A GM-Free Diet

I wish it was true.  I want a code to clearly label Genetically Modified foods (GM) so that I can easily avoid them.  But, despite many good webpages touting a 5-digit code that starts with ’8′ (ie: 85022), this labeling system is entirely voluntary and nobody is using it.  I seriously doubt they’ll start.

So what’s the big deal about GM food?  It can’t be harmful to us or else the USDA wouldn’t approve it, right?  This is just some hype by all those “Crunchy” people – modern hippies who scream about organic foods and stuff?  Well, not according to many experts, including the American Academy of Environmental Medicine.  The Academy reported that “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.

What happens to lab animals fed GM products?  They die.  Or they have smaller babies and eventually loose the ability to breed.  Allergic reactions go way up.  The horrifying list of symptoms and effects is long.

Food producers/manufacturers are not using those labels for fear that people would not understand them – that we would reject GM food without knowing the facts.  This is bunk.  We reject their food because we know the facts!  But whatever our reason for choosing or rejecting certain foods, shouldn’t we have the choice?!

Tags: food labels, genetical modified food, GM, GMO

Easter Breakfast Recipe

This breakfast is fabulous for Easter Sunday or any Sunday of the year!  You can assemble it in about 20 minutes, then just let it bake for 40 min – enough time to read the Sunday paper!

Easter Breakfast Bake

1lbs pork sausage

2 cups sliced mushrooms

8 green onions, chopped (can use 1 small onion, if you prefer)

2 medium tomatoes or 8 Romas, chopped

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 1/4 cup Bisquick (original)

1 cup milk

1.5 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried

salt and pepper to taste

12 eggs

———————————————————————————————————-

Pork sausage and mushrooms

Layers of Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions and Tomatoes

Add cheese on top

—————————————————————————————————————–

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan (or spray with non-stick).  Cook the sausage well and drain it.  Spread the sausage in the pan, then layer on the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and cheese.

Whisk remaining ingredients together in a bowl until blended.  Pour it over the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set.

Just the smell of the sausage and oregano alone will rouse your family from their deep slumber!  Put on a pot of coffee, make some biscuits if you have the time, and you’ve got a lovely Sunday breakfast.  Slow, lazy Sunday mornings are just a little bit of bliss!

Italian Chicken & Chickpeas

This recipe has it all – it’s fast (ready in about 30 minutes), it’s healthy (only about 300 calories), it uses basic pantry staples, and it’s a one-pot meal, which makes clean-up a snap!

Remember that chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans by some folks and, as they’re high in protein, low in fat and high in fiber, they are perfect for this dish.   I think you could, though, substitute red kidney beans, if you prefer.

Serve this with a nice green salad and maybe a chunk of crunchy bread.

Italian Chicken & Chickpeas

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Lb chicken breast (tenders or sliced thin)

dash of salt & pepper

1 medium sliced onion

1 small sliced bell pepper (I use green, but pick your favorite color)

1 tsp minced garlic (or, if you love garlic like me, more is always better)

1 can (15.5oz) chickpeas, drained

1 tsp Oregano (dried), or use fresh if you have it

1 tsp Basil (dried), or use fresh if you have it

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained.  I like home-canned or, for a little added flavor, Hunts’ Fire Roasted tomatoes.  Really, though, whatever can of tomatoes you have on hand will be great.

Parsley leave for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook at least 4 minutes until browned, stirring/turning the pieces at least once.  Add onion and pepper and cook for another 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, chickpeas, tomatoes, basil and oregano.  Cover it and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.  Garnish with parsely.  (Note: if you have the time, let it simmer for another 30 minutes or so to let the seasonings blend!)

Serve it over pasta or, as I prefer, just straight out of a soup bowl!  Serves 4 people a little bit of chickpea bliss!

Tags: Chicken, Chickpea, fast meal, Garlic, Italian, Italian Chicken and Chickpeas, Olive oil, one-pan meal, Salad

Homegrown vs. Store-Bought: Overcoming Doubt

 

Vegetable Garden, by Alie Kruse-Kolk

A recent discussion on my favorite Facebook page, Cold Antler Farm, got me thinking about how we think about our food and all things “homegrown”.

