You Talk Way Too Much.
Apropos of, ahem, Absolutely Nothing, we've been listening to this song all day today.
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Friday, February 29, 2008
February 29, 2008 - Blogging Is Good for Your Health
At times I’ve wondered what keeps me going, as a blog author. Why did I start writing on such a grim subject as cancer in the first place, and why do I keep it up – long into my journey through this gray, featureless country of watching and waiting?An article describing a new research study suggests why.
“Implementing an Expressive Writing Study in a Cancer Clinic,” from the most recent issue of The Oncologist, describes the results of an experiment. Researchers asked a group of cancer patients to practice journaling while they were sitting in their doctors’ waiting rooms. After several months of sporadic scribbling, the writers answered questions about how the practice of journaling had affected their outlook.
The effect was overwhelmingly positive. Through linguistic analysis of the patients’ journal entries, investigators found that nearly all the writers used words that evoked a transformation of some sort. From the article:
“Many of the changes expressed in the writing were positive and related to feelings about family, spirituality, work, and the future. As one patient wrote, ‘Don’t get me wrong, cancer isn’t a gift, it just showed me what the gifts in my life are.’ Words and phrases from the writing texts appeared to illustrate a continuum of emotional transformation that may occur after a cancer diagnosis, beginning with the shock of diagnosis (e.g., mortality, shocked, uncertainty), followed by indications of acceptance (e.g., resigned, relaxed, readjust), expressions of gratitude (e.g., thankful, appreciate, grateful), and words related to transformation (e.g., more loving and giving, change in persona, new interests).” [Nancy P. Morgan, Kristi D. Graves, Elizabeth A. Poggi and Bruce D. Cheson, “Implementing an Expressive Writing Study in a Cancer Clinic,” The Oncologist, vol. 13, No. 2, February 2008, pp. 196-204.]
I know cancer has changed me. It changes just about everyone who experiences it. The change process begins on the day of diagnosis and continues long after. I have a sneaking feeling it never ends.
So, what does writing about cancer accomplish? Maybe it’s a sort of scapegoat effect. Leviticus 16:9-10 tells of the ancient Hebrew practice of cutting a goat out from the herd, liturgically loading all the sins of the people upon its back, then driving the benighted beast out of the camp. Hard luck for that particular goat, but it made the people feel better.
Maybe when I tap out a blog entry on my keyboard and click “Publish,” some of the fear and anxiety and anger of the cancer experience is sucked out of me and shot into cyberspace, hitching a ride on some runaway electrons. The sheer act of forging thoughts and feelings into words gives them a sort of objective reality. What had once been an ominous, swirling cloud takes on a certain shape. The shape it takes is not nearly so fearful as the imagining.
I don’t know whether or not the pen is mightier than the stethoscope, but the two can have a common purpose, it seems.
The Authentic Masculine and Leadership
Last weekend Seth and took a work shop from Jed and Carlin Diamond
about the authentic masculine and the authentic feminine. It was fun and very insightful. I always believed that gender was a concept of our society - and I still believe that the stereotypes are - however there are just some distinct differences (usually)between what Jed and Carlin call egg people and sperm people.
For example, egg's are discerning. They can reproduce only once per year at most (not counting twins). They are not mobile, they sit large and full healthy chromosomes and they can invite or reject approaching sperm. Sperm are driven, mobile and more expendable. They are extremely small compared to the egg but out number the egg by billions. They can produce as many babies per day as they get a "shot" at and thus are more about driving forward and getting things done, while the egg makes
sure that what's getting done is quality.
We did all kinds of excises to put us in touch with both our egg and sperm brains (and everyone got to play each role).
We discussed how in many cultures the world over, men are considered more expendable than women. Now this is not a judgement of that being right or wrong it was simply
the best way, especially for our tribal ancestors, to keep the
population going - because for every man killed, their was another man
behind him with billions of sperm just waiting to get the job done.
Thus men where the leaders. When traveling in groups they walked out first
in case a mountain lion jumped down or some other danger suddenly exploded in
front of the heard. They did the dangerous work of hacking through,
plowing, and leading and women nurtured (not just babies).
Men build systems and plan, they're also more reckless.
Women on the other hand nurture those systems, get creative with them and sustain them. Of course this is a general view and each family and neighborhood has their own way to work within and without of this paradigm.
I loved this view because it doesn't mean that women cannot go out in th so-called business or corporate world and it doesn't mean that men can't stay home, it's about recognizing the drive to lead and the drive to nurture within the egg and sperm people's chosen field. It gets us more in touch with our authentic selves.
That having been said I want to give a nod to the traditional family. Now I'm talking 1950's Leave It to Beaver kinda family but I am saying that, for my family, a two parent structure where each parent has certain responsibilities works the best for us.
Parent 1 - Leads (but doesn't force), builds the design of the family, creates the structure and moves the family forward
Parent 2 - Nurtures that system, tends the needs within, uses creativity to help it flow smoothly
In our family Seth earns the money and deals with the finances. (That having been said I think that every person who chooses to let their partner deal with the money MUST have a way to earn money on their own if they need because unfortunately in our society money equals power so you cannot allow another to have complete power over you.) But back to my family, let's take the house hunt for example. We all went out to look at potential new homes, we all gave our opinions on what we liked
and didn't like but in the end a house is a lot of money and Seth knows what money we
have and what we don't have. He's comes to us and says "We can afford this
one, and we can't afford that one, and we could make this one work if
we changed this....etc." Then we give our opinions again and he makes
the choice, signs the papers, gets the deposit together, goes to the
bank not to mention figures out how and where our finances are going to
cover everything, etc.
Meanwhile, I pack the boxes, make sure
the truck is rented, organize our things, figure out the layout of the
new place and where furniture should go, locate the nearest health food
store, sew new curtains, etc.
If one of us had to do ALL those
things or if we were both trying to do part of each of those things,
without honoring our authentic selves and what we are good at, it just
wouldn't work. We would get overwhelmed, grouchy, confused, and we would run
into the "too many cooks spoils the pot" scenario.
If I tried, with my creative brain, to do the math needed to balance the finances
I *could* do it but I wouldn't do it as well as Seth does. That being
said, if Seth had to organize the moving boxes and sew thecurtians he *could* do it but not as well as I could.
I think nothing makes a family work better than honoring our authentic selves. That having been said it doesn't have to run on gender, if mom's good at math and dad kicks ass at sewing or you have two dads or two moms, then roles would shift, I'm
just using my family as an example.
So in my family Seth leads, or ideally he does. It's my choice to be led because I get too stressed out with trying to make the big choices and keeping the lunches packed and the home school work sorted out. I've balked at this so many times but every time I just take a deep breath and let (and most importantly TRUST) Seth to handle it, I feel better, he feels better and things run so much more smoothly for us.
So with that I felt very inspired when I read this quote this morning:
"President [Howard W.] Hunter said: 'A man who holds the
priesthood regards the family as ordained of God. Your leadership of the
family is your most important and sacred responsibility. The family is the
most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every
other interest in life' (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)."
OK, so in my personal tradition Seth does hold the priesthood of our family (of course I have the priestesshood which is equal just different ;)) But I interpret this quote thusly, when a man is in touch with his natural importance and leadership role in the family, which is ordained by God(dess)
and/or nature, he knows that his family is the most important and
sacred responsibility he has. It empowers the man (or in the case of gay and
lesbian couples the most "sperm brain" minded of them) to lead with the
knowledge of his/her sacred duty to protect and provide for his family.
What do you think? What have you experienced in your family? What role does your faith play in your families leadership?
The Authentic Masculine and Leadership
Last weekend Seth and took a work shop from Jed and Carlin Diamond
about the authentic masculine and the authentic feminine. It was fun and very insightful. I always believed that gender was a concept of our society - and I still believe that the stereotypes are - however there are just some distinct differences (usually)between what Jed and Carlin call egg people and sperm people.
For example, egg's are discerning. They can reproduce only once per year at most (not counting twins). They are not mobile, they sit large and full healthy chromosomes and they can invite or reject approaching sperm. Sperm are driven, mobile and more expendable. They are extremely small compared to the egg but out number the egg by billions. They can produce as many babies per day as they get a "shot" at and thus are more about driving forward and getting things done, while the egg makes
sure that what's getting done is quality.
We did all kinds of excises to put us in touch with both our egg and sperm brains (and everyone got to play each role).
We discussed how in many cultures the world over, men are considered more expendable than women. Now this is not a judgement of that being right or wrong it was simply
the best way, especially for our tribal ancestors, to keep the
population going - because for every man killed, their was another man
behind him with billions of sperm just waiting to get the job done.
Thus men where the leaders. When traveling in groups they walked out first
in case a mountain lion jumped down or some other danger suddenly exploded in
front of the heard. They did the dangerous work of hacking through,
plowing, and leading and women nurtured (not just babies).
Men build systems and plan, they're also more reckless.
Women on the other hand nurture those systems, get creative with them and sustain them. Of course this is a general view and each family and neighborhood has their own way to work within and without of this paradigm.
I loved this view because it doesn't mean that women cannot go out in th so-called business or corporate world and it doesn't mean that men can't stay home, it's about recognizing the drive to lead and the drive to nurture within the egg and sperm people's chosen field. It gets us more in touch with our authentic selves.
That having been said I want to give a nod to the traditional family. Now I'm talking 1950's Leave It to Beaver kinda family but I am saying that, for my family, a two parent structure where each parent has certain responsibilities works the best for us.
Parent 1 - Leads (but doesn't force), builds the design of the family, creates the structure and moves the family forward
Parent 2 - Nurtures that system, tends the needs within, uses creativity to help it flow smoothly
In our family Seth earns the money and deals with the finances. (That having been said I think that every person who chooses to let their partner deal with the money MUST have a way to earn money on their own if they need because unfortunately in our society money equals power so you cannot allow another to have complete power over you.) But back to my family, let's take the house hunt for example. We all went out to look at potential new homes, we all gave our opinions on what we liked
and didn't like but in the end a house is a lot of money and Seth knows what money we
have and what we don't have. He's comes to us and says "We can afford this
one, and we can't afford that one, and we could make this one work if
we changed this....etc." Then we give our opinions again and he makes
the choice, signs the papers, gets the deposit together, goes to the
bank not to mention figures out how and where our finances are going to
cover everything, etc.
Meanwhile, I pack the boxes, make sure
the truck is rented, organize our things, figure out the layout of the
new place and where furniture should go, locate the nearest health food
store, sew new curtains, etc.
