It's all about the Food!

Recently, I popped over to a blog I enjoy but hadn't heard from in a while.

I left a quick message hoping all was well and wishing her a fine day.

She responded via email and her words were almost heartbreaking.

She had scaled down and felt it might not be very interesting, but what was really pressing

 on her mind was the criminal dealings of doctors and Big Pharma.

I would like to avoid political discussion here on the blog (please and thank you) 

as it seems folks can't discuss it without deep emotional involvement.

I believe it was Mother Theresa who said she wouldn't participate in an anti-war rally, 

but if they held a pro-peace rally, she might attend. 

I guess that's what I try to do (all this time you were wondering, I know:-)

Hubby and I both work full time.

I would call our income average, though it's actually less than the national median
it is above poverty level.
I tell you those things so you know we aren't "special."
We are both away from home a lot and are not rolling in riches.

What we've done is quit taking mainstream as the correct path.

We walk our own path which just happens to look a whole lot like 

how things were done for generations - that is up until about 40-50 years ago.

What we do:

We eat at home, at the dinner table, together.  

It's just hubby and I now, but when the kids were home, it was the same. 

If we want breakfast, we fix it.

We pack our lunch which is usually left-overs from the previous night's dinner.

Then dinner which is made to have enough left over for the following day's lunch.

Just what do we eat?

Well, that depends.  A few years ago, we had lots of peas so we had peas with many of our meals.

I actually kinda got tired of them.  

But then last year, we didn't get any peas.  So this past winter has been pea poor,

 and we have only had them sparingly.

We buy a grass-fed beef each fall which is our main source of meet.

When we talk to the butcher, we ask for the soup bones, oxtail, and heart.

We usually get the liver too, but have tried it sooo many ways and just can't seem to make ourselves like it no matter how we try so end up giving it away.

It's so good for us, we know.

We do hunt but aren't generally very successful.

This past year was an exception, and we did well.

That just saves us elsewhere.

When we do get something, we get any bit of meat we can from the critter.
Then we make broth from the bones.

We aren't about to take a life and waste half of it.

With bear, we also render the fat that makes the best lard on earth!

When something is in season, we eat it and preserve enough

 to hopefully carry us through to the next harvest.

So what's on the grocery list?

Milk, eggs, butter, cheese and misc. fresh veggies.

Oh, and coffee, mustn't forget coffee :-)

I generally place a bulk order for olives and some spices through Azure Standard.

I use quite a few herbs in cooking.

This does two things.  It gets us more greens and it makes food delicious.

What we don't eat:

Grains, sugars, and chemicals.

Not never, but in general.

Based on our research, the food pyramid is up-side=down.

Humans can live on animal fat alone.  

I'm right there with ya, doesn't sound very tasty and is opposite of what I was taught in school.

I've really had to work at making myself like "real fats."

The other big thing that has happened in the past 40-50 years is that

chemicals have inundated the food system.

The FDA approves them based on skewed statistics and/or labeling.

8 of the 11 food colorants are toxic and/or carcinogens.

That's just the colorants, not to mention the preservatives, fortifiers, emulsifiers, anti-caking agents, 

and the list goes on and on.

 Along with these chemicals has come an onslaught of health issues

 from neurological (Alzheimer's, dementia, ADHD, autism, etc.) 

to issues associated with obesity (diabetes, heart congestion/failure, cancer, etc.)

None of these appeal to us.

The typical argument is  "I can't afford to buy meat."

There are three things about this statement that don't jive with me.

1) Where and how do you buy it?  Individually wrapped by your local supermarket?

I can't afford that either.  Even if you don't have a large freezer, you can buy a quarter of a beef and save a tremendous amount over grocery store prices.

2) If you quit buying grains, sugars, and processed foods, you'll have lots of extra money - not to mention, you will feel full and more satisfied longer so won't eat as much.

3) Consider your medical expenses.  If you are healthy (or become healthy) how much would you save on medical expenses?

The other argument is that people have been eating grain for thousands of years.

My response to that is ~ it's not the same grain.

Modern wheat is poison, addictive poison at that.
There are other grains as well, but wheat is by far the most common.

I don't wish the farmers any ill will.  I know several, nice folks.