 

Someone on this Facebook page mentioned that he had a nagging little doubt about the safety/quality of his garden produce.  He knows that doubt is silly and he knows that doubt has been planted in his head by the corporate food industry.  After all, it’s in their best interests to ensure we buy their veggies (fresh, frozen or canned) instead of growing it ourselves.   His garden produce is perfectly safe, though, and he knows it logically – and likely even safer and healthier than the store-bought produce.  But he admitted he still feels funny about it sometimes; that he sometimes has doubts about what he makes/grows himself.

Others chimed in on Facebook, telling stories of how one family’s rural lifestyle was used in court as evidence that they were unfit parents in a custody battle.  Or about how the doubt isn’t restricted to food, but can even affect how we feel about our homemade soaps and detergents.  I mentioned how a co-worker had refused a gift of eggs from my backyard chickens because they hadn’t been “properly processed”.  Apparently, this man was not the only doubting soul within this group!  It seems we’d all witnessed or experienced the doubt about homegrown ourselves.

I have nagging worries and doubts, too.  I know my garden, my eggs, my canning and homemade soaps are as good – often much better! – than store-bought.  But how long before all doubt vanishes and I no longer worry at all?

Is it because homegrown doesn’t cost as much as store-bought that I think “cheap/free” is somehow inferior to “expensive”?  I wasn’t raised to think that way, but maybe the continual media exposure has worn away some of what my parents (and even my little sister!) have taught me.  Or maybe I feel doubt because I haven’t been doing it very long and, thus, there are things I could be doing better (a LOT better!).

Overall, I think the best remedy for such worries is knowledge.  I have yet to hear about someone who eats a radish out of their own yard and dies from it.  We all know, rationally, that the Twinkie is much worse for our health than our own broccoli.  Shiny cellophane wrappers that make that crinkle noise do NOT mean the food is any better for you than the stuff you hose off before bringing into the house.  Homegrown IS better for you – better for your health, better for the planet, and better for your budget.

If you have these doubts, try not to worry.  It’s apparently very normal to feel this way.  You know, intellectually, that you’re doing better for yourself and your family through your garden, chickens, etc.  Keep up the good work and don’t succumb to irrational thought processes!  Plus, telling the corporations to stick it in their ears the next time you feel a twinge of worry about the quality of your homegrown food/products is a little bit of bliss!

Tags: canning, commercial foods, Food, Food and Related Products, food safety, gardening, Grocery store, Home, home grown, Produce, vegetables

10 Reasons to Let it All Hang Out

 

Hanging Out Day, by Ashley Cecil

Lots of laundry detergents claim to give you that spring fresh scent.  But why get that smell from a bottle when you’ve got an ample supply of it outside your door – for free!  When you hang your laundry on a line to dry, you’re saving money, saving the planet and probably even enjoying the experience.  In fact, Hubby prefers to do our line drying himself; he finds it’s relaxing.  Perhaps you will, too!

 

10 Reasons to Hang Out Your Laundry

1.  Save energy and money.  A dryer can be as much as 50-65% of your electric bill.

2.  Ever slept on sun-dried sheets?  Its pure bliss.

3.  Clothes last longer.  All that lint in the dryer is really bits of your clothing that’s worn off by the clothes tumbling together.

4.  Its actually good for you!  Bending, stretching, lifting…a little bit of a workout

5.  Let the sun bleach those whites whiter!  The sun has natural bleaching properties and will do wonders to get your whites as pure as can be.  Can you say “Out! Damn spot!”?  Just prevent your colors from fading by turning dark colors inside out before you hang them.

6.  Save on anti-static sheets.  Clothes dried outside never have static cling.

7.  No shrinking.  Line-hung clothes simply do not shrink.  Clothes only shrink in a heated dryer.

8.  Don’t worry about pulling your laundry out on time.  Its ok to leave your laundry hanging for a few extra hours on a line.

9.  Line dried items, sheets especially, are much easier to fold.

10.  Multi-task:  let the dog scamper around while you hang the laundry.  Let the kids play hide-n-seeks among the billowy sheets.

