Knowledge Is Power: Part 2

Three weeks ago  Nearly two years ago (yikes!) I started on this train of thought (and on this blog post).  I think I got busy and distracted again.  Story of my life!  Can I even remember why I hopped aboard this train?  What was my destination?  Who planned this trip, anyway?  And where is the conductor?

I am a Mom (which has already been established, I know), but what you may not know is that I've done the whole pregnancy/birth/Mom thing more than once.  Something else you may not know is that I have birthed at home, with only my husband present.  Yes, it was intentional, and even if it hadn't been, things happened too quickly for any other option.  What does this have to do with "Knowledge is Power"?  Let me tell you.

Back before I got pregnant with my very first (20 22 years ago!) I was fortunate to have started learning about natural healing, healthy foods, and how drugs/doctors can mess things up in an otherwise normal healthy body.  I decided then that I wanted a home birth, and found a midwife.  She was awesome!

I know I took up much time with my midwife, talking to her and asking questions, and borrowing her books.  I learned so much and loved to share my knowledge with my friends.  I know that having my baby born outside a hospital was the best choice I could have made, and I wanted all my friends to have the same wonderful experience.  Sadly most of them went the route of doctors and hospitals without even reading about it, or talking to a midwife.  "It's my first, so I'd be too afraid."  "My husband wants me to be where it's safe."

If only they had sought some KNOWLEDGE then I know that they would have had the POWER to do as I did without fear.  (Lest I get some negative feedback, I'm not saying that all women should birth at home, or that all hospital births are bad; hospitals and doctors are supposed to be for non-normal, emergency situations, and in those instances are the absolute best place for you to be.)  I wasn't sad that my friends chose a doctor and hospital; rather I was disappointed that they didn't make an informed decision.  They didn't have the knowledge and facts necessary for that, and instead simply bowed to peer pressure: they went with the status quo.  They chose to remain ignorant.

Because I studied this issue I had knowledge, which gave me courage; I wasn't afraid.  I then gained experience because of this knowledge.  Because of this experience, when we were "on our own" we were confident and unafraid.

This is a lesson that applies to many aspects of life, not just pregnancy and childbirth.  This was a personal example of something where I was emPOWERed to act based on my knowledge, but let me see if I can come up with more.

What do you choose to eat or feed your family?  Some people don't give it much thought, and just go off what they like, or what they think is the cheapest.  But what if you or your child are ill, or have allergies?  Again, some people never seek knowledge, and continue down the same path, only to cause greater problems.  But what if you educated yourself, armed yourself with knowledge and understanding?  Then you would be able to make better choices on what food to eat, maybe what herbs to help with healing, possibly even what medicine to use or avoid.  You can learn how to save money by cooking from scratch with Real Food.  Then maybe expand that to learning how to grow that Real Food.

You don't just jump in the deep end of the pool or hop into the driver's seat of a car without knowledge of what you're doing.  And even then you will be cautious as you try things, usually with supervision and instruction from someone who knows more than you.  As you increase in understanding and experience then you will have power to actually swim or control the car safely.

Knowledge gives you the power to make informed decisions about everything in life.  We can't just go with our feelings, or tradition, or peer pressure, not if we really want to be responsible for our own life.  Do you head off on a big trip without knowing where you're going or how to get there?  Do you marry someone without knowing them?  Not usually, at least not in our culture.  Should you allow your child to have vaccines without knowing what they are, what they do (and don't do), and if it's safe for your child?

I do not claim to know everything, and I do not know what is right for you.  What I do know is that I need to be educated to make the right choices for me and my family, and I hope that you would feel the same.

I think I remember where I was headed with my original thought, so I will be working on Part 3 next.  Stay tuned:  I don't think it will hope it won't take another 2 years for the next post.  :)

Whats "goot" about today?

Man-cub is sick.  Sore throat, cough, congestion, tired watery eyes, feverish, not sleeping well, and general crankiness.  No fun for any of us!

I'm a firm believer in letting the body fight its own way through most things, and give it the support it needs with good food, herbs, homeopathics, lots of liquids, and rest.  I try to avoid OTC "remedies" as much as possible, and doctors even more!

Yesterday I made GOOT.  "What is that?" you ask.  It's a blend of garlic, olive oil, and coconut oil, and it's a very effective way to get the garlic into little bodies without trying to make them eat it.  The original links where I found the recipe years ago seem to be gone now, except for this one at a health forum.  (It's a great forum, by the way, with a LOT of information!)

