tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41557911333694141682024-03-13T23:44:09.626-07:00Localvore OregonGluten free, local, ethnic and raw food recipes, budget stretchers, farm and food rights lobbying, simpler and more eco-friendly living.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-9838373560985716582012-06-23T13:55:00.002-07:002012-06-23T13:55:52.288-07:00Toasted Coconut CookiesI won't claim these are very healthy and they aren't gluten free, either. But they are very yummy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was in my twenties and struggling to follow a
macrobiotic diet that promised me extreme health and zen composure, someone
brought an enormous box of donuts into a work meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like donuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was one toasted coconut in that box
and I kept looking at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone else
picked the powdered sugar or custard or jelly filled (all good ways to ruin a
nice suit).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one toasted coconut
donut looked back at me, like a sad dog at a shelter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the meeting, I adopted that
donut, took it to my desk and when no one was looking, ate all the coconut off
the outside and threw the donut middle away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">These cookies were made in remembrance of that donut,
twenty-some years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s funny what
we remember.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4 1/2 cups shredded coconut<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I buy bulk unsweetened and sweetened
and mix them together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
a sweet tooth, use all sweetened)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/3 c. dark brown sugar, 2/3 cup white sugar (or 1 cup
sugar minus two tablespoons, which you can replace with dark molasses) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Zest of 2 limes or one orange<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pinch of salt<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pinch of baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 stick cold butter, sliced into pats<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 large egg<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Flavorings – use either 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and
1 tsp coconut extract with lime zest - or 2 tsp. vanilla (or “vanilla,
butter and nut”) flavoring with orange zest<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Directions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Turn oven on to broil. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put coconut in a pan and toast it under broiler,
watching carefully because sweetened coconut burns very easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only toast the top of it to a light
brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you find you really like
the toasted flavor, you can stir it up and put it back under the
broiler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put 2 ½ c. of the coconut and all the sugar in a food
processor or high end blender (like a Vitamix) and grind it into a fine
meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mix the salt and baking powder into the flour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place it and all the rest of the
ingredients into the processor and process it until it is just barely
mixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should look crumbly like
pie crust dough.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cover and refrigerate an hour, until firm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps the texture of the cookies
later.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Turn oven to 350 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shape balls from the cookie dough, then flatten and
push into the remaining toasted coconut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Place on baking sheets (I like using pizza stones).
Bake until just beginning to brown, close to 25 minutes, but peek at the
first batch at 20 minutes just in case your oven runs hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Again, sweetened coconut likes to
burn.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cool at least 15 minutes
before transferring to a wire rack or they will fall apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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</span>Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-4722851393872506582010-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:002010-07-01T12:44:09.474-07:00Proof that Oregon has been working on NAIS for atleast 6 yearsOREGON’S COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE USDA<br />
<span style="color: red;">This is from the desk of the State Vet, Don Hansen, who told me last year in an email that he did not foresee any NAIS in Oregon’s near future. His contact information, should you wish to voice your displeasure:</span> Don Hansen, Oregon Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR, 97370<br />
Office Phone: 503-986-4680; Cell Phone: 503-510-0333; Fax: 503-986-4734; Email address (Plan Administrator): dhansen@oda.state.or.us<br />
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<span style="color: red;">In the interest of making a shorter document for copying and distribution, I have shortened the original without editing or altering the verbiage. I apologize for the loss of easily read tables on this blog. My comments are in red.</span> <br />
Cut and Pasted from page 5: The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has the responsibility to control diseases within the state and to eradicate and prevent the spread of infectious, contagious and communicable diseases to the livestock or people of Oregon. To this task, the ODA must rely on it ability to locate infected animals and animals at risk as quickly as possible. Having credible epidemiological information is key to a successful campaign against a disease outbreak. Epidemiological information includes: owner/manager name and phone number; animal’s physical address; livestock species at location; animal identification when available (e.g., brucellosis tag number, back tag number, brand description, scrapie tag number, etc) number of animals present, animals recently arrived and animals recently departed/died. We believe we have a functional traceability system. However, it must be improved if we are expected to protect our livestock populations against disease threats in this age of rapid and expansive animal movement. Our system contains both electronic and paper form data and as such, is not as efficient as it could be. As a functional traceability system, it includes databases that contain certain epidemiological information on imported animals and change of animal ownership transactions (in the field and at auction markets). We know physical addresses for thousands of livestock operations in our state and have personnel contact and animal species information for each.<br />
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Cut and Pasted from page 7: Update all electronic information systems and web services to reflect USDA’s current approach for advancing animal disease traceability.<br />
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Upon the announcement of USDA’s current approach, ODA changed our web site to reflect the new direction of USDA. The web url is: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/ah_nais.shtml<br />
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Develop, further refine, and implement an outreach plan for producers, accredited veterinarians, and livestock markets that describes the applicant’s plan for advancing animal disease traceability<br />
<br />
ODA plans to work closely with Accredited Veterinarians in an effort to keep them apprised of current USDA expectations/requirements. <br />
<br />
This will include providing them the latest information about the use of electronic CVIs provided by USDA.<br />
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ODA will explore possibility for using USDA software for official tag distribution in our state.<br />
<br />
ODA staff will be available to assist the Accredited Veterinarians in an effort to keep them apprised of current USDA expectations/requirements. <br />
<br />
This will include providing them the latest information about the use of electronic CVIs provided by USDA.<br />
<br />
ODA will explore possibility for using USDA software for official tag distribution in our state.<br />
<br />
ODA staff will be available to assist the Accredited Veterinarian in the issuance of a PIN when required by AVIC. The Veterinarian will be able to contact staff and provide them with 911 addresses or with GPS information and staff will obtain and relay the PIN to the Accredited Veterinarian.<br />
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Currently, auction yards are working closely with the brand inspection program in the process for collecting data.<br />
<strong>Advancing Animal Disease Traceability Work Plan </strong><br />
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From Pages 3 and 4, which show how Oregon spent USDA grants: <br />
Funding Year Cooperative Agreement Number Amount Awarded Expenditures De-obligation Accomplishments<br />
<br />
<strong>FY2004</strong> California/Oregon Interagency Contract Number 04-0714Funded: $124,710 Spent: $116,909.79 $0 -Registered more than 1,600 premises<br />
-Tagged 2,555 calves<br />
-Tagged more than 9,000 cows<br />
-Partially tracked 450 cull cows<br />
-Held meetings throughout the state to promote NAIS<br />
<br />
<strong>FY2005</strong> 05-9741-1497 Funded: $248,000 Spent: $169,321.66 Deobligation: $78,678 -Actively promoted premises registration and animal id<br />
-Provided producers cost-share program<br />
-10,000 NAIS compliant RFID tags<br />
-20 RFID readers<br />
<br />
<strong>FY2007</strong> 07-9741-1497-ca Funded: $75,815 Spent: $75,815 $0 -Actively promoted premises registration and animal id<br />
-Provided producers cost-share program<br />
- We combined state resources with cooperative agreement funds to initiate revitalized effort that integrated our brand inspection personnel into this animal health/NAIS activity<br />
-Found interoperability mechanisms at local auction markets that could enhance our ability to capture premises identification and subsequent animal movement information within the targeted goal of 48 hours<br />
-Used hand held devises to capture data then transmitted to our centralized database within 48 hours<br />
<br />
<strong>FY2008 </strong>08-9741-1497-CA Funded: $192,194 Spent: $192,194 $0 -Continued to actively promote an educational effort to advance the premises registration and animal identification aspects of the NAIS<br />
-Included premises registration information and application forms in our annual brand renewal notices<br />
-We continued our efforts, using state resources with cooperative agreement funds, to integrate our brand inspection personnel into this animal health/NAIS activity<br />
-We used hand held devises to capture data then transmitted to our centralized database within 48 hours<br />
<br />
<strong>FY2009 </strong>09-9741-1933-CA Funded: $158,866 Still in process $40,000 +/- <br />
-Local AVIC office already had items that we had planned to acquire with these funds. We had intended to purchase a complete system for our last auction yard, which was disallowed -We continued our efforts, using state resources with cooperative agreement funds, to integrate our brand inspection personnel into this animal health/NAIS activity<br />