If one of us had to do ALL those
things or if we were both trying to do part of each of those things,
without honoring our authentic selves and what we are good at, it just
wouldn't work. We would get overwhelmed, grouchy, confused, and we would run
into the "too many cooks spoils the pot" scenario.
If I tried, with my creative brain, to do the math needed to balance the finances
I *could* do it but I wouldn't do it as well as Seth does. That being
said, if Seth had to organize the moving boxes and sew thecurtians he *could* do it but not as well as I could.
I think nothing makes a family work better than honoring our authentic selves. That having been said it doesn't have to run on gender, if mom's good at math and dad kicks ass at sewing or you have two dads or two moms, then roles would shift, I'm
just using my family as an example.
So in my family Seth leads, or ideally he does. It's my choice to be led because I get too stressed out with trying to make the big choices and keeping the lunches packed and the home school work sorted out. I've balked at this so many times but every time I just take a deep breath and let (and most importantly TRUST) Seth to handle it, I feel better, he feels better and things run so much more smoothly for us.
So with that I felt very inspired when I read this quote this morning:
"President [Howard W.] Hunter said: 'A man who holds the
priesthood regards the family as ordained of God. Your leadership of the
family is your most important and sacred responsibility. The family is the
most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every
other interest in life' (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)."
OK, so in my personal tradition Seth does hold the priesthood of our family (of course I have the priestesshood which is equal just different ;)) But I interpret this quote thusly, when a man is in touch with his natural importance and leadership role in the family, which is ordained by God(dess)
and/or nature, he knows that his family is the most important and
sacred responsibility he has. It empowers the man (or in the case of gay and
lesbian couples the most "sperm brain" minded of them) to lead with the
knowledge of his/her sacred duty to protect and provide for his family.
What do you think? What have you experienced in your family? What role does your faith play in your families leadership?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Regarding a comment
Someone recently posted a comment on my blog and they do not have an accessible profile so I cannot respond directly to them however given that they read this blog I would like a chance to respond as there comment brings into question my values.
The comment said, "Interesting...I've enjoyed reading. But here's a question: if you boycott places like Wal-Mart, WHY are you linking to Amazon on your blog??"
Ummmm.....I can't find a place where I link to Amazon. I use to, a while ago, have an Amazon wishlist but only of used things that could be bought from small businesses through Amazon but I haven't had that up for a while so I doubt that's what this person was reffering to. During posts, I may refer to a book and link to Amzon for a discription but I can't even find a place where I've done that.
Please respond poster, you can always email me directly at nykkicreations at yahoo dot com if you think I'm being somehow hypocritical
The comment said, "Interesting...I've enjoyed reading. But here's a question: if you boycott places like Wal-Mart, WHY are you linking to Amazon on your blog??"
Ummmm.....I can't find a place where I link to Amazon. I use to, a while ago, have an Amazon wishlist but only of used things that could be bought from small businesses through Amazon but I haven't had that up for a while so I doubt that's what this person was reffering to. During posts, I may refer to a book and link to Amzon for a discription but I can't even find a place where I've done that.
Please respond poster, you can always email me directly at nykkicreations at yahoo dot com if you think I'm being somehow hypocritical
Regarding a comment
Someone recently posted a comment on my blog and they do not have an accessible profile so I cannot respond directly to them however given that they read this blog I would like a chance to respond as there comment brings into question my values.
The comment said, "Interesting...I've enjoyed reading. But here's a question: if you boycott places like Wal-Mart, WHY are you linking to Amazon on your blog??"
Ummmm.....I can't find a place where I link to Amazon. I use to, a while ago, have an Amazon wishlist but only of used things that could be bought from small businesses through Amazon but I haven't had that up for a while so I doubt that's what this person was reffering to. During posts, I may refer to a book and link to Amzon for a discription but I can't even find a place where I've done that.
Please respond poster, you can always email me directly at nykkicreations at yahoo dot com if you think I'm being somehow hypocritical
The comment said, "Interesting...I've enjoyed reading. But here's a question: if you boycott places like Wal-Mart, WHY are you linking to Amazon on your blog??"
Ummmm.....I can't find a place where I link to Amazon. I use to, a while ago, have an Amazon wishlist but only of used things that could be bought from small businesses through Amazon but I haven't had that up for a while so I doubt that's what this person was reffering to. During posts, I may refer to a book and link to Amzon for a discription but I can't even find a place where I've done that.
Please respond poster, you can always email me directly at nykkicreations at yahoo dot com if you think I'm being somehow hypocritical
(02.28.08) Recommends:
Looking Forward to the Weekend.
We don't want to jinx it or anything, but. We've been doing some research. We're scoured the internet. Poured over the newspaper. Flipped through all the channels on the teevee. We even consulted with the guy down at the corner store. The verdict is in. And it's unanimous: this weekend is shaping up to be the Best Weekend Thus Far For This Calendar Year. We all just have to get through today. And then we've got more potential highlights than reasonable people can shake sticks at. Behold:
We don't want to jinx it or anything, but. We've been doing some research. We're scoured the internet. Poured over the newspaper. Flipped through all the channels on the teevee. We even consulted with the guy down at the corner store. The verdict is in. And it's unanimous: this weekend is shaping up to be the Best Weekend Thus Far For This Calendar Year. We all just have to get through today. And then we've got more potential highlights than reasonable people can shake sticks at. Behold:
- Miss Chan Marshall will be serenading us on Friday.
- The weather is supposed to be, um, another nearly perfect LA weekend. Weather.com sums it up succinctly with it's prediction of "abundant sunshine."
- Which means we're gonna be getting our exercise outside!
- We'll probably consume no less than three alcoholic drinks in a single sitting, because it is the weekend, and well, we can. Note: this does not mean the drink must come from a can. It might come from a bottle. Or a fancy glass. Or off the chest of an eager, nubile female. No, no. Another Note: we didn't just write that; it was the other editor; and it's completely false. And preposterous. We only love people for their minds. Sheesh.
- Last and probably funniest: New Will Ferrel Movie Weekend.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Pentax Photo Gallery
Note:
I'm in the process of adding more data and comments to this post. Stay tuned...
Key Photo Gallery Stats
- 1900 artists from 75 countries
- Over 4,000 images
Pentax Photo Gallery "Artist" Stats
Pentax Photo Gallery "Lens" Stats
Progressives are asking the wrong questions.....
I just stumbled upon this story. Apparently the actor Dennis Quaid and wife Kimberly recently had twin sons born in the hospital. The boys contracted a nasty hospital infection which required antibiotics and then, so that the antibiotics wouldn't cause blood clots, the small babes were given heparin, however they were accidentally given 100 times the safe does and nearly died.
The article I linked to asks the question, "How can the public hear such a story and still support laws capping damages at levels that undermine the injured patients' access to the justice system?"
Fair enough, I don't believe medical trail lawyers are the evil cretons they're made out to be by the media. I think people deserve compensation when gravely injured. However I would instead ask the question; how can the public hear such a story and still support routine hospital births?
Most mamas reading this are nodding their heads.
And that's what bugs me about the progressive movement is that, in my opinion, they ask the wrong questions.
Take universal heath care for example, which I support by the way, but it does my family, and families like ours zero good. We wont get insurance, universal or not, to cover our naturopath bills, our herbal and homeopathic costs, breastfeeding or homebirth support or natural dentistry. It would only cover us in the event of an emergency.
What good is it truly doing people to have universal health care when they rush off to a western medical "professional" for every sniffle? These same "professionals" who poison their babies and medically rape their bodies. All it does is keep billions of dollars square in the hands of the doctors who are causing most of the problems, whether that's giving antibiotics too often, icing swelling, casting small breaks, recommending horrible diets, or handing out anti-depressants like candy.
We shouldn't be demanding that everyone have access to a broken system, we need a new system.
That's my rant for the day :)
Progressives are asking the wrong questions.....
I just stumbled upon this story. Apparently the actor Dennis Quaid and wife Kimberly recently had twin sons born in the hospital. The boys contracted a nasty hospital infection which required antibiotics and then, so that the antibiotics wouldn't cause blood clots, the small babes were given heparin, however they were accidentally given 100 times the safe does and nearly died.
The article I linked to asks the question, "How can the public hear such a story and still support laws capping damages at levels that undermine the injured patients' access to the justice system?"
Fair enough, I don't believe medical trail lawyers are the evil cretons they're made out to be by the media. I think people deserve compensation when gravely injured. However I would instead ask the question; how can the public hear such a story and still support routine hospital births?
Most mamas reading this are nodding their heads.
And that's what bugs me about the progressive movement is that, in my opinion, they ask the wrong questions.
Take universal heath care for example, which I support by the way, but it does my family, and families like ours zero good. We wont get insurance, universal or not, to cover our naturopath bills, our herbal and homeopathic costs, breastfeeding or homebirth support or natural dentistry. It would only cover us in the event of an emergency.
What good is it truly doing people to have universal health care when they rush off to a western medical "professional" for every sniffle? These same "professionals" who poison their babies and medically rape their bodies. All it does is keep billions of dollars square in the hands of the doctors who are causing most of the problems, whether that's giving antibiotics too often, icing swelling, casting small breaks, recommending horrible diets, or handing out anti-depressants like candy.
We shouldn't be demanding that everyone have access to a broken system, we need a new system.
That's my rant for the day :)
(02.27.08) Recommends:
Busting Our Your Favorite Driving CD and Going for a Drive.
Call us old timers, but this post is a nod to old school music listening ways.
One of the things that our iPod world makes us contemplate is the future of the Driving CD. Anyone born from about 1985 and earlier knows what we're talking about. The CD that you always have somewhere in the car because if a long road trip should suddenly break out, you'd need it because it's your favorite Driving CD. They are those rare albums where every song is good, every song flows perfectly into the next song, and together the album seems to perfectly soundtrack whatever landscape that happens to surround you.
Do people still have Driving CDs, or is it all iPod mixes, perfectly tailored to meet the expectations of the destination, the driving company, the climate controlled environment? God, we hope not.
Probably our favorite Driving CD is Son Volt's Trace. This record came out when we were Sophomores in high school, and my goodness, driving really meant something at that age, you know? We can definitely recall getting out and getting lost among the dusty backroads of Kansas, with the windows rolled down and that humid heat beating down on us, listening to this record over and over and over again. We didn't know where we were headed, but we were hopeful that the open road and this album held some of the answers.