Here's the basic recipe:

• 3 Tbs Virgin Coconut Oil
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 3 Tbs fresh, minced garlic

(As you can see, it's equal parts of all three ingredients.  If you find that you don't need this much, then next time simply downsize the recipe.  Or, make more!)


You will need to warm the coconut oil until it is melted.  I put the jar into a pot of very hot water until I had enough.  Mix all three ingredients together in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) until it's pretty well pureed.  You can strain it if you like (I did this time, and I'll tell you later what I did with the garlic stuff) which gives a nice smooth consistency for application, or leave it all in (which I have also done) in which case it will probably get more potent.  I put it in a glass jar and store in the fridge.  It will be like a paste that melts quickly when you put it on.

GOOT in a 1/2-pint jar

GOOT, easy to spread

What do you do with it?  The CO and OO are great carrier oils and will help the skin absorb the garlic without worrying about the garlic oil burning the skin.  It's really great for rubbing into the soles of your feet; you might want to designate a single pair of socks as GOOT socks for a while!  It is also good for rubbing into the chest.  Both are areas where the skin more readily absorbs stuff.

From this blog (and I'm pretty sure she copied this information from one of those broken links I was telling you about):

GOOT, rubbed into the skin, transfers raw garlic oil directly into the blood stream. Raw garlic is a natural antibiotic that does not carry the bad flora that a Rx antibiotic will put into your intestines.
Apply on the feet of children or infants to fight infections. Rub on chest for chest colds, pneumonia or rub into nostrils for sinus infections. Place on cotton swab for ear infections. Apply directly to sores inside the mouth. Rub on Athlete’s foot or genital area for jock itch. Insert GOOT into affected area for yeast or other related infections. Apply on rashes any place. GOOT kills Candida, parasites, bad bacteria and virus by direct application.
In addition, it treats systemic infections by absorption through the skin into the blood supply and travels throughout the body. After two weeks, make a new batch of GOOT.

One trick I have learned when dealing with small children is to have their sock partially on, over the toes, so it's ready to be pulled onto the foot as soon as you apply the GOOT.

So what did I do with  the garlic that I strained?  I added it to butter, melted it in a hot skillet, and put in some homemade bread to "toast", liberally sprinkling it with sea salt.  Now THAT is some "GOOT" garlic bread!

Curry for (my) Company

Recently I had the opportunity to make a curry dinner for a friend who had never tried curry previously.  She liked it and suggested that I blog about it.  I took pictures of the meal in progress, but you will just have to use your imagination for the preparation stage.

Firstly, you may be asking, "What is curry?"  From Wikipedia,

Curry ( /ˈkʌri/) is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of spiced dishes, especially from Pakistani, Indian or other South Asian cuisines. Three spices found in most curry powders are turmeric, coriander, and cumin; a wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (meats, fish, lentils, rice, etc.).^[1] The word "curry" is analogous to "soup" or "stew" in that there is no particular ingredient that makes something "curry."

As you might guess from that description, the possibilities for flavors and combinations of ingredients in curries is practically endless!

For this particular dish, I started with a green curry paste made by Mae Ploy.  They also make red and yellow.  The ingredients are:

• green chili
• lemongrass
• garlic
• salt
• galangal (I had to look this up; it is related to ginger, but with a different flavor)
• shrimp paste (shrimp, salt)
• kaffir lime peel
• coriander seed
• pepper
• cumin
• turmeric

I looked at the online prices for this 14 oz container and they range from $2.31 to $5.19.  I paid $2.50 at an authentic Asian grocery store.  If you are at all interested in cooking Asian foods and trying something new, I recommend locating an Asian or other specialty ethnic store (oftentimes one kind will carry food from other cultures in addition to their own) near you.  They are a delight to the senses to wander through, and you should pick up something new to try!  Many have fresh produce in addition to their dry, canned, and frozen selection.

I like to follow recipes, at least the first time I try something new, but I'm not afraid to change things up a bit, to suit my tastes of the moment or what I have on hand.  The basic recipe on the curry container follows. 

• Stir-fry 50 g (≈ 1/4 cup) of Green Curry Paste in 1 tbsp soybean oil (I avoid soy, except for soy sauce, and prefer olive or coconut), then add 1 cup (240 ml) of coconut milk.
• Add 200 g (≈ 1/2 lb) of fresh meat and keep cooking.
• Add another 1/2 cup (120 ml) of coconut milk and 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, heat until boiling.
• Add 100 g (≈ 1/4 lb, or a little over 1/2 cup)vegetables and cook until the vegetables soften.
• Add 1 1/2 tsp sugar.  Taste and season as required.  (I don't even remember reading this step until now!)

