Category Archives: Food/Recipes

January 28, 2015 · 18:05

fast. FaSt. FAST.

But…. E-A-S-Y DOES IT.

Every year at this time Pops comes to me with a modest request.  Will I secure a detox cleanse kit for him.  Oh.. and will I do it with him.   He wants a clean-me-out-for-I-have-not-been-diligent-lately program.

His favorite indulgence is:

images

Doesnt matter what form the coke comes….Just bring it.  Now.

Mine?

Caramel sauce.  By the bucket.  I tend to be conservative with my indulgences since each time I indulge I get what feels like a Jack Daniels hangover.

On and off for the last 10 years we have participated in programs with questionable results.  My nutty food sensitivities force me to eat pretty well throughout the year,  so I can’t really tell overall.

After using the same one for several years, I called my doctor to see if he recommended  a newer/better body cleaner  outer.  He did.  So we did.

url-1

This is not a plug for this item.  Believe me.  This is not a plug for this item. Core Restore?  Six pack abs at end of week?     If you notice it even comes with an electric stirrer for the yummy powder that we get to drink twice daily.  The upside to this is that it only lasts 7 days oppose to the 14 day we’ve done in the past.

So, what’s the big deal. you ask?

The big deal is this.  When Pops read the instructions he stopped and said, “Oh my. (actually that’s what I said) It says here that we can begin eating on the third day.  WH-A–T?  Okay.. we calmed ourselves and beginning  Saturday night at  9:53 pm  we stopped eating.  We resumed eating on TUESDAY at 7:26 am. Just approximately.   Let me count….. somewhere in the vicinity of 56 hours.  It was THE most uncomfortable two days of my life.  (I am totally aware that I am dealing with a first world problem and I am very sensitive to those who are not as fortunate as me.  Just want to be clear.  I am just being honest. )   Now, I have gone much longer without food in the midst of a  medical situation, but I wasn’t in my right mind and I think they were getting stuff in me somehow.  And Pops, oh my goodness, he is still down for the count.  Poor guy.

On Monday, he decided to stay home for the fasting was sweating his little brow.  46 hours into the fast he walked in on me watching Dives and Diners (not sure on name).  They were in Texas, I think, checking out the Texas size burgers.   WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? he said.   I can tell you that I was out of my ever livin’ mind.

I contemplate fasting as a prayer offering often. I would love to be able to that.   I physically don’t think I can handle this.  I felt like I was in stressed heart  attack mode.  Flu systems too.  Major toxic shake out.   Maybe now that I’ve gone 56 hours, I can give ‘er a 24 hour try as a prayer lift.   Have you ever fasted?  My son, who has not eaten for days in Army Special Force training, says it gets better. You no longer feel hungry after days.  Maybe because you are not. alive. anyMORE.

Another thing I learned during the two days of fast is that meal time is a sacred thing to me.  I look forward to meals.  We gather and we talk.  Those two days?  No need to talk. Passing ships in the morning, noon and night.  Pops says, do you need anything while I am out?  Nope.  More time to stir and shift in my hungry seat since I don’t have any preparing to do.  Threw both of us into total fuzzy land.

IMG_7903We are half way through the week. I feel normal now.  Unfortunately, Pops is feeling a little under the weather.   Feeling results?  Who the heck knows.  Yeah sure.  Why not?   I did not lose a single ounce of weight during the  56 hour fast.  So whatever that’s worth.  I really wasn’t trying but if your going to take the time, there may as well be a bonus, right?

It is valuable couple time together.  Try it.  Couples that clean out bodies together, stay together.

Peace,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , ,

September 12, 2013 · 18:17

Sweet, Sweet Sheep and Potato.

A good farmer friend to the north of us sent me this video.  Yep, farmer friend to the north.  I would have a farmer wanna be friend from Canada.  Our dreams were laid down on many a table  whilst biking through Vermont years ago and I am happy to report that he and his beautiful Catherine and we people are realizing our dreams together. I cant wait to travel to the northern land above us to see their farm soon.

