So, I put the title out there for you to see, so if you are reading this now, at least you have been warned.
We bought eight Cornish Roasters and 25 Dark Cornish Roosters this spring. Happily, we fed them, housed them, watered them, and now they are ready to feed us. (Yes, I deliberately changed focus there.) They are fighting with each other, and pushing the other chickens around, although Annie our little Belgian Quail Antwerp bantam hen stands up to them admirably. Their usefulness is nearing an end.
Dave, Lazar and I are readying the equipment and in the next couple of days we will be 20 chickens lighter. We will keep a couple roosters for the flock, but the vast majority are going in the freezer. The Cornish Roasters were butchered by Weston Meat Cutters. The Dark Cornish Roosters are going to be butchered by us. The season is late and with both Dave and Lazar to help me it will go pretty quickly. Lazar and I did a couple earlier this summer. It was long and tedious work, between plucking and such.
They will give us chicken for the winter and plenty of Buffalo Wings for our gatherings. Chicken soup, roast chicken, chicken pot pie, chopped liver and a plethora of other dishes are awaiting those roosters. I feel kind of like Bubba from "Forest Gump" but we love our chicken here at Willard's Farm.
One last thing, after we cull out the roosters, we will still have over 30 chickens, between Lazar's fourteen or so bantams (small chickens that a big on attitude) and our laying hens. Plenty to keep us in eggs this winter. Currently, we are just starting to see the uptick in egg production as this years new chickens are starting to lay eggs. Little bantam eggs are so cute.
If you are in need of eggs, give me a call...
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Update from the land of GAPS
Haven't posted for awhile. Why? Because life happens around here. We have chickens, children and general mayhem to commit, so often times something takes the back seat. Happened to be the blog this time.
So, what's been going on? Well, we raised eight Cornish Roasters, a less overbred version of the chickens you get in the supermarket. We had them butchered and have been enjoying good eats thanks to our hard work and their kind sacrifice.
Summer came and went with me having shingles twice. Aggravating and most unproductive. I need to manage stress better is the lesson I received. The kids were fine, but I really, really needed to get better and stay better.
I did some research on different eating habits. The kids and I felt better since starting out on eating much more, well, deliberately. But, I still had those two bouts of shingles. Onto the Interweb I went. I discovered a woman named Sarah who's blog is called The Paleo Mom. I read and read, it seemed so clear. Then, I considered the ramifications of doing the full monty, which I really thought we needed to. You see, we had been having some interesting symptoms. We all had bloated abdomens, Phyllis had added a couple of new food sensitivities and Lazar was having painful joints and I could barely walk some days. Sarah highly recommends the Paleo lifestyle and it seemed like the right choice, except according to the symptoms we were experiencing, we should also add the SIBO/AIP option, that would dramatically limit our foods. I sat with that for a few days and realized that I would have issues with that, but the kids would be hard pressed to do something that intense. She also wrote about SCD and GAPS, but I skipped over it thinking we would just skip them. So, I tabled it, thinking that we would go to the Paleo Diet.
That brings us to our grand experiment. I was fighting some intestinal thing, and did some research on the symptoms. While chasing down that rabbit hole, I rediscovered SCD as a possible way to deal with what I was experiencing. Since I had heard of this from The Paleo Mom, I decided that serendipity had come to call, and this was my message. I read the information, and it seemed like a more workable option for us. Then, I went back to The Paleo Mom and read about both SCD and GAPS. The minute I read about the GAPS diet it clicked. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride realies heavily on some of Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" which I read over ten years ago and have used the techniques ever since. The GAPS Diet is all about healing your gut, in fact it stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome. She has used this to treat kids with autism. I wasn't working with autism, I was working with people with potential gut issues, asthma and someone with multiple allergies. Phyllis had reacted with a rash and itching from pineapple. Dr. Natasha claims that this diet will heal the gut and may allow you to eat things you could not eat. Was it worth the chance for Lazar to be pain free? Was it worth it for Phyllis to be able to eat tomatoes, eggs, kiwi, pineapple and citrus? Was it worth it to see if I could be healthier? We all answered "YES!!!"
This is a long post, huh? On the third of October we began our odyssey. We removed all grains including corn, legumes (except lentils, black beans and white beans that have been treated ala "Nourishing Traditions"), all sweeteners except honey, potatoes both sweet and white, parsnips, all chemical additives, milk, unaged cheeses, anything from a bottle or jar (meaning processed), chocolate and some other oddball things that I won't go into here.
You may be thinking, "How awful!" Yes, feeling sick all the time was awful, having Lazar in pain all the time was awful, and seeing Phyllis developing new allergies was awful. But, this diet has turn us around! Phyllis is stabilized, Lazar's pain level is less and I am feeling much better. We all have lost weight, and each of us experienced a lessening of our bloating. Within a week, I lost four inches off my waist. Pretty amazing!
How do we do it? Well, my dad is not doing this diet, so he gets potatoes, one of his favorite foods and macaroni and cheese and other things like hot dogs we avoid. But, we eat well. Like tonight... we are having GAPS pizza with provolone cheese (mozzarella is GAPS illegal), veggies and sauce. We are most excited. My dad and Dave will be eating regular pizza.
Some wonderful things have come of this. We are eating a ton of veggies, we are satiated far more easily and eat much less. Why? Because our bodies are getting nutrient dense food that serves to satisfy us well before junk would. Later I will blog about our experience at KFC. It's funny and very enlightening. But, suffice it to say that we know that eating this way is better for us and our bodies. Yes, we are tempted sometimes. Phyllis had chocolate for Halloween and could not get to sleep until 2am. We discussed it the next day and she realized that her little soiree had consequences. No worries, just a little lesson on how much better she felt following the diet. I had occasion to travel and I could not be 100% legal to do so. I had some things that were not allowed and some things that were pretty close to how I should be eating. It was more or less unavoidable, but it set me back some. I only had a month under my belt, so I just restarted my process. Will I cheat again? Probably not. I have lost over 10 pounds in a month, without trying and without feeling like I'm missing something. I am looking at possibly a year or two on the GAPS Diet, but the kids should be able to start adding things back in about six months. Now, that is doable!
I will try to be more careful in blogging here. My computer is back up and running, so life is easier to blog that way. I will keep you posted. We are about to eat dinner, so wish us well, and happy, healthy eating.
So, what's been going on? Well, we raised eight Cornish Roasters, a less overbred version of the chickens you get in the supermarket. We had them butchered and have been enjoying good eats thanks to our hard work and their kind sacrifice.
