Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
Athlete’s foot, jock itch, ring worm. None of these are any fun, and they can be quite painful if left untended. I have a great recipe for an Athlete’s Foot Cream, and I always have some on hand.
Creams are made by combining oils (or in the case of our forefathers, fat) and water in an emulsion. This isn’t like an ointment, because it will blend with the skin and helps cool and sooth, while allowing the skin to breath and sweat. The important thing to know about creams is that they degrade quickly and you need to store them in dark containers in a cool place.
Equipment needed
Glass bowl
Sauce pan
Wine press or sieve
Muslin or cheese cloth
Butter knife or small rubber spatula
Dark glass or metal container to keep light out
Ingredients
1 oz garlic powder
1 oz ground clove (or substitute 1/2 oz clove oil)
1 ounce dried echinacea
1 ounce thyme
2 oz tea tree oil
3 oz emulsifying wax or allantoin (health food store or online)
2.5 oz glycerine (health food store or online)
1 1/3 cup water
Directions:
Note: Before adding the herbs, grind them up in a coffee grinder or blender.
1. Melt the emulsifying wax or allantoin in a glass jar that is in the saucepan (poor man’s double boiler, heat water in the saucepan and set the glass bowl in the saucepan to melt the wax.) After wax is melted, add the glycerin, water and herb(s) while continually stirring until all ingredients are well mixed.
2. Turn down heat to simmer. Simmer for 3 hours.
3. Strain mixture through a wine press or sieve, using muslin or cheese cloth to catch the particles.
4. Stir continuously until it cools and sets.
5. With the small knife or spatula, place the set cream into your container.
6. Tighten lids and label.
7. Store in refrigerator as soon as possible.
________________________________________________________________________
2. First Aid Kit Level 2 videos on youtube
First Aid Kit Level 2 videos on youtube
5 videos
Video 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACerbzgpsak
Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3Cu3OCqfTs
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/howtosurvivalistclub/
When I look for it, I get the munchies and ... well you know ;^)
If you run across it again, could you give me a ping?
Thanks
PLU Codes Do Not Indicate Genetically Modified Produce
_http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/plu-codes-do-not-indicate_b_473088.html_
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/plu-codes-do-not-indicate_b_473088.html)
bt Jeffrey Smith: Author and Founder of the Institute for Responsible
Technology
Let’s put a rumor to rest. No, the 5-digit PLU codes on produce do not
tell you what is genetically modified or natural. This urban legend has
circulated long enough, even on the best of websites. It’s time to take it down.
The 4-digit PLU codes on the sometimes-pain-in-the-neck labels glued to
apples, for example, tell the checkout lady which is a small Fuji (4129) and
which is a Honeycrisp (3283). She’ll know what to charge you and the
inventory elves will know what’s what. If there’s a 5-digit code starting with 9,
then it’s organic.
snipped...............
How to get genetically-modified food out of your diet
_http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2010/02/how-to-stop-eating-gmos/_
(http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2010/02/how-to-stop-eating-gmos/)
An Activist’s Toolkit
How would you react if you discovered that most of the foods you ate every
day contained hidden ingredients that could be slowly poisoning you?
Disbelief? Sadness? Fear? Anger? Retribution? All of the above? Well,
surely the first thing you should do is: STOP EATING THEM! Genetically modified
crops such as corn, canola and soy are being used in over 70% of the
processed foods available in your local grocery store. So you might be forgiven
for thinking that if genetically modified ingredients are so widespread,
they must be safe to eat, right? Wrong. It’s just a shame the FDA and the
corporate-controlled North American mainstream media persist in turning a
blind eye. (See The Big GMO Cover-Up by Jeffrey M. Smith.)
Of course, the last thing that the pro-GM food companies want is for
consumers to get informed and use their immense power to force change in the
marketplace. This has already happened in Europe where genetically modified
ingredients have to be labeled by law. As a result, food companies don’t use
genetically modified ingredients! However, in the absence of equivalent
labeling requirements in the US or Canada, North American consumers have been
left in the dark for over 13 years and are unwittingly taking place in a
huge human feeding experiment.
