A healthier squash recipe!

As gardens are bounteous with endless varieties of squash, I wanted to get creative with my recipes for the delicious veggie!

I often create new recipes by simply having scarce items in my pantry.  Almost every one of my new recipes grows from a "hmmm, I wonder what it would taste like if..." thought.  Rarely are these experiments planned, and not all of them end well.  Just ask Dan about the time I tried to salvage old and half-used candles in our newlywed kitchen.  That experiment ended with a "calm, cool, and collected" call to his work asking the best way to put out a kitchen fire.  Oh, and Ladies, NEVER start a conversation that way.  Learn from my mistake.

But I digress...

Let's get down to the how-to of this delicious and simple squash dish.  Who doesn't love a recipe with THREE-ISH ingredients? I say "ish," because I don't think "salt to taste" counts.

So, here goes!

Ingredients:

5 medium sized yellow squash, sliced sort of thinly.

4 tbsp butter (only use the REAL stuff, for your health!)

Basil paste (you can make this from fresh basil and oil)

Directions: 

Sauté slices of squash in the butter which has partially melted in a wrought iron skillet on medium-high heat.  When they start to be transparent in some places, stir in about 1 tbsp basil paste and salt to taste.  That's it!!

DOES IT GET any easier than that?!  No! It doesn't!

I think you'll love it.  We did! But let me know your opinions! :)

Happy Cooking!

Homemade Yogurt!

Many of you have asked for my yogurt recipe.  It is so easy, you'll be amazed!
Here is what you need:

2 cups of our raw cow or goat milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani for this)
cinnamon to taste
honey to taste (ours. of course!)

items to have on hand:
1 quart sized mason jar
1 cooler with lid
1 towel
1 pot
1 bowl
1 strainer
1 tea towel
1 rubber band

Steps:
1.  Heat 2 cups of milk to just under 100* F.  I heated it to 95*.  This just helps it to accept the cultures.
2.  Put 1/4 cup of yogurt into mason jar.  Pour warmed milk over it.  Stir gently.
3.  Lid the jar.  Run the towel under hot water.  Wrap the towel around the jar.
4.  Place the jar and towel in the cooler and shut the lid.  Leave it, untouched, for 7 hours.
5.  After 7 hours have passed, you can either have the yogurt as-is, or, you can make it thicker (like Greek yogurt), and flavor it the way I do!  If you want to make it like mine, keep reading...
6.  Put bowl on the counter.  Put collander in the bowl.  Cover the collander with the tea towel.  Pour the yogurt into the towel.  After it is all poured in, gather the ends, twist the rubber band around the gathered ends, and hang the whole towel on a kitchen cabinet knob, over the bowl.  Let it drip for 1 hour or more.
7.  Remove the rubber band, and lay the towel flat on a counter.  Scrape all yogurt off of the opened tea towel.  Place it in a mason jar. 
8.  I add about 1/4 cup of honey and 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to my jar of yogurt.  Refrigerate.
9.  Keep 1/4 cup of your prepared yogurt- you can always use it as your culture next time, so you won't have to buy the starter yogurt!
ENJOY!

Raw Goat Milk: The Truth

You may ask 'raw goat milk'? Why should I care about it. American's have been 'culturized & advertised' into associating milk with cows when in fact, goat milk is far more healthy for humans. In Maud, Texas goat milk is all we drink - it's God's complete food!


According to the Journal of American Medicine, "Goat's milk is the most complete food known." It contains vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, trace elements, enzymes, protein, and fatty acids that are utilized by your body with ease. In fact, your body can digest goat's milk in just 20 minutes. It takes 2-3 hours to digest cow's milk.

Excerpt from "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan S. Rubin...

'You shall have enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household, and the nourishment of your maidservants' (Proverbs 27:27).

The milk consumed in biblical times differed much from the milk we consume today. The milk of the Bible came from cows and goats and was consumed straight from the animal (it was not pasturized or homogenized), or it was immediately fermented. These 'live' foods provide excellent health benefits in contrast to today's pasturized, homogenized, often skimmed and 'refortified' milk, which is not only less nutritious but also can be potentially harmful and a major cause of allergies and even heart disease. (pg 147)

Below are some of the health benefits attributed to raw goat milk consumption:

• Goat's milk is less allergic - It does not contain the complex protein that stimulate allergic reactions to cow's milk.)
• Goat's milk does not suppress the immune system.
• Goat's milk is easier to digest than cow's milk (An old statistic showed that goat's milk will digest in a baby's stomach in twenty minutes, whereas pasturized cow's milk takes eight hours. The difference is in the structure of the milk.)
• Goat's milk has more buffering capacity than over the counter antacids. (The USDA and Prairie View A&M University in Texas have confirmed that goat's milk has more acid-buffering capacity than cow's milk, soy infant formula, and nonprescription antacid drugs.)
• Goat's milk alkalinizes the digestive system. It actually contains an alkaline ash, and it does not produce acid in the intestinal system. Goat's milk helps to increase the pH of the blood stream because it is the dairy product highest in the amino acid L-glutamine. L-glutamine is an alkalinizing amino acid, often recommended by nutritionists.

