Inspired by the great folks at Path to Freedom's recent article, I'm really really worried and am now looking online for news about Monsanto. There is an awful lot. I'm going to be putting clips here as I educate myself on these issues, to share as my eyes are opened.
These are HUGE issues that CANNOT be ignored. These stories tell like a crime novel...but they are documented.
And these are the people suing small farmers and bullying anyone who investigates or demands accountability.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Breakfast With "Culture"
Wow, I slept soundly for 9 hours!!
With the work schedule hours changing weekly from nights to days and then back again, I have NO Circadian rhythms going on...arggghhh. That makes it really difficult for me to sleep more than 3 or 4 hours before my body wakes up because daylight is streaming through the cracks in the miniblinds, birds are singing, or in the dark waking up wondering if I missed setting my alarm clock...ha! I NEEDED that sleep :)
Both R and J worked late nights/early morning, so I'm the only one up.
This was the first day I had enough homemade Kefir to try making a smoothie.
Some folks have asked me where I got my starter cultures, so here's the link to http://www.happyherbalist.com/
We found them on a web search, and they've been very helpful to us via their 800 number as we got things started here with their cultures. We'll be using them again when we venture into the world of Kombucha, unless someone has a better personal recommendation.
Back to breakfast... I got out the stick blender, fished a few frozen black cherries from a bag in the freezer, added a drizzle of honey, and blended the whole thing up for an easy breakfast. I was wondering what the consistency would be, since I haven't tried it before with the homemade stuff, only with the storebought. Ah, just me and the alien fermenty yeasty living milky culture thingies. I still think fermentation is mad science of the best sort. That's why I didn't brush my hair yet before making it...to get that whole Einstein scary hair vibe working.
It was light and very pleasant...(the smoothie, not the scary hair)
But then...
Awwww...
Ok, it was delicious. Let's hear it for the fer-men-tay-shee-yone!
And yeah, I did try the same little number with the Caspian Sea Yogurt...you know, the yogurt that requires NOTHING but starter plus milk, all in a covered glass jar, set out overnight and then it's ready? Remember, J has been eating/drinking that stuff like there's no tomorrow.
My still-fickle taste sensibilities have not yet fully adjusted to some of the fermentation-ish textures, and the Caspian Sea Yogurt, unadorned, has something about its texture (very slick) that makes its "mouth feel" strange to me as is.
SOOOOO, I did the little fruit and honey number, and blended up some. I still didnt get it right, though. I think the batch I pulled from the fridge got a little snazzy with the fermentation and was a bit over-fermented...the only difference being that ideally it should have a mild flavor, and this had a slightly yeasty flavor. But it was drinkable. The texture was MUCH improved by blending!
So, lesson to self with the CSY, make sure it's not over-fermented, and experiment using it in more blended things, such as making some homemade Ranch dressing (no chemicals), or a blended vanilla "sauce" to pour over fruit. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, while my husband chugs the stuff like a Mongol and declares it the elixir of the steppes...lol!
Biggest Plus with the Caspian Sea Yogurt: Health improvement is VERY noticeable, and it's EASY to make, and it's EASY to make large quantities after the first week of getting the starter going.
Well, as much as I'd love to continue writing about yeasty fermenty things, my attempts to CLAP and summon my dishwashing genie have failed, so I'd better get to it!
With the work schedule hours changing weekly from nights to days and then back again, I have NO Circadian rhythms going on...arggghhh. That makes it really difficult for me to sleep more than 3 or 4 hours before my body wakes up because daylight is streaming through the cracks in the miniblinds, birds are singing, or in the dark waking up wondering if I missed setting my alarm clock...ha! I NEEDED that sleep :)
Both R and J worked late nights/early morning, so I'm the only one up.
This was the first day I had enough homemade Kefir to try making a smoothie.
Some folks have asked me where I got my starter cultures, so here's the link to http://www.happyherbalist.com/
We found them on a web search, and they've been very helpful to us via their 800 number as we got things started here with their cultures. We'll be using them again when we venture into the world of Kombucha, unless someone has a better personal recommendation.
Back to breakfast... I got out the stick blender, fished a few frozen black cherries from a bag in the freezer, added a drizzle of honey, and blended the whole thing up for an easy breakfast. I was wondering what the consistency would be, since I haven't tried it before with the homemade stuff, only with the storebought. Ah, just me and the alien fermenty yeasty living milky culture thingies. I still think fermentation is mad science of the best sort. That's why I didn't brush my hair yet before making it...to get that whole Einstein scary hair vibe working.
It was light and very pleasant...(the smoothie, not the scary hair)
But then...
Awwww...
Ok, it was delicious. Let's hear it for the fer-men-tay-shee-yone!
