Beautiful Raw Honey

Raw honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety we eat most today is produced by the honey bee. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process or regurgitation and evaporation. They store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. Honey has approximately the same relative sweetness as that of granulated sugar. Honey's natural sugars are dehydrated, which prevents fermentation. Microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity. However, honey sometimes contains dorman endospores of the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants.

Raw Honey is honey that has not been heated, pateurized or processed in any way. There is a big difference between raw and pasteurized honey. Raw honey contains the vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and other natural nutrients that make it a wonderful healing food.

The honey we purchase in the stores has been heated, or pasteurized. Heating honey slows down the granulation process. Pasteurized or heated honey will last longer in it's liquid state than unpasteurized honey, which makes for a more appealing-looking product for both retailers and consumers - translation: It's done for marketing purposes.

There are lots of references to honey on the internet - do your research and decide for yourself if you want raw or cooked honey. In the meantime, here is a list of time-tested uses of raw honey (again remembering to never give raw honey to children under 18 months):

- A teaspon of honey taken at bedtime, acts as a mild sedative and helps avoid bed wetting. A recent study published in Pediatrics, researchers discovered that honey worked better than a placebo made from date syrup to maintain sleep.

• Honey has been known to boost athletic performance levels. In fact in the days of ancient Olympics, athletes were trained on a diet rich in raw honey & figs.
• Studies reported in WebMD have shown honey to be a more effective cough suppressant than dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine.
• Honey has a very alkalizing effect on the body.
• Honey doesn't ferment in the stomach and can be used to counter acid-indigestion.
• When honey is mixed with ginger & lemon (in water slightly warmer than room temperature), it will quickly relieve nausea and boost energy.
• Digestive Aid: In a 2006 study published by BMC Complementary, researchers found that substituting honey for sugar in processed foods improved the gut microflora of male mice.
• Raw honey has been successfully used to treat anemia.
• Raw honey has a long history of treating all sorts of intestinal ailments.
• In India, it's believed that raw honey will strengthen a weak heart, weak brain and weak stomach.
• Raw honey is an excellent wound healer.

 

• Raw honey does not cause blood sugar spikes like pasteurized honey or regular sugar, thereby keeping blood sugar and insulin levels more stable.
• Raw honey helps lower triglycerides, while pasteurized honey will increase them.
• For a glowing and youthful complexion, mix a Tablespoon of raw honey with 1-2 Tablespoons of sweet almond oil, extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil and apply to entire face and neck after cleansing. Leave on for 30 minutes; then wash off with cool or tepid water.
• To make a wonderful face mask, mix some green or bentonite clay with water and raw honey - leave on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing. 
• An old remedy for the treatment of gout, arthritis and various nervous disorders is the combining of raw honey with unfermented grape juice.
• Raw honey can be used to help dissolve fat deposits. Mix 1-2 teaspoons of raw honey with warm distilled water, along with a squeeze of fresh lemon (fresh only) and a dash of cinnamon.
• Skin ailments - everything from burns to scrapes to surgical incisions and radiation-associated ulcers have been shown to respond to "honey dressings." Thanks to hydrogen peroxide that naturally exists in honey.
• Mosquito bite relief: Honey has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Immune booster: honey is chock full of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that helps to protect cells from free radical damage. It can also contribute to heart health as well as protect against cancer.
• Acne Treatment: According to preliminary research, honey can effectively treat acne vulgaris on the face, back and chest.

 

We may want to re-think how much RAW honey we are storing ... and get a little more.

Raw honey ranges greatly in cost - my own local prices range anywhere from $4.50 to $9.00 per pound. I do have a source for raw local honey here in Southern Utah - if you are interested, let me know - the price is $2.66 per pound.  - Robin

Grandma's Country Cream 100% Real Powdered Milk

My family has recently acquired a 25 lb bucket of Grandma's Country Foods Country Cream 100% Real Milk Powder. I had heard that it is much better than most powdered milks in the fact that it tastes creamy and completely dissolves in the water as to not leave a grainy taste. 

