Category Archives: Local Food Producers

Riverland Farms: Pastured Chicken for Sale

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I just received a letter from Genevieve Stroulger of Riverland Farms. Next week she will be slaughtering about 300 pastured chickens. I know many readers of eatkamloops.org have asked us for information about local pastured chicken. Below is part of her letter and contact information:

We are writing this letter to give you a bit of background about Riverland Farms, in hopes that you will purchase our chicken and allow us to be one of your food providers now and in the future. We are located on the banks of the South Thompson River, east of Rivershore Golf Course.

We are passionate about raising quality meat from chickens who are raised in the pasture. Our pens are portable so that we can move them often throughout the season to provide them with fresh grass and alfalfa. We believe a chicken should live the life of a chicken: eating high quality locally raised grains, alfalfa, grass, and bugs, and waking up to the sun!  The quality of the meat produced is superior in texture and taste.

Our meat is processed at a local family owned processing plant in Pritchard, BC and is government inspected. This year the inspector was so impressed that she bought some of our chicken! Some local restaurants are trying out our chicken on their menus as well! We would be happy to answer any questions you have.

We are running a special. If you purchase 20 chickens we will give you 10% off. Our price is $4.00 per pound.

Riverland Farm
Genevieve Stroulger
4336 Stevenson Rd, Kamloops, BC, V2H 1S8
T: 250.573.3183, C: 250.571.3486
E: riverlandfarmskamloops(a)gmail.com
25km
pastured chicken, pastured eggs

Looking for cheap organic produce in Kamloops?

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freezing-tomatoes

Last year our tomato harvest failed due to an early frost. I had very few tomatoes for the winter. This year I bought about 75 pounds of Roma tomatoes from Gardengate.

This week I visited Gardengate for the first time. Gardengate is located in the heart of North Kamloops and produces an assortment of seasonal vegetables and fruit on 2.8 acres. The prices are very reasonable for certified organic produce. I will definitely be visiting Gardengate again. Here is more information about Gardengate.

Gardengate
David Hoar
915 Southill St, Kamloops, BC, V2B 7Z9
T: 250.554.9453
F: 250.554.9402
E: davidh@opendoorgroup.org
6km
certified organic STOPA farm no.157: THEO BC training program; farm stand: open Monday to Friday from July 6th to October 31st at 11:00am to 12:30pm; varieties of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables

Learning About Garden Weeds

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herb-garden-1

This is my herb garden looking southwest. When I first planted the herb garden, I used a pick axe to make "pots" in the clay and cobble. Look at how much soil has been built up over three years of ranging chickens and turkeys.

A weed is just a weed until its use has been found.
Unknown

In the past, Shaen cared for our household garden. We always had some garden fresh foods and eggs from our backyard flock. In the last few years, Shaen’s focus has been on learning about pasture development and the care of larger animals.

The garden has never been so neglected before. This year I decided that I would take on the work. I would learn about gardening so Shean could focus on more challenging tasks. I’ve learned a number of things about myself this year. I’m not a very enthusiastic gardener. I would rather plant a permanent forest garden or work with pasturing animals. I guess I am more of a herder than a gardener.

herb-garden-2

This is my herb garden looking northeast.

herb-garden-3

This is my herb garden looking southeast. The total width of my herb garden is 15 feet and it is right outside my kitchen. Note the clothes line that is illegal in many municipalities. I don't think bylaws like that are very enlightened.

It’s not the work of gardening that I do not like. When I break the surface of the soil for cultivating annuals, I can’t help but wonder what damage I’m doing to the ecology of the soil flora. I notice that the cultivated soil loses its moisture and appears “dead” very quickly.

In Kamloops, mulching cultivated soil is a must. All of these observations have got me wondering how much of our traditional cultivated garden can I convert to permaculture or to a forest garden. If you would like to learn more about forest gardens please read Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops by Martin Crawford. My goal now is to have very small plots of cultivated soil surrounded by large areas of perennial herbs, shrubs and trees. In these small cultivated areas I grow peas, lettuce, beets, carrots, garlic, and onions.

