Steak and Cheddar Scramble with Onions, Yam and Spinach
1 Medium-sized Yam
1 medium-sized Yellow Onion
1 small lean steak (approximately the size of your palm if you are normal-sized)
1/2 cup shredded natural cheddar
1/2 Tbs. of crushed garlic
2 cups of Spinach (or your favorite greens)
Black Pepper
2 Tbs. lard or oil
3-5 leaves of fresh basil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Slice yam into quarters lengthwise then cut quarters into slices approx. 1/4 inch thick. Cut onion into pieces no more than 3/4 inch square. Heat lard or oil and garlic in a non-stick pan over medium heat, then add onions and yam. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and yam is tender. While this is cooking cut steak into thin slices (again approx. 1/4 inch.) When yam and onion is ready add steak. When steak is browned add spinach, herbs and shredded cheddar. Pepper liberally. As soon as spinach begins to wilt toss with other ingredients until cheese is fully melted and serve immediately with assorted fresh fruit on the side. Serves 2.
Technically this is not 'paleo' because of the cheddar; hardcore cavemen don't eat dairy but we do. Partly because we love it and have a source for natural cheeses and partly because the line between ancient hunter/gatherers following herd animals and herding animals seems to be getting a bit blurry... so we've chosen to err on the side of our personal preferences. In our defense it is working; we feel great and are slowly losing weight but you may find that this does not work for you. You can omit the cheddar from this recipe and it still works if that is your preference.
On a side note local strawberries, raspberries and huckleberries are ripe now. Whoo-
Hoo!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
We're cookin' now!
OK- let's talk about cooking. I am no expert on prehistory but I am pretty sure that Oooog the caveman did not come home from a hard day of hunting and belly up to an electric or gas range to cook whatever game he had taken that day. Nor did he deep-fat fry it. It's likely that given the lack of pots and pans he didn't boil it or make it into soup. Most likely meat was wrapped in leaves or some such and buried in the coals or roasted over a wood fire. If there was a surplus of food some meat or fish might get smoked over a wood fire. I don't know when people started cooking vegetables but when they did they probably roasted them over a wood fire.
Does this mean we need to ditch our modern appliances? Certainly not; the technology has moved on and we are not hunter-gatherers anymore. Well, OK- there's shopping but that doesn't really count though I have seen some pretty predatory shoppers...
Linda and I have found ourselves frying things a lot. It's quick and easy and has become sort of our equivalent of grabbing fast food. It's probably not as bad for us as racing off to McDonalds but there can be such a thing as too much. People got gout, congestive heart failure and other fat-related diseases long before modern processed foods. Not as often but it happened. Sure, without having to fight all the junk (chemicals) our bodies do a lot better processing a certain amount of fat... but how much is a certain amount? How much is too much? The answer is I don't know. I do know that I don't want to find out by having a heart attack. Or getting gout, whatever that is.
We are busy people. We don't always want to spend hours preparing an elaborate meal. Fortunately Modern Technology has provided us with the equivalent of wrapping food in leaves and baking it buried in coals- the slow-cooker (or Crock Pot.) We have a very fancy one made made by Kitchencraft that is made out of laminated exotic alloys and features a separate heating element, temperature control and probably anti-lock brakes and a space-drive but a simple crock pot probably works just about as well and will run you less than $30.
It's brilliant. Throw in a block of meat, your favorite cave-man approved veggies and maybe some herbs and spices, plug it in, set it on 'low' and go about your day. Come evening there is a yummy meal waiting for you. Add a salad and/or fresh fruit on the side and you are ready to eat. You can even use relatively 'poor' chunks of meat because with slow cooking they will be tender and tasty by the time that you get to them.
There are other modern innovations that are useful time-savers too, like ovens. We can bake, broil or roast our food without setting anything on fire. Hopefully anyway. Steaming fish, shellfish and veggies is also a useful thing and is nearly as quick as frying. One bit of modern technology that you should avoid however- the microwave.
Microwave ovens cook by using powerful radio waves to make the molecules in food vibrate so fast that they create waste heat. This is what cooks the food. But those radio waves do other things too. I'm not sure what exactly but it's not good. Years ago there was a university study on the effects of various cooking methods on the the nutrients in broccoli. They found that the worst thing in the world for those nutrients was cooking in a microwave. Broccoli lost 90-98% of it's nutritional value when cooked from raw in the microwave. You might as well eat plaster. While it hasn't been proven to have the same effect on all foods what are the odds? Yes, one of those compromises we might make is to occasionally reheat cooked food or a hot beverage in the microwave... but for God's sake don't cook raw food in it!
Try this for your slow-cooker:
1pork roast (small enough to fit in your slow-cooker)
3-5 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 whole large sweet onion
1 lb. cut or baby carrots
Place the roast fat-side up in the cooker. Cut the onion into eighths and pack around the roast. Cover the roast in a thin coating of the crushed garlic. Add baby carrots, cook on low 6+ hours until a meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees or more. The pork will be sweet, flavorful and fork-tender. Salt to taste and serve with your favorite greens (cooked or in a salad) on the side and fruit for desert. Save the juice to make a soup-stock. Oh yeah.
Here's another super-simple non-fried fire-and-forget main dish- Lemon-Pepper Chicken:
4-5 chicken rear quarters (thigh and drumstick)
3/4 cup of lemon juice
Ground black pepper
Sea salt
Place chicken in un-greased 9x13 glass baking pan. Pour lemon-juice over chicken. Pepper thoroughly, salt lightly. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit and bake uncovered for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand for ten minutes. Drain chicken and serve. The lemon and pepper flavors will permeate the chicken, which will be falling-off-the-bones tender but not dry. Heavenly!
Next time- How Soap Works and maybe a few more recipes.
Does this mean we need to ditch our modern appliances? Certainly not; the technology has moved on and we are not hunter-gatherers anymore. Well, OK- there's shopping but that doesn't really count though I have seen some pretty predatory shoppers...
Linda and I have found ourselves frying things a lot. It's quick and easy and has become sort of our equivalent of grabbing fast food. It's probably not as bad for us as racing off to McDonalds but there can be such a thing as too much. People got gout, congestive heart failure and other fat-related diseases long before modern processed foods. Not as often but it happened. Sure, without having to fight all the junk (chemicals) our bodies do a lot better processing a certain amount of fat... but how much is a certain amount? How much is too much? The answer is I don't know. I do know that I don't want to find out by having a heart attack. Or getting gout, whatever that is.
We are busy people. We don't always want to spend hours preparing an elaborate meal. Fortunately Modern Technology has provided us with the equivalent of wrapping food in leaves and baking it buried in coals- the slow-cooker (or Crock Pot.) We have a very fancy one made made by Kitchencraft that is made out of laminated exotic alloys and features a separate heating element, temperature control and probably anti-lock brakes and a space-drive but a simple crock pot probably works just about as well and will run you less than $30.
It's brilliant. Throw in a block of meat, your favorite cave-man approved veggies and maybe some herbs and spices, plug it in, set it on 'low' and go about your day. Come evening there is a yummy meal waiting for you. Add a salad and/or fresh fruit on the side and you are ready to eat. You can even use relatively 'poor' chunks of meat because with slow cooking they will be tender and tasty by the time that you get to them.
There are other modern innovations that are useful time-savers too, like ovens. We can bake, broil or roast our food without setting anything on fire. Hopefully anyway. Steaming fish, shellfish and veggies is also a useful thing and is nearly as quick as frying. One bit of modern technology that you should avoid however- the microwave.
