My Level of Living Green
Posted: October 19, 2022 Filed under: Going Green; How and Why..., Non-Toxic Choices | Tags: #meals #vegetarian #glutenfree #delivery #Jacksonville #nutrioncoaching #lactosefree #weightloss #immunesystem Leave a commentI started my Blog in 2008, I woke up one morning and had gotten 5000 visits from all over the world! No Impact M<an had seen my site and published the article that put my Blog on the map!!
Here is that article…
I am soooo excited! One of my all time favorite bloggers, Colin Beavan, published an article from my blog! His blog, NoImpactMan.com, is a blog that I follow religiously. I have always been a a serious environmentalist, way before it was cool the first time around..and I am talking back in 1972 when I decided to use cloth diapers instead of that new product (Pampers) everyone else was sooo excited about. I still chose to use a clothesline with the first 4 kids diapers (until I moved to a neighborhood (yuck!) that forbid clotheslines.
Colin’s’ blog made me realize there was a LOT more I could be doing. Hence, the list he published….
April 14, 2009
Thirty-one tips for reducing your impact while saving money
I was reading through comments here on the blog last night and I found this great list of tips by reader Millie Barnes, who writes a blog about health and gardening called Optimum Nutrition. Her tips were just too comprehensive to let them languish in the comments. So here they are (I don’t even mind including the plug for her products). Thanks Millie!
My Level of Living Green
by Millie Barnes
1) Air dry all laundry–had to put a lock on the dryer cord to convince my daughters I was serious–they have learned to plan ahead! I wash all laundry in cold water, always wash full loads, and use a drying rack inside if it is raining. It’s good for the earth and great for your skin, a free humidifier in the house. Which also makes it feel a few degrees warmer in winter, and cooler in summer. I use soapnuts for laundry. http://www.zamuta.com/
2) Buy all organic.
3) Buy all organic non-toxic beauty care products and make-up. I make my own skin care cleanser and moisturizers. I make my own soap.
4) Use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning the bathroom. I use Ms. Meyer Clean Day for dishes, Citri-Clean for counters and general purpose cleaning. I use a loofah for scrubbing dishes (I am growing my own right now so I won’t have to buy them anymore!) My sister is making scrubbies by crocheting them, we will offer these for sale soon!
5) Take cloth bags to store for groceries and all other purchases. Take muslin bags I made to grocery store for produce.
6) Recycle, re-use, make my own and have stopped buying anything I don’t really need.
7) Don’t use paper towels, never have. Used cloth diapers for all 5 kids.
8) Don’t buy stuff in plastic, I try to buy all glass. Store all food in glass. Re-use glass jars. I mostly buy real food (meat, produce) try to not buy anything that needs a label, so no packaging.
9) I use a bidet and cloth wipes. (don’t freak, we all used that same choice when we used cloth diapers and wash clothes on our baby’s tushes!)
10) Make my own gluten free granola, make my own mayonnaise, salad dressings, spice blends.
11) I use a compost toilet, no toilet paper (think cloth baby wash clothes).
13) Bokashi (a way to deal with indoor kitchen scraps with NO odor and yields compost WAY faster). I have been using the Bokashi method of dealing with kitchen waste for about 3 weeks now…I love it!
14) Use very low flow shower heads. Ace Hardware has a 1.5 GPM with a shut-off valve.
15) Use all CF light bulbs…and use them as little as possible. I have one evening a week that I use no lights..on Shabbat! Dinner by candlelight!
16) Use grey water from shower (I keep a 3 gallon bucket in shower and use it throughout the day to flush the toilet, take what’s left to the flower beds.
17) Use water from rinsing dishes to water flower beds.
18) Run as few errands as possible, car pool and combine trips.
19) Use micro-cloths to clean with, even on glass you do not need cleaning products!
20) NEVER buy bottled water. I bought a Kleen Kanteen for each person in the family, we refill and take with us. I’ve had mine over a year.
