Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I am so excited to see a wonderful giveaway today from Cultures of Health hosted by one of my favorite blogs, Nourished Kitchen.  It is a total kit to start fermenting vegetables at home.  My entire family needs to eat more fermented foods at home and it has been a trial to convince my husband to give many of them a try.  My son however loves real sauerkraut and I think he’d adore some of the recipes on Nourished Kitchen for fermented foods.

The perfect recipe to try and entice my reluctant hubby would be Nourished Kitchen’s recipe for Pickled Jalepeños.  My husband loves jalepeños, and even though he’s from Maryland he embraced many of our often considered strange Texan quirks of putting jalepenos on everything from breakfast to dessert.

We also do a fair amount of Tex Mex, Spanish and Mexican cooking and these Pickled Jalepeños would be an excellent addition to my recipes.

If I win this kit I will be sure to share my new found discoveries with you all as i try out various recipes on Nourished Kitchen’s website and also experiment with my own.  I remember a tasty looking spicy carrot pickle that Alton Brown made on Good Eats however that was not fermented.  It would be great to give that one a try with some healthful probiotics in the mix.

These delicious pork ribs are slow cooked in the oven but can easily be put in a smoker instead and then finished on the grill.  Use fresh and organic spices for the best flavor and natural benefits.

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back pork ribs

1 tbsp New Mexico Chili Powder (or other favorite chili powder)

1 tbsp Ancho Chili Powder

1 tsp Rapadura or Maple Sugar (Turbinado also works)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

1/2 tsp Texas Red Dog Chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, for an extra kick)

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt (course)

1 tsp ground black pepper (white or mixed peppercorns also a good option)

Finish with your favorite BBQ sauce.  We used Annie’s Naturals Organic Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free)

To Prepare:

Prepare ribs if your butcher has not by rinsing and removing the silver skin and if necessary cut the racks into two pieces for ease of handling.   This blog has a video that shows how http://nibblemethis.blogspot.com/2009/04/bbq-pork-loin-back-ribs.html

Dry the meat with a lint free towel.  Place meat side down in a roasting pan and apply rub liberally to both sides of the ribs placing them back in the roasting pan meat side down and cover pan with foil.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes with rub.

Place in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 4 hours.  Ribs are done when the bone is starting to show or you can see if the ribs easily fold with a pair of tongs.

Serve dry or to finish wet:

Take them out and place on the grill meat side up and apply sauce, allow to cook 2 minutes then flip.  Cover bottom with sauce and allow to cook another 2 minutes before flipping once again and putting more sauce on the meat side and cooking another 2 minutes then pull off the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare totally on the grill put the grill on a low heat and place the ribs meat side down away from direct heat.  Close the grill and allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours and test as above.  To finish the wet method see above.

If you don’t have a grill and want to finish them wet in the oven that’s easy.  Put sauce on the bottom of the ribs with meat side down and put oven at 350 degrees.  Cook about 5 minutes then flip and cover the top with sauce and cook another 5 minutes.

Always allow the ribs to rest 5 to 10 minutes  before eating so the juices can settle and you don’t burn yourself. =)

Happy BBQing!

Hard to believe it’s summer again, and sweltering in Texas though we’ve had a nice break the last few days with a good amount of rain due to the hurricane down south. Here in Texas we’ve always taken great joy in celebrating Independence Day. After all we are one of the few states that can boast our own independence.

I find myself thinking about what that really means these days though. Are we truly free? In some ways yes, but in other ways we are definitely not. It’s been a busy summer already with reports of food and health freedoms being trampled upon by an over-eager government enforcing outrageous regulations and not just in our country.

Locally we felt it. It was with great sadness and not a little anger that I write about one episode close to home. Our local CSA was shut down by the USDA because of outrageous requirements that make sense on large farms and no sense at all on small operations selling directly to the customer. What was the evil they committed? Recycling wax boxes to save money and prevent waste instead of always using new ones when harvesting the organic produce.