We asked Jeffrey M. Smith, international bestselling author of Seeds of
Deception and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically
Engineered Foods, to give us some practical steps on how to get GMOs out of
our diet and off the face of the Earth, forever.
Would you choose genetically modified food if given a choice? Some animals
won’t.
There’s a bowl of corn chips in front of you made from natural corn. Next
to it are genetically modified (GM) corn chips. Which do you choose?
If you were a pig or cow, we know the answer—the natural corn. In 1998 and
1999, several farmers in Northwest Iowa repeatedly let pigs or cows into
pens with troughs of GM corn and non-GM corn. The animals would head
straight to the closer trough, filled with the genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). They’d sniff, maybe take a nibble, then go over to the trough with the
natural corn. After finishing off the last kernel, they’d stop by the GM
corn one more time just to check it out, but quickly walk away.
An Iowa farmer who read about the finicky livestock decided to see if
squirrels had similar dispositions. He nailed ears of GM corn and non-GM corn
onto trees by his house. Sure enough, the squirrels ate only the natural
stuff, over and over again. When the farmer stopped replacing the natural
corn, the squirrels still refused to touch the GMO. After 10 cold winter days,
they got up the courage to nibble a few kernels, but that was all they
could handle.
Another curious farmer wanted to repeat this with the squirrels in his
area. He bought a bag full of GM corn ears, and another of non-GM, and left it
in his garage to wait for winter. He waited too long. Mice did the
experiment for him. They broke into the natural corn bag and finished it. The GM
cobs were untouched.
Farmers, gardeners, reporters, and scientists have noticed similar
behavior on at least four continents. Chickens, elk, deer, and raccoons avoided GM
corn, while geese, rats, and buffalo refused GM soy, tomatoes, and
cottonseed, respectively. Why are animals put off by genetically engineered food?
No one knows for sure, but let’s get back to the GM corn chips still
sitting in front of you.
Dangerous side-effects
Genetic material from bacteria and viruses are forced into the corn’s DNA,
which is then cloned into a plant. This process leads to substantial
collateral damage, including changes in hundreds or thousands of natural corn
genes, plus widespread mutations. Most of the side-effects are never tested
for. We do know, for example, that an allergy-producing gene, normally
silent, gets switched on in a Monsanto corn variety. Proteins change shape,
which might be a serious health hazard. And a compound called lignin is
significantly overproduced. Lignin on its own may not be so bad, but in the
process of producing it, the plant also produces rotenone, a natural pesticide
linked to Parkinson’s disease. No one has tested your chips to see they
contain more rotenone.
Bayer’s Liberty Link corn have added genes that allow the corn to
withstand high doses of Roundup or Liberty herbicide. These varieties, therefore,
have more weedkiller residues. Other GM varieties have inserted genes from
bacteria that produce an insect killing toxin in every cell (and in every
bite).
In addition, genes inserted into GM crops don’t necessarily stay put. In
the only human GM feeding experiment— done with Roundup Ready soy—
functioning genes transferred into the DNA of bacteria living inside our
intestines. This means that millions of Americans probably have Roundup Ready gut
bacteria—unkillable with Roundup herbicide. No one has yet looked to see if GM
corn genes also transfer. If they do, their insecticide-producing genes
could turn your gut flora into living pesticide factories, continuously
producing toxins inside you—long after you finish your bowl of chips.
Have you made your decision yet? If you still need encouragement, check
out “The Big GMO Cover-Up†in UGM007 to find out why the American Academy of
Environmental Medicine wants doctors across the country to prescribe
non-GMO diets to everyone.
But aren’t GMOs supposed to feed the world?