Summer came and went with me having shingles twice. Aggravating and most unproductive. I need to manage stress better is the lesson I received. The kids were fine, but I really, really needed to get better and stay better.
I did some research on different eating habits. The kids and I felt better since starting out on eating much more, well, deliberately. But, I still had those two bouts of shingles. Onto the Interweb I went. I discovered a woman named Sarah who's blog is called The Paleo Mom. I read and read, it seemed so clear. Then, I considered the ramifications of doing the full monty, which I really thought we needed to. You see, we had been having some interesting symptoms. We all had bloated abdomens, Phyllis had added a couple of new food sensitivities and Lazar was having painful joints and I could barely walk some days. Sarah highly recommends the Paleo lifestyle and it seemed like the right choice, except according to the symptoms we were experiencing, we should also add the SIBO/AIP option, that would dramatically limit our foods. I sat with that for a few days and realized that I would have issues with that, but the kids would be hard pressed to do something that intense. She also wrote about SCD and GAPS, but I skipped over it thinking we would just skip them. So, I tabled it, thinking that we would go to the Paleo Diet.
That brings us to our grand experiment. I was fighting some intestinal thing, and did some research on the symptoms. While chasing down that rabbit hole, I rediscovered SCD as a possible way to deal with what I was experiencing. Since I had heard of this from The Paleo Mom, I decided that serendipity had come to call, and this was my message. I read the information, and it seemed like a more workable option for us. Then, I went back to The Paleo Mom and read about both SCD and GAPS. The minute I read about the GAPS diet it clicked. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride realies heavily on some of Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" which I read over ten years ago and have used the techniques ever since. The GAPS Diet is all about healing your gut, in fact it stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome. She has used this to treat kids with autism. I wasn't working with autism, I was working with people with potential gut issues, asthma and someone with multiple allergies. Phyllis had reacted with a rash and itching from pineapple. Dr. Natasha claims that this diet will heal the gut and may allow you to eat things you could not eat. Was it worth the chance for Lazar to be pain free? Was it worth it for Phyllis to be able to eat tomatoes, eggs, kiwi, pineapple and citrus? Was it worth it to see if I could be healthier? We all answered "YES!!!"
This is a long post, huh? On the third of October we began our odyssey. We removed all grains including corn, legumes (except lentils, black beans and white beans that have been treated ala "Nourishing Traditions"), all sweeteners except honey, potatoes both sweet and white, parsnips, all chemical additives, milk, unaged cheeses, anything from a bottle or jar (meaning processed), chocolate and some other oddball things that I won't go into here.
You may be thinking, "How awful!" Yes, feeling sick all the time was awful, having Lazar in pain all the time was awful, and seeing Phyllis developing new allergies was awful. But, this diet has turn us around! Phyllis is stabilized, Lazar's pain level is less and I am feeling much better. We all have lost weight, and each of us experienced a lessening of our bloating. Within a week, I lost four inches off my waist. Pretty amazing!
How do we do it? Well, my dad is not doing this diet, so he gets potatoes, one of his favorite foods and macaroni and cheese and other things like hot dogs we avoid. But, we eat well. Like tonight... we are having GAPS pizza with provolone cheese (mozzarella is GAPS illegal), veggies and sauce. We are most excited. My dad and Dave will be eating regular pizza.
Some wonderful things have come of this. We are eating a ton of veggies, we are satiated far more easily and eat much less. Why? Because our bodies are getting nutrient dense food that serves to satisfy us well before junk would. Later I will blog about our experience at KFC. It's funny and very enlightening. But, suffice it to say that we know that eating this way is better for us and our bodies. Yes, we are tempted sometimes. Phyllis had chocolate for Halloween and could not get to sleep until 2am. We discussed it the next day and she realized that her little soiree had consequences. No worries, just a little lesson on how much better she felt following the diet. I had occasion to travel and I could not be 100% legal to do so. I had some things that were not allowed and some things that were pretty close to how I should be eating. It was more or less unavoidable, but it set me back some. I only had a month under my belt, so I just restarted my process. Will I cheat again? Probably not. I have lost over 10 pounds in a month, without trying and without feeling like I'm missing something. I am looking at possibly a year or two on the GAPS Diet, but the kids should be able to start adding things back in about six months. Now, that is doable!
I will try to be more careful in blogging here. My computer is back up and running, so life is easier to blog that way. I will keep you posted. We are about to eat dinner, so wish us well, and happy, healthy eating.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
News
So, I have some news, but before I get to that, let's recap what changes have occurred in our diets.
Please be aware that all these things have not happened overnight. Some were already started, just needed an acknowledgment that we were committed to doing it. Others were just a choice that came easily. When you make a resolution that you will live your ethics and morals, it can have some pretty far reaching consequences.
Now for the big news. Last year, my doctor tested me for cholesterol, A1C (your blood sugars over time more or less averaged), and my kidneys. My A1C was 6.4, which he did not tell me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he did tell me that I was pre-diabetic. When I saw my new doctor recently, he said that those numbers were not pre-diabetic, that he would have put me on meds immediately. My old doctor wanted to wait a bit to see how my sugars fared. In the meantime, he went out of practice and hence the new doctor.
Here is a quick review of what my life has held in the last year. Roughly a year ago, my kids and I were preparing for a karate tournament in Indianapolis at the end of June. Went there, came home and mid July I had shingles. That was not a fun experience and my doctor told me that it was because of stress. Over the last year I have reduced my stress immensely. The prior winter saw us all sick over and over again. Lazar had strep throat what seemed almost constantly. In November last year we had pneumonia, but bounced back fairly quickly, however my dad struggled for months to beat that infection. In March he was given pneumonia free diagnosis from his pulmonologist. The kids and I did not get ill again all winter, except for sniffles. A HUGE improvement.
Our diet has significantly changed. We eat, as I said before, no fast food, hardly any prepared foods, and mostly whole foods. My A1C as of two weeks ago was normal, as were my kidneys and my cholesterol. No meds, no special diet, just continue your good work. And, I lost 20 lbs. I am NOT eating carb free, fat free, cholesterol free or any other restrictive diet. I am eating sensibly. We had alfredo pasta a couple of days ago, I eat cheese, I eat butter, and I use salt. BUT... it is in moderation. I eat kale, salads, raw veggies, fruits, and veggies with every meal. I feel better. And, I am most emphatically not a diabetic. Score one big one for my resolution.
