18th Century Historical Cooking

I came across this great series of 18th century cooking demonstration videos by Jas. Townsend and Son for those that like alternative methods for off grid cooking.  Enjoy!  The video below shows how to make 'mushroom ketchup' ..

Baked Beans

Gingerbread

Sourdough from Leaven

18th Century Meat Pies

You will be able to find MANY more similar videos by the same company from any of these links.

Mucking Things Up

More government control = poorer outcome.  Case in point.  Our son attends a summer camp through a local charitable organization that services people with developmental disabilities.  Most of these clients receive some type of government assistance due to their disabilities.  Until recently the organization set up goals to work on for each client.  Now that EVERY aspect of service is filtered through big brother, the 'goal setting' aspect has been dropped and those attending camp have no goals and are  just 'warehoused' with twaddle to do at camp.  Time to get hopping mad as this is a waste of tax payer's money with no outcome to show for it.  On top of this, I pay a CONSIDERABLE amount of cost share per month for this 'service.'  Sometimes I feel like a salmon swimming upstream.

Nutrition DOES Matter

A few posts ago I wrote about my youngest son's visit to the pediatrician.  Last week we had another visit with a specialist .. hematologist .. blood doctor .. at our local Children's Hospital.  I'm not going to lie that it was easy to walk into this part of the hospital .. the pediatric oncology dept. with beautiful children being treated for cancer.  Our son's white blood count has been dangerously low the past 6 years but has not had the markers of leukemia or cancer.  As a parent my heart was in a very low spot.

So in April I began giving him a few supplements and continued with the farm fresh food.  His test results from this past week's blood draw show a remarkable improvement in his WBC.  It's gone from 2.7 to 4.  Four is the bottom end of NORMAL.  His hematologist does not think a bone marrow test is needed.

The only change:   SUPPLEMENTS ~ fermented cod liver oil, magnesium, a ten day gut cleanse to help eliminate any overgrowth of fungus .. followed by a good probiotic and two essential oils rubbed on his feet at night.

 Diet ~ fresh farm eggs with bright orange yolks.  NO PROCESSED foods .. Lots of organic green cabbage, asparagus, oranges, brown rice, pastured chicken/pork/beef.  Homemade buttermilk/ranch dressing for good gut bacteria.

In two months he's gone from being a lethargic teen to having ENERGY!  So the next time I hear his doctor mutter under his breath that my attention to my son's diet sounds boring I may not be able to still my tongue.

Practically a Backyard Vacation

The Mr. had four days of vacation this week .. so we ventured less than 200 miles away; a mid-day start .. and at our destination by 4 PM.  Traveling with our special needs son AND staying in a hotel .. eating out .. and trying to take in a hike or state/national park are a bit much .. add driving and sitting in a car for hours on end .. and you have a bunch of cranky people.

This year we opted to rent a private cabin that was our little home away from home.  It had a full size kitchen, two bedrooms,

 great room, 1-1/4 baths, laundry room .. mud room .. and a wrap around porch, fire pit, hammock  ... Oh .. and lake/forest views. 

Two boxes of food supplies and a cooler were easily packed.  I brought my 12 inch cast iron skillet cuz I never travel without it (; 

For some reason, I really enjoyed cooking.  The Mr. helped by washing the dishes each night.  We watched movies, popped pop corn, drove to town and walked around a museum village .. even took a stroll along a riverbank.  The sun set about 9:45 PM .. so the extended sunlight made for some good reading on the wrap around porch.

Who needs a fancy vacation far away when you can practically have one in the backyard? 

This by far was a thrifty way to spend our days.  The rental was less than staying at a moderately priced hotel.  Bringing our own food saved us even more.  Our time at the cabin was more enjoyable than sitting around in a single hotel room.  This type of traveling will hopefully be repeated (often).

Oh My

Two months in between posts ..

Pre-occupied I suppose is a good excuse! 

Now that school is out .. and 95% of the garden is planted .. my tasks have been more home maintenance oriented.  Windows, screens and sashes.

  Mowing lawn and weeds alike.  Waxing my linoleum floor (secret delight).