I just wish they would grow in a way that is healthier and more sustainable.

We are still human and prone to the temptations of certain foods.

A piece of fruit usually satisfies the craving, but every so often, we "cheat."

We say "cheat" only because we don't really know another word for it.
We have eaten a low-carb diet for about 6-7??? years now.
In that 7ish years, we have had 1 "cold" each.
(Mine was my own doing:-/)
Hubby has severe reactions in his joints if he eats wheat.
We went on a quick trip a couple weeks ago and stopped in for a cup of coffee.
There was a sign that said "local non-sprayed wheat" near some artisan breads.
He said he wanted to try some so we bought a loaf.
I can't imagine the look I gave him.
He usually runs and hides from wheat knowing how it hurts him.
So, that evening he had a slice of bread with his supper.
Next day~ no reaction so he had a piece of toast with his breakfast.
Over the course of a few days, we made it through the loaf (shared w/ friends.)
That pretty much confirmed what we already strongly suspected.
They spray wheat 10 days prior to harvest
 so the plant will put its dying energy into the seed head increasing the yield.
Wheat is not washed prior to grinding so we are eating that freshly applied chemical.
Since it's labeled as an herbicide, no testing for human consumption is required.
I have contacted the maker of the bread and have arranged to purchase a small amount of the flour.
We won't go wild, grains are still sugars, but hubby is totally looking forward
to having some biscuits and gravy (one of his favorite meals.)

I know I don't have one of those non-abrasive, ever kind writing styles.
I probably come across as a crotchety ol' bitty.
I don't mean to sound unfeeling.
I know food tastes good (and that they add addictive chemicals to it.)
But if I can help even one person or family question their food choice,
I think it's worth it.
That is what I told my blogging friend and encouraged her to continue writing.
We are trained as a society to flow with the stream, no questions asked.
The more real information that is shared, real life stories
(like Mr. LB ate a piece of garlic bread for the first time in 7 yrs.!)
the more people might be willing to ask a question
and make a change in what is acceptable.

There is a film coming out (maybe out by now.)
 Secret Ingredients, a film by Jeffrey Smith and Amy Hart
You can do a search and see the trailer.
It rather moving, especially as it relates to our children.
I've not yet seen it, and have no affiliation with it, but I'm interested in it.

This is a long post so thank you for sticking with me to the end.
I wish for each and every one of you superb health.
If you don't have that now, know there are ways.

How to Cook Elk (and Other Game)

Yay!

I got my first elk ever. 

(This is just a Pinterest pix from our area.)
He was a spike so should be good eatin’.

Honestly, it was weird. 

I never like seeing a critter die. 

Something I just realized I do is apologize to the animal then

follow it with a prayer of thanks. 

This fella was about 3 miles (mostly vertical!) from the rig. 

It took us two days to pack out all the meat. 

We lucked out in that we made it back to the rig with the last load

just before the rain started. 

We were just below the snow line so it wasn’t one of those nice warm rains either. 

We were pretty sore by that third morning. 

We looked like acrobats just trying to get out of bed that morning. 

I told MrLB “I wonder if this is what it will be like when we’re 80.”

Since we boned it out on the mountain,

we didn’t get to wait for hang time in order to process it

so went straight to work at cleaning and cutting and wrapping. 

We got the bulk of it done in one day but did have a couple hours the following morning in order to finish up. 

We are keeping it in the refrigerator for a couple days to cure

before transferring it to the freezer. 

MrLB is picking up beef fat today so we can get the burger and sausage ground. 

We ended up with right about 200 lbs. of meat. 

I can’t tell you how many people have asked if I’m making jerky.  

To me, that’s like going out and spending $1000 on dress shoes to wear through the mud or making creme brûlée and feeding it to the hogs!

Then it dawned on me,

most people don’t know how to cook game. 

Me being the curious person I am have researched various tidbits 

about not just wild game, but grass fed livestock in general. 

There is a ton of scientific information behind it,

but I will paraphrase ~

Grain (plus mystery substance) fed animals grow abnormally fast. 

Yes abnormally- as in not natural. 

Of course that’s the whole reason they are fed what they are fed. 

Grass fed (or leaves and other wild vegetation) animals

grow at a natural rate which is much slower than industry acceptance. 

