Human Nature

August 17, 2010

It feels good to spend a big wad of cash at the farmer's market. It's a very direct way of supporting local agriculture and the local economy; and it's fun to talk to the farmer's themselves about how the meat is processed or what variety of cucumbers is the best.  I am a big fan of eastside Madison's market and was excited to see apples there for the first time this season today. Also, I bought 8 pears and 5 pints of fresh raspberries for general enjoyment now as well as freezing for later. I was also able to purchase meat, eggs, and a stroller's worth of cucumbers, onions, green beans, salad greens, patti pan squash, peppers, dry beans, and tomatoes. All for $72.50.

Today's menu was generally enjoyable, and we only have a sample size of 3 days so far, but I notice that my energy is even better than usual eating and preparing the local ingredients from scratch. Here's the skinny on today's meals:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, and then plain raw yogurt (sweetened with a very non-local yacon syrup; those who know me know I am rather particular about sugars in order to keep a balanced flora)

Lunch: October harvest beans blended (like a mild pinto) with 1/2 cup chicken broth, fresh garlic, sea salt, and italian seasoning. Served with arugula and bell pepper; and, I cracked and shared the two remaining gluten-free wraps smothered in the beans with Marian.

Afternoon snack: smoothie: water, raw yogurt w/strawberries, raspberries, flax and one of the bananas going bad from last week (obviously the last item is not local)

Supper: Organic beef brats from grazin' acres (delicious; even Marian liked them) with gazpacho, fresh sprouts, and leftover green beans. Here's the recipe for the gazpacho:

Tuesday Gazpacho:

1 handful cherry tomatoes
2 bell peppers
2 cucumbers
1 fat clove garlic
1 small handful basil leaves
sea salt to taste
Kimchee to taste (optional)
dried cayenne, garlic, and parsley
2 Tbls raw milk (optional)

August 16, 2010

Day Two shaped up to be a better day. We began the day with water and pears, followed by scrambled eggs (in butter, of course).  Lunch was a fresh vegetable salad with chicken salad (made with local kimchee--a little spicy!). Strawberry yogurt/berry/water/flax smoothie was the snack and the highlight of the day was dinner's:

Garlic Mashed Marrowfat Beans

2 cups dry marrowfat beans (soaked and prepared before hand)
4 Tbls butter
1 crushed head elephant garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
sea salt and pepper to taste
small handful chopped leftover carrots
1/4 cup chopped white onion

Melt the butter in a pan with 1/2 the garlic, and all of the following: carrots, basil, onion, sea salt, pepper.  When onions are browned, add everything else to the pot and mash. Serve a generous portion with a salad.

I selected the heirloom marrowfat beans from the Sprouting Acres stand at the Tuesday Madison East Side Market located at the Wil Mar Center. I bought two bags (each a cup) and now wish I'd bought out the entire supply! Wow, were they fantastic. Nice and creamy like a white bean but rich like bacon, almost. Definitely the best thing we've had so far.

Coming tomorrow, horto and october harvest beans.

Aug, 15, 2010

Today we began a month-long commitment to eat local foods. For our family, this means not spending any food dollars on food not grown outside of our region in southern Wisconsin (technically, within 150 miles).  We have signed up for this "Eat Local Challenge" through the Willy Street Coop, in Madison, WI.

Here's how our first day went:  a few hiccups here and there since I didn't set aside time until today to really envision what we would eat on a day by day basis. Overall, pretty excited about the rest of the month and all the new foods and new recipes we'll learn.  I've stocked the fridge with local raw dairy, chicken, beef, lamb, butter and eggs and had loaded up on vegetables at the farmer's market from last Tuesday.  I've also bought three types of local beans and this is a big lunch staple for us.  For oil, we are using locally grown and pressed sunflower oil.

We started the morning attempting to use up some non-local staples in the fridge:  Almond flour (we eat mostly gluten-free) when into the pancake batter with the local eggs, butter, and whole milk.  When lunch came along, the fridge still contained non-local leftovers from last night's dinner that we added to a pile of baby chard and baby beet greens (from Sprouting Acres farm--so delicious!) with chopped patty pan squash, and cucumbers.

For a snack this afternoon, we made a smoothie with local raw strawberry yogurt, water, local blueberries and a few of the last frozen bananas in the freezer.  Yes, so far, we are getting a C on this eating local thing; next time, I'm going to use local pears instead of the banana but Woody made it so I wasn't complaining.

By dinner, we got the hang of things and I left a 4 lb chicken to roast in the oven while we went out for a walk with my daughter. We arrived back home 20 minutes late and I was worried the chicken would be too dry but it turned out fine! We had steamed green beans, chicken, and a german-style potato salad for dinner.  (need to acquire a local vinegar for future versions of this).

After dinner, I'm making chicken stock which I will cook down twice. The first time cooks the organs and the rest of the carcass so that the meat falls off for soup. Then, I will break the bones, and add fresh water, and make a second batch of bone broth--full of healthy fats for developing brains (that would be my daughter, Marian)! We will use the broth to make chicken and veggies soups but I'm also planning to cook some of the beans in the broth....

For tomorrow...we have three types of beans soaking: marrow fat (a new heirloom variety we are trying for the first time), october harvest, and horto (a lot like pinto).  I've set them to soak since late morning but some of the beans are still small so I'm going to let them soak overnight until they are more plump, and we'll cook them up tomorrow. These will form the basis of spreads, casseroles and salad toppings for the week.

Summer is a great time to practice the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. With a few simple supplies on hand with some basic first aid know-how and most summer mishaps, from insect stings to ankle sprains can be easily addressed. In addition to the bandages and ice packs you may want to tuck a few tea bags into your First Aid Kit:

· Chamomile tea will soothe the nerves. If taken orally; it soothes headaches and irritations, and if used topically, it reduces inflammation of wounds and insect bites.

· Peppermint tea eases stomach upsets that may follow summer picnics and

headaches after hours in the sun.

• Raspberry leaf tea applied topically to a wasp sting is especially useful in easing the pain.
• White Oak Bark tea is good if you get too close to poison ivy or oak. Apply a compress soaked in the tea or the homeopathic remedy Anacardium.

Following a fall or collision during a family game of soccer, Arnica, a homeopathic remedy, may lessen the severity of an injury if taken under the tongue. In a topical cream, the herb Arnica will soothe bumps and bruises and may decrease healing time.

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is a natural antiseptic. Tea tree has multiple uses from direct application to minor wounds to prevent infections to a foot soak to ease the itch of athlete's foot.

A second essential oil that is multipurpose and a great addition to

your First Aid kit is Lavender. It has sedative, anti-inflammatory, and

antiseptic properties. Helpful for headaches, anxiety, insomnia, wounds,

burns, and insect stings. When in doubt, use lavender.

Meditation is an essential component to the Kundalini yoga techniques that I teach, and I believe it is a powerful tool in making positive lifestyle changes. Most of you are familiar with our work in relation to food and know that many people struggle with making the healthy food choices that they know are essential. Awareness of yourself is the key to overcoming emotional attachments to foods and we offer yoga and meditation as methods for developing awareness. Katy is currently offering meditation instruction in private sessions at the yoga studio, Kundalini Yoga of Wisconsin at 402 W Lakeside St. in Madison, WI.