Another area I use traditional cultivation is our hoop-houses. In the winter, the hoop-houses are used for housing the laying hens. In summer, the hens go onto pasture and the hoop-houses are converted to greenhouses. These greenhouses are filled with heavy feeding, heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and squash. Every year we move the hoop-houses to new locations to break the pathogen cycle.

I am also trying to make peace with our weeds. Part of this truce is learning about the medicinal and culinary uses of weeds. Some of my new green friends are chickweed, shepherd’s purse, cleaver, plantain, dandelion, and yarrow. The list continues to grow.

I research each new plant that comes into bloom, and more often than not, I find myself adding the weed to my list of friendly plants. I cannot help but marvel at these weeds. They grow where nothing else seems to grow and have an unsurpassed vitality. To the knowledgeable observer, the type of weeds growing in an area can tell us about the state of the soil.

Having animals also makes me value weeds. Animals can take plants I cannot eat and transform them into rich milk, tasty eggs, and flavorful meat. It gets me wondering how many of these “weeds” I can eat or use for my animals.

Part of making peace with weeds is accepting my garden doesn’t look like Butchart Gardens. I have given up my human desire for order and replace it with the chaos of natural system design. It means giving up on one type of esthetic and replacing it with another. This means, along with tolerating the weeds, I am also allowing the “volunteers” to grow up in my garden. Volunteers, are cultivated plants that come up spontaneously and are “naturalized” to the local environment. Sometimes they come up in awkward places. This means I have to use my creativity to work around these plants. I still haven’t given up rows, but I am working on it!

greens-garden

This is my greens garden. I planted beets, carrots and salad greens. I had a fabulous growth of chickweed, dandelion, and nasturiums which are wonderful bitter greens for salads. Way in the back is a chicken hoop house. The chickens live in the hoop house in the winter and go on pasture in the summer.

hoop-house

As you can see, hoop houses are not beautiful but they become fabulous greenhouses after a winter of chicken manure. We grow heavy feeding plants like squash and tomatoes in the hoop houses. Note the straw mulch on the potato patch behind the hoop house. We now alway mulch any bare soil.

This year, we have added four standard fruit trees to our forest garden. We have transplanted over eighty feet of raspberry canes throughout the garden. I have started a program of growing trees from seed for our forest garden. I am growing walnut and black locust trees. The black locust trees have seed pods that chickens love to eat. I am looking at making cuttings of our currents and spreading these tough plants all over the property. My only rule for planting is the plants must be food for my family or food for our animals, including our wild visitors.

Finally, my herb garden has gone wild. I remember only a few years ago using a pick-axe to dig small “pots” into the rock-hard clay. Four years of compost and animal manure has enlivened a moonscape. My herb garden is the new home for some tadpoles. My daughter Erika saved the tadpoles from a drying-up mud puddle. When the tadpoles mature, we are going to use the toads for insect control in the greenhouses and forest garden.

eatkamloops.org is Now Carrying Gort’s Raw Gouda

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We are an overfed and undernourished nation.
Unknown

If you have been having trouble finding a good raw cheese in Kamloops, eatkamloops.org is now carrying Gort’s Raw Gouda. If you have never heard of Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, they are an organic, pasture based dairy in Salmon Arm, BC. They use only natural ingredients with no added preservatives. They produce a whole range of cheeses including many types of Gouda, Maasdammer, and Feta. They also have a range of fresh products including: organic, non-homogenized milk, Bulgarian yogurt, cream, and Quark. I think Gort’s makes a world class raw Gouda.

