When talking with others about feeding their family well, I often hear the same mantra:  ”Well that’s fine for you, but it would not work for me; I could never do that!”  What do people think I am, Super Woman?  Married to an independently wealthy man?  Hmm.

People by and large buy into two false notions: that good food is too expensive, and too time consuming to prepare.

First, preparing nutritious, tasty food does not necessarily require endless hours in the kitchen.  It just takesplanning.

To be succesful, you must plan to have a variety of basic foods on hand at all times.  Ingredients such as bones to make stock; unprocessed whole milk, ground meats and quality cheeses from grass-based farms; onions, garlic, celery and herbs; a few fresh vegetables, in season.  Add to that butter, quality extra virgin olive oil, lard or tallow, and coconut oil.  And don’t forget unrefined salt such as Celtic or Himalayan Sea Salts.  With these basic ingredients much can be accomplished!

My family’s meals are usually fairly simple and made in quantity.  For instance, last weekend I made a huge stock pot full of chili (heavy on the meat, light on beans, btw).  I had started with 5# of pinto beans which were soaked for 24 hours with vinegar and water before being rinsed and cooked.  I removed several quarts of beans to the freezer for future meals, and added 5# of ground beef which was browned and added to the pot along with lots of my favorite tomatoes (Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed) and spices (chipotle pepper flakes, chili powder, ground cumin).  That one pot of delicious chili fed our large family for several meals, with the added benefit of a few single portions in the freezer for my husband when he’s away from home.  The frozen beans will make quick work of quesadillas with the addition of seasoned meat, shredded raw milk cheddar cheese, and my fermented salsa.

Last week I made chicken stock, again a whole stock pot full, from which I have made 4 separate meals (various soups, and  some of the meat went into a Mexican-style chicken dish).

Broth is a constant at our house.  It is nearly always available from our freezer for spontaneous, and easy, soups, casseroles or rice dishes.  It adds great flavor and excellent nutrition to vegetables and roasts as well.  Just simmer up a pot full for a wide variety of options!  We may make meat loaf, or casserole, or any number of other things.  But all is made in large quantity with several meals put away in the freezer for another day, or to be consumed as “leftovers” the next.  Easy!

Also, I like to chop onions and garlic in the food processor for spontaneous use during the week.  A quart will last in the fridge for at least that long, if  not used up.  You may also choose to brown ground meat, with or without seasoning, to be frozen and thawed for more quick meals.  Add to that frozen or chopped and dehydrated summer vegetables, along with some of that broth from the freezer, and you’ve got a delicious meal in minutes!

Breakfast for us is as easy as a frozen berry smoothy made with berries from our own orchard, and homemade raw milk yogurt.  Add an egg or two, fresh cream, a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of stevia, and you’ve a crowd pleaser!  Oatmeal or fried potatoes are quick to make up (soak the oats overnight before cooking) and will add real staying power for your kids and husband to get through the morning!

We often just make a pan of scrambled eggs with loads of cheese and butter, and perhaps a piece of hot buttered toast for everyone’s morning meal.  This is a delicious, nutritious, and filling way to start the day!

If possible, making your main meal of the day early, rather than later, can also help free up some time.  If you can get the food prep and dishes out of the way at lunch time, dinner can be light and easy-and more healthful too!  It is easier on the body to handle a larger meal earlier in the day, allowing the digestive system a much needed rest.  Likely you’ll sleep better too!

One last tip for easing your kitchen time is to enlist the help of your family.  Even the youngest of children can “help” in the kitchen, as long as they are able to sit on a stool at the counter.  Our youngest, now 3, loves to help by adding ingredients, pre-measured in ingredient cups, to the pot or bowl.  She also peels my garlic and helps to stir batters.  Is she messy?  For sure!  Efficient?  Not yet, but give her another year or two of practice and she’ll be a fantastic help!  Our other children are all able to prepare (and clean up) breakfast, make bread, and even prepare dinner on their own if needed or wanted.  All of the children have been brought up at Mama’s elbows in the kitchen, frying eggs or whatever is needing to be done.  I train them when they are young so that they become proficient cooks who enjoy, and are comfortable in, the kitchen.  What a blessing to me they are!

Now as to the cost factor, while it is true that boxed, packaged, processed food is definitely easy to prepare, is it also really cheap?  Really?  Consider the high cost of cheap food.

First, our tax dollars go to pay massive subsidies to the “food” industry.  To processors, factories, and promoters of “cheap” food.  The farmers also receive subsidies to help defray their costs, as do other middle men along the way.  I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that those dollars could be put to much better use- in my own household!

Then think about the cost of being sick due to the weakened state of our bodies as a result of consuming all of that fake food; indeed, the cost is great!  Cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, weakened immune responses, genetic disorders, and more-all due to the toxins and lack of nutrients in our “food”!  Is it really cheaper to eat cheaply?  I don’t think so!

But it is also possible to eat well on almost any budget; you don’t need to be wealthy to afford good food!  But how do we afford this good, nutritious, real food, when money is tight?

To begin with, when shopping at a grocery store, shop only the perimeter.  This would include fresh produce, meats, cheeses, butter, etc; but not processed food. If at all possible, however, I would recommend you avoid the grocery store!

