The Urban Homemaker Blog

Category: General

  • Family Friendly Farming

    Joel Salatin speaks about Family Friendly Farming and defending the Real Food Movement among other topics.  For example, he helped a restaurant that was recently written up for serving eggs produced the old-fashioned way.  (They weren’t USDA graded)

    The post I read yesterday led me to the following blog post showing the number of states making Real Milk legal.

    <<<1. The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is THE vanguard of food freedom. Without FTCLDF, Joel and Polyface would have spent hours wrangling, haggling, getting ulcers and fighting a battle with food police bureaucrats. Precious time, energy, and emotional capital would have been squandered trying to secure basic food rights and parse the regulatory labyrinth.>>>

    Did you know Family Friendly Farming is under attack?

  • Marilyn’s Famous Fruit Leather

    Children LOVE this, especially if they can help!

    1 Cup fruit fresh or canned Fruit (this can be done year round with whatever is in season, apricots, and peaches are my favorites)

    1 large apple, peeled

    1 Cup. vanilla or strawberry yogurt

    Blend the above ingredients in your blender for about one minute or until pureed. Taste the puree and add honey or spices such as cinnamon to taste. (Remember that drying concentrates flavors). Pour puree onto lightly greased fruit leather inserts, or saran covered cookie sheets. Dehydrate overnight at 115 degrees,  in a low oven with the door ajar, or a convection oven.

    Leather is ready when no wet places remain.

    Wrap the leather in saran and freeze. Freeze fruit leather so it doesn’t vanish too quickly.

    Make lots. Children and their friends will love this snack and beg for more.  Perfect lunch snack or for traveling/camping/hunting, etc.

  • Wise Traditions 2010 Conference

    The annual conference of the Weston A Price Foundation, called Wise Traditions 2010 is a  three-day conference featuring about forty experts on real food, food activism, sustainable agriculture and more  from well-known farmer Joel Salatin to Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions.
    Joel is the author of Family Friendly Farming, a Multi-generational Home-based Business Testament and other related books.  (A fascinating read, by the way.)
    Topics to be covered include real foods plus politically charged subjects including school lunches, watersheds, nutrition and more information on genetically modified foods and risks.
    Some of my favorite real food bloggers will be there and I will keep you updated about the real food movement.
    Nearly 1,500 and 2,000 real food lovers are expected and if you want to join in this influential conference your can register on line.  It is possible to attend for 1-3 days.   Here are the details:
    Where: Valley Forge Convention Center, King of Prussia, PA
    When: November 12 through 14
    If you go, please let me know and keep me and other readers posted with cutting edge information we can share with other readers through this blog and facebook.

  • The Great Chokecherry Jelly/Jam Experiment

    chokecherry

    Preserving Chokecherries

    Last Friday, my friend Patti, and I embarked on an adventure of making  Chokecherry Jelly and Jam from the gallons of pulp/juice she had previously prepared.  Patti and her cousins picked a five gallon bucket and she was determined to get it all made into jam for small gifts for family and friends everywhere.  I was glad to join in to help.

    At this time of year, Chokecherries are widely available along river banks and trails, free for the picking!  In fact a google search shows that Chokecherries are  widely available across the country and into Canada from east to west.

    Native Americans of the Northern Plains, and Norther Rockies made cokecherry a staple food by pounding them with seeds included and drying the pulp in the sun to make a sort of  fruit leather.  How they ate this rather astringent fruit without a bit of sweetening baffles my imagination.

    A google search did not lead us to a pulp/jam recipe using the boxed pectin we had on hand, so Patti decided that together we would experiment with the proportions for each batch.   She let me make up the proportions of sugar, juice/pulp, and pectin.  We made 5 batches in all, including one batch without pectin that got way overcooked because we didn’t know what the “sheeting” stage looked like.  (That batch is a bit thick and burned tasting to me – but still yummy!)

    No failures Just Learning Experiences/

    I learned you can have a lot of fun canning and improvising with what you have on hand, while combining the wisdom and experience of two very different people.  I was the one who wanted to follow an exact recipe, Patti was more like just try it and “Let’s see what happens.”

    One thing I learned is that it is OK to follow some of our ancestors tried and true methods, even though they may not line up with USDA recommendations.  For example we did the jam without waterbath canning because of the high sugar content of the mixture, a method Patti’s family has done for generations and they are still here!