In Great Britain they are now banning the sale of eggs and other food products by number instead of by weight/volume. That sounds alright on the surface but then again when you consider it is now illegal to buy eggs by the dozen or a dozen dinner rolls, or even to see how many rolls are in a package it begins to become absurd. These regulations are burdensome on the producers and end up costing money to regulate which increases the tax burden and they cost money for the producers to comply. For example in this situation the egg producers and shopkeepers will have to design and obtain all new packaging, will have to design new methods to weigh and calculate instead of just put 12 medium sized eggs in the medium carton and the costs for all of this will be transfered to the consumer. Read more here: EU to ban selling of eggs by the dozen

Back here at home we have the FDA telling us that we do not have the right to obtain our own food or to make informed decisions about what types of food we will purchase and cosume. Read more: “FDA says ‘No right to eat what you want’”. This was in response to the law suit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) claiming that the federal regulations against the purchase and consumption of raw milk are unconstitutional.

With this news it should come as no surprise that the FDA is also moving to severely limit the amount of “sodium” in processed foods, also sounds good on the face of it but is it really? Real salts have minerals that are good for the human body and are required for many foods to be preserved, and also for them to taste good. What do you suppose will take the place so producers can make sure their products don’t spoil and they taste good? Probably dangerous toxins like MSG. That would likely suit the FDA just fine as they’ve shown a serious conflict of interest with the large corporations that make food additives, GMOs and other products including the monster Monsanto. The FDA has a revolving door with Monsanto where Monsanto executives end up running the FDA, then head back to Monsanto and big bucks and who knows what else. When will this corruption end? Read more: Labeling Issues, Revolving Doors, rBGH, Bribery and Monsanto

This Independence Day I’d like to ask you all to think about what freedom means to you. To think about what our country fought for when they decided to declare their independence. Did that include the most fundamental rights to choose what we eat and how we live? I think so. How about you?

Father’s day is here again and as I see commercials, ads in papers and the radio I have to wonder how the day has become so misguided.  The day seems more focused on what to buy for Dad, what gifts he wants or should get but what about just spending a wonderful day grilling some nutritious foods and enjoying the family?

So, let’s take the day back for the Dad’s out there!  Fire up the grill and get ready to enjoy a day full of love, laughter and memories.  That’s what we will be doing and I will share the recipes with you over the next coming weeks starting first with my Potato Salad Recipe which is my gift to you for Father’s Day.

Our menu:

Dawn’s Texas Potato Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob (organic, fresh from the garden if you are lucky enough)
Texan Grassfed Burgers
Hot Dogs (Natural, nitrate/nitrite free Applegate Farms w/ gluten free buns)
Sauerkraut
Mixed Grilled Veggies (whatever is available)

To Drink:

Beer for my husband (Gluten free varieties are available but not on my budget)
Kefir water sodas (fruit flavored and ginger ale)

Snacks:

Homemade Popcorn
Carrot & Celery Sticks w/ Dip

Wow, this sounds so good! Now I’m starving. Have a happy Father’s Day everyone!

A simple to make, nutrient filled potato salad that is similar to other ‘southern’ recipes but with my own unique twists and style and much healthier ingredients. I recommend using Creme Fraiche along with fresh Mayonnaise. This is of course a high carbohydrate dish but adding the good quality saturated fats along with probiotics will ease digestion and make this holiday treat more nutritious.

This is a treat for us not only because of the high carbohydrate content of the potatoes but also because it takes some time and time to prepare. It is totally worth it though and is one of my favorite “comfort foods” reminding me of a childhood long past. My father always made potato salad and he used some unhealthy ingredients including “Miracle Whip”. I remember he’d use half a jar and was always very upset if we didn’t have any. One year he had only regular mayonnaise and I told him to pour some of the corn syrup liquid from the pickles into the potato salad and that did the trick. Miracle Whip is just extra corn syrupy mayonnaise… yuck! =) If you are a previous Miracle Whip fan or are serving those that are try adding a touch of sugar to the lemon juice (1 tsp rapadura or maple sugar should work).

On a hot Texas summer day there is nothing like some BBQ food with cold potato salad and cole slaw on the side. It is also great because we can prepare it ahead of time and it’s ready to serve right out of the fridge.