My family drinks a lot of milk, especially my 2 year old, he goes through a gallon in about 3 days. A few days ago we had finished all of our store bought milk, which meant it was a perfect time to try out our new powdered milk. I mixed 2 2/3 cups of powder with 1 Gallon of Water as it directs on the bucket. I put it into the fridge to get cold and then I gave some to my 2 year old to try it out. He guzzled it down and couldn't tell the difference. My husband tried it out and he liked it but said it tasted a lot like skim milk, so I added a bit more powder to the mixture and it gave it a richer flavor. I tried it after everyone else tried it out ( I love milk and I'm very picky at where we purchase milk. I would drink Raw milk all day if I had access to a cow.) and I found it didn't taste like store bought milk, but it wasn't bad. It was quite good and tasted pretty close to 2% milk. AND it completely dissolved with the water, there was no grainy taste! I am totally SOLD on this product!

You can bet that my family will be using this whole bucket up to save us on a lot of money especially with milk prices going up.A bucket of powder allows you to make up this milk at about $1.62/gallon. If you would like more information on Grandma's Country Cream Powdered milk please email us at: chillylizard@gmail.com. If you live in Southern Utah and would like to know prices for ordering some Grandma's Country Cream Powdered Milk, please email us at chillylizard@gmail.com too.

This guy sure approves!

Spelt - 3 Tips to Higher Loaf Volume

Three tips to achieve higher loaf volume while using Spelt:

TIP #1
*  Take 1/2 of all ingredients (including the yeast), place in bowl and mix until you produce dough.
*  Cover and place in accessible spot for later use.
*  Within 5 to 12 hours add the remainder of all ingredients to the bowl (sponge dough), mix to produce the dough and proceed as you would normally.

Spelt flour is high in complex carbohydrates and, thus, needs to have some of the complex carbohydrates reduced to simple sugars so that the yeast will have a strong food source. By setting a sponge, you are releasing the enzymes in the flour that are activated when wet, to begin the conversion process. The resulting bread will have better cell structure, greater loaf volume and a lighter crust.

TIP #2
*  Replace some whole grain spelt flour with white flour - you will get more volume and a lighter loaf while still keeping many of the good characteristics of whole spelt.

TIP #3
* Add dough enhancer or an egg to your bread

Check out:  http://www.histakes-spelt.com  for more info on Spelt.  Excellent site.

You can BAKE with Spelt

Question: What changes should you make when you add spelt to your dough mixtures for any baked good?

Baking with spelt is similar to baking with other flours, however, due to spelt's solubility, bakers often notice that a little less water is required. When using your favorite recipes, it is suggested that you use 3/4 of the liquid that you normally would use. More liquid can then be added until the look and feel of the batter is satisfactory.

**Be sure you make note of what you do so you can repeat your successes**

Spelt has fragile gluten meaning that the initial mix time (when water is first added to the flour) should be no more than 4 minutes - although 3 1/2 minutes is ideal.

Mix the flour/liquid enough to get the dough to become homogenous.
Once mixed, you can treat the dough as though it were made with regular wheat.

Check out www.histakes-spelt.com for more information & recipes

What is Spelt anyway?

Spelt's Origin, Genetic Makeup, and Nutritional Value

Spelt is an ancient grain that has lately made a comeback in North America, even though it has been popular through the decades in many European countries. Spelt is a non-hybrid distant relative to present day wheat. Spelt's uniqueness is derived from its genetic makeup and nutrition profile. Spelt has high water solubility, so nutrients are easily absorbed by the body making it easy to digest. It is high in protein (significantly higher than wheat), higher in B complex vitamins, and spelt is high in both simple and complex carbohydrates. These complex carbohydrates are an important factor in blood clotting and stimulating the body's immune system. Spelt is a suberb fiber resource. Spelt's nutty flavor doesn't just taste good, it has so many other nutritional benefits that are amazingly good for you! Keep reading to find out more about how spelt’s nutrients contribute to lower risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease, type II diabetes, and can lessen occurrences of migraine headaches.

Spelt is more difficult to process than modern wheat varieties, making it a little more expensive to purchase. Spelt's husk protects it from pollutants and insects which allows growers to avoid using pesticides, unlike other grains. The husk needs to be mechanically separated from the kernal before milling (this is done after it is thrashed and harvested). The spelt is stored in good, low moisture conditions in order to protect the kernal, retain nutrients, and maintain freshness. Over decades, modern wheat has been drastically changed to be easier to grow and harvest. This in turn increases yields, maintains a high gluten content in the wheat to produce high-volume commercial baked goods. On the other hand, spelt has preserved many of its original traits and continues to remain highly nutritious and full of flavor. And spelt can make fantastic breads and delicious pastries

A note about gluten: Keep in mind that spelt does contain gluten. Gluten is made up of glutenin and gliadin molecules. Gluten provides elasticity to dough, which allows bread to rise. Even though spelt’s gluten is more fragile than other wheats, the bread produces fewer air pockets, it is well formed and maintains its flavorful taste. (Find baking tips below, so keep reading.)


