Living Local - Beneficial Soil Bacteria

Today I was taking some homemade cheese out of the fridge (making Lasagne!) and noticed a bit of reddish mold had started to grow on it…..of course my mind immediately went to – I wonder what kind of mold that is? Would it make a nice rind on a cheese and how would I cultivate it!!!!

To be honest I have caught myself thinking like this over and over lately in all kinds of situations and realized that is fairly close to the mindset I would have had when I was growing up.

I don’t know about you, but if there was mold on cheese in my house….well, it was cut off and the rest was eaten. Then, there was a relative or two who would also eat the mold….but that’s another post!

Likewise, if there was a bit of mold growth on the jam…it might be stirred in as much as scooped out….most food was generally fresh and eaten fairly quickly, however, nothing went to waste, under any circumstances.

Milk that had gone 'off' was used in breads, baking and given to animals as feed. Wilting vegetables were used in soups and stews. Old, stale bread went into puddings, toast and bread crumbs. 

Our bodies should be able to tolerate low levels of naturally occurring organisms that grow in, around and on our food. But, one thing that must be pointed out here is these days most food is so far removed from ‘normal’ the organisms we might find on it are in themselves a disaster.

When we go to a modern day supermarket to get our carrots….they are all neatly lined up in a bin looking nearly identical to each other, as clean as a whistle with nothing to distinguish them from any other carrot. The same goes for pretty well all other vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh produce.

Sterilized food. There is nothing living in there and the vegetables themselves are lacking in nutrients mostly because they are depleted of these beneficial organisms every step (from soil, water and lack of direct sunlight) along the way of this mass production.

This is why I spend my time in the garden, wild foraging and shopping in local farmers markets – my body requires real, living food in order to function at optimum levels. Not to mention just for basic health and survival.

One of the things I love about market shopping….we get as much as we possibly can from our local markets and of course, I am equally participating in this local community endeavor – is the lack of packaging, the variety and the life to be found there.

Our food is meant to be alive inside and out….which includes healthy, normal soil bacteria. Start getting your fruit, veg and some of your foods at your local farmers market….you will notice a difference in your digestion and your social interaction!

April

Sauted chanterelles with garlic & onions.....wild foraging in West Cork!

Don't Let Anyone Change Who You Are - By Telling You What to Eat! (rant)

Today I was leafing through the local adverts from a supermarket - it's getting close to Christmas and I would expect it to be full of items people might think they need for these holiday dinners...such as the veg, some kind of meat, flour and fixings for desserts and so forth.

However I was quite surprised at how far away the marketing has come from reality and perhaps how far away I am now from the rubbish they are expecting people to buy and eat (and I have an Honours degree in Food Marketing, so I studied this stuff). The thing that got me going was that there was not one single raw ingredient advertised in over 10 pages of pictures and prices.

Each and every single item was of something prepared, either cooked or ready to put in the oven and cook. So, it seems you are expected to purchase your 'holiday' meals ready to pop in the oven (or microwave?) and just press a button.

Then presto - it's like some sort of magic - you have a ready made already assembled Christmas dinner - all you have to do is fork this into your mouth.

This is not the kind of magic I am interested in at all. Who wants someone else's energy (hung over employee unhappy with wages, co-workers, self and life) spread all over their food? It's more then enough to deal with our own stuff, but at least that's familiar to us!

Oh, but my rant continues! You are not only expected to buy and eat this prepared food (it's cheap), the ingredients are already selected for you. You can have carrots, potatoes, parsnips or 2 other vegetables combinations. With tiny bits of parsley as a garnish.

What happened to the other 90 vegetables in the kingdom? Where are the real herbs? Does everything have to be slathered in butter? Not to mention cooked and then packed in plastic trays (were they cooked in plastic too?).

Probably tastes like garbage bags....

I mean why would they even bother with the plastic trays of 'food' - why not condense it down further and just put each dinner into pill form and we can all pop those. So convenient - we wouldn't even have to taste anything...