And yeah, I did try the same little number with the Caspian Sea Yogurt...you know, the yogurt that requires NOTHING but starter plus milk, all in a covered glass jar, set out overnight and then it's ready? Remember, J has been eating/drinking that stuff like there's no tomorrow.
My still-fickle taste sensibilities have not yet fully adjusted to some of the fermentation-ish textures, and the Caspian Sea Yogurt, unadorned, has something about its texture (very slick) that makes its "mouth feel" strange to me as is.
SOOOOO, I did the little fruit and honey number, and blended up some. I still didnt get it right, though. I think the batch I pulled from the fridge got a little snazzy with the fermentation and was a bit over-fermented...the only difference being that ideally it should have a mild flavor, and this had a slightly yeasty flavor. But it was drinkable. The texture was MUCH improved by blending!
So, lesson to self with the CSY, make sure it's not over-fermented, and experiment using it in more blended things, such as making some homemade Ranch dressing (no chemicals), or a blended vanilla "sauce" to pour over fruit. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, while my husband chugs the stuff like a Mongol and declares it the elixir of the steppes...lol!
Biggest Plus with the Caspian Sea Yogurt: Health improvement is VERY noticeable, and it's EASY to make, and it's EASY to make large quantities after the first week of getting the starter going.
Well, as much as I'd love to continue writing about yeasty fermenty things, my attempts to CLAP and summon my dishwashing genie have failed, so I'd better get to it!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
This Affects All Our Futures
If you can read any article today, please read this one from Path to Freedom's blog journal Little Homestead in the City.
We often forget we're in the middle of determining how history will be written...our history, as well as the generations to come.
We are making history today.
Let's not leave it to those who manipulate the public, science, and something as vital as our very food to write our stories.
Here is a video I've linked to from the above site. It's more than eye-opening.
We need to do something....now.
Here are a couple of intros to a movie titled The Future of Food. Here is the link to their main site.
We often forget we're in the middle of determining how history will be written...our history, as well as the generations to come.
We are making history today.
Let's not leave it to those who manipulate the public, science, and something as vital as our very food to write our stories.
Here is a video I've linked to from the above site. It's more than eye-opening.
We need to do something....now.
Here are a couple of intros to a movie titled The Future of Food. Here is the link to their main site.
A Beautiful Touch
I wrote and wrote and wrote on this post. And then I erased and erased and erased.
I want to simplify words as well as possessions.
I used to be a big collector of things. Then came a time I had to downsize almost everything. It was a great lesson to learn not to hold things too tightly. And to be sensible and frugal.
I still love certain things, but I try to avoid the trigger to collect them or buy them if they're not needed.
Sometimes something lovely will come along like a grace note, unexpectedly, and that happened last weekend. It was a tough weekend in some ways, but the mail arrived, and that favorite thing...a box wrapped in brown paper and string (who doesnt love that??) was opened, and I found this inside:
I want to simplify words as well as possessions.
I used to be a big collector of things. Then came a time I had to downsize almost everything. It was a great lesson to learn not to hold things too tightly. And to be sensible and frugal.
I still love certain things, but I try to avoid the trigger to collect them or buy them if they're not needed.
Sometimes something lovely will come along like a grace note, unexpectedly, and that happened last weekend. It was a tough weekend in some ways, but the mail arrived, and that favorite thing...a box wrapped in brown paper and string (who doesnt love that??) was opened, and I found this inside:
And this:
The sticker says "Handmade in Portugal"...I'll peel it off now that I have a pic. Why does this gift mean so much? It's a talisman for the friendship with one of my longest-standing friends, who knows me so well, and I her. She's a nurturer, and she nurtures in many ways. This time, it took the form of a very personal gift she'd bought some time back, but thought it was time to send.
It couldn't have arrived at a better time. When I've pared so many things down to the functional, the beautiful and graceful seem extra gracious. I'm a girl, what can I say? I feel like Ma Ingalls dusting off the china shepherdess to put on the mantel.
These are heavy, functional, AND beautiful...I love them! They have some detail, but are not fussy...I'm not a ruffles and frills sort of woman. It's not mass-produced...you can see the variations in the shapes, such as in the slightly-uneven edge of the stand. I could not love it more! You can see some of the detail here, where the raised part is thick with milky glazing.
Both items are the color of fresh milk...and did I mention they are handmade and heavy??
Something else is pretty neat in the timing of this...we're drinking a lot of real milk these days. A LOT. The pitcher is PERFECT (it's useful AND beautiful!) for serving cold cold real milk, and the stand is just the right size for a few homemade cookies. HOW neat! It's something we can enjoy on the table and not just from a distance.
