Livin' In Michigan



Our hens are all pastured. So, on beautiful, sunny days (especially during this mild winter), our ladies like to venture out of their "pen" and visit us. You know, to catch up on all the good farm gossip. There's lots to talk about on the farm these days - all our new projects, the new members of the family (besides Ellyaire Sue - Blake and Jenny's daughter), and of course, what would "farm talk" be if you didn't chat about the weather.

We have certainly had some lovely lake-effect snow. The powdery, soft-lookin' kind. But after only a few of these snows, we started to feel some of what this spring may have to offer. Now, we suggest you 'knock on wood' if you are thinking about how nice it would be for no more bitter cold nights, because although we would like to be sippin' on tropical drinks and enjoying warmer days too, let's be realistic:

We. Live. In. Michigan.



Wishing you happy and healthy days! Come visit us soon and take a look at all our new projects! Perhaps you could catch up on all the gossip with the girls, too.

Happy Holidays - From Our Farm to Your Fork

With Christmas and New Year's just around the corner, let us help you plan your holiday meals! The holidays can certainly be busy and chaotic, but we would like to encourage you to plan a thoughtful meal this year and not be fooled by advertisements for chicken, pork, and eggs in grocery stores. Most, if not all, of the typical grocery stores' supply is packed full of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). And don't forget about the environment where the animals are raised.

This holiday, don't just make something delicious from our farm to your fork, make a difference by supporting a local farm with impeccable standards set for what we feed our animals and how we raise them.

• NON-GMO, Organic Grain
• Free-Range (Outdoors), Pastured
• Cage-Free

In other words, at Naturally Norm's on Carlson Farms, we respect our animals and treat them like family, raising them the right way and putting a product on your plate you can feel good about.

Try our cornish hens for an exciting and beautiful holiday dish! We also have large broilers (whole chickens) that roast to perfection and would make an impressive centerpiece on your table this Christmas. Feeling ambitious? Then use our eggs to make some delicious egg nog for your holiday guests.

Click on these links to try some recipes (with our pork, chicken, and eggs, of course!):

Cornish Hen Recipes

Egg Nog? Yes, please!

Bacon and Egg Christmas Casserole!

From Our Farm To Your Fork -

We Wish You

Happy Holidays!

Visit Us @ The Market!

Come Visit Us!

Bronson Athletic Club

6789 Elm Valley Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009-7476

(269) 544-3200

Click HERE For Directions! 

Heart and Soul

Autumn is a season full of colors, bountiful harvest, and gatherings with friends and family. Nothing celebrates this exciting season more than a kitchen bursting with laughter, joy, and all the aromas of a meal prepared with heart and soul.

Naturally Norm’s at Carlson Farms starts your home-cooked meal with just that…

Heart and Soul.

You may see other advertisements for “all natural” and “organic,” but don’t be fooled by these loosely defined terms. We always like to ask ourselves, “Do you REALLY know what you’re making for dinner?” Be sure to check if what you are preparing has met the following benchmarks:

• Free-Range and Pastured
• Fed NON-GMO, Organic Grain
• Antibiotic and Hormone Free
• Raised Locally by Farmers Who Care

Naturally Norm’s at Carlson Farms meets these benchmarks and continues to excel beyond the typical market.

“Why?”, you ask.

If you want to prepare something for your loved ones that is healthy, safe, delicious, and honest, then we ask, “Why not?”

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Try Our:

• Whole Broilers (3-5 lb. avg.) - Great for your main dish!

• Cornish Hens (NOW IN SEASON)- Try something different this year, and personalize each plate with a Cornish Hen!
• Boneless Smoked Netted Ham - Slow roast in the morning and by dinner, you’ll have a fabulous, juicy centerpiece. Nothing says “Holidays!” like our smoked ham!

October's Palette

Hellur, Octoburr.

September has come and gone, just as summer, but the warm sun has been lingering a bit longer, and we are not complaining. This warm weather sure does make the animals happy. Not too hot. Not too cold. There aren't many nagging flies left to bother them in the fields (not that the chickens would mind, anyway) and the crispness of autumn has seemed to give off a bit of extra "kick" in their spirits. It always is a joy to see the cows playing in the fields and the hogs twirl their tails in excitement. We sometimes joke that the hogs are little "gremlins" when they 'woof' and 'oink' running around the pasture. 

We hope that you are able to get outside and enjoy the October's spectacular palette. It sure is a beautiful painting out there. And the beauty translates into what we mean when we say "natural." This, the crimson, gold, and yellow, the scent of summer's departure in falling leaves, the softness in the clear night sky, and the crisp edge in the morning sun's wake. This is "natural." This is not only what we experience, but it is what our farm experiences. Together, we share in them and contribute to the multidimensional painting that is October.  



The Way It Should Be

Dirty, happy hogs. The way it should be.

Injecting hogs with growth horomones and chemicals. Raising them on metal crates, never allowing them to see the light of day or the earth they so love to roll around in. Shocking them. Crippling them in tight, overpopulated confinement barns.

Is this the way to raise a hog? The humane, healthy way?

We think you already know the answer to that.

Then why buy that drive-thru bacon sandwich? Why buy packaged bacon and sausage packed with chemicals and GMO's? Why support an industry that does not support your health or your views on "the way it should be"?

Naturally Norms on Carlson Farms raises its animals with care and integrity. We care about what we put into our bodies and want to raise happy animals at the same time. We get rid of GMO's in the corn we feed to our hogs and hens. We allow them to pasture and be natural in their environment.

No crates. No cages. No GMO's. No growth horomones. No inhumanely treated animals.

That is the way it should be. We encourage you to participate in the following this harvest season:

1. Harvest from your own garden.
2. Support local, "beyond-organic" farmers.
3. Cut down/cut out trips through the drive-thru. Don't support inhumane farmers!
4. When preparing your Harvest Family Dinners, think about what you are going to prepare and how it was raised.

If you don't have your own garden to harvest from, or local, humane farmers near you, then give us a call! We'd be glad to give you some more information and fill an order for you!

Enjoy this last partial-week of summer! Take care and we hope to see you soon!

Shifts in Seasons

We hope this post finds you well and that you are enjoying this beautful weather. Though Autumn has a few more days until its official arrival, we can smell the grapes from the vineyard across the street, a sure sign that the seasons are shifting.  



Some chicks just arrived the other day. Their *peeps* are almost deafening when we feed and water them. And even though their chirps sound lively and healthy, these little chicks are extremely delicate and temperamental. They require constant care and attention, as does the rest of the farm, and add to the list of reminders that we, as farmers and human beings, have creatures that rely on us. No matter what season we shift into, we have duties and responsibilities.

Enjoy the close-to-autumn weather, and stop out to see us sometime! You'll have plenty of company and lots to gossip about with all of our hens.