Blog
Healthy Cooking: Mirepoix
Fall is here and the weather is cooler! This time of year often brings us back into our kitchens preparing soups, stews, casseroles, and hotdishes …
Spice of Life: Chives
Chives are one of the most readily available herbs and can easily be grown in most gardens. I personally have five clumps of this herb growing in my garden. Chives have been cultivated since the middle ages but there have been signs that it may have been used as far back as 5000 years ago. The plant is native to Asia, Europe, and North America but now is found all over the world.
A Dose of Nature
This week we are on vacation in Northern Michigan. This is our first time to this area. When we vacation, we have a couple of goals: visit museums to learn the history and explore nature in the area. For us, experiencing the outdoors renews our spirits and souls. With COVID no museums are operating so this vacation there has been more outdoor time.
Spice of Life: Tarragon
Tarragon is a perennial herb in the sunflower family. Its botanical name is dracunculus which means little dragon. It is a sweet, aromatic herb with a note of licorice flavor. I really like the flavor and smell of this herb. It is a flavor that people either love or hate. When using it in cooking, use cautiously if you don’t know the palate of the individuals who may be eating it. There are two common varieties: French and Russian. French is the flavorful variety of the two.
Be Prepared!!
September is National Preparedness Month. It was founded three years after the 9/11 disaster. September was also chosen because it is the height of the hurricane season in the United States. You may not live in an area that experiences hurricanes, but anywhere can experience some kind of disaster. Having a plan for these situations can help you better survive them. I am not talking about prepping for the end of the world, but there is common sense in planning for disasters or challenges that we may face in our lives.
What is in Your Food? Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is one of the chemicals of greatest concern in our air. The largest source of sulfur dioxide is from the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities. Exposure to sulfur dioxide can harm the respiratory system, making breathing difficult so you might wonder why would it be in our food? It is a preservative for processed foods. It can extend the shelf life of products, kill bacteria, maintain color, and has a softening effect. It became widely used in the 1970s.
Homemade Tomato Soup (GAPS, Grain and Dairy Free)
This year I planted a garden after taking about 15 years off of this exercise. Yes, gardening is considered exercise! Prepping, planting, weeding, and harvesting all provide a great opportunity to exercise, grow your own food, and be outdoors. I love tomatoes and homegrown are definitely the best. I planted three different heirloom varieties and now have an abundance of tomatoes. I did plant two zucchini plants and that has provided way too many zucchinis, especially if I don’t get out there every day to check on them. They can become huge in no time at all.
Meet Your Farmer: Graise Farm
I had the opportunity to venture out again to visit another farm. I think one of the most fun things about these posts is visiting the farms. Today I’d like to introduce you to Graise farm; this farm is operated by Tiffany and Andy in Faribault, Minnesota. The name of their farm is an acronym for Grass-fed Raised Humanely Animals in a Sustainable Environment. Tiffany and Andy started the farm in 2012 on over 20 acres of land. Tiffany actually grew up on this farmstead when where her family raised dairy cows.
Enhancing Your Metabolism
What exactly is metabolism? Metabolism is the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy. We need this energy to do everything: moving, thinking, growing. The challenge for some can be a slower than desired metabolism which often happens when we age. Our metabolism actually decreases 2% to 3% every decade after the age of 18. Genetics can influence metabolic rate, but it is not the only determinant. Let’s look at some metabolic disrupters and activators.