Any questions?
- No Coke products, and since I am a diehard "Coke or nothing" kind of gal, that means no soda
- Grass fed animal products only, and they must be humanely raised. Since I have grown Cornish X for meat birds and saw what their overbreeding has accomplished, no Cornish X chicken meat as well.
- Second hand clothes, homemade or repairs only.
- Conscious thought about what we eat and where it came from and where it is going.
- Fast food free since the admonition about factory farmed meats
- GMO free only, so no high fructose corn syrup, no commercial soy, no sugar unless specified cane derived. Organic corn, soy, and potentially wheat only.
- Growing our own crops this year, with an emphasis on square foot gardening. First radishes of the season consumed with gusto recently!
- Raising our own meat birds, in this case Cornish Roasters and Dark Cornish Roosters.
- No caffeine, except an occasional tea.
- Raising our own eggs or buying them locally.
- Buying our milk locally and making as much cheese, yogurt, etc. from that as possible.
- Chickens now fed only organic feed in an effort to forestall the GMOs and to be sure they are not being fed other animals, including other chickens
- Moving toward an organic/local only vegetable buying program. Currently, we are almost there, but not quite.
- Given all the above, 99.9% of our food is homemade, because otherwise it would be impossible to afford it, be sure of where it came from and how organic it really is.
Please be aware that all these things have not happened overnight. Some were already started, just needed an acknowledgment that we were committed to doing it. Others were just a choice that came easily. When you make a resolution that you will live your ethics and morals, it can have some pretty far reaching consequences.
Now for the big news. Last year, my doctor tested me for cholesterol, A1C (your blood sugars over time more or less averaged), and my kidneys. My A1C was 6.4, which he did not tell me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he did tell me that I was pre-diabetic. When I saw my new doctor recently, he said that those numbers were not pre-diabetic, that he would have put me on meds immediately. My old doctor wanted to wait a bit to see how my sugars fared. In the meantime, he went out of practice and hence the new doctor.
Here is a quick review of what my life has held in the last year. Roughly a year ago, my kids and I were preparing for a karate tournament in Indianapolis at the end of June. Went there, came home and mid July I had shingles. That was not a fun experience and my doctor told me that it was because of stress. Over the last year I have reduced my stress immensely. The prior winter saw us all sick over and over again. Lazar had strep throat what seemed almost constantly. In November last year we had pneumonia, but bounced back fairly quickly, however my dad struggled for months to beat that infection. In March he was given pneumonia free diagnosis from his pulmonologist. The kids and I did not get ill again all winter, except for sniffles. A HUGE improvement.
Our diet has significantly changed. We eat, as I said before, no fast food, hardly any prepared foods, and mostly whole foods. My A1C as of two weeks ago was normal, as were my kidneys and my cholesterol. No meds, no special diet, just continue your good work. And, I lost 20 lbs. I am NOT eating carb free, fat free, cholesterol free or any other restrictive diet. I am eating sensibly. We had alfredo pasta a couple of days ago, I eat cheese, I eat butter, and I use salt. BUT... it is in moderation. I eat kale, salads, raw veggies, fruits, and veggies with every meal. I feel better. And, I am most emphatically not a diabetic. Score one big one for my resolution.
Any questions?
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Slow Cooker Yogurt, Papaya Frozen Yogurt and Beans
Many times when I find a recipe, it goes in one eye, floats around my brain for a bit and either gets made or dumped in the next sleep cycle. The following are recipes that we will be reusing extensively!
Recently, we found a source for fresh milk. We picked up a few gallons of milk and were nearing the end of that batch of milk, so I was looking for a recipe that would use up a gallon of milk, quickly and easily. I had planned to make cheese, but that did not happen. So... I found this recipe online and skipped the last bit about making Greek Yogurt, but certainly it could have been done. I used Stonyfield plain non-fat yogurt for my starter. As long as you use a live culture and unsweetened yogurt, it should work. Here is the link, then I'll detail what we did differently.
http://groceryshrink.com/2011/09/slow-cooker-greek-yogurt.html
When we checked the slow cooker after wrapping in towels about three hours later, we found the yogurt had "clotted", and the cooker was cool. So, we called it a wrap. I wasn't interested in making Greek Yogurt, but I did make some Neuchatel or Yogurt Cheese. I took a colander, lined it with a clean dish towel, poured about half of the yogurt in, folded the towel over and placed a canning jar filled with water and sealed on top to act as a weight. This helps remove more of the whey. The rest of the yogurt went into the fridge for a plethora of thing we use it in, like mashed potatoes, a substitute for sour cream in dips, snacks of yogurt and fruit, and as you see later in ice cream or more accurately, frozen yogurt.
We used the whey to lacto-ferment beans that I make in large batches for later use from freezing. I followed "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon's recipe for beans. You let them soak overnight with plenty of warm water and two tablespoons of whey. This begins the digestive process and they cook very quickly. Also, it makes it easier to digest and the nutrients more available, according to Ms. Fallon. I do find them quicker cooking and very tender. So, a resounding, "YES!" can be heard for all that whey. Any whey we cannot use will be gifted to the chickens whom I am told will be most appreciative.
Yesterday, we were looking for something to do with some mangoes and papayas we had on hand. The mangoes ended up being bad on the inside, a huge bummer because mangoes are my daughter's favorite and mine as well. However the papayas were fine. So, I went hunting for a recipe. Found this one online, but of course I had to monkey with it...
http://www.food.com/recipe/mango-ice-cream-31725
First of all, no mango and no eggs. At the very bottom is a note about using papaya instead. The recipe called for a pound of papaya, but I just did up what we had on hand. It says to juice one lime, add a cup of sugar to papaya to be pureed. I stuck everything in my food processor, and let it rip. When puree is reached, it says to mix in a cup of cream. But, since I had already messed with the recipe by adding more papaya (I guess, since I never weighed it), I added a cup of yogurt. Tasted it, seemed a little light on the milk aspect more like sorbet. So, I added another cup of yogurt and then a 1/2 cup more. Tasted it each time and finally was satisfied. Can't imagine how sweet it would have been with the right amount of papaya and cream! The tartness of the yogurt and the lime balanced it perfectly. I put it in my ice cream attachment to the Kitchenaid and let it rip until it started to click. Well, it was supposed to get to that point, but my son became impatient and we froze it. Just had some this noontime. Scrumptious does not even begin to describe this delectable delight. If you don't have an ice cream maker, I strongly suggest you find one. I bought this a couple of years ago and the benefits have been huge. I can control the sugar, use other sweeteners, or opt to use only the fruit for sweetening. All good, but the best part is making up combinations and concoctions of your own. Some might be weird, but most of them will be yummy!