Our family’s food comes primarily from local farmers, direct.  We go to the farm.  We see how they are raising and handling the food they put on their own tables, and which we are considering for ours.  We even witness the health of their own families, as well as their fields and livestock.  These are real indicators as to the nutrient value and safety! of the foods these farmers produce.  As an added bonus, great flavor accompanies nutrient dense foods!

Everything we buy, we buy in quantity.  Cheese by the 5lb. block.  Beef by the half or whole.  Vegetables by the bushel.  We are even able to get our fresh, raw milk in 5 gallon buckets!  When buying in quantity everything is cheaper, and this extends beyond the farm.  I pick up salt in bulk bags, grain by the 25-50lb. sack, even tea and herbs by the pound (www.mountainroseherbs.com); it always saves us money to purchase this way, with the added benefit that I rarely run out of things (and “not running out of things” means we are not running out to get those same items, at a higher cost).

We keep things simple, for the most part.  While I love preparing wonderful meals for family and friends, I save the extravagant meals for special times.  And I delight in preparing delicious, simple foods and presenting them to guests; they are often wowed by real food alone, and don’t need all the frills!  Nutritious, real food tastes fantastic, when prepared thoughtfully and well.

Most people can supplement their family’s food budget by growing their own.  Many urban families are keeping chickens now for eggs and meat.  They also act as recyclers and composters, taking scraps from the family’s table and turning it into wonderful compost, eggs, and meat. (See www.themodernhomestead.us)  And container gardening is such a simple way to make use of even limited space; much can be grown in containers from your own little deck or patio, and fresh herbs and greens can be available year round from a sunny window.  If you’ve at least an acre, perhaps you can even keep a couple of dairy goats, or a family cow?  Our family has done this very thing off and on over the years, with the added benefits of meat from the offspring, and fertilizer for our garden and orchard!

So shop frugally and wisely, buying only real food-direct from the farm when possible; do everything in quantity; keep things simple; and grow your own if you can.  You’ll be amazed at how well your family can eat, be blessed by the resulting vitality, and still be able to keep your food budget within reason by following these simple tips!

Reposting from the Liberation Wellness Blog, January 2010. I need this as motivation once again as I am working towards losing, for a second time, half of the 56+ pounds I had lost just a few short years ago. An injury kept me from exercising for about 6 months, which led to the re-gain. I have recently resumed exercising, though not as much as I would like. Also, I have made the commitment to intermittent fasting by not eating after 4 pm, and have stopped using honey or other sweetener in my tea. Small changes made a big difference before, and will again!

For several years I knew I needed to stop the upward swing of the scale, but also realized this would necessarily involve that most terrible of activities, exercise.  Arrgh-how I hated the thought of it!  ”Walk around the property”, my husband would say.  ”Yes, sure, that would be fun,” I would think to myself.  On a pretty spring day a walk around the pastures and through the woods is pleasant.  But on a blistery hot day?  Or a blustery cold one?  No thanks!

Besides, I was burdened with children of all sizes, chained to the kitchen, tied to the laundry, obligated to reading lessons and math instruction; how could I ever find the time for something so despised?

Many times I had walked the 8/10ths of a mile round trip of our country lane-boring! And many times  I had said I would do this daily in spite of my great disdain, only to give up as soon as the weather turned hot, the rains came, the wind blew or the clouds covered the sun.  Obviously, this was not working!

A gym membership was a nice thought, but totally impractical for our situation.  Bike riding is great, but our road is too dangerous.  I tried T-Tapp, but found it difficult to remember to hold this, line up that, while moving the other.  I love rowing machines, but they are expensive and you have to put  them somewhere.

Can you see where I am going with this?  Excuses, plain and simple.  At each possibility my husband would present, there was always a reason why it would not work.  I did not like being over weight.  I did not want to be over weight.  But I did not seem to have what it took to change what was happening to my body, and I grew more discouraged by the pound.

When we married, I was actually under weight.  At six feet tall, I was a slim and trim, statuesque young woman of-gasp!-150 pounds!  That may sound like a lot to you, but I can guarantee you it was not enough for my tall frame.  Slowly over the years I gained a little here and there, but once I was well into having and raising babies, the pounds really started to pile on.

It was consoling for awhile that my husband would tell me he preferred my extra softness to the skin and bones I was when we met.  But as the scale continued up, I felt his disapproval in spite of his reassuring words and kindness.  This came to a climax when one morning last winter he looked especially down.  Understand, my husband carries the weight of the world on his shoulders as he bears the burden of providing for our large brood, and so  I assumed his long face and drooping shoulders related to the cares of the day.  But I was quite shocked and dismayed when he tearfully admitted his great concern and disappointment in me, his bride, who was becoming so overweight that he was no longer finding me very attractive, and he worried for my health.

Wow-what a wake-up call!  I love my husband very much and only want to bring him joy, not be a source of pain.  And certainly I want him to enjoy me in every way.  I knew something needed to be done.

So I started running up and down the stairs to fetch things, rather than sending the children.  I put my lap top on a raised surface so that when using it I would be standing, rather than sitting.  I danced and played a little more with the children. As spring time broke, I began walking that long country lane once again.  And remarkably, I started to actually enjoy the trip!

By the time I heard Kevin Brown speak at our annual spring Weston A Price Foundation local gathering, my mind was set:  one way or another, I was going to lose some weight!  And after hearing his motivating and encouraging words, I really felt that I could do this thing!