I'm humbled and grateful for L's thoughtfulness! I told her this will do me for good...the only gift I want from now on is her at my table, sampling things from them :)
Some More Great Blogs!
(This is a re-posting of the most recent blogroll, lost in the "back of the closet" behind some other postings due to my computer derf-wad-ness. Thanks, Tina, for teaching me how to re-arrange the order of the posts!)
---------------------------------------------------------
And whew-boy, is this update LONG overdue!
My longstanding apologies for not getting these here weeks and weeks earlier...
I'll describe these all the same way...original to the wonderful blog-owner whose creations they are...a reflection of fascinating lives, and an inspiration on many different levels to me. I learn from you all. Thank you for your blog, your visits here (for the ones who've been here), and for sharing a slice of your lives with me.
And now I'd like to share these links for any who might not have them. Each is different, unrelated, intelligent.... and appreciated.
1. On the Shores of Carpenter Creek
2. On the Way to Critter Farm
3. Mrs. K's Lemonade Stand
4. Granny Sue's News and Reviews
5. Bifurcated Carrots
6. Tammy's Recipes
7. Practical Nourishment
8. Grandmother Wren
9. Grow Better Veggies
10. A Vision Splendid
11. A New Old-Fashioned Gal
12. My Tiny Plot
13. Seven Trees
14. The Funny Farm
15. Chickens in the Road
16. oUr bAcKyArD
17. Homesteading in a Condo
18. Homesteading Hickory Hills
19. Farm Life, Chickens and So Forth
20. A Journey in Your Dreams
21. Home Is...
22. Achorn Farm
23. Just Me
24. The Barber Bunch
25. Orangette
---------------------------------------------------------
And whew-boy, is this update LONG overdue!
My longstanding apologies for not getting these here weeks and weeks earlier...
I'll describe these all the same way...original to the wonderful blog-owner whose creations they are...a reflection of fascinating lives, and an inspiration on many different levels to me. I learn from you all. Thank you for your blog, your visits here (for the ones who've been here), and for sharing a slice of your lives with me.
And now I'd like to share these links for any who might not have them. Each is different, unrelated, intelligent.... and appreciated.
1. On the Shores of Carpenter Creek
2. On the Way to Critter Farm
3. Mrs. K's Lemonade Stand
4. Granny Sue's News and Reviews
5. Bifurcated Carrots
6. Tammy's Recipes
7. Practical Nourishment
8. Grandmother Wren
9. Grow Better Veggies
10. A Vision Splendid
11. A New Old-Fashioned Gal
12. My Tiny Plot
13. Seven Trees
14. The Funny Farm
15. Chickens in the Road
16. oUr bAcKyArD
17. Homesteading in a Condo
18. Homesteading Hickory Hills
19. Farm Life, Chickens and So Forth
20. A Journey in Your Dreams
21. Home Is...
22. Achorn Farm
23. Just Me
24. The Barber Bunch
25. Orangette
Enjoy the feast of kindred spirits! :)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Random Personal Fact #1
Know those lists of things about you that no one else really knows? Like that you pick your toenails while you watch TV, or that you like Oreos, but only if you can lick the sugary center first?
I love reading about people's quirks and preferences, passions and peeves. So I'm just going to post random facts in that same fashion whenever the mood strikes. Yeah, I know...nothing serious...it's kind of silly. But oh well, typing it here isn't killing any trees :)
It's just for fun...
Fact #1
I have sleeping peculiarities.
I'm not scared of the dark, and I like to sleep in complete darkness...no night light, spaces around the mini-blinds, outdoor lamppost shining in the window, or even bright alarm clock numbers. This is hard to pull off on those weeks when I have to work nights and sleep days, but I strive for utter darkness by pulling all the covers over my head.
Speaking of covers, J is a minimalist...only a flat sheet over him, and nothing restrictive. But I like a cocoon, especially a comforter to squish into shapes as I turn through the night, and two pillows. And the covers have to come ALL the way up to my face, not just mid-chest.
That's probably not all that strange, except for the fact I can't stand for the closet door to be left open a crack during the night, at least where I can see it from my bed. They must ALL be shut, ha! I'm a person who can still interpret shapes into scary things if left to my imagination and my shortsightness without my contacts in/glasses on. This used to drive my husband crazy until we moved into a house where you can't SEE the closet doors from the bed.
His sleeping peculiarity is that we've got to both have showers RIGHT before going to bed. It really creeps him out thinking of us going to sleep unbathed for any period of time. He's had this habit ever since he was young -- maybe something he was taught by his mom who was a career nurse? Oh yes, and in the beginning of our marriage, he used to never clip his toenails often enough, which used to shred my feet now and then in the middle of the night. But that's another whole story...