Last note, I promised the bean recipe which is really a prep and very simple. Any suggestions for recipes you might have seen me mention in passing about which you would like more info.
Next time I hope to post our mozzarella and ricotta results. Many blessings to you all. And, happy wedding day to my niece!
Recently, we found a source for fresh milk. We picked up a few gallons of milk and were nearing the end of that batch of milk, so I was looking for a recipe that would use up a gallon of milk, quickly and easily. I had planned to make cheese, but that did not happen. So... I found this recipe online and skipped the last bit about making Greek Yogurt, but certainly it could have been done. I used Stonyfield plain non-fat yogurt for my starter. As long as you use a live culture and unsweetened yogurt, it should work. Here is the link, then I'll detail what we did differently.
http://groceryshrink.com/2011/09/slow-cooker-greek-yogurt.html
When we checked the slow cooker after wrapping in towels about three hours later, we found the yogurt had "clotted", and the cooker was cool. So, we called it a wrap. I wasn't interested in making Greek Yogurt, but I did make some Neuchatel or Yogurt Cheese. I took a colander, lined it with a clean dish towel, poured about half of the yogurt in, folded the towel over and placed a canning jar filled with water and sealed on top to act as a weight. This helps remove more of the whey. The rest of the yogurt went into the fridge for a plethora of thing we use it in, like mashed potatoes, a substitute for sour cream in dips, snacks of yogurt and fruit, and as you see later in ice cream or more accurately, frozen yogurt.
We used the whey to lacto-ferment beans that I make in large batches for later use from freezing. I followed "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon's recipe for beans. You let them soak overnight with plenty of warm water and two tablespoons of whey. This begins the digestive process and they cook very quickly. Also, it makes it easier to digest and the nutrients more available, according to Ms. Fallon. I do find them quicker cooking and very tender. So, a resounding, "YES!" can be heard for all that whey. Any whey we cannot use will be gifted to the chickens whom I am told will be most appreciative.
Yesterday, we were looking for something to do with some mangoes and papayas we had on hand. The mangoes ended up being bad on the inside, a huge bummer because mangoes are my daughter's favorite and mine as well. However the papayas were fine. So, I went hunting for a recipe. Found this one online, but of course I had to monkey with it...
http://www.food.com/recipe/mango-ice-cream-31725
First of all, no mango and no eggs. At the very bottom is a note about using papaya instead. The recipe called for a pound of papaya, but I just did up what we had on hand. It says to juice one lime, add a cup of sugar to papaya to be pureed. I stuck everything in my food processor, and let it rip. When puree is reached, it says to mix in a cup of cream. But, since I had already messed with the recipe by adding more papaya (I guess, since I never weighed it), I added a cup of yogurt. Tasted it, seemed a little light on the milk aspect more like sorbet. So, I added another cup of yogurt and then a 1/2 cup more. Tasted it each time and finally was satisfied. Can't imagine how sweet it would have been with the right amount of papaya and cream! The tartness of the yogurt and the lime balanced it perfectly. I put it in my ice cream attachment to the Kitchenaid and let it rip until it started to click. Well, it was supposed to get to that point, but my son became impatient and we froze it. Just had some this noontime. Scrumptious does not even begin to describe this delectable delight. If you don't have an ice cream maker, I strongly suggest you find one. I bought this a couple of years ago and the benefits have been huge. I can control the sugar, use other sweeteners, or opt to use only the fruit for sweetening. All good, but the best part is making up combinations and concoctions of your own. Some might be weird, but most of them will be yummy!
Last note, I promised the bean recipe which is really a prep and very simple. Any suggestions for recipes you might have seen me mention in passing about which you would like more info.
Next time I hope to post our mozzarella and ricotta results. Many blessings to you all. And, happy wedding day to my niece!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A few weeks ago I posted about this on Facebook. I have *finally* managed the time to set it down via keyboard. Ladies and Gentlefolk of various genders, here is.... Easy Beef Enchiladas. This makes a large batch, so feel free to make it smaller, or freezing the leftovers or just eat it for a week like we sometimes do.
I use this for tacos, burritos and sometimes just as is with potatoes. Yummy!
Ah, Enchilada Sauce... Red or Green, red or green, which is better? We love them both. The last batch was done with green. I used a pre-made brand called Hatch that I get from my local co-op. The cans were about the size of a vegetable can and I used two. The flavors are excellent. I also used this recipe that includes cocoa. It was extremely addictive and absolutely scrumptious! http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-enchilada-sauce-109685
Take your pan, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom, then place torn tortillas on top. Next, add about 2-3 cups of the spicy shredded beef, sprinkle 2/3 of the cheese over the beef, top with more torn tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over this and top with remaining cheese. Cook for an hour at 350 or until hot and bubbly.
That is how I did it. I serve it lasagne style, with shredded lettuce, slice black olives, sliced green onions or diced regular onions, and yogurt. Enjoy!
Easy Beef Enchiladas
- Spicy Beef
I use this for tacos, burritos and sometimes just as is with potatoes. Yummy!
- 2 cups each shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese
- Tortillas, either corn or wheat
- Enchilada Sauce
Ah, Enchilada Sauce... Red or Green, red or green, which is better? We love them both. The last batch was done with green. I used a pre-made brand called Hatch that I get from my local co-op. The cans were about the size of a vegetable can and I used two. The flavors are excellent. I also used this recipe that includes cocoa. It was extremely addictive and absolutely scrumptious! http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-enchilada-sauce-109685
- Now for the big finish....
Take your pan, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom, then place torn tortillas on top. Next, add about 2-3 cups of the spicy shredded beef, sprinkle 2/3 of the cheese over the beef, top with more torn tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over this and top with remaining cheese. Cook for an hour at 350 or until hot and bubbly.
That is how I did it. I serve it lasagne style, with shredded lettuce, slice black olives, sliced green onions or diced regular onions, and yogurt. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Chicken Wings, Lard and Schmaltz, oh my!
You know, I wish I had the physical capability to do this more often. I wish I could expect that the next few days would not be horrible, but the fact of the matter is.... my hands suck. Not literally, but very emphatically nonetheless...