Maybe you are wondering what is so great about raw cheese. The first reason is the taste and texture of raw cheese. It’s an easy, nourishing snack food. But it doesn’t end there. Raw cheese is much better for you and easier to digest even for people who have trouble with fresh whole milk. The natural process of fermentation increases the vitamin B and C content in the raw cheese. The natural process of fermentation provides beneficial bacteria, lactase, enzymes, and lactic acid which aids in digestion of dairy products. These same beneficial bacteria also protect us from pathogens that could make us sick. If you are thinking: “What, there aren’t any healthy bacteria! We need to sterilize our food for it to be safe.” Please read What is a Healthy Gut? We may have made a Faustian bargain when we chose “sterilization” over promoting “healthy bacteria” in our foods. These healthy bacteria help support a healthy immune system. Sure, the sterilized foods last longer but these devitalized foods may be slowly killing us. In our attempt to control pathological bacteria in our food, we have replaced these difficult and sometimes deadly organisms with an evil brew of sterilizing chemicals. Along with killing the pathological bacteria, we kill the helpful bacteria that might protect and improve our health. We do not know the long term consequences to our health, our children’s health, or to the greater environment from this toxic brew of chemicals.

We are now selling bulk blocks of raw Gouda. The blocks are approximately one kilogram. We are selling the cheese for $25.00 per kilogram. The raw cheese will age naturally in your fridge, so don’t worry about having too much cheese. It’s impossible! Just give us a call at 250.374.4646 or email us at info@eatkamloops.org to ensure we have raw cheese in stock. We can give you a sample of raw cheese to make sure you like it before you purchase.

Where to Start: Limited Time and Budget

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sausage-omelette

Last year we learned how to make sausage with the help of an experienced neighbor. Finding good food takes some time. Learning how to home process food is another challenge, but the rewards are great!

During the last few weeks, I have had a number of conversations from overwhelmed newcomers to nourishing traditional foods. “What is the best way to save money on nourishing traditional foods? How can I find time to make nourishing meals for my family when I am so busy? Do I need to take supplements?” These are examples of the typical questions. I hope the following posting will help people making the transition to nourishing traditional foods. Remember, you do not have to do it alone. There is a whole community with a vast store of knowledge willing to help.

So, how do you start if you have limited time and a limited budget? The Big Changes will take some planning and organizing on a seasonal basis. These changes are more expensive in the short term but will save a lot money over a year. The Little Changes can be done in the household and require only weekly planning and a regular program of self-education. There is no reason to rush. Learning how to prepare and cook one new recipe a week will get you to nourishing traditional foods in less than a year. All these steps will help improve your family’s health, especially if you cut out all the processed industrial food.

The Big Changes

1. Buy meat, fish and fowl by the whole animal. Don’t buy meat, fish or fowl by the piece at the grocery store. These animals and fish are likely from confinement operations. Find a local source of pastured meat, wild fish, and fowl. Look for wild fish in season and purchase the whole fish. Make sure the animal or fowl has been on pasture its whole life and not in a feedlot or confined. Buy the whole animal and get a full service butcher to cut and wrap the meat into sizes suitable for your family. Get the butcher to give you everything, including parts you do not know how to cook yet. You will need to have a deep freezer to store your meat, fish and fowl. Pastured beef is the best value per pound.

2. Use organic butter, pastured lard and grease. Don’t buy margarine and shortening, even if it is organic. These products may be cheaper but you will pay with your health. If money is an issue use more pastured lard than butter. If you really want to save money, start a grease bucket and save the congealed fat from cooked beef, pork and fowl. You really get something for nothing. Grease is great for high heat cooking and frying. If you are thinking, “What, you want me to eat saturated fat! Are you mad? Haven’t you heard, saturated fat causes heart disease?” Please read Cholesterol: Friend or Foe.

3. Eat pastured eggs. Don’t buy eggs produced in a confinement operation. These eggs are of poor quality, being produced by heavily medicated hens under very stressful conditions. Find a local source of eggs where the hens are allowed freedom to eat bugs, worms and grass. Properly produced eggs are a nourishing, low-cost alternative to meat. Eggs are a great way to start the day and hard-boiled eggs make a great snack.