Microwave ovens cook by using powerful radio waves to make the molecules in food vibrate so fast that they create waste heat. This is what cooks the food. But those radio waves do other things too. I'm not sure what exactly but it's not good. Years ago there was a university study on the effects of various cooking methods on the the nutrients in broccoli. They found that the worst thing in the world for those nutrients was cooking in a microwave. Broccoli lost 90-98% of it's nutritional value when cooked from raw in the microwave. You might as well eat plaster. While it hasn't been proven to have the same effect on all foods what are the odds? Yes, one of those compromises we might make is to occasionally reheat cooked food or a hot beverage in the microwave... but for God's sake don't cook raw food in it!
Try this for your slow-cooker:
1pork roast (small enough to fit in your slow-cooker)
3-5 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 whole large sweet onion
1 lb. cut or baby carrots
Place the roast fat-side up in the cooker. Cut the onion into eighths and pack around the roast. Cover the roast in a thin coating of the crushed garlic. Add baby carrots, cook on low 6+ hours until a meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees or more. The pork will be sweet, flavorful and fork-tender. Salt to taste and serve with your favorite greens (cooked or in a salad) on the side and fruit for desert. Save the juice to make a soup-stock. Oh yeah.
Here's another super-simple non-fried fire-and-forget main dish- Lemon-Pepper Chicken:
4-5 chicken rear quarters (thigh and drumstick)
3/4 cup of lemon juice
Ground black pepper
Sea salt
Place chicken in un-greased 9x13 glass baking pan. Pour lemon-juice over chicken. Pepper thoroughly, salt lightly. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit and bake uncovered for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand for ten minutes. Drain chicken and serve. The lemon and pepper flavors will permeate the chicken, which will be falling-off-the-bones tender but not dry. Heavenly!
Next time- How Soap Works and maybe a few more recipes.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
'Tis the season to 'Go Green...' or rather 'Go Greens'
Some one has pointed out that lately this blog has been more about what we've been eating when we fall off the diet than what we eat normally and it's a fair complaint. So let's talk about what we have been eating on our Primal diet.
First thing is that we have been eating seasonally when possible. We're getting better at this but there is a lot we are still learning. It's 'Juneuary' here in the Pacific Northwest which means a lot of foods aren't available yet. Fruit is not much on the 'local' menu until later in the year. But Leafy greens like spinach, cabbages and lettuce are available early on so we're eating lots of them, both cooked and in salads. If you can afford to buy organic and local- check your farmer's markets! Let's talk about some of the greens we've been enjoying and how we have been eating them.
Green and Red cabbage: Green cabbage makes a good snack- pull off a few leaves and munch. A little sweet, a hint of spice and satisfyingly crunchy; you feel like you are eating 'real' food but it's nutritious with few calories. You can also heat up some oil with crushed garlic and green onions and then stir-fry it and serve with sea-salt and a dash of soy sauce just like Bok-Choy (see below.). It's also good with roast beef; cut the cabbage into eighths and put it in a pan with plenty of onions and garlic with the roast. Cover it and slow cook in the oven. Comes out still a bit crisp and tasty. Needless to say green cabbage can go into a lettuce salad to add a bit of texture.
Red cabbage can work for this too but I like the texture and flavor less; I prefer it sliced thin in a salad for a bit of crunch. It's also good in coleslaw; simply shred 2 parts green cabbage, one part red cabbage, some baby carrots and add a little mayonnaise or olive oil, vinegar and black pepper and you've got s great side-dish or snack food that is quick to prepare, keeps well in the refrigerator and is low calorie but satisfying. Cheap too.
BabyBok-Choy cabbage: A nice change from other cabbages with a unique flavor. The best way that we have found to prepare it is to stir-fry. Heat up some olive oil or lard on medium heat in a saucepan with chopped green onions, garlic and a little bit of sliced ginger and let the oil pick up the flavors. Cut the Bok-Choy's stems off and add them and cook until they just begin to soften, then add the leafy bits and stir-fry until the leaves wilt. At the last minute add a dash of soy-sauce and toss so that the leaves get coated with the flavored oil and spices and serve immediately. Fantastic. This works later in the year with the full-grown Bok-choy too; there is just a lot more stem and less leaf which makes for a longer cooking time.
Spinach: Damn you Popeye! Because of you I never had spinach any way but stewed until I reached adulthood. Stewed spinach is revolting and a cruel thing to do to an innocent leafy green. Not to mention that overcooking can break down some of the nutritional value. And the texture? *Shudder* There are a lot of good things to do with spinach. The first and best thing to do is wash it thoroughly; it grows in sandy soil and tends to bring quite a bit along to keep it company. Last year's E.Choli/spinach problem would not have been a problem if people had simply washed the spinach thoroughly with a dilute solution of soap and water and rinsed it well. Lots of good things to do with spinach in the early season (which it still is here.) Use it as an ingredient in salads- and save the stems; they are excellent lightly steamed. Mix it with fresh herbs and sautee it lightly. Toss it into a scramble with eggs and cheese- do this at the last minute. Use the whole thing except the roots in scrambles; the stems are tasty too.
Lettuce: Like cabbage some varieties show up early in the year. Eat them in salads or wilt them slightly and use them to wrap other ingredients for 'sandwiches' or wraps. Use a crisp lettuce leaf to serve up a finely chopped stri-fry. Leafy varieties can be sauteed lightly to add flavor to other dishes. There's a lot of variety in lettuces and you should experiment and find the ones you like; different lettuces work for different applications.
Asparagus is now becoming available too. I know it's not a 'leafy' green but hey, it's green and they are can be had from local sources now. They can be used much like cabbages; chop and toss in a salad. Steam and serve with butter. Stir-fry, roast or grill and serve plain of with a light dressing. Excellent. Look for asparagus that is relatively thin and not too 'woody' at the base. Store it standing in a bowl of cold water if you will be eating it within a couple of days and don't have a strangely omnivorous cat that will climb up on your counter to eat it.,, don't ask.
Green Onions: Another non-green green but available early in the season. Many varieties show up early at Farmer's Markets. There is the common scallion or 'green onion' in your local market. Chop them fine to flavor a salad. Serve them raw or lightly grilled with beef; a bit of beef with a bit of onion, yum! Chop them up in soup or stews. If you really like them just eat them raw. This early in the year around here Walla-Walla Sweet onions are showing up as 'green' onions. These things are like candy; you can eat a mature WWS onion like an apple. Chop up the green part into salads and use the bulb in salads or for cooking. Great stuff. And of course you can do anything with these onions that you would normally do with onions except they will be sweeter and have less bite.
There is a whole world of fresh greens out there that we haven't even touched yet. Dandelion greens are very much in season (these are best before the plant flowers.) Turnip and carrot greens, kale, collard etc. are all in season and now grown locally and we need to try those yet.
Other early vegetables include things like Baby Carrots. Be warned- most 'baby carrots' in your supermarket aren't baby carrots. They are simply last year's mature carrots that have been cut and tumbled to the size of baby carrots and neatly packaged as 'babies.' This is true even of most 'organic' baby Carrots. Not that there is anything wrong with these- root vegetables keep well and while they are not as tender and tasty as genuine baby carrots they still taste good and have lots of fiber. Local farmers or farmer's markets are your best source for real 'baby carrots.' These are in the now and are great for cooking or as a tasty snack. Caramelize them in butter as a side-dish, eat them instead of potato chips, roast them with meats, whatever.
You can make an excellent honey-mustard dressing for your greens that works well hot on hot or cold greens. Use equal parts Olive Oil and vinegar, a teaspoon of powdered mustard and honey to taste. Sadly I have no recipe for this- I just fiddle with the proportions until I like it.
Speaking of Olive oil and food-y fraud there is bad news about Olive oil- most of it isn't olive oil. Apparently olive-oil fraud (even from large well-known manufacturers) is a booming industry and has been for years. Most commercially available Olive Oils may contain as little as 10% olive oil with the rest being cheap sunflower oil- yes, even the big-name brands. I will be doing some research to find an alternative healthy vegetable oil.