21) Go paperless or CD-less as much as possible. I provide my clients with emails of my book, but still put cookbook software on CD.
22) Use only a hurricane lamp when we sit outside at night. It gives enough light to read by…but is perfect turned low …for just hanging out. Very romantic, too!
23) Use candlelight at dinner, not just on Shabbat!
26) I put in a raised bed garden, square foot garden I have green leaf lettuce in a grow box, cherry and big sweet tomatoes, basil, thyme. I have sweet potatoes growing, beets (mmmm, beet greens), onions, Swiss chard, purple flowering kale, nasturtiums, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, red potatoes, a banana tree. Inside I am growing cucumbers and strawberries hydroponically.
27) I use a non-disposable razor, an old-fashioned stainless steel, very high quality razor that uses double edged blades. It was 24.00 from ClassicShaving.com. The blades are 10 for 5.99, and they are double edged! They give the closest, smoothest shave you can imagine! No disposable blade can compare.
28) Wash dishes with 2 dish pans in the sink, one for hot soapy water, one with warm rinse water. Do glasses first, pause a moment to let the soapy water drip off, then move to rinse water. Stop when rinse water is almost full and rinse quickly. Repeat with silver, plates, then pots and utensils. All with 2 dishpans full of water. Then I pour the soapy water, with all that organic matter, onto my plants in the garden. It helps repel pests and loosens the soil. And good for the biceps when you carry it outdoors.
29) I water my garden with buckets from the rain barrels that are under the eaves of my garage. 10 feet from my garden. The front flower garden gets watered entirely from the dish water.
30) I work out at home, no expensive gym memberships that I never used anyway. I save all the expense of membership, and gas and time driving. I have a set of weights, two exercise balls, a yoga mat and a chin-up bar.
The Climate-Friendly Vegetable You Ought to Eat
Posted: May 5, 2022 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Going Green; How and Why... | Tags: #allergies, #BeyondPaleo, #cancer, #energy, #energy #pontevedrabeach, #glutenfree, #healing, #higherenergy, #immunesystem, #JacksonvilleFL, #jax, #Lactosefree, #mealdeliveryservice, #nutritioncoaching, #plantbased, #weightloss Leave a comment
Kelp is delicious and versatile, and farming it is actively good for the ocean. Melissa Clark wants you to just try a bite.
PORTLAND, Me. — It was a sharp, windy March day, but the gray water of Casco Bay glimmered green in the sun. On his lobster boat, the Pull N’ Pray, Justin Papkee scanned the surface of the ocean, searching for his buoys. But he wasn’t looking for lobster traps.
Mr. Papkee was farming, not fishing: His crop, clinging to ropes beneath the cold waves, was seaweed, thousands of pounds of brownish kelp undulating under the surface. Growing at a rate of 4 to 6 inches per day for the past six months, it was nearly ready to be harvested and sent to restaurants like Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Estela, Houseman, Saint Julivert Fisherie and Luke’s Lobster in New York, and Honey Paw, Chaval and the Purple House here in Maine.
He pulled a blade of kelp from his line and handed me a long, translucent strip. I took a bite, and then another, seawater running down my chin.
Justin Papkee, kept company by his dog, Seguin, pulling up a line of kelp. Harvesting wild kelp is ancient, but farming it is a relatively new practice in the United States.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Justin Papkee, kept company by his dog, Seguin, pulling up a line of kelp. Harvesting wild kelp is ancient, but farming it is a relatively new practice in the United States.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
I’d eaten plenty of seaweed salads at Japanese and vegan restaurants, but this was not that. A variety called skinny kelp, it was lightly salty and profoundly savory, with a flavor like ice-cold oyster liquor, and a crisp, snappy texture somewhere between stewed collard greens and al dente fettuccine. The chef Brooks Headley, who adds it in slippery slivers to the barbecued carrots he serves at Superiority Burger in New York, described it in an email as “insanely delicious and texturally incredible.”