Pg. 148 - "The Makers Diet"

• Goat's milk contains twice the healthful medium-chain fatty acids, such as capric and caprylic acids, which are highly antimicrobial. (They actually killed the bacteria used to test for the presence of antibiotics in cow's milk!)
• Goat's milk does not product mucus; it does not stimulate a defense response from the human immune system.
• Goat's milk is a rich source of the trace mineral selenium, a necessary nutrient, however, for its immune modulation and antioxidant properties.

Pg 149 "The Maker's Diet"

Lactose Intolerant?

• Easier digestion allows the lactose to pass through the intestines more rapidly, not giving it time to ferment or cause an osmotic imbalance.
• Goat's milk also contains 7% less lactose than cow milk.
• Additionally, most lactose intolerant people have found that they can tolerate goat's milk and goat milk products.

• Goat's Milk Soothes the Digestive Tract
• Goat's milk has long been used and recommended as an aid in the treatment of ulcers due to its more effective acid buffering capacity.
• Children on goat's milk have been observed to sleep through the night and remain more satisfied between meals.

Mother Nature is very Clever

• Natural milk contains many bioactive components, which serve to retard the growth of harmful organisms, and to protect the health of the person consuming them. Goat's milk contains the same important bioactive components as mother's milk.

Medicinal properties of goat milk

• The importance of feeding of infants with goat milk has been recognized since ancient days. In developed countries like U.S and South Africa, the goat milk is specifically marketed for the infants. The milk allergy problem common in infants fed with cow milk is rarely encountered when replaced with goat milk and it plays an important role in the formulation of infant formula. This is a proof of the medicinal property of goat milk.
• The symptoms like gastrointestinal disturbances, vomiting, colic, diarrhea, constipation and respiratory problems can be eliminated when goat milk is fed to the infants. The reason cited for the relief in respiratory problems when fed with goat milk can be attributed to the structure of casein micelle of the goat milk. Pasteurized goat milk is well tolerated by the infants with gastro intestinal or respiratory symptoms. Fermented goat milk products are ideal for the persons allergic to cow milk.

• The goat milk is naturally homogenized. It forms a soft curd when compared to cow milk and hence helps in easy digestion and absorption. Regular intake of goat milk significantly improves the body weight gain, improved mineralization of skeleton, increased blood serum vitamin, mineral and haemoglobin levels. These points are considered advantageous when compared to consumption of human milk.
• The other medicinal property of goat milk is higher concentration of medium chain fatty acids which play an important role in imparting unique health benefits in mal-absorption syndrome, steatorrhoea, chyluria, hyperlipoproteinaemia and during conditions of cystic fibrosis, gall stones and childhood epilepsy. The medium chain fatty acids minimize cholesterol deposition in the arteries, aid in dissolving cholesterol and gallstones and significantly contribute to normal growth of infants.

-Quoted from DairyForAll.com

Also read:
The Dangers vs the Benefits of Raw Milk - the Truth Exposed


Disclaimer**
These statements have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To prevent our products from being classified as drugs under Section 201(g) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, we are required to inform you that there is no intention, implied or otherwise that represents or infers that these products or statements be used in the cure, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease.
-Borrowed from "Rose of Sharon Acres"

Free Range Eggs: What's the Deal?

From Mother Earth News:
The results are coming in from Mother Earth News’ latest round of pastured egg nutrient tests. Once again, pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry’s butt — yippee, go free range! Our previous tests found that eggs from hens raised on pasture — as compared to the official USDA data for factory-farm eggs — contain:

•1/3 less cholesterol

•1/4 less saturated fat

•2/3 more vitamin A

•Two times more omega-3 fatty acids

•Three times more vitamin E

•Seven times more beta carotene


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•1/3 less cholesterol

•1/4 less saturated fat

•2/3 more vitamin A

•Two times more omega-3 fatty acids

•Three times more vitamin E

•Seven times more beta carotene

Now we’re looking at vitamin D, of which many people don’t get enough. New research is showing that this common vitamin deficiency may be related to much more than just weak bones — from diabetes and cancer to heart disease and multiple sclerosis. (You can read more about this important health issue in Vitamin D: Sunshine and So Much More.)

Our bodies can get vitamin D in two ways: when sunlight strikes our skin, or from our diet. Eggs are one of a small list of foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D. The USDA says supermarket eggs contain an average of 34 International Units per 100 grams. Our tests of eggs from four pastured farms in Texas, Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania found that their eggs contained three to six times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs. This means two scrambled eggs from pastured hens may give you 63 to 126 percent of the recommended daily intake of 200 IU of vitamin D.

Read more HERE

Why Mill Your Wheat? What are the Best Milling Products?

WHY MILLING?

A lot of you ask me why I take the time to mill my own wheat. 

