There are those times in your life when you have to learn to depend on other people. This is one of those times for my family. Dustin has had ulcerative colitis for 12 years. If you don't know anything about ulcerative colitis, it's a disease that affects your colon. This disease is an ugly one that causes a lot of intestinal problems. Dustin has been dealing with the flare ups for the past 12 years, but this past June, it all came to a head. To make a long, grueling story short, Dustin spent 3 months in the worst pain and health of his life. He ended up not being able to work and lost about 30 pounds. Something had to be done.
This past week Dustin had surgery. The surgery consisted of his large intestine(colon) being removed. The surgery is called a j-pouch, where they reconstruct a colon made from stretching your small intestine downward. It's not going to be an easy recovery, but we are thankful that the disease is GONE. In about a years time, Dustin should be able to live a fairly normal life in terms of...well...poop.
Needless to say, this has been an extremely difficult time for my family. Dustin has been so weak since June that he can't do much to help around the house or with the kids. It's been hard on all of us and it has really forced us to depend on others for help. It is really incredible how much you learn about yourself and your friends and family during a crisis like this. You learn that there are those family members and friends that are absolutely amazing, who will drop everything to help you. The dependable people, who you know will do what you need.
It has taught me a lot about myself too. I don't like asking for help and it's hard for me to receive it. I think God knew I needed a lesson in this, and a lesson it has been. I have been overwhelmed by the help that we have and will continue to receive through this. I am thankful. I am seeing answer to prayer every single day and it's really cool. You awesome people, you know who you are and I thank you more than words can say. It is truly honorable when someone does what they say they are going to do for you and you can trust that they will. When you are the person in need, you find comfort in that knowing, in that security that the person can give you.
I have also learned something else through this. To have faith, no matter what the circumstances. There have been a few times during this ordeal that I have been mad at God. Just the other day I found myself asking God, why? Why did you do this, I have had enough for now! I was at the hospital with Dustin and got a call from my sister that Ida was covered in a rash all of a sudden, it was a bad one too. I had to rush home from the hospital, in a panic. I had hit my max, I just couldn't take anymore and I was mad that God would allow this to happen. I just said a simple prayer, asking God to work it out, that I NEEDED Him too because I couldn't. He did. Then I was reminded of this verse today in church:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
In the midst of my trials, I was tempted to give up. I wanted to quit. He didn't let me and I am glad. He put the right people in my life and the strength to get through it. I need a little help from my friends and I am thankful that they are delivering. I look forward to being able to give back.
We will get through this. We will persevere. We are a family after all, and families stick together, no matter what comes our way.
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5: 3-4
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
1 little, 2 little, 3 little chemicals.
Every one of us uses and eats numerous harmful chemicals a day. Some more than others. For some people it's a matter of just NOT knowing. My hope is that if any of you read this blog post that you will start to think about your own lives and what chemicals you are exposing yourselves to on a daily basis.
Sometimes I think that people don't really care about the harmful effects of shampoo or the chicken breast they are eating because they don't really think that this one thing is going to make that big of a difference. Maybe they are right, but guess what? It's usually never that ONE thing. If you start to pay attention to all of the little things that you do that are harmful to your body, they start to build up. When they start to build up, that is when you are really risking your own personal health and well being, and the well being of those that you are responsible for taking care of.
So, let's start the day of a typical American. Let's call her Susan. Susan wakes up in the morning and jumps into the shower. Susan washes her hair with her favorite shampoo(loaded with the harmful chemical called sodium lauryl sulfate) and then washes with her favorite bar soap or body wash(harmful chemical triclosan). Susan brushes her teeth(fluoride and sodium laurly sulfate). Susan gets dressed and puts on her lotion(full of diazolidinyl urea and parabens) and then proceeds to put on her makeup(broad array of chemicals). Susan blow dries her hair with the use of hair gel and hair spray(sodium laurly sulfate again and a HUGE slew of BAD chemicals including parabens, ethanol, copolymer). To finish it all off, Susan sprays herself with a dash of her favorite perfume(unnatural scents are made with harmful chemicals) and puts on deodorant(AHHHHHHH, aluminum!!!!!!!).