If you’re feeling some moral imperative to support GMOs, that’s
understandable. The biotech industry spent more than $250 million convincing you
that its gene-spliced foods are the answer to the sick and starving. So don’t
be embarrassed if you fell for it. Many leading US politicians have
likewise been mesmerized by this long-running PR ploy. Clinton’s Agriculture
Secretary Dan Glickman spoke candidly to a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter
about the pro-GMO attitude embedded in the US government:
“It was almost immoral to say that it wasn’t good, because it was going
to solve the problems of the human race and feed the hungry and clothe the
naked. … And if you’re against it, you’re Luddites, you’re stupid. … You
felt like you were almost an alien, disloyal, by trying to present an
open-minded view.â€
Glickman acknowledged that he too “spouted the rhetoric,†admitting, “it
was written into my speeches.†The current Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack, is
the latest GMO cheerleader. As Iowa’s governor, he gave Monsanto an award in
2000, and the next year was anointed Biotech Governor of the Year by the
biotech industry trade organization.
In October 2009, Vilsack tried to play the “feed the world†card at a
conference sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition. Bad move Tom.
The people in the room were actually experts at feeding the world. Attendees
included numerous PhDs and eminent scholars, such as the co-chairman and
several leading authors of the authoritative IAASTD report, the world’s most
comprehensive evaluation of agriculture.
This crowd knew that GMOs had no answers for world hunger. The IAASTD
report, for example, concluded that the current generation of GMOs does not
reduce hunger and poverty, does not improve nutrition, and does not facilitate
social and environmental sustainability. A comprehensive analysis by the
Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that GMOs do not increase yield; in
fact, on average they reduce yield. A USDA study showed that farmers’
income doesn’t increase, and in some cases, it decreases. And it doesn’t help
the overall economy either. The federal government has been spending $3-5
billion per year to prop up the prices of the GM crops no one else wants.
Thus, when Secretary Vilsack invoked “the ever-increasing population of
the globe and the capacity to be able to feed all of those people†as the
excuse to promote GMOs, he was greeted by moans, groans, hisses, and even
boos. That didn’t stop Vilsack from playing the same card two days later, but
this time he was at the World Food Prize conference. That’s sponsored by the
biotech industry, so they were overjoyed that the Ag Secretary was still
supporting their myth.
How Do You Choose Non-GMO?
Are you now ready to choose the bowl of natural chips? If so, you’re not
alone. Most Americans, according to a CBS/New York Times poll, would also
choose foods made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if they knew
which was which—if they were labeled. But unlike most other industrialized
nations, GMOs don’t have to be labeled in the US or Canada. Therefore,
avoiding GM foods here takes some doing.
Tip #1: Buy Organic
The best way is to buy organic foods, which don’t allow the use of GMOs.
And you also benefit from organics’ higher average levels of vitamins,
minerals, and antioxidants, as well as lower pesticide residues.
Tip #2: Look for “non-GMO†labels
Some companies voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.†The best label is
now the Non-GMO Project Verified seal. It’s the new uniform,
third-party-verified standard for non-GMO claims that is spreading through the industry.
Tip #3: Consult the Non-GMO Shopping Guide
For a handy list of non-GMO brands by category, go to
_www. NonGMOShoppingGuide.com_ (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/) . .
View it online, download or order copies, and look for the Mobile Phone
Application coming soon.
Tip #4: Avoid at-risk ingredients
If it’s not labeled organic or non- GMO, and the brand is not listed in
the Guide, look at the ingredient panel to see if it contains any at-risk
GMOs. The most pervasive GMOs are derivatives of corn and soy. Here are some
common ones: (A more comprehensive list is available in the _Non-GMO Shopping
Guide_ (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/) .)
Corn:
flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrups. Sweeteners such as fructose,
dextrose, and glucose.
Soy:
flour, oil, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavones.
Oil from canola and cottonseed is genetically modified.
Sugar from GM sugar beets was introduced in late 2008, but a recent ruling
in a federal lawsuit may eventually drive it out of our food supply. For
now, if the sugar doesn’t say pure cane, it’s likely blended with beet
sugar.
Other than corn, there are only three items in the produce section that
may be genetically modified. That includes papaya from Hawaii (yes, only
Hawaii) and a small amount of zucchini and yellow squash. Mercifully, popcorn
is not GMO.
Aspartame, the artificial sweetener also known as NutraSweet and Equal, is
derived from GM microorganisms.