It was as different from the usual sushi bar seaweed salad as cottony, out-of-season peaches are from juicy, ripe ones from the farmers’ market: a wan substitute for what should be delectable.
Harvesting wild kelp is ancient, but farming it is relatively new in the United States; it’s the main variety of seaweed being cultivated here. The technology was imported from Asia and adopted here by a group of ecologically minded entrepreneurs who view seaweed as the food crop of the future. Kelp is nutritionally dense (it’s loaded with potassium, iron, calcium, fiber, iodine and a bevy of vitamins); it actively benefits ocean health by mitigating excess carbon dioxide and nitrogen; and can provide needed income to small fisheries threatened by climate change and overfishing.
“Kelp is a superhero of seaweed,” said Susie Arnold, a marine scientist at the Island Institute in Rockland, Me. “It de-acidifies the ocean by removing nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon dioxide, which we have too much of.”
A feel-good superfood, kelp is more than the new kale. It’s a rare bright spot on an increasingly dim horizon, an umami-rich glint of hope.
Justin’s father, Chris Papkee, at left, and Jimmy Ranaghan removing the kelp from the long ropes on which it grows.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Justin’s father, Chris Papkee, at left, and Jimmy Ranaghan removing the kelp from the long ropes on which it grows.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
“Kelp is sustainable on so many levels,” said Briana Warner, the chief executive officer of Atlantic Sea Farms, a Maine kelp company that’s helping local fishermen start kelp farms. “It’s environmentally sustainable, it’s physically sustaining because it’s so good for you, and farming it helps sustain family livelihoods that are in danger of disappearing.”
Ocean scientists call kelp farming a zero-input food source. It doesn’t require arable land, fresh water and fertilizers (or pesticides). And kelp farming has been shown to improve water quality to such a degree that shellfish farmed amid the kelp develop noticeably thicker shells and sweeter, larger meat.
Before the first kelp farms started in Maine about a decade ago, if you wanted to cook with edible seaweed (not to be confused with the decidedly undelicious rockweed that washes up on beaches), you’d have go to the shore and forage it yourself.
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Justin Papkee sorting the just-harvested kelp into bins on his lobster boat, the Pull N’ Pray.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Justin Papkee sorting the just-harvested kelp into bins on his lobster boat, the Pull N’ Pray.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Sweet red dulse, inky alaria and ruffled sea lettuces have fed coastal communities for thousands of years. Traditional Welsh recipes call for frying fresh seaweed in bacon fat, while in Ireland it’s been cooked with potatoes, and in Scotland it’s made into biscuits and bread. Native Americans historically used all manner of seaweed — red, brown and green — both dried and fresh. And of course in Japan, cooking with seaweed has evolved into a highly refined art.
In the United States, though, dried seaweed has not yet left the health-food fringes, relegated to the same category as nutritional yeast and chia seeds.
One reason may be our lack of exposure to the good stuff. The majority of seaweed salads I get with my sushi are cloying and damp, lacking the mineral zing of fresh kelp.
John Magazino, a product development specialist at the Chefs’ Warehouse, a specialty food supplier for restaurants, explained why fresh kelp is so different from the seaweed you find in most seaweed salads: “Most of the seaweed salads we get in the States are imported from Asia, where they add corn syrup and dyes. Seaweed salad shouldn’t be sweet and neon green.”
Skinny kelp, a variety with narrow but thick, ruffled blades, grows over the winter months on ropes submerged in the Gulf of Maine.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Skinny kelp, a variety with narrow but thick, ruffled blades, grows over the winter months on ropes submerged in the Gulf of Maine.CreditMatt Cosby for The New York Times
Mr. Magazino, who finds truffles and caviar for Daniel Boulud and David Chang, has been selling frozen fresh Maine-grown kelp to chefs for the past three years. He was on Mr. Papkee’s boat to make sure he’d have the quality and quantity of kelp he’d need for distribution to his high-end clients.
