White sugar isn't all THAT bad, is it?

I am cross posting this off a forum I frequent. It bears paying attention to! NOW I know why all those kids act that way! Get rid of sugar!?! My family will kill me. What will we ever use for sweetener? That other stuffs too expensive! There are plenty of options out there: honey maple syrup agave nectar un-bleached sugars stevia Yes, yes they are all more expensive, but sometimes for the sake of your families health, you gotta make a sacrifice. One thing you can do is start cutting sugar in your recipes in half. Bet no one will notice. Use 100% fruit juice instead. All the jams and fruit I can is done with fruit juice. Are you a city dweller with a maple tree in the back yard? Tap for syrup. Free sweetener! For mental illness/depression Ive run across this. Some folks swear by it. The following are various excerpts from website's about the book Sugar Blues. This refers to refined sugar. At the end there is a link to a lengthy article on nexus magazine that has a lot of info in it. ---------------------------------------------------------- In the book, Dufty makes the case that sugar is an addictive drug, that it is extremely harmful to the human body, and that the sugar industry conspires to keep Americans addicted to sugar. The book's central argument is that a small dietary change, eliminating refined sugar, can make a huge difference in how good one is able to feel physically and mentally. Dufty even goes so far as to suggest that eliminating refined sugar from the diet of those institutionalized for mental illness could be an effective treatment for some. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Blues ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Why kick sugar? Refined sugar is not a food, regardless of how much more "natural" it is than the packaged chemical substitutes. The process sugar cane is taken through to produce that white stuff we Americans are so addicted to is the same process that opium poppies are taken through to produce heroine. This is not a food; it is a drug. Sugar picks you up and lets you down ("sugar blues"). It interferes with clear mental processing, natural energy, and normal body rhythms. It is unquestionably linked as a cause of diabetes (along with refined flour). It is addictive! http://preparetoeat.blogspot.com/200...gar-blues.html -------------------------------------------------- In the Dark Ages, troubled souls were rarely locked up for going off their rocker. Such confinement began in the Age of Enlightenment, after sugar made the transition from apothecary's prescription to candymaker's confection. "The great confinement of the insane", as one historian calls it,10 began in the late 17th century, after sugar consumption in Britain had zoomed in 200 years from a pinch or two in a barrel of beer, here and there, to more than two million pounds per year. By that time, physicians in London had begun to observe and record terminal physical signs and symptoms of the "sugar blues". Meanwhile, when sugar eaters did not manifest obvious terminal physical symptoms and the physicians were professionally bewildered, patients were no longer pronounced bewitched, but mad, insane, emotionally disturbed. Laziness, fatigue, debauchery, parental displeasure-any one problem was sufficient cause for people under twenty-five to be locked up in the first Parisian mental hospitals. All it took to be incarcerated was a complaint from parents, relatives or the omnipotent parish priest. Wet nurses with their babies, pregnant youngsters, retarded or defective children, senior citizens, paralytics, epileptics, prostitutes or raving lunatics-anyone wanted off the streets and out of sight was put away. The mental hospital succeeded witch-hunting and heresy-hounding as a more enlightened and humane method of social control. The physician and priest handled the dirty work of street sweeping in return for royal favours. Initially, when the General Hospital was established in Paris by royal decree, one per cent of the city's population was locked up. From that time until the 20 century, as the consumption of sugar went up and up-especially in the cities-so did the number of people who were put away in the General Hospital. Three hundred years later, the "emotionally disturbed" can be turned into walking automatons, their brains controlled with psychoactive drugs. Today, pioneers of orthomolecular psychiatry, such as Dr Abram Hoffer, Dr Allan Cott, Dr A.Cherkin as well as Dr Linus Pauling, have confirmed that mental illness is a myth and that emotional disturbance can be merely the first symptom of the obvious inability of the human system to handle the stress of sugar dependency. In Orthomolecular Psychiatry, Dr Pauling writes: "The functioning of the brain and nervous tissue is more sensitively dependent on the rate of chemical reactions than the functioning of other organs and tissues. I believe that mental disease is for the most part caused by abnormal reaction rates, as determined by genetic constitution and diet, and by abnormal molecular concentrations of essential substances... Selection of food (and drugs) in a world that is undergoing rapid scientific and technological change may often be far from the best."11  http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/sugarblues.html (12 of 16)1/4/2006 6:09:02 PM

CDL for Tractor Operation?!? WHAT!!