Our diet was already excellent, so I only needed to do some tweaking to my personal dietary and eating habits. Things like fasting every day from late afternoon until into the next morning, consuming more cream, butter & coconut oil, and realizing just how many carbohydrates I was reallytaking in, when I thought my intake was rather low.  Also, we gave up the occasional late night, “Date Night”, Ben & Jerry’s or Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bars. George can handle those things (he could stand to gain a few pounds); I can’t.  Now we just stick to good movies and Josh Groban-we don’t need the edible treats!

The thing that is really making a difference for me now is this exercise thing; I have found it to be so enjoyable I actually look forward to it every day!  Before the weather became really frigid, I was thoroughly enjoying my daily run.  That’s right, run!  Where only a few short months ago that driveway was tiring just to walk, I am now running it, zig-zagging back and forth to add more distance, and even running up hill for a piece on our road!  Also, I found that I can toss my bike into our van early in the morning, before the Wee Ones rise, to ride at a nearby park which has wonderful trails.  In line skates are next on my list, and an IPod to propel me forward.

Now that winter has set in I have purchased hand weights and have discovered that it is easy, and fun!, to exercise to up-beat, happy music.  My kids tease me, but I don’t care; techno-music gets me moving, and with the addition of hand and ankle weights I can get a super workout in 30 several days a week!

So here I am now, 45# lighter than this time last year, and loving life.  I am excited, motivated, encouraged, and happy!  And you know what, my husband shares in my excitement, and is taking more pleasure than ever in his wife!  Can you believe it?  What a change from just a year ago, and I am not done yet!  Now I know that I can look great again.  My youthfulness and zest for life have returned!  I feel like a million bucks, and I look forward to a bright future!  All because of that dreaded “E” word, a little motivation, and change in habits I am trulyliberated!!!

…and going and going… Yes, it has been a very busy few weeks, but things will be quieting down after this weekend.  I have been involved with 3 conferences in recent weeks, traveling and teaching.  The final one is the PASA conference in State College, Pa. which will happen Thursday through Saturday.  Come see me if you happen to be there:  http://www.pasafarming.org/

My family and I also had the pleasure of enjoying a lovely country estate in Virginia this past week.  We had a wonderful time!

But all of this traveling and hectic schedule would for most mean fast food, take-out Chinese, pizza deliveries, and microwaved meals from boxes or cans.  But none of this will do for my family or I as we understand the importance of good food, even when we feel that we are too busy to keep up with other things. So what do we do?  Well, mainly we plan ahead.

Because I tend to make every meal worth 3 or 4, I was able to have many meals in the freezer far ahead of time, ready to be pulled out when we are super busy or I am away (as was the case last weekend and will be again this week).  For our trip to Virginia I also had several meals prepared and frozen, and so I only had to do a little cooking each day, mostly for fun.

For fun?  Well, a friend blessed us with about 3 pounds of home grown shiitake mushrooms, so I pulled a chicken from the freezer to make a good batch of stock for a base, and then added the mushrooms, sautéed with lots of garlic in plenty of butter and olive oil, a butternut squash (cubed), and seasonings (allspice is great for this)After pureeing everything together with my handy-dandy KitchenAid stick blender, I added about a quart of fresh, raw cream.  This was one of the best soups I have ever produced, and it made enough to give as gifts to two favorite friends, besides feeding all of us!  See what I mean by fun?!

Today was birthday day for 2 of our kids, so we had roast beef, creamed cauliflower, kraut, salad, and my special Belgian Chocolate Cake (gluten free, by the way).  There were no leftovers, but I already have salsa fermenting in the kitchen for a quick Mexican-style meal tomorrow, which won’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare.  I have also made fermented ketchup and chutney these past few days, and have a gallon of yogurt culturing even as we speak.  There is even a big pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove from which will be made several meals of soup.  Then I’m off again for the rest of the week, but there are more meals in the freezer to feed everyone while I’m away.

Next week it is time to start again.  The laundry will need to be done, school work checked, projects worked on, and more meals must be prepared. But by week’s end we should have at least 1 or 2 meals in the freezer again, for another busy time to come!

I do not relay all of this to boast about my fantastic, super-woman abilities-to the contrary!  I simply wish to share with you the simplicity and ease of planning ahead, preparing everything in quantity, and making life bearable and healthy, no matter how busy the schedule.  If I can do it, I know you can too!

Yesterday was a very busy day:  out the door by 7 with all the kiddoes, an early appointment followed by a quick meet-up and shopping at Trader Joe’s,  next off to the natural foods store & a preferred farm, then home for 45 minutes to unload and again out the door for bible study.  We were home late, to bed later, and to sleep even later still.  So what was my morning like today?

I awoke feeling vibrant and energized.  After my morning cup of tea (a delightful ritual I vow never to do without!), it was time to prepare the family’s breakfast. With all the good food  we had chosen the day before, the only difficult part was trying to decide what not to have!

Breakfast for most people consists of a box of cold cereal or a doughnut, a cup of coffee, a glass of juice.  This high-carb menu simply will not do for me!  I regard the start of each new day with vigor and excitement, viewing every meal as an opportunity to experience exciting, vibrant foods from God’s pantry.  So in spite of the rather tiring and long day before, today’s breakfast was another foray into the world of healthy, tasty, nourishing food!