-We used hand held devises to capture data then transmitted to our centralized database within 48 hours<br />
This effort captured more premises location data and animal movement data as well<br />
-We estimate that we have added 3 to 4 thousand addresses to our database.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Makes you wonder how Mr. Hansen could not foresee NAIS in Oregon’s future if he was simultaneously actively promoting NAIS! </span><br />
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The document states that the ODA will contact “all livestock groups” to assist them. It says they will “travel to all parts of the state to provide informational meetings, education and training.” The document makes it clear that the ODA is still working on planning equipment and staff needed. However, they have requested more funds from the USDA. From page 12: <br />
Fund Request, Intended Use of Funds<br />
<strong>Personnel and Benefits $ 86,000</strong> Personnel to assist with the following activities of the agreement. Work directly with field personnel to provide support and insure quality of data being received into databases in Salem office. Provide informational meetings, education and training. Work with Advisory Committee, auction yard owners and Accredited Veterinarian in relation to the new framework. Enter data into ODA databases.<br />
<strong>Travel $ 7,000</strong> Travel when attending auction yards, cattlemen’s meetings and other livestock related functions in order to educate personnel, auction yard owners, producers and veterinarians about the new framework as outlined by USDA. Funds may also be used to send ODA representatives to out-of-state informational meetings<br />
<strong>Equipment $ 5,000</strong> Funds used to purchase computers, wireless communication devices, GPS units, portable printers and other devises. Equipment used for data input and verification by regulatory animal health officials and full-time Animal Identification employees. <br />
<strong>Supplies $ 2,723</strong> Funds to incidental supplies to maintain electronic equipment used in the field.<br />
<strong>Subtotal Request $ 100,723</strong> <br />
Basis for indirect charges and matching 17.14% <br />
<strong>Indirect Charge $ 17,277 </strong><br />
<strong>Total Request $118,000 </strong><br />
<strong>State Matching Funds $ 23,600</strong> 20% State matching funds for this project.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">I am curious about the $23,600 from state funds. I know for government spending, that’s not a lot, but Oregon is one of the states on the verge of bankruptcy. Does that mean we will have additional taxes and fees to pay? And if so, why aren’t we spending additional taxes on education?</span><br />
<br />
From page 13, a stated goal: Measure the increase in new information gained from data entries completed from May 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. (List specific kinds of information collected and the number of each entry)<br />
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<span style="color: red;">So now we have proof that Oregon is indeed working on a NAIS plan, and has been since at least 2004, even if they have been calling it by a different name. Please share this. Thank you! - Larisa Sparrowhawk and Sharlyn Homola, Oregon Consumers and Farmers Association, </span><a href="http://www.oregonfarmrights.com/"><span style="color: red;">www.oregonfarmrights.com</span></a>Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-35337088000304579972010-06-19T19:46:00.000-07:002010-06-19T19:46:59.008-07:00Five Spice Peanuts and Cardamom PecansWhen I was a child, my mother made Five Spice Peanuts for me a couple of times. I adored them, perhaps a little too much. (Did I ever mention I was a chubby child?) Mom and I have both been downsizing from big houses; the work included going through acres of cookbooks to decide which to keep and which to pass along to other relatives or Goodwill. I found the recipe for Five Spice Peanuts and was shocked by the instructions to soak raw peanuts in boiling water with a cup each of salt and sugar for ten minutes! Peanuts are legumes and need soaking to become digestible; but a much smaller amount of sugar and salt can be used if soaking time is increased. The next recipe includes raw pecans, which are soaked in cool water and dried gently to deactivate enzyme inhibitors and enzymes are preserved to aid in digestion. After trying these recipes, you may wish to try other spices, such as garlic, cayenne and ginger.<br />
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Five Spice Peanuts: Boil 3 c. water with 2 tbsp. salt, 2 tbsp. sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add 3 c. raw peanuts, turn down heat, simmer 20 minutes, stir a few times while allowing to cool in the liquid. Drain thoroughly, then mix in 2 tbsp. agave, a dash of salt, 1 tbsp. peanut or sesame oil and 1 tsp. five spice powder. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees, stirring after each 20 minutes until the nuts are completely dry in about an hour. Let them cool completely to restore their crunch before eating. <br />
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Cardamom Pecans: Soak 2 c. raw pecans (you can lower the cost by making them half sunflower seeds if you like) in water about 8 hours. Drain thoroughly. Mix with 2 tbsp. agave, a pinch of salt, ½ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. cardamom. Spread on cookie sheet and dry at 100 degrees for several hours, stirring once or twice.<br />
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I use raw lucuma powder, which is not available in stores around here, to help the seasonings stick to the nuts. I have not yet tried raw carob, but imagine it would be a lovely substitute. Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-81345865088935450602010-06-12T19:17:00.000-07:002010-06-12T19:17:05.588-07:00Fried Rice and Fried NoodlesThis will be in Becky Holm's Douglas County News:<br />
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GOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
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Fried Rice and Fried Noodles by Larisa Sparrowhawk<br />
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Both fried rice and fried noodles make great use of leftovers and are economical, kid pleasing belly fillers. They can even be healthy if you use brown rice and whole grain pasta and watch the quantity of oil. <br />
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Fried Rice - Use left over, drier rice. Pour 1 tbsp. peanut oil per 2 c. cooked rice into a large, hot skillet or wok and add chopped onion. Cook until onion is beginning to get translucent before adding other chopped vegetables or leftover meat. Good options are carrots, celery, jicama (to replace water chestnuts and bamboo shoots), bell pepper, bok choy, ham, chicken, beef and tiny salad shrimp. Scramble an egg in another skillet, chop small and add to rice mixture. Add a splash or two of sake or white wine, soy sauce and garlic or ginger to taste. If you would like to add snow peas or sprouts, add them now, just before serving. <br />
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Fried Noodles - Udon, big, slippery noodles that really soak up flavors are most popular with children. However, brown rice or buckwheat soba noodles are more healthy. Rice or bean threads (also called cellophane noodles) are a low calorie option. Cook the pasta al dente, then rinse under cold water, running your fingers through to remove starch. Drain thoroughly. Fry in large, hot skillet or wok: 1 c. of chopped meat in 2 tbsp. sesame or peanut oil, 1 tbsp. sake or white wine and 1 c. chopped onions, carrots or other firmer vegetables. Stir fry a little longer and add 2 chopped green scallions, snap peas, frozen peas, spinach or other softer green vegetable. Fry about 2 minutes longer, stirring continuously and remove to a bowl. Add 2 tbsp. sesame or peanut oil and pasta to wok, stir fry a couple minutes, adding 2 tbsp. sake or white wine, 1 tbsp. soy sauce half way through. Add vegetables. Season with 5 spice powder, garlic or ginger to taste. Sprinkle each serving with sesame seeds.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-88161389594788187462010-05-30T03:03:00.000-07:002010-05-30T03:03:21.138-07:00Diane Wilson Exposes Spill Baby, Spill BPThis lady has been my heroine since the 90's. <br />
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/medea-benjamin/getting-naked-to-expose-b_b_592207.htmlLarisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-54218595281886971852010-05-30T02:40:00.000-07:002010-05-30T02:41:28.792-07:00Simple Sushi (Korean style - no raw fish)This will be in Becky Holm's Douglas County News:<br />
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GOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
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<strong>Bento Box Lunches - Simple Rolled Sushi by Larisa Sparrowhawk</strong><br />
Sushi is made with short grain sweet brown or white rice, made with more water than usual so it will be sticky like the rice ball recipe last week. Add a dash of salt and a small piece of konbu seaweed if you can find any. After cooking, add 1 tablespoon brown rice and 1 tablespoon rice, coconut or white vinegar per cup of raw rice. (Do not leave it in an aluminum pot after this or the aluminum will leach into the food.) Let the rice cool. <br />
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Lay one sheet of toasted nori seaweed on a bamboo sushi mat or wax paper. Wet your hands. Spread a layer of rice about 1/4" thick on the 2/3 of the nori sheet closest to you, leaving about 1/2" margin around the sides. Smear umemboshi plum paste, wasabi paste, American brown mustard or white horseradish sauce thinly across the rice. Lay thin pieces of desired fillings (see suggestions below) across, going past the rice to the side edges of the nori. Smear a little water on the uncovered edge of nori farthest from you. Start rolling the nori up and away from you, pressing tightly with your fingers until you reach the wetted edge. Firm the roll with your bamboo mat or wax paper. (A bamboo mat will make a nicer looking roll.) Lay the roll aside a moment for the nori to soften before cutting into five smaller cylinders with a very sharp, wetted knife. <br />
<br />
<strong>Suggested fillings: </strong><br />
a) a smear of American brown mustard, ham, egg pancake (see the rice ball recipe), spinach<br />
b) white horseradish sauce, shredded leftover roast beef or pork, julienned red bell pepper, scallions<br />
c) umemboshi plum paste, julienned carrot, cucumber and snow peas<br />
d) wasabi paste, julienned carrot, cucumber, avocado strips and a sprinkling of sesame seeds<br />
e) light miso paste, pea, buckwheat or sunflower sprouts,shredded leftover dark meat chicken, julienned radish<br />
f) umemboshi plum paste, shredded beef marinated in mirin, soy sauce and sake, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, scallions<br />
g) white horseradish sauce, smoked trout (Sunrise Asian Grocery in Eugene has good prices), julienned cucumber, scallions, <br />
h) any julienned veggies you have - experiment and have fun!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-16335146368112111312010-05-28T22:52:00.000-07:002010-05-29T01:32:45.561-07:00Oregon's Vehicle Fee and Gas Tax HikesThis isn't about food, although it could potentially have an affect on food prices in stores. It's about politics, my second biggest interest.<br />
<br />
I am both a paid and volunteer petitioner for a campaign to bring Oregon's vehicle fees and taxes to ballot. I sent the following op ed piece to Eugene's Register Guard and will send versions with less Eugene/bike path commentary to another eight or so papers tonight. <br />