And this week, we're there again. I mean, we're not back in Kansas. We've found ourselves sequestered in a certain California city that was heretofore unknown to us. But this town has a really stunning mountain range. So when we've had time, we've gotten out, like that Sophomore stuck inside of us, and have been driving in the shadow of that mountain range. Looking for answers, trying to clear our heads. And wouldn't you know it, but we had to bust out our favorite Driving CD again. And it can still make everything seem more meaningful.
These songs will never be as powerful to us as they are coming out of a CD player, out on the open road, but here are two of our favorite tracks from our favorite Driving CDs.
Call us old timers, but this post is a nod to old school music listening ways.
One of the things that our iPod world makes us contemplate is the future of the Driving CD. Anyone born from about 1985 and earlier knows what we're talking about. The CD that you always have somewhere in the car because if a long road trip should suddenly break out, you'd need it because it's your favorite Driving CD. They are those rare albums where every song is good, every song flows perfectly into the next song, and together the album seems to perfectly soundtrack whatever landscape that happens to surround you.
Do people still have Driving CDs, or is it all iPod mixes, perfectly tailored to meet the expectations of the destination, the driving company, the climate controlled environment? God, we hope not.
Probably our favorite Driving CD is Son Volt's Trace. This record came out when we were Sophomores in high school, and my goodness, driving really meant something at that age, you know? We can definitely recall getting out and getting lost among the dusty backroads of Kansas, with the windows rolled down and that humid heat beating down on us, listening to this record over and over and over again. We didn't know where we were headed, but we were hopeful that the open road and this album held some of the answers.
And this week, we're there again. I mean, we're not back in Kansas. We've found ourselves sequestered in a certain California city that was heretofore unknown to us. But this town has a really stunning mountain range. So when we've had time, we've gotten out, like that Sophomore stuck inside of us, and have been driving in the shadow of that mountain range. Looking for answers, trying to clear our heads. And wouldn't you know it, but we had to bust out our favorite Driving CD again. And it can still make everything seem more meaningful.
These songs will never be as powerful to us as they are coming out of a CD player, out on the open road, but here are two of our favorite tracks from our favorite Driving CDs.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Food Storage
Edit Note: One of the links was not working before, I think I fixed it :)
Last night I attended a presentation on food storage given by our local WELL (Willits Economic Localization) group in conjunction with the LDS church (who are well know for their practices of food storage and preparedness).
It was so uplifting to see these two groups in come together in an effort toward sustainablility, traditional teaching, self reliance and community. I thought I would share with you all what I learned.
Suggested Amounts of Basic Foods for Home Storage Per Adult for One Year
- Grains ( wheat, barely, spelt, rice, oats, etc) 400 lbs
- Legumes (dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.) 60 lbs
- Powdered Milk 16 lbs
- Nutritional Yeast (non-leavening) 6 lbs
- Cooking Oil ( vegetable oils, shortening 10 qts
- Sugar, Honey, Molasses 60 qts
- Salt 8 lbs
- Water (for two weeks) 14 gallons
If you want more specific guidlines you can use this calculator here
Why Food Storage and Local Agriculture?
For true food security we must not rely on our food to be trucked in to our area. We must grow and store it ourselves. Your local grocery store probably carries only about 3 days worth of food for the area it serves.
The first step in this process is to begin growing our own fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are high in water weight and thus heavier to transport. This means they are trucked in using a lot of fuel. The average fruits and veggie at our local Safeway come from over 1,500 miles away!
Of course fruits and veggies are not where most of our calories come from so it's a good idea to store grains and dried beans for emergencies and system collapses. Then at least you have a good supply while you find a way to grow your own grains.
The best way to begin this process is to put away a little food at a time and to not go into to debt to do it.
Grains and Beans
Purchase food grade storage buckets, black if you can find them, white if you can't and a poly bucket wrench will make them easier to open and close.
Fill these buckets with dry beans and hard winter wheat. The next item you'll want to purchase is a stone or metal mill for grinding your grains. You want to always be rotating your foods, so in a few years when you pull out a bucket to use up and refill you're going to want to soak your beans first in some distilled water, if possible, and then cook them over night in a crock pot - this helps them get nice and moist for eating and they'll taste just like new beans, not 20 year old beans LOL
White rice stores better than brown but both store very well, if kept cool, dark and dry (keep all our food storage cool, dark and dry) Rice will keep up to 15 years.
To keep pests (i.e. bugs) out of your food storage be sure to rinse the grains or beans first with some sharp, not processed, Diatomaceous earth.
When using your mill either in emergencies or when you're rotating food, be sure not to processes corn or things with oil, just dry grains. Once the grains are milled into flour they will go rancid more quickly so keep this in mind.
When rotating your buckets, bring one up from storage, use it up, refill and seal it and place it back in storage, then bring up another bucket.
If you want to store raw veggies that will retain enzymes you can simply put them in a jar of apple cider vinegar and they will keep for a really long time. You can also dehydrate them, grind them into a powder and store the powder for soups, breads and sauces.
Canning Your Home Grown Food
You can can just about any food, potatoes, beans, nectarines even nuts.
To can nuts place the dry nuts in a jar leaving a half inch at the top, put the lids on, place the jars in a cake pan with about an inch and a half of water, place them in the oven at 225 for an hour. Check the seals on the jars and make sure they're good and tight when they cool and viola! Stored nuts :)
Don't keep jarred food more than 5 years accept for acidic foods like fruit, they will last up to 8 years or more.
When you are using your canned beans be sure to reboil them for 15 minutes after opening them up. Never eat straight beans from the jar. Use a pressure cooker to can when possible, it's safer.
Be sure to wrap your jars and store them in a low place in case of an earthquake or other disturbance. Always store your food a few different ways and in a few different places.
Never hord food, always be willing to share.
Last night I attended a presentation on food storage given by our local WELL (Willits Economic Localization) group in conjunction with the LDS church (who are well know for their practices of food storage and preparedness).
It was so uplifting to see these two groups in come together in an effort toward sustainablility, traditional teaching, self reliance and community. I thought I would share with you all what I learned.
Suggested Amounts of Basic Foods for Home Storage Per Adult for One Year
- Grains ( wheat, barely, spelt, rice, oats, etc) 400 lbs
- Legumes (dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.) 60 lbs
- Powdered Milk 16 lbs
- Nutritional Yeast (non-leavening) 6 lbs
- Cooking Oil ( vegetable oils, shortening 10 qts
- Sugar, Honey, Molasses 60 qts
- Salt 8 lbs
- Water (for two weeks) 14 gallons
If you want more specific guidlines you can use this calculator here
Why Food Storage and Local Agriculture?
For true food security we must not rely on our food to be trucked in to our area. We must grow and store it ourselves. Your local grocery store probably carries only about 3 days worth of food for the area it serves.
The first step in this process is to begin growing our own fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are high in water weight and thus heavier to transport. This means they are trucked in using a lot of fuel. The average fruits and veggie at our local Safeway come from over 1,500 miles away!
Of course fruits and veggies are not where most of our calories come from so it's a good idea to store grains and dried beans for emergencies and system collapses. Then at least you have a good supply while you find a way to grow your own grains.
The best way to begin this process is to put away a little food at a time and to not go into to debt to do it.
Grains and Beans
Purchase food grade storage buckets, black if you can find them, white if you can't and a poly bucket wrench will make them easier to open and close.
Fill these buckets with dry beans and hard winter wheat. The next item you'll want to purchase is a stone or metal mill for grinding your grains. You want to always be rotating your foods, so in a few years when you pull out a bucket to use up and refill you're going to want to soak your beans first in some distilled water, if possible, and then cook them over night in a crock pot - this helps them get nice and moist for eating and they'll taste just like new beans, not 20 year old beans LOL
White rice stores better than brown but both store very well, if kept cool, dark and dry (keep all our food storage cool, dark and dry) Rice will keep up to 15 years.
To keep pests (i.e. bugs) out of your food storage be sure to rinse the grains or beans first with some sharp, not processed, Diatomaceous earth.
When using your mill either in emergencies or when you're rotating food, be sure not to processes corn or things with oil, just dry grains. Once the grains are milled into flour they will go rancid more quickly so keep this in mind.
When rotating your buckets, bring one up from storage, use it up, refill and seal it and place it back in storage, then bring up another bucket.
If you want to store raw veggies that will retain enzymes you can simply put them in a jar of apple cider vinegar and they will keep for a really long time. You can also dehydrate them, grind them into a powder and store the powder for soups, breads and sauces.
Canning Your Home Grown Food
You can can just about any food, potatoes, beans, nectarines even nuts.
To can nuts place the dry nuts in a jar leaving a half inch at the top, put the lids on, place the jars in a cake pan with about an inch and a half of water, place them in the oven at 225 for an hour. Check the seals on the jars and make sure they're good and tight when they cool and viola! Stored nuts :)
Don't keep jarred food more than 5 years accept for acidic foods like fruit, they will last up to 8 years or more.
When you are using your canned beans be sure to reboil them for 15 minutes after opening them up. Never eat straight beans from the jar. Use a pressure cooker to can when possible, it's safer.
Be sure to wrap your jars and store them in a low place in case of an earthquake or other disturbance. Always store your food a few different ways and in a few different places.
Never hord food, always be willing to share.
Food Storage
Edit Note: One of the links was not working before, I think I fixed it :)
Last night I attended a presentation on food storage given by our local WELL (Willits Economic Localization) group in conjunction with the LDS church (who are well know for their practices of food storage and preparedness).
It was so uplifting to see these two groups in come together in an effort toward sustainablility, traditional teaching, self reliance and community. I thought I would share with you all what I learned.
Suggested Amounts of Basic Foods for Home Storage Per Adult for One Year
- Grains ( wheat, barely, spelt, rice, oats, etc) 400 lbs
- Legumes (dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.) 60 lbs
- Powdered Milk 16 lbs
- Nutritional Yeast (non-leavening) 6 lbs
- Cooking Oil ( vegetable oils, shortening 10 qts
- Sugar, Honey, Molasses 60 qts
- Salt 8 lbs
- Water (for two weeks) 14 gallons
If you want more specific guidlines you can use this calculator here
Why Food Storage and Local Agriculture?
For true food security we must not rely on our food to be trucked in to our area. We must grow and store it ourselves. Your local grocery store probably carries only about 3 days worth of food for the area it serves.
The first step in this process is to begin growing our own fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are high in water weight and thus heavier to transport. This means they are trucked in using a lot of fuel. The average fruits and veggie at our local Safeway come from over 1,500 miles away!