First I grabbed a pack of Smoked Apple and Chardonnay Chicken Sausages from Trader Joe’s.  These were thinly sliced and tossed into a generous amount of bacon fat in a hot cast iron skillet, my most trusted kitchen tool.  While these were browning I whipped up 10 farm-fresh eggs with a great dollop of cream (off the top of a new gallon of milk).  The slightly crispy sausages were set aside in a bowl, and the egg mixture poured into the hot skillet with a bit more bacon fat & a pat of butter.  This was allowed to cook on medium heat with an occasional tilt of the pan and gentle lifting of the edge to allow the uncooked egg to settle underneath.  When all looked “set”, the sausage was scattered across the surface and a large handful of Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio was spread over top of all.  Once this delicious cheese blend was melted, breakfast was ready to serve!

The Young Ones gathered eagerly around the table to partake in this fragrant fare.  The aromas from the kitchen had filled the house and their appetites were ripe!  A generous slice was served to all, along with a glass of that fresh, raw milk, and all were filled.  Servings of  homemade still-raw yogurt, topped with frozen blackberries from our orchard, complete this nourishing and delicious meal.  Mmm.

We are satisfied, we are filled, we are nurtured, we are energized, and we are grateful.  Grateful for the bounty of wholesome foods which God has provided, and the health which we enjoy because of them.  And we are ready to take on the day!

Reposted from the Liberation Wellness Blog Dec. 2009
The other day a frustrating thing occurred-again.  I was sitting around with a group of women from our church when the subject of yet another very sick friend came up.

As usual the course of discussion went something like this:  “Do you think this will affect her for the rest of her life?”  “What kind of medication will she have to take?”  And of course, “What does the doctor say?”

Now bear in mind, the person in question has a years-long history of severe health problems for herself  and her family.  Serious stuff.  And I love her very much!  That counts for something, right?

When this type of discussion comes up I usually keep very quiet, even back out of the room.  After all, I am the health fanatic and nobody wants to hear what I think.   So why not just melt into the background now?

Well, enough is enough!  I could keep silent no more, something had to be said.  I was choked with emotion as I chose my words carefully.

My discourse was short, and not well received.  It was met with downward glances, fidgeting fingers, silence.  One person afterward acknowledged that we rely too heavily on medication.  Another, more friendly towards my opinions, encouraged me to contact the friend in question.  And one other dear friend gave me that knowing smile, and a sense of camaraderie.  But otherwise, in a group of women professing to be seeking and following God’s will for their lives, nothing.

It always upsets me that so many people intent upon following God in every part of their lives ignore this one, crucial area.  After all, if we do not have health we can not fulfill many of the Lord’s desires for us.  We must be helped instead of being helper.

Poor health destroys lives, negates the good deeds that might be done, diminishes the capacities of husbands to provide for their families and of wives to care for their households.  It takes away the joy of children, and brings about heartache and hardship.  It drains resources, and sucks the life (often literally) right out of us.

Dr. Rex Russell put it well in his book, What the Bible Has to Say About Healthy Living:  “If we decide to pay attention to God’s design,  health and blessing will follow, and God will be glorified in our lives.  If we decide to ignore God’s design, the consequences can be dire indeed.”

The Good Book  is full of instructions pertaining to every aspect of our health.  Exodus 15:26 says:  “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”  His promise to His people then still stands for us today.

From circumcision on the 8th day (the day when the blood-clotting  factor Vit. K builds up to a life time crescendo) to the admonition against eating blood (Gen. 9:4) or unclean animals (Lev. 10:10), the old testament is filled with God’s wise advice for health.  There is instruction in food, farming, sanitation, healing; most of these laws have in modern times been scientifically validated, but largely ignored.

The new testament books also claim their share of health-giving information including, of course, prayer, fasting, “a little wine for the stomach” (1 Tim. 5:3), and the use of healing oils (Mark 6: 13, James 5:14).

So where have we gone wrong?  Well first, let me address a  common perception.

People often incorrectly assume that before the age of modern medicine people just suffered and died, in multitudes, from the same afflictions we do today.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

Yes, there were plagues and pestilence, diseases and death.  Realize of course that people have not always followed God’s design for food, sanitation, and healing. The wealthy have over-indulged.  The poor have been consigned to poor quality and limited food supply.  Cities were built without consideration for proper sanitation.  And hand-washing was not common practice in pre- Pasteur-era hospitals and clinics.  The average life span in early 20th century America was very low not because people did not live long lives, but because conditions were so filthy and food quality so poor in the cities that infant mortality was very high.  But if one were fortunate enough to survive past toddlerhood, he would indeed have a very good chance of living to a ripe old age!

So let’s consider our food.

In Gen. 1:29 God said,  “I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food”.   Also consider that Able raised sheep in those early days; was it just for the wool to cloth them, or was the First Family also drinking milk, God’s most perfect food?

The Promised Land was happily described as, “flowing with milk and honey”.

When Noah and his family left the ark, God told him to eat (clean) meat.

Even the angels ate meat, leavened (fermented) bread, curds (cheese) and whey! (Gen. 18)

All of these things are good, or they would not have been given to us or demonstrated as desirable.

In light of the above, compare modern “food” with that of people throughout  bible times.  In days of old, foods were whole (unprocessed, not devitalized).  It was grown without chemicals of any kind.  Animals were either wild or grazed on naturally rich forage.  All people consumed some of their foods fermented (bread, wine, cheese, olives, etc.), and much of it raw.  Organ meats were prized, and bones made into broth.  Salt was natural and people would not do without it.