My primary reason is health.  I am tired of relying on government regulated labels to tell me what I am putting into my body and those of my family.  I learned first hand that the chemicals that we are told "won't hurt us" can actually POISON us.  I took matters into my own hands after being poisoned by FDA approved aspartame, and have made it my mission to feed myself and my family as natural and close to the source as possible.  On our farm, we grow many of our own foods.  What we cannot grow, we purchase in as natural a state as possible.  Wheat berries are purchased from The Granary, and I mill them into flour as we need it. 

There are many health benefits to milling your own grain.  I took this from another website, the Bread Machine Digest:


"All commercially made grain flours have had the germ removed. This is the part of the grain that contains healthy nutritious oils. They remove it to extend the shelf life of the grain other wise with it left in the flour would go rancid in a day or so unless it was frozen which is expensive and not something most supermarkets would be willing to do. So by removing the germ it can sit on the shelf for months or even years and still be edible. However, just because it is edible doesn’t mean it is good. Grain flours, even those with the bran removed, deteriorate quickly and loose a lot of vitamins and minerals. So, those flours you buy in the store, while still better for you than white flour, aren’t all that they could be and should be."

To clarify, within only 24 hours after milling flour, 90% of the nutrients in it are GONE.  If you mill your flour, then bake it right away, you are providing yourself and your family with great vitamins and minerals they are likely lacking!

PRODUCTS
Grain Mill:  I can only speak for what I have used personally.  I bought the NutraMill Grain Mill, and I absolutely love it.  I also mill corn in here to produce the best corn meal I've ever tasted.  (Fact:  Corn meal goes rancid faster than any other grain.  Taste corn meal from the store with your finger, then taste soem freshly milled corn... BIG difference.)  The NutraMill Grain Mill runs quietly, mill quickly, and seems dummy proof.  I break things, and I haven't had an issue with the NutraMill whatsoever!  It's easy to clean, assembles quickly, and has a very large capacity.
 
Mixer:  I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Magic Mill Electrolux Assistant.  Yes, it is a high ticket kitchen item, but you really do get what you pay for in this situation.  I had a Kitchen Aid stand mixer that I was using to make breads, and it was advertised as a "bread mixer."  After making probably 50 loaves/batches of breads, the motor burned out!  All that heavy kneading really took a toll on it.  I decided to purchase the Magic Mill Electrolux Assistant, and I haven't looked back since.  I did take the time to read as many reviews as possible, and do as much homework as I could beforehand, and I can see why almost all of the reviews I read were praises.  This machine will astonish you.  It cuts through heavy dough as if it were pancake batter.  It has attachments that keep your dough from sticking to the sides.  It comes with a liquids mixing bowl and a flour mixing bowl, making it easy to add the wet ingredients later. 
 
I think these two items are essential to bread making.  There are a couple of other pans/accessories that should be on your wish list, whether you are a bread making expert, or a newbie.  These are links to them:
Non-Stick Muffin Tin  Your muffins LITERALLY fall out of this pan.
Non-Stick Bread Pan  I dare you to try to get your bread to stick in this pan.  It's impossible!
Cookie Sheet  My one complaint about this... be careful when you pull it out of the oven- your cookies will literally slide around!  There's no sticking here!

Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry Syrup has long been used for its antibiotic properties.  My children take it daily as a vitamin and immune builder.


Makes 1 quart (1l)

Make sure the cookware you’re using is non-reactive and your clothes are stain-friendly. If you use an aluminum pot, it’ll get stained and the next batch of mashed potatoes you make may come out pink. Ditto for spatulas and anything else to plan to use to stir the syrup while it’s cooking.


2-pounds (1kg) elderberries (order from http://www.rosemountainherbs.com/)
4 cups (1l) water

1/4-1/2 raw honey, to taste (we sell raw wildflower honey at http://www.vineyardfarms.com/)


1. Put the elderberries in a large, non-reactive pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender and soft.

2.  Strain juice into a mason jar, over a fine mesh strainer.  Pushing the mosture out with the back of a spoon.  Save strained berries.

3.  Add honey to taste into the mason jar with the warm elderberry syrup.  Stir.

4.  Store in refrigerator for up to 1 year.  If syrup ever molds, scrape mold off, and re-boil.  I have never had mine mold, but have read that it has happened to some people. 

5. Give 1 teaspoon twice a day as an immune system supplement.  If used to combat active flu symptoms, give 1 teaspoon every couple of hours.  Do not give elderberry syrup to children under one, if you have added honey to it.

6.  Roll the strained berries in 2 tsps flour and 2 tsps sugar.  Use in blueberry muffins.


Note: Some varieties of elderberries are not meant for consumption and none should be eaten raw, especially the leaves. I remove all of the hard, woody stems as well before cooking.  You can Google "Elderberry Syrup" for all the health benefits and for more info.

Healthy Zucchini Saute

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 pounds zucchini, peeled and cut into 1 inch thick slices

1 green bell pepper, chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup uncooked white rice

1/2 cup water

Directions

1.Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, zucchini, and green pepper. Stir. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

2.Stir in rice and water. Cover, and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.