Serves 8

3 lbs organic russet potatoes (peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 hard boiled egg diced
1 small red onion diced
3 ribs celery diced
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
1/4 cup chopped herbs (fresh basil & thyme)
1/8 tsp mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped sweet Bubbies pickles (optional)
1 tsp celery salt (optional, in place of one tsp salt)
2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt
Pepper to taste

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks about 1 inch square but accuracy doesn’t matter just make sure the the size is fairly uniform so the potatoes cook at the same speed. If you have big chunks and small chunks the big ones will still be raw when the small ones are done. If you finish cooking the big ones the small ones will fall apart and taste water logged. Sometimes I use red potatoes for this and I leave some with the skin on.

Place the pieces in a pot of cold/room temperature water until submerged. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for approx 10 minutes and check a larger chunk with a fork. the fork should slide easily but not make it fall apart.

Drain thoroughly into a coriander and then place in a bowl to cool. This recipe works best with cold potatoes so after they reach room temperature I place them in the refrigerator.

All the other ingredients can be prepared while waiting for the potatoes to cool and placed in the refrigerator. Dice or chop the boiled egg, pickles, onion, celery and place in the fridge. Mince up the fresh herbs and mix into the mayonnaise, Crème fraiche, mustard, salt and pepper and lemon juice then cover and put into the fridge to meld the flavors.

When the potatoes are cooled completely mix all the ingredients together but do not over mix. Maintain the chunks for ideal mouth feel and texture. Mayo mashed potatoes aren’t very appealing to most. Place in the fridge again, covered, to meld the flavors and take out right before serving or packing in the picnic cooler.

Garnish with some reserved fresh herbs for delightful color.

A Red Barn

I remember many hours spent in history courses in grade school and then in college that talked about the building of the United States.  A country that’s backbone was agriculture.  Now that backbone seems to be rotting to the core.  What happened to us?

It seems to be mainly due to two things.  Firstly a lack of respect for farming, nature, and agriculture in general.  Secondly government interference which include subsidies and “regulations” that don’t solve any of the real problems and create a thousand more.

Today’s discussion is about respecting our means of nourishment, food.  Such a simple word for something so important and vital that effects us so profoundly physically, emotionally and mentally.  Over the coming weeks we will discuss the government’s role in destroying the agriculture of America piece by piece.

Before the industrial age agriculture was part of the every day lives of most people.  Even if you didn’t live on a farm you weren’t far from one and had a closer connection to the people that raised your food.  But with the industrial age people began abandoning the small towns to move to the big cities for work.  The food needs went from buying from your local farmer and raising some necessities yourself such as a family cow, a few chickens and a vegetable garden to relying on purchasing food from 3rd parties.

Eggs are taken for granted

The connections were lost.  No more appreciation for each and every egg, knowing the chickens that produced it and instead taking for granted they will be there on the grocer’s shelves.  I was so disconnected growing up that I never realized what a real, fresh egg tasted like.  How the yolk was a dark golden yellow or orange.  The egg white wasn’t watery but thick and stuck around the yolk with a tenacity that the store bought eggs had never shown.   Even making a hard boiled egg was a new experience as the fresher eggs were harder to peel because the eggs hadn’t spent considerable time breaking down during shipping and shelving.

My meat came from plastic wrapped packages with dyes added to make it look more red, and more fresh.  The meat was so bland it had to be helped with unhealthy chemicals to induce flavor such as steak sauces and corn-syrup based ketchups.

I had no idea what herbs were, or spices, nor how they were used.  I never saw fresh ground pepper until I saw a chef cooking on TV.

Is this the sad legacy that has fallen onto America?  The once strong agricultural based country is now based on overpriced, nutrient lacking, mass marketed, psuedo-food.  Our very existence is ruled by what marketing companies have trained us to want and feel we need.  It’s a hollow and empty existence.  It surely explains why our country’s moral center is also starting to atrophy.