So why do we now condemn all of these things which God has said were good?  A better question might even be, why did we change the way in which we raise and prepare these foods which in former times were the fount of health? And why do we now in all of our wisdom declare our processed “food”, stripped of vitality and devoid of nutrients, “healthy” and “good”?

It has always seemed curious to me that in the 6 days of creation, God never made a single food processing plant, grain silo, pharmaceutical, or hospital. Did He not, in all of His wisdom, know that we would require these things to live?  And so it took the infinitely more wise modern man 6000 years to correct our Creator’s oversight!

We are as a nation and as a culture, sick.  Just plain sick.  And the answers to our problems are always more drugs, more doctors, more hospitals; with no thought of the food which we put into our bodies (other than to eat more manufactured junk in place of whole, life-giving foods).  Do we not realize that we are, truly, what we eat?!

God has supplied us with everything we need to live an abundant life upon this earth.  We just need to recognize and return to His nourishing and healing ways!  Let’s return to His garden, His pasture.  Let us embrace His healing ways; the herbs, oils, foods, and prayer which are our sources of health and healing. God’s medicine cabinet is full of good things! These medicines are not quackery or the delusions of fanatical, misguided people.  They are God’s ways, and His ways are always good.  Even Hippocrates understood these principles when he declared, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”.

This is my choice for myself and my fam

Republished from the Liberation Wellness Blog April 2010
Iodized Salt.  Sea Salt.  Himalayan Pink Salt.  Celtic Sea Salt.  Real Salt.  Dead Sea Salt.  I could throw in a few more, but for lack of space and time I think I’ll stop there, but you get the point. So many kinds of salt; isn’t salt just salt?

In a word, no.  Not all salt is the same, and it is very important that we understand a few basics so that we can make a well informed choice when purchasing our next bag, box, or bottle of this most necessary nutrient.

The body requires sodium to function, which is why salt trade has always played a vital role throughout  human history!  Virtually every known civilization has records of salt commerce; salt taxes; salt for food preservation, healing and seasoning; even salt held hostage during times of war!

Salt regulates the flow of fluids between every cell in our bodies.  From it hydrochloric acid is produced, a powerful and necessary digestive agent in the stomach.  It also fuels the adrenal glands and aids the central nervous and immune systems.  Also, while this may surprise you, it is of utmost importance to the proper functioning of the heart.  But not just any salt, only unrefined salt!  Salt with all of its associated minerals intact.
Modern Salt Production
So let’s talk about salt processing.  Modern salt is processed in about 7 steps in a factory.  It starts as a brine containing as many as 88 minerals but is refined to a single, solitary mineral-sodium chloride.  To this is added anti-caking and flow agents such as corn starch (a common allergen). While natural sea salt contains trace amounts of iodine, this is removed in processing but added to common table salt.

 The main beneficiaries of modern salt processing are chemical plants, which require pure sodium. Only about 7% of  refined salt makes it into the food chain.

Don't trust the label
It needs to be stated that you can not trust the label when it comes to “Sea Salt”.  This is an intentional mislead by companies that want to sell you a cheap product for big bucks.  After all, isn’t all salt technically “Sea Salt”, whether it comes from deep within the earth, a dried up (salt) lake bed, or the ocean?  Mineral content and color will differ, but all salt deposits originate from the sea, so don’t be fooled by the label!

With it understood that we can not trust the label, how do we know what kind of salt to buy?  As usual, it begins with looking for key words on the label, most important is the word, “unrefined”, but also “hand harvested” and “solar dried”.

There are several salts on the market which come from inland, such as Redmond Real Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt.  These salts come from ancient deposits of sea water which thousands of years ago dried with the help of sun and wind.  Because such deposits were laid millennia before man-made pollutants, they are amongst the purest on earth.

But there are also several good salts available that come from the ocean of today.  My preferred salt is Celtic Sea Salt from the north of France.  This salt, available in fine and course grinds, has a characteristic grey speckled color which makes it easy to recognize.  My family enjoys the fine salty flavor, and we use it liberally.

If you are wishing to purchase truly unrefined, beneficial salt while shopping at your favorite health or gourmet food store, look for the key words mentioned above.  You can also purchase any of these salts on line.  Two of my favorite sources are Selina Naturally, Radiant Life Catalog, and Mountain Rose Herbs.

Long before there were refrigerators and Ball canning jars, people everywhere preserved much of their food using  a largely forgotten method, lacto-fermentation. This method is enjoying a renaissance of late, and with good reason.

Lacto-fermentation is a very simple method of food preservation utilizing a naturally abundant and beneficial bacteria called lacto-bacillium.  First identified in dairy products (hence the prefix, “lacto”), these tiny workhorses of the microbial world are responsible for the total transformation of a vast array of foods which are not only preserved in terms of edibility, but also nutritional value, taste, and texture. Some examples of common foods which were traditionally fermented, but now are processed using vinegar and pasteurization, are: sauerkraut, pickles, ketchup, mustard, salsa, corned beef, and chutney.

Fermentation utilizes these bacteria in a marvelous way. First, the bacteria produce an acid, “lactic acid”, which works to prevent putrefication. This is an obvious big advantage, but the other benefits are also quite beneficial. 

