The kids and I just got back from strawberry picking at the organic farm on the edge of town. Nevermind that it’s almost 90 degrees with similar humidity level and I’m 8 months pregnant…those berries were beautiful! While the kids hopped around from row to row, stuffing their faces (we have permission to nibble while we pick…), I was busily filling our buckets to get the task done with.

Who needs natural weight loss supplements when good, natural, whole foods like strawberries exist, ripe for the eating? Suffice to say, we’ll be having a big fruit salad tonight for dinner, crepes stuffed with strawberry filling tomorrow morning, and probably a strawberry pie this weekend some time!

Yum!

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My garden is starting to gear up into full swing here and I am finding that I am harvesting or picking something nearly every day now. This brings me to an important topic for this time of year when fellow gardeners are dealing with an abundance of fresh produce that must be kept fresh. What is the best way to do this?

Here are some guidelines.

Peppers and Cucumbers – keeps 1 week in refrigerator (wrap and keep in crisper)

Fresh vegetables stay the freshest when in a moist environment. They should usually be stored in vegetable crispers. If there is a crisper setting, set it to the “vegetable” setting. If space in crispers is limited, store them in plastic bags to reduce moisture loss. Store most vegetables in the refrigerator to preserve freshness. Do not refrigerate potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, hard-rind squashes, eggplants and rutabagas. Tomatoes may be refrigerated only after they are ripe and then only for a limited time.

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Have you ever made butter accidentally? You know…you’re making whipped cream for a delightful dessert and you get distracted…and before you know it you’ve got chunks of butter floating around in buttermilk? Well…if this happened I certainly hope you threw in a little salt and tasted it because it would have been amazing! If you’ve never tasted homemade butter you really haven’t lived.

I make my own butter several times a week from our raw milk. I have an old electric churn that sits on my counter collecting cream as we skim it off the milk gallons. As soon as it becomes about 2/3 full, I plug in the churn and several minutes later we have butter.

You don’t need a churn to make butter. I made butter with a Kitchenaid before buying my churn off of Ebay. Butter can be made in a blender, with a handheld mixer, or even in a mason jar! Here’s how!

1. Bring your cream to approximately 65 degrees.
2. Pour the cream into a churn, a bowl for mixing, a blender, or a mason jar.
3. Start shaking, mixing, blending…
4. When you see the cream separate into butter chunks and buttermilk, you’re done!
5. Pour off the buttermilk and save it for baking.
6. Place the butter into a colander in the sink and rinse it well with cold water. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear.
7. Salt the butter to taste.
8. Plop the butter into a plastic container. It will keep for a week on the counter, several weeks in the fridge, and indefinitely in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: butter, cream, homemade

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You always hear how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This couldn’t be more true. After fasting all night, your body is in a state of minor dehydration due to simply breathing all night without drinking anything! To even think about rushing into a new day without eating something healthy is unthinkable. Best of all, it has been found that breakfast-eaters won’t have to worry about what the top rated diet pills are because they are statistically leaner than those who regularly do not eat breakfast.

If you struggle with finding the time for something healthy, here are a few suggestions:

1. Oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, and berries. THE absolute best way to start a day, hands down!  Totally worth getting up 15 minutes earlier for.
2. Whole-wheat toast with almond butter
3. Smoothie with fresh berries and yogurt
4. Scrambled eggs with salsa
5. Granola, yogurt, and fresh berries
6. Fresh fruit salad

Technorati Tags: breakfast, healthy

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Honey has been a known healer for thousands of years.  Even as recently as fifty years ago, honey was being used for its antibacterial properties in treating wounds. But then they discovered antibiotics like penicillin and honey’s medicinal abilities became lost somewhere.
Treatment with honey is called apitherapy. This involves replenishing energy, increasing physical stamina, and improving the immune system. Honey also has a calming effect on the mind and induces sleep. Honey helps indigestion and can improve cardiovascular disease and respiratory ailments. A thin coat of honey can even be applied to the skin to as an antibiotics for healing minor skin wounds and chapped lips.

Eating honey may have a positive effect on heart disease risks. Honey appears to have an impact on blood glucose, insulin, and lipid levels.

Scientists have now discovered that certain types of honey may prevent infection when applied to a wound. This is thought to be thanks to an enzyme in the honey that turns into hydrogen peroxide when combined with bodily fluids. This helps disinfect wounds and prevents infection.

Have I succeeded in motivating you to give honey a second glance?  Not only does honey taste great, it has so many health benefits!

Technorati Tags: apitherapy, healing, honey, medicinal abilities

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I buy a lot of dry pantry foods in bulk. Keeping a dry bulk food storage pantry can be a challenge for several reasons. One challenge is finding the room to store the food that is a suitable temperature. It can’t be too warm and it can’t be damp. We use a spare bedroom for the majority of our bulk food storage.

