Nearly Free Organic Food

Hello

2009-04-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

I'm here.
We're busy. Washington and the liberal media bias has greatly disturbed me.
The grass roots efforts are inspiring.

The boys pruned the orchard. Brandt sprayed the dormant oil.
I pruned the grape vines. We planted 4 peach trees and two apricot.
Today we are planting the potatoes.
We have a little garden growing in soil blocks but I didn't get near as many seeds started as I wanted to. The most important, tomatoes, look great though.
Brian's radishes are growing nicely in the flower bed.
The seeds I planted last fall in the cold frames germinated finally. I suppose the appreciated the rain that they get now that the glass is broken.

What happened to my header? I really don't have time to mess with blog design. This place might look dull for awhile.

Gardening and Home Butchering Outlawed?

2009-04-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

No, just subject to regulation.

There is an email and blog rumor circulating about HR 875.

I'm not an expert but for other reasons I have been studying dairy inspection regulations, food establishment regulations, and stuff like that. It isn't easy to read because you have to think about the definitions of each word and the ramifications of those definitions. There are federal regulations and then each state has regulations and then some counties add more regulations all to do with the food processing industry in various ways and means. That is, if you are selling it to others, commerce.
I dove in and read this bill. HR 875. To see if what the email and blog rumors say is true. I linked to certain parts of the bill so that you can read it for yourself.

Here is how this bill affects you, according to my eyes which might be missing things.

If you grow meat for your own purposes and butcher it yourself, then by this definition in the bill you are subject to regulation.

If you process (can, freeze, ferment) food for yourself, then by this definition in the bill you are subject to regulation.

Just in case previous definitions missed whatever you do with food, this definition will catch all.

Wouldn't you think that this bill would only be for people that are involved in commerce?
Obviously, if it's not intended for the ordinary home gardener, home meat grower, home dairyman, or hunter, then the definitions need to say so.

Here and here is where they are aiming at those not already under preexisting regulations. Which is why folks are saying that is aimed at small producers and home growers. The big guys are already covered in existing law.

This is the duty of the Administrator of this proposed new Food Safety Program:

"(a) In General- The Administrator shall--Comments Close Comments Permalink

(1) develop, administer, and annually update a national food safety program (referred to in this section as the ‘program’) to protect public health; andComments Close Comments Permalink

(2) ensure that persons who produce, process, or distribute food meet their responsibility to prevent or minimize food safety hazards related to their products."

This part is where the Administrator "requires and enforces" you to do things the way the department sees fit, whatever that means, depending on the whim of the current administration.

Prohibitions start here. Basically you have to register, keep records, be inspected randomly, etc. The silly thing is that this is aimed at commerce but the definitions are so broad that it applies to everyone. Is this deliberate or not? Only the writer and sponsors of the bill know.

Presumption is that a grower is growing for commerce.

I encourage readers to go to the bill itself and read through the links that I've posted. I'm running out of time here and have to get on with my day. There is more to this stupid bill.
And it just continues to get more and more stupid. Rather than scary, it's just STUPID. Another one of those things that make you think that America is destroying herself.

Honestly, home gardeners will fly under the radar unless the government offers rewards to ordinary folks for turning in their neighbors.

What this bill will do is shut down farmer's markets. Logistically, when 30 people gather in a parking lot to sell produce, the consumer who gets ill will not recall which vendor a particular tomato (for example) came from. Each tomato will have to be labeled. That adds cost and labor which will drive people out of business or keep an ordinary person from taking their bumper crop of cucumbers to the market. How does this affect a person who has an acre planted to strawberries or asparagus and puts a U-Pick sign up? We will have to pay for bureaucrats to police this type of thing. Your tax dollars at work.

I want to get on to the big grain and chemical cartel parts. Rushing ahead here now:

Here is where the chemical giants get their way with your crops. All subject to the whim of the Administrator. I use the word whim tongue-in-cheek.
For example: you want to use natural controls for insects, the Administration says, "No, to control Factor A, science demonstrates that Chemical A is the only effective method." To play devil's advocate, you may desire to use Chemical A to control Factor A but the current Administration requires you to use Natural Method A. No freedom for your own innovation.

Same thing, only concerning how you grow your animals concerning health, feed, and environment. All subject to a bureaucrats ideology.

Remember, because their definition of Food Production Facility, the following applies to everyone who grows food.

