Dandelion Jelly

My friend posted pics of her Dandelion Jelly on Facebook........and I, being such a big fan of foraging, thought "I have to make that too!".
Now, I've heard of Dandelion Wine, and I know that Dandelion leaves have great nutritional value and can be added to salads or even juiced (tho I haven't tried that yet)......but, I'd never heard of Dandelion Jelly.
I made my first foray into jams & jellies last year, and am, by no stretch of the imagination, (not even in my own head) any sort of expert.  I am, at most, an eager & optimistic novice.  But, that's never stopped me before, nor now!   So I quickly went out in the yard (in my jammies even) and gathered all of the little yellow flower heads I could find.....which, unfortunately was not as much as I had hoped for.  After lawn mowing last week, I had tons of the fuzzy tops popped up all over the yard, but the yellow ones were hard to come by.  After 2 trips around our little acre, I had about 4 cups of dandelion heads.....which luckily, was just about enough for the recipe I had found online (trimmed petals came to about 2 cups).
If you've never made jelly.....you may not know that pectin is required to make it jell.  Or maybe you do know that, if you've been reading your jelly labels.  However, the first jam recipe I made was from a magazine article, and of course  I wanted to make it "right now".  I didn't have any pectin in my kitchen as I've never used it before, but I did have tons of berries & sugar on hand so I didn't let the absence of pectin stop me.  I will find a way!  So I started searching on the internet to see if it was possible to make jam without pectin.  It was in this search that I became aware of what pectin is: its naturally derived primarily from the skins (cell walls) & cores of tart, under ripe or citrus fruits.  That part is great!  However, the commercial processing of pectin leaves a bit to be desired.  And here, there's lots of room for debate, opinion, etc........but, for me.......the idea of processing & washing with alcohols, ammonia, calcium salts, etc. does not sound appealing.  Some will say that these are all "natural" and the finished product is simply a usable form of the original pectin.....and they may very well be right.  But....for me.....I prefer minimal processing, and prefer to do any necessary processing myself.  Which is why I refused to go out and buy pectin!
My triple berry jam of last year, turned out amazing!   However, the more I'm reading about pectin, it could be a hit or miss with low pectin fruit jams.  Maybe I got lucky with my berries, as they are not exceeedingly high in pectin.  Or maybe I just cooked it long & hard enough to jell.At any rate, all of the dandelion jelly recipes I find require pectin.  I did, however, also find recipes for making my own pectin!  Obviously.....that is the course I will take.  You can make your own pectin, basically, by boiling tart apples, peels & cores, as well as lemons.  So I decided to cut out the middle step by simply adding a cut up green apple & lemon to the pot of dandelions, water & sugar. (oh...forgot to mention I used 1 cup of organic sugar, 2 cups of organic dehydrated cane juice  & 1 cup of stevia---sugar is an important component, and may have been a mistake to use substitute sugars for the majority) I assumed boiling it all together would certainly squeeze out all of the needed pectins. 

 I guess it's not quite that easy, because all I ended up with was dandelion syrup.

  It was tasty, believe me, however I couldn't come up with an acceptable use for it.  I decided to try making the pectin separately, and add it in to my dandelion syrup.  I didn't, however, want to make a giant batch of pectin, so I thought that 1 apple and 1 lemon should be sufficient.  I juiced the lemon into my pot, sliced it thinly, as well as the apple....added water to cover, and boiled....and boiled....added more water, and continued to boil......then went back to my computer as it continued to boil....checked it a few times...as it continued to boil....all while also searching on the internet.....thought maybe I should check it one more time as it should almost be done.....and discovered that it had boiled down completely....Yikes!As you can see.....I am not overly patient.  When it comes to watching a cooking pot, or waiting to make something until I have all of the proper ingredients.......I believe in improvising, and optimistically believe it will all work out.  Sometimes it do, sometimes it don't!Well.....although the pot was blackened, as well as just a couple of small spots on the lemon rinds......I didn't think it looked or smelled bad, so I added a little water and continued to cook til it looked syrup like.  Then I strained all of the solids out, and  poured it into a new, clean  pot to boil a little more.  This, according to all instructions (not my own revisions).  It seemed to be approaching an appropriate consistency. I brought out my dandelion syrup and placed in a different pot, brought to a boil and added my pectin syrup.  I continued to boil for awhile (I don't like to time things).  It certainly seemed thicker than it had been, so at least there was that.  I decided it had boiled long enough, so I poured it into a hot canning jar.  This time there was only a few tablespoonfuls in the 2nd jar.   Its still cooling as I write this.....but, I couldn't wait any longer, so I popped a piece of bread in the toaster, and the smaller jar in the freezer, to hopefully firm a bit more.