The following article clearly exhibits one more reason why the government should keep their nose out of small farm business. Do they not realize how many children drive the small old school tractors? My child can, yes she can, and I know many other children that do. When you are running a small farm, the ability for everyone to help is essential. What will it be next, a license to catch hay out of the back the the machine the tractor is hauling?

Do they not realize how many wives drives these things? I can totally understand their concern for those big million dollar monsters that pull the huge harvest equipment, but the 'population' of those is but a fraction compared to the small family tractor. We have one about twice the size of a go-cart. 

Will go carts be next?

New rules could mean less help, higher costs for family farm

Posted: Jul 27, 2011 5:48 PM

Video Gallery

Outrage over proposed new federal rules for farmers 2:47

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by Mark Wiggins

WACO - For many in rural Central Texas, it's one of their most enduring memories of childhood:  Their first time behind the wheel of the family tractor.

The time-honored initiation into working the family farm could one day be a thing of the past, with discussions underway in Washington to require operators of farm equipment to have a commercial driver's license, or CDL.

Ned Meister's work in agriculture began similarly at the age of ten.  Meeting with News Channel 25 Wednesday at the Texas Farm Bureau, Meister explained the critical role of family on the farm.

"The vast majority of our farms are family farms, operators of equipment are usually family members, and if [those changes] were to take place, that would eliminate some of the family participation in the farm operation."

On his farm just outside the town of McGregor, Rodney Schmalriede grew up helping his father.  His son has grown up the same way, and with farmers facing tougher times than ever, Schmalriede is glad for the help.

"Right now I've got my young son, he's 11 years old -- can drive that tractor like a pro -- and my dad who will be 80 this year," explains Schmalriede, "And I've got to have their help."

Concerned with the amount of farm equipment making short hops between fields and down public roadways, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering whether or not to classify agricultural machines like tractors as "commercial vehicles," requiring a CDL to operate. 

The requirements would subject farmers to the same rules governing truck drivers, requiring them to keep logs and limit their hours.

Farmers also fear the prospect of replacing family help with expensive professional drivers, something that could end up costing everyone -- if it doesn't break the bank. 

"When you consider salaries and benefits and all the other things that go with hiring people that otherwise would have been doing by your family, well it's just a more expensive proposal," says Meister.

As public hearings on the issue are expected to continue, many like Schmalriede see it as more evidence of a meddling government interfering with the lives of rural America.

"I think they're idiots," says Schmalriede.  "All we see in the news all the time is some idiot decision that they've made again.  I think half the problem that this country's in right now is because of all the regulations they're trying to put on everything."

Many others shake their heads at what they see as a bureaucracy that seems out of touch.

"We have lost our understanding of rural life and agriculture," explains Meister.  "I'm not saying that anything's malicious at all, but they just don't understand."

More about Dandelions

This is a piece of information I copied from another website. Since it was an informative page, I didn't think he would mind.

Dandelion Nutritional Value

The nutritional content of the Dandelion plant is exceptional. The entire plant is usable from the root all the way up to the beautiful flower, including the stems and leaves.