Of course fruits and veggies are not where most of our calories come from so it's a good idea to store grains and dried beans for emergencies and system collapses. Then at least you have a good supply while you find a way to grow your own grains.
The best way to begin this process is to put away a little food at a time and to not go into to debt to do it.
Grains and Beans
Purchase food grade storage buckets, black if you can find them, white if you can't and a poly bucket wrench will make them easier to open and close.
Fill these buckets with dry beans and hard winter wheat. The next item you'll want to purchase is a stone or metal mill for grinding your grains. You want to always be rotating your foods, so in a few years when you pull out a bucket to use up and refill you're going to want to soak your beans first in some distilled water, if possible, and then cook them over night in a crock pot - this helps them get nice and moist for eating and they'll taste just like new beans, not 20 year old beans LOL
White rice stores better than brown but both store very well, if kept cool, dark and dry (keep all our food storage cool, dark and dry) Rice will keep up to 15 years.
To keep pests (i.e. bugs) out of your food storage be sure to rinse the grains or beans first with some sharp, not processed, Diatomaceous earth.
When using your mill either in emergencies or when you're rotating food, be sure not to processes corn or things with oil, just dry grains. Once the grains are milled into flour they will go rancid more quickly so keep this in mind.
When rotating your buckets, bring one up from storage, use it up, refill and seal it and place it back in storage, then bring up another bucket.
If you want to store raw veggies that will retain enzymes you can simply put them in a jar of apple cider vinegar and they will keep for a really long time. You can also dehydrate them, grind them into a powder and store the powder for soups, breads and sauces.
Canning Your Home Grown Food
You can can just about any food, potatoes, beans, nectarines even nuts.
To can nuts place the dry nuts in a jar leaving a half inch at the top, put the lids on, place the jars in a cake pan with about an inch and a half of water, place them in the oven at 225 for an hour. Check the seals on the jars and make sure they're good and tight when they cool and viola! Stored nuts :)
Don't keep jarred food more than 5 years accept for acidic foods like fruit, they will last up to 8 years or more.
When you are using your canned beans be sure to reboil them for 15 minutes after opening them up. Never eat straight beans from the jar. Use a pressure cooker to can when possible, it's safer.
Be sure to wrap your jars and store them in a low place in case of an earthquake or other disturbance. Always store your food a few different ways and in a few different places.
Never hord food, always be willing to share.
Last night I attended a presentation on food storage given by our local WELL (Willits Economic Localization) group in conjunction with the LDS church (who are well know for their practices of food storage and preparedness).
It was so uplifting to see these two groups in come together in an effort toward sustainablility, traditional teaching, self reliance and community. I thought I would share with you all what I learned.
Suggested Amounts of Basic Foods for Home Storage Per Adult for One Year
- Grains ( wheat, barely, spelt, rice, oats, etc) 400 lbs
- Legumes (dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.) 60 lbs
- Powdered Milk 16 lbs
- Nutritional Yeast (non-leavening) 6 lbs
- Cooking Oil ( vegetable oils, shortening 10 qts
- Sugar, Honey, Molasses 60 qts
- Salt 8 lbs
- Water (for two weeks) 14 gallons
If you want more specific guidlines you can use this calculator here
Why Food Storage and Local Agriculture?
For true food security we must not rely on our food to be trucked in to our area. We must grow and store it ourselves. Your local grocery store probably carries only about 3 days worth of food for the area it serves.
The first step in this process is to begin growing our own fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are high in water weight and thus heavier to transport. This means they are trucked in using a lot of fuel. The average fruits and veggie at our local Safeway come from over 1,500 miles away!
Of course fruits and veggies are not where most of our calories come from so it's a good idea to store grains and dried beans for emergencies and system collapses. Then at least you have a good supply while you find a way to grow your own grains.
The best way to begin this process is to put away a little food at a time and to not go into to debt to do it.
Grains and Beans
Purchase food grade storage buckets, black if you can find them, white if you can't and a poly bucket wrench will make them easier to open and close.
Fill these buckets with dry beans and hard winter wheat. The next item you'll want to purchase is a stone or metal mill for grinding your grains. You want to always be rotating your foods, so in a few years when you pull out a bucket to use up and refill you're going to want to soak your beans first in some distilled water, if possible, and then cook them over night in a crock pot - this helps them get nice and moist for eating and they'll taste just like new beans, not 20 year old beans LOL
White rice stores better than brown but both store very well, if kept cool, dark and dry (keep all our food storage cool, dark and dry) Rice will keep up to 15 years.
To keep pests (i.e. bugs) out of your food storage be sure to rinse the grains or beans first with some sharp, not processed, Diatomaceous earth.
When using your mill either in emergencies or when you're rotating food, be sure not to processes corn or things with oil, just dry grains. Once the grains are milled into flour they will go rancid more quickly so keep this in mind.
When rotating your buckets, bring one up from storage, use it up, refill and seal it and place it back in storage, then bring up another bucket.
If you want to store raw veggies that will retain enzymes you can simply put them in a jar of apple cider vinegar and they will keep for a really long time. You can also dehydrate them, grind them into a powder and store the powder for soups, breads and sauces.
Canning Your Home Grown Food
You can can just about any food, potatoes, beans, nectarines even nuts.
To can nuts place the dry nuts in a jar leaving a half inch at the top, put the lids on, place the jars in a cake pan with about an inch and a half of water, place them in the oven at 225 for an hour. Check the seals on the jars and make sure they're good and tight when they cool and viola! Stored nuts :)
Don't keep jarred food more than 5 years accept for acidic foods like fruit, they will last up to 8 years or more.
When you are using your canned beans be sure to reboil them for 15 minutes after opening them up. Never eat straight beans from the jar. Use a pressure cooker to can when possible, it's safer.
Be sure to wrap your jars and store them in a low place in case of an earthquake or other disturbance. Always store your food a few different ways and in a few different places.
Never hord food, always be willing to share.
I love you...
....I'm feeling the juicey vibes today and I'm just so dang thankful for my life. I feel like I want to shout out a great big "I Love You!" to everyone around me, and if you're reading this it includes you!
OK, maybe it's soppy....cheesy even, but I honestly have found so much joy, love and inspiration through my blog, the comments and all your lovely blogs. In the past year that my blog has gained readership and I've found all these great hip womyn out in cyberspace to drool over (in a mama to mama sorta way), it has actually made my quality of life better, honestly.
You make my life better.
Thank you for reading about and commenting on our lives and my thoughts about all the swirling issues around me. Thank you for just letting me be me in my own little nitch of the Net.
I want to give a hearty "shout out" to all you lovely ladies (and maybe a few men, who knows??? LOL) who inspire me everyday. You get me excited about the issues, you get me worked up when there's work to be done and you get me peaceful when it's time to take it down a notch. You are always infusing our daily homeschool practices with all your brilliant ideas and oh the crafty-ness.
Goddess bless you all for your crafty-ness.
I hope you all have a great day. I really do.
Peace Sistas.
I love you...
....I'm feeling the juicey vibes today and I'm just so dang thankful for my life. I feel like I want to shout out a great big "I Love You!" to everyone around me, and if you're reading this it includes you!
OK, maybe it's soppy....cheesy even, but I honestly have found so much joy, love and inspiration through my blog, the comments and all your lovely blogs. In the past year that my blog has gained readership and I've found all these great hip womyn out in cyberspace to drool over (in a mama to mama sorta way), it has actually made my quality of life better, honestly.
You make my life better.
Thank you for reading about and commenting on our lives and my thoughts about all the swirling issues around me. Thank you for just letting me be me in my own little nitch of the Net.
I want to give a hearty "shout out" to all you lovely ladies (and maybe a few men, who knows??? LOL) who inspire me everyday. You get me excited about the issues, you get me worked up when there's work to be done and you get me peaceful when it's time to take it down a notch. You are always infusing our daily homeschool practices with all your brilliant ideas and oh the crafty-ness.
Goddess bless you all for your crafty-ness.
I hope you all have a great day. I really do.
Peace Sistas.
(02.26.08) Recommends:
PWRFL POWER.
Just the other day we were wondering -- luckily we weren't wondering this aloud, as is sometimes our wont -- what would happen if Satomi Matsuzaki, the lead singer of Deerhoof, and Sufjan Stevens, of, um, Sufjan Stevens made some kind of musical robot out of their combined presences. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long for an answer, because today the good people at Catbird Records emailed us the answer. The robot's name is PWRFL POWER and he sounds like this. Note: He's not actually a robot. But we're very excited by the results nonetheless.
PWRFL POWER -- Alma Song -- mp3.
PWRFL POWER @ CBR.
PWRFL POWER @ Myspace.
Just the other day we were wondering -- luckily we weren't wondering this aloud, as is sometimes our wont -- what would happen if Satomi Matsuzaki, the lead singer of Deerhoof, and Sufjan Stevens, of, um, Sufjan Stevens made some kind of musical robot out of their combined presences. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long for an answer, because today the good people at Catbird Records emailed us the answer. The robot's name is PWRFL POWER and he sounds like this. Note: He's not actually a robot. But we're very excited by the results nonetheless.
PWRFL POWER -- Alma Song -- mp3.
PWRFL POWER @ CBR.
PWRFL POWER @ Myspace.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Disclaimer about previous post
In my previous post on Utah Midwives I posted something written by the midwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, not realizing she was the midiwfe "Lizz" I had heard about from so many broken hearted and damaged mamas.
A friend of mine who is VERY active in the local Southern Utah birth community was quick to point this out. While I agree with what Lizz wrote about the bill I now have an issue throwing her up on my site as an "authority" when she is actually nothing more than a Med-wife and no friend to home birthing mamas.
Now, what I want to stress is that I don't want to "spread rumors" but the practices of this medwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, are dangerous and I do not want anyone reading my blog to think that I endorce her as a birth proffessional. Quite the opposite.
- She reaches her hand inside a laboring mama and has them push when they are not fully dialted, thus causing great pain, scar tissue and danger to both mom and babe.
- She has carried and used pitocin before and after it was legalized. This is a highly dangerous drug to use especially at home.
- She takes on 25 birthing moms, per month, thus often missing births and stays for only 45 minuites post birth and does not make sure the mom has peed or that breasfeeding has been established
I cannot say this is what she practices 100% of the time but I personally know several moms in which she has practiced these methods and even one time is too many if you ask me.