He is a gentle soul so it does not surprise me that he sent me this video and when I watched it, it made me yearn for a gentler world.  It made me smile just as he thought it would.   And I am forever grateful that my animals teach me daily something new about relationships.  Enjoy.  And thank you, Farmer Doug,  for thinking of me as usual.

Please click on link below for video.

Sheep teaches young bull to butt heads.

The SWEET POTATO.

Ipomoea_batatas_006-1

I don’t think I saw sweet potatoes on our dinner table growing up.  It was thrown in sometimes on Thanksgiving by someone.  But, if my memory serves me correctly, I don’t think my mother has ever bought a sweet potato.  Has yours?  But in her defense, I don’t think I have ever bought rhubarb.  Nor has she really.  Whate’er.

We have tons of hamburger and I have been trying to think of good recipes.  I have hit upon a scrumptuous dish that involves sweet potatoes.  It was such a hit that I scrambled for more sweet potato dishes and hit on another winner.  Sweet potatoes are so great and sweet.  And so nutritious.  We need them in our lives more often.

This first recipe is so sweet and yummy.  The hamburger tasted like sloppy joe mixture.   It calls for many middle eastern spices.  I am convinced that a sloppy joe could be made with the following spices and the typical junk left out.  i.e.  ketchup, brown sugar, etc.  I’ll let you know how that turns out.

Pops and I were blown away by the flavors of these two recipes.  I hope you are too.

PAKISTANI KIMA

Unknown-2

  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 pound ground beef (or venison, buffalo, etc) (I get from US Wellness meats)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can or jar of diced tomatoes (organic, no BPA), drained or 2 medium fresh tomatoes
  • ¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder or more to taste
  • 3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen green beans
  • 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic powder (or more to taste)
  1. Melt butter in a large skillet and add diced onion. Cook three minutes or until starting to become translucent.
  2. Add ground meat and cook until well browned. While cooking, add curry powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic salt.
  3. Once meat is browned, add the diced tomatoes (drain off liquid first!), peeled and diced sweet potatoes, green beans and any additional spices if needed.
  4. Cover pan and simmer 20+ minutes or until sweet potatoes have softened. Check after ten minutes and add a couple tablespoons of water or chicken broth if needed.
  5. Serve warm and enjoy!

Thanks to http://www.wellnessmama.com for that recipe.  Really great flavors.

SWEET POTATO AND CABBAGE BAKE

dsc_4951

12 oz. bacon.  Everything is good when bacon is involved.

1 large onion

1 head of cabbage

2 large sweet potatoes.

salt and pepper

2 cups of homemade chicken broth. or store bought.  I do think homemade sent this recipe from yummy to  exceptional.

Sautee bacon and onions.   Chop cabbage and cut potatoes into small pieces.  Put all ingredients into 9 x 12 baking dish and bake til done.  about an hour.  Maybe more.

I hope you do enjoy the recipes.  They are real food.  No sugar,  but extremely sweet and satisfying.

Have a good rest of your week.

God bless,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

August 26, 2013 · 11:07

Cod Liver Oil All That Its Cracked Up To Be?

First, before I tell the cod liver tale, I want to share my new breakfast concoction that is total yummo.  Total healthy.  Plus a secret ingredient that makes it all worthwhile.

Karen’s Yogurt Supreme

Ready?

IMG_6109

Fresh Blueberries

A couple of tablespoons of flax

A couple of tablespoons of Chia seed

IMG_6114

Full Fat (always.  If the fat is from a good source, it is terrific for us.) Organic PLAIN yogurt.

IMG_6118

A couple of tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. Preferably soaked and dried.

A couple of tablespoons of sunflower seeds.  Preferably soaked and dried.

About 8 drops of Stevia sweetener.

And now for the secret ingredient…..