4. Eat organic or pastured raw cheese and homemade high-fat yoghurt. Try fermenting some foods. Don’t buy pasteurized cheese or commercial low-fat yoghurt. These are ersatz foods and are a shadow of the real thing. Making your yoghurt at home will save money and will enhance digestion. Homemade yoghurt with some frozen seasonal berries makes a delicious snack or dessert. Find a source of local raw cheese. Eating raw cheese is an easy, nutritious snack or addition to a meal. Try making your own fermented foods. It is easy and will save money. Here are some more recipes for fermented foods: dill pickles, kim chi, green tomatoes, horseradish, mustard and live whey culture.

5. Eat vegetables and fruit in season and from a local source. Don’t buy exotic fruits and vegetables out of season. These foods have been shipped halfway around the world and may come from questionable sources. The best part of fruits and vegetables, the phytochemicals, will be mostly lost after such a long journey. Buy local, certified organic or from a producer that follows organic principles. Go to your local farmer’s market and get to know your local producers. Find out if there is a Community Supported Agriculture CSA program in your area. Many of the cheapest vegetables are the most nourishing. Eat plenty of potatoes, broccoli, chard, celery, beets, kale, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, garlic, squash, and lettuce. Grow a few pots of fresh herbs for low-cost garnishing on salads. While in season, consider buying vegetables and fruit in bulk and store for the winter.

6. Buy organic dried foods in bulk from a source you can trust. Don’t waste your money buying small packages of dried goods. You can save money by buying your organic grains, beans, legumes, dried fruits, herbs, and spices in bulk. You will need to find a dark, dry, and cool area of your house to store these foods. Try to buy this season’s harvest whenever possible.

7. Buy organic nuts and seeds in bulk from a source you can trust. Don’t waste your money buying small packages of nuts and seeds. Many of these packaged snacks are old and include numerous unhealthy additives. Try to buy this season’s harvest of nuts and seeds whenever possible. Nuts and seeds store best in the shell but most nuts and seeds are now sold shelled and need to be stored in a freezer. Try to buy this season’s harvest whenever possible to avoid stale products.

8. Put your money into whole foods rather than supplements. Don’t buy that low-cost multi-vitamin found in the drug store. There are many excellent supplements, such as fermented cod liver oil or probiotics, but if your budget is limited, use your money on real food first. Supplements are by their very nature highly processed, thus you will pay more for less. As your diet becomes more nutrient dense, your need for supplements will be reduced. Spend some time learning about super-foods before wasting money on supplements.

9. Eat offal from a pastured animal. Don’t supplement, eat offal! Liver, kidneys, heart, sweetbreads and brains are super-foods. If you are thinking about taking supplements, eat offal first. Offal was prized by most traditional cultures and are a rich source of nutrients.

The Little Changes

10. Make your own salad dressing. Don’t buy bottled salad dressing that is full of rancid vegetable oils, trans fats, and numerous unhealthy additives. For the cost of an average bottle of salad dressing you can make your own from the finest organic ingredients. Once you learn how to make your own dressing it takes a few minutes each week. Here is a recipe for Mustard Seed Dressing, Orange Ginger Dressing and Caesar Dressing. These are three family favorites.

11. Make a large bowl of seasonal mixed greens and vegetables and keep in the fridge for easy salads. Don’t waste your money on pre-mixed salad greens with packages of dressings with unhealthy ingredients. It takes a few minutes twice a week to have a fresh seasonal salad with each meal. Add your homemade salad dressing to the mixed greens just before eating.

12. Make your own bone broth once a week and use in soups, stews or reduction sauces. Don’t buy tetra packs of commercial stock. Don’t use processed bouillon cubes, even organic, which are made from very questionable ingredients. Bone broth is rich in minerals and helps in protein digestion. The congealed fat from bone broth can be used in cooking, which will save money. If you do not know how to make a homemade soups or stews, it is time to learn. Bone broth will make every soup or stew delicious. If you are lost in the kitchen read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. You can find a copy in the Kamloops Public Library.

13. If you eat grains, beans, and legumes, enjoy them whole with your meals. Don’t buy expensive prepackaged, or canned foods. These foods may be convenient but they do not have the nutrition found in home prepared grains, beans and legumes. Soak overnight and cook the next day. If you are wondering why you need to soak grains read Be Kind to Your Grains. If you are short on time, make a big pot once a week and store the cooked grains, beans and legumes in the fridge for later use. Use cold or re-heat as needed.