So, here is the way my brain works... When we sat down to have our family meeting on changing our eating habits, Phyllis raised a good point. Chicken wings.... are they or are they not allowed? Seems pretty straight forward, but really quite complicated. You see, those chicken wings neatly packaged in the grocery store represent chickens' lives to me. Yes, I do eat meat, but in an effort to make us more conscious of what we are eating and how it was raised, I had to really look at this. Let's see, an average family sized package of chicken wings is about 20 wings, maybe 16 wings. That is 8-10 chicken's worth of wings. As Lazar so accurately pointed out, that does not mean only that many "volunteered" their wings, it might have been 16 or 20 with one wing "volunteered". Dear reader you may remember the debacle of our $30 chicken, which sounds much worse than it truly was, because it could feed us four meals at $7.50 for organic protein, not shabby. I digress... So how many of those oh, so yummy, but expensive chickens does that mean would have to raise a wing or two to help us feast on wings? Sorry, does not compute! Too much money. Even if I saved the wings, I am in no way prepared to eat that many gold plated chickens this year.
Which brings me to my quandary. How many chickens does the average American family eat per year? According to the American Meat Institute, in 2008 the average American ate 85 lbs of poultry, at 4 lbs a bird that's 22 chickens per person or 88 per family of four. Wow, thats a huge number of chickens being raised in dark, overcrowded conditions, never seeing the light of day. I realize some folks eat more roasters which weigh more than four pounds, but for the purposes of this illustration I used the slightly above average weight of a fryer. How much of that 85 lbs of chicken is in wings? No idea, but wings are a specialty of happy hour buffets, Super Bowl Parties, and a bunch of other places that a handy finger food is required.
Back to my family, we decided that this year we would raise our chickens. We are raising 30, significantly less than the average family's poultry consumption, but a ton to us! We talked it over and decided that 14 of our thirty will be raised for roasting and the other 15 or so will be cut up for stir fries, grilling, and wait for it... wings. Yes, Phyllis is going to have her wings. Imagine her happy dance as I type this. However, we will be having them with something else, so that we can enjoy less but still have those wings of deliciousness. We'll have 2.5 batches. They will be a treat, something for a birthday or special occasion. That works for us. Are you still reading????
Working my way through all this, I considered cutting up 15 chickens. Stripping the breast meat, to make boneless skinless breast meat, making stock with the bones and wing tips, saving the gizzards, hearts and livers for us to eat later, leaving most of the legs and thighs together because my dad loves them grilled and it all will be organic, free ranged, happy chicken meat. Yes, we are killing and eating animals, but we are doing it with deliberate, conscious thought of the sacrifice that animal made for us to live. Anyone wishing to debate vegetarianism or vegan choices is welcome to ask why we don't do that, but I have gone far afield enough for one posting. I also realized that I would have the skin and fat from cutting up the chickens. Back when Mark and I first got together, I offered to keep a kosher home and all that entailed. I even bought a cookbook, but Mark voted an emphatic "no!" In the cookbook, there were directions on making schmaltz or rendered chicken fat from the skin and fat. I'll come back to this in a moment.
Last winter when I purchased my half of a pig, I didn't get any leaf lard, but Jody, dear sweet friend that she is, gave me some of hers. I made lard with it, a simple chore but time consuming. Lard making involves diced fat, a heavy pan, a bit of water to get things going and a low flame. Cook and cook until the bits of lard become hard and no longer squishy. The liquid after you skim of the "cracklings" or bits of cooked fat is your lard. Very simple. I am still working my way through what I made, which is about 4 cups. I don't bake a whole lot, so that's why.
Now, fast forward back to the chicken dilemma. Because I am considering how much fat I will get from those 15 chickens and my potential leaf lard score later this year, then it hit me. I wonder how much fat the average American consumes... Good old Google comes through, again. The average American consumes between 148-164 grams of fat per day. We'll give everyone the benefit of a doubt and use the low side, even if I know that that is probably way off... converted to oz. That's 5.19 oz of fat per day, making 1894.35 oz per year or 118.4 lbs of fat per year! Yikes! Zoiks! And a whole bunch more Scooby Doo references. That's 473.6 lbs per family of four. I am betting most of that is based on the consumption of fried foods in this country. But, pie crust, biscuits, cheeses, mashed potatoes, and a whole host of other potentially fat heavy foods go into that number, I hope.
My family has a long way to go to consume that much. We eat almost entirely all homemade food. Yes, I do fry some, but mostly it is stir fries, or eggs for breakfast. Yes, we do eat bacon and sausage, but I can safely say that 475 pounds is way over what we can conceivably consume. What started me on this is that because of our change in diet, I am *far* more conscious of what we are eating and where it came from. So, my butter comes from Cabot, my lard from my friends' pig, my schmaltz from our future chickens. Soon, a friend will have milk, and hopefully so will we. When that transition happens, our butter will all come from there. Yes, I know how to make butter. I now know a possible reason why we are an overweight nation, because we have no idea how much we are eating. I had no idea that the average American ate that much chicken or fat. I did know that our consumption was drastically dropped with our commitment to be as fair as omnivores can be with their animal friends. Our forefathers and foremothers ate what they could raise or trade, cheap fats were almost non-existent. We live in a culture of cheap fat, its everywhere and it shows. Because of our change in eating habits, we will naturally be eating far less fat. Why? Because we won't have it. I don't use Crisco, I will only be using homemade butter or lard or schmaltz. The fat to protein ratio will be as it appears in the animals, naturally, with the exception of butter. But, even then, a pint of skimmed cream will only produce a little butter. Huh? I never thought of this as a "diet" but I guess it will be. Yes, I am going to make special calorie heavy things for my dad, but we will all be eating far more veggies than meat and grains... but that is for another time.
So, here is the way my brain works... When we sat down to have our family meeting on changing our eating habits, Phyllis raised a good point. Chicken wings.... are they or are they not allowed? Seems pretty straight forward, but really quite complicated. You see, those chicken wings neatly packaged in the grocery store represent chickens' lives to me. Yes, I do eat meat, but in an effort to make us more conscious of what we are eating and how it was raised, I had to really look at this. Let's see, an average family sized package of chicken wings is about 20 wings, maybe 16 wings. That is 8-10 chicken's worth of wings. As Lazar so accurately pointed out, that does not mean only that many "volunteered" their wings, it might have been 16 or 20 with one wing "volunteered". Dear reader you may remember the debacle of our $30 chicken, which sounds much worse than it truly was, because it could feed us four meals at $7.50 for organic protein, not shabby. I digress... So how many of those oh, so yummy, but expensive chickens does that mean would have to raise a wing or two to help us feast on wings? Sorry, does not compute! Too much money. Even if I saved the wings, I am in no way prepared to eat that many gold plated chickens this year.