Getting started is easy and it will cost less than $10 for a line and the clothes pins (plastic or wood – it really doesn’t matter).  Just hang the line good and tight; a saggy line does not dry clothes as evenly.  That’s it!  Just make sure you keep the clothes pins clean and dry in a little tote.

It’s really easy to hang your laundry.  As you pin up each piece, give it a good snap; this will help reduce any wrinkling.  Leave an inch or two of space between each item to ensure the items dry evenly.  Also, hang your colored items inside out, but let the sun help bleach your whites to their whitest.  You can hang big items, like sheets, towels and jeans (pull the pockets out first), half way over the line, though you might need to flip them over when they’re about half dry to dry the other side.  Shirts and blouses can be hung on clothes hangers; just adjust all the collars, plackets, buttons, etc.  Hang t-shirts from the bottom so there’s no clothes pin mark.  It also helps to hang heavy items near the ends of the line, to help keep the line from sagging.  And lastly, remember, you can use your dryer for a few items; your neighbors don’t need to see your undies up there, just a-blowin’ in the wind!

People all over the world have been drying their clothes on lines for eons.  Try it:  it will make you feel connected, maybe a little more in tune with nature.  Just be ready for your neighbors to say “Hey, if your dryer is broken, you’re welcome to use mine!”

Crawling into a bed made with fresh line-dried sheets is a little bit of bliss!

Related Articles

• 5 Tips for Living Life Without a Dryer (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Grandma’s Washing Machine (rosamariab.wordpress.com)
• Clothesline Etiquette ~From an E-mail~ (ctom1985.wordpress.com)

Tags: Clothes dryer, clothes line, Clothespin, Clothing, dry, Laundry, line drying

Evolution of a Gardener

Spring has sprung! Seedlings are popping up!

Until very recently, I hadn’t stopped to consider what kind of philosophy I had on gardening.  In fact, I couldn’t see myself as a “gardener” at all.  I just tried to maintain the yard on the weekends, doing it as quickly as possible so that I could finish the chore and move on to more fun stuff.  But lately, I’m seeing our plants in a whole new light.

Both of my grandmothers were gardeners, with very different approaches to gardening.  My father’s mother (Grandma Taylor) was meticulous.  Plants were trimmed properly, weeds were eliminated immediately upon appearing, and all plants were arranged by the book.  There was a way of doing things right (her way) and there was no tolerance for the wrong way (which was anything that wasn’t her way).  As harsh as it may sound, this wasn’t a bad thing; she knew what she wanted, how to do it and executed with the precision of a high tech project manager.  Plants either bent to her will or they were eliminated.  She chose each plant because they fit with the overall scheme, not for the individual beauty of the plant, per se.  I admired her control, her dictionary-like way of reciting the requirements of every plant, and her ability to design truly beautiful borders.

There is one plant, though, that will always remind me of her – the Bird of Paradise.  When she moved to California, she fell in love with this spiky, colorful flower.  She would mimic the plant by putting her chin on her thumb and point her forefinger outward and sticking out her tongue, something that makes me laugh to think of now, as she so rarely allowed herself to look so silly.

Her structure worked for her.  She always had a beautiful yard and took pride in her work.  Mind you, most of my memories of her were from when I was quite young, as she moved away for my grandfather’s job later on and I didn’t see her much during my teen years, so my memory is a bit fuzzy.  My father and aunt may have a very different opinion about her gardening style!

My mother’s mother (Grandma Bergman) was an avid gardener, but seemed to have the exact opposite approach.  She loved every plant she ever saw (if there was an exception, I don’t know it) and could nurse even the weakest seedling back to perfect health in no time.  All plants were welcome in her garden!  Her garden was continuously evolving, as she was always moving plants over to a sunnier spot, or digging up a new bed for something she’d gotten as a gift from a friend.  Her kindness and love seeped right out of the tips of her fingers, into the dirt and surrounded each little plant so that they would grow to being the best they could be.  Her raspberries, as a result, were the biggest and sweetest anyone has ever seen.  Her peas were enormous and popped just right in your mouth.  Her flowers smelled as heavenly as an angel’s breath.  Show her some rich black dirt and she’d just about stick her face in it to inhale the rich odor of well-composted soil.  Her garden didn’t have the structure or refinement of Grandma Taylor’s garden.  Her garden was flowing and ever-changing, maybe even a little “messy” by modern standards.