“Once the chefs taste it, and understand how good it is for the ocean, they all want in,” he said.
I suspect home cooks will, too. I returned from Maine with a suitcase full of frozen local kelp, and spent a happy, well-fed week cooking with the stuff until I ran out.
Because kelp develops in constantly changing ocean tides and temperatures, its cell structure won’t break down if you freeze, thaw and refreeze it, which makes it convenient to keep stashed between the frozen edamame and the sorbet. (Dried seaweed, like kombu, dulse and nori, are separate products from frozen fresh kelp, and require different preparations.)
Roasted chicken is seasoned with seaweed butter, and served with crisp kelp, red onions and potatoes.CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Roasted chicken is seasoned with seaweed butter, and served with crisp kelp, red onions and potatoes.CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Once the kelp thawed, I used it like any other green vegetable, throwing it into smoothies, salads and my soup pot, and sautéing it with garlic and chile. One night, I roasted it with potatoes and chicken fat until the top got as crisp as the seaweed snacks my 10-year-old daughter can’t get enough of, while the bottom turned silky soft, like creamed spinach with a saline kick.
But my favorite dish was anchovy pasta with a lemony, garlicky, pesto-like kelp sauce that flecked everything emerald and deepened the oceanic flavors in the pan. Even my daughter lapped it up.
Those are just a few of the possibilities. When the harvest comes in and I can restock my freezer, I’ll steam the kelp with fresh corn, stuff it into whole fish and scatter it over pizza.
Spicy, lemony pasta with anchovy gets an umami boost from a sauce made from puréed kelp.CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Spicy, lemony pasta with anchovy gets an umami boost from a sauce made from puréed kelp. CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
The only hard part for both chefs and home cooks may be finding a consistent source for kelp, which is available online and through a very small number of seafood shops, and in limited quantities. But the industry is young, and more fresh seaweed is becoming available on the market every year.
In 2015, about 14,000 pounds of kelp were harvested from farms in Maine, according to Jaclyn Robidoux, a seaweed specialist at Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine. In 2018, that number was just over 53,000 pounds, and it is expected to reach more than 300,000 pounds this year.
Across the United States, she said, the opportunities for growth are huge. With its vast expanses of untrammeled coastline, Alaska is primed to overtake Maine as the state that produces the most farmed kelp.
There are also small kelp farms in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and experimental endeavors in New York, California, Oregon and Washington.
In Maine, the majority of kelp farmers are from fishing families who have relied on lobsters for the bulk of their income. For them, kelp farming is a natural fit. The seasons are compatible; kelp farming takes place in the winter, lobster fishing in the summer. They already have all the necessary gear — a boat, ropes and buoys — and they understand the currents and tides of the gulf.
“Growing the seaweed itself is really straightforward,” Ms. Robidoux said. “I’ve run a kelp nursery in a seventh-grade classroom.”
It can also be a smart way for fisheries to diversify as wild species become less predictable. Maine’s cod, shrimp and sea urchin fisheries are either shut down or vastly depleted. And although warming water has contributed to a lobster boom in Maine in recent years, there’s been a huge decline in the herring used to bait the traps. So even if the lobsters are plentiful, catching them becomes much more complicated and expensive.
Keith Miller, whose family has been fishing in Maine for three generations, isn’t sure he’ll break even this summer.
Dried kombu adds savory depth to a white bean and vegetable stew, while fresh kelp lends it texture and a salty tang.CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Dried kombu adds savory depth to a white bean and vegetable stew, while fresh kelp lends it texture and a salty tang.CreditRomulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
“You’ve got to have a backup plan, especially now with climate change,” he said. “During the off-season, a lot of the guys work for other people, they do odd jobs, but I really want to stay on the water. Throughout the years, I’ve been urchining, I’ve been shrimping. But now that’s all done. So I figure I’ll try kelping.”