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
(c) Regulations- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall--

(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;

(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;Comments Close Comments Permalink

(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal’s health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;

This is Monsanto's position on Bill 875.

Now, let's lay blame where it is deserved. OURSELVES. We lie complacent while the people we elect do a terrible job.
WE the people elected officials who allowed monopolies to occur in the seed and chemical industries.
WE the people elected officials who accept money from and cow to big business. "follow the money trail"
WE the people don't wash stuff from the market, or eat at a restaurant that doesn't wash their vegetables and get sick.
WE the people don't act with integrity in managing business and employees and corrupt practices occur that hurt others.
WE the people like to say "there should be a rule for that!" instead of living with integrity in all areas of our own life.
WE the people blame everyone else for our own foolishness.
WE the people don't require the officials that we elected to enforce the regulations they have already made.

I suggest two things.
1. Live with integrity.
2. Hold officials accountable for their own integrity.

This is the link to the Congresswoman who wrote the bill, Rosa DeLauro.

Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Ms. SUTTON, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. SCHAUER, Mr. NADLER of New York, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. FILNER, Mr. HALL of New York, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, and Mr. DEFAZIO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedComments

Visit the House of Representatives, find your legislator, and write or call them.

Is this where we're going?

2009-03-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thomas Paine on unCommon Sense

2009-03-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

3 Easy Ways to Pack Nutrition into Kids, Part 3

2009-03-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Cereal Grains

Oatmeal, 7-grain Cereal, 5-Grain Cereal, Farina, Grits, and more

By parading a variety of grains through the mornings, you will get more micro-nutrients in your family. Add berries, apples, dried fruit, chopped nuts, etc. for more flavor and nutrition.

Cooked grains are full of nutritional value, are easy, fast, and economical.

I have ground my own grain for 7-grain or 5-grain cereal but my Whispermill grinds it too fine for my family's taste. It is great for baby cereal though.

Bob's Red Mill has a plethora of different blends and varieties of cereal grains. If your family is opposed to oatmeal, surely there is something at Bob's that will appeal to them.

This morning we had 7-grain cereal with frozen berries. Delicious!
Not everyone was happy though. One boy, age 7, fried himself four eggs over easy. One boy, 17, had coffee and yelled at a congressman being interviewed on the TV. One girl, 5, whined for oatmeal again, after having it four days in a row. With raisins.
Then we all gathered around the TV and watched the Acorn spokesperson blather on. Smoke was coming out of our ears after that.

Nearly Free Soil Block Maker

2009-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ah ha!

While searching for something else, I found this page on how to make your own soil block maker!
This is an excellent project for your kids!

Here's more good info!
PottingBlocks.com

Washing Dishes

2009-03-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

Washing dishes is when I do my thinking.

There's a lot on my mind these days. I could simply not watch the dooms day news but I think it's a good thing to know what's going on, talk about it with my kids, and prepare.

Today, while I was listening to Obama, I started thinking about his energy taxes and what kind of affect they might have on our budget. One intent, I'm sure, is to force people to use less energy but PLEASE let me do it in my way, on my terms. I think there might be blood shooting out of my eyeballs now.

Moving on, so I don't hemorrhage to death.
The weather has been warm and gorgeous. I love spring!
We have been pruning, lots more to do, but it's fun work! The big boys have been finishing their building project. The kids have been cleaning the yard and their playhouse. I keep intending to start the cabbage and broccoli seeds but haven't got that done yet. Maybe today.

3 Easy Ways to Pack Nutrition into Kids, Part 2

2009-03-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

1. Smoothie
2.Bread
3. Whole Grain Cereal

Fresh ground whole grain bread is another way to sneak micro nutrients into your kids.
Whole grain loaves that you make are very inexpensive compared to buying a loaf of bread at the store. Not only are they less expensive they are nutritionally superior!

Even buying organic grains is a fraction of the cost. A grinder will quickly pay for itself. I have the old Whispermill (it is now owned by a different company and called something else), my sister-in-law has the Nutrimill and both are fine machines.

The grains you use must be freshly ground. As soon as the grain is ground it begins to lose nutrients due to oxidation. This is why you do not want to ever buy whole wheat flour at the store. It has lost its nutritional benefit, although you will still get the fiber, and it tastes nasty because the oils in the grain have gone rancid. Nasty nasty tasting.

