Monthly Archives: August 2009

The Vegetarian Myth

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I have just read a very interesting book called The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability by Lierre Keith. Lierre was a vegan for nearly twenty years. She tells her story of how veganism destroyed her health. She came to understand that vegetarianism was not the answer to: glowing health, feeding the world’s hungry, stopping animal cruelty, or saving the planet. This was a painful realization which she articulates with compassion.

I was a vegetarian for six years. When I was nineteen, I read Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe. It changed my life. I thought I could do one simple action, stop eating meat, and I would change the world. Unfortunately, vegetarianism didn’t work very well for me. I think The Vegetarian Myth is a good book to read. I wish at nineteen the book had been available to take the fire out of my own zealous beliefs. It could have saved me much suffering.

The Weston A Price Foundation has a Website Tour for Vegetarians. There are a number of excellent essays on the topic. These articles will give helpful suggestions that will protect the vegetarian’s health from common pitfalls.

If you would like to have more information about The Vegetarian Myth, I have a link to Lierre Keith’s website.

Update December 8, 2009: I have just found a essay called Eating Meat: The Moral Question. The essay is by Harvey Ussery of The Modern Homestead.

Updated January 9, 2010: The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen was a very influential book for me in the 1980s. It was my favorite vegetarian cookbook and I used to recommend it to everyone. This is a link to Vegetarians Who Eat Meat. Apparently Mollie Katsen, a 30 year vegetarian, is now eating grassfed meats.

Extended Interview with Sally Fallon

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I enjoyed my first day at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market. It was a rainy day so it was good to see so many people out buying fresh local food. I enjoyed meeting members of our community interested in eating better.

For those of you new to this website and the Weston A Price Foundation, I have an interview that may answer some of your questions. Here is a 55 minute interview with Sally Fallon from The People’s Pharmacy. Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions and president of the Weston A Price Foundation. In this interview Sally Fallon introduces the basic concepts of nourishing traditional foods. She covers the reasons to include raw milk, raw butter, eggs, bone broths, organ meats, bone marrow, pastured sources of fat, lard, cod liver oil, and coconut oil into our diets. She talks about saturated fats. She explains why we need saturated fats in our diets and how our bodies make saturated fats if we do not eat enough from food sources. If you listen carefully, this will explain carbohydrate cravings and addiction in our population. She explains why it is so important to carefully prepare grains, legumes, nuts and beans for easier digestion. She touches on lacto-fermentation, pastured raised meats, and quick meal ideas.

Please enjoy an Extended Interview with Sally Fallon.

WAPF Kamloops Chapter at Farmer’s Market on August 15 and 22, 2009

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Where: 200 block of St. Paul Street, Kamloops, BC
When: Saturday, August 15 and 22, 2009
Time: 8:00am to 12:00noon

I will be at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market on August 15 and 22, 2009. I will have information about the Weston A. Price Foundation. There will be free brochures on a number of topics such as: real milk, trans fats, why butter is better, diet for cancer, alert on soy, and myths about cholesterol. I will have copies of the WAPF booklet which gives guidelines about healthy eating. This is a great booklet which normally sells for $1.00 but will be free at the market. This booklet is also good for giving to family members to help them understand more about nourishing traditional foods.

I have just received the WAPF 2009 Canadian Shopping Guide. It will sell for $1.50 and is full of information about Canadian suppliers of nourishing traditional foods. If you buy a WAPF membership or are presently a member, I will give you a Canadian Shopping Guide for free. Membership is $50.00 and includes the quarterly journal Wise Traditions and can be purchased at the market or you can go online and join. Membership is how WAPF funds their good works. They do not receive funding from industry. WAPF membership is not required to join in on local potlucks and informational sessions.

I will have the present copy of the Wise Traditions quarterly journal and some copies of back issues for sale. I have copies of the Wise Traditions special issue on Growing Healthy Babies and Heart Disease. There are fridge magnets for your favorite pregnant woman to help remind her to eat nourishing traditional foods. I will have some fun items like bumper stickers and buttons to tell the world where you stand!

We are having a free draw for Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions! If you would like a copy remember to put your name and number into our draw box. We will do the draw on August 22, 2009 at the end of market day and call the winner.

Hope to see you there!