Another challenge is keeping your food safe from pests. I don’t say this lightly…it is absolutely imperative that you guard your bulk food from rodents and moths. If you get distracted and these pests get in, you risk losing everything. In our case, we’re talking about around $1,000 of food so I can’t afford to let any pests get a stronghold.

I don’t like pesticides, so my first line of defense against pantry pests is these moth traps. When I first tried these I was skeptical, but these little traps work amazingly!

I am also old fashioned enough to prefer just a simple mouse trap over other more fancy rodent solutions. I have never tried one of those
glueboards, but I have heard good things about them.

There are some really good options out there that are chemical-free yet still effective. I would encourage you to investigate this option if you are protecting a pantry full of dry goods, too.

Technorati Tags: bulk, chemical-free, dry, pantry pests

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One of my favorite things is finding new products for my family that are not only delicious but nutritious as well. I just found something that fits both of these criteria and there is even a bonus! These new FreshExpress salads are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate and the body.

The two new salad varieties are Tender Ruby Reds and Sweet Tender Greens and these salads are powerhouses of phytonutrients. That means that by buying these and serving these to my family, I am effectively helping to boost their immune systems and at the same time I am serving them something delicious that provides antioxidant protection.

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Try some of these for unusual and useful ways to use a variety of nuts easily purchased from the grocery store.

1. Grind shelled almonds into a fine powder in a blender.  Wet face, rub the almond powder in, rinse.
2. Grind two tablespoons of almond slivers in a blender and mix the powder with 2 teaspoons of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of flour, and honey to make a thick paste.  Rub into skin and rinse.
3. Mix 1/2 cup dry oatmeal, 1 tablespoon honey and cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon ground almonds.  Wet face and smooth mixture onto face.  Allow masque to dry completely and remove with a warm washcloth.  Rinse face with warm water and dry gently.
4. Shell brazil nuts, pecans, or black walnuts and rub the nutmeat directly onto scratches in dark wood, floors, or woodwork.  Be careful not to rub nuts into surrounding areas.
5. To avoid the odors associated with cooking cabbage, throw a whole, unshelled walnut into the water.
6. Make a fabric eye, wood stain, or ink from the hulls of black walnuts.  Put a couple of cups of walnuts (in the shell) into a slow cooker and add just enough water to cover.  Cook overnight on low.  In the morning, the water will be a very rich brown color.  Strain out the nuts and use.

Lastly, but not least…if you want a healthy heart, research is now showing that eating about a 1/2 cup of nuts five or more times per week will cut your heart attack risk in half (compared with those who don’t eat nuts).  Walnuts, pecans, and almonds are the most beneficial nuts.

Nuts to you!

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There are over 3,000 varieties of apples…ranging from tart to super-sweet…in a beautiful array of colors as well.  In 2002 the average US consumer ate about 16 pounds of fresh apples, and 26.4 pounds of processed apples, for making a total of 42.2 pounds of fresh apples and processed apple products consumed!

Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.  I am not surprised by this at all…apples are just about the most perfect fruit that I can think of…lots of variety, durable, and so many different ways to enjoy!

I’ve compiled a list of the most popular varieties with added info about how to use them but this is far from a complete list. If I’ve missed your favorite, please let me know and give me the details about it and I’ll be glad to add it to this list!

Apple                                      Characteristics                                   Best Used For

Arkansas Black                        Crisp and juicy                                   Eating/sauces

Baldwin                                    Crisp and juicy                                   Baking/eating

Braeburn                                  Crisp, sweet/tart                                Eating/sauce/pies

Bramley                                    Sweet and tangy                                 Baking/sauces

Cortland                               Fragrant and tangy                           Salads/baking/sauces/eating

Empire                                      Super crispy, sweet, juicy                   Eating/salads

Fuji                                           Sweet and juicy                                   Eating

Gala                                          Crisp, fragrant, slightly tart                 Eating/baking/sauces

Golden Delicious                   Juicy and sweet                              Sauces/baking/salads/eating

Granny Smith                             Tart and crisp                                     Baking/eating

Gravenstein                               Crisp and tart                                      Baking/sauces

Idared                                        Juicy, fragrant, and tart                       Baking

Jonagold                                    Tart, juicy, and crisp                           Eating/Baking

Jonathan                                    Crisp and juicy                                    Eating/sauce/pies

Lady Apple                                 Juicy, very sweet                                 Eating/baking

Macoun                                      Firm, fragrant, flavorful                      Eating/baking

McIntosh                                    Tart, juicy, spicy, soft                         Eating/sauces

Mutsu                                         Crisp and juicy                                    Eating

Northern Spy                               Very flavorful and firm                       Baking/eating

Red Delicious                              Crisp and mildly tart                          Eating

Rome Beauty                                Slightly tart and firm                         Baking

Spartan                                        Slightly sweet and slightly tart          Eating

Winesap                                       Sweet and juicy                                 Eating and sauces

So…what is your favorite apple?  Did I miss it or is it on the list?  My family loves Fuji apples the best for great fall eating.  My favorite baking apple is Idared.

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