There are many wonderful recipes for whole wheat bread. I personally have a tendency to constantly experiment with different grains. I love multigrain bread and the nuttiness of actual whole grains and seeds in the bread. This is how you pack more nutrients into your kids. Each grain has different levels of nutrients and micronutrients. I add small amounts of amaranth, quinoa, teff, flax seed, and millet when I grind the wheat so it is all ground together. I also grind not just hard white, which is my family's favorite, but small amounts of hard red, spelt, and kamut. Another thing I do is soak wheat berries in water, then bring to a boil and cook until they pop. Then I either add them whole or blend them with the stick blender. When you add grains that are not "wheat" do not add too much and/or add gluten. Hard wheat berries have gluten which is what helps bread to rise. If your balance is off then... you might end up with a brick. Some people have sensitivities to gluten and are unable to pull this trick of adding non-gluten grains and adding gluten to your bread.

Don't ask me for a specfic recipe. I've been working on making one especially suited for an enormous 5-loaf sandwich bread pan. I have determined that each loaf is 50 ounces and have adjusted my recipe accordingly. That made the recipe too big for the Bosch, believe it or not! I head the machine bogging down and the bowl was full so I didn't attempt to knead it with the Bosch. I pulled it out and kneaded it by hand one loaf at a time. Next time I will cut the recipe in half and do it in the Bosch twice. I bought this huge sandwich 5 loaf pan at a restaurant supply store, it was used and cost $5 I think. Not much anyway. My personal favorite bread are artisan loaves made in brick bake ovens. (Local folks-I love the New Pi loaves.) I had been working on making that type of bread in my oven last fall. I was starting to get good loaves but then got distracted and didn't make much bread all winter until I started messing around with my sandwich loaf pan. My goal with it is multigrain bread that is high and soft for sandwiches. I'm still working on it. I'd like to do it with sour dough starter instead of yeast. My point here is that you need to find a recipe and tweak it to suit your family, your bread pans, your oven, your ingredients, etc. There are zillions of bread recipes on the internet. Do a Google search.

A great place with tons of good information is Bread Becker's. They have everything you need and lots of great information.

3 Easy Ways to Pack Nutrition into Kids, Part 1

2009-03-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

1. Smoothie
2.Bread
3. Whole Grain Cereal

Smoothies are my favorite way. You can hide healthy things in smoothies. If you add bananas you won't need to add any other sweetener. I buy bags of brown bananas, peel them and put them in freezer bags. They turn dark in the freezer but it really doesn't matter.

A few years ago I caught on that Smoothies were a wonderfully easy way to get healthy foods into my children and I started serving them for breakfast. They loved them and we quickly started having them for lunch and snacks too. This is how we make them.

Plain Yogurt (usually homemade) or Kefir for all the good bacteria we need in our gut Raw Eggs for protein (from our chickens or another free range flock) Coconut Oil for all of its health properties Vitamin C powder, again, for our health Frozen Bananas for sweetening and because they're so healthy Frozen Berries or Pineapple for our health and palate

It is fast and easy. Throw all that in and blend away!

The amounts are going to depend on how big your blender is and how many you are serving. If you like it sweeter, then add more bananas. I figure 1 c of yogurt, 1 egg, 1 T of coconut oil, and 1/3 t of Vit. C powder per person. This is approximate because of course the Littles don't eat much and the Bigs go around slurping up all the leftovers.

When we're out of yogurt we use milk or buttermilk.

We have a cow and chickens so I can easily and economically take care of the milk and eggs.

Coconut oil I have to bring from afar. I have bought excellent coconut oil from Tropical Traditions and Wilderness Family Naturals. I have had really bad coconut oil from Spectrum.

Vitamin C powder I buy but I suppose in desperate times I could collect rose hips and pulverize them. ; )

Bananas and pineapple are things I can't grow in Iowa. boo hoo

But I can and do add honey if we are out of bananas. I have been buying honey but God sent a bee swarm to our orchard last year and we caught it! I did not harvest the honey last fall in September because I did not know what I was doing. I still don't but I'm learning! Our bees are alive in spite of the bad location we put them. This year, I intend to get bee keeping right and not buy any honey. By the way, honey is on the healthy food list.

Berries are on every single super food list. I have been working on planting different berries around our place. Raspberries I can do easily. The absolutely most important thing to do right with raspberries, in my experience, is to keep them weed free.