Meat, fish, eggs and dairy:
FDA scientists had warned that animals fed GMOs might bioaccumulate
toxins, which end up in milk, meat, or eggs. Their concerns were ignored and no
safety studies have looked into this. Most US livestock, and even farmed
fish, are fed GM soy or corn. To avoid GM-fed animal products, buy organic,
wild caught, or 100% grass-fed. Fortunately, there are no genetically
modified fish, fowl, or livestock yet approved for human consumption.
Dairy products also carry the risk that the cows were injected with
genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbST or rbGH). The milk from
drugged cows has more pus, antibiotics, bovine growth hormone, and insulin-like
growth factor 1 (IGF- 1). IGF-1 is a powerful hormone and a high risk factor
for cancer. That’s primarily why the American Public Health Association,
American Nurses Association, and many other groups condemn the use of rbGH.
Consumer concerns about rbGH have forced Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Dannon,
Yoplait, and most of the major dairies in the US to stop using the hormone. Look
for labels, consult the _Non-GMO Shopping Guide_
(http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/) , or buy organic dairy products.
How to Avoid GMOs in Restaurants
When eating at restaurants, it is not too hard to identify non-GMO options
if your restaurant cooks from scratch. If they use processed foods, which
is true of fast food places, they will have hidden GM ingredients.
For meals cooked from scratch, you will be able to easily identify most
GMO food items. Corn products include tortillas, corn bread, corn on the cob,
polenta, and corn chowder. Soy products include tofu, teriyaki and soy
sauce.
The hidden ingredients are usually the oils used for cooking and salad
dressing. Most restaurant cooking oil is from soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola
—all GMOs. If they say vegetable oil or margarine, it means it is almost
certainly one of these.
Therefore, your first question is, “What oil do you cook with?†If they
use GMO oils, ask if they have anything that is cooked without oil, or if
olive oil or some other oil can be used. If they have olive oil, be sure it’s
not a blend. Many restaurants blend canola and olive.
Go through the same routine for the oil used in salad dressing, and for
the shortening in desserts.
But for the sweet stuff, the GMO threats include sugar from beets, high
fructose corn syrup, and aspartame. Since most processed foods contain GM
derivatives (corn and soy, for example), ask what foods are freshly prepared.
But check if packaged sauces are used.
Other potential sources of GM foods at restaurants include bread,
crackers, and mayonnaise.
Moving GMOs out of the market
The declining fortunes of rbGH demonstrate the power of informed
consumers. As more and more people linked the milk hormone to cancer, marketing
executives realized that allowing their suppliers to use the controversial drug
was bad for sales. Because the mainstream media has been pretty silent on
the health effects, it took a few years of a concerted consumer education
campaign to start the dominoes falling. If the hazards of rbGH had made
headline news, the tipping point would have been swift.
The experience of GMOs in Europe shows us just how swift markets can move.
In late January of 1999, biotech representatives predicted that 95% of all
commercial seeds would be genetically engineered by 2004. But just a few
weeks later, their plans to replace nature crashed. On February 16th, the
gag order imposed on a scientist who had conducted GMO safety studies was
lifted by order of the UK Parliament. When Dr. Arpad Pusztai, the top
scientist in his field, discovered the extensive damage that a GMO diet can cause,
he was fired after 35 years and silenced with threats of legal action. When
he finally was able to speak, all hell broke loose.
Within the week, the European press reeled off 159 column feet of
articles. Within the month, 750 articles on GMOs were circulating. According to one
editor, the coverage divided society into two warring blocks. Within just
10 weeks, the tipping point of consumer rejection was achieved. GM
ingredients had become a marketing liability. At the end of April, Unilever
publicly committed to remove GMOs from its European brands. Within the week, so
did nearly every other major food company.
These same companies continue to use GM ingredients in the US, where the
Pusztai controversy was not reported. Here, only one in four people are even
aware that they’ve ever eaten a genetically engineered food in their
lives.
Engineering a North American tipping point
The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to achieve a
tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs in the US. Several indicators
suggest that it’s not far off. A December 2009 issue of Supermarket News, for
example, predicted: “The coming year promises to bring about a greater, more
pervasive awareness†of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our
food supply. This trade publication, which is used by food executives as a
source of industry news and trends, attributed the coming uprising in part to
the Campaign’s new _Non-GMO Shopping Guide_
(http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/) .