14. If you eat grains, make your our breakfast cereal. Don’t buy boxed cold breakfast cereal, even if it is made from organic whole grains. These processed foods are very expensive, difficult to digest, and poor in nutrition. Even the most expensive organic grains will be far cheaper than these heavily processed breakfast cereals. Make your own breakfast cereal with organic whole grains that are soaked overnight before cooking. If you are short on time, make a big pot once and week and store the cooked cereal in the fridge for later use. Heat up a small amount of the cooked cereal in the morning for breakfast. Remember to top with lots of raw cream or butter to help your body utilize the nutrients in the cereal and slow down your insulin response.

15. Make healthy homemade cookies and have frozen fruit for quick snacks. Don’t buy expensive cookies and cake with questionable ingredients. Have some frozen fruit for quick snacks and everyday desserts. Don’t buy those expensive little packages of organic berries from the grocery store. In season, find a local source of organic berries and freeze a year’s supply. Here are some recipes for cookies and cakes: Lemon Coconut Cookies, Chocolate Brownies, Butter Tart Squares, Coconut Almond Bark and Nanaimo Bars. Use these sweet desserts for special occasions.

16. If you eat grains, make healthy homemade bread and crackers. Don’t buy breads and crackers made with rancid flour, rancid vegetable oils, trans fats, and numerous unhealthy additives. The staff-of-life has become a shadow of its former greatness. Grind your own flour from organic whole grains and grow your own sour dough culture. Making bread can be made easier by making bread once a week or by storing a week’s worth of dough in the fridge and bring out a loaves’ worth in the morning before baking. If grinding your own flour is not possible, try sprouting the grain for three days and use a food processor to make a dough from the sprouted grain. For more information about the staff-of-life and the staff-of-death please read Dirty Secrets.

18. If possible, grow your own garden. Don’t worry if all you have is a small patio or windowsill. Start with a small herb garden for parsley, cilantro, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary and other favorite herbs. Use these fresh herbs on your daily salads. Grow a few tomato plants or peas in pots. It is very satisfying to grow your own food.

19. If you are inclined, get a few hens for fresh eggs and meat. If you have the space consider getting a miniature goat or cow for raw milk. Lobby your government for changes in regulations to promote local food security. Hens will produce eggs and improve your garden fertility. Getting a source of high quality raw dairy is worth the trouble. Raw dairy is one of the most delicious, nourishing foods. Lobby your local, provincial, and federal governments to change laws so we can all can grow healthy food on our properties. This will increase food security for everyone.

20. Invest in your long-term health. Don’t skimp on your food budget. Economize by eating at home and save on meals out. Cut out all the junk food, even the organic junk food, and use this money to buy high quality whole foods. Eating whole foods will keep you healthy and avoid loses in wages due to sick-time off work. It might even spare your life, by avoiding some dreaded disease. If you haven’t read 25 Step to Nourishing Traditional Foods, please do so.

Frugavore

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Some might see the word “peasant” as a derogatory term… In fact, the word is derived from the fifteenth-century French word “paisant”, meaning a person from the local “pays”, or countryside. By definition a peasant is any person who lives or works close to the land… The peasant diet has been described as “simple and nourishing,” and their health was all the better for it.
Frugavore by Arabella Forge

A few months ago, I wrote a posting called What’s a Starving Student to do About Food? This posting was to help the student, or anyone on a tight budget, find ways to eat nourishing traditional foods. I had just received my copy of Wise Traditions, a quarterly journal produced by the Weston A Price Foundation. The journal had a review about a new book called Frugavore. This book is written by Arabella Forge, the Weston A Price Leader in Melbourne, Australia. Frugavore has not been released in Canada yet, but you can get it through amazon.com.

