a letter to parents about gmo's in organic baby food

i just sent out an email to some of my friends who are young parents in regards to an email i received from organicconsumers.org.  i was shocked to see that gmo's are moving so quickly and shamelessly into our labeled organic products.  i know that these parents want to make informed decisions about the food they give to their babies, and after i sent the email i realized that the majority of parents want to make informed decisions and i should post this for hopefully others to see.  so here goes my letter to them :

i just recently found out about gmo's being purposely put into "organic" products, particularly baby foods and i wanted to send you the link i received from organicconsumers.org, for you to make informed decisions at the grocery store.

gmo's are genetically modified organisms that have not been proven to be safe in our foods. there are actually links to harm done by it (including deaths of animals, still births in animals, etc). europe, among others, has banned it.

heres the link
http://organicconsumers.org/documents/gmo-dha-ara-organic.pdf

for more info about gmos

you can go to http://thefutureoffood.com/ and watch their free documentary.

if you want to take action against gmo in your foods go here http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24413.cfm (change the zip, i think its linked to mine)

or scroll around http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm

let me know if you want more info or have any questions and i will do my best to get it to you

love you guys!

and here's some added info on how organic labeling works:

Products displaying the USDA Organic seal must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients.

Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase "made with organic ingredients" and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the front of the package. However, the USDA Organic seal cannot be used anywhere on the package.

Processed products containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot use the term "organic" other than to identify the specific ingredients that are organically produced in the ingredients statement.

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this is where the email ended.  HERE is a little more research found since then.

from window box to table in a couple of hours

wow. it's been a while since my last post. i blame it on my first-ever container garden. i plan on blogging about that blog-distracter in an up and coming post but hope to whet your appetite (no pun intended) with two of my eggplants - from window box to table within a coupla hours. may I present to you my eggplant parmesan:

soaking in salty water for an hour to take out the bitterness

rinse and dry

and fry... in minimal extra-virgin olive oil. 

then layered em up and added tomato paste between layers and topped it off with some cheese. 

stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about an hour and it all equals yumminess ...with ribs and okra as sides :)

make your own deodorant

my husband and i are running low on the deodorant that i made about 6 months ago and i am making more this morning. this is the site that i found a fantastic recipe from (she even has a video).

i like to add a few drops (5-10 ish...or more) of essential oils into the mix.  i tend to use tea tree oil for its anti-bacterial qualities and patchouli for its scent...  and because it smells like something a person who makes their own deodorant would use  :)

i tend to keep the bulk of it in a glass jar and i recently purchased a small plastic container to keep some in for when we travel.

the coconut oil will melt at 76 degrees so it is best to keep it in a cool place if possible; be careful if/when you do travel that it is in an airtight container so it does not ooze out.  the site mentioned above recommends keeping it in a fridge (or a cooler when you travel) on warmer days and then take it out about 10 minutes before use so it's not too hard to work with.  ...with all that said, i keep it on our dresser throughout the year and use it in its melted or hardened form.

apply with your fingers.  :)

did i mention that this is a really good recipe?  and inexpensive?

make your own yogurt

i am currently making yogurt and am reminded that i should share the recipe with my friends.  there are multiple ways to make it whether it be on stovetop or crock-pot.  sally fallon explains how to make yogurt on stovetop in her nourishing traditions cookbook.  i came across a crockpot recipe via another blog and decided that it was a better match for me.

i like this recipe because the work is pretty minimal; the main thing you want to think about before getting started is if you will be home/awake (or have a timer on your crockpot for the 1st stage) during the 3 timely stages.

i started at 2:30pm today.  i just turned off the crockpot and in 3 hours i will add some yogurt, stir it, then let it rest in a warm place for 8-12 hours.  i will have yogurt by 8 tomorrow morning.  and then i will mostly use my half gallon of yogurt to make some yogurt bread, smoothies... and more yogurt.

i use the plain brown cow yogurt to get it started and then my own for the next few batches of yogurt... ive gone as far as 8 batches with my own yogurt before we ate it all and i had to start over again

dont forget to go here for the full recipe!

my 'websites of interest' column

this column, found at the top right of my blog (hint -->), contains websites that i think are important/helpful in regards to food, cosmetics, and being good stewards of what we have been given- be it food, home,  land, or "stuff".

the first (many) sites listed have to do with food; they contain articles, where you can find local food (here's another), and videos on how big agriculture may be harming small scale farmers, the environment, and our future (click here too) - please watch the food inc. trailer, and then watch the movie (via netflix, or whatnot) and that will get you ready to watch the future of food movie, which is free to watch via their own website.  

the following sites found on my column are about the dangers of our cosmetics and how to find out how your current cosmetics rate and what may be a safer alternative.

last but not least, the final site is about the stuff that we have/buy and what happens to it when we get rid of it.

i will probably add more sites as i come across them. 

please peruse through these sites whenever you are able.  

and no, i am not getting paid to write a spiel about them  :)

testing out my mobile picture posts

i made this yogurt herb bread and butter (thanks to sally fallon's recipes).  and hubster and i are enjoying it very much.  i'm actually eating it and blogging with one hand.  next time, now that i know i can, i will post pics of the bread making process.  see butter recipe below :)

grass fed steak... it's yum, just plain yum!

i was born in brasil and raised in texas = i LOVE grilled meat, specifically steak!!!

when i would come home from college (a distance of almost 900 miles), my parents knew that with my arrival would also come a special request for us to grill out (at least once) before i returned to my dorm-room and school cafeteria.  

and we did.  regardless of the weather.  

i remember a time when my daddy hung a tarp up above the beautiful brick grill (that he built by himself) in order to avoid the heavy rains as he fired up the grill.

and boy can he grill!

and when he grills, there is no such thing as lighter fluid or quick burning briquettes.  it's all about patience.  he has a special technique to getting the fire to start and to remain.  then, once the flame has died down and is not so hot, it's time to put the meat on. 

....this past november i was able to attend a conference where i got to hear shannon hayes, a woman after my own heart, talk about all things beef and how to  prepare and cook them.  she grew up on a livestock farm and knows pretty much all there is to know about a good steak- from farm, to butcher, to grill.  she actually shared with us, step by step, about the importance of each of the aforementioned stages in order to have the best possible piece of meat on your plate come dinnertime.  

she shared a lot of interesting and helpful information, including recipes - two of which i want to share with you---