The article describes how food “culprits†such as fat, carbs, salt, and
added sugar can “define the decade†for the food industry; companies
scramble to create new low-culprit or culprit-free options. When the specter of
GMO health dangers surfaces onto consumers’ radar screen, however, there
will be a significant difference. Whereas traditional ingredient culprits
offer some consumer appeal like better taste or texture, GM foods do not.
Furthermore, companies can usually eliminate GMOs without even changing recipes.
They can simply substitute the non-GMO soy or non-GM corn, without
reformulating.
Therefore, when the industry gets hit with the anti-GMO tipping point,
they won’t create separate brand options of low GMO or GMO-free. Instead, they
will eliminate all GMOs from their brands and proudly proclaim that here
as they do in Europe.
The number of shoppers rejecting GMOs need only be a tiny amount, perhaps
5% of Americans, in order to convince food companies to do a brand-wide GMO
clean-out. But when you look at the numbers, no matter how you slice it,
they add up to a coming non-GMO tidal wave.
More than 9% of Americans regularly buy organic. About 29% are strongly
opposed to GM foods and believe they are unsafe. And 53% say they would avoid
GMOs if labeled. While most people do not conscientiously avoid brands
with GM ingredients, it’s usually because they don’t know how. Hence the
importance of the _Non-GMO Shopping Guide_ (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/)
.
Time to take charge
There are so many people predisposed to reject GMOs, we can achieve a
tipping point without ever having to convince those who are resistant. Just by
educating the people who want to know why GMOs are unsafe and how to avoid
them, we can kick GMOs out of the food supply. The Campaign offers
educational tools that are easy to use and to pass onto others. There are
right-brain books, left-brain books, videos for the visual learner, brochures,
articles, podcasts, CDs, PowerPoints, and of course, shopping guides.
The Campaign also provides strategies and support materials designed
specifically for the most receptive targeted groups: healthand
environmentally-conscious shoppers, parents, healthcare professionals, chefs and food
service professionals, and even religious groups. If you would like to lend a
hand and help protect the health of those you care about, visit
_www.healthiereating.org_ (http://www.healthiereating.org) and look at the action items
and tools available.
Little did you know that a bowl of chips would turn you into an activist…
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith is the is
the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology (_www.
healthiereating.org_ (http://www.healthiereating.org/) ). His first book,
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of
the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating, is the world’s bestselling
and #1 rated book on GMOs. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented
Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, documents 65 health risks of
the GM foods Americans eat everyday.
To help you choose healthier, non-GMO brands, use the _Non-GMO Shopping
Guide_ (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/) .
(http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=20)
DISCUSSION
continued at url
_http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2010/02/how-to-stop-eating-gmos/_ (http://urbangardenmagazine.com/2010/02/how-to-stop-eating-gmos/)
STATE-OF-THE-SCIENCE ON THE HEALTH RISKS OF GM FOODS
from Institute for Responsible Technology ô€€ P.O. Box 469 ô€€ Fairfield,
IA 52556 ô€€ USA
excerpt from the introduction (the pdf includes extensive citations):
“Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been linked to thousands of
toxic or allergic-type reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead
livestock, and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals.
Nearly every independent animal feeding safety study shows adverse or
unexplained effects.â€
_http://www.responsibletechnology.org/documentFiles/145.pdf_
(http://www.responsibletechnology.org/documentFiles/145.pdf)
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soilandhealth/
Stock from a Rotisserie Chicken?
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
This is the stock recipe I use as a guideline more or less. I love the
rich flavor the mix of veggies and spice give this broth. I of course do
my own thing with it though. LOL I dehydrated allot of leek tops so I
just use those. I toss the everything except the chicken and bones into
a muslin bag I made and tie it up to toss in the pressure cooker. I
either use about a 3 lb stewing hen with skin removed and a couple
carcasses onto the 10 quart pressure cooker then add the bag in the
middle fill to the 2/3 mark with cold water and PC it on high for 45
minutes then quick release. Strain the broth into a large container and
chill. I get a good 3 quarts of stock. If I do not have the stewing hen
I use about 4 carcasses and any wing tips and scraps I have on hand and
do the same. When legs with thighs attached go one real cheap I use
about 4 lb of those and a carcass.