Which brings me to my quandary. How many chickens does the average American family eat per year? According to the American Meat Institute, in 2008 the average American ate 85 lbs of poultry, at 4 lbs a bird that's 22 chickens per person or 88 per family of four. Wow, thats a huge number of chickens being raised in dark, overcrowded conditions, never seeing the light of day. I realize some folks eat more roasters which weigh more than four pounds, but for the purposes of this illustration I used the slightly above average weight of a fryer. How much of that 85 lbs of chicken is in wings? No idea, but wings are a specialty of happy hour buffets, Super Bowl Parties, and a bunch of other places that a handy finger food is required.
Back to my family, we decided that this year we would raise our chickens. We are raising 30, significantly less than the average family's poultry consumption, but a ton to us! We talked it over and decided that 14 of our thirty will be raised for roasting and the other 15 or so will be cut up for stir fries, grilling, and wait for it... wings. Yes, Phyllis is going to have her wings. Imagine her happy dance as I type this. However, we will be having them with something else, so that we can enjoy less but still have those wings of deliciousness. We'll have 2.5 batches. They will be a treat, something for a birthday or special occasion. That works for us. Are you still reading????
Working my way through all this, I considered cutting up 15 chickens. Stripping the breast meat, to make boneless skinless breast meat, making stock with the bones and wing tips, saving the gizzards, hearts and livers for us to eat later, leaving most of the legs and thighs together because my dad loves them grilled and it all will be organic, free ranged, happy chicken meat. Yes, we are killing and eating animals, but we are doing it with deliberate, conscious thought of the sacrifice that animal made for us to live. Anyone wishing to debate vegetarianism or vegan choices is welcome to ask why we don't do that, but I have gone far afield enough for one posting. I also realized that I would have the skin and fat from cutting up the chickens. Back when Mark and I first got together, I offered to keep a kosher home and all that entailed. I even bought a cookbook, but Mark voted an emphatic "no!" In the cookbook, there were directions on making schmaltz or rendered chicken fat from the skin and fat. I'll come back to this in a moment.
Last winter when I purchased my half of a pig, I didn't get any leaf lard, but Jody, dear sweet friend that she is, gave me some of hers. I made lard with it, a simple chore but time consuming. Lard making involves diced fat, a heavy pan, a bit of water to get things going and a low flame. Cook and cook until the bits of lard become hard and no longer squishy. The liquid after you skim of the "cracklings" or bits of cooked fat is your lard. Very simple. I am still working my way through what I made, which is about 4 cups. I don't bake a whole lot, so that's why.
Now, fast forward back to the chicken dilemma. Because I am considering how much fat I will get from those 15 chickens and my potential leaf lard score later this year, then it hit me. I wonder how much fat the average American consumes... Good old Google comes through, again. The average American consumes between 148-164 grams of fat per day. We'll give everyone the benefit of a doubt and use the low side, even if I know that that is probably way off... converted to oz. That's 5.19 oz of fat per day, making 1894.35 oz per year or 118.4 lbs of fat per year! Yikes! Zoiks! And a whole bunch more Scooby Doo references. That's 473.6 lbs per family of four. I am betting most of that is based on the consumption of fried foods in this country. But, pie crust, biscuits, cheeses, mashed potatoes, and a whole host of other potentially fat heavy foods go into that number, I hope.
My family has a long way to go to consume that much. We eat almost entirely all homemade food. Yes, I do fry some, but mostly it is stir fries, or eggs for breakfast. Yes, we do eat bacon and sausage, but I can safely say that 475 pounds is way over what we can conceivably consume. What started me on this is that because of our change in diet, I am *far* more conscious of what we are eating and where it came from. So, my butter comes from Cabot, my lard from my friends' pig, my schmaltz from our future chickens. Soon, a friend will have milk, and hopefully so will we. When that transition happens, our butter will all come from there. Yes, I know how to make butter. I now know a possible reason why we are an overweight nation, because we have no idea how much we are eating. I had no idea that the average American ate that much chicken or fat. I did know that our consumption was drastically dropped with our commitment to be as fair as omnivores can be with their animal friends. Our forefathers and foremothers ate what they could raise or trade, cheap fats were almost non-existent. We live in a culture of cheap fat, its everywhere and it shows. Because of our change in eating habits, we will naturally be eating far less fat. Why? Because we won't have it. I don't use Crisco, I will only be using homemade butter or lard or schmaltz. The fat to protein ratio will be as it appears in the animals, naturally, with the exception of butter. But, even then, a pint of skimmed cream will only produce a little butter. Huh? I never thought of this as a "diet" but I guess it will be. Yes, I am going to make special calorie heavy things for my dad, but we will all be eating far more veggies than meat and grains... but that is for another time.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Apology
I am sorry to all of you who were reading our food adventures faithfully. My shoulder does not cooperate most times. Needless to say, this irritates me. Just as I stated up with Deliberate Choices, it kicked up and I just had to stop. Again, this irritates me. I hope to get back to posting more regularly, but honestly, I can not promise anything. Thanks for checking in.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
For those of you who requested a more permanent version of my "War and Peace" treatise, here is what I posted on Facebook.....
Rant warning.... Let me begin with full disclosure, my son is one of the Occupiers. Most of you know this about him and may or may not support his quest for a "better" world as he sees it. However, if I may have your attention for a bit, perhaps you could reflect on these facts. Big business, whether it is agribusiness giant Monsanto, financial giants like Bank of America, etc. or oil super powers like Exxon or Mobil have declared us mere consumers. Does anyone think that corporations are in the business for any other reason than the consuming of and holding of money? I don't have an inherent problem with money making, it is what makes the world go round. However, when the unfettered greed is to the exclusion of concern for the customer and/or world citizens, it becomes a problem. Why? Because, we as humans are put here to do what? Think about this. Are we here to make the world a better place? Are we here to gather the most stuff? Are we here to raise any children we might have to be good consumers? Are we here to merely consume, consume, consume?