Indeed, it seems as if they are busy creating their own reality...with the consumer in mind.

Do yourself a favour this year - find some different vegetables at a Farmers market (organic if you can) look for celeriac, purple carrots, rare varieties of apples, heaps of fresh herbs - and then look up recipes online or make up your own.

Have some fun with your food - but whatever you do, handle and prepare it yourself. Don't let anyone dictate to you what your meals should consist of by cooking them for you....don't let anyone change who you are.

April

Now, we need to get our green branches and it will take shape... table centre piece 

Meeting Basic Food Needs

One of the many things I have noticed over the years of talking to people about food, is how very many of us out there, have a tendency to eat the exact same things day in and day out. By this I mean, they would have on any given day, all of the same foods over and over again.

I have met people who actually have not varied their diets much over a few years - a daily menu might consist of the same cereal for breakfast, the same snacks at work, the same sandwich for lunch and then go home to a dinner of the same 2 veg and meat with the same type of bread.

If this changes - it does so very little. Perhaps the meat alters from chicken to beef or once in a while some fish. The vegetables might consist of what can be found at the local grocery store - mostly sterile, dry looking things....

The only way to eat for health is to include a good variety of foods. You do not have to be eating fruit flown half way around the world to get it either. There is a good variety of local produce right at our doorsteps - usually by way of the farmers markets.

Most markets have vegetables that would not be normally found in supermarkets - a variety of coloured carrots for instance, several types of kale or farm fresh corn. They might also bring in an abundance of locally produced fruits in season such as strawberries and cheeses to go along with that.

If you find yourself caught in a rut where food is concerned branch out - get out there and seek out new and different vegetables or fruits you haven't had in a while. Then each week throw in something different. Perhaps it's a turnip, some fresh greens, red carrots, beet root and so forth.

The fun part here might be in learning how to cook them, what to eat them with and preparing different dishes for your family. However one of the most important aspects of including an abundance of different foods is that you ensure vitamins, minerals and other nutritional needs are being met for your entire body. 

You can't enjoy good health if you don't supply body, mind and soul with all it needs. 

April 

Lady's Mantle in the garden

Meals on Wheels!

Today was not a big cooking day, Saturday is usually a running around day for us - we get to go see some sights, do the farmers market run and pick up things we need. I also try to schedule the kids extra classes on the weekends to keep things simple and that takes us into the city.

So, in order to leave the house fairly early in the morning I have long been in the habit of cooking a quick meal to take with us. Yes, we are the family in the car or sitting on the bench in a park eating our lentils, rice and stir fry from lovely tiffins...

This morning I was up early to get things prepared so we could get away in plenty of time - but also so I could do a good workout before I left. I don't like to miss a workout and then go and sit in a car for long periods of time, my energy would feel stagnant. 

When you plan for your day, prepare yourself and organize a meal to take with you, there is no hassle, no wondering where to find decent food or worrying about cost and so forth. Your great tasting meal can be with you - and it's easy to bring enough to keep everyone going for the day.

This morning I made a very simple dish which we know travels well - rice, vegetable stir fry and tuna. All of this is mixed together into a pot or large bowl and covered. Then we take some camping bowls and spoons - and there you have it. 

Meals on wheels.

Today, because it was going to be a bit longer of a day out I also packed bread (already buttered), some slices of smoked goat's cheese, slices of banana cake, apples and water. We had a little picnic when we got hungry while everything was finger food friendly enough to eat along the way.

This is not rocket science - I can't for the life of me think about spending 40 or 50 quid in a restaurant for food that will sit in my stomach undigested for hours and wake me up at 4 am with heart burn. Food that wasn't loved or prepared with gentleness.

This takes work you might say, or planning, or organization or extra time. Yes, it does. However, all it takes for me is to remember what it felt like to ponder my life when I was sick (with cancer) and think about how I would treat myself if only I could live long enough to do it right. 

Don't wait until you are sick or unwell to make some changes - your life is worth so much more.

Have  a healthy day,

April

Red sky tonight over Leap