A few days ago, my sister Christine surprised me with a copy of Frugavore. She ordered the book from Australia. I enjoyed reading the book. It was fun to read about regional specialties like Kangaroo-Tail Soup and finding a man to urinate on your garden’s lemon tree. At the beginning of each recipe Arabella has helpful advice for the new Frugavore. Each section begins with a philosophical discussion on how to be a frugal with our food dollars while maintaining a high quality food supply for our families. Arabella discusses small scale gardening, household waste reduction, methods of food preparation, and safe household cleaning. If you have problems with the Nightshades you will need to make some substitutions. If you are on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, some of the recipes will not be suitable. For those who can enjoy grains, legumes and beans, Arabella walks you through the process of traditional preparation for these peasant foods.

The first recipe I tried from the book was a success. Both of my girls, known for their dislike of squash, finished their bowls and asked for more. I have made some local changes to the recipe.

Pumpkin Soup
1/2 acorn squash, steamed and peeled
1 small sweet pumpkin, steamed and peeled
1T fat or butter
1tsp sea salt
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2tsp allspice, freshly ground
fresh parsley or chives, chopped
4-6c chicken stock or bone broth
In a large soup pot, saute the onions and salt in the fat until golden brown. Add the carrots and garlic near the end of the cooking. In another large pot, put about one inch of water in the bottom. Quarter the squash and steam until soft. Remove the squash from the pot and peel after the squash has cooled. Puree the squash with a food processor. Use the steaming water to thin out the squash, if needed. Add the sauted vegetables to the squash and puree until smooth. Return the mixture to the large soup pot and add enough broth to have a smooth soup.

We Have Organic, Soy-Free Eggs

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If you are looking for high quality eggs, we have eggs for sale. Our chickens are a mixed flock of heritage birds: Ameraucana, Buff Orpingtons, Danish Brown Leghorns, Buff Brahams, and Red Rock Cross. This means the egg shells are brown, white and blue.

We feed the chickens certified organic whole grains and peas from Fieldstone Granary and from local suppliers that do not spray. We supplement the chicken’s diet with kelp, oyster shells, sea salt, dolomite lime and kitchen scraps. Occasionally, the chickens get a feast of offal when we slaughter a hog. The chickens are NOT fed any soy products. During the winter the chickens are confined to a greenhouse where they can get sprouted grains, peas and sleepy bugs. During the summer the chickens are free range and get a variety of herbs, forbs, grasses and insects.

We have a small flock so there is only about two to three dozen eggs produced each day, so our egg numbers are limited. We are selling the eggs for $5.00 per dozen.

Healthy Household: Soap Making

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Fall and winter are the traditional times for slaughtering, rendering and soap making. Soap is just one of many by-products of the slaughtering process. Ideally, you want to render beef or sheep suet, which is the hard fat from around the kidneys and loin. Or you can buy tallow, which is the rendered suet. If you cannot find suet, any beef or sheep fat will render into a suitable tallow for cooking, candle and soap making. Suet is a traditional base ingredient in suet pudding and pastry crusts.

Rendering Tallow
5 pounds of beef or sheep suet, chopped into small chucks
2-3c water
1tsp sea salt
1tsp baking soda, optional
Chop the suet into small chucks and put into a large pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all the fat is released. Sieve the fat and water to remove any remaining solid pieces of meat or connective tissue. (If you are making soap and find there is an unpleasant beefy smell, the tallow can be “deodorized” by adding a small amount of baking soda.) Refrigerate until the tallow congeals on the surface of the water. Remove the tallow from the water and scape off any impurities found on the bottom of the tallow. The tallow will store almost indefinitely in the freezer and can be used for cooking, soap and candle making.

Soap making is very easy. I have used a number of soap making books over the years but I have found Soap: Making it, Enjoying It by Ann Bramson, the easiest to use. If you have never made soap before this book will be very helpful. She has a number of basic soap making recipes but my favorite is her Castile Soap and Copra-Olive Oil Soap. The most important part of soap making is measuring carefully and getting the temperature right. It is easier to have two thermometers: one for the lye solution and one for the fats.