 I LOVE to walk barefoot on freshly waxed linoleum ... takes me back to my childhood before the advent of no-wax floors.  It really was a pain to strip floors and apply fresh wax .. I can handle the master bathroom and consider it a luxury in a weird sort of way.

The Mr. has pulled out box after box for me to sort through:  PAPERWORK!  UGH!! 

The computer has been replaced along with a new printer.  You know I had a Kodak printer that had no driver updates for Windows 8.  I HATE disposable stuff!!

Maybe I'll blog my way through summer.

Hoppin' Mad

Although I'm not surprised, yesterday's annual trip for my special needs son's physical exam was another robotic action on my part.  While I'm not opposed to being seen for routine wellness exams, I am appalled by typical medical practices.

Upon arriving at the office, I was handed a closed notebook and asked to hand it to my son for him to read and sign (without my viewing/consent).   This ticked me off so I opened the folder in front of the office staff.  It was a form asking the minor child about receiving a vaccine for HPV (a sexually transmitted disease).  I handed it back informing them he could not read OR write his name and they could keep the form.

The nurse wanted to also do a one time screen for high cholesterol with a finger poke.  Again, this was done last year in his blood draw.  Please check your records.

I was asked if I had specific concerns.  YES!  But at every turn my thoughts were shot down because they didn't fall within the AMA's (non-existent) expert studies relating to candida infections.

The biggest 'let down' was when I mentioned that I monitor his diet like a hawk .. providing healthy foods .. (sounds boring ..was muttered under doc's breath).

It seems if you are a parent trying to better the health of your children .. you can get 'shot down' .. for not conforming to the 'rules' ..  I wonder if these people even know or care about GMO foods?  Probably not!

We left with that yearly duty checked off our 'to-do' list .. wondering WHY are we going through the motions?

Sometimes I just want to go underground.


MD = More Drugs

(A few years ago) the pediatric GI wanted him to take Miralax and (GMO corn syrup laden) fruit cocktail to help with regularity and insisted it is harmless.  I decided to take control with a better diet .. but dare I say so?  NO.  It would go against everything taught about prescribing medications that most MD's are taught.

Warning about Miralax
HPV
Genetic Roulette .. the movie .. (our kids are not science experiments)

A penny for your thoughts. 

Easter & The Garden

We had a wonderful Easter with the entire family attending church .. and lunch afterward.  The Mr. had to scoot off to work .. this should be his last Easter to miss out as he's retiring at the end of the year.  The sky was cloudless and our temp was about 68F. 

Easter Greetings from the Mac Family

I was able to get out and work in the yard and gardens for a few hours this afternoon .. Day 7

spring growth is just below the surface

It will take several days to get the perennial beds cleaned up, debris blown and shrubs trimmed.

Soon greenery and flowers will fill this bed

The whiskey and wine barrels have been moved to their permanent locations and filled with potting soil.

I've got bulbs to plant

... and to freshen up the front porch, we have new rocking chair pads to make our afternoon rest periods more comfy to take in the views.

Outdoor furniture is making an appearance!  Can't wait to rock that new grandson!

What's up in your garden?

If It's Free .. It's For Me .. (Healthy Life Summit) ..Last Day

Here are some pod casts that are streaming free today ..

Healthy Life Summit ... check it out!

Topics ~ Techniques for making real foods

Neurocranial Restructuring

Recover from Autism with Diet

Homemade Beauty Products

From CAFO's to Grass-Based Agriculture

Baby News

We welcomed this little fellow into our family on Wednesday morning; isn't he beaUtiful!

baby 'K'

This grandma is in LOVE!

Equiping The Next ...

generation.

Have you developed homemaking and/or homesteading skills that you can pass on to others?

I recently had the opportunity to give back by hosting a 4-H foreign cooking class in my home.  It was a good experience and we have more classes in mind and another one scheduled.  All it took was someone bringing up the subject .. then .. little old me .. offering to teach the class.

I gave the students a few choices .. and cookbooks.  They chose the country and cookbook ... AND the recipes they wanted to learn to make.  Japanese food was selected.  They provided the majority of food .. I supplied specialty items already in my pantry.