Again, this is not about spreading rumors, it's about me making sure that people have both sides of a story and can make more informed choices about their births.
Edit Note: I want to be clear that this Lizz lives in Utah and is not the Lizz from Oregon who regularly visits this blog. I've gone back through emails from a few different friends and this midwife Elizabeth is reffered to in them as both "Liz" and "Lizz" so I'm not sure which is correct.
A friend of mine who is VERY active in the local Southern Utah birth community was quick to point this out. While I agree with what Lizz wrote about the bill I now have an issue throwing her up on my site as an "authority" when she is actually nothing more than a Med-wife and no friend to home birthing mamas.
Now, what I want to stress is that I don't want to "spread rumors" but the practices of this medwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, are dangerous and I do not want anyone reading my blog to think that I endorce her as a birth proffessional. Quite the opposite.
- She reaches her hand inside a laboring mama and has them push when they are not fully dialted, thus causing great pain, scar tissue and danger to both mom and babe.
- She has carried and used pitocin before and after it was legalized. This is a highly dangerous drug to use especially at home.
- She takes on 25 birthing moms, per month, thus often missing births and stays for only 45 minuites post birth and does not make sure the mom has peed or that breasfeeding has been established
I cannot say this is what she practices 100% of the time but I personally know several moms in which she has practiced these methods and even one time is too many if you ask me.
Again, this is not about spreading rumors, it's about me making sure that people have both sides of a story and can make more informed choices about their births.
Edit Note: I want to be clear that this Lizz lives in Utah and is not the Lizz from Oregon who regularly visits this blog. I've gone back through emails from a few different friends and this midwife Elizabeth is reffered to in them as both "Liz" and "Lizz" so I'm not sure which is correct.
Disclaimer about previous post
In my previous post on Utah Midwives I posted something written by the midwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, not realizing she was the midiwfe "Lizz" I had heard about from so many broken hearted and damaged mamas.
A friend of mine who is VERY active in the local Southern Utah birth community was quick to point this out. While I agree with what Lizz wrote about the bill I now have an issue throwing her up on my site as an "authority" when she is actually nothing more than a Med-wife and no friend to home birthing mamas.
Now, what I want to stress is that I don't want to "spread rumors" but the practices of this medwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, are dangerous and I do not want anyone reading my blog to think that I endorce her as a birth proffessional. Quite the opposite.
- She reaches her hand inside a laboring mama and has them push when they are not fully dialted, thus causing great pain, scar tissue and danger to both mom and babe.
- She has carried and used pitocin before and after it was legalized. This is a highly dangerous drug to use especially at home.
- She takes on 25 birthing moms, per month, thus often missing births and stays for only 45 minuites post birth and does not make sure the mom has peed or that breasfeeding has been established
I cannot say this is what she practices 100% of the time but I personally know several moms in which she has practiced these methods and even one time is too many if you ask me.
Again, this is not about spreading rumors, it's about me making sure that people have both sides of a story and can make more informed choices about their births.
Edit Note: I want to be clear that this Lizz lives in Utah and is not the Lizz from Oregon who regularly visits this blog. I've gone back through emails from a few different friends and this midwife Elizabeth is reffered to in them as both "Liz" and "Lizz" so I'm not sure which is correct.
A friend of mine who is VERY active in the local Southern Utah birth community was quick to point this out. While I agree with what Lizz wrote about the bill I now have an issue throwing her up on my site as an "authority" when she is actually nothing more than a Med-wife and no friend to home birthing mamas.
Now, what I want to stress is that I don't want to "spread rumors" but the practices of this medwife, Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM, are dangerous and I do not want anyone reading my blog to think that I endorce her as a birth proffessional. Quite the opposite.
- She reaches her hand inside a laboring mama and has them push when they are not fully dialted, thus causing great pain, scar tissue and danger to both mom and babe.
- She has carried and used pitocin before and after it was legalized. This is a highly dangerous drug to use especially at home.
- She takes on 25 birthing moms, per month, thus often missing births and stays for only 45 minuites post birth and does not make sure the mom has peed or that breasfeeding has been established
I cannot say this is what she practices 100% of the time but I personally know several moms in which she has practiced these methods and even one time is too many if you ask me.
Again, this is not about spreading rumors, it's about me making sure that people have both sides of a story and can make more informed choices about their births.
Edit Note: I want to be clear that this Lizz lives in Utah and is not the Lizz from Oregon who regularly visits this blog. I've gone back through emails from a few different friends and this midwife Elizabeth is reffered to in them as both "Liz" and "Lizz" so I'm not sure which is correct.
(02.25.08) Recommends:
The Bureau of Communication.
We came across this page via the Daily Candy email, and it cracks us up. The premise is combining the powers of the internet and Mad Libs to convey all those unspoken thoughts that go through our heads all day. So if you're not sure how to reveal your attraction or repulsion to somebody; your regret or appreciation over things; to communicate, to celebrate, to observe; BoC might be just the thing for you. Just go to the site. Pick out a pre-created form. Fill it out. Email it off. "Let that which is unsaid be said." Attempts at humor are strongly discouraged.
We came across this page via the Daily Candy email, and it cracks us up. The premise is combining the powers of the internet and Mad Libs to convey all those unspoken thoughts that go through our heads all day. So if you're not sure how to reveal your attraction or repulsion to somebody; your regret or appreciation over things; to communicate, to celebrate, to observe; BoC might be just the thing for you. Just go to the site. Pick out a pre-created form. Fill it out. Email it off. "Let that which is unsaid be said." Attempts at humor are strongly discouraged.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Utah Homebirthers
From Utah Friends of Midwifery
written by Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
The Utah Medical Association has very sneakily and dishonestly proposed a bill to the Utah Senate, much like last year's bill, that will take away the rights of most mothers to birth at home. At the Senate committee, both sides were ordered to work out a compromise. The UMA met with midwife representatives and came up with compromises to everything except a few items. Yesterday, the UMedA sent their own bill, without the agreed compromises to the Senate floor saying that it was the "Compromise" bill.
They totally lied and all but one Senator bought it and voted for it. Now the bill SB93 has gone to the house to be voted into law. PLEASE call everyone you know and have them email their Legislator and ask them to vote NO on SB93. They are being flooded with emails from doctors asking them to vote yes so they can restrict our rights and force us all to the hospital for birth. This is SO important. Go read the bill yourself. You will probably find that YOU fall into the high risk category like the rest of us. This is not about home birth vs hospital birth. This is about basic human rights and the rights of women to birth how they want to.
Please act on this quickly. Time is of the essence. Please write SB93 in the subject line and let them know you are one of their constituents, even including your address. To learn more about this and keep abreast on the happenings, please join utahfriendsofmidwives@yahoogroup.com
With this I include this quote:
"Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine
Will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of
Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a
Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom." Benjamin Rush, MD.,
a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician to George Washington
May the Lord bless our Politicians to make the right choice,
Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
written by Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
The Utah Medical Association has very sneakily and dishonestly proposed a bill to the Utah Senate, much like last year's bill, that will take away the rights of most mothers to birth at home. At the Senate committee, both sides were ordered to work out a compromise. The UMA met with midwife representatives and came up with compromises to everything except a few items. Yesterday, the UMedA sent their own bill, without the agreed compromises to the Senate floor saying that it was the "Compromise" bill.
They totally lied and all but one Senator bought it and voted for it. Now the bill SB93 has gone to the house to be voted into law. PLEASE call everyone you know and have them email their Legislator and ask them to vote NO on SB93. They are being flooded with emails from doctors asking them to vote yes so they can restrict our rights and force us all to the hospital for birth. This is SO important. Go read the bill yourself. You will probably find that YOU fall into the high risk category like the rest of us. This is not about home birth vs hospital birth. This is about basic human rights and the rights of women to birth how they want to.
Please act on this quickly. Time is of the essence. Please write SB93 in the subject line and let them know you are one of their constituents, even including your address. To learn more about this and keep abreast on the happenings, please join utahfriendsofmidwives@yahoogroup.com
With this I include this quote:
"Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine
Will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of
Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a
Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom." Benjamin Rush, MD.,
a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician to George Washington
May the Lord bless our Politicians to make the right choice,
Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
Utah Homebirthers
From Utah Friends of Midwifery
written by Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
The Utah Medical Association has very sneakily and dishonestly proposed a bill to the Utah Senate, much like last year's bill, that will take away the rights of most mothers to birth at home. At the Senate committee, both sides were ordered to work out a compromise. The UMA met with midwife representatives and came up with compromises to everything except a few items. Yesterday, the UMedA sent their own bill, without the agreed compromises to the Senate floor saying that it was the "Compromise" bill.
They totally lied and all but one Senator bought it and voted for it. Now the bill SB93 has gone to the house to be voted into law. PLEASE call everyone you know and have them email their Legislator and ask them to vote NO on SB93. They are being flooded with emails from doctors asking them to vote yes so they can restrict our rights and force us all to the hospital for birth. This is SO important. Go read the bill yourself. You will probably find that YOU fall into the high risk category like the rest of us. This is not about home birth vs hospital birth. This is about basic human rights and the rights of women to birth how they want to.
Please act on this quickly. Time is of the essence. Please write SB93 in the subject line and let them know you are one of their constituents, even including your address. To learn more about this and keep abreast on the happenings, please join utahfriendsofmidwives@yahoogroup.com
With this I include this quote:
"Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine
Will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of
Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a
Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom." Benjamin Rush, MD.,
a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician to George Washington
May the Lord bless our Politicians to make the right choice,
Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
written by Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
The Utah Medical Association has very sneakily and dishonestly proposed a bill to the Utah Senate, much like last year's bill, that will take away the rights of most mothers to birth at home. At the Senate committee, both sides were ordered to work out a compromise. The UMA met with midwife representatives and came up with compromises to everything except a few items. Yesterday, the UMedA sent their own bill, without the agreed compromises to the Senate floor saying that it was the "Compromise" bill.
They totally lied and all but one Senator bought it and voted for it. Now the bill SB93 has gone to the house to be voted into law. PLEASE call everyone you know and have them email their Legislator and ask them to vote NO on SB93. They are being flooded with emails from doctors asking them to vote yes so they can restrict our rights and force us all to the hospital for birth. This is SO important. Go read the bill yourself. You will probably find that YOU fall into the high risk category like the rest of us. This is not about home birth vs hospital birth. This is about basic human rights and the rights of women to birth how they want to.