Blueberries, I am still working on perfecting their cultivation. They need acidic soil which I do not have but can amend. One key thing I learned from a local expert is that they need a sandy soil. As I have said before, my excellent soil is rich and heavy. Last fall my boys put sand around all of my berries and early this spring I am supposed to put fertilizer on top of the sand. There is a particular type he recommends but I wonder if the copious amounts of manure around here would suffice? Then, on top of the fertilizer, mulch with pine boughs. That is easy to do in the spring. When we clean yard, we put all the little pine branchs around the blueberries, raspberries, and hydrangea (not a fruit but it like acidic soil).

I buy berries or fruit trees every year, slowly growing the amount and variety that we have here. Last year I bought from Raintree Nursery and was very happy with what they sent us. They have a huge and excellent variety of small fruits. We bought several variety of cider apple trees last year.

My goal for next season is to not buy any berries but to harvest and freeze a year's supply. I'll have to do some math to figure that number out.

1/4 cup per person per day

11 people x 1/4 = 11/4 = almost 3 cups daily

365 x 3 = 109,995 cups = 54,997 pint freezer bags of berries

Wow! That's a lot of berries! Did I do that math right?

I'll just freeze as much as I can and then ration it from there. Reality...

Another nutrient rich food list

2009-03-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Andrea referenced this site about the world's healthiest foods in a previous comment. I just wanted to say that from what I've seen, I really like the info on this site. Their list also gives me more to focus on.
I encourage readers to go take a look.
Thanks Andrea!

Super and Nutrient Dense Foods

2009-03-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

I did a bit of searching in my (not really) free time (hahahhahahahaha). My goal was to try to find out what fruits and vegetables to concentrate my time and effort on. Here are the food lists I found. I highlighted in red the foods that I can grow or already have growing in my yard. I live in Zone 5, you might live somewhere else and be able to grow pomegranates and oranges.

From WebMD:

Beans
Blueberries
Broccoli
Oats
Oranges
Pumpkin
Salmon
Soy
Spinach
Tea (green or black)
Tomatoes
Turkey
Walnuts
Yogurt

From Center for Science in the Public Interest:

Sweet Potatoes
Grape Tomatoes
Milk
Broccoli
Wild Salmon
Crispbreads (WW crackers)
Brown Rice
Citrus Fruit
Butternut Squash
Spinach or Kale

From superfoodsrx:

Apples
Avocado
Beans
Blueberries
Broccoli
Cinnamon
Dark Chocolate
Dried Superfruits
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic
Honey
Kiwi
Yogurt
Oats
Onions
Oranges
Pomegranates
Pumpkins
Soy
Spinach
Tea
Tomatoes
Turkey
Walnuts
Wild Salmon

I confess, I have a few problems with these lists. They certainly can't be perfect. They do have some overlap, so I'll definitely go with that. My questions:
Why is turkey on it? I understand the salmon because of the omega fatty acid blah blah blah. But why turkey? I like turkey, don't get me wrong. But what is so special about it?
AND
Where's the beef? As a I beef producer I am offended. Beef is a fine food that should be on these lists. In fact most people should eat more beef. I know personally, that when we happen to be out of beef and are eating mostly chicken, we all get weird food cravings and go nuts for beef.

I'm getting sidetracked from gardening here.

Where are potatoes? I just read the other night that between milk and potatoes most nutritional needs are met.

You know what? I think the diet dictocrats are confused all the way around. I think the safest bet is to have a wide variety of whole foods and to get some of those foods from afar.

Now, one of the premises of this blog is to grow your own food for almost free and that's what I invite you to journey with me through. I'll make my own list of super foods that I'll concentrate on and put it in the sidebar.

Gardening Goals

2009-03-04T05:48:00.001-08:00

This year I'm trying to spend as little as possible gardening. Some years my gardening has been rather expensive. I bought a Troybilt tiller the year that my sister-in-law planted a one acre market garden. I sometimes got a little crazy buying flats of flowers and that can add up. In the winter I go crazy ordering seeds--the garden catalogs can be like a restaurant menu. Loads of delicious looking food that I imagine myself serving up to my family in numerous beautiful ways like that lady on the old Victory Garden show. When I get my kids involved in ordering seeds it gets even more expensive because they want to do exotic vegetables or buy the seed for the giant sized vegetables. But this year I'm going to hold myself, and my children, back.