The fermentation process causes an explosion of nutrients, taking a (presumably) nutritious food and transforming it into a powerhouse of nutrients! For instance, Vit C in cabbage increases exponentially, while the fermentation process also pre-digests proteins and other components of our food and makes them far more bio-available so that our bodies can fully utilize more of what we eat.

Another exciting advantage of fermented foods is that the process also produces enzymes which not only pre-digest that which is fermented, but other foods in the digestive tract as well. Thus meats do not putrify in the gut but break down into more digestible amino acids. Vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. are all pre-digested and the nutrients far better absorbed.

The lactic and also acetic acids found in fermented foods act like a clean-up crew, helping the body to detoxify while the potent beneficial organisms take hold in the gut, aiding in overall gut health. What’s not to like?!

One additional aspect of lacto-fermented foods which my family, like millions of others around the world, enjoy is the taste. The process creates an exciting culinary adventure with every bite! Cabbage is just cabbage until you pack it into a crock with some salt and leave it for a week or two and then-Pow! What a flavor sensation! Chutney simply is not chutney with just vinegar and sugar, but when you ferment fruit it creates an amazing, effervescent flavor that excites your tastes buds! Dill pickles? Incredible! Salsa? Divine! Beet Kvass? Glorious, healing, cleansing, good!

With all of these benefits, why not give fermentation a try? It is one of the simplest methods to preserve foods and enhance health, so there’s really no reason not to give it a go! Here are the particulars:

• Lacto-bacilli are naturally found on the surface of fruits and vegetables, particularly those which grow close to the ground such as cabbage, beets, etc.
• Other foods can be fermented with the addition of dairy whey, drained from plain yogurt or from cheese-making. My rule of thumb is 1/4 cup whey to 1 quart of product.
• There are many sources for powdered cultures to jump start your fermentation should you choose to use them. Cultures for Health, Radiant Life Catalog, Gem Cultures are but a few.
• You should always start with fresh, clean, and chemical-free produce or meats. Conventional agriculture’s heavy chemical input destroys much of the soil’s otherwise naturally-occurring organisms, including our friends, lacto-bacillium.
• No special equipment is required, but crocks and glass jars are your main tools. I use a Harsch Crock for larger quantities (available from the Radiant Life Catalog), Pickl-it! or Fido jars for many others. Corned beef needs a larger, flat glass container with a lid.
• Experiment with various spices, herbs, and length of “culture” time.

Basic Kraut:
2 medium sized heads of cabbage

2 Tbsp. unrefined seal salt (I use Celtic or Himalayan. “Real Salt” is another good one)

Optional: shredded carrots, grated tart apple, garlic, onion, whatever you wish to try!

Shred the cabbage and toss into a bowl with the salt and optional ingredients. Mix well, squeezing hard with your hands to extract juices. (You may use a pounding tool for this if you desire, but it is usually not necessary). The fresher the cabbage, the more moisture you will find. Pack this tightly into a crock or jar, being sure to leave plenty of head space for expansion and release of CO2. Use a glass disc or cabbage leaf to push the solids beneath the brine adding cooled, sterilized filtered water if necessary to create at least a 1” layer of liquid above. Cover loosely with a lid and set in a warm place, 65-78 degrees, for 3-5 days being sure to release the gases daily (a proper crock or Pickl-It! container will have a gas-releasing lid or air lock, making this “burping” unnecessary). Leave the kraut out longer, up to 4 weeks, for a stronger ferment. Refrigerate or root cellar to store.







Recommended Reading: 

• Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home by Klaus Kaufmann & Annelies Schoneck
• Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
• Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell
• Traditional Food Preparation Techniques by Maureen Diaz

Maureen Diaz is a Weston A Price Foundation chapter leader, educator, and avid researcher of health and nutrition. She homesteads and home schools with her rather large family in South Central Pa. You may visit her website to learn more: www.mamasfollies.com 

How many friends and family have turned up lately with a diagnosis of “Celiacs Disease” or “Gluten Intolerance”? Perhaps you’ve received this diagnosis yourself? It seems like nearly everyone these days has a problem with this mysterious food component, found in wheat, spelt, emmer, einkorn, rye, barley, kamut, and a close cousin in oats. This in spite of the fact that people have consumed these grains for thousands of years. What’s up with that?!

Well, there are a variety of reasons to explain this (historically) sudden food sensitivity. Let’s explore a few.

New and Improved is not always, well, improved!
First, we are not typically consuming the same grains as we were, say, 100 years ago. Our modern grains are hybridized, sterilized, and modernized in ways that grain has never been before. The amino acid profile of a modern grain of wheat, for example, is very different from its predecessors such as spelt, emmer, and other ancient grains. Then there are the new-fangled GMO’s, with all their inherent dangers. But this alone does not explain the problem.

Several reasons for our gluten woes are simply our modern methods of harvesting, storing, and preparing our grains. In times-gone-by grains were “weathered” in the field before harvesting, exposing the ripened kernels to the morning dew and the warmth of the sun. This, coupled with old-time methods of fermenting flour into various types of breads or other grain-based dishes, had a unique effect: it neutralized several “anti-nutrients” such as phytic acid (which is very irritating to the lining of the gut, and blocks mineral absorption) and enzyme inhibitors (which neutralize some of the digestive enzymes needed to break down the foods we eat). Additionally, these grains had formerly been stored in clay or wooden vessels, but are now stored in huge concrete or steel silos- the perfect environment for fungus and mold to proliferate!

