Quick--Order your free 2013 Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog today!

Last year I snoozed a bit too long in winter and waited too long to request my Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog and they were out in the very very early spring. I had to peruse the catalog online, alas. Not a bad thing altogether. I am glad they have that option for folks that know exactly what they want to jump on and just order.

But I like to write in catalogs, dog-ear the pages and mull over my choices before I place my order.

I really like Baker Creek because they are one of the few places these days to offer truly (tested!) non-GMO seeds (the corn selection is less every year due to their finding GMO genes in the corn they tested). The seeds are heirlooms, so you can grow next year's crop from this year's seed if you want to (can't do that with just any seeds).  And, the seeds are not big-company owned seeds like so many of the seeds in the stores are.

So, if you want to get a hard copy of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog for 2013, click here!

Happy planning, and a Merry Christmas to all of you! :)

Might Sourdough Bread be an Option for those with Grain Issues?

I read an article in the September issue of Whole Living Magazine last night talking about the rising gluten free movement and whether gluten avoidance is what is really necessary for everyone with grain issues. Have we really found the culprit, or are there more culprits out there in our wheat supply?

One of the main focuses on the article was sourdough. Many people who were interviewed said that they were able to tolerate sourdough without problems(barring those with Celiac).  Interestingly enough, it is the refined flour sourdough bread that is getting the thumbs up. Commercial whole wheat flour is not the same as flour you would grind from whole grain at home, since it is ground/smashed, then the parts are separated, and divvied out to various sources, and then they are remixed when a whole grain order comes in. Manyy find that this is too hard on their digestive systems.  Before you reach for Organic refined flours, the article said that these do not have the fortifications added, and apparently to make a good sourdough with refined flour, you need to have those fortifications to feed the yeasts, otherwise they do not grow well.

Ancient (non-tinkered-with/non-GMO) grains were also given the nod and stronger approval than commercial refined flour.

I have been doing well with a once-a-week or so whole grain spelt pizza crust made at home.

So...I am thinking about branching out and trying to make sourdough from spelt and any other ancient grains I can find, and seeing how I do with it.  I would like to do it with whole grains, even if I have to finely grind them at home.

Hmmm...this is much like our ancestors made bread, isn't it? Getting back to basics...

Keepin' it Real!

Take a look at the article. I bet you will find it just as interesting as I did!

Pink Slime: My Take

Pink Slime has been on the news in the last few months, with some people falling on the side of avoidance and wanting to have it labeled, and others insisting it's fine to eat, because it's "just beef" (which is a lie, if I've ever heard one).

I am writing this post to give my take on the issue.

As my readers might guess, my preference is for all-natural foods. I like to know what's in my food, so that I can make an educated decision as to whether I want to take it into my body.

It hasn't always been this way. I used to just eat whatever I wanted and not think about consequences. After my allergies snowballed and I ended up with pretty extensive allergies (13+ diagnosed food allergies that came up with conventional allergy testing, most pollens, 2/3 of molds, and animal epithelials.....I won the prize that day as they hadn't seen anyone that bad for some time), I was forced to examine every bite that went into my mouth.

And I have come out the other end a person who wants to eat with eyes wide open.


As to the Pink Slime issue, I knew that I didn't want to be taking any more chemicals into my body than absolutely necessary. This was the main reason I was trying to avoid the stuff.

My reasons were not for avoiding direct allergies.....

...but then I read today that the method Cargill uses to make their Pink Slime uses citric acid. Given the business that Cargill does, (they are one of the major agricultural companies), I have to assume that the citric acid they are using is derived from (probably genetically modified-up to 85% of US corn is GMO) corn.

So, now I am back on my anti-GMO soapbox and have stronger reasons to avoid Pink Slime. Beef with Pink Slime is not *only* beef. It's had something added. Something that is part of production and doesn't legally have to be announced a label, but no less added.  As a person whose allergy diagnosis included Corn and Soy, I can't help but try to avoid them when I can, along with other GMO's(such as cottonseed). A hard feat when GMO foods are crammed into something like 70-85% of the US food supply.  I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I'm not giving up!

When I look at a selection of conventional ground beef, it's not only likely that the cows have been fed GMO corn and soy, and that the packaging contains GMO corn, but the GMO corn is put directly into the meat (if it's from Cargill, but who knows that information in the meat section of the grocery store)!

Bad news for me and fellow Corn-Allergy people. I don't care that Big Government says it is safe.....I don't trust it.

And...I find it a bit ironic that, if they say it's safe to eat, ConAgra Foods and Kraft Foods claim that they pulled the Pink Slime out of their products. They're not standing behind their product with pride.  These companies all have ties in the GMO chain.....and I'm not sure they're not just blowing smoke and tickling our ears.

For the big companies, it's all about the money, folks. It's not about the health of the American people; it's about the money the American people are willing to put into their pockets.

The eyes of the American people are being opened as they become aware of what exactly goes into our food(or, at least, what's been divulged), and how our food in the US compares to other First World countries. I have seen a lot of change happening in the last couple years; I used to be one of a tiny minority, but more mainstream people are hopping on my boat (yeah!).

Educate Yourself. Vote with your Dollars.  I think that's one of the few ways that will be effective in positive change in the food industry in the coming years.


Updated to add links.

Amish farm kids don't have the allergy problems we do? Makes me go Hmmm.