Wheat or Gluten Allergies, Celiac Disease

If you have a wheat or gluten allergy, I recommend that you consult your doctor regarding which specific grains you should avoid. Most gluten testing is done with wheat gluten; therefore you know that you are certainly allergic to wheat. General testing for allergic reactions to food groups (like wheat) can identify problem areas but more specific tests may allow you to enjoy foods that you otherwise might rule out (like spelt).

If you have heard of confirmed, diagnosed Celiac sufferers who are able to eat spelt, then what you heard is true. However, if you have a gluten intolerance such as Celiac, you are strongly cautioned that there are differing degrees of severity and each individual case is different. You must be responsible to weigh the risk against the possible reward. If you have any allergies or intolerances to wheat, trying spelt should be a decision that you reach only after consulting your physician. Wheat-allergic patients can react as readily to spelt as they do to common wheat. If you do experience allergies to wheat and would like to try spelt, you may need to first cleanse your body of the toxins that your body finds in wheat.

Thanks to Jamie at JNC Enterprises where they love to farm as a family in Sugar City, Idaho.
http://www.histakes-spelt.com/index.php

Keep your family SAFE - Read Your Labels

Be careful; read labels; buy local and BOTTLE your own!

-- This information was recently sent to me.  I was a bit overwhelmed at first but after checking throughout the internet I am listing all the ones I was able to verify.   Wow - food for thought and ANOTHER good reason to be more persistent in learning how to grow our own foods.  Who would've thought?? 

• Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China.

• 

  CAREFULLY buy the grocery store bulb garlic making sure it is clearly marked from the USA or Canada. Most everything else is product grown in questionable conditions, with unregulated chemicals & fertilizers.  China is the largest producer of garlic in the world. 
• 

  HONEY LAUNDERING - Buy only local honey; again, most store honey is being shipped in huge containers from China and re-packaged in the US.   It's difficult if not impossible to find this information on the label.  I'm not making this stuff up!  I know it sounds bizarre; look on the internet and find the articles that talk about this.  It's a good thing we get our's direct from Dutson Honey - the Beekeeper himself in Delta, Utah.
• 

  Cold-FX is grown and packed in China and has been found to be contaminated with e-coli (fecal bacteria).  If the country of origin is not clearly marked on the box - beware.  Maybe consider learnng how to use more herbal & essential oil remedies where possible.

Watch out for packages which state "prepared for", "packed by" or "imported by".

 The country of origin should be clearly shown on the item. Buy as much as you can from local farmers markets in season and keep a wary eye open the rest of the year.

For example: Common brands; the "Our Family" AND "Festival" brand of mandarin oranges says right on the can it’s from China. Just look at the label - The MORE we purchase from China, the cheaper it becomes for them to ship it all to the US in huge container ships!  
For a few more cents, (literally!) you can buy US brands.  

MAYBE Learning to Fish Would be a Good Idea: 

• 

  Four-firths of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported from 62 different countries.  All "High Liner" and most other frozen fish products come from China or Indonesia. The package may say "pacific salmon" on the front, but look for the small print, usually on the back of the package near the bottom. Most of these products come from fish farms in the orient where there are no regulations on what is fed to these fish. (Recently The Montreal Gazette had an article by the Canadian Government on how Chinese feed the fish: They suspend chicken wire crates over the fish ponds, and the fish feed on chicken poop. 
  

Them YOU get to eat the fish!) If you search the Internet about what the Chinese feed their fish that they import all over the world, you'll be alarmed at the pictures and the articles.(It’s nauseating reading!)

• Beware of purchasing any type of fish or shellfish that comes from these countries: Vietnam, China, Philippines. Again, you can find a myriad of articles on this on the internet without having to dig very far! 

Learn TO BOTTLE YOUR OWN PRODUCE: 

• Beware, LOTS of canned peaches and pears now come from China (both in cans & plastic containers).
• Steinfeld’s Pickles;  Safeway brands & Nalley's are made in India.
• Canned mushrooms: No-Name brand comes from Indonesia. 
• Check those little fruit cups. They used to be made in Canada in the Niagara region until about 2 years ago. They are now packaged in China! Look at the label!