Susan goes in to the kitchen to fix herself breakfast. Susan has toast with margarine(cancer causing trans fats) and fruit(laced with harmful pesticides and genetically modified). Susan heads off to work and works at her office until her shift is over. They just did some work in the office and she can smell the fresh paint and carpet still(horrible chemicals). Or maybe Susan is a stay at home Mom. Susan spends the day playing with the kids and letting them chew on toys from China(BAD).
At the end of the day, Susan makes dinner for the family. She is making baked chicken breast(factory farmed and full of antibiotics), garlic bread(bleached) and potatoes(tons of pesticides are used). Susan puts the kids to bed and spends the rest of the night talking with her husband and doing a few chores. During her chores, Susan sprays cleaner on the counters(full of chemicals that you breath in and end up on your food). Susan decides to put one last load of laundry in the washer before bed and puts in the detergent(alkyl phenoxy ethanols, petroleum distillates and quaternium 15 which releases formaldehyde). Susan goes to bed and starts it all over again the next day.
I understand that not all of our lives align with Susan's. However, we can all find similarities and differences. My challenge to you is that you figure out what your "chemical count" is. Take a day and think about each product you use along the way. What is harming you and what is benefiting you? When you add it all up, it makes a huge difference. There are so many products and foods out there that are harming us each and every day, but with the right choices, you can change that. The products and foods CAN benefit you if you choose to make the right purchases.
I have made a lot of changes to our lifestyle, but we still have a "chemical count". I try to keep it as low as possible. Personally, I have found that the easiest way to do it is to do right at home. We don't use harmful hygiene products or eat harmful foods. That way when we want to have a chemical fest, we don't feel that bad about it. We can go out to eat and not feel so guilty about it because we know that we are doing good on a daily basis at home. I think it's when we expose ourselves to chemicals every step of the way in our lives that we run in to some serious problems in terms of health and happiness.
Sometimes I think that people don't really care about the harmful effects of shampoo or the chicken breast they are eating because they don't really think that this one thing is going to make that big of a difference. Maybe they are right, but guess what? It's usually never that ONE thing. If you start to pay attention to all of the little things that you do that are harmful to your body, they start to build up. When they start to build up, that is when you are really risking your own personal health and well being, and the well being of those that you are responsible for taking care of.
So, let's start the day of a typical American. Let's call her Susan. Susan wakes up in the morning and jumps into the shower. Susan washes her hair with her favorite shampoo(loaded with the harmful chemical called sodium lauryl sulfate) and then washes with her favorite bar soap or body wash(harmful chemical triclosan). Susan brushes her teeth(fluoride and sodium laurly sulfate). Susan gets dressed and puts on her lotion(full of diazolidinyl urea and parabens) and then proceeds to put on her makeup(broad array of chemicals). Susan blow dries her hair with the use of hair gel and hair spray(sodium laurly sulfate again and a HUGE slew of BAD chemicals including parabens, ethanol, copolymer). To finish it all off, Susan sprays herself with a dash of her favorite perfume(unnatural scents are made with harmful chemicals) and puts on deodorant(AHHHHHHH, aluminum!!!!!!!).
Susan goes in to the kitchen to fix herself breakfast. Susan has toast with margarine(cancer causing trans fats) and fruit(laced with harmful pesticides and genetically modified). Susan heads off to work and works at her office until her shift is over. They just did some work in the office and she can smell the fresh paint and carpet still(horrible chemicals). Or maybe Susan is a stay at home Mom. Susan spends the day playing with the kids and letting them chew on toys from China(BAD).
At the end of the day, Susan makes dinner for the family. She is making baked chicken breast(factory farmed and full of antibiotics), garlic bread(bleached) and potatoes(tons of pesticides are used). Susan puts the kids to bed and spends the rest of the night talking with her husband and doing a few chores. During her chores, Susan sprays cleaner on the counters(full of chemicals that you breath in and end up on your food). Susan decides to put one last load of laundry in the washer before bed and puts in the detergent(alkyl phenoxy ethanols, petroleum distillates and quaternium 15 which releases formaldehyde). Susan goes to bed and starts it all over again the next day.