Gluten Sensitivity Indicates Gut Damage
But there are still more reasons why gluten, and grains in general, have become problematic: we have severely damaged our guts, usually without even realizing it!  We deprive the digestive tract of much needed beneficial organisms because we have replaced old-fashioned food preservation and preparation methods with faster, easier, more “modern” ways.  The most modern methods are not always the best, are they?  Gone are the enzyme and beneficial organism-rich foods of the past such as naturally fermented sauerkraut and pickles, whole yogurt, kefir, and more. These have been replaced with sugar and vinegar-laden, pasteurized versions of their former selves. Adding to that we take a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, from vaccinations to antibiotics and more, which all have a deleterious effect upon the gut. How can the limited amount of good gut flora which we are starting with survive such an onslaught?

A Child's First Foods
But it gets worse. Even from infancy we are harming our wee ones’ digestive health. Babes are born all over the world today via Caesarean Section, which robs the infant of the (usually) healthy flora of the birth canal meant for the emerging infant to ingest during the birth process. Many mothers have a very unbalanced, unhealthy vaginal flora to begin with, and pass this on to their newborns! 

Next we replace God’s perfect food, breast milk, with manufactured infant formula. Formula made from pasteurized, denatured, oxidized, and synthetic ingredients that a baby's tender digestive system can't really digest properly-what a shame!

And then we introduce solid foods in the form of “baby cereal”, to an infant who does not yet possess the enzymes to digest this type of carbohydrate!  The particular enzyme, amylase, is amongst the last enzymes the pancreas  manufactures and excretes, somewhere between about 18-24 months. Thus, feeding your infant any form of cereal in the early months creates a problem for the digestive system, which must react to substances which it is not yet ready to handle.

It is interesting to note that in some of the primitive cultures which Dr. Weston A Price observed, mothers would chew foods, including meats, and expel it from their mouth in partially-digested form for their infants to eat. I practiced this with several of my babies, much to the chagrin of their elder siblings!

Celiacs/Gluten Intolerance Not a Life Sentence!
So perhaps now you can understand why we have so many problems with gluten all of which affect every aspect of our health, both mentally and physically. A damaged gut is a very serious problem!*

But all is not lost; the gut can be healed!  A healing regime would include plenty of nourishing bone broth, healthy fats, fermented foods, and a few supplemental nutrients such as fermented cod liver oil.  You can find out more by exploring the GAPS website, and learn how to prepare nutritious and delicious allergen-free foods by watching my own 2 DVD set, a Beyond-the-Basics Traditional Food Preparation video which may be ordered directly from me; contact me via email at: mamasfollies@gmail.com for more information.

*It bears noting that not all gluten issues show up on a laboratory test; the best way to know for sure if you are gluten sensitve is simply to go off all gluten-containing foods for 30 days. Do not replace gluten-containing grains, however, with "Gluten-Free" baking mixes. Instead, just eliminate grains and foods that are normally made with them. See how you feel, what changes with your health. Then add it back in for a few days and observe what happens.

One of the most common excuses I hear from those considering a truly healthy diet is that, “It is so expensive!”. I completely understand this sentiment, but have found ways for my family to eat a nutrient-dense diet even in the face of real financial hardship.

Before I go on it must be said that, while good food does cost more in the short term, a diet rife with processed, devitalized “food” is far more expensive in the long run when one considers where it leads in terms of poor health, disease, and loss of production due to low energy and illness. It is for this reason that our family is committed to a healthy diet, no matter what!

This past winter is an excellent case in point. My husband is a very talented, self-employed high-end designer and carpenter who does not always get paid on time. In fact, when facing unexpected obstacles on a job, he may not get paid for weeks or months at a time, which is exactly where we found ourselves this past year. We had very little money trickling in and found ourselves falling way behind on everything. Week after week we would have only a few dollars, if any, that we could spend on food, and so we had to be very frugal and creative to make every penny and every morsel count!

The main thing that got is through this tough period was bone broth. Do you have any idea how much you can do with this wonderful food?! By itself it is a wonderful, warming breakfast with a little egg mixed in. Add vegetables that are past their prime or leftover and you have an endless variety of soups! A little rice or brown rice pasta, beans (soaked for 24 hours with a little vinegar, of course) and you have a filling meal. I was able to empty my freezer of garden leftovers as well as purchase wilting or scarred organic produce, slice it up, toss it in the pot, and then puree everything into one delicious concoction, meal after meal. No need to throw away any veggie peels (nutrients!)  as my Kitcehn Aide stick blender works wonders for this. Add a little potato, or whisked egg yolk if you want your soup to be thicker. Sometimes I also add souring cream or milk. Nothing need go to waste!

It is of the utmost priority to us that we have raw dairy daily in the form of fresh raw milk, raw yogurt or kefir, and cheese. Thankfully at this point in time we have our own family cow to supply most of this, but even in times past when things have been rough we have always made sure to have enough raw milk on hand to make yogurt and kefir, as well as for drinking. We might have a limit as to how much is available for general consumption, but we will have our raw, grass-fed milk, even if it means searching for pennies in the sofa! And raw milk cheese is a relatively inexpensive, filling source of nutrients that we always keep on hand. As with the fresh milk, quantity may be limited, but it is always available.