<br />
****<br />
You may have noticed petitioners at gas stations in Portland, Eugene and Roseburg and wondered if they were protesting the federal gas tax increase to pay for the BP oil catastrophe. <br />
Despite the coincidence of timing, the petitioners are addressing vehicle fee and fuel tax hikes in Oregon. In May, 2009, the Oregon Legislature quietly passed HB 2001, the largest increase in vehicle registration fees, over the road fees and fuel tax in state history. The Bill is called The Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act, a warm and fuzzy title for a bill that will cost us all money now, but will provide temporary construction jobs beginning 2013 and 2014 after two or three years of traffic and alternative use studies. <br />
<br />
Registration fees for non-government vehicles increased by 59-104%. Over the road fees for commercial truckers increased 24.4-24.6%. The state gas and diesel taxes will also increase by 25% by January 1, 2011. HB 2001 also allows Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Lane and Marion Counties to raise registration fees beginning in 2013. <br />
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Truckers and industries dependent upon them are especially burdened by these fee and tax increases during a recession. Already struggling businesses are likely to close. Retail goods and groceries are likely to become more expensive. <br />
<br />
A loophole in the Oregon Constitution currently allows the Legislature to raise these fees and taxes without a public vote. Campaign to End Highway Robbery, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Silverton, filed an initiative petition (IP66) to require legislators to put all proposed vehicle fee and fuel tax increases in excess of 3% to a public vote, retroactive one year to include HB 2001. <br />
<br />
When legislators have to explain plans to spend tax and fee increases, they generally spend less and distribute revenue more fairly. A thorough reading of HB 2001 shows the representatives and senators who sponsored the bill strongly favored their own districts. Although the entire state will have to pay increased fees and taxes, the Portland metro area gets an enormous chunk of the revenue. Budgeted plans for Portland total $548 million out of $943 million. Portland's population is approximately half of the entire state’s, so on the surface, that would seem almost reasonable. However, the bill's other projects planned for Portland do not yet have estimates, including a bridge over the Willamette, traffic and emissions reduction studies and bike paths. Representatives Edwards and Hunt and Senator Starr, all sponsors of the bill, happen to live in the Portland metro area. Two other sponsors, Representative Berger and Senator Courtney, are just outside Portland in Salem. Another sponsor, Senator Metsger, serves Clackamas County east towards Hood River; his district will also benefit. <br />
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Moreover, the remaining money is not shared equitably. Although all coastal residents who use motor vehicles will have to pay increased vehicle fees and taxes, the only planned improvement to Highway 101 is at the junction of Highway 6, which goes to Portland. Highway 101 is a major tourist attraction as well as an often used route from Washington to California; it is riddled with potholes and needs guard rails in many places to prevent errant vehicles from plummeting down cliffs to the ocean. However, the only repair, aforementioned, is in the district of Senator Johnson, a sponsor of the bill. <br />
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The following counties will receive no benefit from the tax and fee hikes: Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Polk, Benton, Curry, Wasco, Gilliam, Wheeler and Josephine Counties. <br />
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One of the sponsors of HB 2001, Representative Bentz, serves the very desolate Baker, Malheur, Harney and Grant Counties, with a combined population of only 49,000 people. Bentz secured 15.5 million in road (as opposed to highway) repairs; another 15.5 million in additional repairs is under consideration. On Chandler Lane alone, Baker County will receive 4.5 million dollars worth of repairs. Compare that with areas in which no one sponsored the bill, like Douglas County (population 104,000), which gets the shoulder on I-5 widened near Sutherlin for a truck climbing lane, at a cost of 4.1 million and will share some sort of improvement (10 million) on curvy portions of Highway 42 with Coos County. Not surprisingly, Douglas County Representatives Hanna and Freeman and Senator Kruse all voted against this bill. <br />
<br />
The Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area, with 350,000 residents, seven times more than in Representative Bentz's entire district, will receive only improvements to Beltline Highway at the junctions of I-5 and Delta Highway. The State wants the Eugene/Springfield metro area to conduct alternative land use studies and present findings to the Legislative Assembly by July 1, 2013. The goal is to "accommodate planned population and employment growth while achieving a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less". Before you start envisioning a glorious future for Eugene with a subway, The Departments of Transportation and Land Conservation and Development intend to provide "technical assistance, grant support and guidance" but Eugene is to raise funds to pay the bulk of the expenses. Graciously, the State says that the Eugene/Springfield metro area is not required to complete these planned projects if adequate funds are not raised. The likely result is another bike path situated where no one will use it for commuting.<br />
<br />
After disparaging bike path plans twice, I should probably state my own political views. I consider myself a libertarian environmentalist. I visited Congress the first time when I was only eight years old, lobbying to save the 804 trail in Yachats from casino development. Since then I have written thousands of letters and hundreds of articles in defense of sustainable communities and farms. I believe locals are better stewards of the environment than multinational corporations or governments will ever be. I am in favor of road improvements and bike paths, but I believe the public should be consulted regularly in the planning and budgeting. Town hall meetings are an excellent way to learn where the worst intersections are, where bike paths are needed for commuting (rather than recreation) and how much we are willing to pay for projects. I suspect that the lawmakers who place bike paths in lovely park settings are either thinking of photo opportunities or have never actually ridden a bike to work. Especially in urban environments where cars parallel park, biking is very dangerous. A person in a parked car could open their door at any second, sending a bike flying into the path of a moving vehicle. Drivers are nervous trying to pass bikers on crowded streets. <br />
<br />
Commuters want bike paths located in congested areas to increase safety for both bicyclists and drivers, to encourage green transportation and to reduce competition for parking. At least one major north/south road and one east/west road downtown and by University of Oregon should have bike paths. Roads with wide sidewalks decorated with large ornamental planters are an excellent first choice; planters can always be relocated. A second choice would be to replace some parallel parking spaces with bike lanes and racks. Construction can move one block at a time to disrupt traffic as little as possible. The increased visibility of store windows and signs and the ability to attract perhaps ten cyclists to park in front of a store or restaurant where previously only one car could park should more than make up for the inconvenience of construction to existing businesses. <br />
<br />
While collecting signatures on the petition to bring fuel tax and registration fee increases to the ballot, I have repeatedly heard Lane County residents express anger over frivolous projects that waste vast sums of money. Pretty, rather than useful, bike paths are frequently mentioned, as is the plan to rename Beltline Highway exits. Voters are willing to accept the current state fuel tax of 24 cents per gallon, which is 4 cents higher than average, because Oregon does not have a sales tax. However, nearly everyone feels that raising taxes and fees during a recession is a bad political move. <br />
<br />
Lawmakers, we live here, too. We pay your salary as well as the funds you use for your projects. We demand the right to participate in planning how our tax and fee dollars are spent. We will prove it by collecting more than enough signatures to bring HB 2001 to ballot.<br />
<br />
Larisa SparrowhawkLarisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-44436807338049979442010-05-23T22:03:00.000-07:002010-05-23T22:03:08.632-07:00Bento Box Lunches - Part 1, the box and rice ballsI vividly remember lunch in elementary school and summer camps in the 1970's. Almost all the kids had healthy but "boring" lunches or unhealthy but "fun" lunches. There were many complaints and trades. Now I know better, but I used to send my kids to school with a granola bar, an apple and a cube of cheese. I was sure I was doing the right thing, but whenever I opened the door to their rooms, I was shocked to find Mountain Dew cans and empty candy bar wrappers. Japanese mothers know how to make their children eat even the good stuff! <br />
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<br />
First, you need attractive packaging. I know of at least one Eugene Asian food store that carries bento boxes in bright colors and/or animal shapes; so does Amazon.com. To see one shaped like a panda, view http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-2-Tiered-Bento-Panda-Face/dp/B00200L840/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1273742946&sr=8-8. ; Archie McPhee in Seattle sells 1950s American style lunch boxes in a pirate themes (http://www.mcphee.com/shop/products/Pirate-Dome-Lunchbox.html); you can also purchase a pirate stamp to use on toast. Maybe you have your own old lunch box in the attic or can buy one used and paint it (use enamel and only paint the outside). <br />
<br />
Inside the box, arrange small amounts of several differently colored items. If you use an American box, you will also need a smaller, resealable Tupperware-type container inside. Popular items are sliders, meatballs on rice, donburi, vegetable sushi, flavored rice shaped like animals, omelet rolls, coleslaw, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, orange segments, tiny containers of pudding, green vegetables seasoned so many kids will eat them, cooked apples, sweet potatoes, pineapple rings, pineapple coleslaw with yogurt, red bell pepper strips, potato salad, little sausages and cucumber slices. <br />
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Flavored rice balls with treats hidden inside are very popular in bento box lunches. For centuries, the Japanese used exclusively sweet brown rice, which is naturally sweet and sticky, but now they use primarily white rice and corn syrup. Sweet brown rice is available in some health food stores. You can substitute short grain brown rice. White sushi rice with a little honey will also work. I am giving directions for brown sweet or short grain rice cooked in an electric rice cooker. If you use white rice, use a little less water. If you boil it, use more water. You are looking for a slightly gluey texture, where the grains easily stick together and pack well in your hands. This takes approximately 2 3/4 cups water to 1 cup brown sweet rice and a pinch of salt. <br />