In Stonington, Conn., Suzie Flores is farming three acres of kelp near the bait-and-tackle shop she owns with her husband. She sells it directly to chefs, and also at the local farmers’ market for $8 per half-pound bag. At home, she cooks with it regularly, chopping it into vegetarian tartare and adding it to pizza for her children.
“I even mix it into my dog’s food,” she said. “Everyone in the house is eating kelp.”
So far, the profits have been on the low side. But as she beats the learning curve, Ms. Flores feels confident that they will rise. And even if they didn’t, the feel-good aspects of kelp farming make up for the lack.
“Every time we go to harvest, I think about all of the carbon we sequestered, and how much cleaner the water is,” she said. “For me, the farm doesn’t need to make money. Knowing that I’m helping the environment is enough.”
Fresh-frozen kelp is available through Atlantic Sea Farms, atlanticseafarms.com; Mermaid’s Garden, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Harbor Fish Market, Portland, Me.; Lois’ Natural Marketplace, Portland and Scarborough, Me.; Cambridge Naturals, Cambridge, Mass.; Common Crow, Gloucester, Mass.; and Buffalo Mountain Food Coop and Cafe, Hardwick, Vt. It is also available unfrozen at the Stonington, Conn., farmers’ market.
NIMBUS Intelligent Watering System
Posted: December 16, 2021 Filed under: Gardening, Going Green; How and Why..., Health and Happiness Leave a comment
NIMBUS Intelligent Watering System
Here is a great watering system for those of you who like container growing. The inventor is a friend of mine and I have been really impressed by this product.
Here’ s how it works;
NIMBUS Technology keeps your plants healthy by alternating between wet and dry cycles.
1. Rain / Water Reservoir. The wet cycle mimics a rainfall in nature.
2. Wet Cycle. This is when the NIMBUS will provide your plants roots with water.
3.Evaporation / Aeration. As the roots absorb the water, it begins the dry cycle.
4. Dry Cycle. The NIMBUS allows air to pass through the roots before the next wet cycle allowing for healthy root growth.
5. Repeat. The cycle begins again.
The Inventor;
MILTON B. WATSON
Born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1959, inventor Milton B. Watson was influenced by science and art at a young age. Growing up on his grandparents’ small farm in Jacksonville, Ark., each day he watched his parents water their chickens by filling a jar with water and turning it upside down in a pan. As the chickens drank, the water level was maintained at the mouth of the jar, a principle that would later become central to his first patented invention, the NIMBUS Intelligent Watering System™.
Watson’s knowledge of art and scientific principles allowed him to draft plans for a prototype almost immediately. Starting with his hand-drawings, he built custom acrylic prototypes in 2006. After his initial NIMBUS pot was rejected by an interiorscaper due to concerns over root rot, Watson catered to gardeners’ needs, altering NIMBUS’ design and function to eliminate common watering issues, as he wanted to introduce a product that was the total self-watering solution. The culmination of hard work and refinement came in 2010 when NIMBUS was granted a patent.
Meal Delivery Service is Now Offering Vegan Choices
Posted: July 5, 2020 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Going Green; How and Why... | Tags: # Vegan, #beyondmeat, #vegetableprotein, #vegetarian Leave a comment
I have 40 years experience cooking vegan/vegetarian dishes. Going forward, beginning next week, you can order dishes made vegan that have ground beef (meatballs, spaghetti, lasagna, Bolognese sauce, tacos).
I have chosen to use Beyond Meat products as opposed to Impossible Meat because it is soy free. Although the pea protein in Beyond Burger is GMO, it is far cleaner than Impossible meat. If you do not know how dangerous it is to eat soy please see my article here– The Dangers of Eating Soy
As my service is already completely dairy free many dishes are already vegetarian. I do cook with ghee so if you request it I can prepare side dishes with vegetable oil.
Here is Beyond Meats webpage if you’d like to check out their products or ingredients! Beyond Meat
As beyond chicken is not available locally I am ordering it and it will be available in two weeks!