I understand that not all of our lives align with Susan's. However, we can all find similarities and differences. My challenge to you is that you figure out what your "chemical count" is. Take a day and think about each product you use along the way. What is harming you and what is benefiting you? When you add it all up, it makes a huge difference. There are so many products and foods out there that are harming us each and every day, but with the right choices, you can change that. The products and foods CAN benefit you if you choose to make the right purchases.
I have made a lot of changes to our lifestyle, but we still have a "chemical count". I try to keep it as low as possible. Personally, I have found that the easiest way to do it is to do right at home. We don't use harmful hygiene products or eat harmful foods. That way when we want to have a chemical fest, we don't feel that bad about it. We can go out to eat and not feel so guilty about it because we know that we are doing good on a daily basis at home. I think it's when we expose ourselves to chemicals every step of the way in our lives that we run in to some serious problems in terms of health and happiness.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Cars are made in a factory for Pete's sake!
I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that everyone who will read this has heard of factory farming. We've all heard something about it. Some of us have heard that it's safe, others that it's unsafe. Some have heard that these farms are torture for animals or maybe even that the farms are necessary to feed our population. Who knows what you have heard, so I am going to clear the air and give you some of the facts. You can have your opinion, but if you disagree, I would ask that you please do the research and base your opinion on fact rather than what you want to believe because it's easier for YOU.
Factory farms started in the 1920's shortly after Vitamins A and D were discovered. Having Vitamin A and D meant that the vitamins could be added to the animals feed, which didn't require the animals to have exposure to the outside or exercise. The animals could be kept inside and fed the vitamin enriched foods. This allowed farmers to produce many more animals in a smaller space, increasing profits and lowering the price to consumers. It's a lot more cost effective to cram thousands of cows in barns and chickens in cages. This way the farmers don't have to have the acreage or the increased manpower. Cheap meat is good right? It may seems like that, but I'll let you draw your own conclusion.
Factory farms are owned by large corporations and are motivated only by profit. Did you know that 3% of farms produce about 62% of our meat? These factory farms are pushing out small farmers because of the power that they possess to produce cheap meat. Corporate owned factory farms have no link to their community like the small farmers do. The meat is produced and shipped sometimes thousands of miles away, whereas small farmers depend on their community for their profit. I don't know about you, but I like to know where my meat is coming from and have a personal connection with a man and his animals. There's that hippy part of me.
Factory farming is very hard on the environment. Factory farms produce large quantities of waste that is difficult to dispose of. This waste emits greenhouse gases, and leaks into lakes, rivers and ground water, putting our drinking water at risk. This kind of pollution does not happen at a sustainable, organic farm. Factory farms produce meat that is nutrionally deficient in comparison to organically grown meat, which contains more minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
Now on to the hard part....how the animals are treated in factory farms. Lets look at cows first. As you can imagine, cows are messy creatures and when crammed together can make a pretty big mess. Most of these cows are kept in cement barns where their poop can be cleaned easily with hoses and drainage systems. Nonetheless, it's still pretty gross. I would ask you to envision these cows crammed into the barns pooping everywhere, versus the cows out in pasture taking a crap. A lot different. Well, that is why the use of antibiotics started. The animals are fed antibiotics to ward off diseases. This is also a big problem since those antibiotics are spread to humans through the meat, which causes antibiotic resistance in us as well. Ever heard of Mad Cow disease? Well, that was the result of these farms. Farmers were feeding the cattle dead animals parts, which is believed to have led to the whole Mad Cow thing.
Hahahaha! I thought it was funny. Here is a legitimate one now...
Big difference. Not a lot needs to be said about how these animals are treated after seeing those pictures.