<br />
<br />
Popular treats to hide are chunks of ham or pineapple (or both); shredded carrot/raisin slaw; pickled plums; shredded beef stir fried with green onions; smoked salmon; and dried apricots. Depending on what filling you use, flavor your rice with a little cinnamon and honey; garlic, ginger and soy sauce; 5 spice powder; or curry powder. Wet your hands. Pick up a handful of cooled rice, pack it firmly into a ball, push an indentation in it with a thumb, insert the treat, close up the hole and then roll the ball in sesame seeds if you like. <br />
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Outer roll treatments are often decorative. Cut a sheet of nori (sushi wrapper) in strips and press the strips into an x on top of the rice ball. Or cut nori in a circle, cut an x in the center, press the nori onto the rice ball, pull up the edges of the x and sprinkle sesame seeds or dulse (a red seaweed) there. You can also make a very thin egg pancake to use as a wrapper. Beat one egg thoroughly, add a dash of salt and pour into a very hot, lightly oiled (peanut or sesame are best) non-stick skillet. Tilt the skillet so the egg is very evenly and thinly distributed, cook until just set, lift and flip over carefully and cook for just a few seconds on the other side. When the pancake is cooled, you can use it to wrap the rice ball in, tying it with a ribbon or a wilted green onion top. <br />
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Once you get the basic technique down, you can make little rice ball geisha dolls (with nori and egg kimonos, seaweed or egg hair, currant eyes, etc.), bear and cat heads and other fun shapes with your children! Save your pink pickled ginger from take out sushi for decorative noses, ears and lips! Amazon sells rice molds and also little stainless steel molds for cutting out egg, carrots, ham and other items to use as decorations. <br />
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Next week: simple, rolled vegetarian sushi!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-7414075922934613222010-05-10T04:44:00.001-07:002010-05-10T04:45:30.631-07:00Paella PeppersGOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
<br />
Paella Peppers by Larisa Sparrowhawk<br />
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If you crave paella, but don't want to spend $25 to feed a family of four, this recipe provides all the flavor for very little money if you find red bell peppers on sale. Cut 8 red bell peppers in half, lengthwise and remove seeds and stems. Dip quickly in boiling water, about half a minute each to soften the skins. <br />
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Cook 1 1/4 c. brown rice until tender in the juice from a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes and the juice from a bottle of clam juice plus 1 3/4 c. chicken broth. Season with 1/8 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/2-1 tsp. turmeric and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Mix in 1/8 c. drained diced tomatoes, a thawed 4 oz. package of frozen salad shrimp, 1/2 c. diced leftover chicken, 2 diced scallions and a small can of clams if desired. Stuff this mixture into bell pepper halves, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned. It's not traditional, but you may wish to sprinkle the tops with parmesan cheese before baking. <br />
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These also reheat nicely for lunch at the office.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-42631504871024205512010-05-08T06:34:00.000-07:002010-05-30T02:44:24.887-07:00Reminders of the Nazi OccupationThis article was published in VICFA Voice, a newsletter for Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and has been reprinted dozens of times for VICFA’s marketing purposes. United Caprine News also printed it in 2005. <br />
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<strong>Reminders of the Nazi Occupation</strong><br />
By Larisa Sparrowhawk<br />
<br />
Mary Van der Woude-Hill and James Hill are preserving many acres of Fauquier County farmland and recently restored a beautiful 1800’s house on one of their two properties. They raise attractive heritage breeds of poultry, cattle, goats and sheep on pasture. They do not grow any genetically engineered crops or spray pesticides that might drift onto nearby properties or pollute streams. So why is Virginia taking them to court?<br />
<br />
When I drove up, a half dozen floppy-eared Nubian goat babies stretched their necks out of the first paddock fence to watch me get out of my truck. I let the kids nibble on my fingers a moment before knocking on the door. Mary invited me into the living room, where we admired two new goat kids in a wooden box next to a cozy woodstove. James sat down next to them and the kids busied themselves for the next hour and a half trying to climb out of the box and into his lap. <br />
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Mary grew up on a farm in Holland during the Nazi Occupation. Although she came to America in 1953, when she was 20, she still has an endearing accent. I was surprised to learn the Hills were in their seventies since they look and work like they are much younger. <br />
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Mary met James in California; they married and moved to Virginia to start a farm together. Mary bought some dairy goats, milked them and learned to make cheese. After several years, Mary started selling cheese at Archwood Greens Barns, a Sunday farmers’ market in The Plains. <br />
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The Hills researched Virginia state milk processing requirements and spent over $23,000 constructing a state approved building separate from their farm and home. It has heat and air conditioning, stainless steel sinks and counters, concrete floors with drains and a refrigerator dedicated to milk products. The Virginia Department of Agriculture (VDACS) now wants Mary to use a specific pasteurization machine that costs $8,000.00, heats the milk up to 165 degrees and requires a minimum of seven gallons of milk to operate. With only six does, Mary would have to store her milk longer than she likes in order to acquire enough. She showed food inspectors two alternatives: a stainless steel pasteurizer designed for small dairies and her own stove. She asked, “Why would I buy an $8,000.00 machine when it does not heat to the temperature I need to make my cheese – 185 degrees?” For years, she has achieved excellent results with a stove, a stainless steel pot and a good thermometer.<br />
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Virginia food inspectors have listed her lack of an “approved” pasteurizer as a violation every time they have made a report, even though a scientific test that checks for pasteurization proves Mary is heating the milk to a temperature above the legal requirements. If the new and more restrictive regulations VDACS is pushing at the General Assembly become effective, neither Mary’s method of heating the milk nor the building in which she processes it would meet requirements.<br />
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In 1999 two food inspectors arrived at the Hill’s doorstep – with an armed sheriff! Mary was immediately reminded of growing up in Holland when Nazi police showed up unannounced to terrorize the citizenry. She asked why the sheriff was there and was told “to protect the inspectors”. She reminded them of the Fourth Amendment, which states, in full:<br />
<br />
<em>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers</em><br />
<em>and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be</em><br />
<em>violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported </em><br />
<em>by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched</em><br />
<em>and the persons or things to be seized</em>. <br />
<br />
Since the inspectors did not have an appointment, the Hills did not allow them into their house. The sheriff threatened them with a misdemeanor, but he and the two inspectors left. <br />
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A few days later, the Hills received a letter from VDACS asking them to explain themselves. An attorney who offered to represent the Hills pro bono arranged for the inspectors to return at an appointed time and was present when the inspectors returned. <em>The inspectors spent four hours searching the milk processing building and the house, even opening the bathroom medicine cabinet! </em><br />
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The attorney required the inspectors to buy the cheese at market prices, to take one sample for the Commissioner of Agriculture, one for the state lab and to leave a sample for the Hills so they could have their own tests performed. The inspectors sent the cheese by UPS in a little cooler without dry ice to the state laboratory. If the shipping had been delayed, would the cheese have failed inspection? Fortunately, the cheese was frozen, arrived adequately chilled and passed testing with no findings of pathogens, filth or bacteria. The cheese also passed a subsequent inspection.<br />
<br />
The Hills are not against inspection per se. They have never turned away an inspector who had an appointment. They point out that other states allow small farmers to register with their state’s department of agriculture. The farms are inspected either by appointment or when there is a complaint. Twenty three states allow sales of uninspected, unpasteurized milk or milk products at farms and farmers’ markets. Virginia, however, is extreme. In Virginia, although police need a search warrant to come into the home of a drug dealer, VDACS inspectors often come to homes and farms unannounced. <br />
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VDACS has initiated prosecutions in Virginia Court against three other families who refused to allow warrantless inspections of their homes. All of these cases were thrown out on the refusal charge, but are pending on other Fourth Amendment Constitutional issues. <br />
<br />
In 2003, inspectors showed up unannounced at the Hill’s during breakfast once and also during a birthday party for a grandchild. The Hills refused entry both times. Then someone tipped them off that the Hills were hosting a program for sixteen children from Wakefield School on July 9th at 10:30 am. The inspectors arrived that morning, again without an appointment. Mary said they were busy with the children, but the inspectors insisted there would be an inspection that very moment. James told them they were trespassing so they left.<br />
<br />
Shortly thereafter, the Hills each received a summons saying they had violated three inspections requests. They were summoned to General District Court October 9, 2003 before Judge Foley. There was no court reporter present. This particular judge normally handles small violations like traffic tickets, not Constitutional issues. When the Hills quoted the Fourth Amendment, the judge told them to stop “hiding behind the flag”. He entered the Ruling of the Court on the back of the original summonses. James Hill’s ruling was “Not Guilty” and Mary’s ruling was “Guilty of _____”. It literally had a blank line, as if he needed time to think of a verdict. James was fined $314.00 and received a 30-day suspended jail sentence. Mary was fined $250.00 with a 30-day suspended jail sentence.<br />
<br />
Christine Solem, a small farm activist who co-owns a goat dairy in Charlottesville, was present to assist the Hills. She recommended they appeal immediately on the grounds that the Hills had a Constitutional right to refuse entry from inspectors who had no warrant. The Hills obtained copies of the summonses and appealed before leaving the building.<br />