For years, I thought I was more structured, like Grandma Taylor.  I was eager to move into our current home because it had a smaller yard, requiring less maintenance.  One of the first things we did was to cover large areas of ground with rocks – decorative, lifeless spaces that looked good but required no/little maintenance.  This lowered our water consumption and gave us more free time, which we felt was a good thing.

Today, though, I’m not so sure.  Maybe it’s just spring fever, or maybe its just because Grandma Bergman passed away last September and I’m craving some connection to her – some way to see the world as she saw it.  Regardless of why, though, I am feeling a connection to the earth that I haven’t had before.  I want to dig.  I want to plant things – all things!  I want to see things grow and watch the daily changes.  I just planted my first very own garden (Hubby has always been the primary gardener, planting and maintaining our veggie gardens, with only minimal help from me).  I am responsible for these little lives, these tiny plants, that will grow and bloom and provide us with amazing food (I hope).  I want to plant roses – hearty, heavily-scented Old Roses.  I walk the dog and find myself eyeing my neighbors yards for planting ideas and for opportunities to take a clipping.  I’m reading gardening books in my spare time.

In the spirit of Grandma Taylor, I researched and mapped out any changes to the yard for weeks in advance.  I never risked bringing home an unknown plant and resisted every urge to be spontaneous.  So now, so very unlike “me”, I am just doing it – only the barest planning, no grand scheme, no particular coordination.   I’m free!  I’m free of my own rules and limitations!  I’m going to plant what I want, when I want.  And I’ll do my best to honor the plant’s needs, of course, but I’m going to stress less over the end result and enjoy the process more.  I’m betting a learn a lot more this way, too.

All in all, my hope is to follow my current passion for Grandma Bergman’s gardening ways to balance out the tendencies I have toward Grandma Taylor’s methods.   I want to be precisely spontaneous.  I want organized chaos.  I don’t want to be so serious about our yard; I want a little fun and to enjoy it more.  Regardless of what kind of gardener I turn out to be, I’m enjoying being on the path.  Really, isn’t it all about the journey?  I think I finally appreciate that now.

Strolling your path and smelling the flowers along the way – it’s a little bit of bliss

Tags: Garden, Grandmother, Home, Personal, Plant, roses, Sowing, Vegetable

Pork with Mushroom Sauce

You may have noticed I’ve been on a mushroom kick lately.  Well, it’s true.  But since mushrooms can be dressed up or down for fancy or ‘homestyle’ dishes, it’s really a perfect ingredient.  This recipe for Pork with Mushroom Sauce is simple to make, uses mostly ingredients you already have in your fridge, and only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.  When you’ve been working in the garden all day, it’s the perfect meal!

Also, if you don’t tell anyone that there’s yogurt in the sauce, nobody will know.  The bouillon and milk combine in the sauce to make it smooth, creamy and with just a little tang.

 

Pork with Mushroom Sauce

4 pork chops, trimmed (bone-in or boneless, your choice)

8oz  sliced fresh mushrooms

4 tablespoons sliced green onions

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup (one small container) low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

1 instant chicken bouillon cube (1 tsp or so)

Dash of nutmeg and pepper

 

Spray your skillet with non-stick spray and preheat to medium.  Add pork and brown one side of the meat.  Flip the pork and continue to cook until no pink remains (this is pork, people – be sure to cook it well!).  Cook time will depend on the thickness of your chops.  Remove the pork from the pan and keep it warm.

While the chops cook, stir together the yogurt, milk, flour, bouillon, nutmeg and pepper; set aside.  It’s fine if it looks a little curdled.

Add mushrooms, green onions, and garlic to the pan.  Cook 2-3 minutes until tender.  Pour in the yogurt mixture; stir it in and cook just a minute or two until thickened and bubbly.

Pour the sauce over the pork chops and you’re done!  Serve with steamed mixed veggies or a salad, maybe a bit of crusty bread, and you’ve got dinner.  It’s a little bit of bliss!

 

Tags: Mushroom, Mushroom Sauce, nutmeg, Pork, Pork chop, yogurt