IMG_6116

The darkest chocolate you can find.  Less sugar.  Less processed.

IMG_6117

A teaspoon (or more) of grated dark chocolate.  Ooooh myyyy goodnessss.  This breakfast is good.  And thoroughly healthy.  Every last drop.

Cod Liver Oil

I was reading an article about a gal who had extreme inflammation in her mouth.  Her dentist had her on antibiotics over the course of a year and did not help her.  Someone told her to take 1 1/2 t. cod liver in the morning and at night.   Also, she was told to do “oil pulling” which is where you put gobs of oil in your mouth and “chew” it for like 15 minutes and spit it out.  I have done this before and it is not pleasant, and made me gag.  I do believe it has medicinal qualities but the buck has to stop somewhere and that is where it stops for me.

5 months ago I went into my dentist for a cleaning and told them that it sorta hurt to bite down on popcorn.  Nothing else, just popcorn.  Next thing I knew I was in the chair getting a filling and a crown right next to each other.  I don’t know what they did in that process but I left the dentist not being able to chew on my right side at all.  So, I was no longer sad about not being able to chew popcorn.  I was sad about not being able to chew anything.   I kept going back to Mr. Dentist and they ended up crowning my new filling.  I now have two little crowns side by side.  Kingy and Queeny.  Fast forward 5 months… I still cannot chew on the right side.

When I read this gal’s story, I thought, I can at least try stepping up my cod liver intake from 1/4 teaspoon a day to 1 1/2 t.  and see what happens.  What happened?  I can chew on my right side.

Moral of this story?  Cod liver oil is an excellent anti-inflammatory.  It healed my king and queen.

It is filled with Omega 3.

You’ve heard of Omega 6 and Omega 3.  They are both wonderful for us….HOWEVER…… and I say that really loud……  We get Omega 6 from lots of foods.  All the oils especially, which whether we know it or not,  we eat so much of.   Nuts, seeds, butter…..all good stuff right?   Not good if you are not balancing it with Omega 3’s.  It is necessary to keep those balanced in our bodies or we open up huge opportunities for chronic inflammation and what not.

Omega 3 foods?   Flax.  Beef.   Fish.  Walnuts.  Tofu.  Things we do not eat a ton of.  Unless you’re like me, who is racing against the clock to see if I can eat 900 lbs. of beef before it goes bad in our fridge.

Cod liver oil is a great way to supplement so you can stay balanced.   I am reaching a point in my vitamin supplement journey that if I had to give up all but one of my supplements, I would keep the cod liver oil.

Let me just say that in my research on cod liver oil…I have found most oil has been processed with heat and has synthetic vitamins added back in.  NOT GOOD. Might as well not take it.    It keeps  coming back to the same brand.  It is the best on the market.  It is the bomb.

c4f8df9ce7ce0eb79904ad5b74ef213e

It is the real deal.

I may have said before, that I am bankin’ on donuts galore in heaven.  Succulent cookies falling from the sky.  Ice cream fed to me from my chaise lounge down by the river.   I get my “version” of those things every so often but not as often as I would like.  Until then, I fill in the holes with cod liver oil.  I ain’t complainin’.

God bless,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 4, 2013 · 22:27

Augie Doggie Bloggie

Auggie. The new kid on the block.

Augie. The new kid on the block.

We picked up Augie wandering the streets of our nearby village a week ago today on our way to church.   The people of the village said he showed up about a week before and had been wandering since.  Our county is known for dumping dogs.  Can you imagine?   The poor thing had ticks all over him and was very scared.   The village people said  we were the only people that he would come up to.  He picked us, I guess.   He has been introduced to all the Shieling village “people”.  And he checks out fine.  Although, I am missing a cat as we speak.  ??

Today,  we walked the property to get him more comfortable with the lay of the land.

Augie met the fishies.

Fishie

Fishie

Virginia tried to teach him how to swim.