Its still a bit runny, but didn't just soak into the bread.  And....it is still warm after all, even after being in the fridge for a minute.  I am hoping...that after it has completely cooled, and has been stored in the fridge for awhile, it will appear much more jelly like......but, you know what?   If it doesn't jell.....it doesn't matter....because it sure tastes dandy!

When Your Soap Isn't Soap

I've been making my own soap for quite a few years now.  I sell them here and there, and give away lots of them!  People are generally receptive, but, not always as excited as I seem to be at the prospect of using handmade soap.  After a recent conversation with my son, I finally realized why that is.
He asked me, "What's wrong with store-bought soap?"
So, it occurs to me, that the majority of people do not know or realize that there IS something wrong with store-bought "soap".  First and foremost, your store-bought soap, though enticingly fragranced and perhaps beautiful to behold, is actually......not soap at all!
Soaps are made from oils, either animal or vegetable.  Lye and water are added to these oils and "saponification" takes place.  You have a bar of soap!
Sometime, during one of the world wars, as oils became scarce....manufacturers needed to find new ways to make cleansers, and soon, synthetic detergents were created.  Loads of chemical lathering agents, synthetic colors and fragrances give a deceivingly soap like presence, but your skin knows the difference.  In addition, other manufacturers began removing the beneficial glycerin that is produced during the saponification process, in order to increase profits by selling it to other manufacturers.....replacing it with artificial ingredients or chemicals.  These detergents and chemicals strip your skin of their natural moisture, (oils) and require you to slather on lotions and moisturizers....never realizing that you are creating the problem.  Even more alarming than the drying effects is the fact that your skin absorbs the chemicals from these cleansers, and they are then stored in your fat cells or other organs.  Over time they build up, and as any other toxin you might ingest, have the capacity to cause great illness.  Its really no different than eating pesticide laden produce.  You should know that these chemical additives are not exclusively found in cleansing bars, but also in most other mass-produced bath & body items, ie: conditioners, shampoos, lotions, even toothpastes.  Don't get me started on antiperspirants/deodorants!
What can you do?  Inform yourself.   Make your own soap, or find someone who does.  You may pay a little more for that soap, but you'll find it lasts a lot longer than store bought cleansers, AND you won't spend a lot of extra money on moisturizers!
What real soap can do for you?  Restore your natural skin balance and  eliminate the need for moisturizers (or at the very least decrease the need).  Really?  Really!
My favorite soap is a simple, olde fashioned bar of Castille, or Olive Oil soap.  Its the only soap you need!

Organic Beef? Not Always What You'd Expect!

I've been buying organic meat at the grocery store for some time now.  Organic beef ranges from about $5/lb for ground beef to $10-$20/lb (or more) for other cuts.....when you can find it.  This can quickly become prohibitively expensive, particularly when you really love beef!  So when a co-worker told me of her "organic" beef supplier that sells whole, halves or quarters for about $2.69/lb.....I was amazed and intrigued to say the very least!   Unfortunately, when I finally got around to calling the supplier, she said she already had a full load coming to Illinois in June (this is her drop-off point), so could only accept orders for the next trip, which would be in August.  I was extremely disappointed, but this is definitely a case of bad news turning into good news!  Just wait!

So, I proceeded to ask for more information from the supplier, and expected to go ahead and place an order for August.  Well, as it turns out, her beef is not organic.   She calls it natural, or as close to organic as you can get without being organic. She went on to tell me that the cost of organic feed is too expensive, and would more than likely quadruple her price.  She also quoted me a similar cost as my friend had mentioned, but explained that the cost could vary depending on the price of corn this summer.  Hmmmmmm....so she feeds her cattle corn.  Haven't I heard alot about "grass fed" cattle?  Is it alright to feed your cattle corn?  I decided to do some research when I got home, to find out if corn is an acceptable feed for cattle, and also, what exactly is the difference between organic, natural and grass fed?  Do I have to buy organic?  Is it good enough to buy beef that has simply been raised natural, but not necessarily certified organic?
Let's start with commercial cattle.  Their story is not a pretty one, and I won't linger too long.  They spend a few months after birth grazing on grassland, but are soon transferred to a commercial "feed-lot" where they are stuffed into stalls and fed almost exclusively grains in order to speed growth, not to mention the growth-enhancing antibiotics, hormones, feed additives, etc, etc.
So, what about organic cattle?  This is where my paradigm shift comes!!  Organic cattle are raised without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bio-engineering....this we all know.  But, did you know that organic cattle are not necessarily "free-range" or "grass-fed"?  In fact, they may indeed be transferred to feed-lots and fed organic grains to "finish" them up before slaughter.  Although, to be certified organic, they must be certified "humane"....the USDA's opinion of humane and mine may differ greatly.
So, now its getting a little tricky.
What about grass-fed cattle?  Is grass truly better?  Yes it is!
Cattle are not meant to eat grains.  Their natural diet is grass.  A diet of grain is one of the primary reasons beef is considered unhealthy today.  It is true.  Grain fed beef can have nearly 50% of its fat as saturated, whereas, grass fed beef usually has less than 10% saturated fat.
Comparing grass fed beef to grain fed beef:

• Two to four times richer in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
• Higher in "good" unsaturated fats and lower in "bad" saturated fats.
• Three to five times higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) content.
• Loaded with over 400% more of vitamin A (as beta carotene) and E.
• Virtually devoid of risk of Mad Cow Disease.

Alright....I'm convinced......grass fed beef is the way to go.
I found this great website, Eat Wild,......has lots of info and maps with links to grass fed cattle ranches in your area.  You can read all about each ranch to see if it really fits in with your ideals.
I found quite a few close by to me, some organic, some not, but all stressed that they don't use antibiotics, hormones, etc. and their cattle graze freely in pesticide-free pastures.
Some are more expensive than others......and some are already sold out for early summer delivery.....so I expanded my search area, and clicked on a little ranch in Poynette WI.  They don't have a website, but I emailed them to ask for a brochure.  The little quip that showed up on the map stated that they are a "husband and wife operation dedicated to providing our customers with all naturally-raised meats on top of being good stewards to the environment.  Our Galloway cattle are rotationally grazed on lush, rolling pastures.  In winter, they are fed hay produced from fields on our farm.  All our pastures (grasses and legumes) and hay are grown without chemical herbicides and pesticides.  The cattle receive no grain.  All our animals are treated humanely and do not receive any growth-enhancing antibiotics, steroids or hormones.  The combination of quality food, humane treatment and a stress-free environment contributes to a lean, tender and flavorful meat."
Best news coming up now:
The gentleman replied right back to me......he is sending a brochure, but let me know that the deadline for ordering for early summer delivery is May 15th and the cost is $2.30/lb plus butcher's fee of course.
This is definitely where I am ordering my beef!  I actually did a search of this little ranch, Rainbow Hill Farm, and turned up some interesting tidbits.
I found an article that actually offered more info then the quip on EatWild.  The highlight of this article states that the owners attend the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Conference each year and strive to follow their mandates, as well as meeting all criteria for being  listed as an organic, sustainable farm.
I'll do a follow-up after we actually get our meat, but, if you live in the area, I would already highly recommend that you check them out. 

Juicing.....Organics & Other Ramblings

No....not steroids....but another kind of healthy growth enhancers!  My juicer has arrived and we just completed out first juicing session.  I am so much more than thrilled!  Even though I have been touting the benefits of juicing, and researched the juicers, ordered and anticipated the arrival of said machine.......underneath, I still had my doubts about whether or not I could actually stomach the drinking of VEGETABLE juices.  Now those fears have been subdued as I just drank a big glass of orange-carrot juice.  It was incredibly delicious!  So, I now know I can at least drink carrots.

As you can see here, I've got tons of other veggies to try, so hopefully they go as smoothly.  I'm still trying to find a good book with recipes.  I may have to go out & buy one.

At any rate.....this is my plan.....to go thru these veggies one by one and create palatable flavor combinations so I not only tolerate, but actually enjoy what I'm drinking.

I should mention that all of these veggies (with the exception of the bag of Cuties) are organic.  I can't stress enough the importance of buying organic.

Perhaps I should once again start at the beginning of my adventure.  When I decided to embrace a more natural lifestyle, I began by eliminating preservatives and such in processed foods.  I particularly watched for Partially Hydrogenated Oils AND High Fructose Corn Syrup.  These poisons are everywhere, but especially in commercially prepared baked goods (cookies, crackers even supposedly fresh baked breads from your local grocery's bakery section. Read one of their labels!).  I thought I was doing great!  

But then again.....one thing leads to another.  

