years, I ignored that my enjoyment of a pork chop or chicken breast came at the extreme suffering of an animal.

I will spend every cent it takes to heal an ailing chicken, but I still bought broiler chicken from the store. My reasoning was that those birds would have had brutish, short lives anyway. Of course, my purchases helped make a demand for more industrial broilers.

And pork? A publisher sent me a book to review, "Pig Tales," that detailed the animals' intelligence -- researchers even taught pigs to play video games. It made me question eating a sentient being.

So, there went meat. And no, I don't suffer from a lack of protein. There are a lot of other foods that provide protein, and I take a B12 supplement, so that's not an issue either.

I didn't understand veganism because in my mind, no animals were harmed when I ate dairy products. I've been doing enough reading in the past year to know that's not true. I am surprised at the number of non-farm people who think cows and goats produce milk all the time. Milk, of course, is made to feed their babies, not us or ours. I've learned what happens to their unwanted offspring and even the commercial production animals themselves once they've outlived their usefulness.

I am what some folks call a "veggan," because I eat eggs -- only ones from my birds because I KNOW they are living their best possible lives and have a home after laying ceases. My chickens will lay eggs whether I eat them, throw them away or feed them to other critters, so I don't see inherent cruelty in that. I do see a valuable source of protein. I have also learned that some non-farm people believe ALL eggs will turn into baby chicks -- which we all know isn't true, either.

I am responding to this post with mixed feelings because I know some folks will take exception to what I'm saying, and I have already been beaten up a bit lately for my opinions on another thread. However, I am not condemning anyone as much as I am condemning a brutish agricultural system; if people want to eat meat (and I certainly don't), I wish they would at least look into the conditions in which their meat was produced.

By the way, Iowa is also well known for its puppy mills. Last year, an Iowa breeder gave up more than 500 dogs that were taken into custody after officials found them in horrific conditions. In my opinion, too many people just don't consider quality of life when it applies to animals.

I'm glad you took opportunity to share your thoughts, even though you've been beaten up.
We eat less meat now than we did 5 years ago, with a tendency toward more vegetables and nuts. Our main source of meat is our own chickens. I am picky with what they eat, it's not organic, but neither is it GMO. I am interested in the vegan lifestyle, not because I am interested in being vegan, but because most of the things we have tried has been incredibly bland. I like full flavor foods. I do think with time it'll get better with more people being interested. I have a certain fascination for trying new foods, vegan included.
We have goats for milk, but we leave the kids on them until the mothers start weaning them themselves. We then fully wean the kids and use all of the milk for our use and my mother who is 78 years old, she loves the milk. Sometimes we'll donate the milk to families that have a baby that is allergic to most formulas, but for some reason are able to use goats milk.
We are slowly cutting out high sugar foods, as well as highly processed foods. We raise a lot of our vegetables and with carefulness buy certain friuts and nuts. Our coffee is organic and my wife loves goat milk cream in it along with either coconut oil or butter, we use organic coconut oil and honey or maple syrup for sweeteners with the occasional organic sugar.
Our goats get everything my wife thinks might be good for them and I appreciate her care of them. Happy goats = happy milk.
Oh... and as far as tofu is concerned... I have yet to have some that doesn't make me gag... I guess it's the texture. I have tried it a good many times believing that some day in the future they'll make some that is edible for me. I have friends that love it and just can't understand my gag reflex every time I try it. By the way, they get a laugh out of it every time.
We have found that as we cut out the high sugar and highly processed foods our taste buds are changing as well. Foods that used to be bland, seem to have more flavor.

 

[Callender Girl]

Thanks for sharing your story, and count me as someone who also is not a fan of tofu. I totally understand your reaction to it! I WANT to like it, but I just can't.

 

[Lynnshollow]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I'm an ovo-vegetarian. I was vegan for many years, but I'm willing to eat eggs from my chickens and I figure giving eggs to friends and family helps reduce the number of factory farmed eggs being purchased. I've only had chickens for two years, so I'm fairly new to it, but my goal is to try to give my chickens good, long lives in a safe environment. I've been really impressed with how different chickens actually are to the way they are portrayed on TV, in fiction, or in other media (I grew up in the city). They have individual personalities, are affectionate to each other and people, and are curious about everything. I love the gazillion different sounds they make and their quirks. I have 6 2 year old easter egger hens, 6 nearly 8 week old salmon faverolles pullets, and one 7 week old black copper maran cockerel.

The cockerel was just introduced to the the salmon faverolles last week and here is a picture of them snuggling in their nest box together.

Anyway, it was just nice to see that there are others here who wanted chickens primarily as pets.

 

[Callender Girl]

Don't think a thing about being "late to the thread." That just means you've revived it for more discussion!

Great photo of your chickens. and it sounds like you are a great chicken parent!

I do my best to discourage folks from eating eggs from the factory farms. Once, when I was dropping off eggs at the office where I used to work, one of my former colleagues proudly informed me that while I was selling my eggs for $1 a dozen (which I only do to subsidize feed costs), her husband buys theirs at a convenience store for 99 cents. She seemed less proud when I explained the conditions that produced those eggs.

BTW, I was shopping at Target last week, and one of their endcap freezers showed three brands of non-dairy "ice cream" in delicious flavors. My culinary world is getting bigger!