• 900,000 tubes of Toothpaste made in China recently recalled - contaminated with anti-freeze! 

Read the labels of what you buy! If it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (that now includes Hong Kong ), you may want to consider choosing another product.

... How Does your Garden Grow?

WHY HEIRLOOM SEEDS? 

It was sort of an eye opening thing for me to discover that "someone" was messing with our food sources.  Gosh between Genetically Modified Foods; Fertilizers; Pesticides; and fruits/vegetables that don't produce that we could plant or grow - it's a wonder we aren't all dead.  As a people, we've been encouraged to learn how to grow our own gardens for a couple of centuries now, I always thought it would be because food would run out - A Father much wiser than us knew it would not only be for our experience & learning but for our health and sustainability. ... Here's what I've pulled from Wikipedia  ... make a note:

Before the industrialization of agriculture, a much wider variety of plant foods were grown for human consumption. In modern agriculture in the industrialized world, most food crops are now grown in large, monocultural plots. In order to maximize consistency, few varieties of each type of crop are grown. These varieties are often selected for their productivity, their ability to withstand mechanical picking and cross-country shipping, and their tolerance to drought, frost, or pesticides. Heirloom gardening is a reaction against this trend.

The definition and use of the word heirloom to describe plants is fiercely debated.

One school of thought places an age or date point on the cultivars. For instance, one school says the cultivar must be over 100 years old, others 50 years, and others prefer the date of 1945 which marks the end of World War II and roughly the beginning of widespread hybrid use by growers and seed companies. Many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can have originated and still be called an heirloom, since that year marked the widespread introduction of the first hybrid varieties. It was in the 1970s that hybrid seeds began to proliferate in the commercial seed trade. Some heirloom plants are much older, some being apparently pre-historic.

Another way of defining heirloom cultivars is to use the definition of the word "heirloom" in its truest sense. Under this interpretation, a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations.

Additionally, there is another category of cultivars that could be classified as "commercial heirlooms," cultivars that were introduced many generations ago and were of such merit that they have been saved, maintained and handed down - even if the seed company has gone out of business or otherwise dropped the line. Additionally, many old commercial releases have actually been family heirlooms that a seed company obtained and introduced.

Regardless of a person's specific interpretation, most authorities agree that heirlooms, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. While there are no genetically modified tomatoes available for commercial or home use, it is generally agreed that no genetically modified organisms can be considered heirloom cultivars. Another important point of discussion is that without the ongoing growing and storage of heirloom plants, the seed companies and the government will control all seed distribution. Most, if not all, hybrid plants, if regrown, will not be the same as the original hybrid plant, thus ensuring the dependency on seed distributors for future crops. 

Personal note:  That last sentence is soul shaking! 

Here's a few resources:

Seed Saving Organizations
Seed saving organizations are slightly different from seed companies. Their goal is usually to promote garden biodiversity, utilizing of rare heirlooms, and the histories behind these seeds. To gain access to these types of organizations you may have to become a member, but they often sell seeds in order to raise funds.

1. Seed Savers Exchange

The most popular suggestion for inclusion was Seed Savers Exchange. Founded in 1975, Seed Savers Exchange is a registered non-profit and arguably the reason why heirlooms are so popular today. You will find seeds for herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers.

2. Kusa Seed Society

The Kusa Seed Society's mission statement states its purpose as being to increase humanity's knowledge and understanding of our connection to edible seed crops. The society offers cereal grains, grain legumes, oilseeds and other edible seeds.

3. Organic Seed Alliance

One commenter suggested the Organic Seed Alliance. While they are not exactly a seed source, they do list organic seed companies as a resource to organic farmers and gardeners.
Seed Companies

4. Territorial Seed

The very first Territorial Seed catalog was printed in 1979 by its founder, Steve Solomon, who later sold the company to Tom and Julie Johns in 1985. Territorial Seed carries vegetable seeds and plants, along with garden supplies.

5. High Mowing Organic Seeds

High Mowing Organic Seeds was founded in 1996 when the company's founder, Tom Stearns, tilled up a portion of his backyard to grow plants for organic seed production. By 2001, the company had grown so much that he started to contract local farms to grow seeds just to keep up with demand.

If YOU know of any other solid sources for Heirloom seeds; please comment & share with us.  - Thanks, Robin