Suggestion: For a milder flavor, half portion of the curry paste should be used.  (I agree with this!  If you are new to curries or just aren't sure about spicy foods, then definitely use less curry paste and work your way up to full-strength!)

For measurement conversions, Google is my friend!  Gram is a weight measurement, but most cooks don't employ the use of a scale in their kitchen.  Recipe Goldmine has conversions for common baking ingredient, but for this I used Online Conversion and cook az.  You need to know the approximate density of the food if it isn't on their list.  For example, curry paste is, not surprisingly, not on their list, so I went with peanut butter.

(Now, right here I had more typed, but my little man-cub decided to close my computer, and apparently not everything I had typed was saved.  Drat!  So, to start over...)

I started by putting a glug of olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat.  It was probably a bit more than 1 tablespoon, but why dirty a spoon over something like this, right?  This curry paste comes in a plastic bag inside the container, so I simply cut a corner off and squeeze out however much I want, which in this instance was about 1/4 cup (but remember my suggestion to use less unless you are prepared for mega flavor!)

Most Americans are used to adding seasonings partway through the cooking process.  However, in many cultures the spices are the heart of the dish, so they are added first.  Heating them releases their scent and flavor, and adding it to the oil helps it blend throughout the rest of the ingredients.

 After the curry smell starts filling the air (and your nostrils), add about 2/3 of a can of coconut milk to the pan (I always have a taste off the spoon, too - yum!)  When it is heated, I added the meat: I cut up two chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.  You can use any meat you want, though, or even go meatless if that's the way you roll.

When the meat is cooked, add the rest of the coconut milk and some more liquid.  I prefer to use my homemade chicken stock for extra flavor.  I also use more than 1/2 cup because I like to add more vegetables than the recipe calls for, and you need to make sure there's plenty of liquid in the pan to cook the vegetables without them sticking.  (I have even made curry soup by putting a LOT of extra liquid in the pan.)

This particular meal I cut up a small zucchini, a small yellow crookneck squash, an onion, a potato, some grated carrot, chopped mushrooms, and tomato.  You can really use any vegetables you have on hand, such as bell peppers, cabbage, and even fruit like apples!  Use your imagination!

I like to put curry over rice, so I had a pot of white rice cooking while I prepared the curry.  I have grown very fond of my rice cooker, but it's actually very easy to cook in a pan on the stove top.  Simply rinse your rice a couple times, and the cover the rice with about an inch of water (or more chicken broth!) An easy way to measure that is to put your finger into the rice and measure from the top of the rice to the top of the liquid the same distance as between two knuckles.  Put the pan on high, and once it starts boiling put a tight lid on (preferably clear) and reduce to low so it simmers.  It will only take about 15 minutes to cook, so be sure to check it or you might end up with rice stuck to the bottom of your pan.

As I said at the beginning, I had already started eating before I thought to take pictures, so here is my plate partway through the meal.

I hope that if you try this sometime you will tell me how it turned out, if you liked it, and what you did to make it your own special recipe.

Simmering Stock

Last Sunday, I mentioned that I had a turkey carcass in the crockpot. I love to take pictures of everything I do, so I thought I would show you.

Normally when I make stock I add a glug or two of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar) to the bones and let it sit for maybe an hour while I assemble the other ingredients.  I like to add a whole onion (skins, too, because they are full of the good medicinal stuff), lots of garlic, ginger if I have it, celery, and carrots.  It all depends, of course, on what I have on hand.  Sometimes I even add eggshells!  I'm sure you're wondering about that one!  The vinegar is to help draw the calcium and minerals out of the bones, to make the stock extra rich, and it will do the same with the eggshells.  Of course, it's best to use organic, free-range poultry and their eggs, but I use whatever I have on hand.

This particular turkey, however, had been mesquite-smoked for Thanksgiving, and there was a bit of meat along with the bones.  It was THE BEST-TASTING turkey I have ever had, seriously!  I decided that I wanted to make my stock without all the other flavors blended in, so I just did the turkey (with the ACV).  I cooked it all day and overnight on low in the crock.  Then I strained it into a few containers, only filling half-way, so I could put it in the freezer without breaking my containers.  Then I filled the pot with water and cooked those bones a second time all day and all night.  This is what it looked like after the second cooking.