I especially like the tea produced by roasting the roots, but the leaves and flowers have that distinct pungent flavor as do the ilk of healthy vegetables like collards, spinach, chards, etc. If you think about calcium and phosphor when eating the Dandelion, you'll understand why it has the flavor it does. You are tasting health. The Dandelion has, in addition to fiber, the following particularly good concentration of:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Phosphorous
• Calcium

More specifically, look at this chart on percentages and other information (Serving of 55grams):

• Calories: 25 (from fat 3)
• Total fat: 0 grams or 1%
• Saturated fats: 0%
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 42mg
• Carbohydrates: 5grams
• Dietary Fiber: 2grams
• Sugars: 0grams
• Protein: 1gram

and

• Vitamin A: 112%
• Vitamin C: 32%
• Calcium: 10%
• Iron: 9%

It makes me wonder that if early sailors had known of this plant, would they have been inflicted with scurvy? For one thing, they'd not had to carry limes only, but could have had dried Dandelions which would store well and as far as I know, would retain at least some of the vitamin C. However, I'll need to research that concept to see if the C actually is retained or is it lost during drying. I don't see why it would be lost because drying is not the same as cooking. The roots are roasted to create the tea, but the leaves and flowers are easily dried and stored for reconstituting later when placed in soups, stir fry, or crumpled over salads. I would not cook them into the soup, but instead, place them in the soups once the soups is already cooked and allow the dried Dandies to absorb the juices of the soup. Toss in a few earth worms for protein and mmm mmm good! OK, maybe I'm not ready for earth worms, but in a pinch, if stranded somewhere, I could probably do it since they would be cooked and I'd hardly notice them mixed in with all the other wild herbs and flowers like Horse Tail, and Lambs Quarter.

Are you one of those People that Poison your Dandelions?

STOP!

You are killing food. Dandelions are good for a surprising variety of things. For one, if you have dandelions, your soil is right for growing most vegetables.

They are extremely nutritious for any livestock that eats grass.

Though I have never done it, the roots can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The early greens fall in to the bitter greens category and can be eaten in salad, or steamed as a vegetable.

You can make wine and dye from the blossoms too!

I cut blossoms this year for egg fritters.

First, simply pick the flower off the stem.

So many flowers to choose from!

Wash the flowers, then stir in beaten egg, along with any seasonings you might want, such as garlic powder, or salt or onion powder.  Chopped fresh onions or peppers would be good also.

Roll them in flour, then fry.

Bad picture, sorry!

This was the first time I made them ever. The second time I did it, I made them in to an omelet form, added salt and pepper, and cheese. It was a total experiment the day I decided to do it. Surprisingly they were very good! We thought they would be gross, but they were not. Since then, I've picked more, rolled them in egg, and put them in plastic bags for freezing so we can have some later on in the year, or over winter when they are done growing. That too is an experiment.

Isn't Spring Great?

Spring is so awesome because of the flowers!

This is the apple tree in front of our house. It smells SO good, and it's so pretty!

I don't care for mowing the lawn..Part 2

In the interest of self-sufficiency, and of course, my quest to avoid mowing the lawn more than absolutely necessary, I have decided to begin turning the most of the lawn into garden space. 

More food, less lawn, mom's happy.

I began with raised beds. I pulled the wooden squares from the other part of the garden and put them on the lawn, in between the fruit trees.  I used cardboard and paper feed sacks straight on the grass, under the squares. Then I had them filled with some topsoil I had from 2 years ago.

I planted beets, carrots, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, and spinach in them. I covered them with hay, then laid a piece of old field fence over the top to keep the chickens from scratching them up. 

The grass in between, I will simply cover with spoiled hay as I get it.  On the right, center, is one of the rabbit tractors. I ran out of topsoil, so I decide to use them to help prepare the next spots. I am moving them over a little at a time, and letting them in place long enough to eat the grass down to the dirt.

This is a spot they ate totally away. In the rear, after the rabbits were done, I dug a single hole in the sod, each a foot apart and planted a seed potato. Then I mulched with spoiled bedding hay 8 inches deep, with a small depression left where each potato was planted. Strangely, the chickens really haven't bothered this one.

In the front, the black plastic is in place to warm the dirt in preparation for sweet potatoes.

This is the finished square the rabbits were just starting in the first photo. It took them 3 days to clear it.  Chris was starting to till for me, but the tiller decided to take a break (the machine, not him).  So the center isn't tilled at all.