<br />
At the Hill’s Motion to Dismiss hearing on January 22, 2004, they were shocked to discover that someone had used white out to change James Hill’s verdict to “Guilty as Charged”! Their attorney, Norman Lamson of Charlottesville, told the appeals court judge that a higher court cannot legally change the opinion of a lower court, nor can a lower court change the opinion of a higher court. Judge Parker said he himself did not change the record. However, he refused to admit anything was wrong.<br />
<br />
The Hills later learned a court clerk had changed the summons without consulting any judge. The Hills decided not to pursue the matter since the judge said he would hold an evidentiary hearing which would prove James had been found guilty. <br />
<br />
At the Motion to Dismiss hearing, the first step in the appeals process, the prosecutor asked Mary, “Are you aware that contaminated goat cheese can <em>kill people</em>?” Mary did not know how to answer; if she said yes, it would sound like an admission of guilt, but if she said no, she would sound ignorant. She was silent. Later, she wished she had said, “Not on my farm! We are inspected!” There have never been any complaints of people becoming sick after eating their cheese. <br />
<br />
Judge Parker denied the Hill’s Motion to Dismiss. With the financial help of Christine Solem, the Hills' attorney filed a Writ of Prohibition, which, if granted, would have blocked, on Constitutional grounds, any further proceedings in the case. The writ was denied the day before the trial, and the Hills went back to court on April 8th. <br />
<br />
A VDACS employee who had bought cheese from Mary “undercover” at the market testified at both trials. The purpose of his sting operation was unclear, since the Hills were never legally prohibited from selling their cheese. Mary indignantly told me later, “They act like I am selling drugs or prostitution!” <br />
<br />
The prosecution asked Mary, “How did you learn to make cheese? By trial and error?” Mary answered yes, although what she meant was over the course of years, some learning in Holland, some here in the States, many total years before she sold even one ounce of cheese. The prosecution loved her partial answer and implied that her customers had been lucky to survive. <br />
<br />
Legal precedents exist for finding the Hills not guilty: The United States Supreme Court ruled in Camara v. Municipal Court of the City and County of San Francisco, 387 U.S. 523 (1967), that a person may not Constitutionally be convicted for refusing to allow inspectors into their residence without a warrant. In Christine Solem’s Declaratory Action in Albemarle Circuit Court, Judge Paul Peatross enjoined VDACS agents from entering her property for an inspection without a warrant. The Hills were convicted of refusing to allow inspectors in, a "crime" with no victim.<br />
<br />
I called Mary the day they lost their appeal to ask how she was holding up. She sounded dejected. Her health had been shaky of late. She was tired of expending so much effort fighting for her way of life, only to lose repeatedly. The only good news was that the Circuit Court reduced the fines to $100.00 each and dropped all jail time. <br />
<br />
“So now,” Mary sighed, “We just sit and wait for them to show up again, those rude inspectors, interrupting our breakfast and prowling through our stuff.”<br />
<br />
The Hills are considering appealing the decision on the Writ of Prohibition and the Circuit Court Decision.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-83436802516855364012010-05-06T01:17:00.000-07:002010-05-06T01:20:20.385-07:00Homemade bread, dogs and mathI am scheduled for an entrance exam for college next week and I'm dreading the math portion. Despite the fact that I have held various bookkeeping type jobs over the years, I was never even an average math student.<br />
<br />
Somehow, maybe because I am easily distractable, thinking about the exam reminded me of a dog named Molly who lived with my parents at their house in Virginia. Molly was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a curly, wrinkly, worried looking little thing. (To see what she looked like, click here: <a href="http://www.findoutaboutdogbreeds.com/images/cavalier_king_charles.jpg">http://www.findoutaboutdogbreeds.com/images/cavalier_king_charles.jpg</a>)<br />
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Molly rarely left Mom's side and Mom babytalked to her in a way I found silly (even though I now do it to a little rescue dog of my own). Mom fed Molly commercial dog food, gave her scraps after she was done eating her own meal AND regularly made "dog stew" out of leftovers . This dog was NOT mistreated.<br />
<br />
Mom was an excellent baker and made Dad two loaves of whole wheat bread every Sunday. While the bread cooled on the counter, she also cooked a large beef roast. She cut the bread into 10 pieces and the roast into 5 pieces. Dad would take these downstairs and sit in front of the tv to watch the news while he made sandwiches to take to work during the week.<br />
<br />
Periodically, Dad would be annoyed because Mom "couldn't count" and only gave him nine pieces of bread! Mom is a retired teacher, and no matter what you think about public education these days, she could most certainly count to ten. (In fact, if we looked alike, I'd wonder if I could bribe her to take the math test for me.) <br />
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Mom thought Dad was mindlessly eating a piece of bread while he was watching the tube. This went on for months. <br />
<br />
I was living two hours away when the Mom suddenly "forgot how to count". <br />
<br />
I came to visit on a Sunday and wondered why there were crumbs all over the closet floor in my old bedroom. <br />
<br />
Dad is now deceased. I enjoy the memory of his face when I asked him who had been eating in my bedroom. He looked puzzled a moment and then he laughed. I suppose he never accused Mom of being unable to count again.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-65005237963872532472010-05-02T06:23:00.000-07:002010-05-02T06:23:04.532-07:00Kiosk Coffee at Home, Part TwoThe first part, published in Becky Holm's Douglas County News, can be seen a few posts back if you click on the column to the left. <br />
<br />
GOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
<br />
<strong>Kiosk Coffee at Home, Part Two</strong> by Larisa Sparrowhawk, localvorefresh@aol.com<br />
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Last week we tried several blended coffee drinks using frozen bananas, cream and coconut cream. A reader suggested I try yogurt, so I fiddled with various combinations but unfortunately was not pleased with them. It takes a LOT of additives to sweeten and thicken a drink blended with yogurt to rival $4.00 coffee confections. One and a half frozen very ripe bananas per tall blended drink provide a lot of sweetness and creaminess for only 120 calories, eliminating or nearly eliminating the need for any additional cream or sweetener. <br />
<br />
Today we will try both hot and cold drinks. <br />
<br />
When I was in college in the 80's, I had a roommate who had visited Italy. When everyone else was drinking powdered Lipton ice tea mix, she and I felt soave, indeed drinking strong coffee on ice. <br />
<br />
<strong>Italian Vanilla Iced Coffee</strong><br />
Stir 1 tsp. instant expresso, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and 2 tsp. brown sugar per two cups of strong hot coffee. Refrigerate. Pour over ice cubes, preferably made of coffee. Stir in half and half if desired.<br />
<strong>Black Forest Coffee</strong><br />
Stir 1 tsp. chocolate coffee syrup and 2-3 tbsp. black cherry juice concentrate (available in the natural food section of Sherm's or at natural food stores) into a mug of strong, hot coffee. Stir in 2-3 tbsp. half and half or float 2-3 tbsp. cream from the top of a can of coconut milk on top of the coffee. <br />
<br />
<strong>Cafe' Mexicano</strong><br />
Stir 1 tsp. chocolate coffee syrup, 1/4 tsp. brandy extract and a shot of Tabasco into a mug of strong, hot coffee. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.<br />
<br />
<strong>Middle Eastern Coffee, Iced or Hot</strong><br />
Mix 1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and cardamom per 2 scoops of coffee grounds before brewing. Serve coffee hot with honey if desired, or refrigerate and pour over ice.<br />
<br />
<strong>Middle Eastern Blended Coffee</strong><br />
Blend 2 cups of the above refrigerated coffee with 3 frozen overripe bananas and 2-4 tbsp. of cream from the top of a can of coconut milk. Serves two.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-40390410535603871082010-04-30T03:35:00.000-07:002010-04-30T03:35:31.571-07:00Oregon ballots coming soon!Oregon Consumers and Farmers Association Vice President Sharlyn Homola and I have spoken with the following candidates in the last two years and they have either said they were against NAIS and/or were willing to draft a bill for us against NAIS. There may be others in other districts; we only write of those we have spoken with personally. <br />
<br />
<br />
For Representative, 4th District, US Congress: Jaynee Germond. Sharlyn and I have both met Jaynee personally and she is an intelligent, loving and gracious human being who means what she says when she promises to research the issues and to read bills before she votes on them. Although a number of politicians understand that NAIS will be an expensive bureaucratic nightmare requiring untold numbers of additional administrative staffers and enforcement personnel, Jaynee also understands it will be an immoral infringement on the private home lives of individuals. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the incumbant Pete Defazio seems unconcerned about privacy issues. This baffles Sharlyn and me; Defazio was a vocal opponant of the Patriot Act. When questioned, he said the Patriot Act allowed spying on ordinary citizens without their knowledge and consent. Sharlyn, Jaynee and I do not believe that simple ownership of a horse or six chickens implies knowledge and consent. <br />
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For Governor of Oregon: John Lim. John is a reasonable, no nonsense fellow who understands that NAIS will cost a lot of money, anger a lot of citizens and accomplish nothing. <br />
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For State Senator, 4th District: you have a choice! Marilyn Kittelman, Republican or Floyd Prozanski, Democrat. I actually am in possession of a letter from Floyd offering to write a bill for us, however. <br />
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For State Representative, 7th District: Bruce Hanna<br />
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- Larisa Sparrowhawk, OCFA PresidentLarisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-65090059248525582652010-04-30T02:22:00.000-07:002010-04-30T02:22:22.660-07:00Song of John's Subtle RebellionI was thinking about Crater Lake, the second deepest lake in the world, on the same day I thought of food freedom fighters Christine Solem and the recently departed John Coles. John was a lovely man, smiling quietly as he bucked the system, giving away free goat cheese at the popular Charlottesville, Va. farmers market because he was no longer legally able to sell it. He did, however, accept donations for his and Christine's legal fund.<br />
<br />
<strong>Song of John's Subtle Rebellion</strong><br />
<br />
volcanic lake with inward spring<br />
drought could not his waters dry<br />
the deeps exposed both rock and sky<br />
a doe at dawn stretched near to drink<br />
<br />
summer fires blew from the south<br />