IMG_6053

We have not been able to enjoy the lake as of recent.  We have had white-faced hornets taking up residency on the dock.  A few days ago, our good ol’ Mr. Shady showed up all decked out to give those old hornets a taste of their own medicine.    He came donned in a bullet proof vest and what not. Of course.   It comforts us to have Mr. Shady come around once a week to kill hornets,  step on mice, moles and voles, among many other household chores.  Is stepping on mice, moles and voles one of your household chores?

Mr. Shady

Mr. Shady

I am happy to report the dock is free and clear.  Whew.

We discovered living cities of beings contained in large basketball sized bubbles in the lake.   Augie was quite impressed by the lake visit.

IMG_6057

Augie and I were amazed at how nicely the cow pasture has adjusted to becoming a shooting range for golf balls.

Golf ball hitting range

Golf ball hitting range

And we ended our tour by checking on our young apple trees that are fruiting for the first time this year.   We are giving organic a go.  They may not look like the big shiny apples in the store, but they taste every bit as delicious.  I am relieved because I am not spraying them.  Did you know apples are top on the list of “Dirty” produce?  Meaning they are highly contaminated by chemicals if not organic.   Although, I  just learned a frightening factoid about organic apples and pears.  Some farms use antibiotics on their “organic” fruit.  More reason to buy as local as you can.  If you can, try buying them from your back yard.

IMG_6070

Enjoy the following list of the Dirty Dozen produce.  Try to buy organic when purchasing the following foods:

  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Sweet Bell Peppers
  • Celery
  • Nectarines
  • Strawberries (sometimes sprayed up to fifty times in its short little tiny life)
  • Cherries
  • Pears
  • Grapes (Imported)
  • Spinach
  • Lettuce
  • Potatoes

The 12 LEAST contaminated are:

  • Onions
  • Avocado
  • Sweet Corn (Frozen)
  • Pineapples
  • Mango
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet Peas (Frozen)
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Bananas
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Papaya

It was a glorious day on the farm.  Augie is happy to be here and we are happy to have him.  I  would just like him to tell me where my precious black cat disappeared to .

God bless,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Farm, Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 8, 2013 · 10:59

Cookies. Ahhh. And Ice Cream.

There is nothing better than a cookie.  With a crunch.  And a side bar of ice cream.  I am forever in the experimenting mode to make a good cookie that is gluten-free, and low sugar without using substitute sugar.  Like aspartame or something alien like that.    I made a cookie this weekend that my husband LOVED.  And  like always, I tried getting away with using a lot less sweetener than it called for.   Pops is  just like the next guy who is very leery about trying things that are not  “normal”.

This recipe was a regular recipe  that I tweaked quite a bit adding things it didn’t call for and removing things it did call for.  The only thing that is the same as the original recipe is the yogurt.    On top of that  I made a huge mistake in putting three times the baking soda it called for.   I thought they were going to be tossed from the oven to the trash.  But no.  They were practically perfect in every way.    I made all the written changes to the recipe including the baking soda mistake and filed it in my favorite cookie recipes.  Love when things work like that.

2376

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.

This recipe is my amended recipe which uses healthier ingredients for your healthy bodyyyyy.

2/3 c. coconut palm unrefined sugar.  (Find at Whole Foods or online or check your neighborhood grocer.)

1/2 c. organic real butter

1/2 c.  organic full fat plain yogurt

2 t.  vanilla

1 1/2 c. gluten-free flour (1/3 rice flour, 1/3 sweet sorghum flour, 1/3 tapioca flour)

1 1/2 t. xanthum gum

a little over 1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1/2 c. organic rolled oats

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1/2 c. cacao nibs (unprocessed cocoa bits.   Very bitter on their own. but awesome when added to recipes.)

Mix first 4 ingredients.  Mix last 7 ingredients separately.   Add together.  Mix well.  Bake at 350 until done.

Delicimo!