Unfortunately here in the Great pacific North-Wet we don't get early fruits. Cherries are the earliest and they are just becoming locally available now. We are eating a lot of them currently. We eat them as raw fruit but there is a long tradition of cooking with them and we need to try some of that. I know they are good cooked with a pork-roast and there are other recipes for them as well.
There are a lot of other local foods known to the Native Americans hereabouts and I'll be researching those as well as publishing more of our recipe's as time goes on.
First thing is that we have been eating seasonally when possible. We're getting better at this but there is a lot we are still learning. It's 'Juneuary' here in the Pacific Northwest which means a lot of foods aren't available yet. Fruit is not much on the 'local' menu until later in the year. But Leafy greens like spinach, cabbages and lettuce are available early on so we're eating lots of them, both cooked and in salads. If you can afford to buy organic and local- check your farmer's markets! Let's talk about some of the greens we've been enjoying and how we have been eating them.
Green and Red cabbage: Green cabbage makes a good snack- pull off a few leaves and munch. A little sweet, a hint of spice and satisfyingly crunchy; you feel like you are eating 'real' food but it's nutritious with few calories. You can also heat up some oil with crushed garlic and green onions and then stir-fry it and serve with sea-salt and a dash of soy sauce just like Bok-Choy (see below.). It's also good with roast beef; cut the cabbage into eighths and put it in a pan with plenty of onions and garlic with the roast. Cover it and slow cook in the oven. Comes out still a bit crisp and tasty. Needless to say green cabbage can go into a lettuce salad to add a bit of texture.
Red cabbage can work for this too but I like the texture and flavor less; I prefer it sliced thin in a salad for a bit of crunch. It's also good in coleslaw; simply shred 2 parts green cabbage, one part red cabbage, some baby carrots and add a little mayonnaise or olive oil, vinegar and black pepper and you've got s great side-dish or snack food that is quick to prepare, keeps well in the refrigerator and is low calorie but satisfying. Cheap too.
BabyBok-Choy cabbage: A nice change from other cabbages with a unique flavor. The best way that we have found to prepare it is to stir-fry. Heat up some olive oil or lard on medium heat in a saucepan with chopped green onions, garlic and a little bit of sliced ginger and let the oil pick up the flavors. Cut the Bok-Choy's stems off and add them and cook until they just begin to soften, then add the leafy bits and stir-fry until the leaves wilt. At the last minute add a dash of soy-sauce and toss so that the leaves get coated with the flavored oil and spices and serve immediately. Fantastic. This works later in the year with the full-grown Bok-choy too; there is just a lot more stem and less leaf which makes for a longer cooking time.
Spinach: Damn you Popeye! Because of you I never had spinach any way but stewed until I reached adulthood. Stewed spinach is revolting and a cruel thing to do to an innocent leafy green. Not to mention that overcooking can break down some of the nutritional value. And the texture? *Shudder* There are a lot of good things to do with spinach. The first and best thing to do is wash it thoroughly; it grows in sandy soil and tends to bring quite a bit along to keep it company. Last year's E.Choli/spinach problem would not have been a problem if people had simply washed the spinach thoroughly with a dilute solution of soap and water and rinsed it well. Lots of good things to do with spinach in the early season (which it still is here.) Use it as an ingredient in salads- and save the stems; they are excellent lightly steamed. Mix it with fresh herbs and sautee it lightly. Toss it into a scramble with eggs and cheese- do this at the last minute. Use the whole thing except the roots in scrambles; the stems are tasty too.
Lettuce: Like cabbage some varieties show up early in the year. Eat them in salads or wilt them slightly and use them to wrap other ingredients for 'sandwiches' or wraps. Use a crisp lettuce leaf to serve up a finely chopped stri-fry. Leafy varieties can be sauteed lightly to add flavor to other dishes. There's a lot of variety in lettuces and you should experiment and find the ones you like; different lettuces work for different applications.
Asparagus is now becoming available too. I know it's not a 'leafy' green but hey, it's green and they are can be had from local sources now. They can be used much like cabbages; chop and toss in a salad. Steam and serve with butter. Stir-fry, roast or grill and serve plain of with a light dressing. Excellent. Look for asparagus that is relatively thin and not too 'woody' at the base. Store it standing in a bowl of cold water if you will be eating it within a couple of days and don't have a strangely omnivorous cat that will climb up on your counter to eat it.,, don't ask.
Green Onions: Another non-green green but available early in the season. Many varieties show up early at Farmer's Markets. There is the common scallion or 'green onion' in your local market. Chop them fine to flavor a salad. Serve them raw or lightly grilled with beef; a bit of beef with a bit of onion, yum! Chop them up in soup or stews. If you really like them just eat them raw. This early in the year around here Walla-Walla Sweet onions are showing up as 'green' onions. These things are like candy; you can eat a mature WWS onion like an apple. Chop up the green part into salads and use the bulb in salads or for cooking. Great stuff. And of course you can do anything with these onions that you would normally do with onions except they will be sweeter and have less bite.
There is a whole world of fresh greens out there that we haven't even touched yet. Dandelion greens are very much in season (these are best before the plant flowers.) Turnip and carrot greens, kale, collard etc. are all in season and now grown locally and we need to try those yet.
Other early vegetables include things like Baby Carrots. Be warned- most 'baby carrots' in your supermarket aren't baby carrots. They are simply last year's mature carrots that have been cut and tumbled to the size of baby carrots and neatly packaged as 'babies.' This is true even of most 'organic' baby Carrots. Not that there is anything wrong with these- root vegetables keep well and while they are not as tender and tasty as genuine baby carrots they still taste good and have lots of fiber. Local farmers or farmer's markets are your best source for real 'baby carrots.' These are in the now and are great for cooking or as a tasty snack. Caramelize them in butter as a side-dish, eat them instead of potato chips, roast them with meats, whatever.
You can make an excellent honey-mustard dressing for your greens that works well hot on hot or cold greens. Use equal parts Olive Oil and vinegar, a teaspoon of powdered mustard and honey to taste. Sadly I have no recipe for this- I just fiddle with the proportions until I like it.
Speaking of Olive oil and food-y fraud there is bad news about Olive oil- most of it isn't olive oil. Apparently olive-oil fraud (even from large well-known manufacturers) is a booming industry and has been for years. Most commercially available Olive Oils may contain as little as 10% olive oil with the rest being cheap sunflower oil- yes, even the big-name brands. I will be doing some research to find an alternative healthy vegetable oil.
Unfortunately here in the Great pacific North-Wet we don't get early fruits. Cherries are the earliest and they are just becoming locally available now. We are eating a lot of them currently. We eat them as raw fruit but there is a long tradition of cooking with them and we need to try some of that. I know they are good cooked with a pork-roast and there are other recipes for them as well.
There are a lot of other local foods known to the Native Americans hereabouts and I'll be researching those as well as publishing more of our recipe's as time goes on.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
There's Primal... and then there's Primal.
We love to think of good old Mother Nature as our friend. How many times have you heard, "It's good for you! It's Natural?" There is a tendency among Primalists, Naturalists, herbalists and a host of other -ists to equate 'natural' with 'good.' In some cases this is true. Eating more 'naturally' and enjoying better health and happiness is what this blog is all about after all. We should love, respect and preserve Mother Nature... but don't expect her to return the favor. Jackals, mosquitoes, box jellyfish, ebola, poison oak and deadly nightshade are all natural after all. Every so often we forget that Mother Nature has her eye on the big picture and is at best neutral when it comes to our little lives. It's not a good idea to push her.