Now, on to chickens. Chickens used to produce eggs are crammed in to cages like this:
The chickens will live their entire lives like this, unable to even spread out their wings. Often times, they are put in to cages with other hens. The conditions are stressful on the birds, which causes them to peck at eachother. Birds are then debeaked to prevent the pecking. Debeaking is painful and looks like this:
Meat chickens are grown for 6 weeks until slaughter. The conditions they live in look like this:
Meat chickens are fed a high fat diet full of crappy ingredients, which are spread to us humans through the meat. Chickens are also given antibiotics because of the high rate of disease in these conditions. I like this picture better...
Happy chickens. Just love it.
So where would you rather get your meat? Understand that when you go to the grocery store, like Safeway and buy a regular steak or chicken breast or eggs, you are getting it from the factory farms(look at the pics again). Or, you can make the choice to buy meat and dairy products from animals who are treated humanely. Even if you don't care about animals being tortured, the health benefits alone should turn someone off of factory farmed meat. Now don't get me wrong, I am not perfect. But, I can do my best to only buy meat and eggs from responsible farmers.
The biggest excuse people use is ignorance. You want to pretend that these issues don't exist and you blindly purchase your meat from the store, turning off your brain. The other excuse is cost. You tell yourself you can't afford to buy organic meat. Well, you know what...I can't either, but I do. I make it happen by researching and buying smart. People can't afford cigarettes, beer or ice cream either, but I bet you find a way if it's a luxury item that you really enjoy. It's no excuse. I would rather see people eat no meat than support these factory farms. They are inhumane, unhealthy and a detriment to the local farmer. Please support your local farmer. Okay, I'll stop ranting now. But, one more thing...
God's given this to us. Let's take care of it responsibly, humanely and with wisdom. Which picture do you think better shows God's intentions for his creation?
Factory farms started in the 1920's shortly after Vitamins A and D were discovered. Having Vitamin A and D meant that the vitamins could be added to the animals feed, which didn't require the animals to have exposure to the outside or exercise. The animals could be kept inside and fed the vitamin enriched foods. This allowed farmers to produce many more animals in a smaller space, increasing profits and lowering the price to consumers. It's a lot more cost effective to cram thousands of cows in barns and chickens in cages. This way the farmers don't have to have the acreage or the increased manpower. Cheap meat is good right? It may seems like that, but I'll let you draw your own conclusion.
Factory farms are owned by large corporations and are motivated only by profit. Did you know that 3% of farms produce about 62% of our meat? These factory farms are pushing out small farmers because of the power that they possess to produce cheap meat. Corporate owned factory farms have no link to their community like the small farmers do. The meat is produced and shipped sometimes thousands of miles away, whereas small farmers depend on their community for their profit. I don't know about you, but I like to know where my meat is coming from and have a personal connection with a man and his animals. There's that hippy part of me.
Factory farming is very hard on the environment. Factory farms produce large quantities of waste that is difficult to dispose of. This waste emits greenhouse gases, and leaks into lakes, rivers and ground water, putting our drinking water at risk. This kind of pollution does not happen at a sustainable, organic farm. Factory farms produce meat that is nutrionally deficient in comparison to organically grown meat, which contains more minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
Now on to the hard part....how the animals are treated in factory farms. Lets look at cows first. As you can imagine, cows are messy creatures and when crammed together can make a pretty big mess. Most of these cows are kept in cement barns where their poop can be cleaned easily with hoses and drainage systems. Nonetheless, it's still pretty gross. I would ask you to envision these cows crammed into the barns pooping everywhere, versus the cows out in pasture taking a crap. A lot different. Well, that is why the use of antibiotics started. The animals are fed antibiotics to ward off diseases. This is also a big problem since those antibiotics are spread to humans through the meat, which causes antibiotic resistance in us as well. Ever heard of Mad Cow disease? Well, that was the result of these farms. Farmers were feeding the cattle dead animals parts, which is believed to have led to the whole Mad Cow thing.
Wow, what a life. No fresh air, no grass, no sunshine. Just a concrete box with endless amounts of food. Don't fool yourself into thinking they get out of here. The only time the cows leave here is to be milked or to be slaughtered. Now compare this picture to this one...