ICE CREAM

images

Since I can’t eat dairy ice cream.  I indulge in coconut milk Vanilla ice cream.  It has a hint of coconut flavor but mostly vanilla flavor.   Very satisfying and after several years of eating it, my taste buds prefer it to  the “real deal”.

It is important to know what you are getting when purchasing commercial ice cream.  Very quickly,  I want to point out common ingredients in your friendly freezer section ice cream.

FACTOIDS ON ICE CREAM

DIETHYGLYCOL – Chemical used as emulsifier instead of eggs.  Same chemical is used in antifreeze and paint remover.

POPERONAL – Used in place of vanilla.  Chemical used to kill lice.

ALDEHYDE C-17- Used to flavor cherry ice cream.  Used in dyes, plastic, and rubber.

ETHYL- ACETATE-   Give pineapple flavor.  cleaner for leather.  Vapors known to cause chronic lung, liver and heart damage.

BUTYRALDEHYDE –  Used in nut flavored ice cream.  An ingredient in rubber cement.

AMYLACETATE – Banana flavor.  Used in oil paint solvent.

BENZYL ACETATE- Strawberry flavor.  It is a nitrate solvent.

(Nourishing Traditions. Sally Fallon)

This is just a sampling of what lurks beneath the Bing cherry sittin’ o atop your sundae.

Good stuff, eh?   It is no wonder we are all sick and  diseased.  Holy Toledo.

There is wonderful ice cream out there.  It is probably in your own best interest to know from who and what you are buying.  If I was  an ice cream lover and ate it often,  I would call the company to make sure it is clean, wholesome, and good for me.  I would then stick to that brand.

I hope you are enjoying a Spring day.

God bless,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , ,

March 19, 2013 · 10:20

Where’s The Beef?

The Shieling has hijacked the beef.

When Pops came home with the hijacked beef,  the scene became something out of an I Love Lucy episode.   Lucy was making a special dish and ordered a side of beef thinking  a small package was going to be delivered to her door.  She freaked when the side of beef was a mere more than a pound of hamburger.   She knew Ricky (is that is his name?) would have a fit so she stuffed it in the incinerator in the basement to hide the evidence for a while.  Hours later, they all wondered who was grilling out.   If I had had an incinerator, I may have resorted to the same thing.  There was SO much meat coming into our house, I wanted to stuff it in closets, under couches, in pillow cases.  Instead, I was on the phone with Lowes at 9:00pm ordering yet another freezer.  I  kept searching online for someone to tell me a whole cow could fit into 15 cubic ft. freezer.  As you know, if you search  hard enough,  you will find the answer you want to hear.   Bad answer.  We have an upright large freezer, and TWO chest freezers full of cow.   By the way, on the phone with Lowes at 9 pm, delivered to my barn by 9:00am the following morn.  I love my Lowes.   I love beef too.

We ordered our cow  not to be trimmed of the fat.  Oh my goodness, is it good.  Maybe that is why our freezers are busting.  Did you know beef fat is very good for you?  It’s not what we hear from all the people “in the know” but…….my sources say right farmer + raised with care  = good fat.   I am well into middle age, eat tons  of good fat, not overweight,  my cholesterol and triglycerides are better than better.  I’m going to believe my sources.  Weston Price Foundation.  Their word makes sense to me.  We keep blaming healthy food on our bad health.  Sugar?  Processed foods?  Fake food?  Over eating or drinking?  I can’t go there today.  It is a day of celebration.

We had them package the hamburger into 1 lb. packages.  We have 230 of them.  This is insane.  Do you know how big a cow liver is?

IMG_4490

But glory be, we have succeeded in something here.  It tastes as good as the best beef I have tasted.  We kept one whole cow at the insistence of my “shady”( but really.. sunny)  friend.  And we sold one cow to four friends.  It is wonderful (and a relief) to hear our good friend,  Dan, who is ALL about food, call every time he puts it to his lips, to express his love.  Come to think of it, he has been eatin’ some beef lately. We have been hearing from him quite often.  Oh well.  We love him.