Recently a friend of mine decided to look Africa in the eye and dare it to kill him. He is maybe the fittest, toughest and smartest person that I have ever met. He was well-equipped and well prepared both physically and mentally to take on Africa on it's toughest terms. It damn near succeeded anyway; Africa is good at killing people. He isn't dead because he was surrounded by good people with access to a lot of resources, he was lucky as hell and because frankly he is freakin' superman. His Doctors say that any normal person in his circumstances would have died. They aren't entirely sure why he didn't die. So now my pal is in a hospital in Texas looking at a long road back to health and he's lucky as hell to be there. God bless you Rain Man and get better soon. Preferably after the urge to kick your ass has passed.
You don't mess with Mother Nature.
My own recent experience with Nature-red-in-tooth-claw and was much less severe and the consequences less lasting. It started innocently enough. Linda and I were walking around Westport and I noticed one of the many deep-sea fishing charters companies along the waterfront. I've never been deep-sea fishing before and rather to my surprise I found that I wanted to. We talked to a few of them about the sorts of fishing trips they do and what they cost (less than expected) and decided that I would go bottom-fishing. Spend a few hours on a boat, do some fishing, have a new experience and come home with lots of nice fresh Rockfish and Cod. What could go wrong? I talked it over with my Dad and he agreed to come along and even pay for the trip as my birthday present. Plans were made and I was very much looking forward to the trip.
So the other day I picked up dad and we made the three-hour drive to Westport, got a hotel, had a nice dinner and turned in. At 4:30 am we got up, dressed, grabbed some breakfast and showed up at the Charter Service's offices only to be told the charter was cancelled. Conditions this morning had turned out to be too rough for bottom fishing- but there were spaces available on the salmon run that was about to leave... we looked at each other. What the hell- we were here, right? Might as well.
I am not sure what part of 'too rough' failed to register with us but the nice lady in the office called the boat and had them wait for us as we grabbed our coolers and scurried across the street to the dock and onto the boat. A quick introduction and safety brief and we were off. Racing through the heavy seas in the pitching boat to our fishing spot was exhilarating. After an hour or so we arrived at our fishing spot, were briefed on the equipment and got our lines in the water. In less than ten minutes I was reeling in a salmon! It was sadly a couple of inches too short to keep but it was a good start. It was in fact the high-point of the day.
For one thing we discovered exactly what constitutes 'too rough' for bottom fishing. Eight to ten foot swells. In an ocean liner or Naval destroyer these are not much. In a thirty-foot fishing boat though... I won't swear that the keel of that boat never saw daylight. At one point I was wedged between the rail and deck-house looking more or less straight down into the trough of a wave. Ouch. After an hour my Dad, who is never seasick was. An hour after that so was I. To add insult to injury the fishing was terrible. In the end Dad felt enough better that he returned to fishing and caught a good-sized salmon but again could not keep it. We were only allowed to catch farm-raised salmon and his was wild so it was thrown back.
By the time we had to put back into port everyone had caught a fish but only two were 'keepers.' It was still worth it despite the seasickness and no fish; I got to spend a couple days with my dad, got to deep sea fish, caught my first salmon. Yeah, I got seasick for the first time- not on my bucket list- but what the heck.
I also got a graphic reminder that while pursing a more natural diet and lifestyle is good Nature is not our friend. Bearing that in mind we need to remember that just because a thing is 'natural' doesn't automatically mean that it is good, or that man and all the products of his civilization are bad.
Speaking of natural and the works of man sunlight is natural and with summer coming on we should discuss that. You need a certain amount to make vitamin D and stay healthy. Getting out and about in the sun also has other benefits- makes us feel happier, it's pretty and all that. But it's one of the many natural things that are only good for you up to a point... Yes, our ancestors lived out in the sun all day long. But sunlight isn't what it used to be. Sunlight has not changed over the years but we have changed sunlight so to speak; more precisely our industrial society has changed the atmosphere so that it doesn't protect us from the sun like it used to. Vitamin D is good. Sunburn and skin cancer are not. As in so many things moderation is the key; get some sun and then get out of the sun, put on a long sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat or whatever. How much sun is enough? That is a very individual thing but if you are in danger of a sunburn you've had enough. Don't use sunscreen unless you cannot avoid being out in the sun longer than you should be. God knows what's in that stuff and what it's doing to you. Yeah, they tested it and it's not going to kill you right away but better safe than sorry.
Speaking of hats they are definitely 'Primal.' Current depictions of 'cave-men' more and more often portray them wearing hats on one sort or another. Hats make sense; your head gets a lot of blood-flow and that tends to transfer heat into or out of your body depending on whether it's hot or cold. Cold? Put on a hat. Hot? Put on a hat. It worked for them in the way-backs and it still works today.
Yesterday was my birthday. 29 again?! Who'd have thought... Predictably the diet went off the rails for the occasion. I had a friend over and we all went out for Pizza. The Rock Woodfired Pizza specifically. With a hand-cut potato-chip appetizer. And a coke. Hey, nobody is perfect. Special occasions are special and I am not going to beat myself up over the occasional lapse... But between GTHDD and my birthday I think we've used up the month's allowance. So I am going to go cook us a nice 'primal' breakfast from natural ingredients and then we need to get our day started.
By the time we had to put back into port everyone had caught a fish but only two were 'keepers.' It was still worth it despite the seasickness and no fish; I got to spend a couple days with my dad, got to deep sea fish, caught my first salmon. Yeah, I got seasick for the first time- not on my bucket list- but what the heck.
I also got a graphic reminder that while pursing a more natural diet and lifestyle is good Nature is not our friend. Bearing that in mind we need to remember that just because a thing is 'natural' doesn't automatically mean that it is good, or that man and all the products of his civilization are bad.
Speaking of natural and the works of man sunlight is natural and with summer coming on we should discuss that. You need a certain amount to make vitamin D and stay healthy. Getting out and about in the sun also has other benefits- makes us feel happier, it's pretty and all that. But it's one of the many natural things that are only good for you up to a point... Yes, our ancestors lived out in the sun all day long. But sunlight isn't what it used to be. Sunlight has not changed over the years but we have changed sunlight so to speak; more precisely our industrial society has changed the atmosphere so that it doesn't protect us from the sun like it used to. Vitamin D is good. Sunburn and skin cancer are not. As in so many things moderation is the key; get some sun and then get out of the sun, put on a long sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat or whatever. How much sun is enough? That is a very individual thing but if you are in danger of a sunburn you've had enough. Don't use sunscreen unless you cannot avoid being out in the sun longer than you should be. God knows what's in that stuff and what it's doing to you. Yeah, they tested it and it's not going to kill you right away but better safe than sorry.
Speaking of hats they are definitely 'Primal.' Current depictions of 'cave-men' more and more often portray them wearing hats on one sort or another. Hats make sense; your head gets a lot of blood-flow and that tends to transfer heat into or out of your body depending on whether it's hot or cold. Cold? Put on a hat. Hot? Put on a hat. It worked for them in the way-backs and it still works today.
Yesterday was my birthday. 29 again?! Who'd have thought... Predictably the diet went off the rails for the occasion. I had a friend over and we all went out for Pizza. The Rock Woodfired Pizza specifically. With a hand-cut potato-chip appetizer. And a coke. Hey, nobody is perfect. Special occasions are special and I am not going to beat myself up over the occasional lapse... But between GTHDD and my birthday I think we've used up the month's allowance. So I am going to go cook us a nice 'primal' breakfast from natural ingredients and then we need to get our day started.
Monday, June 11, 2012
The GTHDD Report...
Our first GTHDD (Go To Hell Diet Day)was last Saturday and despite my best efforts I have survived reasonably intact. This is the day we schedule each month where we can eat whatever we like. This is one of two 'planned' slips in our diet. In addition to the one day a month where we eat 'whatever' we get to split a 20 oz. soda a week. Honestly since we haven't been having sugar cravings or for that matter any cravings at all we forget to have the soda as often as not.