Update August 22, 2009: It was great meeting people interesting in healthy food at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market. Our winner for Nourishing Traditions was Michelle Wells of Kamloops. For those of you that entered the draw but did not win, please remember we have donated a number of books to the Kamloops Public Library, Nourishing Traditions being one of them. There was a number of families interested in starting a Cow-Share Program in Kamloops. I will forward this list to a farmer interested in starting a Cow-Share Program. There was some interest in monthly potlucks and informational sessions.

Lacto-Fermented Horseradish Dill Pickles

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There is nothing like the tangy favor of traditional fermented pickles and cabbage. I know it seems strange with breakfast but fermented foods are a great way to start the day.

I have been asked for my recipe for Horseradish Dill Pickles. This time of year pickling cucumbers are everywhere and very cheap. Just make sure the cucumbers, garlic and herbs have not been sprayed. If they have been sprayed the fermentation will not occur. This recipe is very easy for someone new to fermentation. The horseradish leaf was traditionally used to keep the pickles crunchy longer. Eat the pickles within two months, which is easy because they are so good, or they start to get soft.

Equipment
1 gallon fermentation crock or glass container with lid
1 stoneware or glass saucer that can fit into the container
1 granite rock that can fit into the container

Ingredients
5 pounds un-sprayed or organic pickling cucumbers
1 large horseradish leaf
4 whole garlic cloves
2 large dill tops with flower or seed head
2T sea salt
3c fresh water to cover
1/4c juice from another culture (optional)

Put horseradish leaf, dill flower head and garlic cloves into the crock or glass container. Tightly fit in as many cucumbers as possible. Leave some space at the top for the saucer and rock. Mix up 2T of sea salt and about three cups of fresh water. Pour sea salt solution over cucumbers. Add extra water if necessary to completely cover cucumbers. Place saucer on top of the cucumbers and weigh down the saucer with the rock. Place in a warm spot in your kitchen. Bubbling should start within a day or two. The pickles will be ready in about a week. Store in the fridge.

You can speed up the process by use the fermentation juice from another culture you liked the taste of. Using a culture you like will give a consistent product. Some health food stores sell live culture pickles and sour kraut. You will find these products stored in the fridge. This culture can be used to start your own culture. If you cannot find live culture, I would be happy to supply anyone with starter culture.

Just remember wild fermentation requires no starter culture at all. Our kitchens are full of local spores which will inoculate your cucumbers. Lactobacillus is ubiquitous and present on all un-sprayed vegetables and fruit. It just takes a few days longer for the fermentation process to get going.

Update August 9, 2009: I get my un-sprayed pickling cucumbers and other vegetables from Liz Lyne at 250.578.8266. She grows fabulous pickling cucumbers and gave me the tip about horseradish leaf making pickles stay crunchy longer. She is at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Absinthe Tasting in Venon, BC on August 13, 2009

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Absinthe is a distilled spirit with an anise flavor made with Artemisia absinthium, better known as wormwood. The Green Fairy was enjoyed by many famous Bohemian artists and writers. It was thought to have an addictive psychoactive drug-like quality to the drink. It was outlawed in Canada, the United States and most countries in Europe.

I first drank Absinthe in Spain when I was 13 years old. My Mother took the summer off from her studies and took her daughters on a grand tour of Europe. At the time, Spain was one of the few countries still allowing the drinking of Absinthe. I still remember the rich anise flavor of the drink consumed in an ancient tasting room. Of course, being 13 and drinking isn’t a worry for Europeans.

It was nearly thirty years before my next taste of Absinthe. I was visiting the liquor store to find brandy for cooking pate and I saw a bottle of Absinthe. At first I thought it mustn’t be the real thing. After talking to the resident liquor specialists, I found out that the prohibition of Absinthe was finally over. In fact, there was a distiller called Okanagan Spirits in Vernon, BC making Absinthe. I bought a bottle of Taboo Absinthe.

My sister and I sat down and had a drink. She had hers straight up. I cooled mine on ice until the drink became cloudy. The Absinthe was wonderful. I understand why it won a silver metal in Europe. It is a world class drink.

If you would like to try some Absinthe and learn more about the drink’s history, there will be a tasting in Vernon, BC on August 13, 2009.