It was a good learning experience by students, teacher, and 4-H leader.  Next month we are meeting again to  make Danish food.  This is to fulfill requirements in their handbooks, and gave me the chance to share my cooking skills with a few lovely young women.

 

I think it is very important to share any skills we have learned so the next generation can be informed and skilled.

Day 6

No pictures .. but I did manage to spray the fruit trees with a dormant oil spray that I made using water,  organic clary sage & fir vegetable oil soap, vinegar .. and 1/2 teaspoon tea tree oil.  My pump sprayer was no where to be found . . . so I used a spray bottle .. definitely not a small job!  Thank goodness the trees have not budded or leafed out and are only a few years old.  Now it's time for a lazy Sunday afternoon nap!

Sunday Reading

.... after church (of course).

Organic Fruit Tree Sprays

Soil Care

Companion Plants For Fruit Trees

Guide and Charts on Planting Companion Vegetables and Herbs and Fruit Tree Companion Planting

E How ... Companion Plants for Fruit Trees

Greater Strength

... and better sleep.

Since adopting better nutrition the past several years ... and using the lavender oil every night on my pillow for sleep, I can feel the joints in my hips and leg bones have more strength in them.  I was a sorry mess, in pain .. always tired .. foggy headed .. sore this and sore that prior to using the farmacy as my medicine cabinet.

There were countless food allergies .. sleepless nights .. creaks in my knees .. tender tendons in my shoulders ... did I mention no energy? 

My farmacy includes using only whole foods at home, buying eggs and meat that are not tainted with drugs and GMO's .. getting to know my local farmers and how they feed their animals.  Buying whole raw milk .. even if I cook with it, at least it started out loaded with beneficial enzymes and nutrition packed.  Growing a garden, buying organic when needed .. sprouting wheat to dry and grind into flour.  It's a pretty serious matter when you consider the ill health of a large percentage of people. 

rich bone broth

This week has been one big temptation after another.  We've eaten out quite a few times between date day with  hubby .. and a birthday dinner for our youngest.  Yesterday, it caught up with me and I was in a sleep induced stupor requiring a mid afternoon nap.  Phooey .. that's enough bodily torture and I don't want to go back to that state of poor health.

sprouts are easy to grow on your counter top in winter months

Are you shopping at a farmacy, have your own farmacy .. or do you have a poor diet resulting in needing prescriptions from a pharmacy? I don't know about you ... but this new socialized health care system could be a bad pill .. keeping healthy and not needing to use it is good proactive medicine.

one of the veggie gardens at The Thrifty Garden Home

Bit by Bit

It's a work in progress .. and nitty and gritty!

Day 5 ~ Was cold, cloudy, sunny, blowy and with snow flurries.  There's something neat about working out in the cold .. with the sound of wind blowing through the tree tops .. and snow flurries .. seems a bit surreal and other worldly.  Perhaps that's why it took me until 3:00 PM to get outside and work in the garden.

The call of the wood stove kept me snug and cozily napping on the couch .. but work has to get done!

I added some wood ash to the raised beds .. just a little sprinkle .. then tilled it in.

I dug the dirt and fine bark down and away from the outside edges of the raised beds and fence posts.  This will help keep the wood from rotting as fast.

Some dead scarlet runner bean vines were pulled down from the wire fence .. the bark was raked and spread out a bit.

My comfrey seeds arrived from here.  I'll be planting some just to use for making organic fertilizer.

The heirloom tomato seeds were getting a little leggy .. so I added more seed starting soil to the tray ... look, they're getting real leaves now!

Hopefully by mid (next) week .. the temps will be more normal and in the 50's.  Now .. that will be some good gardening weather.  What's up in your garden?

A Little Here ...

... a little there.  Work!

Day 4 we purchased these two barrels.  The long one will be planted with deer resistant plants and sit a bit tipped with flowers spilling out .. to be placed in our front flower bed.  The short half barrel will go inside the fenced garden and planted with bulbs and/or tubers that the voles find so tasty.  They both need a good pressure washing .. before filling.  One is from a winery and the other once held Jack Daniels whiskey .. it's a bit charred inside.