Yesterday dawned much like any other day and we wound up having a breakfast that was actually within the bounds of the 'primal' format- the recipe published the other day in fact. We had planned to have a special dinner though, "Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From." No, I don't mean "die for" because if you ate this very often it would kill you. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post for the suicidal who wish to die smiling.
We spent the morning happily looking forward to the dietary carnage to follow but felt no great urgency about it. Then in the afternoon we went to a friend's store, Longship Traders in Tacoma, for a visit and maybe some light commerce. Longship Traders is an interesting store; they sell everything from knives and swords, Viking era and modern jewelry, reference books (mostly about Vikings,) furs, textiles, sun-dresses, ancient artifacts... if you don't see it ask. I'm not sure that there is much that they might not have tucked away somewhere. They also have a big jar of candy on the counter and that's where everything started to unravel. I idly noted a chocolate kiss in the jar and it being GTHDD I promptly snagged it. Then another... and maybe just one more... Then Papa Thor brought out the Belgian Dark Chocolate with raspberry and some other treats. I was grazing on chocolate all afternoon.
We went home and I made the mac and cheese. No doubt there are ways of making Mac and Cheese that are healthier than others. This isn't one of those. So I made the Mac and Cheese and we stuffed ourselves on it and it was good. Really good. I almost expected to feel sick from all the junk and the macaroni but I didn't really. This just tells me that even though eons of evolution may not have made us adept at digesting processed sugar and chemicals a lifetime of doing so had left me well suited to getting fat. The next morning I was starving which tells me where the roughly 10 trillion calories from dinner had gone- straight into fat. There was leftover in the morning naturally and having neglected the shopping and being unable to afford to waste food we ate it for breakfast and went about our day. That was when we learned some interesting things.
I've mentioned that normally we skip lunch because we aren't hungry. Yesterday despite a breakfast that included at least as many calories as we usually have we were hungry long before dinner-time or even our usual snack time. Really hungry. All those calories from the starch in the Macaroni burnt up or got turned into fat instead of carrying us through the day. We also experienced the afternoon let-down of a mild sugar-drop for the first time in a long time. It's a pretty small sample-size to base any conclusions on but it seems that 'fat food' makes you feel like you need to eat more in a vicious circle. No wonder we Americans are getting fat... Despite having a good, solid 'paleo' dinner last night I am starving this morning too. Interesting.
So in July our GTHDD will probably be centered on Independence Day but we will make sure to have a proper breakfast the next morning. I also am likely to modify the concept of GTHDD to be planned slips like the Macaroni and Cheese as opposed to unplanned ones like a 1/2 pound of assorted chocolate or other random dietary abominations.
For you folks determined to be good little hunter-gatherers skip the recipe below. While not the worst food by any means it's not good; it has a ton of starch from wheat and corn starch( in the cheese mix to keep it from clumping) and way, way more fat than is good for you. It really, really isn't 'primal' and should at most be an occasional treat when you are deliberately, consciously departing from your normal, healthy plains-running-ape ways. Make sure you corrupt enough friends to insure you don't have leftovers too.
Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From
Source: I made it up based on an idea that I heard on NPR
Serves: 6
1 ea. 9x9 deep glass baking pan
1 Cube of Butter
12 oz.+ shredded Mexican cheese blend*
4 tbs of grated Parmesian cheese
1 pint of heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp crushed, minced or powdered garlic
Approx. 8 oz. of dry Large Elbow Macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cook Pasta 'al dente' per instructions on package. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine Heavy whipping cream, butter and garlic. After butter melts entirely begin to add shredded cheese and stir with a fork. Allow the cheese to become completely melted. Do NOT allow to boil!! The cheese will burn, the cream will scorch and you might as well toss it and start over. Be sure to leave enough shredded cheese to sprinkle over the Mac and cheese- a decent handful or so. Place the macaroni in the baking pan. You do NOT need to grease the pan. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir in thorougly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and parmesian over the top to cover completely. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a nice crust of cheese covers the dish. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sea-salt to taste. Consume rapidly in a frenzy of guilt and lust while grinning sheepishly at your dinner companions between bites.
*You can also use cheddar- this is especially wonderful with sharp cheddar! Other cheeses work as well but blends that are at least 1/2 cheddar seem to work best.
More things that you actually should eat as well as useful hints, tips and ideas to come.
Yesterday dawned much like any other day and we wound up having a breakfast that was actually within the bounds of the 'primal' format- the recipe published the other day in fact. We had planned to have a special dinner though, "Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From." No, I don't mean "die for" because if you ate this very often it would kill you. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post for the suicidal who wish to die smiling.
We spent the morning happily looking forward to the dietary carnage to follow but felt no great urgency about it. Then in the afternoon we went to a friend's store, Longship Traders in Tacoma, for a visit and maybe some light commerce. Longship Traders is an interesting store; they sell everything from knives and swords, Viking era and modern jewelry, reference books (mostly about Vikings,) furs, textiles, sun-dresses, ancient artifacts... if you don't see it ask. I'm not sure that there is much that they might not have tucked away somewhere. They also have a big jar of candy on the counter and that's where everything started to unravel. I idly noted a chocolate kiss in the jar and it being GTHDD I promptly snagged it. Then another... and maybe just one more... Then Papa Thor brought out the Belgian Dark Chocolate with raspberry and some other treats. I was grazing on chocolate all afternoon.
We went home and I made the mac and cheese. No doubt there are ways of making Mac and Cheese that are healthier than others. This isn't one of those. So I made the Mac and Cheese and we stuffed ourselves on it and it was good. Really good. I almost expected to feel sick from all the junk and the macaroni but I didn't really. This just tells me that even though eons of evolution may not have made us adept at digesting processed sugar and chemicals a lifetime of doing so had left me well suited to getting fat. The next morning I was starving which tells me where the roughly 10 trillion calories from dinner had gone- straight into fat. There was leftover in the morning naturally and having neglected the shopping and being unable to afford to waste food we ate it for breakfast and went about our day. That was when we learned some interesting things.
I've mentioned that normally we skip lunch because we aren't hungry. Yesterday despite a breakfast that included at least as many calories as we usually have we were hungry long before dinner-time or even our usual snack time. Really hungry. All those calories from the starch in the Macaroni burnt up or got turned into fat instead of carrying us through the day. We also experienced the afternoon let-down of a mild sugar-drop for the first time in a long time. It's a pretty small sample-size to base any conclusions on but it seems that 'fat food' makes you feel like you need to eat more in a vicious circle. No wonder we Americans are getting fat... Despite having a good, solid 'paleo' dinner last night I am starving this morning too. Interesting.
So in July our GTHDD will probably be centered on Independence Day but we will make sure to have a proper breakfast the next morning. I also am likely to modify the concept of GTHDD to be planned slips like the Macaroni and Cheese as opposed to unplanned ones like a 1/2 pound of assorted chocolate or other random dietary abominations.
For you folks determined to be good little hunter-gatherers skip the recipe below. While not the worst food by any means it's not good; it has a ton of starch from wheat and corn starch( in the cheese mix to keep it from clumping) and way, way more fat than is good for you. It really, really isn't 'primal' and should at most be an occasional treat when you are deliberately, consciously departing from your normal, healthy plains-running-ape ways. Make sure you corrupt enough friends to insure you don't have leftovers too.
Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From
Source: I made it up based on an idea that I heard on NPR
Serves: 6
1 ea. 9x9 deep glass baking pan
1 Cube of Butter
12 oz.+ shredded Mexican cheese blend*
4 tbs of grated Parmesian cheese
1 pint of heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp crushed, minced or powdered garlic
Approx. 8 oz. of dry Large Elbow Macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cook Pasta 'al dente' per instructions on package. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine Heavy whipping cream, butter and garlic. After butter melts entirely begin to add shredded cheese and stir with a fork. Allow the cheese to become completely melted. Do NOT allow to boil!! The cheese will burn, the cream will scorch and you might as well toss it and start over. Be sure to leave enough shredded cheese to sprinkle over the Mac and cheese- a decent handful or so. Place the macaroni in the baking pan. You do NOT need to grease the pan. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir in thorougly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and parmesian over the top to cover completely. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a nice crust of cheese covers the dish. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sea-salt to taste. Consume rapidly in a frenzy of guilt and lust while grinning sheepishly at your dinner companions between bites.
*You can also use cheddar- this is especially wonderful with sharp cheddar! Other cheeses work as well but blends that are at least 1/2 cheddar seem to work best.
More things that you actually should eat as well as useful hints, tips and ideas to come.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Oh how we suffer; forced to eat delicious food, lose weight and feel better (lays arm across forehead and looks faint.) Well... we shall endeavor to persevere. Here's something that we cooked up today.
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Source: Original recipe
Serves: 2-3
This can be served as a main course or as a side-dish. If served as a side-dish double the number served.
Approx. 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 small yam (1-1/2" x 8 inches)
2-3 oz. cubed Goat Cheese*
1 tbs. Crushed or minced garlic
2 tbs. Lard or olive oil
Sea salt to taste when served
*We use cheese that a friend makes that is like a cross between feta and fresh mozzarella in flavor and texture but crumbled feta works well also. You want to use a cheese that isn't too 'melty.'
Preheat 12 inch saucepan with lard or oil over medium heat. Split yam lengthwise and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick or less. Cut off woody bases of asparagus and discard then cut asparagus into halves or thirds. Slice onion in half and then section into 6-8 sections and separate layers.
Place onion and yam into pre-heated pan and distribute in one layer (or as near as possible.) Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then stir and redistribute into a single layer. Stack asparagus on top of onion and yam and cover. Cook 5 minutes, remove cover and stir ingredients. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook uncovered until desired texture/brownness is reached. Remove from heat and pour mixture into serving bowl being careful not to include too much excess oil. Toss in cubes of Goat Cheese and serve immediately. Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
For a different flavor use six chopped strips of cooked bacon along with or in place of the Goat Cheese.
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Source: Original recipe
Serves: 2-3
This can be served as a main course or as a side-dish. If served as a side-dish double the number served.
Approx. 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 small yam (1-1/2" x 8 inches)
2-3 oz. cubed Goat Cheese*
1 tbs. Crushed or minced garlic
2 tbs. Lard or olive oil
Sea salt to taste when served
*We use cheese that a friend makes that is like a cross between feta and fresh mozzarella in flavor and texture but crumbled feta works well also. You want to use a cheese that isn't too 'melty.'
Preheat 12 inch saucepan with lard or oil over medium heat. Split yam lengthwise and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick or less. Cut off woody bases of asparagus and discard then cut asparagus into halves or thirds. Slice onion in half and then section into 6-8 sections and separate layers.
Place onion and yam into pre-heated pan and distribute in one layer (or as near as possible.) Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then stir and redistribute into a single layer. Stack asparagus on top of onion and yam and cover. Cook 5 minutes, remove cover and stir ingredients. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook uncovered until desired texture/brownness is reached. Remove from heat and pour mixture into serving bowl being careful not to include too much excess oil. Toss in cubes of Goat Cheese and serve immediately. Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
For a different flavor use six chopped strips of cooked bacon along with or in place of the Goat Cheese.
Down on the farm...
So, our friend the micro-farmer was called out of town this week and needed some one to mind things for a few days while she was away. "Take care of and milk the goats, water, keep an eye on stuff... How hard could it be?" wondered Linda and proceeded to volunteer to find out. And she did.
It's hard.
The Schedule:
7:00 am. Add the final ingredient to the 'goat chow'
7:30 am- Feed chickens, dog and cats. Haul the bucket of 'Goat chow' out to the goats and put some in a pan on the milking stand. Get each goat, get them on the stand and milk them. After each is done they are put back in their individual pens with the rest of their morning feed. Fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. Open the door to the paddock and let the goats out. Clean the pens and sweep the barn. Then shut the doors and go get breakfast and make more goat chow, strain the milk and refrigerate it.
4pm. Bring the goats into the barn. Separate the babies from the moms and let the moms out to graze and make milk. Feed chickens, dogs and cats. put down fresh bedding in the goat pens and a little hay for them to gnosh on through the night.
6 pm Let the goats in and milk them again, one at a time and in order. This is a longer milking so they need more feed to keep their interest. Put goats in their pens for evening feeding. Let the babies in with their moms. Then back to the house to the house make dinner, make more goat chow and strain the milk.
There, that's not so bad, right? In theory anyway...
Here's what really happens.
It started out OK. Linda added the final ingredient to the goat chow and had a cup of coffee. Then time to feed the chickens. This turned out to be pretty easy as by then they were waiting at the door. Pooping on the stoop. Charming. Then she had to grab the bucket of goat chow to take to the barn. This is a five gallon bucket of water, grain and beet pulp plus the supplement. If you've never carried one of these here's a clue: it's bloody heavy. Particularly for a modest-sized 50 year old desk jockey. OK, it's only about 30 yards to the barn, it's strenuous but doable.
Next it's time to put the goats in the milking stand. On the stand there is a shelf for a pan of goat chow to encourage the goat to stand still while you milk it. Easy peasy. The correct goat was brought out of it's pen and onto the milking stand. Of course until it's head was buckled into the harness and it's nose was actually buried in the chow it viewed this event with deep suspicion. Pretty much each one had to be dragged onto the platform by main force while it tried desperately to get at the chow without going to the extreme of actually getting on the milking stand. Did I mention some of them have horns? And that they are not afraid to use them? Then at last the milking commenced.
There is a knack to milking goats. There is special knack to milking a goat that does not want to be milked. Few goats in fact appear to actually want to be milked. Escape-artist baby goats only add spice to the occasion. After she finished she had to unbuckle each goat, convince it to get in it's pen and give it the rest of it's breakfast. Repeat entire circus five times, once for each momma goat.
Time to fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. This means taking another five-gallon bucket, filling it at one of the rain cachement barrels and hauling it to each pen and the paddock. Note that a five gallon bucket of water is quite heavy and, this being Juneuary in the Pacific North Wet, it's muddy. So the water buckets may be heavy but at least the footing is tricky.
Then it's time to let the goats out into the paddock. Only now it's five mommas and six babies all at once. Each and every momma goat is absolutely convinced that there is more goat chow hidden in the barn if they can only find it and of course each baby goat wishes to be with it's momma... or maybe that one's mamma. Or to find out what is up there... All eleven of the contrary creatures want to do something, anything, other than going out the door. But eventually she managed it.
After all of that cleaning goat poop and urine-soaked straw out of the pens and sweeping the barn seems like a spa-day. Then it's back to the house to make breakfast and the evening's goat-chow and to strain the milk- which thank God is actually only slightly trickier than it sounds.
Now to rest and recuperate for the evening. Except for trips to find the wayward dog, water the vegetables, find out why that baby goat is yelling at the top of it's lungs, try to figure out how the hell that goat got in there, get it out and figure out how to keep it out, try to work on the website, collect the eggs from the chickens... Crap! Time for afternoon chores already?
Time to get the baby goats separated from their moms. Baby goats as a rule don't want to be separated from their moms and they can run fast and can jump improbably high obstacles. So she had to chase them down one by one and pen them. Which she accomplished eventually. Time for the momma goats to graze in peace and make milk. After an hour or so feed the chickens, dogs and cats.
Time flies until evening chores. This is much like morning chores. Only worse.