This is the back edge in the square in the previous photo.  I planted 100 bush bean plants.  It's still a tad cold for beans, but I am tired of waiting. Call it an experiment. I covered them with old glass patio doors I got out of someone's trash. I hope they will keep the soil warm enough to prevent the seeds from rotting. Beans tend to do that it cold, wet soil. 

Spring has finally Sprung!

The strawberries are doing great! 

Here is what they looked like today. It rained yesterday, so they are happy and growing.

In the lower left, you can see chocolate mint. I planted it in a sunken bed originally, but alas, it has escaped and is slowly creeping about. That's fine. It generally doesn't hurt other things and it smells good when you step on it.

In the center of the photo, far right, is thyme. Thyme is a slow creeping ground cover that is used herbally in cooking and medicines.  It does best in rocky type areas. Three winters in Wisconsin and finally success!

This is one of our pear trees. It is some kind of oriental pear. The pears are small and sort of resemble lemons. It is always the first tree to flower.  Most of the other trees have colorful cracking buds, but this is the only one open so far.

Planting Strawberries

I ordered 100 strawberry plants through a seed catalog, and they are here.

Strawberries are perennial, which means they live through the winter and come back every year to produce more delicious berries for you to eat.

Strawberries are what I like to call a 'beginners berry'. They are very easy to plant and maintain, and you don't need to wait years, like a fruit tree, to get results.

The first step is ground prep. Choose a place that will get full sun. This means at least 6 hours. A place that is well drained is best. Strawberries need to be moist but not drowning.

I used a shovel and removed all the sod. Shake the extra dirt off the grass hunks and feed them to your pigs. Pick out all the broken grass roots you see, as they will re-sprout and cause you to say angry things later when you have to pull them again.

I heaped the soil towards the middle, then spread it out with a rake, resulting in a sort of raised bed with no sides. This allows the soil to warm up a bit faster and gives a little more room for the roots. Eventually it will pack down, but as you add mulch over time, it will build up. Never step on your prepared soil!

Strawberries are shipped in an aerated plastic bag in bundles of 25. Remove them from the bag, remove the rubber band and pull the roots apart. Depending on how long they have been in the bag, some may have very long roots and you might see new rootlets growing.

If the roots are super long, cut them with scissors to 4-6 inches long.  Dig a hole with your hand trowel about 6 inches deep and a few inches wide. Put the plant in the hole with the roots down, but spread them out a little. Firmly pack the dirt around the roots. Strawberries are kind of funny about the depth at which they are planted. If you plant them too deep, they will rot. If you plant them too shallow, they might dry out and die. You have to plant with the crown just above the dirt. 

If I had to choose, I would rather accidentally plant too shallow rather than too deep. The bags usually have directions and a picture printed on the side. The bag says plant them in rows 3 feet apart and plants 18 inches apart. I think that is too much room and I never plant that spacey. The reasoning behind that is the plants will throw off runners to make new plants. The runners will fill in the spaces between the plants. I prefer to plant them closer together, then when they grow runners, I cut them off and plant them where I want them. 

So after your plants are all in the ground, mulch them with old hay, or cured compost. Don't use bark, sawdust, or grass clippings. Grass clippings mat and get gooey, sawdust leaches nitrogen out of the soil and bark is too hard. Keep them well watered for the first 10 days or so and water weekly if there is no rain.  The directions say pick off all the blooms the first year to give them a chance to develop their root systems for a better harvest next year. I pick off blooms through July, then let them get a few berries towards the end of the summer. Why go through all that work for nothing? I want a least a few for my time.  It won't really hurt them.

Planting the Garden in Freezing April

This past winter has been especially long and cold.

Now in mid April, some days are sunny and 50, some days are rainy and 34. Yuk!

Everything is muddy, sloppy and cold.

Yesterday, it was cloudy and 35. Towards the later afternoon, we started to get some tiny sprinkles, the kind that stab you in the eye if you are facing the wrong way.