 

I strained it and topped off the freezer containers, and put a little bit into a jar to compare the color to the first batch.  I don't know if you can tell, but the one on the left (the first batch) gelled up nicely in the frig.  That's what you want, by the way, chicken/turkey/beef/whatever "jello" when it's cold.

There's quite a lot of color difference, but the second time was still pretty flavorful.  I normally would throw everything out at this point, but I decided to fill it up again and cook on high for 4 hours to see what I got out of it.

You can probably tell that it isn't as rich in color, and not in taste, but it still was decent.  If I'm making soup, I typically dilute my stock with water anyway, so this batch won't need that.  I also like to use it for cooking my rice to give it a bit of flavor.

From Simply Recipes website they say this about the fat in stock:

Note about the Fat
I've seen a lot of newer cookbooks advocate the skimming of the fat from the stock. We prefer the traditional method of letting the fat settle in a layer on top of the stock as it cools. This way, the fat acts as a protective layer against bacteria, which is found in the air. The stock will last longer if you keep the fat layer on it. Just lift up the layer of fat and remove the stock when you want to use it. Every few days, bring the stock to a simmer for 10 minutes and let it cool, again with the fat forming a protective layer. Your stock can be stored in the refrigerator and used for up to a couple of weeks this way.

Next time you cook chicken, save the bones (yes, even if  you ate the meat off the chicken!) and make a pot of stock.  If you don't have many bones, start a bag/container in the freezer and when it's full you're ready to go.   Do you ever buy those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store?  (Costco has the best ones!)  I love to save all the flavored broth (that gets all gelled up in the bottom of the plastic tray, if you ever notice), the bones, and skin and make a great-tasting stock!  Let me know how yours turns out, and if you have any secret ingredients that you love to add to yours.

The Makings of a Monday

Yesterday I mentioned buying cabbage to make sauerkraut.  I love homemade kraut, and it is so good for you, too!  I started by chopping one head and putting it in a bowl to pound.  I added kosher salt, too, which helps to draw the juices as well as preserve it.

 As you can see, I had a little "helper", because I was sitting on the floor within easy reach of his busy little fingers.  I used my new jar of coconut oil to pound.  After pounding off and on for an hour or more (and trying to use my leg to keep my son out of the bowl) the cabbage looked like this:

I set this aside and chopped and pounded the second cabbage.  I wasn't getting as much liquid out of the cabbage as I have in the past, so I think I may not have been using as much salt as needed.  Cabbage ferments quite nicely all on its own, but I had some whey I had saved from good plain yogurt, so I added that to the mix and blended both cabbage batches together and put it in my gallon glass jar.  Lacto-fermented foods have extra goodies for your digestive system.

Can you believe that is 2 whole heads of cabbage?!  Not much more than half a gallon.  As you can see in the next pictures, there wasn't enough liquid to cover the cabbage, which is important so it doesn't mold.  Fortunately I kept the liquid from my last batch of sauerkraut, which was made from red cabbage, so I added that to the top of the jar.

The final step is to make sure that the cabbage is covered completely with no air against it, so I put a plastic bag (well, two of the produce bags) inside and filled with water, making sure to get rid of any air bubbles I could see.  As it ferments, air bubbles will form on their own.

Isn't it pretty?  I love learning how to make yummy, healthy food for my family.  I know it's better for us than store-bought, and usually cheaper, too.

S-L-O-W Sunday

This weekend I've just felt bored, lazy, blah.  I did some housework, grocery shopping, and cooking.  I have been trying to go for a walk every day, or several times per week, but yesterday I only walked for 1 mile and nothing today (except for the grocery store).  I guess that means I need a good, long walk tomorrow.

So what did I buy today?

• rice, lentils and black beans
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a big box of Farmer John spicy sausages (already ate 2...)
• coconut oil
• kale, green- and red-leaf lettuce, English cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, green onions, onions, sweet potatoes, red potatoes
• nectarines, red bosch pears
• big jar of green olives
• vanilla almond milk
• 2 heads of cabbage (to make sauerkraut!)

And I am FINALLY cooking the Thanksgiving turkey carcass in the crock pot.  It smells sooooooo good.  It's been going all day, and I will keep it on low all night long as well.  I will let it cool tomorrow so I can put it in jars (I'm anticipating 2-3 quarts, b/c there are a lot of bones).  Then I will cover the bones with water and do a second batch.  I only recently started doing that.  When I think of all the broth I could have had all these years...