    I would love to hear about what you are preserving in your kitchens right now, your family folklore regarding canning methods, and special memories centered around canning.

    I’ll let you know how it all turns out once we start opening jars from each batch and what we learned.

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  • Value Meals For Busy Moms

    curried lentils

    Today’s paper featured this headline:

    Economic outlook gets gloomier

    “Economists meeting in Denver downgraded their 2011 forecast for economic growth in the U.S. by nearly 20 percent and predicted sparse improvement in unemployment.”

    I think busy homemakers need to ignore these headlines and focus on what positive steps they can take to stretch their dollars to make nutritious, economical meals.

    Value Meals for Busy Moms ebook by Marilyn Moll and Laura Moll Coble features low cost, tasty, creative uses of economical ingredients.  The menus are designed to nourish and please the entire family.  One mom wrote:

    “Thank you so much for the book!!!! We are a family with eight children, we care for two others, we are adopting a ninth and we feed people in need ALL the time. With the economy the way it is I can use all the help I can get plus people are always asking me for advice to do the same. I will definitely continue to recommend your site to others for your generosity.”

    One of my favorite recipes is Curried Lentils over Rice which uses economical lentils and rice with easy preparation.  Garnish with a little cilantro, parsley, and spinach to brighten the color.

  • Bread Dough is Versatile!

    Marilyn’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread is Versatile!

    Denise from soldiersfamily.blogspot.com posted:

    I used your wheat bread recipe (from A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread) to make pizza sticks to freeze and use for quick lunches. I brushed on seasoned tomato sauce and put some cheese on them and baked them for about 15 minutes. I also made up some pockets with the dough and left over roasted chicken. That was a big hit as well.

    I just purchased the three pack of e-books earlier this week, and am greatly enjoying them. I’m working on my 2nd batch of Marilyn’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread. The Fast and Healthy Meals, and Breakfasts for Busy Moms is an unexpected bonus to me. I didn’t realize that I would like them as well as the bread book, but I do. With 2 teenagers always on the go, and a deployed husband I need all the help I can get so that I don’t start cheating with not so healthy meals.

    Purchase three ebooks for the price of one.  Includes A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread, Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms and Breakfasts for Busy Moms.

    Here are the recipes for many more whole wheat bread variations made from a basic bread dough.

  • Holiday Planning -List Week-Oct 3-8

    I believe the best way to avoid holiday stress is by starting your planning now.  It doesn’t need to be complicated, either.  This is the first week devoted to putting your thoughts and details down on the various forms provided or make your own.  Details follow.

    Weekone

    Week #1:  Items to Do (excerpted from the 12 Week Holiday Planner for Christian Families.

    Holiday Self-Evaluation! Complete the Holiday Self-Evaluation form
    provided.  Now is the time to really evaluate what your family’s goals are for
    the holidays.  Sit down together as a family and discuss what the Lord

    would want your family to do as far as activities, traditions, etc. this holiday season.  Keep this form in a place where you will frequently see it and be reminded of your goals for the holiday season.

    Make your lists of gift recipients – Using the Christmas Gift Shopping
    List and Gift Making Checklist provided, jot down people you will want to
    buy gifts for and/or make gifts for.  Don’t worry about specific gift ideas
    now…you will work on that next week.  For now, just jot down names!
    Once completed, file this list in your Christmas Gifts Checklists section
    in the back.

    Christmas Card List– Using the Christmas Card Checklist provided, fill
    in the names and addresses of family and friends you want to send cards to.
    Once the names and addresses are completed, slide into a sheet protector
    and file in the Christmas Card Checklists section in the back.  (Use a
    washable marker to fill out the checklist, marking on the sheet protector if
    you want to include a picture and when the card is mailed, so that you can
    wash off and reuse this list year after year!)

    Plan out menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s – Fill out
    the Menu forms and Recipe Cards provided for each of these holidays and
    file them in the Holiday Menus & Recipes section for later use!  (See Our
    Favorite Holiday Recipes section for some ideas!)

    List of baked goodies to share or to give away – Using the form provided,
    jot down a list of people you would like to bake for this holiday season!  Use
    the Holiday Baking Recipe Cards to fill in recipes you may want to use for
    these gifts.  File this under the Holiday Baking & Recipes section when

    your list is completed. (See Our Favorite Holiday Recipes section for some ideas!)