IMG_4493

It still blows my mind that Pops and I have raised a cow.

We have had lots of goofs and blunders and what-have-yous since this glorious journey began.  But I can already look back upon the blood, sweat, tears, but mostly laughter,  at the going ons around here,  with so much fondness, love and gratefulness.

I am really good at run on sentences, aren’t I?   My English teachers would cringe if they knew I actually wrote something that others read.  I use commas like they are dust particles.  They must be free.

Come on down for some beef sometime.  We would love to have you join us around our table.  Bring a beef recipe when you come.  And if you can’t come, send us a recipe anyway,  please.  Have any favorites you would like to share?

God bless,

Karen

2 Comments

Filed under Farm, Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 3, 2013 · 20:26

Dessert Always Before Your Veggies

You knew it was coming, right?   I couldn’t  make pure maple syrup and not share a scrumptuous syrup dessert, could I?

A sumptuous Maple  Walnut Cake.  And that it was.   If you can manage it, it is better to bake with pure maple syrup or honey than refined cane sugar.  Also UNrefined Coconut palm sugar is tons better for you than cane sugar.  Again, anything processed is going to be a foreign object entering your body.  Your body cannot use it’s nutrients as there are none.  I search the internet for desserts that are sweetened with better healthy options.  And I usually reduce the sweetener by sometimes half.

Maple Walnut Cake

Maple Walnut Cake

MAPLE WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour  (I used Gluten free flour mixture of 1/3 rice flour, 1/3 tapioca flour, and 1/3 Sweet sorghum flour and 1 3/4 of xanthum gum)
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup (I tried to knock it back by 1/4 cup. It was very good)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil  extra virgin
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the glaze

  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup gently packed confectioners’ sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons water, if needed (you be the judge based on how thick/thin you want the glaze)

Method

  1. First, preheat oven to 325°F. Then prepare your 10-inch springform pan by coating with cooking spray.
  2. Now place dates in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over them to soak. Let cool to room temperature. Set aside.
  3. Put whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup walnuts, baking soda and salt in a food processor (or blender) until the walnuts are completely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl, making a well in the center.
  4. Now puree the dates and soaking water in the food processor or blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add egg, 3/4 cup syrup, oil, butter, 2 teaspoons vinegar and vanilla and blend/process until smooth. With a spatula, scrape the date mixture into the well in the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the pan. Then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and remove the sides of the pan.
  6. Now you are ready to glaze – BEST PART! Carefully lift the cake from the pan bottom and place on a cake stand or serving plate and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk maple syrup, vinegar and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary to make a spreadable consistency. (Licking fingers is encouraged). Spread the glaze evenly over the top of the cake, then decorate with remaining 1/3 cup walnuts.

THIS CAKE WAS FABULOUS

While I am at it.  I put together some vegetables that I had on hand for roasting the other night and it turned out to be a super combination.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH PESTO SAUCE

-Chopped little bite size potatoes about 8 new potatoes.  I used a mixture of lots of different ones.  Very colorful.  Dark purple included.

-broccolini 1 bunch

-cauliflower 1/2 head

-onions about 1/2 large

-10 sundried tomatoes

-about 1/2 cup of pesto sauce.

Sitr all together and drizzle olive oil over top.  Roast in oven 350 degrees for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

The sundried tomatoes and pesto sauce really throw this side into  the “excellent” category.

IMG_3477

Have yerself a super week.

God bless,

Karen

Leave a comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

February 23, 2013 · 09:16

Off On Another We-Dont-Know-What-We-Are-Doing Adventure

But these little fellers are ready and waiting.  They don’t care, they just want to participate.  IMG_4385

I wish I was childlike enough to want to participate not having any idea what the event was.  I could learn a lesson or two from my animals who trust in me to guide them without question.  I want to  do that with God, but for some reason I think I should be in the driver’s seat with the control panels.  EVERY time  I get in the back seat with my animals and let go and let God,  life is better.   And fruitful.   Not always easy.  But it sure lightens my burden a ton.