just to threaten tourist trade<br />
but water's cool in the cascades<br />
at day the doe lapped water's mouth<br />
<br />
a blizzard blew cold three feet deep<br />
the water's gray and strangely still<br />
the doe watch from a fir until<br />
at dusk the waters fell asleepLarisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-80403880333407023002010-04-25T00:14:00.000-07:002010-04-25T00:14:14.945-07:00Larisa's Top Ten Reasons to Live With Dogs Instead of Children<strong>Larisa's Top Ten Reasons to Live With Dogs Instead of Children</strong><br />
<br />
10. Dogs never open the refrigerator door, stare for 15 minutes and then declare NOTHING EVER looks good to eat in there. <br />
9. When you accidentally sneeze with your mouth full, dogs will help you clean it up. <br />
8. Dogs are PROUD to be seen walking with you. <br />
7. A frozen dog toy stuffed with frozen peanut butter will allow you a peaceful 2 hour nap. This trick does not work with TVs and Ipods.<br />
6. Getting your dog fixed to keep him from wandering off is considered humane. <br />
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5. Dogs never confuse that pretty green lump of wasabi on your sushi platter for mint ice cream. <br />
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4. Dogs won't crash your computer while looking up pictures of cute dogs in swimsuits. <br />
<br />
3. Dogs won't screech for something at the grocery store - and then refuse to eat it at home. <br />
<br />
2. Dogs happily wash the dinner dishes, whether you ask them to or not. <br />
<br />
1. It may be illegal to stuff a toddler in your purse or a box full of holes to save on airfare.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-28743918653383387642010-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:002010-05-09T00:50:11.785-07:00Kiosk Coffee At HomeKiosk Coffee At Home <br />
This will be a two part series in Becky Holm's Douglas County News<br />
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When I moved to Oregon I was charmed by all the cute, brightly colored little coffee houses. I'd never seen one before. Sure, Virginia had Starbucks, but they were just more stores in strip shopping malls. And I rarely got out of my car to go into one because I could never escape without spending at least $4.00 - or $20 if I happened to be with my daughter. But I had to try out coffees from cute little red and yellow buildings and ones that looked like windmills! <br />
<br />
My wallet is glad I got over that tempation quickly... and so are my heart and my waistline. Those drinks have way more caffeine and and sugar than anyone needs to consume in ten days, much less in ten minutes.<br />
<br />
I recently read an article comparing coffee drinks at various restaurants from the authors of "Eat This, Not That!" It was no surprise to me that many blended coffee drinks have 600 calories and at least 90 grams of sugar, but they even found drinks containing 1210 calories and 240 grams of sugar! Can you imagine yourself sitting down to eat a dozen twinkies? <br />
<br />
Keep in mind that a human liver is designed to process no more than 25 grams of sugar at a time and that sugars in excess are turned into triglycerides. High triglycerides are not only a better predictor of heart attacks than high cholesterol, but are also of diabetes and overweight in general. <br />
<br />
Becky Holm of Douglas County News and I thought it was time for a couple articles about healthier, cheaper blended coffee drinks at home.<br />
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Do not use non-dairy creamers, which include hydrogenated oils and corn starch. Also avoid nonfat dry milk, which contains oxygenated cholesterol (the dangerous kind). <br />
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These drinks are really quick to make if you have pre-chilled strong coffee. Make a pot of brewed coffee double strength or save leftover coffee and stir in 1 tsp. good quality instant coffee or expresso for every two cups while the coffee is still hot. You can also pour some into ice cube trays, pop them out and put them in plastic feezer bags. Some of the creamiest and sweetest drinks also require pre-frozen over-ripe banana chunks. If you like cinnamon, you can add 1 tsp. cinnamon to enough coffee grounds for a pot before brewing; this also makes delicious hot coffee.<br />
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All the recipes make two large drinks. A high speed commercial blender puts a nice froth on top of the drinks without whipping cream. <br />
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<em>Caramel Frappe</em> - This one tastes very much like a coffee house confection. It is too sweet for me, but others love it. For myself, I just omit the sugar. Blend at high speed: <br />
2 c. chilled, strong coffee<br />
3 large frozen bananas, in chunks<br />
2 heaping tbsp. cream from the top of a full-fat coconut milk can (or whipping cream)<br />
1 tsp. vanilla<br />
2 tbsp. brown sugar, raw sugar or honey<br />
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<em>Gingerbread Shake</em> - blend at high speed:<br />
2 c. chilled, strong coffee<br />
2 tsp. ginger flavored coffee syrup<br />
2 frozen bananas, in chunks<br />
1/4 tsp. cinnamon<br />
1/8 c. half and half, if desired<br />
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<em>Blended Cappuccino or Mochaccino</em> - blend at high speed: <br />
2 c. chilled, strong coffee<br />
5 coffee ice cubes<br />
1/4 tsp. cinnamon<br />
2 c. 2% milk <br />
2 tsp. honey if desired<br />
1-2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder if desired<br />
a little orange zest if desired<br />
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More next week!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-46853029133357066312010-04-24T23:10:00.000-07:002010-04-24T23:10:19.210-07:00Flavored oils and instant noodle soupsGOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
Instant noodle soups are handy for emergencies, lunches on the road and camping, but are unhealthy, overpriced and waste resources with their throw away containers. Here's a healthy, environmentally friendly and inexpensive recipe. I also included ideas for flavored oils to enhance the noodle soups and use in cooking.<br />
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A package of quality noodle soup costs about $1.75. Most groceries have cellophane (gluten free bean thread) pasta in $2.00 packages in the ethnic food section. These packs make five to six bowls of soup. They are traditionally added to long-cooked meat soups just before serving, since they soften very quickly. <br />
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Cut one packet of noodles into five or six portions with scissors (this is unfortunately messy) and put in closeable tupperware containers. Add to each container: 1-1 1/2 tsp. brewers (nutritional) yeast, 1/4-1/2 tsp. spice mix (try garam masala, schezuan seasoning, curry, etc.), a pinch of chives and some sliced dehydrated mushrooms, tomatoes or bell peppers. To serve, pour boiling water over, cover and let sit a few minutes. Enjoy as is, or add a dash of flavored oil just before serving. <br />
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Flavored oils are often very expensive. Peanut and sesame oil taste best with instant noodle soup. Add a small amount of thoroughly dehydrated minced garlic, lemon peel, basil, and/or hot pepper to a jar of oil. These must be no trace of moisture or the oil will spoil and could make you sick. If you are not sure, place the flavorings in an oven at 100-125 degrees for a couple hours. Let the oil sit at least three days before using; the flavor will intensify over time and will finally mellow.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-86545271488147274992010-04-10T05:30:00.001-07:002010-04-10T05:30:53.959-07:00Inexpensive Camping or Office FoodGOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
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<br />
by Larisa Sparrowhawk localvorefresh@aol.com<br />
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Although fresh from scratch foods are always best, sometimes light weight, packable and inexpensive foods are useful, such as for camping or for "emergency food" at the office. When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with those little packets of flavored oatmeal, which were then new on the market. I'd frequently eat three packs, sometimes only opening the third to try to get all the goodies (flavored sugar, raisins) out of it while leaving the oats behind. Today a box of ten one ounce packs is about $4.00, so my breakfast would today cost over a dollar, contain 464 calories and would send me into a sugar coma. My version, about a cup of "cooked" oatmeal with only one teaspoon of evaporated cane juice (raw sugar) and spices, contains only 161 calories. <br />
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Here's the basic recipe for one serving: 1/3 cup dry instant oatmeal (59-67 cents per pound in bulk), 1/4 tsp. each ginger and psyllium powders, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. evaporated cane juice. Simply pour boiling water over, stir thoroughly and let stand a couple minutes. The psyllium not only adds extra fiber, but also improves the texture and helps to lower cholesterol. True cinnamon, if you can find it, really helps regulate blood sugar. Cinnamon cassia, which is more commonly found in stores, is less effective, but still tastes good. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory. To take this on the road, place 1-1 1/2 tsp. of the mix in a plastic bag or tupperware along with 1/3 c. quick oats. If you like your oatmeal richer, those tiny tubs of half and half from coffee shops are perfect and do not need refrigeration.<br />
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To make a handy mix for twelve servings, use 1 tbsp. each ginger and psyllium, 2 tbsp. cinnamon, and 4 tbsp. sugar (or more if you find my recipe not sweet enough). <br />
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Despite the instructions on the box, instant potatoes do not really require cooking. For 1/2 cup, add 1/4 tsp. each nutritional (brewers) yeast, psyllium powder and Herbamare or salt. Sprinkle on curry, paprika, or pepper according to your taste. Add boiling water, stir and let sit a couple minutes. The nutritional yeast serves as a healthy, high vitamin replacement for broth concentrate. Again, those half and half tubs are convenient. <br />
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Next week: assorted instant soups!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-34304958720282365142010-04-03T23:53:00.000-07:002010-04-03T23:53:32.680-07:00Sangria Chicken, Duck or TurkeyThis will be in Becky Holm's Douglas County News on Wednesday:<br />
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Sangria Chicken/Duck/Turkey<br />
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This dish was inspired by both my love of chutney and my laziness. I wanted the flavor, but neither the sugar in premade chutneys nor the work of making my own. When I had access to inexpensive duck, I used to make this dish regularly. It is just as delicious with chicken or turkey, although if you have any picky children, they might wonder why the meat is fuschia! <br />
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Common to all the variations is the internal stuffing for the bird: one whole orange and some chopped up onions. Also the bird needs to be cooked very slowly at 250 degrees and basted regularly to achieve maximum flavor. Cook in a covered, deep pyrex, stainless or glass (not aluminum!) pan with any of the following:<br />
<br />