Updated April 21, 2010: Okanagan Spirits has done it again. They entered eleven products in the World Spirit Competition in Klagenfurt, Austria. They won five Gold and six Silver medals and are now recognized as a Master Class Distillery. Okanagan Spirits has introduced a new Sour Cherry and Wild Huckleberry liqueur, both won Gold in the competition:
The Cherry liqueur is made with locally sourced sour cherries and if current sales continue, it could become our most popular liqueur. Not sickly sweet like many liqueurs but with a true emphasis on the Sour Cherry taste. Its fantastic. Delicious Wild Huckleberries sourced from Grand Forks British Columbia, are used to make this liqueur. With so much fruit required for a small return in liqueur, you will need to act fast to secure yourself a bottle of this award winner.

U-Picking Strawberries, Cherries and Blueberries for Winter

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During cherry season we pit and freeze at least 100 pounds of sweet cherries and 50 pounds of sour cherries. These cherries can be enjoyed all winter long in desserts, smoothies and other treats.

Over the last month, we have been working hard to freeze enough soft fruit to last until next year. I try to find certified organic or un-sprayed fruit. I feel comfortable asking the farmers what growing methods they use. Over a number of years, I get to know people and what they do on their farms. This means I can get products that may not be certified organic but are just as good. I feel good knowing where my food comes from and building a long term relationship with my farmers.

I try to find organic or un-sprayed u-pick situations for soft fruit. I do this for a number of reasons. U-pick fruit is cheaper than buying picked fruit. I can get a better quality product. I know the product has been picked that day which is better for freezing. By freezing the fruit I save money even if the price is higher for organic or local fruit. I also know my money stays in my community and doesn’t go to some faceless corporation half way around the world. Of course, I’m bringing my children and I don’t want them to be picking (and eating) in a sprayed field. Nor do I want the farmers to have to get sick from working in sprayed fields to feed me!

I also want my children to know where their food comes from. A child that has picked strawberries knows it comes from a small perennial plant, blueberries from bushes, and cherries from trees. The experience of meeting the farmer and seeing the farm is a priceless experience. I want the children to have some idea of the work involved in picking, preparing and storing food for the winter. Even when they get tired and stop helping, they seem to take it all in by osmosis. They enjoy the experience many times over in the winter when the sweet fruit brings back the memory of the hot summer day picking on the farm. I am surprised at the complex detail in these remembered stories.

If you have never gone to a u-pick before, I have a few tips to make it fun with children:
1. Call ahead to ensure the picking is good and children are welcome. Find out if you need directions to find the u-pick. I try to pick near the end of the season to have really ripe fruit but this is just a personal preference.
2. Ask if there is any special equipment you need to bring for picking. I normally have a number of small pails, boxes for fruit, and plastic freezer bags.
3. Bring water and picnic food.
4. Go as early in the morning as possible to avoid the heat of the day and wear suitable clothing, especially a hat.
5. When you get there ask for picking advice if you don’t know what to do. Make sure the children hear how to pick correctly to avoid damaging the plants.
6. Ask if the children can eat while picking. Usually this is allowed and cannot be stopped in any case.
7. Bring another adult to help pick and share looking after the children if required. Bringing a group of families can be fun too!
8. Bring cash.

I have listed the u-pick farms I have visited this year. Their information is available on the website. I listed the amounts I picked for freezing for a family of four:
1. Golden Ears Farm, RR2 S25 C18, Chase, BC: 250.679.8421: 35 pounds of un-sprayed strawberries in June. I normally need 100 pounds for the winter. This year I picked too close to the end of the season and I could not get back for more.
2. Highland Farm, 4360 30St, NE, Salmon Arm, BC: 250.803.0048: 90 pounds of certified organic cherries in July. Find a good bulk pitter if you are going to freeze.
3. Blueberry Hill Farm, 4886 South Grandview Flats, Armstrong, BC: 250.246.4099: 65 pounds of un-sprayed blueberries in August. I will be going back for more. This is a favorite berry in the household. I will need about 150 pounds.

Pastured Poultry Profits

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I have been reading Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin who runs Polyface Farm. We could not get this book through inter-library loan but fortunately it was someone’s birthday. This book is a must read for anyone interested in a unique system of poultry production.