Please act on this quickly. Time is of the essence. Please write SB93 in the subject line and let them know you are one of their constituents, even including your address. To learn more about this and keep abreast on the happenings, please join utahfriendsofmidwives@yahoogroup.com
With this I include this quote:
"Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine
Will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of
Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a
Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom." Benjamin Rush, MD.,
a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician to George Washington
May the Lord bless our Politicians to make the right choice,
Elizabeth Smith, CPM, LDEM
Tagged!
I was recently taged by Poppy and Mei days.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 things:
1. I've recently been considering dressing in skirts all the time to see how the energy feels different to have a nonrestricted, flowing channel between my legs.
2. I use to hate spring and summer. I grew up in Las Vegas so summer equaled "unbarably hot" and spring meant that the heat was on the way. Now I find myself in a Feburary funk craving the sun and fruits of spring and summer here in North Cali
3. I wash my cloth diapers in the same load as my clothes and I don't find it distgusting, dirty or anything else (off course I rinse the pooop in the toilet first so we're talkin' mostly a pee issue here)
4. I love being outdoors but sometimes it's hard to get motivated. Once I'm out I want to live there but looking out the window from even my tiny place, I can't ever seem to "want" to unless it's going to a specific spot I like. I know once I'm out I'll love it so I just trust that and push myself anyway.
5. I love listening to evagelical preachers (as long as their not on a hate theme). I especially appreciate hearing about their faithfulness and obediance to God and I apply it to my own version of Spirit/my inner wisdom.
6. I have to pee really bad but I can't stop blogging and I'm afraid if I get up Seth will jump on the computer and start building online-game space stations again. So I sit here with my full bladder.
7. I have a form of OCD that I don't take meds for but it doesn't really effect my quality of life too much.
Wow, it's strange to see what randomly pops into my head. Some things are influenced by the last poster and others were totally random.
I would like to tag my bloggin' homies over at:
Wiccan Sister in Zion
Sarah
Heather (Whom I've known since we were 12 BTW)
Shelly
Moonprysm
Amy
Suzy
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 things:
1. I've recently been considering dressing in skirts all the time to see how the energy feels different to have a nonrestricted, flowing channel between my legs.
2. I use to hate spring and summer. I grew up in Las Vegas so summer equaled "unbarably hot" and spring meant that the heat was on the way. Now I find myself in a Feburary funk craving the sun and fruits of spring and summer here in North Cali
3. I wash my cloth diapers in the same load as my clothes and I don't find it distgusting, dirty or anything else (off course I rinse the pooop in the toilet first so we're talkin' mostly a pee issue here)
4. I love being outdoors but sometimes it's hard to get motivated. Once I'm out I want to live there but looking out the window from even my tiny place, I can't ever seem to "want" to unless it's going to a specific spot I like. I know once I'm out I'll love it so I just trust that and push myself anyway.
5. I love listening to evagelical preachers (as long as their not on a hate theme). I especially appreciate hearing about their faithfulness and obediance to God and I apply it to my own version of Spirit/my inner wisdom.
6. I have to pee really bad but I can't stop blogging and I'm afraid if I get up Seth will jump on the computer and start building online-game space stations again. So I sit here with my full bladder.
7. I have a form of OCD that I don't take meds for but it doesn't really effect my quality of life too much.
Wow, it's strange to see what randomly pops into my head. Some things are influenced by the last poster and others were totally random.
I would like to tag my bloggin' homies over at:
Wiccan Sister in Zion
Sarah
Heather (Whom I've known since we were 12 BTW)
Shelly
Moonprysm
Amy
Suzy
Tagged!
I was recently taged by Poppy and Mei days.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 things:
1. I've recently been considering dressing in skirts all the time to see how the energy feels different to have a nonrestricted, flowing channel between my legs.
2. I use to hate spring and summer. I grew up in Las Vegas so summer equaled "unbarably hot" and spring meant that the heat was on the way. Now I find myself in a Feburary funk craving the sun and fruits of spring and summer here in North Cali
3. I wash my cloth diapers in the same load as my clothes and I don't find it distgusting, dirty or anything else (off course I rinse the pooop in the toilet first so we're talkin' mostly a pee issue here)
4. I love being outdoors but sometimes it's hard to get motivated. Once I'm out I want to live there but looking out the window from even my tiny place, I can't ever seem to "want" to unless it's going to a specific spot I like. I know once I'm out I'll love it so I just trust that and push myself anyway.
5. I love listening to evagelical preachers (as long as their not on a hate theme). I especially appreciate hearing about their faithfulness and obediance to God and I apply it to my own version of Spirit/my inner wisdom.
6. I have to pee really bad but I can't stop blogging and I'm afraid if I get up Seth will jump on the computer and start building online-game space stations again. So I sit here with my full bladder.
7. I have a form of OCD that I don't take meds for but it doesn't really effect my quality of life too much.
Wow, it's strange to see what randomly pops into my head. Some things are influenced by the last poster and others were totally random.
I would like to tag my bloggin' homies over at:
Wiccan Sister in Zion
Sarah
Heather (Whom I've known since we were 12 BTW)
Shelly
Moonprysm
Amy
Suzy
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 things:
1. I've recently been considering dressing in skirts all the time to see how the energy feels different to have a nonrestricted, flowing channel between my legs.
2. I use to hate spring and summer. I grew up in Las Vegas so summer equaled "unbarably hot" and spring meant that the heat was on the way. Now I find myself in a Feburary funk craving the sun and fruits of spring and summer here in North Cali
3. I wash my cloth diapers in the same load as my clothes and I don't find it distgusting, dirty or anything else (off course I rinse the pooop in the toilet first so we're talkin' mostly a pee issue here)
4. I love being outdoors but sometimes it's hard to get motivated. Once I'm out I want to live there but looking out the window from even my tiny place, I can't ever seem to "want" to unless it's going to a specific spot I like. I know once I'm out I'll love it so I just trust that and push myself anyway.
5. I love listening to evagelical preachers (as long as their not on a hate theme). I especially appreciate hearing about their faithfulness and obediance to God and I apply it to my own version of Spirit/my inner wisdom.
6. I have to pee really bad but I can't stop blogging and I'm afraid if I get up Seth will jump on the computer and start building online-game space stations again. So I sit here with my full bladder.
7. I have a form of OCD that I don't take meds for but it doesn't really effect my quality of life too much.
Wow, it's strange to see what randomly pops into my head. Some things are influenced by the last poster and others were totally random.
I would like to tag my bloggin' homies over at:
Wiccan Sister in Zion
Sarah
Heather (Whom I've known since we were 12 BTW)
Shelly
Moonprysm
Amy
Suzy
(02.24.08) Recommends:
"Sometime Around Midnight" by the Airborne Toxic Event.
One of the things that we've really loved about our time in Los Angeles is all the great local bands we've stumbled upon one way or another. We've seen and blogged about locals the Deadly Syndrome, Western States Motel, Robert Francis, Emily Jane White and lots of others. We think Airborne Toxic Event gets top honors for Weirdest Discovery. And we've been listening to this ATE single tons lately. One of the reasons we really love this track (and perhaps it's subconsciously one of the reasons we love this band) is that we're pretty sure this is what Neil Diamond would have sounded like had he decided all those years ago to front an indie-rock band. And we're not being ironic or snarky here -- we really love Neil Diamond.
So seriously. We're pretty sure this band is gonna break big this calendar year. And we're pretty sure they owe a big debt to Neil Diamond. If you doubt this theory, check out this tune, close your eyes, and picture Neil Diamond.
All you know about Neil Diamond and indie-rock might change upon this experiment.
Paradigms? They're about to be shifted.
One of the things that we've really loved about our time in Los Angeles is all the great local bands we've stumbled upon one way or another. We've seen and blogged about locals the Deadly Syndrome, Western States Motel, Robert Francis, Emily Jane White and lots of others. We think Airborne Toxic Event gets top honors for Weirdest Discovery. And we've been listening to this ATE single tons lately. One of the reasons we really love this track (and perhaps it's subconsciously one of the reasons we love this band) is that we're pretty sure this is what Neil Diamond would have sounded like had he decided all those years ago to front an indie-rock band. And we're not being ironic or snarky here -- we really love Neil Diamond.
So seriously. We're pretty sure this band is gonna break big this calendar year. And we're pretty sure they owe a big debt to Neil Diamond. If you doubt this theory, check out this tune, close your eyes, and picture Neil Diamond.
All you know about Neil Diamond and indie-rock might change upon this experiment.
Paradigms? They're about to be shifted.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
February 23, 2008 - A Big Loss for Big Insurance
On November 11, 2007, I wrote about a California hairdresser named Patsy Bates, whose insurance company, Health Net, canceled her coverage in the middle of her chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. The reason they cited was that, on her application for insurance, she had understated her weight by 35 pounds, and had failed to mention that she had once been screened for a possible heart condition, after having taken the diet pill, Fen-Phen.Of course, the real – although unstated – reason was that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Some bean-counter in the insurance company offices, whose job it was to discover legal loopholes allowing the company to cancel unprofitable policies, had targeted Ms. Bates as a likely victim.
Ms. Bates, who suddenly found herself with over $129,000 in unpaid medical bills, was forced to discontinue her chemotherapy for several months, until she could find a charity that would help pay for her treatments.
The Los Angeles Times reported today that a judge has awarded Ms. Bates a $9 million settlement in the case. Evidence produced at the trial demonstrated that not only did Health Net pursue a policy of canceling customers’ policies on this sort of pretext, but they actually paid their employees bonuses to uncover such cases.From the article:
“Calling Woodland Hills-based Health Net's actions ‘egregious,’ Judge Sam Cianchetti, a retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, ruled that the company broke state laws and acted in bad faith.
‘Health Net was primarily concerned with and considered its own financial interests and gave little, if any, consideration and concern for the interests of the insured,’ Cianchetti wrote in a 21-page ruling.”
Health Net CEO Jay Gellert did express remorse. “I felt bad about what happened to her,” he told the Times. “I feel bad about the whole situation.” He called an immediate halt to such cancellations and announced that Health Net “would be changing its coverage applications and retraining its sales force.”It’s amazing how much repentance a $9 million legal judgment will produce.
Just for fun, I did a little search to find out what Mr. Gellert’s annual compensation is. According to the Forbes magazine website, it’s $7.03 million. (He also owns $28.3 million in company stock.) Do you suppose the Health Net Board of Directors will vote to dock his salary?
I’ll believe that when I see it.