Chinese Style Rich Chicken Stock
3 lb chicken backs and necks, chopped in chunks
2 lb chicken wings or feet
20 cups cold water
1 onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 carrot, chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, sliced, and cleaned
2 inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 tsp black peppercorns
Rinse chicken bones thoroughly under cold running water. Drain. Add to
large pot
with wings or feet with cold water.
Over medium heat, bring mixture to slow boil, skimming off foam
periodically.
When stock starts to boil, add about 1 cup cold water to retard boiling.
Lower
heat and keep pot at steady simmer for about 10 minutes. Continue
skimming until
surface is mostly clear.
Add all vegetables and peppercorns and reduce heat to slow simmer; continue
cooking uncovered for about 4 hours. Do not stir and do not allow to
boil. Skim
surface a few times if necessary.
Strain finished stock through strainer lined with double layer of damp
cheesecloth to catch solids and much of the fat. Refrigerate and skim
off any
fat.
Place stock in a large pot and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat
and ladle
into prepared jars leaving a 1” headspace. Process ar 10 lb pressure.
Pints for
20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes. Adjust pressure according to altitude.
Makes about 15 to 16 cups
Darlene
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore/
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce Recipe
Posted: 07 Mar 2010 02:59 PM PST
Happy Oscar Night!
I made these fantastic meatballs last night for some friends, and they were so well-received I figured I better hurry up and share them with the Internet. I cheated and used store-bought already cooked meatballs, but you certainly could make your own to use.
I’m pleased to see that our friendly neighborhood Trader Joe’s is selling chicken meatballs that don’t have any added bread crumbs or other gluteny filler in the deli meat section. If you don’t live close to a Trader Joe’s, Aidells makes a gluten free meatball (read the label carefully—the Teriyaki flavor is NOT SAFE!).
Anyhow, the 7 of us (4 adults, three kids, aged 3 to 8.5) all really liked the flavor: creamy and slightly coconuty with a bit of spice.
The Ingredients.
serves 10
40 already cooked meatballs (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 cup canned coconunt milk (I used light, it was fine. If using regular, shake well and include the cream on top)
1 tablespoon red chile paste (jarred, in the Asian cooking aisle)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (in Asian cooking aisle, surprisingly inexpensive)
1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
The Directions.
I used a 4 quart slow cooker. It’s okay to use a 6 quart, but decrease cooking time by about an hour.
Put meatballs into slow cooker (frozen is fine). Add peanut butter and coconut milk. Drop in a gollop of red curry paste, then add fish sauce and sugar. Stir as well as you can to combine-—it won’t be perfect because the peanut butter will still be clumpy. No worries.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours, high for 2-4, or until peanut butter mixture is fully melted and the meatballs are heated throughout.
Serve as a hot appetizer, or over long grained basmati rice as a meal.
The Verdict.
These are delicious!! I ate 3 cold for breakfast, and they still were quite tasty. The spice of the sauce is noticeable, but kind of mellows when eaten with the meatball. If your meatballs have a kick to them on their own, cut back on the chili paste. We all really liked the bit of crunch from the chunky peanut butter, but if you aren’t a crunchy person, by all means use creamy.
Enjoy!
I thought I could find the taco seasoning, it has vanished from the sites that I expected to find it.
Will this work?
granny
http://cookingtipoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/05/recipe-fajita-seasoning.html
Recipe: Fajita Seasoning
This recipe for Fajita Seasoning was given to me from a friend a number of years ago… I don’t know the original source …It’s easy and much cheaper to make the seasoning this way then buying those seasoning packs…. Mix this recipe up and store in a jar… 2 tablespoons equals a seasoning pack you would buy.
Enjoy!
PRINT RECIPE
Recipe: Fajita Seasoning
All you need:
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne (amount depends on how much heat you want)
¼ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
All you need to do:
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Store in an airtight container or Zip Loc bag until needed.