We are trying to implement Joel Salatin’s system of “perennial prairie polyculture” on our property in Kamloops. As I stated in another blog, we are fortunate to have over an acre of land in the City of Kamloops and thus can have chickens on our property. I believe it would be a very good thing for the City of Kamloops to allow all single family zoned properties this same right. Unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment. If you are wanting backyard chickens contact the Kamloops Urban Hen Movement and work to change this bylaw or you may have to consider civil disobedience.

We have been running the Cornish Cross breed, which is known for its incredible feed to meat conversion ratio. They go from the egg to the freezer in eight weeks. Watching these chicks is a lesson in sloth and gluttony. The chicks gorge on feed, then fall over and pass-out until the next session of gorging. My sister Christine has been horrified watching these selectively bred birds do what comes natural to them. The trick with these birds, when it comes to pasturing, is to make it easy for the birds to get to the pasture. The birds do not like walking much.

Joel Salatin has designed a system of “chicken tractors”, which are small pens that are moved daily to new pasture. This solves the walking problem for the birds. The farmer does the moving and the birds do the eating. The fresh pasture provides diversity of forage and a variety of insect life which makes for very healthy birds with incredible flavor. With daily movement of the pens there is no smell and the birds are not living in their excrement like what is typical for industrially raised chickens. With fresh air, a clean environment, and good food these birds do not need to be given medicated feed just to survive.

In Kamloops we have what Joel Salatin called “brittle” grasslands. The area will produce well if irrigated but some of his methods will not work here. So far, moving the chicken tractors to new pasture has worked on our property. We don’t have what I would consider good pasture and I would like to lease pasture in the area if we were to do more birds.

We will be producing enough birds to have chicken dinner, twice a week, all winter long. Slaughtering day is not a fun experience but at a store price of $20 to $25 for an organic bird, I can find a way to do it. These birds done with Joel Salatin’s method are considered “beyond organic pastured chicken”, and are another product not available through the industrial food system.

We are in week four of our production cycle. I will keep you posted regarding outcomes of our research in using Joel Salatin’s methods in Kamloops.

Update September 7, 2009: For an update please go to the posting called Slaughtering Chickens dated September 7, 2009. We lost one turkey within the first few days and one chicken about a week ago. I found it breast up in the hoophouse. Cornish Cross chickens are prone to heart attacks. We had under 2% death rate. A hoophouse, also known as a gobbledygo, is another Joel Salatin method of chicken rearing. It is used during winter and in areas where pasture is limited. It requires a deep litter to fix nitrogen and not loose it to the air. This system worked well for us.

Wild Fermentation

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I had a request for information about lacto-fermentation. Before there were freezers or canning your great grandmother preserved food with fermentation. Fermentation was a magical event that the Greeks called alchemy, the art of transformation.

I would recommend two books to read before starting to make fermented foods: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellis Katz. A third book to read if you are interested in lacto-fermented drinks is Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice. Here are three links that will get you going with lacto-fermentation:
1. This is a primer by Sally Fallon on Lacto-Fermentation.
2. This is a link to Sandor Ellis Katz’s website about how to make Traditional Sour Pickles.
3. If pickles aren’t your thing, and you were thinking about something sweet, Charles Eisenstein will introduce you to Traditional Sodas, a healthy alternative to soft drinks. This essay is a very good introduction to artisan food production. I would like to see small groups of like minded individuals coming together in community cottage industry to produce these commercially unavailable traditional foods.

If you would like to start rather than read about it, go to your kitchen and we will do some magic!
Simple Sour Kraut
Equipment
1 glass container with lid
1 glass saucer that can fit into glass container
1 small round granite rock that can fit into glass container
1 wooden mallet or spoon
Ingredients
1 large un-sprayed/organic cabbage
1T sea salt

Find a large mason jar or any glass container with a lid. Find a small glass saucer that can fit into the glass container. (I do not feel comfortable using plastic.) Go into your garden and find a small round granite rock. Shred and core one large un-sprayed cabbage. Make sure the cabbage has not been sprayed or the fermentation will not occur. Add one tablespoon of sea salt to the shredded cabbage and put it into the jar. Don’t worry if you have too much. More cabbage than you would think possible will go into the jar by the end of the process. Pound down the cabbage with a wooden mallet or spoon. Let the cabbage stand for 30 minutes.