#lactosefree, #glutenfree, #organic, #mealdelivery, #mealdeliveryservice, #healing, #allergies, #immunesystem, #cancer, #nutrition, #glutenfreedesserts, #coaching, #nutritioncoaching, #mealsdelivered, #gettingwell, #moreenergy, #antiaging, #paleo, #livewell, #mediterreanean, #vegan,#vegetarian
Why Growing Microgreens Should Be Your New Favorite Year-round Activity
Posted: June 18, 2017 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Gardening, Going Green; How and Why... Leave a comment
Homegrown microgreens could very easily be the most nutrition-per-unit-cost we can get for our money.
A 2012 UDSA study assessing the nutrition content of 25 different microgreens concluded that microgreens possess significantly higher nutrient densities than mature leaves of the same plant. As an example, red cabbage microgreens have six times the vitamin C than mature red cabbage. Adding microgreens to your diet is an easy way to not only add freshness to winter meals, but also add a big punch of nutrients right when we typically eat less fresh foods, like in winter.
Buying microgreens from the market can be expensive. Instead, grow your own microgreens. It’s fairly easy to do, doesn’t require a lot of space, and produces tasty and highly nutritious food. Don’t have access to a garden? Good news, you don’t need one! Microgreens are easy to grow in a jar or a box. Here’s how to create your very own microgarden out of containers you might have laying around the house.
1. Choose the Seeds
Some common varieties of seeds to use are: amaranth, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, chervil, coriander/cilantro, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, parsley, peas, radish, rocket/arugula, spinach, and sorrel. But of course, these are just a few to choose from- experiment with seeds to find one based on your own taste preferences. To ensure that you are avoiding food that may have been fumigated or treated with a fungicide, choose only organic seeds.
2. Choose the Container
You’ll need a container that is a few inches deep at minimum. Garden centers sell special containers for sprouting seeds, but you can make a planter out of almost anything- as long there is proper drainage. Old vegetable or berry containers are perfect for sprouting seeds, as are prepackaged salad boxes and mason jars. Do you have an old metal cooking pan or muffin tin you don’t use any more? Simply drill a few drainage holes and it becomes a microgarden that is both functional and free.
3. Choose the Soil
It’s important to use a quality growing medium for the seeds because they contain the proper ingredients that boost seed germination. The better nutrition going into the plant also means you’ll be eating the most nutrient-dense food possible. Seeds love loose, crumbly soil full of organic matter. Choose an organic potting mix, or make your own.
4. Pre-Soak Larger Seeds
Pre-soaking will help your seeds germinate more quickly. Pre-soak larger seeds such as mung beans or peas in warm water for a few hours or overnight. This step isn’t necessary for smaller seeds.
5. Plant
If your container has drainage holes, lay a moistened paper towel on the bottom to stop the potting soil to fall through. Fill the container roughly 3/4 full of growing medium, about one inch deep. Sprinkle the seeds over the dirt, then cover with an additional 1/8 inches of soil. Lightly spray the entire soil with a misting spray bottle to water without disturbing the seeds. Make sure the dirt is moist, but not soaked. You don’t want the soil so wet that the seed either rots or drowns. If you don’t have a misting spray bottle just be careful watering the seeds to prevent them from dislodging.
6. Grow
Place your newly planted seeds in the sun. The seeds will need a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight every day. Don’t have access to a sunny windowsill? Try grow microgreens under gardeners grow lamps. The seeds will start to sprout within a few days, but you’ll want to wait ten days to two weeks to harvest when you see the the first set of leaves.
7. Harvest
Begin harvesting microgreens once the seeds have produced its first set of true leaves. Depending on the variety, the seedlings should be 1-3 inches tall. Simply take scissors and cut the stems just above the soil. Once the microgreens have all been harvested, begin a new crop using the same mix. Because the previous plants had been grown so quickly, the mix will still be full of nutrients- you’ll be able to sow 3-4 crops with each batch of growing medium. To ensure a continuous supply of microgreens, sow seeds every week or two.