Read that label again.

wheat flour, sugar, butter, salt 

All natural ingredients, right?  Not always so much......did you know that if an item states "sugar" as an ingredient, it probably includes a combination of sugar cane AND genetically modified sugar beets.  In fact, nearly ALL sugar beets are now GMO.  The only way you can be sure you're not getting GMO sugar is if the ingredient label states "pure cane sugar".  What about wheat?  Ask yourself, how was it grown?  Commercially grown grains (as well as nearly all vegetables, legumes, fruits etc) are inundated with chemicals during the growing process, including poisonous pesticides & herbicides.  Ok....butter sounds good, right?  In fact, that butter probably came from a cow that received regular injections of drugs, hormones, & antibiotics, not to mention the forced feeding plans, and animal by-products in their feed.  Add to that specialized breeding plans, and its nothing like nature intended.

What about simply washing fruits & veggies with a mixture of vinegar & dish soap?  Well.....that may help a little, on some thicker skinned produce....but, in fact, pesticides are absorbed into the fruit and can't be completely washed away.  Thinner skinned fruits & veggies like tomatoes & strawberries are particularly vulnerable, as well as root vegetables which absorb all of those pesticides so well as they grow in the soil.

So now.....we not only have to avoid preservatives in our foods, but we also have to avoid "natural" foods that have suspect growing methods.  Pesticides, herbicides, GMO,, etc.

To make a really long story a wee bit shorter.......I've decided to simply BUY ORGANIC.

That's the simplest solution.  Oops....one more thing.....even organic veggies can be tainted if they are packaged in a can with BPA laced lining.  Tomatoes, again, are most susceptible to absorption of BPA.

I am shocked at how many organic companies package in BPA lined cans?  Why don't they simply use jars?  or BPA -free lining, as Eden Foods does?  

DON'T BUY ANYTHING IN CAN'S UNLESS LABELED BPA-FREE!

I'll do another more detailed post soon regarding GMO.  I think ts something most people don't really realize exists!  They may have heard of it, but don't understand what & where it is.

Now....my next, personal step is growing my own vegetables.  I don't even want to say how much I spent on that load of veggies up top (& it was from a discount type supermarket).

I do have one concern:  how healthy is my soil?  are there contaminants in it?

That will be my next research project.

Putting it All in Motion

My new juicer is on its way!
Now I need to find some juicing recipes to camouflage the vegetable tastes.  Did I mention that I loathe vegetables?  I simply can't stomach the taste.  I literally gag.  Wish there was a Sneaky Chef book for juicing!
The good news is:  I truly love fruits.....so, I'm sure I can hide most anything!

Next step:  New running shoes.  Not that I am a runner.....but, I have enormous ambitions!  At any rate, I needed a good pair of shoes for walking & working out.....with great faith that they will eventually lead me to running.
I decided to, finally, actually find out what kind of foot I have, in order to buy the appropriate shoe.
First off....to find out the state of my arch (which I have always thought was high), I dipped my foot into a pan of water and stepped onto a brown paper bag(flattened).  It turns out my arch is somewhere between normal and high.
Next....I stood in front of a mirror to determine my pronation.
I have neutral pronation.
Now, there are lots of shoes out there, and I'm sure many have wonderful attributes....but, I decided on Saucony, as I'd read tons of reviews by avid runners exclaiming the virtues of many a Saucony shoe.
Choosing just one was a difficult decision.  My main priority was versatility.  I want to be able to walk or run on multiple surfaces, ie: road, trail, treadmill, as well as general work outs.....Plus....I wanted something lightweight, minimal so I would still be happy wearing them in the middle of the summer.
I decided on the ProGrid Peregrine, which features a "minimalist low profile" and multi-directional lug sole for traction on uneven surfaces, ie trails!
Can't wait for their arrival!
Thats enough spending for one day!
I'm off to the Library (imagine that in this day & age) to find some books on juicing, as well as Ed Begley's book on simple living.

More BPA!

WARNING!  This post jumps around a bit...as I was researching as I was writing it.....