The water from the cabbage will start to come out. Add and pound down more cabbage. Leave another 30 minutes. In the end, there should be about 1″ of cabbage water over the cabbage. Place the saucer over the cabbage and weigh it down with the granite rock. Any cabbage at the surface of the liquid will rot so remove any pieces. Cover and put in a warm place. Bubbling should start in a day or so. Everyday take a peek and watch the mystery of life unfold in your kitchen. Try the cabbage in about a week. After the cabbage becomes as sour as you like, refrigerate the sour kraut. Eat with meats for better digestion.

This process must have been very mysterious for our ancestors. It is mysterious for me!

Update August 8, 2009: I have just found a new website on lacto-fermented food. The website has recipes, lots of photos, radio links, and short postings on food safety. I hope you enjoy www.awesomepickle.com.

WAPF Shopping Guide 2009

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The new WAPF Shopping Guide for Canada is out. I was able to get some of our local farms and ranches in the new guide. If you would like to have a favorite farm put in the guide for next year, submit the information to: canadawapfguide(a)gmail.com. I will have copies of the WAPF Shopping Guide available for $1.50 at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market on August 15 and 22, 2009. There will be free informational brochures and copies of the WAPF Journal Wise Traditions. We are hoping to host potlucks and information sessions on traditional nourishing foods starting in September 2009.

I hope to see you at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market on August 15 and 22, 2009!

Swine Flu: Delicious Cure

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On May 7th, I wrote a blog called Swine Flu Alert: What to Do. The posting gave some alternative treatments to help your system avoid viral infections. Lauric acid in coconut oil is converted by the body to monolaurin. Coconut oil has been found to have an antimicrobial effect. If you would like to study this topic further, please read Dr Mary Enig’s essay: A New Look at Coconut Oil.

I have had some requests for recipes to increase coconut oil consumption. Dr Mary Enig recommends 10-20 grams of coconut oil per day to get into a therapeutic range. In her book Eat Fat, Lose Fat she recommends drinking the coconut oil in hot water before meals for weight loss. In my opinion, this is not a great taste experience, but it has been an effective weight loss treatment for many people.

I have two delicious recipes for you to increase coconut oil consumption in your diet and which may help avoid viral infections. Just remember if you are trying to use food as a medicine, make sure you get the best quality you can find. Find the best local raw honey and organic virgin coconut oil. If you can find raw butter use it or find the best organic pasteurized butter.

Coconut Bark Almond Joy
Here is the recipe for Coconut Bark Almond Joy. I would suggest a few changes to make the recipe WAPF friendly. Soak and dry the nuts and use local raw honey as a sweetener. I would find 1T of raw honey too sweet. If eating cocoa powder is a problem for you, use some raw butter or cocoa butter and make a “white chocolate” version.
6T organic coconut oil
1tsp organic vanilla extract
2T organic cocoa powder or raw butter/cocoa butter
1-3tsp local raw honey
2T dried organic coconut
1/4c chopped, soaked and dried almonds or pecans

Nanaimo Bars
Here is the official recipe for Nanaimo Bars. I have changed the ingredients so much that I have included them here. Cut bars into 1/2″ cubes and store in the freezer for later use.
Bottom Layer
1/2c organic cocoa powder
1c soaked and dried pecans
1c soaked and dried walnuts
1c dried coconut
1/4c organic virgin coconut oil
1/4 raw butter (organic pasteurized butter okay)
2T local raw honey
2 raw pastured egg yolks
Middle Layer
3T raw cream (organic pasteurized cream okay)
1T organic vanilla extract
1/4c raw butter
1/4c organic virgin coconut oil
2T local raw honey
1 raw pastured egg yolks
Top Layer
3T raw butter
2T organic cocoa powder
1tsp local raw honey

Update August 17, 2009: I have changed the recipe by adding an extra egg yolk to the middle layer. This gives the layer a yellowish color and a creamier texture. I have changed the first layer from whole eggs to just the egg yolks. There is controversy about the safety of eating raw egg white. Raw egg yolks from pastured chickens are safe. Cooked egg white is safe but raw egg white has enzyme inhibitors that can cause digestion problems.

Update November 3, 2009: This is a audio presentation from www.mercola.com about swine flu immunization. If you are pregnant or considering getting the vaccination, please listen to this presentation called Swine Flu: One of the Most Massive Medical Cover-ups.