This is the sort of situation that would never happen if we had a single-payer, national health system in this country. Nobody’s insurance coverage would be dropped to improve some corporation’s bottom line. Nobody’s. And we wouldn’t have health-insurance executives being paid multi-million dollar salaries based on their willingness to cancel people’s policies, either.
Nykki will stay at La Vida
I've had a lot of emails recently, people asking if Nykki will still be able to go to his independant learning charter school when we move and the answere is YES! His school is halfway bewtween our current home and our new place so my drive will increase by a total of 5 mins. ~Blessings!
Nykki will stay at La Vida
I've had a lot of emails recently, people asking if Nykki will still be able to go to his independant learning charter school when we move and the answere is YES! His school is halfway bewtween our current home and our new place so my drive will increase by a total of 5 mins. ~Blessings!
Growing Organic Food Inside Your Home
Tip: Growing Organic Food Inside Your Home Year-Round
* Windowsill Gardening
By Pauline Lloyd
Growing Green International 9, 2/22/2008
Straight to the Source
Don't worry if you haven't got a garden or allotment! For a surprising amount of food can be produced indoors, vegan organically, either on your windowsill or on a well-lit kitchen surface.
The following plants will all do well indoors:
Salad greens are easy to grow and can be produced all the year round indoors, ever so cheaply. So, the next time you buy fruit and vegetables, save any empty plastic punnets as these are ideal for this purpose. You will need to line the base of the punnet with several layers of paper kitchen towel and this should be dampened with water before sprinkling on the seeds. Try using rape, mustard or cress seeds which should all grow well.
After sowing the seeds, place the punnet in a brown paper bag and keep it in a dark cupboard, perhaps underneath the sink, until the seeds have germinated and the seedlings are an inch or so high. Then it can be brought out into the daylight and the bag removed. But don't place it on a very sunny windowsill, or the seedlings will dry out too rapidly and become stressed.
You should check the seedlings regularly to make sure that the paper is still damp and water or spray if necessary. When they are about 2-3 inches high, the seedlings can be cut off with scissors, rinsed and used as a tasty garnish for salads or sandwiches. Alternatively, buckwheat and sunflower greens make an excellent substitute for lettuce. These grow well in small plastic trays and the sorts of trays that can sometimes buy mushrooms in are ideal.
Soak the seeds (which should still have their shells on) in a jam jar for 12 hours, then drain off the water and leave the seeds to sprout for a day before sowing. To sow: Place a layer of soil (or potting compost) in the plastic tray and distribute the seeds evenly on the surface, covering them with a thin layer of soil. Dampen the soil daily. The greens should be ready for harvesting in about 7 days and are also easily harvested with scissors.
Wheatgrass also grows well in trays and can be grown either on soil or on dampened kitchen towels. However, wheatgrass is usually juiced in a special juicer, rather than eaten, although you can also chew it like gum! Wheatgrass juice has many amazing curative properties and it is full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes and of course chlorophyll. I would recommend that you read Ann Wigmore's book, The Wheatgrass Book, if you want to find out more about how to grow it and about its medicinal properties. Sprouts Many grains, pulses, nuts and seeds can be sprouted and are easily grown indoors on a windowsill, either in trays or in special sprouting jars. And sprouts are truly amazing! They are full of vitamins, enzymes and minerals and have many features, which make them far superior to other foods For example they are inexpensive to grow, need little preparation, can usually be eaten raw and some even have anti-cancer properties. And what could be fresher, than a handful of sprouts removed from a jar in your kitchen, rinsed, then eaten straight away?
If you want quick results, then try sprouting some soaked, hulled, organic sunflower seeds. These can be ready in a day or two and green lentil sprouts also grow very quickly. Alfalfa is one of the most nutritious sprouts to grow and makes an excellent garnish, but I actually prefer the taste of red clover, which is supposed to be especially good if you are menopausal. I also really like the taste of broccoli sprouts, but these seeds are very expensive to buy and not always easy to find and so I usually grow my own.
If you would like to try this, then leave some purple sprouting broccoli to go seed in a corner of your garden. You need to leave at least two plants next to one another to be sure of producing seed and you may need to protect the ripening seedpods from birds. When the pods are dry shell out the seeds. It's fiddly, but well worth the effort, as you will save a fortune! Legumes are also worth sprouting. Try chick peas, peas and aduki beans. Wheat can also be sprouted and is used to make the refreshing drink known as Rejuvelac, which is supposed to be good for the intestinal flora. And of course wheat sprouts are also used to make sprouted wheat bread.
When growing sprouts, if you are short of space, then try one of the tiered tray systems such as the Beingfare Salad Sprouter, which allows you to grow several varieties of sprouts on top of one another. It is also possible to buy special sprouting jars with mesh lids, which allow easy rinsing and draining of your sprouts. Of course if you are hard up for cash you can simply use clean jam jars, covered with a piece of cheesecloth (muslin) and held in place with an elastic band. It is possible to buy nylon sprouting bags from the Fresh Network, which are more portable than most sprouting systems and are useful for taking on holiday. Herbs and Other Plants Many herbs will grow well on a windowsill and are useful for adding extra flavour to food. Parsley is rich in vitamins and will grow well in a pot or small trough indoors. I use the variety Champion Moss Curled and make sowings in March and August for an all year round supply. Germination seems to be more reliable than from an outdoor sowing and it is especially useful to have a small pot of parsley growing indoors in the winter as it saves going out in the garden and getting the feet wet!
Bush Basil also grows well in containers and so does Winter Savoury and both of these can be sown indoors in April or May. Chives is also an excellent indoor container plant and so is Pennyroyal and you could even try growing your own Cayenne peppers on a sunny windowsill! Also watercress does not necessarily need running water. The Organic Gardening Catalogue offers a type of watercress that does well in a well-watered pot and if you grow it indoors, you should hopefully escape the caterpillars which can quickly strip the plant bare!
--------------------
My indoor garden started with a Royal Flush: During a poker game with friends, I was halving an avocado for guacamole when I realized, to my complete shock, that I had a good hand. Instead of pausing the game to throw the pit in the trash, I poked a hole in the soil of the nearest houseplant, dropped in the pit and forgot about it. I was reminded a month later when the fast-growing avocado plant took over the pot. You, too, can grow an indoor garden with kitchen scraps usually thrown onto the compost heap.
Garlic: 1. Plant a few garlic cloves with pointed tip facing up in a pot with loamy organic soil.
2. Place the pot on a sunny windowsill and water regularly like a houseplant.
3. Green garlicky shoots emerge in a week or so. Harvest with a scissors to using in cooking or as a tasty garnish for soups, salads and baked potatoes.
Green Onions: 1. Use green onions with healthy, white roots attached to the bulb. Snip off green tops for cooking with a scissors. Leave a little green top on the onion bulb.
2. Plant the entire onion while leaving the short top above ground in a small pot filled with a loamy, organic potting soil. Make sure your container has drainage holes. Put in a sunny windowsill and water once a week or when soil feels dry to the touch.
3. Harvest new green shoots with scissors to use for cooking or as a tasty garnish. Continue to leave the onion in the soil. With each new growth the onion will taste more potent. After each harvest of onion tops, dress the topsoil with organic compost. Enjoy green onion tops in stir-fries, omelets, and in sandwiches all winter long
Pineapple: 1. Indoor pineapple plants rarely produce flowers and fruit, but their striking foliage adds a touch of exotic to any houseplant collection. All you need to grow one is the green top you cut off when you eat the pineapple. For best results, use a pineapple that has fresh center leaves at the crown. Lob off the top, right where the crown meets the fruit. Peel off the bottom leaves and clean off the leftover fruit. Let the top rest a day before planting.
2. Fill a shallow pot with rich, loamy organic soil mixed with a few tablespoons of well-rinsed coffee grounds. Pineapple grows best in an acidic soil. Plant the pineapple top so the soil is even with the bottom of the crown.
3. Water well and mist the leaves and crown with a diluted, organic liquid fertilizer. As a member of the Bromeliaceae family, which also includes air plants, pineapple plants take much of their nourishment not from the soil but from nutrients in the moist air.
Avocado: 1. For best results use only a ripe avocado. Carefully halve the fruit and rinse the pit. Pat dry and let sit overnight in a warm, dry spot. The next day, peel off any of the parchment-like skin from the pit.
2. Place the pit with the base (the wider end) toward the bottom in a 7-inch pot full of loamy, rich organic soil. Make sure the tip is above the soil, exposed to light for proper germination. Water thoroughly.
3. If your apartment is dry, place a clear plastic cup over the exposed seed tip to serve as a mini-greenhouse. Though the plant does not need direct light to germinate, placing the pot on a sunny windowsill will speed growth.
4. Continue to water every week and make sure the soil doesn't dry out completely. The pit may take over a month to germinate so be patient.
5. When the sprout emerges and grows to about 4 inches, add another layer of organic soil to cover the pit completely. This not only protects the seed, but also any roots that may poke through the soil in search of nourishment.
6. Once the plant starts growing, it may remind you of the story "Jack and the Beanstalk." You can watch the plant grow tall for a year (supported with a wooden rod) and let it branch on its own, or make a decision to prune it and force it to branch, making a sturdier plant. If you choose to prune, it's best to trim with a diagonal cut 2 inches from the top. Be careful as you prune not to cut the main stem more than 1/3 of its height.
7. Continue to add organic compost to fertilize the soil with each pruning and water as you would a houseplant. Only repot the fast-growing plant when it is 6 times taller than the diameter of the pot.
8. Though avocado plants do not bear fruit if grown indoors, you can plant multiple avocado pits at various times in the same pot for a more interesting arrangement.
Further Reading:
The Sprouter's Handbook by Edward Cairney (Argyll Publishing, 1997).
Sprout For the Love of Everybody by Viktoras Kulvinskas.
The Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Steve Meyerowitz.
The Wheatgrass Book by Ann Wigmore.
Sprouting by Pauline Lloyd. (A copy of this article can be downloaded from my web site at: http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/sprout.htm).
Seed Suppliers:
The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Rd, Hersham, Surrey. KT12 4RG. (Tel: 01932 253666.) Sells a good selection of seeds for sprouting and also stocks the Beingfare Salad Sprouter, sprouting jars, a manual wheatgrass juicer and books.
John Chambers, 15 Westleigh Rd, Barton Seagrave, Kettering, Northants, NN15 5AJ. (Tel: 01933 652562.) Offers a selection of seeds for sprouting.