Castile Soap
11 ounces lye
32 ounces water
26 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
60 ounces of tallow
1 ounce of essence oil of choice

Note About Ingredients
In the old days, I would use the cheapest ingredients I could find for soap making. I would use pomace olive oil. The more I learn about industrial food processing, the more careful I become. Pomace olive oil is made by using industrial solvents. I would not eat this food, nor would I want it on my body. Furthermore, use a quality essence oil. I like the essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Building a Mold
Before making soap you need to have a soap mold. The mold can be made of wood, plastic or cardboard. A simple mold can be made from a cardboard box about the size of a shoe box. Cut off the cardboard flaps from the top of the box and insert the pieces into the box for more support. Line the box with a garbage bag.

The Lye Solution
Take a mason jar lid and punch two holes with a nail and hammer. One hole will allow the lye solution to slowly pour into the fats. The second hole will allow air to go into the jar. Fill a 1L mason jar with the 32 ounces of pure water. Add the lye carefully to the water. Be very careful handling lye. Lye is a very powerful base and will burn skin on contact. Mix the water and lye with a wooden spoon. The solution is exothermic and will produce a lot of heat. The solution will go to about 180-200F. The lye solution needs to cool to between 95-98F. Getting the temperature right is very important.

Handling the Fats
In a large pot gently heat the tallow and olive oil. The oil needs to be cooled to 95-98F. You can also use a bath of warm water to get the two mixtures to the right temperature. After the mixtures are at 95-98F, wrap the large pot of fats in a towel. Start stirring the fats with a wooden spoon and slowly pour the lye mixture into the fats. Find a comfortable position for stirring the large pot. You will be stirring the fat and lye solution for a long time. It may take one to three hours of constant stirring.

The solution will start out looking brownish yellow and greasy. As the lye and fats chemically combine during the stirring process the color of the solution will change towards a white creamy texture. The white creamy material is soap. Ideally, the soap should be thick enough to make a pattern momentarily on the surface of the soap mixture. At this point, add the essence oil and pour into the mold. Cover the soap and mold with a blanket or towel. Let the soap sit for 24-48 hours before removing from the mold. The soap should be as hard as cheese by this point.

Cutting up Soap
Trim off all the sides of the soap block. There will be lots of soda ash on the top of the soap and a small amount of soda ash on the sides on the block. (This soda ash can be used to soften water, as a grease-cutting detergent or to clean silverware.) Square up the block by cutting off thin pieces. These off-cut pieces can be rolled into soap balls. Cut the block into soap bar-sized pieces. Remember to cut some very small bars, like those found at hotels, for hand washing and gifts. The soap needs to age for at least two weeks before using.

For more recipes please see Healthy Household: Staying Clean Safely and Saving Money.

Holiday Dinner Menu

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I wanted to share the menu I used for Christmas Dinner, but the menu would be good for any holiday dinner. All the ingredients came from organic sources. I have found a new source for organic herbs and spices, mountainroseherbs.com. I was very impressed with the freshness and quality.

This meal was fairly easy to prepare and took about four hours. I usually bake my desserts the day before a special dinner. If I do not have time, I will complete the desserts in the morning so the desserts have time to cool in the fridge before serving. I make the stuffing well in advance, so the flavors can meld together. I cut up all of my vegetables well in advance and set the vegetables aside for later use. I let the roast sit on the counter, seasoned, until I am ready to start my final preparations.

The meal was delicious. We made it to the first dessert with the ice wine but could not get down another bite. This meal served six but could easily have served eight people.