But we are off to the sugar bush.  What did I just say?  Never used those words until now, but like I said, new adventure using words I’ve never used.  We are tapping some of our maples to make Shieling Maple Syrup.  Found in a grocery near you.  Well, maybe someday.  Not in this lifetime.   Last year we went out to pick our Maples and realized it was a little difficult to do in the winter since there are no leaves on the trees for identification.  This past summer, I actually had a moment of forethought and skidaddled out there to mark the trees.

We are on track for something.

Sugaring season is about a 4-6 week period beginning in mid to late February.  From what I read and hear, we tap the trees when the temperatures reach  40’s-50 during the day and sink below freezing at night.  This is the ideal environment for the sap to run up and down the tree  getting ready for who knows what.  I will let you know when I know.   Probably getting ready to fruit and leaf out and all that wonderful stuff trees do in the Spring.  Tapping the trees is the easy part.  It took me all of an hour to tap 10 trees.

IMG_4390

I then hung two gallon plastic bags on to the spouts.

IMG_4392

IMG_4391

And then, we wait.   I tapped the trees two days ago.  Yesterday, each bag had about 1/2 cup of sap.  The temperatures were not high enough for much activity.  We are expecting some good solid 40’s in the coming days, so we should be in business.  But who knows.  I read that when temps reach high 40’s -50’s the sap can just pour.  That would be a sight.

The hard part is gathering the sap into 5 gallon buckets to place over a wood fire outside and watching it boil down into luscious syrup.  It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. It takes A LONG time to get there.  Days, my friend.  Days.  Someone has to be on hand to feed the fire.  My goal is to get 2 gallons of syrup.  Is that a reasonable goal with 10 trees and the time we have to stand by the fire?  I have no idea.  We’ve never done this before.  But I can tell you that little Virginia and Samdog are goin’ to be lovin’ it.   That means major time with Mom and Dad in the coming days.

The highlight of our tree tapping day was the game that the dogs (and Farmer Bob) played with an opossum.  It was the first time I have ever seen an opossum play dead.  It was alive and well then just rolled over.  At first I thought, “oh not, that opossum is not right.  Something is terribly wrong”.  But then remembered that is what they do.  Oh yeah.  I forgot.

IMG_4397

I hope our efforts bear wonderful fruits.  How do you keep a fire burning for days on end and get anything else done?  hmm.

God bless,

Karen

4 Comments

Filed under Farm, Food/Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

January 22, 2013 · 20:46

Granola. Friend or Foe?

5 Degrees?  BRRRRRR.  Our little hens are cozy under their heat lamp.

IMG_4143

IMG_4147

Precious they are.  Just love them.

Granola. is. awesome.  It is nearly impossible for me to keep my paw paws out of it.  And I think it can be very confusing because while it all looks the same, sadly, it is not.

The differences are in the type of fats used.  The quality of ingredients.  The amount and type of sweetener.   And whether the seeds and nuts are prepared properly for the best digestion.  It can be trash.

The following recipe  is wonderful.  I sprouted the seeds which will aid in digestion.  You don’t have to.   The original recipe called for 1/2 of Brown sugar and 3/4 cup of Pure Maple Syrup.  I used much less and it tastes great.

images5

KAREN’S GRANOLA

Ha.  A recipe named after moi?  I’m the boss, so yeah.  A recipe named after me.

Preheat oven 300 degrees

3 cups of Old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup sprouted sunflower seeds

1 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup coconut unsweetened

1 cup soaked and dried cashews

1/2 cup soaked and dried walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup  (Don’t know if I have to capitalize this but it deserves it.) Add more if you must but you really don’t need it.

1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt (or more)

You can add anything else you may like, but do me a favor, and make sure it is organic and unrefined.  Thant means NO SUGAR!