We can make a big pot of chili and really stretch it out by using a lot of beans (I prefer pinto) and less meat. Top it off with some of that cheese and some homemade sour cream and you have another cheap but nutritious and filling meal. I just made a stock pot full yesterday as a matter of fact, and it has already fed my large brood 3 times with still more left for later!

Making your own bread using whole grains is a great way to stretch the food dollar. I also make biscuits and muffins for my crew often, which helps them feel satisfied and pleased with their meal. Always soak your flour overnight, use sprouted grains, or make a long-fermented bread (sourdough is great!).

Eggs are a relatively cheap source of protein, and I work our supply into quiche, frittata, and scrambled eggs daily. By varying the form in which I serve eggs my kids don’t get bored with the same old thing. Cheese of course helps with this as well, and having several varieties on hand changes flavors dramatically. We almost always keep Montery Jack and Cheddar on hand, but also Blue and Parmesan. The Blue & hard, Italian cheeses I find at the supermarket or Trader Joe’s in the specialty cheese aisle, where I always look for lack of the word “pasteurized” in the ingredient list. These are more expensive and so I can’t always purchase them, but a little goes a long way so a 1/2 lb. block can actually last for several weeks if I’m careful (and the kids don’t raid the fridge).

I make stock pots full of pinto beans about once a month and keep them in quart jars to pull out for an easy, and cheap!, meal. They may go with Mexican-seasoned ground beef and be served over rice; or stuff a tortilla, along with cheese, to make quesadillas. Filling, quick, nutritious, and inexpensive! We enjoyed many such meals this past winter and never grew weary of them!

Potatoes are nourishing and cheap, so once the supply from our own garden ran out I sought organic potatoes in bulk direct from the farm. Appearance does not matter once food is pureed, put in a casserole, or simply in your mouth, so seconds are fine and again a money saver.

Don’t forget to have lots of butter and other good fats on hand, as I did, to help satiate and nourish. We will not be without butter or olive & coconut oils, but I take advantage of sales and “Bent-and-Dent” stores to load up on such important foods.

Buying all of these ingredients in bulk always saves you money, often lots of it, and stocking up in times of plenty helps pull you through the lean months. Because this is how we normally buy food, we did have quite a lot of staples in storage to see us through most of the winter.

We plant a very full garden, putting food by with dehydrating, fermenting, and freezing large quantities of vegetables to see us through into the next year. Even if all you have is a patio there is much that you can grow in containers, stretching the food budget immensely! Otherwise produce such as cabbage and potatoes are penny savers and can be fermented and/or stored for long periods of time with no loss of value.

Even in the city one can often raise a few chickens for eggs and/or meat. You can check your local regulations and may be surprised to find that it is perfectly legal to raise hens, at the least. But even if it is not technically legal, with understanding and friendly neighbors you may be able to get away with more than you think! We are in the country and can easily raise the majority of our own poultry, both for meat and eggs. Chickens are the ultimate recyclers, converting kitchen scrap into eggs and protein for the table!

One method of acquiring food not to be overlooked is by barter. At one point when we were without two pennies to rub together, quite literally, I was able to trade some of my home made goods for meat and bones with a farmer friend. If you have a product or service to offer you may be happy to find a farmer who would be thrilled to make a swap!

Also, we have nurtured a warm relationship between us and our famers. Our family has a great deal of respect, admiration, and love for these fine, hard working people! And so from time to time when one has known we are struggling, or because they also know that I am willing to take what others reject and make something good of it, we will be sometimes be offered extras or freezer overload. This winter we were blessed with more good beef bones, dried beans, rice and a few other things which added up to a lot. It pays to treat people well! I am so grateful for our farmers and friends and their generosity!

One thing which I haven’t addressed is the fact that much of what I mention is rather high-carb. This was problematic for me over the winter months, and I am still working on taking off a few of those extra pounds which I picked up from too much rice and beans. I will say that, generally speaking, I was able to avoid much of the carb-rich foods by just eating everything else, but at times this just could not be helped. So for those of you needing to restrict your carbohydrate intake for one reason another, bear in mind that if you can load up more on non-starchy vegetables and plenty of fat, along with the bone broth, you will fare much better. I am making sure to have far more vegetables, bones, and inexpensive cuts of meat in the freezer for next year. (We would have had much more meat in the freezer this past winter, had it not wondered off on four legs shortly before time to butcher  )

Our family can not thank the Weston A Price Foundation and Sally Fallon Morell enough for the education which we have received which has helped get our family through this very rough time. Without Nourishing Traditions, Wise Traditions, or the opportunity to learn from others at events such as the annual conference, I would not have known the virtues of bone broth, real milk, fermented foods, or pastured eggs. How would I have known to replace soda with kombucha, or “whole grain” bread with sourdough? And would I have realized the importance of nutrient-dense, sacred foods, even when it was most difficult to acquire them? No, all of this information was acquired from hours spent with Sally and others in books, lectures, workshops, videos, and one-on-one. These lessons are far beyond any tangible value I could assess, and we are grateful! Consider becoming a member of this incredible organization! _

Now, don’t let money, or lack-there-of, be an issue in how you feed your family or yourself; if our family can survive and thrive on a tiny food budget, so can yours. I say, “Go for it!”!