The tissues/fibers of a grain fed animal grow so rapidly that they aren’t very strong. 

Those that eat a natural diet grow strong healthy tissues and fibers. 

That grain fed tissue is so weak, it can be cooked up in no time. 

Throw those steaks on the barbie and you’re eating 15 minutes later. 

That’s not the case with game meat or meat from a naturally raised animal. 

These fibers take longer to break down so

if you try to cook it like store bought meat,

it will be tough and you’ll be disappointed. 

The other thing to be aware of is salting the meat. Game should be salted in the final stages of cooking rather than right when it’s subjected to heat. 
Go ahead and add any other herbs or spices at the beginning of cooking,
but save the salt until last.
If you do those two things, you should enjoy your seeing that game meat
on the table and not just in the snack bin as jerky.

Mystery Squash Results

A couple posts back I showed you a mystery squash that we purchased for $3.

You can see that post here.

Here's the picture of it.

It's huge!

After some input from you kind folks,

we figured it was a cushaw - or close.

Upon research (because that's just what I do) I learned that the cushaw is referred to as the sweet potato pumpkin.

That concerned me just a little 
as I'm not fond of either sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

This evening, I finally decided to break into that big boy.

The shell / rind is tough as nails.

Just getting the neck portion cut off was a workout.

The meat however is tender.

The fragrance smelled like watermelon to me which actually worried me a little.

I was preparing myself for something ultra sweet.

The first small batch, I had sliced about 3/8" thick and dipped in milk 
then shredded Parmesan.

I fried those in some of our home rendered bear lard.

Man oh man!  It was delicious!

The second batch, I didn't even bother with the milk or cheese.

Just a sprinkling of salt and we gobbled them up.

It does have a slight sweet potato flavor but not the overwhelming flavor 
of regular sweet potatoes.

It is/was almost like a cross between a potato and sweet potato.

We will probably be eating on this cushaw for about two weeks!

The next thing I did was clean out the "belly."

The seeds are even huge - and a ton of them.

I am saving some to try to grow, but I will roast the rest of them.

As much food as we are getting from this one squash,

I can't believe I've never heard of them.

Also, I can't believe they are not more widely promoted as 
a cost effective way to eat or feed a family.

They store easily though from what I've read 
not as long as some other winter squashes.
These store up to 4 months.

So far, the only thing that is a bit of a deterrent 
is how difficult it is to break into.

I am making arrangements to get a couple more.

So all of this from someone who's not a squash fan.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am with the discovery of this mystery squash.

And healthy to boot!

One Pan Wonder ~ Pesto Chicken

Ah yes, those meals that dirty only one pan.

Gotta love 'em.

One of my favorite is Pesto Chicken.

I will delve right in and let you get to cookin'.

First start by putting a generous amount of butter 

in the frying pan on medium heat.

(Note: this can be done in the oven and is equally delicious, but more difficult to take pictures as I go so I used the stove top this time.  If you use the oven, it would be a hot oven about 400 degrees.)

Then, add the chicken and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

Once you turn it, wait until the second side is about half way done.

Then spread pesto over each piece.

The one piece here was thicker so wasn't quite ready.

Then add either sliced fresh tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes.

I have lots of diced and no fresh tomatoes at the moment 

so I used diced. 

This part really is better in the oven because 

the tomatoes become "oven roasted."

That translates to oh deliciouso!

Let the chicken finish cooking and tomatoes heat up.

That should give you just enough time to get your plate

and a good handful of spinach.

When the chicken is cooked through,

use a spatula to place it on the bed of spinach.

This is one of my favorite one dish wonders (meals using only one pan.)

I like to make extra in order to take some for lunch the next day too.

And one other little note:

I could probably eat pesto from the jar.

That song "You had me at hello" I sing as "You had me at basil."

I am hoping to make my own pesto this year if my basil cooperates.

That means I have to not eat it when I'm in the garden:)

That said, use as much or as little pesto as you desire, 

keeping in mind it does get milder as it cooks.

Also, I'm having some issues with photos and preview on my computer
so these photos are unmarked and unedited~ sorry.
I looked up the issue online, and there was some colorful language
describing the problem so hopefully I can get it figured out soon.