Interesting recipes:
http://cookingtipoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/05/recipe-fajita-seasoning.html#uds-search-results
Found one:
http://cookingtipoftheday.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-taco-seasoning.html
This recipe for Taco Seasoning is very close to the packaged kind you can find in the grocery store.
Tacos have become an American standard meal…. Kids, as well as, adults scarf them down… most cooks use packaged taco seasoning… I did too… until I realized I could do better by making my own seasoning…. By making my own seasoning, I could eliminate the MSG and control the amount of salt in my tacos. I also liked the idea of controlling the heat too.
TIPS
It’s super easy to make up…. use 3 tablespoons for every pound of ground beef you use… if using with ground turkey or chicken… you may want to add more since turkey and chicken are bland…
The recipe makes a little more than 3 tablespoons... I would recommend you triple the recipe and save the leftovers for the next time... just store in a Ziploc bag... this way you’re good to go at a moments notice!
The great thing about making your own seasoning mix… season to your taste… use more seasoning if that is what suits your taste.
If you like your tacos with a kick… add crushed red pepper flakes… start with a ¼ teaspoon and taste… add more to adjust to taste as necessary.
I also included in the picture below... 2 kinds of McCormick Chili Powder... one is the regular chili powder the other is the Mexican Hot Chili Powder... you may want to use some of both or just one or the other.
PRINT RECIPE
Recipe: Taco Seasoning
All you need:
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
All you need to do:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix thoroughly.
Store in an airtight container.
LOL, happy that I could tempt you.
Let us know how you like them, when you make them up.
PORK AND BEANS BREAD<<<
That will either be your best secret recipe or it will not be made again.
I want to know how it turns out. Please!!
LOL, it is one that I would have wanted to try, when I could still get up and mess around.
Sleep well and sweet dreams.
If you will put a drop of lavender essential oil on his pillowcase, he will relax and not snore.
If he does not like the smell, wait until he is asleep and do it.
Yep, I was that sneaky.
I know a couple that it helped.
It will help you to relax and sleep better too, without pills.
great quilting blog! Loved the “Doodle” quilt.<<<
I liked it also, LOL, that is why I sent it to you.
I never did get to the other site.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2466344/posts?page=10
Occupational sunlight exposure and kidney cancer risk in men (Less risk. D, of course)
American Cancer Society ^ | Mar 8, 2010 | Unknown
Posted on Monday, March 08, 2010 6:14:22 AM by decimon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2465866/posts?page=7
Bugging bugs: Learning to speak microbe
New Scientist ^ | March 5, 2010 | Hayley Birch
Posted on Sunday, March 07, 2010 9:53:29 AM by grey_whiskers
Vitamin D crucial to activating immune defenses
University of Copenhagen ^ | Mar 7, 2010 | Unknown
Posted on Sunday, March 07, 2010 12:08:49 PM by decimon
Vitamin D Crucial To Activating Immune Defenses
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2465977/posts?page=13
Hmmm, never thought of herbs...
I do make lasagna with yogurt cheese that I make - along with whole wheat home made noodles - home made sauce and venison. Mmmmmm.
I am in zone 7 here...
Still had a few patches of snow on the garden yesterday - hopefully the warm day today will finish melting it, then maybe I can till it Tuesday if it isn’t too wet. Our sandy soil (Sassafras Loam) dries pretty fast and MAYBE I can get started catching up.
Typically the ‘Ides of March’ is potato planting day around here (per my grandfather’s schedule). Peas go in on the 1st of March (Geesh gotta get them in soooon).
Cabbage and broccoli plants are about ready to be hardened off - tis the busy season - I LOVE IT!
Well HI JD....
Glad to see you back online!
Have you considered adding greensand (about 100-150# per 1,000 sq ft) and lots of organic matter?
The Iron-Potassium Silicate really seems to work pretty well with the low organic content of upland clay soil. (plus it adds many many trace minerals too)
Brother-in-Law built a new home and tried and tried to grow a garden in his newly cleared clay soil - had him plant rye and vetch cover crop and work it in, then added the greensand. He now brings up his best veggies to see how they match up to mine... (He is in Central Virginia)
LOL every time I bake a different bread I think of you! (and the gulch express)
Hope all is going well for y’all!