Gut Health
Posted: August 18, 2015 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Going Green; How and Why..., In The Kitchen with Millie- How To's, Products | Tags: #Beyond-Paleo, #BeyondPaleo, #Kombucha, Paleo Leave a comment
Most Americans have a compromised Immune System. Most also have leaky gut. If you have allergies, get frequent colds, ear infections, are overweight, have arthritis..you have leaky gut.
Healing a leaky gut means following a nutritional protocol to enable it to heal. Replenishing gut bacteria is crucial; to heal the lining of the stomach, to properly digest foods so that you can actually absorb the nutrients…in order to repair the immune system and enjoy optimal health.
One way to do this is to take probiotics, but they are very pricy and do not really survive the stomach acids to get into the colon where they will do you the most good.
So what should you do?
Eat fermented foods! Sauerkraut, wine, pickles, coconut milk yogurt (you should avoid dairy in all forms for optimal health), and Kombucha tea are great ways to do this.
I began fermenting Kombucha tea about a year ago, it is easy and fun to make…and is very inexpensive. I also now make my own organic Apple Cider Vinegar.
Beginning next week I will begin selling Kombucha tea with my other Culinary Items. I make a mild, very slightly sweet Raspberry Kombucha. It will be on the menu each week.
A Path to Health
Posted: June 18, 2015 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Going Green; How and Why..., Non-Toxic Choices | Tags: #BeyondPaleo, #healing, #health, Paleo 1 Comment
1. Eat whole, natural foods. Nothing from cans or boxes.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game and eggs.
4. Drink filtered water, NOT distilled. A reverse Osmosis water filter is the most cost effective way to get clean water. You can get one that filters your kitchen sink water, or a system for the whole house. If you do not have water filters on your shower heads, then bath with the window or door open, to minimize breathing chlorine.
5. Avoid dairy, grains, flours.
6. Utilize the glycemic index, work off the bottom half.
7. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, Minimize the use of extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil. Get these delicate, fragile oils in the foods they came in; olives, avocadoes, green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds.
8. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Make demi-glace, use it for depth of flavor and nutrients.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic sea salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, whole foods like carrots, avocadoes, tomatoes, coconut oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Store food in glass or stainless steel containers, NOT plastic.
18. Use only natural supplements from FOOD sources.
19. Get plenty of sleep, do what it takes to be able to awaken naturally at dawn. Open the windows, get your circadian rhythm going by letting the brain get the light it needs to become awake quickly and effortlessly, looking forward to your day. This becomes normal after the initial detox.
20. Get plenty of exercise, yoga, core body work, walking, dancing, hula hooping, swimming…the more in motion you stay, the better you feel.
21. Get plenty of natural sunlight, for happiness, for Vitamin D.
22. Normal bathing should not require soap. A loofah will do…maybe in strategic spots like under your arms, but use an all-natural soap. I use Dr. Bonners.
23. Sleep on chemical free beddings; a organic wool and cotton futon topped with a feather bed costs less than $500.00 and is heaven to sleep on!! The fire retardant chemicals in a normal mattress is 100 times more carcinogenic than nicotine and contributes to lowered sperm count, infertility and interferes with normal hormone production.
24. Use 100% natural fibers to wear and to sleep on.
25. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
26. Practice forgiveness.
27. Choose peace, and happiness in every moment.
Permaculture Garden Update!
Posted: April 17, 2015 Filed under: Gardening, Going Green; How and Why... 1 CommentAs many of you know, it’s been a challenging year, 5 eye surgeries. I’m finally able to get back to all my regular activates; yoga, gardening, driving at night!! Yipeee!
I would not have been able to have a garden this year if it wasn’t for the incredible support of my Permaculture Group here in Jacksonville! Easiest, low labor (after the install) way I have ever gardened. I will also soon have a solar water distiller on the back patio!