Hahahaha! I thought it was funny. Here is a legitimate one now...Big difference. Not a lot needs to be said about how these animals are treated after seeing those pictures.
Now, on to chickens. Chickens used to produce eggs are crammed in to cages like this:
The chickens will live their entire lives like this, unable to even spread out their wings. Often times, they are put in to cages with other hens. The conditions are stressful on the birds, which causes them to peck at eachother. Birds are then debeaked to prevent the pecking. Debeaking is painful and looks like this:
Meat chickens are grown for 6 weeks until slaughter. The conditions they live in look like this:
Meat chickens are fed a high fat diet full of crappy ingredients, which are spread to us humans through the meat. Chickens are also given antibiotics because of the high rate of disease in these conditions. I like this picture better...
Happy chickens. Just love it.
So where would you rather get your meat? Understand that when you go to the grocery store, like Safeway and buy a regular steak or chicken breast or eggs, you are getting it from the factory farms(look at the pics again). Or, you can make the choice to buy meat and dairy products from animals who are treated humanely. Even if you don't care about animals being tortured, the health benefits alone should turn someone off of factory farmed meat. Now don't get me wrong, I am not perfect. But, I can do my best to only buy meat and eggs from responsible farmers.
The biggest excuse people use is ignorance. You want to pretend that these issues don't exist and you blindly purchase your meat from the store, turning off your brain. The other excuse is cost. You tell yourself you can't afford to buy organic meat. Well, you know what...I can't either, but I do. I make it happen by researching and buying smart. People can't afford cigarettes, beer or ice cream either, but I bet you find a way if it's a luxury item that you really enjoy. It's no excuse. I would rather see people eat no meat than support these factory farms. They are inhumane, unhealthy and a detriment to the local farmer. Please support your local farmer. Okay, I'll stop ranting now. But, one more thing...
God's given this to us. Let's take care of it responsibly, humanely and with wisdom. Which picture do you think better shows God's intentions for his creation?
Psalms 8: 3-9
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
And the son of man that You visit him?
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have put all things under his feet,
Even the beasts of the field,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Monday, August 8, 2011
"I like Jesus okay, but I HATE Christians."
I think we have all heard this or a similar statement before. Perhaps you were the one who said it. I understand this statement, I really do. Before I became a believer, the main argument I had against Christianity were the Christians themselves. Jesus and his teachings can mostly be accepted by Christians and non-Christians alike. Jesus' message is really indisputable. It is love.
Humans mess it all up. Christians are human, and therefore, they mess it all up too. I know I do. I will never be the perfect Christian. I am well aware of that and I never want to give someone the impression that I have it all together. Not only am I a baby Christian, I am a little rough around the edges and more than likely have given Christians a bad name from time to time. So why do Christians get such a bad rap? Well, I have a couple guesses.
Have you ever met someone who professed they were a Christian, but didn't live their lives any different than non-Christians? I have. I am one of those Christians sometimes. I fall into that trap of mediocrity in my faith where I just float along, thinking I'm saved and I don't really need to do anything else. Well, some Christians stay in that place their entire lives. This is a very bad example to set for a non-believer. They see you as a hypocrite or just plain stupid.
How about the Christians that are completely intolerant of anyone who doesn't agree with what they believe? Now don't get me wrong here. I don't think that anyone should agree with something that is against their beliefs. What I mean by intolerance is hatred and judgment towards others who don't agree with them. If I had to sum up Jesus' teachings, I would say that the most important thing He teaches us is to love God and to love others as ourselves. Christians who hate are not following these teachings and are also turning every non-believer away. I totally understand the non-believers problem with Christians like this. It's a shame. I know as a Christian I struggle with intolerance too, we all do. If we can recognize it, it will make all the difference. Personally, I desire to show others love even when I want to hate them. It's a lot easier said than done I've found! Sometimes just admitting we make mistakes as Christians is all we need to do.