So I had this crazy urge to get into the garden. It's been so long!

I already had some of my raised beds prepared. I had them filled with fresh topsoil last week when we had a warmer day.

I started with carrots. I was getting kind of windy. I planted Danvers and Little Fingers. The Danvers will get 6 or 7 inches long and the Little Fingers will be small, 3 inches or so, and they should be done 7 weeks from sprouting.

These are carrot seeds. Not the clearest picture, but the wind was trying to take them away.

I simply sprinkled them over the dirt, and raked over them lightly. Carrot seeds must stay moist, and take 3 weeks to sprout. The drizzle season is a good time to plant. They like it cool.

Next was beets. First, I used my two fingers to poke holes in the soil up to the first knuckle. Cold! Cold!

Then I dropped a seed in each hole and covered it up and lightly tapped the dirt flat.

These are beet seeds. They feel like hard styrofoam. They are very light and the wind will take them if you are not careful.  

Each seed is actually a cluster of seeds, and when they sprout, they must be thinned in order for the roots to have room to grow. These are Detroit Dark Reds. We really love pickled beets here.  The pack says to wait until after danger of frost.  We can actually have frosts up until the first of June, but I don't care. I want them in now, so call it an experiment. If they sprout, and frost threatens, I will cover the bed with plastic, or a sheet or something.

Third was the onions. By this time, I was getting rather uncomfortable and crabby.

I took a pointed hoe and made short furrows across the onion bed.

Then I put the onion sets in the furrows about 3 inches apart. I have both purple and yellow. I don't like the whites..too sharp in flavor.  The yellows are much better keepers, but the purples are sweeter.  It doesn't matter if you plant them together unless you are isolating for seed saving. I won't be saving onion seeds this year, so no worries.

Then I covered them up and covered the whole bed with waste hay. DONE!

Well, except the back corner. I didn't have enough onion sets. I will plant garlic there. I think I pated maybe 400 or so onions. YES, we use that many in a year.  I eat an onion everyday.  I love onions! and they are very good for you besides.

Making Maple Syrup

Begin with the weather, followed by the tree.

Hook up a tube, wait and see.

In order for sap to run, the weather must be below freezing at night and 35-45 during the day. Sunny is preferred, but there have been days when it was 40 and cloudy, and the sap ran like dickens.

The ideal tree is, of course, the sugar maple, followed closely by the black maple. Other maples can be used, which we do, but the sugar content of the sap is slightly less.

Drill a hole in any maple greater in diameter than 10 inches. Very large trees can support several taps. The hole must be 1-3 inches deep and angle slightly towards the ground.  Carefully tap in a tapered spout and attach a tube, bucket, or bag. Different types of spouts support different types of containers. We simply use food grade milk hose and clean juice containers.

On an average sapping day, each tap will give about a gallon. During the last week of the season, there is usually a rush of sap and we have to collect twice a day to prevent the containers from running over.

We drill a hole in the lid, as opposed to leaving the top open. Bugs and wildlife love maple sap.

The sap must be collected daily and kept cool, or it will spoil really fast. Properly refrigerated, the sap will keep about a week.

When we have enough the sap gets poured into the evaporator pan.

The average yield is about 35 or 40 to 1. This means it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Thats a lot of sap!

This is a stainless evap pan. The fire box is built in underneath, accessible from the other end. We burn wood to boil down the sap.  As the sap boils down, it begins to darken in color.

This is the other end, and the finishing pan. You can see the fire box door below. The finishing pan gets the hottest and sap is added as the moisture boils away to keep it from scorching.  

As the water is boiled away, the boiling point rises. When the temperature reaches 7 degrees about the boiling point of water, the syrup is considered done. We usually pull it sooner. This gives us the opportunity to strain it and finish on a stove top for greater control.

You wouldn't believe how good boiling sap smells until you have actually smelled some. At this point in the process, I want to taste it SO bad, but I don't dare. It will melt your tongue into a useless puddle of goo.