This was the install, 10/14/14 
Today, 4/17/2015
The collards I have let bolt so I will have seeds next year, I am in the middle of picking and freezing them. I have Romaine, pineapple, Swiss chard, tomatoes, scallions, turmeric, ginger, sweet potatoes, dill, basil, kale, broccoli.
I’m still growing some things in sub-irrigated buckets that I build. Here is a 4 1/2 year old kale and Swiss chard. Lettuces were just planted in the barrels, along with a lot of herbs.
New install off of the back porch, foreground will be tomatoes, herbs. Larger space will be greens. Right now the dandelions are growing in it and all over the yard in back of it. I just planted a lot of greens; kale, Swiss chard, spinach, beets.
The amazingly beautiful ornamental ginger did not make it through the hard freeze this year.
So I planted real ginger, and turmeric! It’ll be just a beautiful AND I can eat it!
Here is at the back of the kitchen garden, I am amending the soil here, adding compost from the juicer (it is dry enough to be able to go straight into the garden, along with coffee grounds and pot liquor.
Fresh Juice Delivery!
Posted: April 8, 2015 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health, Going Green; How and Why..., Products Leave a comment
I am SO excited about the response to the RAW JUICES we are now delivering! They are made early on the morning, chilled quickly before they go out the door for delivery.
Here’s what we offer;
Jamu Kunyit,a Balinese-style Turmeric Juice with Tamarind-
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties combined with the depth of anti-0xidents in this drink make it an ideal medicinal drink. But the TASTE is amazingly refreshing! I simmer the organic turmeric root at 120 for several hours to maintain the enzymes, then add organic tamarind and continue steeping, as it cools slightly I add raw honey, lime zest and fresh lime juice. Kunyit Asam Jamu is recommended for enhancing detoxification and preventing disease. It is common in Indonesia to consume this with the addition of an egg yolk, which has been shown to further enhance the bioavailability of the active ingredient Curcumin. $18.00 a Quart
Beta-C- carrots, celery. green apple, ginger, turmeric, lime.
Happy Greens- cucumber, celery, baby kale, spinach, parsley, lime.
16 oz 13.00 32 oz- 25.00
Our juices are made the from all organic ingredients, made the day they are delivered, refrigerated immediately and delivered in glass jars. These are returned on the next delivery.
Benefits of Juicing- Juicing offers many health benefits including a faster, more efficient way to absorb immune boosting nutrients naturally found in fruits and vegetables. It provides a way to access digestive enzymes typically locked in the fiber of whole fruits and vegetables.
It’s best to drink juice the same day they are made. As soon as any juice meets the air it begins to oxidize, compromising its nutritional value. However, storing our full juices in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed glass jar slows this process. The best time to drink juice is on an empty stomach or at least an hour before eating a meal. This maximizes the amount of nutrients absorbed into the body. Of course, fresh pressed juice is still loaded with health benefits even if you can’t drink it during the recommended window.
Juicing and Illness- There is lots of research that shows the healing properties of juicing. Juicing aids weight loss, brings increased energy levels, strengthened immunity, and helps build strong bones. It also helps prevent and heal heart disease, cancer and strokes, three of the leading causes of death. A growing body of research suggests that most vitamin supplements don’t help prevent chronic disease. A synthetic vitamin or mineral is a laboratory simulation of the real thing. Natural, plant-based vitamins and minerals are more easily and completely absorbed by the body.
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12 Lifesaving Canning Rules
Posted: April 27, 2013 Filed under: Gardening, Going Green; How and Why..., In The Kitchen with Millie- How To's | Tags: canning, Gardening Leave a commentIf you can your garden bounty and especially if you are new to canning this could be handy.
Canning rules to keep your food safe from Modern survival blog will give you tips you need to can safely.
One thing I didn’t know was that you can’t do raw pack for stewed tomatoes. Good thing I haven’t done it yet but I probably would have if I was worried about losing a whole lot of ripe tomatoes. Good info.
photo credit modernsurvivalblog.com
Meal Delivery Service by Millie Barnes 