Ya know, I actually get somewhat irritated when I have to answer those questions about religious preference on legal documents. It's almost like having to claim to be a Democrat or a Republican. I know what I believe in and writing the word or checking a box doesn't make me anything. I want to make decisions and live out my life based on my beliefs. And those beliefs come from the Bible. I hope Christians and non-Christians alike can recognize that claiming to be something doesn't mean that it becomes who you are. It's in how you live your life and how you show love to others.
Bottom line, I'm sorry for any of you who have turned away from Jesus or Christianity because of Christians. I assure you, there are a lot of good ones. Sometimes, it's just a matter of going back to the root of things and understanding that "Christian" is just a word sometimes. Look at the person's life. If they are a true Christian they are admittedly flawed, but they are working to live out Jesus' love the best way they know how in their lives. Just remember, Jesus was the only perfect one. We are all imperfect. A Christian who is living out their faith would not claim perfection because they know better than anyone that we are imperfect and in desperate need of God's grace.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Humans mess it all up. Christians are human, and therefore, they mess it all up too. I know I do. I will never be the perfect Christian. I am well aware of that and I never want to give someone the impression that I have it all together. Not only am I a baby Christian, I am a little rough around the edges and more than likely have given Christians a bad name from time to time. So why do Christians get such a bad rap? Well, I have a couple guesses.
Have you ever met someone who professed they were a Christian, but didn't live their lives any different than non-Christians? I have. I am one of those Christians sometimes. I fall into that trap of mediocrity in my faith where I just float along, thinking I'm saved and I don't really need to do anything else. Well, some Christians stay in that place their entire lives. This is a very bad example to set for a non-believer. They see you as a hypocrite or just plain stupid.
How about the Christians that are completely intolerant of anyone who doesn't agree with what they believe? Now don't get me wrong here. I don't think that anyone should agree with something that is against their beliefs. What I mean by intolerance is hatred and judgment towards others who don't agree with them. If I had to sum up Jesus' teachings, I would say that the most important thing He teaches us is to love God and to love others as ourselves. Christians who hate are not following these teachings and are also turning every non-believer away. I totally understand the non-believers problem with Christians like this. It's a shame. I know as a Christian I struggle with intolerance too, we all do. If we can recognize it, it will make all the difference. Personally, I desire to show others love even when I want to hate them. It's a lot easier said than done I've found! Sometimes just admitting we make mistakes as Christians is all we need to do.
Ya know, I actually get somewhat irritated when I have to answer those questions about religious preference on legal documents. It's almost like having to claim to be a Democrat or a Republican. I know what I believe in and writing the word or checking a box doesn't make me anything. I want to make decisions and live out my life based on my beliefs. And those beliefs come from the Bible. I hope Christians and non-Christians alike can recognize that claiming to be something doesn't mean that it becomes who you are. It's in how you live your life and how you show love to others.
Bottom line, I'm sorry for any of you who have turned away from Jesus or Christianity because of Christians. I assure you, there are a lot of good ones. Sometimes, it's just a matter of going back to the root of things and understanding that "Christian" is just a word sometimes. Look at the person's life. If they are a true Christian they are admittedly flawed, but they are working to live out Jesus' love the best way they know how in their lives. Just remember, Jesus was the only perfect one. We are all imperfect. A Christian who is living out their faith would not claim perfection because they know better than anyone that we are imperfect and in desperate need of God's grace.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Saturday, August 6, 2011
"Mom, this is so cool!"
This is what Bean said when he was cutting green beans off the vine today. It's what Ida said when she was helping me dig onions and pick strawberries. It really is cool. The kids are right. To get to watch something that you planted as a seed grow to a large plant that produces fruit and vegetables is so cool. It's rewarding too. It makes me really happy to see the kids amazed at the garden that they helped plant from seeds. Not only that, but they are learning that food doesn't just magically appear from the grocery store, that there is hard work and a process behind every piece of fruit and vegetable.
The kids go in to the garden at least daily to snoop around and see how things are growing. If something needs to be be picked or weeded, the kids are on it. Sure, things get cut that aren't supposed to sometimes, but it's ok. I know that they are learning valuable skills that they can teach their children someday(already hoping for grandchildren).