I have often come across the supposition that farm kids don't have as many allergies, and that it's our modern pristine environment that is causing kids to have all of these allergy problems.  I haven't subscribed to that train of thought, though; having spent much of my childhood on a farm with plenty of dirt and animals, I still ended up with my allergy problems. I shudder to think of how they could be any worse than they got.

The thought that farm life leads to fewer allergies is based on an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002(citation at the bottom) about children growing up on farms in Switzerland. These kids had fewer allergies, thus leading to the conclusion that a less-than-sterile environment was conducive to a better, more appropriate, immune response.

More recently, there was a study comparing Amish farm kids in the Indianapolis area, farm kids in Switzerland, and non-farm kids in Switzerland. Results showed that the Amish kids had far fewer issues with allergies and asthma than did the Swiss farm kids, who in turn had fewer than the non-farm Swiss kids.

The article I read online on Yahoo News touched on many possible reasons for the health differences between the three groups of kids. Some reasons mentioned include: limited gene pool in the Amish community, positive effects of drinking raw cow's milk, and more time spent outside and in barns due to the low-tech ways.

I would like to add to their speculation that the Amish may not be exposed to Genetically Modified crops, since they grow their own food and use the lower-tech ways. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt the Amish buy into the government-subsidized crops.  They probably don't have Roundup to deal with, either, in their surrounding air, or in their food, and thus their bodies don't have to deal with the repercussions from being around it. 

I would like to see further scientific research as to what exactly each of these population groups eat on a regular basis, and whether that might have some bearing on the health of the populations' immune systems.  My guess would be that the non-farm Swiss families may get some GMO's in their foods(yes, there are GMO's in Europe, but not as prevalent as in the US), the Swiss farms might eat less if they grow much of their food, and the Amish would have very little to none, and that may explain the results of this recent study.

What are your thoughts?

My 2001 Food Focus - No GMO

For a couple of years now, after reading a lot and with my own health experiences, I have suspected Genetically Modified Foods to have a negative impact on my immune system and one cause for the rise in allergies. (Just because Monsanto pats us on the head and assures us that GMO's haven't been proven to cause harm does not mean that they are safe to consume.)

Upon reading this article with documentation showing how GMO's do indeed effect our immune systems (they have the potential to change the DNA of our gut bacteria!), I think that my food focus this year will be to (ever more vigilantly) avoid Genetically Modified Organisms the best I can, both in our food and in the other products we use.

I hope also to increase awareness of just how prevalent GMO's are in our daily lives.

I realize that I cannot take GMO's 100% out of my and my family's lives, especially living in GMO corn- and soy- country,  but I will do what is within my power to minimize their impact.

This will require that I rethink our menu and food choices. I need to do a lot of thinking and praying and updating myself on these things to see just how far I can take it and still live within our food budget of $450/month for our family of 5.

Here's to a non-GMO 2012!

Treated today: Soy and Rice

I went in to make sure the red pepper and xanthan gum treatment held. So far, it has.

I also brought in some things that I have suspected reactions to. Turns out the Soy truly was and is a culprit for the near-instantaneous skin breakout the other day. So I got treated for that.

And I also suspected rice, because on this gluten-free thing I'm doing, I have tried Tinkyada rice pasta and Arrowhead Puffed Rice and had what I suspected as being reactions(the pasta made my stomach/gut hurt, the rice cereal caused itching and lower-GI aching). Sure enough, something about the Rice is not good for my body. I am in the process of contacting companies and figuring out cross-contamination issues with them.

Same with my vanilla--need to check the ingredients on it.

So: today I was treated for Soy and Rice. Which makes me want to continue to avoid SOY-GMO and otherwise-- as much as possible and not even have it on the odd batch of coleslaw anymore. I need to find a different mayo or a different coleslaw dressing recipe. And stick to non-processed rice.


I am still doing the Gluten-free/Tomato-free thing. Potatoes and red peppers checked out fine today(woo-hoo!) so they are potentially back in my diet.  I do feel a lot better avoiding Gluten/Tomatoes, though I admit to wanting to imbibe in pita chips, shortbread or that last box of Girl Scout cookies lurking in the cupboard...mayhap I should put those cookies in the back of the freezer...or feed them to my kids. :)

How to Avoid Genetically Modified Food

I have written an article on Helium.com and thought I would share it here:


You may have heard about the debate over whether Genetically Modified(hereafter denoted GM) foods are safe to consume. It is likely that many people would rather avoid GM foods until the research indicates that it is indeed safe. That is what this article will help you to do.

There are currently 12 GM plant species approved for commercial food production in the U.S.
These consist of:
1. Corn
2. Cotton
3. Potatoes
4. Tomatoes
5. Soybeans
6. Canola
7. Sugar Beets
8. Rice
9. Flax
10. Some Squash/Zucchini
11. Papaya
12. Chicory (Radicchio)

Also, it would be wise to keep in mind:
*Wheat is also in the works to be GM in the near future.
* Much of the milk in the U.S. is taken from cows given rBgh/rBst(recombinant bovine growth hormone, genetically modified by Monsanto and given to many herds to promote more milk production). Monsanto is trying to make it illegal for those NOT using rBgh/rBst to be able to say so on their labels, because people might think there is something wrong with milk containing these GM hormones and not buy it, and that would hurt (Monsanto's) business.
*Conventional beef, pork and chicken is fed a GM corn and soy diet.

How do we effectively avoid consuming GM foods? Click here to read the rest of the article.

Thanks for reading!