First thing is to let the mommas into the barn. The goats know that this means they will get their chow. The problem is that ALL the goats want that chow. At once. They signify this desire crowding into the doorway en-masse, by leaping in the air, scrambling over each other and doing absolutely anything in their power to reach the goat chow. Naturally the babies have a vested interest in that milk and as far as they're concerned that udder has been away too long already and they try desperately to join their mommas. Herding excited, determined goats in a confined space turns out to be a lot like herding cats. Finally she managed to get all but the correct goat to stay outside and wait until it's their turn and all the babies back in their pens while she milked. Repeat four more times. Finish penning and feeding the goats, haul the bucket back to make dinner, more goat chow, strain the milk...
At least it was only for four days.
Our friend the farmer would add to this making cheese, repairing fences, mending gates, weeding and the thousand and one other tasks that need to be done around the place... on top of running her own business... the one that actually pays the bills.
Worship your local farmer. They deserve it. They really do.
PS- Today's weigh-in: 294Lbs. Honestly I have been stuffing myself shamelessly on all this primal food. I was concerned that I had not lost weight and might even have gained some. Instead I have lost six pounds! Whoo-Hoo!
It's hard.
The Schedule:
7:00 am. Add the final ingredient to the 'goat chow'
7:30 am- Feed chickens, dog and cats. Haul the bucket of 'Goat chow' out to the goats and put some in a pan on the milking stand. Get each goat, get them on the stand and milk them. After each is done they are put back in their individual pens with the rest of their morning feed. Fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. Open the door to the paddock and let the goats out. Clean the pens and sweep the barn. Then shut the doors and go get breakfast and make more goat chow, strain the milk and refrigerate it.
4pm. Bring the goats into the barn. Separate the babies from the moms and let the moms out to graze and make milk. Feed chickens, dogs and cats. put down fresh bedding in the goat pens and a little hay for them to gnosh on through the night.
6 pm Let the goats in and milk them again, one at a time and in order. This is a longer milking so they need more feed to keep their interest. Put goats in their pens for evening feeding. Let the babies in with their moms. Then back to the house to the house make dinner, make more goat chow and strain the milk.
There, that's not so bad, right? In theory anyway...
Here's what really happens.
It started out OK. Linda added the final ingredient to the goat chow and had a cup of coffee. Then time to feed the chickens. This turned out to be pretty easy as by then they were waiting at the door. Pooping on the stoop. Charming. Then she had to grab the bucket of goat chow to take to the barn. This is a five gallon bucket of water, grain and beet pulp plus the supplement. If you've never carried one of these here's a clue: it's bloody heavy. Particularly for a modest-sized 50 year old desk jockey. OK, it's only about 30 yards to the barn, it's strenuous but doable.
Next it's time to put the goats in the milking stand. On the stand there is a shelf for a pan of goat chow to encourage the goat to stand still while you milk it. Easy peasy. The correct goat was brought out of it's pen and onto the milking stand. Of course until it's head was buckled into the harness and it's nose was actually buried in the chow it viewed this event with deep suspicion. Pretty much each one had to be dragged onto the platform by main force while it tried desperately to get at the chow without going to the extreme of actually getting on the milking stand. Did I mention some of them have horns? And that they are not afraid to use them? Then at last the milking commenced.
There is a knack to milking goats. There is special knack to milking a goat that does not want to be milked. Few goats in fact appear to actually want to be milked. Escape-artist baby goats only add spice to the occasion. After she finished she had to unbuckle each goat, convince it to get in it's pen and give it the rest of it's breakfast. Repeat entire circus five times, once for each momma goat.
Time to fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. This means taking another five-gallon bucket, filling it at one of the rain cachement barrels and hauling it to each pen and the paddock. Note that a five gallon bucket of water is quite heavy and, this being Juneuary in the Pacific North Wet, it's muddy. So the water buckets may be heavy but at least the footing is tricky.
Then it's time to let the goats out into the paddock. Only now it's five mommas and six babies all at once. Each and every momma goat is absolutely convinced that there is more goat chow hidden in the barn if they can only find it and of course each baby goat wishes to be with it's momma... or maybe that one's mamma. Or to find out what is up there... All eleven of the contrary creatures want to do something, anything, other than going out the door. But eventually she managed it.
After all of that cleaning goat poop and urine-soaked straw out of the pens and sweeping the barn seems like a spa-day. Then it's back to the house to make breakfast and the evening's goat-chow and to strain the milk- which thank God is actually only slightly trickier than it sounds.
Now to rest and recuperate for the evening. Except for trips to find the wayward dog, water the vegetables, find out why that baby goat is yelling at the top of it's lungs, try to figure out how the hell that goat got in there, get it out and figure out how to keep it out, try to work on the website, collect the eggs from the chickens... Crap! Time for afternoon chores already?
Time to get the baby goats separated from their moms. Baby goats as a rule don't want to be separated from their moms and they can run fast and can jump improbably high obstacles. So she had to chase them down one by one and pen them. Which she accomplished eventually. Time for the momma goats to graze in peace and make milk. After an hour or so feed the chickens, dogs and cats.
Time flies until evening chores. This is much like morning chores. Only worse.
First thing is to let the mommas into the barn. The goats know that this means they will get their chow. The problem is that ALL the goats want that chow. At once. They signify this desire crowding into the doorway en-masse, by leaping in the air, scrambling over each other and doing absolutely anything in their power to reach the goat chow. Naturally the babies have a vested interest in that milk and as far as they're concerned that udder has been away too long already and they try desperately to join their mommas. Herding excited, determined goats in a confined space turns out to be a lot like herding cats. Finally she managed to get all but the correct goat to stay outside and wait until it's their turn and all the babies back in their pens while she milked. Repeat four more times. Finish penning and feeding the goats, haul the bucket back to make dinner, more goat chow, strain the milk...
At least it was only for four days.
Our friend the farmer would add to this making cheese, repairing fences, mending gates, weeding and the thousand and one other tasks that need to be done around the place... on top of running her own business... the one that actually pays the bills.
Worship your local farmer. They deserve it. They really do.
PS- Today's weigh-in: 294Lbs. Honestly I have been stuffing myself shamelessly on all this primal food. I was concerned that I had not lost weight and might even have gained some. Instead I have lost six pounds! Whoo-Hoo!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
No Grain, No Gain?
So... based on my own knowledge of paleolithic hunter-gatherers and neolithic agriculture the original plan was for us to include some unprocessed natural whole grains in our diet at the end of summer and into fall. These would be 'ancient' grains lacking gluten etc. Then Linda wrote to one of the 'paleo-diet gurus' that we think well of and asked about this. He told her that our HG ancestors didn't harvest significant amounts of grain so don't do it. Based on that I decided that I had better do a little research and to keep an open mind about whether or not to include grains in our diet. So I did. This is what I discovered-
I need to do more research. First off the latest findings from Gobekle Tepe, possibly the oldest known neolithic civilization dating to 12,000 years ago, is that there is evidence of bread and beer making. They are very carefully not yet saying that these people cultivated wheat but it looks likely to me based on their findings so far. Google it- it's fascinating stuff! Evidence is that this was a mature culture- they did not randomly pull their artistic conventions, rituals, building methods etc. out of nowhere; the culture that created Gobekle Tepe could be 15,000 years old or even older.., Ok that is just speculation but it's not unreasonable speculation.
Recent evidence suggests preparation and consumption of grain 20-30 thousand years ago and perhaps as long as 200 thousand years ago. If our paleo peeps did do this though they did it in season... late summer or fall. We'll tentatively stick to that plan for now but keep an open mind and do... you guessed it, more research. Which we will naturally share with you.