Version #1: 2 cups inexpensive red wine, along the lines of "Three Buck Chuck", juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, 1/2 orange and the contents of one small can of pinapple. <br />
Version #2: 2 cups rose', rosehips, chopped apples, 1/2 bag frozen blackberries.<br />
Version #3: add hot sauce and garlic to the first recipe. <br />
Version #4: add sliced ginger to the second recipe.<br />
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Once the bird is falling apart tender, remove the lid, turn up the heat and place under the broiler, watching closely, to brown and crisp the skin without burning it. Remove and cut up the orange used for stuffing, placing sections on each person's plate. Enjoy!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-68633054951122554912010-03-25T00:41:00.000-07:002010-03-25T04:55:40.066-07:00Biblical Dietary Laws - Conclusion: Considering Changes at HomeIn the preceeding three articles, I presented the basics of the original Biblical dietary laws and how they were expanded by Talmudic rabbis and eliminated by the Vatican. Without crossing grandparents who follow the traditions of their faith, what should a modern family wishing to make meals more holy do?<br />
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Joel Salatin, a farm rights activist who has written a number of very popular sustainable and ethical farming books, is a devout Christian. After he gives one of his rousing Revivalist style speeches, he is often asked why he thinks pork was taboo. Joel answers that during the time the Bible was written, the only pork available was either wild boar (carrion eaters) or from filthy city lots - the ancient version of modern factory farming. Although he would never touch feedlot pork, pigs range happily over dozens of wooded acres on his own farm. They do not smell or bite each others' ears or tails off. They are lean, muscular and healthy. I've enjoyed pork not only from Joel's farm, but also from others who free range their pigs: Double H Farm in Wingina, Virginia, Afton Field Farm in Corvallis, Oregon and Deck Family Farm in Junction City, Oregon. <br />
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I won't claim to be the model religious citizen myself. In college, I dabbled with Buddhism. I wandered in and out of churches for ten years and let a whopping 23 years elapse between synagogue visits. However, I do study Torah and Talmud almost daily, so what I lack in outward observance, I hopefully make up in education. I now keep Biblically kosher at home, meaning I eschew forbidden foods. Although I follow the Talmudic injunction against eating milk products in the same meal with meat, it is only because I don't like waking up the next day with a sour stomach. I do not go so far as to keep two sets of dishes and silverware to prevent mingling of meat and milk. <br />
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Like Disciple Paul, while I am a guest, I eat whatever is placed before me. Tuesday, I visited my mother, who served shrimp with a delicious Askenazic buckwheat pilaf. I saw no contradiction, ate with gusto, and returned for second helpings. <br />
<br />
I don't feel deprived in the least. I don't miss pepperona pizza; I always thought pepperoni was scary stuff, anyway. Although pork sausage is tasty, I prefer Cattail Creek Farm's expensive but delectable lamb sausage. (Junction City, Oregon.)<br />
<br />
Lamb is more expensive than pork (dressing out a 45-50% of weight in comparison with pork's 65%), but I've found center leg slices from Anderson Ranch (Brownsville, Oregon) at great prices at Sherm's Thunderbird. For a treat, sometimes I go to Long's Meat Market in Eugene (at 28th Street, near the Willamette Market of Choice) and fairly salivate over their fine in-house butchered products: very reasonably priced local lamb as well as beef. <br />
<br />
B&K Natural Farm in Sutherlin has excellent prices on free range poultry. Afton Field Farm gives a discount if you help on processing day! <br />
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Since my kids moved out, I eat meat rarely - only two or three meals a month, but every bite is top notch, from pastured animals. I enjoy every bite with a clean conscience and a happy belly.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-18741829611964445922010-03-20T04:59:00.000-07:002010-05-30T02:45:01.621-07:00Biblical Dietary Laws part 3Among what Becky Holm calls my "wee little food articles" in her Douglas County News:<br />
<br />
*****<br />
Biblical Dietary Laws, Part 3 by Larisa Sparrowhawk, <a href="mailto:localvorefresh@aol.com">localvorefresh@aol.com</a><br />
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Last week we left off with "you shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk", which I believe is an injuction against cruelty to a young animal's mother. There are health reasons, as well. Milk contains lactoferrin, which inhibits iron absorption, and vegetables contain vitamin c, which increases iron absorption. Neither milk nor meat contain fiber; they require fiber from vegetables to move through the digestive tract. Therefore, we would do better to eat meat with vegetables and not with milk products. <br />
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Wheat, oats, barley, spelt and rye were all grains used in Israel. A famous early recipe for bread in Ezekial includes both grains and beans and is a complete meal. During Biblical times, leavened breads were made from grains that were soaked, thus creating sourdough that tasted better and was more easily digested. They were somewhat domed, small round loaves about the size of the palm of your hand and men typically ate several a day, along with lentils and vegetables. Meats were eaten IF they had been slaughtered and prepared in a kosher manner, with appropriate thanks given to God.<br />
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During the long exile of Jews from Israel, both the Vatican and the Talmudian Rabbis had political reasons to disassociate their religions from each other, despite both claiming ancestors in the Old Testament. Thus, it became common for Jews to greatly expand upon Biblical dietary laws. Christians, interpreting part of the Book of Matthew and teachings of Paul, abandoned dietary laws. However, a closer reading of the Books of Matthew and Acts has brought some Christian groups, most notably the Seventh Day Adventists, back to the Law in Leviticus. <br />
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Paul taught that one should eat whatever was placed before him, without question and if one bought meat at a market, one should not worry that it may have come from a ceremony worshipping idols because unpure foods could not make a man unpure. However, Jesus followed the laws of kashrut (kosher foods), and well after the Crucifixion, Peter still ate kosher. Jesus, in Matthew 5:17-20, said "I came not to destroy the Law or the Prophets... til heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled. whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven..." <br />
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When the Philistines confront Jesus regarding washing hands before eating bread, Jesus gives a long answer, only part of which is commonly quoted (Matthew 15:11): "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man." Peter asks for clarification, and Jesus explains in Matthew 15:18-20: "...whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man... evil thoughts, murders, aldulteries... these are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." <br />
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In Acts 10:10-28, Peter, while praying on the roof, has a vision in which a sheet descended from heaven, covered with non-kosher animals. A voice told him to eat, but Peter answered, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." God advised he should never call what He had given him common or unclean. Peter, still musing this, met Romen men at the door and realized the meaning: "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean." <br />
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Continued next week!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-29521414092034160512010-03-13T03:08:00.000-08:002010-04-30T02:14:58.539-07:00Biblical Dietary Laws, Part 2This will also be in Becky Holm's Douglas County News. I get a small section of page 7, so it may take me several articles to discuss the subject until either a) I am satisfied or b) people are getting bored!<br />
<br />
*****<br />
The Book of Leviticus, which lays out God's expectations for the Israelites, includes dietary laws. Many have tried to discern hard and fast rules for why certain animals are included or prohibited. The only clear commonality I see is that "clean" meats are low on the food chain. Most of the "unclean" animals are predators or carrion eaters. Others are simply unusual for where they live, like animals that live in water but can walk on land or are so simply made that there is no way to separate ingestive and excretory organs from the meat (as in shellfish). Clean animals include: cloven hooved animals that chew their cud, fish with fins and scales, crickets, locusts and grasshoppers, and non-predatory and non-carrion eating birds. <br />
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<br />
The fact that pork is prohibited is well known, and most people assume this is for health reasons. In Virginia, I raised pigs. They are hilarious and intelligent, but they will eat absolutely everything. I purchased them to clear marshy woods (unsuitable for goats) of thorn bushes and poison oak, which they did admirably. They also ate grass, some live chickens (to my horror) and excess garden produce. Occasionally, they'd break fences and go beg at the neighbors' houses or run up Courtney's Corner Road to Highway 17, literally looking for road kill to eat. An animal that died three days ago is still food to a pig. No doubt, the ancients knew that any animal that ate decomposing critters could give them food poisoning. Distressed pigs will also turn on their human handlers and eat them. <br />
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Poultry also are rather unpicky about their diet, but the Israelites may have highly valued their proclivity for chasing down and eating insects. <br />
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Although the command "you shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" is repeated three times, it is never explained. The Rabbis in the Talmud wrote that milk and meat could not be eaten in the same meal, but the Bible itself does not say this. Dairy and meat together are difficult to digest. The Bible also commands one to never slaughter a calf in front of its mother and to set a mother bird free before taking her young. I view the "boiling a kid" rule as an injuction against cruelty to its mother. <br />
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Continued next week!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-91372157671855248072010-03-07T06:17:00.000-08:002010-03-07T06:17:22.573-08:00Part I, Biblical Dietary LawsAlso sent to Becky Holm's Douglas County News<br />
GOOD FOOD, CHEAP<br />
<br />
<strong>Biblical Dietary Laws</strong> by Larisa Sparrowhawk, localvorefresh@aol.com<br />
<br />
In the next two columns I will discuss Biblical dietary laws that are relevant to both Jewish and Christian denominations. On the Sixth Day, God said He gave man "every seed bearing plant that is upon the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit" for food and also that he gave all the animals, including birds, "all green plants" (or "herbs," depending on your translation) for food. Clearly, the original diet for all was vegetarian. <br />