The green beans are coming in like crazy right now. Every day for the past 5 days there have been more to pick each day. So, that means that I have to do something with all of these green beans. Most people can them, but I am choosing to freeze them. I know that canning them will preserve them for much longer than if I were to freeze them, but I am looking to get enough beans to last until next summer's harvest. I also want to have the beans that we eat through the winter to provide the most nutrients possible. I am already starting out with organic, home grown stuff, so that is a good start. I decided to go with freezing after I researched the nutritional differences between different food processing. Come to find out, freezing retains a lot more nutrients than canning does. Canning requires high temperatures to process the food, which causes a lot more nutrient loss. Now don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for canning too.
With my green beans, I chose to blanch them first. My Mom taught me about this neat little process, which I'm sure some of you have done before yourselves. Blanching is simply boiling them for about a minute or so, immediately plunging them into ice water, drying for a bit, packaging and then freezing them. Blanching doesn't cook the beans, but stops the enzymatic activity that will cause spoilage. This is obviously taking some of the nutrition from the bean, however I can't keep the green beans good in the fridge all winter long. I have been using my food saver to vacuum pack them to keep them good for as long as possible. You can also use this same process for other things from your garden, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, greens, etc. I can use all of these throughout the winter for cooking and Vitamix shakes.
You would be amazed at how many fruits and vegetables you can freeze. A simple google search will provide you with all the information you need. My Mom and I keep finding new things to freeze for the winter to cut down on the winter grocery budget. Not only that, but it's so much easier to find GOOD food during the summer. For example, did you know that you can freeze apples? I didn't. Now I can freeze them while I can get them cheap and use them for the Vitamix shakes or fresh applesauce for the kids.
So, pretty much I love gardening. I love including my kids and teaching them stuff. I love eating good, healthy food that came from by back yard. I also love the cheap price tag. Hopefully you know what I'm talking about, or will someday when you decide to grow your own garden.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.
The kids go in to the garden at least daily to snoop around and see how things are growing. If something needs to be be picked or weeded, the kids are on it. Sure, things get cut that aren't supposed to sometimes, but it's ok. I know that they are learning valuable skills that they can teach their children someday(already hoping for grandchildren).
The green beans are coming in like crazy right now. Every day for the past 5 days there have been more to pick each day. So, that means that I have to do something with all of these green beans. Most people can them, but I am choosing to freeze them. I know that canning them will preserve them for much longer than if I were to freeze them, but I am looking to get enough beans to last until next summer's harvest. I also want to have the beans that we eat through the winter to provide the most nutrients possible. I am already starting out with organic, home grown stuff, so that is a good start. I decided to go with freezing after I researched the nutritional differences between different food processing. Come to find out, freezing retains a lot more nutrients than canning does. Canning requires high temperatures to process the food, which causes a lot more nutrient loss. Now don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for canning too.
With my green beans, I chose to blanch them first. My Mom taught me about this neat little process, which I'm sure some of you have done before yourselves. Blanching is simply boiling them for about a minute or so, immediately plunging them into ice water, drying for a bit, packaging and then freezing them. Blanching doesn't cook the beans, but stops the enzymatic activity that will cause spoilage. This is obviously taking some of the nutrition from the bean, however I can't keep the green beans good in the fridge all winter long. I have been using my food saver to vacuum pack them to keep them good for as long as possible. You can also use this same process for other things from your garden, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, greens, etc. I can use all of these throughout the winter for cooking and Vitamix shakes.
You would be amazed at how many fruits and vegetables you can freeze. A simple google search will provide you with all the information you need. My Mom and I keep finding new things to freeze for the winter to cut down on the winter grocery budget. Not only that, but it's so much easier to find GOOD food during the summer. For example, did you know that you can freeze apples? I didn't. Now I can freeze them while I can get them cheap and use them for the Vitamix shakes or fresh applesauce for the kids.
So, pretty much I love gardening. I love including my kids and teaching them stuff. I love eating good, healthy food that came from by back yard. I also love the cheap price tag. Hopefully you know what I'm talking about, or will someday when you decide to grow your own garden.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)