Salad Course
Grated Beets with Whole Seed Mustard Dressing
Green Salad with Whole Seed Mustard Dressing

Main Course
Roasted Grass-fed Lamb with sea salt, fresh rosemary and whole garlic heads
Spicy Yam and Sweet Potato Fries
Savory Nut Stuffing
Vegetable Medley with Raw Cheese
Homemade Red Wine

Dessert Course
Pumpkin Custard with Fresh Whipping Cream
Chocolate Brownie with Cream Cheese Icing
Christmas Butter Tart Squares
Local Icewine
Espresso

Roasted Grass-fed Lamb
Our lamb came from Jocko Creek Ranch. Shaen and Joe slaughtered and wrapped the lamb earlier in December. We used the leg for Christmas dinner.
5 pound grass-fed lamb leg
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1tsp unrefined sea salt
1 sprig fresh rosemary, from my indoor herb garden
1-2 garlic heads, in their skins
Allow the grass-fed meat to sit in the fridge for a few days before cooking for best results. The morning of the meal, remove the lamb leg from the fridge and place on the counter to warm to room temperature. Make small incisions into the leg to place the slices of garlic. Place the sprig of fresh rosemary under the leg of lamb. Sprinkle the unrefined sea salt on top. When ready to cook, place the meat thermometer into the leg. Cook at 325F until the meat gets to 120F. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and the temperature will rise. Peel the garlic cloves and serve with the meat. Slice the meat and serve immediately.

Spicy Yam and Sweet Potato Fries
This recipe is based on a recipe from mountainroseherbs.com. This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but might be a good recipe to try during the reintroduction phase.
1 large organic sweet potato
1 large organic yam
1tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
1tsp paprika
1tsp sea salt
1T organic extra virgin olive oil (optional)
3T pastured pork fat
Heat oven to 325F. Cut sweet potato and yam into French fries or wedges. In a large bowl mix the spices, sea salt and fat together. Add the cut tubers to the spice mixture and toss well. If you are using fats you may have to use your hand to get the mixture to cover the tubers evenly. Spread evenly over a glass oven pan and bake for 30 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Vegetable Medley with Raw Cheese
1/8c organic butter
1c organic onion, cut into rings
1c fresh organic mushrooms, whole
1/2c dried morels, crumbled (optional)
1c organic Brussel sprouts, cut in half
1c organic carrots, cut into wedges and julienned
1c organic broccoli flowers, cut into small pieces
some bone broth, juice from roasted meat or red wine
2c raw organic cheese, grated
1/2c organic parsley, chopped finely
This should be the last dish prepared before serving dinner. Have all the vegetables cut and ready for cooking. When the roast is ready, heat the butter in a large cast iron frying pan. Saute the onions and mushrooms until soft. Use a bit of bone broth or the juice from the roasted meat to avoid sticking. Add the Brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. Cook until vegetables are just tender. Stir well and top with raw cheese and parsley. I used Gort’s Gouda for the raw cheese. Slightly heat the cheese and serve.

Pumpkin Custard
I remember the first time I had pumpkin “pie” using whole pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin. I was surprised at the flavor of real pumpkin. The canned pumpkin I used to buy, had “pumpkin” as the only ingredient, but the canned pumpkin had a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. It was then I realized labeling laws are deceptive and allow for the addition of sugar and spices to some given percentage without having to include this information in the ingredient list. I started distrusting labeling. Nevertheless, I would never go back to making pumpkin-based desserts with anything but whole pumpkin. The end product tastes so delicious.

The secret of great pumpkin pie is fresh spices and using a sweet “pie” pumpkin. I always use whole spices and grind them with a mortar and pestle just before use. I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate as needed. Since I am using organic ginger I grate skin and all.
1 small organic sweet pumpkin, pre-cooked by baking or steaming, skinned
1/4-1/3 raw local honey, adjust to sweetness of pumpkin
pinch of sea salt
1tsp organic cinnamon
1tsp organic ginger, freshly grated
1/2tsp organic allspice, freshly ground
1/2tsp organic cloves, freshly ground
1/2c whole organic cream, or more
1T Brandy (optional)
In a food processor, smooth out the pumpkin into a paste. Add honey, sea salt and spices and taste for sweetness. Add extra honey if needed, but remember the pie will become sweeter after cooking. Add cream to smooth out the paste. It should be thick but not stiff. Fill 6-8 oven safe glass custard cups and place into a large glass baking dish filled with warm water. Cook at 325F for 30-45 minutes until custard is slightly browned. Cool in the fridge and serve with fresh whipping cream.