Joel Salatin on global warming

Several years ago I engaged Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm to give a talk to the area WAPF Chapters. His talk was titled "Heal the planet by healing your plate".

Recently he spoke at a college and is still singing the same song. I wanted to share this with all you meat lovers so you can have the verbiage to respond to the "Red meat is destroying the planet" articles out in the world.

“Every bit of the alleged science linking methane and cows to global warming is based on annual cropping, feedlots and herbivore abuse. It all crumbles if the production model becomes like our mob-stocking-herbivorous-solar-conversion-lignified-carbon-sequestration fertilization. America has traded 73 million bison requiring no petroleum, machinery or fertilizer for 45 million beef cattle, and we think we’re efficient. At Polyface, we practice biomimicry and have returned to those lush, high organic matter production models of the native herbivores. If every cow producer in the country would use this model, in less than 10 years we would sequester all the carbon that’s been emitted since the beginning of the industrial age.”

Stop and think about that for a moment: Raising beef cattle with biomimicry can stop global warming in its tracks almost singlehandedly.

Yet another reason to support our small farmers and avoid at all costs animal products from CFO's (Confinement Feeding Operations)

(Quotes copied from http://localnourishment.com/2009/10/29/what-joel-salatin-said/)

Cultured Vegetables

How cool is this!? One of my favorite blog writers www.nourishedkitchen.com has put together a free e-book on cultured vegetables. To quote the blog:

Each recipe in Get Cultured focuses on nourishing probiotic, naturally fermented vegetables and all the recipes are dairy-free. I strongly recommend that you purchase a vegetable fermenter (see sources) for these recipes, though mason jars will due in a pinch. Fermentation is an inexact art and variances in the temperature of your home, the weather or the season may yield a quicker or slower fermentation period than outlined in the book, so use your judgment in preparing these wholesome probiotic foods.

And here is the link to the e-book http://issuu.com/nourishedkitchen/docs/getcultured/6

Which one will I start today?

Enjoy and please share your successes with me.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Preston and I love this concoction for it's simplicity, effectiveness and almost "greenness" It sure is a lot kinder to the environment than Tide or the like and works tons better than Seventh Generation and such. Not to mention it is CHEAP to make.

All the ingredients can be found in to laundry soap aisle at the grocery store.

1 Cup Fels Naptha (grated and powdered)
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax

Use 2 TBS average load or 3 for heavy load

That's it!

You can add a scent if you like when you mix to powder but I find it lovely on its own.

Why protein powders are bad?

The topic of Why protein powders are bad? came up on the WAPF Chapterleaders message board recently. Sally Fallon (president and founder of the WAPF) joined in the discussion with these points. I thought they were worth reading about and wanted to share her concise and knowledgeable information.

Why protein drinks are bad (WAPF 101):

1. High-protein, low fat results in the depletion of fat-soluble
vitamins, particularly vitamin A. Ask Randy Roach, a body builder who became blind
using protein drinks. Filed as top secret in U.S. government files:
People in Guatemala became blind when given skim milk powder as food aide. Also
cause autoimmune problems, fatigue, thyroid problems, cancer, etc. The most
fundamental lesson of traditional cultures: they never ate lean meat.

2. Proteins are very fragile--high temperature processing denatures the
proteins, the body must mount an immune response.

3. Lots of additives, carcinogens formed during processing (nitrates,
etc.) Others added to these powdered mixtures. Tend to be high in MSG (also
formed during processing)

4. Where does the whey come from?? It is the waste product of
conventional cheese making, confinement cows, etc.

These protein powders are not REAL FOOD!!

Traveling with food and how to fry a steak

Preston and I spent last week in our home state of Virginia visiting family (his) and trying to relax. We took a cooler on the airplane with frozen milk, eggs, bacon, chicken soup and ground beef! I am so glad I have figured out how to travel without compromising my diet.

I subscribe to a number of blogs and this week one of them featured how to pan fry grass fed steak. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it would make a heck of a good meal. I wanted to share it with you...
http://nourishedkitchen.com/pan-fry-great-steak/

Last night we saw Julia and Julie. What a great movie. SO enjoyable. Makes me what to go through Nourishing Traditions recipe by recipe and make everything in there. When we came home we were starving so I took some cut up chicken, a couple of cups of broth and heated them up. While it was heating I squeezed a lemon in a bowl and whisked in two eggs. After I took the pan off the heat I whipped in the lemon/egg mixture. I created a modified Avgolemono (a classic Greek soup) in just moments. Preston and I ate it with gusto and I felt so strong and healthy afterwards. Nothing like good stock to feed the body and soul.

Zucchini Lasagna

My farmer Jake gave me a most wonderful gift recently. He sent me a Lancaster County cookbook based on the principles of Nourishing Traditions. I call it "NT-Lite" But it is not "lite" on wonderful recipes. I pour through it regularly and seem to always have most of the ingredients on hand for that nights dinner choice. It's a great little cookbook and it's name is Wholesome Home Cooking: Preparing Nutrient-Dense Foods.

Here is one dish I have made twice (twice means it was easy for me and very flavorful for my family).


Zucchini Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1tsp. salt
1 pt. pizza or spaghetti sauce
16 oz. cottage cheese
3 eggs
2 or 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
grated cheese

Brown meat with onion and salt. Stir in the sauce. Beat eggs into cottage cheese with fork. Layer in a 13x9" pan starting with the meat mixture, then cottage cheese mixture, then zucchini. Repeat layers and end with meat. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and top with grated cheese.

(I added oregano to the meat mixture which was quite a hit)

My love of fat

Oh, I can't tell you how many folks look at me like I have "gone 'round the bend" when I get excited about fat. Now, I am not talking about any kind of fat. The fat that makes me go ga-ga is the demon saturated fat. Yes, saturated fat like butter, cream, tallow and ... wait for it, lard! Nothing makes a pie crust flakier then lard (so I am told - I am more of a cook than a baker, but I feel I must venture forth soon and buy some sprouted flour and try my hand at a pie crust made with lard).

The saturated fat I love must be from grass fed animals. Animals living the way nature intended. Not in confinement.

I could write for days on this subject, but the reason I have brought it up is because I found another blog that had a great article I wanted to share. So why am I reinventing the wheel? Read on and don't be afraid to enjoy the butter!
http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/64/fat-is-where-its-at/all