Sounds like a winner, what time is dinner?
Allotment boost from under-used land planned
Plans to bring under-used and uncared for land back into use so that local communities
and keen would-be fruit and vegetable growers have somewhere to get digging, were
announced today by Communities Secretary John Denham and Environment Secretary Hilary
Benn.
There is a huge interest in ‘growing your own’ with people wanting to get more in
touch with where their food comes from, as well as staying active and spending more
time outdoors.
About 300,000 gardeners in England already have allotments but demand still outstrips
supply and the Government is therefore announcing new ways of meeting people’s desire
to dig in.
The Greenhorns - documentary film that explores the lives of America’s young farming
community
“The Greenhorns” is a documentary film that explores the lives of America’s young
farming community - its spirit, practices, and needs. It is the filmmakers’s hope
that by broadcasting the stories and voices of these young farmers, we can build
the case for those considering a career in agriculture - to embolden them, to entice
them, and to recruit them into farming.
Perspectives: Down on the urban farm
In his State of the Union address, President Obama enumerated ongoing problems requiring
his attention: health care, the economy, job creation, environmental issues and
lack of renewable fuels. In doing so, he suggested that increasing agricultural
exports would help solve some of these problems.
While export agriculture might indeed help some corporations, it is unlikely to
resolve issues directly affecting the public. One thing that would, however, is
urban agriculture. While not a panacea, urban agriculture can allay many of the
concerns mentioned by the president, and it can do so in several critical ways.
Artist imagines food garden at New York’s City Hall
We, the undersigned people of New York City, respectfully request that a vegetable
garden be planted in front of City Hall.
This garden will represent New Yorkers’ commitment to education, public service,
healthy eating, and environmental stewardship. This garden will be tended by NYC
public school students, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
and our region’s talented gardeners and farmers. The harvest will be donated to
a nearby food pantry to feed the hungry.
Fashionista Farm Girls Sowing Rice & Riches In Tokyo
Working the earth with your own two hands isn’t exactly the type of activity that
many of us would choose to don our Sunday best for. It probably wouldn’t even occur
to most people to bother primping or preening because it’s not as if the crops really
care how you look. Farming is a dirty business after all, with dust swirling in
the air, the sun beating down on your neck and endless acres to plow, fertilize,
weed, water and harvest. Breaking a sweat is just part of the process but Japanese
model, singer and fashionista farm girl pioneer Shiho Fujita is intent on proving
that you don’t have to be schlumpy to show the land who’s boss. Why would a twenty-something
have any interest in digging in the dirt? Her motivation happens to be one part
damage control, one part fresh green entrepreneurial spirit.
Katimavik youth investigate urban agriculture and food security in Vancouver
A group of Katimavik youth volunteers set out into North Vancouver and Vancouver
to find out some answers about environmental initiatives on the subject of food
security. They interviewed Mark Bomford, UBC Farm; Emanuel Langlois, Katimivik
Participant; Heather Johnstone, Edible Gardens; Michael Levenston and Sharon Slack,
City Farmer; Chef Scott Rowe, Salvation Army; Nicole Robbins, Organics@Home; Melanie
ter Borg and Karen Morton, ecourbia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All stories here:
City Farmer News [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103158325806&s=1304&e=001krOt3tmGCTfvjgvpP8A36fuThuAFA6dvKLbQ5rRhYukP6_RpI7VYiZWBWM3u4ojq9aZ-MX9pmcn9JoqQMDopZrjEnIFyjOnkN9AskL7Pwh3-LDOQ0LWIsA==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
1978-2010
>>Sounds like a winner, what time is dinner?<<
Awww, sorry you missed it a week ago - made an 18X24 tray of it and finished it off the next day for lunch.
Will have to call next time I get the pasta maker out and decide to make it again.
Will have to call next time I get the pasta maker out and decide to make it again.<<<
LOL, yes do call and I will hop right on a cloud and jump off at your place.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.