:)
I love reading about people's quirks and preferences, passions and peeves. So I'm just going to post random facts in that same fashion whenever the mood strikes. Yeah, I know...nothing serious...it's kind of silly. But oh well, typing it here isn't killing any trees :)
It's just for fun...
Fact #1
I have sleeping peculiarities.
I'm not scared of the dark, and I like to sleep in complete darkness...no night light, spaces around the mini-blinds, outdoor lamppost shining in the window, or even bright alarm clock numbers. This is hard to pull off on those weeks when I have to work nights and sleep days, but I strive for utter darkness by pulling all the covers over my head.
Speaking of covers, J is a minimalist...only a flat sheet over him, and nothing restrictive. But I like a cocoon, especially a comforter to squish into shapes as I turn through the night, and two pillows. And the covers have to come ALL the way up to my face, not just mid-chest.
That's probably not all that strange, except for the fact I can't stand for the closet door to be left open a crack during the night, at least where I can see it from my bed. They must ALL be shut, ha! I'm a person who can still interpret shapes into scary things if left to my imagination and my shortsightness without my contacts in/glasses on. This used to drive my husband crazy until we moved into a house where you can't SEE the closet doors from the bed.
His sleeping peculiarity is that we've got to both have showers RIGHT before going to bed. It really creeps him out thinking of us going to sleep unbathed for any period of time. He's had this habit ever since he was young -- maybe something he was taught by his mom who was a career nurse? Oh yes, and in the beginning of our marriage, he used to never clip his toenails often enough, which used to shred my feet now and then in the middle of the night. But that's another whole story...
:)
Against Hate Crimes: Lending a Hand
Today, we read that a much-loved-by-us-and-many-others family of bloggers in the blogosphere were recently dismayed to find their house of worship/study (shul) the target of a hate crime and extensive vandalism. I just read about it on Robin's blog at Mommymommyland, and news coverage of it can be found here.
I make it a habit not to post anything on shabbat, since it's our weekly day of rest. However, I really feel like many homesteading bloggers out here are a community of kindred spirits, and I know there might be some who'd like to help with a word of encouragement or offer of help. Thank you in advance for those of you who will! :)
I so appreciate the community spirit among the many "out here" who ARE truly kindred spirits, with overlapping interests and so much individuality. I glean so much from what we have in common, the things that are our differences, and from the rediscovery or preservation of practical wisdom in how to make our homes unique and nurturing places, live this life in meaningful ways to the fullest, encourage self-sufficiency and utilize skills, and tackle the dreams we've dreamt and face the challenges that inevitably come along.
Hatred, and hate crimes, just don't fit into that mix. Hatred is not harmless, funny, or impotent. Like so many other things that we just can't sit idly by and let happen, it affects us all whether near or far.
For you homeschoolers, teachers, or educators out there, there's a valuable resource of seminars and/or literature, both online and in most geographical locations, that can be incorporated into nearly any curriculum, called Facing History and Ourselves. It is life-changing. I reread the books now and then because I love them. I attended some of their classes years ago, and it opened my eyes as to the impact each of us has as an individual, and the fact that one of the most powerful forces in history has been the bystander.
One of the choices we have is whether or not to remain a bystander. It's a powerful reminder to myself that one person CAN make a difference in our history. We can remember, and act.
And, (like Forrest Gump), that's all I've got to say about that.
I make it a habit not to post anything on shabbat, since it's our weekly day of rest. However, I really feel like many homesteading bloggers out here are a community of kindred spirits, and I know there might be some who'd like to help with a word of encouragement or offer of help. Thank you in advance for those of you who will! :)
I so appreciate the community spirit among the many "out here" who ARE truly kindred spirits, with overlapping interests and so much individuality. I glean so much from what we have in common, the things that are our differences, and from the rediscovery or preservation of practical wisdom in how to make our homes unique and nurturing places, live this life in meaningful ways to the fullest, encourage self-sufficiency and utilize skills, and tackle the dreams we've dreamt and face the challenges that inevitably come along.
Hatred, and hate crimes, just don't fit into that mix. Hatred is not harmless, funny, or impotent. Like so many other things that we just can't sit idly by and let happen, it affects us all whether near or far.
For you homeschoolers, teachers, or educators out there, there's a valuable resource of seminars and/or literature, both online and in most geographical locations, that can be incorporated into nearly any curriculum, called Facing History and Ourselves. It is life-changing. I reread the books now and then because I love them. I attended some of their classes years ago, and it opened my eyes as to the impact each of us has as an individual, and the fact that one of the most powerful forces in history has been the bystander.
One of the choices we have is whether or not to remain a bystander. It's a powerful reminder to myself that one person CAN make a difference in our history. We can remember, and act.
And, (like Forrest Gump), that's all I've got to say about that.
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