The FRESH Network, PO Box 71, Ely. Cambs. CB7 4GU. (Tel: 0870 800 7070). Sells sprouting jars and nylon sprouting bags, plus a number of books on sprouting.
Suffolk Herbs, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9PG. (Tel: 01376 572456.) Sells seeds for sprouting, sprouting equipment and books on herbs.
Note: all of the seeds mentioned in this article can be obtained from The Organic Gardening Catalogue.
Growing Organic Food Inside Your Home
Tip: Growing Organic Food Inside Your Home Year-Round
* Windowsill Gardening
By Pauline Lloyd
Growing Green International 9, 2/22/2008
Straight to the Source
Don't worry if you haven't got a garden or allotment! For a surprising amount of food can be produced indoors, vegan organically, either on your windowsill or on a well-lit kitchen surface.
The following plants will all do well indoors:
Salad greens are easy to grow and can be produced all the year round indoors, ever so cheaply. So, the next time you buy fruit and vegetables, save any empty plastic punnets as these are ideal for this purpose. You will need to line the base of the punnet with several layers of paper kitchen towel and this should be dampened with water before sprinkling on the seeds. Try using rape, mustard or cress seeds which should all grow well.
After sowing the seeds, place the punnet in a brown paper bag and keep it in a dark cupboard, perhaps underneath the sink, until the seeds have germinated and the seedlings are an inch or so high. Then it can be brought out into the daylight and the bag removed. But don't place it on a very sunny windowsill, or the seedlings will dry out too rapidly and become stressed.
You should check the seedlings regularly to make sure that the paper is still damp and water or spray if necessary. When they are about 2-3 inches high, the seedlings can be cut off with scissors, rinsed and used as a tasty garnish for salads or sandwiches. Alternatively, buckwheat and sunflower greens make an excellent substitute for lettuce. These grow well in small plastic trays and the sorts of trays that can sometimes buy mushrooms in are ideal.
Soak the seeds (which should still have their shells on) in a jam jar for 12 hours, then drain off the water and leave the seeds to sprout for a day before sowing. To sow: Place a layer of soil (or potting compost) in the plastic tray and distribute the seeds evenly on the surface, covering them with a thin layer of soil. Dampen the soil daily. The greens should be ready for harvesting in about 7 days and are also easily harvested with scissors.
Wheatgrass also grows well in trays and can be grown either on soil or on dampened kitchen towels. However, wheatgrass is usually juiced in a special juicer, rather than eaten, although you can also chew it like gum! Wheatgrass juice has many amazing curative properties and it is full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes and of course chlorophyll. I would recommend that you read Ann Wigmore's book, The Wheatgrass Book, if you want to find out more about how to grow it and about its medicinal properties. Sprouts Many grains, pulses, nuts and seeds can be sprouted and are easily grown indoors on a windowsill, either in trays or in special sprouting jars. And sprouts are truly amazing! They are full of vitamins, enzymes and minerals and have many features, which make them far superior to other foods For example they are inexpensive to grow, need little preparation, can usually be eaten raw and some even have anti-cancer properties. And what could be fresher, than a handful of sprouts removed from a jar in your kitchen, rinsed, then eaten straight away?
If you want quick results, then try sprouting some soaked, hulled, organic sunflower seeds. These can be ready in a day or two and green lentil sprouts also grow very quickly. Alfalfa is one of the most nutritious sprouts to grow and makes an excellent garnish, but I actually prefer the taste of red clover, which is supposed to be especially good if you are menopausal. I also really like the taste of broccoli sprouts, but these seeds are very expensive to buy and not always easy to find and so I usually grow my own.
If you would like to try this, then leave some purple sprouting broccoli to go seed in a corner of your garden. You need to leave at least two plants next to one another to be sure of producing seed and you may need to protect the ripening seedpods from birds. When the pods are dry shell out the seeds. It's fiddly, but well worth the effort, as you will save a fortune! Legumes are also worth sprouting. Try chick peas, peas and aduki beans. Wheat can also be sprouted and is used to make the refreshing drink known as Rejuvelac, which is supposed to be good for the intestinal flora. And of course wheat sprouts are also used to make sprouted wheat bread.
When growing sprouts, if you are short of space, then try one of the tiered tray systems such as the Beingfare Salad Sprouter, which allows you to grow several varieties of sprouts on top of one another. It is also possible to buy special sprouting jars with mesh lids, which allow easy rinsing and draining of your sprouts. Of course if you are hard up for cash you can simply use clean jam jars, covered with a piece of cheesecloth (muslin) and held in place with an elastic band. It is possible to buy nylon sprouting bags from the Fresh Network, which are more portable than most sprouting systems and are useful for taking on holiday. Herbs and Other Plants Many herbs will grow well on a windowsill and are useful for adding extra flavour to food. Parsley is rich in vitamins and will grow well in a pot or small trough indoors. I use the variety Champion Moss Curled and make sowings in March and August for an all year round supply. Germination seems to be more reliable than from an outdoor sowing and it is especially useful to have a small pot of parsley growing indoors in the winter as it saves going out in the garden and getting the feet wet!
Bush Basil also grows well in containers and so does Winter Savoury and both of these can be sown indoors in April or May. Chives is also an excellent indoor container plant and so is Pennyroyal and you could even try growing your own Cayenne peppers on a sunny windowsill! Also watercress does not necessarily need running water. The Organic Gardening Catalogue offers a type of watercress that does well in a well-watered pot and if you grow it indoors, you should hopefully escape the caterpillars which can quickly strip the plant bare!
--------------------
My indoor garden started with a Royal Flush: During a poker game with friends, I was halving an avocado for guacamole when I realized, to my complete shock, that I had a good hand. Instead of pausing the game to throw the pit in the trash, I poked a hole in the soil of the nearest houseplant, dropped in the pit and forgot about it. I was reminded a month later when the fast-growing avocado plant took over the pot. You, too, can grow an indoor garden with kitchen scraps usually thrown onto the compost heap.
Garlic: 1. Plant a few garlic cloves with pointed tip facing up in a pot with loamy organic soil.
2. Place the pot on a sunny windowsill and water regularly like a houseplant.
3. Green garlicky shoots emerge in a week or so. Harvest with a scissors to using in cooking or as a tasty garnish for soups, salads and baked potatoes.
Green Onions: 1. Use green onions with healthy, white roots attached to the bulb. Snip off green tops for cooking with a scissors. Leave a little green top on the onion bulb.
2. Plant the entire onion while leaving the short top above ground in a small pot filled with a loamy, organic potting soil. Make sure your container has drainage holes. Put in a sunny windowsill and water once a week or when soil feels dry to the touch.
3. Harvest new green shoots with scissors to use for cooking or as a tasty garnish. Continue to leave the onion in the soil. With each new growth the onion will taste more potent. After each harvest of onion tops, dress the topsoil with organic compost. Enjoy green onion tops in stir-fries, omelets, and in sandwiches all winter long
Pineapple: 1. Indoor pineapple plants rarely produce flowers and fruit, but their striking foliage adds a touch of exotic to any houseplant collection. All you need to grow one is the green top you cut off when you eat the pineapple. For best results, use a pineapple that has fresh center leaves at the crown. Lob off the top, right where the crown meets the fruit. Peel off the bottom leaves and clean off the leftover fruit. Let the top rest a day before planting.
2. Fill a shallow pot with rich, loamy organic soil mixed with a few tablespoons of well-rinsed coffee grounds. Pineapple grows best in an acidic soil. Plant the pineapple top so the soil is even with the bottom of the crown.
3. Water well and mist the leaves and crown with a diluted, organic liquid fertilizer. As a member of the Bromeliaceae family, which also includes air plants, pineapple plants take much of their nourishment not from the soil but from nutrients in the moist air.
Avocado: 1. For best results use only a ripe avocado. Carefully halve the fruit and rinse the pit. Pat dry and let sit overnight in a warm, dry spot. The next day, peel off any of the parchment-like skin from the pit.
2. Place the pit with the base (the wider end) toward the bottom in a 7-inch pot full of loamy, rich organic soil. Make sure the tip is above the soil, exposed to light for proper germination. Water thoroughly.
3. If your apartment is dry, place a clear plastic cup over the exposed seed tip to serve as a mini-greenhouse. Though the plant does not need direct light to germinate, placing the pot on a sunny windowsill will speed growth.
4. Continue to water every week and make sure the soil doesn't dry out completely. The pit may take over a month to germinate so be patient.
5. When the sprout emerges and grows to about 4 inches, add another layer of organic soil to cover the pit completely. This not only protects the seed, but also any roots that may poke through the soil in search of nourishment.
6. Once the plant starts growing, it may remind you of the story "Jack and the Beanstalk." You can watch the plant grow tall for a year (supported with a wooden rod) and let it branch on its own, or make a decision to prune it and force it to branch, making a sturdier plant. If you choose to prune, it's best to trim with a diagonal cut 2 inches from the top. Be careful as you prune not to cut the main stem more than 1/3 of its height.
7. Continue to add organic compost to fertilize the soil with each pruning and water as you would a houseplant. Only repot the fast-growing plant when it is 6 times taller than the diameter of the pot.
8. Though avocado plants do not bear fruit if grown indoors, you can plant multiple avocado pits at various times in the same pot for a more interesting arrangement.
Further Reading:
The Sprouter's Handbook by Edward Cairney (Argyll Publishing, 1997).
Sprout For the Love of Everybody by Viktoras Kulvinskas.
The Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Steve Meyerowitz.
The Wheatgrass Book by Ann Wigmore.
Sprouting by Pauline Lloyd. (A copy of this article can be downloaded from my web site at: http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/sprout.htm).
Seed Suppliers:
The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Rd, Hersham, Surrey. KT12 4RG. (Tel: 01932 253666.) Sells a good selection of seeds for sprouting and also stocks the Beingfare Salad Sprouter, sprouting jars, a manual wheatgrass juicer and books.
John Chambers, 15 Westleigh Rd, Barton Seagrave, Kettering, Northants, NN15 5AJ. (Tel: 01933 652562.) Offers a selection of seeds for sprouting.
The FRESH Network, PO Box 71, Ely. Cambs. CB7 4GU. (Tel: 0870 800 7070). Sells sprouting jars and nylon sprouting bags, plus a number of books on sprouting.
Suffolk Herbs, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9PG. (Tel: 01376 572456.) Sells seeds for sprouting, sprouting equipment and books on herbs.
Note: all of the seeds mentioned in this article can be obtained from The Organic Gardening Catalogue.
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