Have you any idea how your chicken is raised? Let me illuminate you... when meat birds hatch they are taken to poultry barns where they never see daylight, are only allowed eat what they are given, only drink what they are given, and are viewed as commodities. Overcrowding is acceptable, and they must be fed a constant barrage of antibiotics to live and this is the real revolting part, they are fed unwanted chicks that are ground and put into the feed. How are we any different? We are spoon fed drivel from the news services, eat what we are given, drink what we are given, and the corporations care no more about what we are "fed" than they do the chickens. Well, they care if they get sued, but otherwise if they can get away with it, they will cram crap at us until we smarten up and say "enough is enough".
The drive to get consumers to buy a particular product involves complex psychology and marketing to make the product seem indispensible. We are bombarded night and day to buy, buy, buy. People go into big debt buying the latest and greatest thing, to feel like they have accomplished something. I do believe in personal responsibility, so we are inevitably responsible for racking up debt. However, we are programmed from early childhood with brand recognition, product placement and the chant "buy, buy, buy" ringing in our ears. After 9/11 President Bush said to go shopping as the surest way to beat terrorism. (I paraphrased, but you get my drift.) I am not a communist, I am not a socialist, I am a patriot who is sickened at what we are allowing to happen in our own backyard.
Which brings me to Dave. He is a street medic, which for those of you who don't know means he acts as a first aid provider during protests and between as well. He and his fellow medics work hours that some of us never have. 24 hour shifts are not unheard of and stress is a constant companion. Having talked to some of the medics, I can say that these men and women are risking more than their physical selves, they are risking PTSD. Imagine if you will, facing an armed force who has made a habit of beatings, sprayings and physical intimidation. An armed force that has dislocated shoulders, intentionally caused nerve damage in wrists, caused head trauma. Don't believe me? Do a search on youtube for "occupy police brutality". Bring a bucket, because the videos are pretty sickening. These medics know all this and run toward the sound of whichever side calls "MEDIC!!!" Would you? I don't know that I would. They do it over and over again. Why? Because they believe that we are worth it, that we deserve a better world, a world where people matter, again. Where big business cannot donate to Super PACs without disclosure (do some research on that little goodie.) Where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by the highest contributor, but are beholden to us, the voters. Where our voices are at least as loud as the corporations.
What do they ask in return? Nothing. No benefits, not GI loans to restart their lives after their time of service, no pay to make a nest egg, nothing. Do you think we can as Americans take the lessons of the past and apply them to these folks? I am asking you to reach out to an Occupier, a protester, a patriot and have a kind word, maybe a honk of a horn. If that is too much, how about just not saying "Get a job!" or telling someone you hear running the Occupiers down that you think they at least deserve a modicum of respect whatever their politics. Thank you for listening and I hope you can do this for me
Rant warning.... Let me begin with full disclosure, my son is one of the Occupiers. Most of you know this about him and may or may not support his quest for a "better" world as he sees it. However, if I may have your attention for a bit, perhaps you could reflect on these facts. Big business, whether it is agribusiness giant Monsanto, financial giants like Bank of America, etc. or oil super powers like Exxon or Mobil have declared us mere consumers. Does anyone think that corporations are in the business for any other reason than the consuming of and holding of money? I don't have an inherent problem with money making, it is what makes the world go round. However, when the unfettered greed is to the exclusion of concern for the customer and/or world citizens, it becomes a problem. Why? Because, we as humans are put here to do what? Think about this. Are we here to make the world a better place? Are we here to gather the most stuff? Are we here to raise any children we might have to be good consumers? Are we here to merely consume, consume, consume?
Have you any idea how your chicken is raised? Let me illuminate you... when meat birds hatch they are taken to poultry barns where they never see daylight, are only allowed eat what they are given, only drink what they are given, and are viewed as commodities. Overcrowding is acceptable, and they must be fed a constant barrage of antibiotics to live and this is the real revolting part, they are fed unwanted chicks that are ground and put into the feed. How are we any different? We are spoon fed drivel from the news services, eat what we are given, drink what we are given, and the corporations care no more about what we are "fed" than they do the chickens. Well, they care if they get sued, but otherwise if they can get away with it, they will cram crap at us until we smarten up and say "enough is enough".
The drive to get consumers to buy a particular product involves complex psychology and marketing to make the product seem indispensible. We are bombarded night and day to buy, buy, buy. People go into big debt buying the latest and greatest thing, to feel like they have accomplished something. I do believe in personal responsibility, so we are inevitably responsible for racking up debt. However, we are programmed from early childhood with brand recognition, product placement and the chant "buy, buy, buy" ringing in our ears. After 9/11 President Bush said to go shopping as the surest way to beat terrorism. (I paraphrased, but you get my drift.) I am not a communist, I am not a socialist, I am a patriot who is sickened at what we are allowing to happen in our own backyard.
Which brings me to Dave. He is a street medic, which for those of you who don't know means he acts as a first aid provider during protests and between as well. He and his fellow medics work hours that some of us never have. 24 hour shifts are not unheard of and stress is a constant companion. Having talked to some of the medics, I can say that these men and women are risking more than their physical selves, they are risking PTSD. Imagine if you will, facing an armed force who has made a habit of beatings, sprayings and physical intimidation. An armed force that has dislocated shoulders, intentionally caused nerve damage in wrists, caused head trauma. Don't believe me? Do a search on youtube for "occupy police brutality". Bring a bucket, because the videos are pretty sickening. These medics know all this and run toward the sound of whichever side calls "MEDIC!!!" Would you? I don't know that I would. They do it over and over again. Why? Because they believe that we are worth it, that we deserve a better world, a world where people matter, again. Where big business cannot donate to Super PACs without disclosure (do some research on that little goodie.) Where our elected officials are not bought and paid for by the highest contributor, but are beholden to us, the voters. Where our voices are at least as loud as the corporations.
What do they ask in return? Nothing. No benefits, not GI loans to restart their lives after their time of service, no pay to make a nest egg, nothing. Do you think we can as Americans take the lessons of the past and apply them to these folks? I am asking you to reach out to an Occupier, a protester, a patriot and have a kind word, maybe a honk of a horn. If that is too much, how about just not saying "Get a job!" or telling someone you hear running the Occupiers down that you think they at least deserve a modicum of respect whatever their politics. Thank you for listening and I hope you can do this for me
Saturday, January 21, 2012
1/20/12 Egg McWhoWhos and Goat Pizza
For breakfast we had Egg McWhoWhos or homemade egg sandwiches. A third lb. Grass-fed real smoked bacon, cooked, 1/8 LB. Thinly sliced cheddar, 4 English muffins and 4 eggs fresh from our chickens, three scrambled and one over easy. (Phyllis prefers hers deconstructed, so hers is with the muffin on the side). Cost - $2.00
For lunch, my dad had the remainder of the pasta bake that I had frozen withsome of the goat sausage and a bit of mozzarella added. The kids and I had goat sausage pizza with garlic sautéed spinach, a sprinkle of feta cheese, a couple greek olives and black olives with a sprinkle of oregano and granulated garlic on top. Cost - this used up the rest of the goat sausage, and pasta bake for a total cost of $6.00.