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No details are given of how Noah understood the concept of clean (acceptable as offerings or human food) and unclean (not acceptable) meats, but Noah did. Man may have already become an omnivore. God instructed that Noah take seven pairs of every clean animal and only one pair of the unclean, with him into the ark. Once the waters receeded, God gave Noah instructions that "every creature" could be eaten, which seems odd in light of the previous classification of clean and unclean. Moreover, the simple fact that Noah was instructed to bring enough of the clean animals to allow burnt offerings, meals and procreation, suggests that details are missing here that will be supplied later.<br />
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Throughout Genesis, before the Revelation at Sinai, we read of meals of game, kids (goats), lambs, cattle, bread, lentils and grains. All the animals used in offerings were animals later mentioned as ritually clean. Unleavened bread and lamb are required by God for Passover rituals. We get an early example of "be careful what you wish for" when the Israelites grumble that they have no bread and meat and are sent so much manna and quail they sicken of them. (Modern scientists believe the manna Israelites found to eat in the wilderness was actually a secretion of a type of aphid.)<br />
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In Exodus, God promises that if the people follow his laws, they will be free of the diseases of the Egyptians, "for I, the Lord, am your healer." With the laws of both food and bodily cleanliness, He shows how. <br />
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Tune in next week!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-48582662916965544772010-03-07T06:14:00.000-08:002010-03-07T06:14:13.439-08:00misleading headline to article in NY Times makes it seem like NAIS is dead<em>I'm a little late in uploading this response to a New York Times article. I sent this to OCFA's email list and uploaded it on several Facebook foodie pages.</em><br />
<br />
This article, published yesterday, has already been blasted all over, including in the Organic Consumers and Farmers Association online newsletter and also in Farm and Ranch's online newsletter. The headline makes it sound like the Feds are giving up on NAIS. But they are not. Animal traceback and destruction are still included in S510 (which WILL go to a vote one of these days...) and the article itself makes it clear that states are still expected to work on traceback and that the Feds will design a new program. <br />
<br />
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Disturbingly, the article also says the American Farm Bureau was against NAIS, but they were in fact, a major author of it.<br />
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We know that many people don't read entire newspaper articles; makes you wonder if the USDA submitted a press release with this headline because it served them to mislead, or if the newspaper had a reason to mislead.<br />
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In another note, Oregon Consumers and Farmers Association has a Facebook page (Oregon Farm Rights), where I post articles of interest. The recent Supreme Court decision to legalize corporate buying of legislators will also affect us. On my personal FB page, I post about this type of thing several days a week; on OCFA's page I try to be more moderate. Friend either or both of us for access to regular political rants! :) Make sure you mention that you are interested in food rights.<br />
<br />
-Larisa<br />
<br />
The article is here: <br />
<strong>U.S.D.A. Plans to Drop Program to Trace Livestock</strong> <br />
Eric Draper for The New York Times<br />
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The H. Jay Platt family operates a 16,000-acre ranch in New Mexico, and opposes a federal identification plan to track livestock. <br />
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By WILLIAM NEUMAN<br />
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Published: February 5, 2010 <br />
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Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and farmers, the Obama administration has decided to scrap a national program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.<br />
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In abandoning the program, called the National Animal Identification System, officials said they would start over in trying to devise a livestock tracing program that could win widespread support from the industry. <br />
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The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will announce the changes on Friday, according to officials at the Agriculture Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public. <br />
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The officials said that it would be left to the states to devise many aspects of a new system, including requirements for identifying livestock. <br />
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New federal rules will be developed but the officials said they would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce, such as cattle raised in one state being transported to a slaughterhouse in another state. <br />
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It could take two years or more to create new federal rules, the officials said, and it was not clear how far the government would go to restrict the movement of livestock between states if the animals did not meet basic traceability standards. <br />
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The system was created by the Bush administration in 2004 after the discovery in late 2003 of a cow infected with mad cow disease. <br />
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Participation of ranchers and farmers in the identification system was voluntary, but the goal was to give every animal, or in the case of pigs and poultry, groups of animals, a unique identification number that would be entered in a database. The movements of animals would be tracked, and if there was a disease outbreak or a sick animal was found, officials could quickly locate other animals that had been exposed. <br />
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But the system quickly drew the ire of many farmers and ranchers, particularly cattle producers. Some objected to the cost of identification equipment and the extra work in having to report their animals’ movements. Others said they believed the voluntary system would become mandatory, that it was intrusive and that the federal government would use it to pry into their lives and finances. <br />
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The old system received $142 million in federal financing, but gained the participation of only 40 percent of the nation’s livestock producers, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.<br />
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When Mr. Vilsack took over the Agriculture Department last year, he began a series of public meetings on the identification program and was bombarded by strident opposition. <br />
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Agriculture officials said that most details of a new system would be worked out in the coming months through consultation with the livestock industry and the states. <br />
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“It was just overwhelming in the country that people didn’t like it, and I think they took that feedback to heart,” said Mary Kay Thatcher, public policy director of the American Farm Bureau Federation, which had opposed the identification system. “I think it’s good they’ve at least said we’re going to do something different.”<br />
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Carol Tucker Foreman, a food safety expert of the Consumer Federation of America, agreed that the old system was not working and needed to be changed. <br />
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But she worried that a new system that could have different rules in every state might not be effective. <br />
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“It’s very, very hard to have an effective state-by-state program,” she said.Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155791133369414168.post-52811073540470829082010-03-07T06:10:00.000-08:002010-03-07T06:10:29.669-08:00Revising Cake RecipesGOOD FOOD CHEAP<br />
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<strong>Revising Cake Recipes for Better Health</strong> by Larisa Sparrowhawk localvorefresh@aol.com<br />
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Do you have a recipe book that consistently gives you desserts your family enjoys, but which could be healthier? Are you struggling to meet your New Year's resolutions while your kids are clamoring for cake? Most unhealthy recipes can be improved without your family's resistance if you try one upgrade at a time - for instance, cutting back sugar without also changing to whole grain flours and lessening the fat content. <br />
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Many cake recipes include as much sugar as flour. Sugar does have a moistening effect on baked goods, so either try reducing the sugar by 1/3 and not changing the rest of the recipe, or reduce it by 1/2 and add in a tablespoon of honey or unsweetened apple sauce for each 1/2 cup sugar used. Add a little extra vanilla, cinnamon, ginger or other spice. Don't be fooled by the advertisements for fake sugars - they are bad for you. Aspartame is a neurotoxin and Splenda, a chlorocarbon, is hard on the liver and digestive system. <br />
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The next time you try the cake recipe, sustitute 1/3 of the flour with a whole grain flour. This is a lot easier to do sneakily with chocolate or carrot cake than vanilla or light colored cakes. Wheat, spelt or kamut work best. Heavier flours like oat work well in muffins and brownies. Gluten free recipes often include half "real" flour and half starch of some sort. You can usually drop the starch to 1/3 of the recipe without complaint if you use a smooth grained flour. Authentic Foods makes a finely ground rice flour. Sorghum flour is also smoother than most rice flours. <br />
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Replace all trans fats (like margarine, shortening and most commercial peanut butters) with real fats. Replace vegetable oils with flavorful nut oils and you can often decrease the amount used. Peanut oil is not expensive and contains 48% oleic acid, the same acids revered in olive oil. If a recipe calls for 1 cup vegetable oil, try 7/8 (or 3/4) cup of mixed peanut oil and melted butter. Add 1/8 (or 1/4) cup apple sauce. Although it may be tempting to use flax oil, DON'T - all its benefits disappear when heated. <br />
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Frosting recipes are usually horrible - generally tremendous amounts of powdered sugar plus a little liquid. The better ones use cream cheese, but you can lower the fat by replacing each 8 oz package of cream cheese with 1 cup and 2 tablespoons whole milk plain yogurt. Place the yogurt in a colander lined with cheesecloth overnight and allow all the water to drain out, then gently press out a little more. Flavor with 2-3 tbsp.honey and a pinch of appropriate spice or 2 tbsp. carob or cocoa. Beat in 2 tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil and refrigerate to firm the frosting enough to spread. This is so good with cardamom and honey that it's tempting to eat it straight!Larisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270242253150752116noreply@blogger.com0