Last year I ordered my seed from Baker Creek and we saved seeds from the things that were successful. We also ordered way more seed than we planted and I hope that they will germinate.

Another goal is the same old same old--a weed-free garden. But maybe this year I'll be more successful at it because I intend to have tunnel vision on gardening. Let the rest of the world pass on by--I'm growing food.

Any tool that I buy must be re-usable. I don't want any disposable pot type things, like Jiffy pellets (which work fine by the way--I just don't want to buy them again and again). Somewhere I have a soil block maker and I'm going to use it. I need some trays though to put the soil blocks in and I'm not sure of the best way to do that. Make them with wood? The plastic trays are flimsy and don't last terribly long.

I also plan on growing potatoes. I am typically not that great at growing them big. But I'm going to do better this year! From my reading about potato culture I have decided that our soil is too heavy. More on that later.

Tea Party

2009-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Basil - Pesto

2008-10-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Pesto is the reason why we grow lots of basil!

3 cups basil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 -1/2 c olive oil
pinch of sea salt
3 T pine nuts or walnuts

Optional is 1/2 - 1/2 c fresh shredded Parmesan.

Process in food processor!

Serve on pasta or as a spread on sour dough pizza crust under fresh sliced tomatoes and goat cheese.

Creamy Celery Soup

2008-10-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

This year was the first for planting celery in the garden. Apparently it liked the weather we had this year! I was not sure what to do with all of it. We have dehydrated it to use in soups, dressings, and the like this winter.

Today I made a delicious soup with it.

Soup:
3 T olive oil or butter
4 c diced celery with the leaves
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t basil
8 c chicken broth (your soup will only be as good as your broth is so make your own!)

Use a large pot and saute celery, onion, and garlic in the oil or butter. Add basil and broth; simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime make the sauce.

Sauce:
4 T olive oil or butter
4 T flour
2 c milk
1 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil or butter in a small pan. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

Add the sauce to the soup, stirring constantly.

Serve with a hearty bread and cheese for lunch!

Well!

2008-08-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

The farmer is called the eternal optimist.
I will not give up.
The beautiful garden grew up in weeds but there is a harvest out there. We just battle the jungle in order to get to our supper.
I will show the brave reader when our camera gets repaired.

The first radish!

2008-05-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today:

The children took sketch books outside and made many wonderful pictures. Brian sketched his first radish planting including the weeds and his foot.
The girls and I planted 50 more raspberry plants to go with the 50 we planted on Tuesday.
Brian pulled the biggest looking radish. He had been so excited about the radishes all day and then was disappointed that it wasn't bigger. He said it tasted good. : )
Aunt Heather brought tulips to our regular Thursday Tea Party.
Supper is leftover Asparagus-Chicken Chowder and more Rhubarb Crunch.

Continuing On

2008-05-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Starting our garden back at the beginning of March.

Our baby garden.

Spinach that I planted last fall. It did not grow enough in time to eat last fall. This spring it went crazy! I'll be doing that again!

It's not food but it's pretty!

The Bourbon Red tom turkey showing off at our new Kitchen Garden.

Planning and Plotting

2008-02-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

While the frigid north wind blows we are busy choosing varieties and plotting our gardens.
I chose to buy our seeds this year from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I read this winter that the newer varieties of fruits and vegetables have a fraction of the nutritional value that the heirloom varieties do. I also like the idea of keeping seeds which can be done with open pollinated plants (as heirloom plants are) not hybrids. That makes the nearly free part of gardening more nearly free in the future.

Baker Creek is a whole lot of fun to look through because of all the unusual varieties.

I went through the catalog first and wrote each of my choices on a 3x5 card divided into 8 sections, one section for each vegetable. We had several cards. I then cut the sections apart. Each child took a sheet of construction paper for his garden plot, chose vegetables (the slips of cut 3x5 cards) and glued the choices onto his garden plot paper. Then they decorated the paper with stepping stones, garden fences, pictures of the vegetable and more.

My thought is for each child's plot to be a certain distance from the others so that we don't cross pollinate. I need to to do some more research on that and seed saving.

It was very encouraging to visualize lots of gardening during this rather intense winter of loads of blowing snow.

A recap of January

2008-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

Perused many garden catalogs
Started a garden notebook
Read The Four Season Harvest
Looked at a second hand greenhouse
Gazed outside at the snow
Listened to the wind
Dreamed of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling next winter