Whether or not to 'let them eat cake' so to speak is only one of many controversies surrounding primal or paleo diets and of course we are looking carefully at these arguments. Grain or no grain, lean versus fat, salt or no salt... you would think that something called 'Primal' would be simpler! The thing is not all of our paleolithic ancestors ate the same things. In the far North they either herded animals or simply followed the herds and hunted them- there is some controversy over which. These ice-age folks had very, very short summers and even then 'summer' was a relative term. Their diet seems to have run heavily to meat and fat. On the other hand people in tropical and sub-tropical regions seem to have eaten a lot more fruits, vegetables, tubers and even perhaps grain with only modest amounts of meat. Cultures in-between were... well, in-between in their meat-to-vegetable ratios. So it's likely that there is no single right way to do it and some of it may depend on your ethnic background. Or not.
My ancestors have been in the melting pot for a long time so I am very much a 'mutt' genetically. I am finding that 30-40% protein/ 60-70% vegetable ratio is working for me. Linda is ethnically mostly British and her mix is closer to 50/50 and that seems to be working for her... but it's early days so we'll see how that works out in the long run.
The point is you are likely to have to fiddle a bit to find exactly what works for you. The one thing that everyone seems to more or less agree on is that fewer carbs is better for weight loss but there isn't even a 100% consensus on that as long as the carbs are 'primally sourced.'
Our Primal diet, like life itself, remains a 'Work in Progress.' We'll keep you updated!
I need to do more research. First off the latest findings from Gobekle Tepe, possibly the oldest known neolithic civilization dating to 12,000 years ago, is that there is evidence of bread and beer making. They are very carefully not yet saying that these people cultivated wheat but it looks likely to me based on their findings so far. Google it- it's fascinating stuff! Evidence is that this was a mature culture- they did not randomly pull their artistic conventions, rituals, building methods etc. out of nowhere; the culture that created Gobekle Tepe could be 15,000 years old or even older.., Ok that is just speculation but it's not unreasonable speculation.
Recent evidence suggests preparation and consumption of grain 20-30 thousand years ago and perhaps as long as 200 thousand years ago. If our paleo peeps did do this though they did it in season... late summer or fall. We'll tentatively stick to that plan for now but keep an open mind and do... you guessed it, more research. Which we will naturally share with you.
Whether or not to 'let them eat cake' so to speak is only one of many controversies surrounding primal or paleo diets and of course we are looking carefully at these arguments. Grain or no grain, lean versus fat, salt or no salt... you would think that something called 'Primal' would be simpler! The thing is not all of our paleolithic ancestors ate the same things. In the far North they either herded animals or simply followed the herds and hunted them- there is some controversy over which. These ice-age folks had very, very short summers and even then 'summer' was a relative term. Their diet seems to have run heavily to meat and fat. On the other hand people in tropical and sub-tropical regions seem to have eaten a lot more fruits, vegetables, tubers and even perhaps grain with only modest amounts of meat. Cultures in-between were... well, in-between in their meat-to-vegetable ratios. So it's likely that there is no single right way to do it and some of it may depend on your ethnic background. Or not.
My ancestors have been in the melting pot for a long time so I am very much a 'mutt' genetically. I am finding that 30-40% protein/ 60-70% vegetable ratio is working for me. Linda is ethnically mostly British and her mix is closer to 50/50 and that seems to be working for her... but it's early days so we'll see how that works out in the long run.
The point is you are likely to have to fiddle a bit to find exactly what works for you. The one thing that everyone seems to more or less agree on is that fewer carbs is better for weight loss but there isn't even a 100% consensus on that as long as the carbs are 'primally sourced.'
Our Primal diet, like life itself, remains a 'Work in Progress.' We'll keep you updated!
Lard... It's What's for Dinner!
Well... not just lard. The assumption of Paleolithic diets is that less processed is better. That the fats we eat and cook with should be as simple as possible. Rendered animal fat (lard) is about as simple as it gets. Getting relatively pure, unprocessed lard can be kind of a pain though. It's really not the sort of thing the 'main-stream'health food industry is hip to. So if you want 'good' lard you are pretty much going to have to make it yourself. Fortunately for me this isn't rocket-science.
When you buy natural, untrimmed meats you get a lot of fat. Rather than simply scarfing it down the massive quantities of fat associated with pork etc. trim it mostly off before cooking and set it aside. When you have accumulated a couple cups of fat or more you can render it into Lard. This process is easy and simple. Thank God.
Cut he fat into cubes around a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch square. Put the cubed fat in a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and put it on the stove at medium heat. For the first hour or so stir every ten minutes and add water as needed. After the fat has shrunken and begun to shrivel significantly you'll need to stir more often and stop adding water. When the fat is fully shriveled and just beginning to brown take the pan off the heat and remove the remaining solids. After allowing the remaining liquid to cool somewhat but not solidify (15-30 minutes at room temperature) pour the liquid into a mason jar. and refrigerate. Voila! Lard. We found that the fat from two untrimmed pork chops yields about 1 pint of lard. Use this in place of oil when stir-frying or sauteing. This can be done with fat from any mammal, but pork fat is easiest to obtain and seems to be the 'densest.'
We have found that as long as you don't overheat and burn the fat when used in moderation it does not lend any unpleasant taste to food nor does it tend to make food taste 'greasy.' Mind you it's probably best to have more than one kind of oil and to use different oils for cooking different things. We most often use Olive Oil as our 'Second Standard' oil and Linda prefers butter for fried eggs.
The key here is moderation. Yes, our bodies can handle a certain amount of fat. In what seems to be contrary to the evolutionary theory underlying Paleo diets people of differing ethnicities can often handle more or less fat than 'average,' whatever that is. Err on the side of caution and if there is any doubt or you have a fat-averse medical condition consult your doctor. Seriously. As I said we plan on having tests done periodically to make sure that we aren't killing ourselves.
Something to consider- our pre-agricultural paleolithic ancestors probably roasted things a lot more than they fried them. Probably best to emulate that; that would agree with both conventional medical wisdom and paleo-diet theory.
So- enjoy your lard... but don't go crazy.
When you buy natural, untrimmed meats you get a lot of fat. Rather than simply scarfing it down the massive quantities of fat associated with pork etc. trim it mostly off before cooking and set it aside. When you have accumulated a couple cups of fat or more you can render it into Lard. This process is easy and simple. Thank God.
Cut he fat into cubes around a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch square. Put the cubed fat in a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and put it on the stove at medium heat. For the first hour or so stir every ten minutes and add water as needed. After the fat has shrunken and begun to shrivel significantly you'll need to stir more often and stop adding water. When the fat is fully shriveled and just beginning to brown take the pan off the heat and remove the remaining solids. After allowing the remaining liquid to cool somewhat but not solidify (15-30 minutes at room temperature) pour the liquid into a mason jar. and refrigerate. Voila! Lard. We found that the fat from two untrimmed pork chops yields about 1 pint of lard. Use this in place of oil when stir-frying or sauteing. This can be done with fat from any mammal, but pork fat is easiest to obtain and seems to be the 'densest.'
We have found that as long as you don't overheat and burn the fat when used in moderation it does not lend any unpleasant taste to food nor does it tend to make food taste 'greasy.' Mind you it's probably best to have more than one kind of oil and to use different oils for cooking different things. We most often use Olive Oil as our 'Second Standard' oil and Linda prefers butter for fried eggs.
The key here is moderation. Yes, our bodies can handle a certain amount of fat. In what seems to be contrary to the evolutionary theory underlying Paleo diets people of differing ethnicities can often handle more or less fat than 'average,' whatever that is. Err on the side of caution and if there is any doubt or you have a fat-averse medical condition consult your doctor. Seriously. As I said we plan on having tests done periodically to make sure that we aren't killing ourselves.
Something to consider- our pre-agricultural paleolithic ancestors probably roasted things a lot more than they fried them. Probably best to emulate that; that would agree with both conventional medical wisdom and paleo-diet theory.
So- enjoy your lard... but don't go crazy.
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