Didn't I just say that when you begin researching...you realize how much more there is to learn? One thing always does lead to another...... So, I was researching juicers.....discovering the differences of which I'd had no idea.
Hold on.....Let's start at my beginning:
My sister-in-law Carla posted a link to watch Hungry for a Change, by the producers of "Food Matters".  So then I watched "Food Matters" too. Mostly they talk about things that I already know.....to get quickly to the point - about the amount of poisons in commercially processed foods. I have been expounding on the virtues of organic foods for over a year now....and slowing moving towards a complete organic lifestyle. (talk about one thing leading to another.......). The films also exhort on the benefits of juicing. Eating fruits & vegetables is fine & good....but they require digestion. Juicing, on the other hand, delivers all of the nutrients of the produce in a form that can be quickly assimilated by your body.....literally within 15 minutes, those nutrients are usable by all of your bodily systems. Amazing!
I learned so much more from these films, but that will have to wait for another post. So, on to my immediate search for a juicer!
1st.....There are several different types:
centrifugal
masticating(single gear/single auger)
upright masticating(even more versatile)
triturating(twin gear)
I had pretty much decided on the Omega J8003 masticating juicer. Masticating juicers are capable of juicing everything, including leafy green vegetables and wheatgrass. (centrifugal juicers cannot). The Omega is at the upper limit of my price range @ $229, but rated excellent, even better than some more expensive models. I was all ready to order one from Amazon.....but, wait! I thought I'd do a search to see if I could find one locally....no waiting!
I ended up stumbling on another review site......which listed some juicers I hadn't previously researched, and with capabilities I hadn't previously seen, ie: soy milk. The upright juicers can actually make soy milk! Amazing! So I started looking at those.....and they are at least $100 more expensive. Is the ability to make soy milk worth that extra dough? I had just about ruled that out.....but happened to start reading the description of the Kuvings Silent Juicer....
and here's where we're going with this....
 "The Silent Juicer is the first of upright juicers to offer all BPA-Free Juicing components, including juice and pulp cups".
We've all heard about the BPA in baby bottles....and in receipts as I shared yesterday.....and I now avoid ALL canned goods unless they are BPA free. Yet, I had never made the link to small kitchen appliances which are constantly coming into contact with the food we eat. If you have a small appliance made with polycarbonite...it probably contains BPA. My food processor bowl probably contains BPA......my hot air popcorn popper probably contains BPA(did I mention that heated foods exacerbate the leaching of BPA?) And now.....most juicers probably have BPA in their juicing components! What is the point of buying organic produce, juicing for quick assimilation of nutrients into the body....only to contaminate those nutrients with our preparation method?!
UPDATE:
 There is not a whole lot of info out there regarding BPA and juicers....except that the Kuvings version is BPA free. I have seen some claim that "the amount of time your produce spends touching the plastic surfaces of the juicer is minimal, and that the benefits far outweigh the perceived dangers"...but then they also show how the plastic augers of some juicers become scratched over time.....scratched, meaning another object has come into contact with the auger, and removed minute particles leaving a scratch in its wake. Minimal as it may be......it is a contaminant!
Do I want to compromise the integrity of my juice, and ultimately my health?
And do I want to spend $350 on my new juicer???
That is my BIG question today.
Oh....my research on plastics has revealed that ALL plastics leach into foods, particularly when they are reused and exponentially when they are heated, ie: water or soda bottle left in a hot car all day.  (I have an "emergency" water bottle in my car...guess where that's going?)  And pretty much ALL are endocrine disrupters as well.
Again....one thing always leads to another....
Its pretty tough to completely avoid plastics today.....especially if I want to juice!  There may be juicers out there that are entirely stainless steel....but, I can't afford them.
So, we start here: " avoid those (plastic items) marked on the bottom with the recycling label No. 7, or the letters PC, as these varieties are most likely to contain BPA".
And avoid exposing any plastic to heat.
Switch to jars and tetra packs where you can.
I know I'm going to check all over my house, and see what turns up. As for my juicer......I've made the decision to not compromise when it comes to "known poisons", ie: pesticides, BPA, etc....but, is this "BPA free" juicer really safer than the others?  or are they all equally safe/unsafe?
My Bottom Line:
I think the centrifugal juicers may be slightly more unsafe, as they do produce some heat when they manipulate the food at high speed.  Masticating juicers, on the other hand, work at a much lower speed, and maintain the cool temperature of the food.  I'm also not happy with some of the reviews I've read regarding the Kuving's Juicer.   SO.....I think in this instance, I am going to go with the Omega....at least until I can be assured my money is actually purchasing something more beneficial.

Has It Really Been That Long??

My last post was nearly 3 years ago???? I can't believe it! But dates don't lie....

Anyhow...here I am again.

I'm still creating as inspiration moves me.....

but I think I may primarily use this site to share my knowledge and learning regarding my transition to a more healthy lifestyle. I've had some urging from friends to share what I glean as I move along my path. I've recently been inspired by my sister-in-law Carla and her new blog.....check it out! Receipts & BPA. She talks about the dangers of BPA in a most unexpected place. I was aware of this, but not to the depth she covers. The more you learn...the more you realize how much more there is to learn! One thing always leads to another, and so forth, and so on......

Stick with me......I'm looking into purchasing a juicer....so I think my first definitive post will be about juicing and all of it benefits. Look for it in a day or so. (not sure if I can keep up with a daily blog...but we'll see)