For dinner we had leftovers from the night before, i.e. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. This was an expensive dinner since we inadvertently lost the leftover chicken. Wahhhh! Most saddening. Total cost of dinner.... $25.00. Ouch. Food waste is a problem for restaurants and home cooks as well. This was particularly hard for me, because I really wanted to see just how far I could stretch it.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
1/19/12 Slum-gulleon and rubber chickens
Breakfast
Slum-gulleon (a name my mom used for whatever you have, thrown together)
8 eggs
1/2 c. Leftover scrambled sausage from breakfast burritos
2 green onions sliced thinly
2 oz. Sliced baby Bella mushrooms
8 kalamata olives, pitted and torn into small pieces
Less than an oz. of feta cheese, crumbled very fine
Black pepper to taste
In hot skillet (we use cast iron) reheat sausage. Add other ingredients, except for the eggs. When the veggies are heated, add eggs. Allow to cook for a minute or two, then scramble to cook through. We all loved it.
Cost - $3.00 for four
Lunch
Tuna salad rolls with chow chow pickles
Can tuna, drained and flaked into a bowl
Stalk celery, diced finely
1/2 onion, diced finely
2 T. Salad dressing
Mixed and served on bulkie rolls with chow chow pickles on the side.
Dinner
Roaster chicken (Emery's Meats)
1 lemon
1/2 onion
Salt and pepper
Place-chicken in roasting pan, squeeze lemon juice over, then place lemon halves and onion in cavity. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until done, that is an instant read thermometer reads 165.size of chicken will determine cooking time.
Mashed potatoes
12 potatoes (Emery's), cut into half
2 T. Butter
1/2 c. Stonyfield plain nonfat yogurt
2 t. Granulated garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c. Shredded cheddar cheese, leftover from breakfast burritos
When potatoes are done, drain and put back into cooking pan and return to heat. When steam no longer rises, shut off heat. Add butter and mash. Add seasoning and yogurt, then cheese at end.
Peas and carrots
Green salad with green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, orange pepper slices, and a few black olives with Ken's lite salad dressing.
All of the spices are from the co-op. The chicken was divine, and there is barely a dent in the overall meat. I think three additional meals will be easy to do. Tomorrow I will pick the meat off the bones, then save the bones and connective tissue for stock. The rest will be portioned forchicken tacos or burritos, chicken noodle soup and chicken stir fry. The soup will easily make two if not three meals. That is a rubber chicken, it stretches and stretches!
On Goat Sausage and Gold Plated Chickens
Tuesday, we went to Emery's Meats to pick up a chicken. Not just any chicken, a guilt free, pasture raised, humanely treated, happy chicken. While we waited for said chicken, I found goat sausage. Yay, we had been discussing raising goats, but were unsure about the meat. I am not a huge fan of lamb, although my dad and Dave love it! So, finding goat was a huge score.
Finally, one of the owners found a chicken. A large chicken that I mistook for a turkey! Price, $30.00 US. I nearly fainted. Not really, but I did some quick calculations. If I stretch it to four meals, that's $7.50 per meal. Four meals, you ask? Yes, I can stretch a roasting chicken that far, and perhaps farther. More on that later.
We had the goat sausage on pizza last night. It was really good. We all tried it plain and declared it a yummy hot sausage. It cost $8.00, but I used only half so the cost was $4.00. The rest will be used today or tomorrow.
Finally, one of the owners found a chicken. A large chicken that I mistook for a turkey! Price, $30.00 US. I nearly fainted. Not really, but I did some quick calculations. If I stretch it to four meals, that's $7.50 per meal. Four meals, you ask? Yes, I can stretch a roasting chicken that far, and perhaps farther. More on that later.
We had the goat sausage on pizza last night. It was really good. We all tried it plain and declared it a yummy hot sausage. It cost $8.00, but I used only half so the cost was $4.00. The rest will be used today or tomorrow.
This is my quest
This year I resolved "to stop making resolutions and just live my ideals and values". Sounds simple doesn't it? It might be if you weren't a person who prefers broad statements like this because they have less wiggle room.
So, after a 24 hour period of false smugness, I encountered my first real challenge. I came across a reference to Coca Cola's impact on an African country. I recognized this as my first chance to "do the right thing" or "do the easy thing". I believe I chose... Wisely. So, now, I am Coke-less. I know it is good for me, good for my budget, and voting with my feet seems to work for me.
Within a week we had watched "Food INC". (Insert painful sigh). I am a reasonably well read individual with a morbid fascination for biological processes and the ramifications of the things we humans do to our world. So, this movie with it's detailing of how we are mucking up our food systems via factory farms was just the kick in the butt I needed for change. As a resident of Maine, I am aware of "agricultural runoff" laws because we do have farms here that are affected by them. But, after seeing feed lots crammed with beef critters, well, it all begins to make more sense.
We, as a family, decided to *choose* pasture fed, and where possible, locally grown meats and poultry. Luckily, I had just purchased a half a pig and half a cow, that fulfil those criteria. So, how is this going to affect us?
So, after a 24 hour period of false smugness, I encountered my first real challenge. I came across a reference to Coca Cola's impact on an African country. I recognized this as my first chance to "do the right thing" or "do the easy thing". I believe I chose... Wisely. So, now, I am Coke-less. I know it is good for me, good for my budget, and voting with my feet seems to work for me.
Within a week we had watched "Food INC". (Insert painful sigh). I am a reasonably well read individual with a morbid fascination for biological processes and the ramifications of the things we humans do to our world. So, this movie with it's detailing of how we are mucking up our food systems via factory farms was just the kick in the butt I needed for change. As a resident of Maine, I am aware of "agricultural runoff" laws because we do have farms here that are affected by them. But, after seeing feed lots crammed with beef critters, well, it all begins to make more sense.
We, as a family, decided to *choose* pasture fed, and where possible, locally grown meats and poultry. Luckily, I had just purchased a half a pig and half a cow, that fulfil those criteria. So, how is this going to affect us?
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