Mix all the ingredients.  Spread out on 2 cookie sheets with sides.  Cook for about 50 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.  There is  outstanding granola out  in that there world.  I figured it was high time I figured it out.

Stay warm.

God bless,

Karen

3 Comments

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

January 16, 2013 · 19:32

Are We Feeding Our Chronic Ailment?

Just a  quick note on flu shots before I step into my post today.  What do you actually know about the flu shot?   I encourage you to learn what a flu shot is and does/doesn’t do  so  you can make an informed decision.   I have attached a short article about flu shots for you enjoyment.  At the very least just scan the 11 reasons.  In all matters concerning your health, be informed.

http://goodworkswellness.com/why-i-refuse-to-get-a-flu-shot/

Ok.. Hello.  About 7 years ago I realized that my chronic sinus headaches were a result of me eating wheat.  Who woulda thunk?  I think that we associate food sensitivities to gastric/digestion problems.

asian-sweet-bread-3

Removing wheat from my diet made huge improvements in my overall well-being for a time.  The following year, I discovered that my respiratory infection symptoms were a direct result of ingesting dairy.

milk

 I LOVE milk and bread.

There lies the problem. 

Fast forward 7 years.  I have been sailing along pretty well and very healthy.   When I eat those two things, I am ok if I just dabble one time but if I dabble over and over in the course of  a couple of days,  the symptoms return.

This past year I have gotten on a nut butter kick.  Every morning I whip up nut butter in our coffee grinder.  I even upgraded our grinder to a sorta commercial model. I was ALL ABOUT THE NUT BUTTER.   I have been buying large quantities of raw organic nuts.  I soak them for 24 hours and then dry them in the oven for a few days.  Man, they taste 100 times better than what you get at the store.  By soaking them, you release enzyme inhibitors that otherwise would inhibit digestion and the flavor is greatly enhanced.

  I grind pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.  and spread it everyday on an apple.  DELICIOUS.  I cannot even tell you.  It made me jump out of bed in the morning.  Christmas morning, every morning.

AA026294

About 6 months ago I started having excruciating pain in my neck, lower back, hips and knees.  If I had been sitting for any length of time it was unbearable standing up.  It was hard to turn over in bed at night.  I am positive that 90 year olds were more mobile than me.    My body had seized up.

 I recently went to the doctor to find out  how I could go from absolutely normal to almost crippled in 6 months.  It felt as if a virus or a bacteria (are those one in the same?? I have no idea) had settled into my bones and joints.

We did some blood tests.  I left the doctor’s office and when I got in my car it occurred to me that maybe it was the nuts I was eating.  So I took time off from my Christmas mornings.  Guess what?  Within 3 days, I had no symptoms.  That was a month ago and I am completely normal for an aging old hag.

A couple of things……

I read that if we find we are sensitive to a food, it is common to become sensitive to more foods as time goes.  ugh.

I am learning  that we can avoid becoming sensitive to foods if we aren’t pounding them every chance we get.  Like I do.   I think the reason so many people become sensitive to wheat/gluten is that they are eating it at every meal.  You could probably say that about dairy too.

There is something to say about the old-time people who ate what was in season, and did not, when it was not, therefore,  they were never eating any one food more than a season in the course of a year.   Huh.  Suppose that makes sense?

If you are suffering from a chronic something or other, it is very possible it is food.  Each food that I have grown sensitive to has its own cute little symptom to go with it.  And all of the symptoms would appear to have nothing to do with food.

The key is to incorporate  a large variety  of food into our  diet.  If I enjoy nut butter, enjoy it once a week not everyday.   I read that it is best to not eat any one kind of food more often than every 3 or 4 days.   ok.  I think I got it.

Please, investigate this if you are experiencing chronic symptoms.  It could be a simple answer using no chemical medicines.

Have a good Thursday.

God bless,

Karen

1 Comment

Filed under Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,