    List of favorite meals to freeze for later – Using the form provided, make a
    list of some of your family’s favorite meals that you can make and freeze
    ahead of time!  You can also use the Freezer Meal Recipe Cards to fill in
    some recipes you want to use.  Having some meals in the freezer during the
    busy holiday season will be such a blessing!  Just make a list for now, the
    actual preparation of these meals will be done later.  Once you have
    compiled a list of meals, file this form under the Holiday Menus & Recipes
    section.  (See Our Favorite Holiday Recipes section for some ideas!)

    Holiday Wardrobe Planner – Using the form provided, make a list of the
    holiday clothes each family member currently has.  Note any clothing items
    that need to be purchased and plan on getting those things soon.  It is very
    handy to have this thought through ahead of time.  When it comes time for
    your family picture, or a formal holiday dinner, you can quickly turn to this
    list and see what clothing items each family member should wear (so you
    can all match if you wish!).  Print out more than one page of this planner, if
    needed, to include every family member.

    You can download the entire 14 – page Holiday Planner Sampler for FREE.

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  • October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

    mpglass

    I have always known that breast cancer, a serious disease, is often associated with chlorinated water.  After doing a little research, I was quite surprised to find countless scientifically researched articles documenting this fact.

    One study found that women with breast cancer had 50% to 60% higher levels of chlorinated by-products in their breast tissue than women without the disease. Nevertheless, I am certainly thankful that chlorine kills living organisms and protects our drinking water supply from dangerous bacteria.

    What happens is chlorine added to most municipal water combines with organic compounds such as sediment and creates a class of chemicals known as organochlorines which include haloacetic acids and trihalmethanes, known carcinogens.

    Before you run for bottled water,  I want to make sure you know that there are  two very simple and inexpensive steps to protect your family’s health which is some of the least expensive “health insurance” around.

    Two Simple Steps includes a Free Gift

    The two simple steps are to install a home drinking water system that removes chlorine and trihalomethanes  and a shower filter.  This month if you invest in a Multi-Pure system (Either the Aqua Dome or a 750 Series model) this month,  you can receive a free gift of either a Shower Filter or an Emergency Filter.

    This is a win-win situation because this month Multi-Pure is supporting  Breast Cancer Awareness by making a donation to support breast cancer research for every drinking water system, or whole house unit purchased during the month of October!

    I am an independent distributor for Multi-pure products.

  • Free Download – Cook Your Way to Wellness

    nourishingtraditions

    Based on the classic cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, you can learn a lot of the principles from Maria and Blair by listening to this Continuing Education for Moms audio called Cook Your Way to Wellness.

    The book is over 800 pages of “politically incorrect” nutrition that has helped many get their health back.

  • Menu Monday – Pesto Lasagna

    pestolasagnaFresh garden flavors mingle with cheeses. This recipe is  especially delicious when using up end-of-the season basil, parsley,  spinach or kale, and tomatoes.  I have made this in the winter with frozen or canned pesto, and frozen veggies and it is still delicious.

    Ingredients:

    12 dried regular or whole grain lasagna noodles
    1 Cup purchased or homemade pesto
    1 egg, slightly beaten
    1 -15 oz container ricotta cheese
    1- 8 oz pkg shredded Italian Blend or Mozzarella cheese (2 Cups)
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
    2 Cups chopped fresh spinach, or 2 Cups chopped, steamed kale
    1/2 of an 8 oz pkg fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced OR
    1 – 4 oz can sliced mushrooms
    3-medium, quartered and sliced fresh tomatoes OR 1-28 oz can whole Italian -style tomatoes
    Fresh or dried Parsley, Italian style, optional

    Assemble Lasagna Directions:

    This recipe is reprinted from Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms ebook by Marilyn Moll

    This book includes:

    * 4 Weeks of Menus and Recipes

    * 10 Easy Steps For Getting Started With A Lifestyle For Health

    * Shopping lists

    * Meal Planning Simplified

    * Bonus Section! – Whole Grain Bread Recipes

    * Tips for the Best Bread and much more…

    * Pantry List Recommendations

    * Recommended Resources  and MUCH MORE!

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