Every fall in Big Rapids Michigan the Waldron family comes together to make apple cider from the apples between their fields and orchards in and around town. I have been privileged enough to be invited to this wonderful event for the past three years. This is a memoir of making apple cider with the Waldrons.
Archive for the 'Food' Category
Edwin, a co-worker, and I were chatting about food and nutrition the other day and we ran into this article. Since we have had a few discussions about how low-carb diets and vegetarian diets can be good for your health we suggested this article that advocates for a fusion of the two.
Adding a Big Dash of ‘Health’ to Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Michael Pollan also does a wonderful monologe on the subject in his book The Omnivoure’s Dilemma. He addresses the issue of our disconnect from food and how our culture has lost something that is driving us to resort to these types of diets.
Nor would such a culture be shocked to discover that there are other countries, such as Italy and France, thea ecide their dinner questions on the basis of such quaint and unscientific criteria as pleasure and tradition, eat all manner of “unhealthy” foods, and lo and behold, wind up actually healthier and happier in their eating than we are.
If we are talking about purely health and weight loss I would advocate for a well balanced diet that includes protein and carbohydrates in proper amounts. My warning would be to not overdose on carbohydrates or protien. Balancing your meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables and reducing your meat consumption to two times a week can have great effects on your health.
I have always liked sprouts on my sandwiches since I was a kid. Some people hate them but I love their crisp crunch and fresh taste. It turns out they are really good for you and cheap to make at home. If you can supply a jar, some screen or netting, and rinse the sprouts twice a day, you can grow delicious sprouts in less than a week. Just add a tablespoon or two to a jar and soak the seeds for a few hours.
Sproutable Seeds
Most seeds can be sprouted and eaten at home. Common seeds for sprouting include alfalfa, fenugreek, lentils, peas, radish, and red clover. Other less common seeds include cabbage, broccoli, garbanzos, mustard seed, and quinoa. Save garden seeds (radish is easy, just let them go to seed and harvest when dry and ripe). Spread a blanket or tarp by the bushes just before the pods pop open to catch the seeds. [1]
Directions
- Use any glass jar such a mason jar and the band that keeps the top on.
- Find a mesh such as from an old window screen to hold the seeds in. (I used two square pieces at a 45 degree angle to make sure the smaller seeds stayed in.)
- Fill the jar with 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite sprout seed, and soak them for a few hours.
- Wash the seeds under water in the jar twice daily. (Don’t remove the screen just fill the jar then let the water wash out through the screen.)
- Set the jar upside down during the drying period to avoid rotting your seeds. (Dish racks at 45 degree angles work well)
In years past not much attention has been given to food in the White House. This is not the case with the new administration. Michelle Obama hosted a harvest party this summer celebrating the organic garden they planted in their backyard. This is the first vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt resided in the White House. This incident was not without controversy the Mid America CropLife Association sent a letter to Michelle stating that:
“Fresh foods grown conventionally are wholesome and flavorful yet more economical.”
“What happens if you want some grapes during the month of December?” “What are you going to do? Not eat grapes?”
This is absurd to me. I will admit our food system is complex and we cannot all begin to rely wholly on our back yard gardens but we should be encouraging that practice as much as possible. Why can’t we eat grapes in the summer when they are ripe and not for Christmas dinner. People don’t carve pumpkins for spring break so don’t be absurd and demand grapes on your Christmas fruit cake.