It is no wonder we have no respect for the animals that provide our food, for the farmers that work so hard to produce that food and get so little for their efforts, and for the resources that it takes to get that food from production to our plate.  We are disconnected from them behind a wall of middle men that also take the big chunk of the  money we pay for these products.

Our values are all out whack.  It’s time to take our agricultural heritage back.  If you can’t raise a couple of inconspicuous hens for eggs or have a milk cow (or a couple of goats) then find a local farmer who can and support them.  Buy directly from that farmer, get to know them, get to know where your food come from.

For some things we do have to rely on markets, especially those of us that are financially challenged.  For other reasons we also must rely on some food made from a distance, such as coconut oil, but we can buy with discernment.  Buy from companies with integrity and honor, also run by people and not corporations.  Let’s get back to the people and not the profit share.

Easy to use glass jars, labeled and refilled as needed.

We all need affordable items to augment our kitchen but we can make good choices.  Organic spices and herbs are more nutritious and not irradiated.  If you cannot grow your own herbs (even some in a pot in the kitchen window) then buy organic from places like Mountain Rose Herbs.  Not only is buying in bulk cheaper it saves resources as you can reuse the glass container you store the herbs in.  Join a buying club or form a group of friends to divide up a pound of organic black peppercorns or a 5 gallon pail of Virgin Coconut Oil.  The possibilities are then endless.

Respect the food you cook with, waste less of it and make judicious choices.  It will save you money in this current depression we are experiencing and it will also make you feel better.  When we respect and honor our food, we are respecting and honoring our bodies and ourselves.  It’s the first step to a new world and if we each take a few steps together it will be a brighter place.

Next week’s article will discuss farm subsidies and how they are ruining our agriculture and serious economic and health problems not just for United States Citizens but for our neighbors in Mexico.  The  subsidies have a broad impact, and it’ s not a good one.

In the mean time check out this great article on Nutrition and Physical Regeneration about Farm Subsidies, “Subsidizing Cheeseburgers”

XD9WQNUGRKXR

This versatile sauce makes every dinner an adventure.

Now that you know how to make a healthy and tasty mayonnaise in a snap you can use that mayo to make Aioli.  Aioli is a traditional French sauce using oil and garlic, with some lemon juice and it is made pretty much as you would mayonnaise except adding the garlic.  I prefer to make a couple of batch of mayonnaise instead and then flavor what I want and need for this week’s menu.  There are different types of Aioli in different parts of Europe including an Allioli in Italy that is a bit different but delicious spread on garlic bread.  I will have to try it on some gluten free bread sometime.

Aioli is great served with fish and crab but it is also a tasty sauce for sandwiches, burgers, and chicken.  What is wonderful about it is you can change it up and add different flavors and have an entirely different experience and a different dish.  Ingredients like tamari (naturally fermented) and horseradish add a delicious flavor as a dip with Asian style tempura fried mushrooms.  You can also add horseradish and a bit of cayenne and serve on a grilled chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato fresh from the garden… mmm my favorite!

Basic Aioli

1 cup Naturally Texan Mayonnaise
3 to 6 fresh garlic cloves, minced*
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Real Celtic Sea Salt and fresh ground organic pepper to taste

In a non-reactive mixing bowl (glass is best), mix the ingredients together until incorporated.  Cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes however this sauce tastes best a few hours later or the next day when the flavors have had time to meld and saturate the mayonnaise.

*Do not use sprouted garlic or garlic that has gone green.  It will be terribly bitter.  The size of the cloves and your taste for garlic dictate how many to use.  Also what you are serving it with.  If it’s a delicate fish or crab you wouldn’t want to over power it but if you are just using it as a condiment on burgers then for me, the more the better. I love garlic.

Mix it up:

Texan style chipotle Aioli -

Add 1 tbsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce and 1 tsp raw honey (from a local farmer is possible, if not see the brand I like at Amazon.com YS Royal Jelly/Honey Bee – Raw Honey, 22 oz gel
)

Enjoy!

healthy and delicious

Why spend a fortune on the unhealthy, and not very tasty, mayo from the store when you can make your own using healthy oils and ingredients.  Mayo has been changing at the grocery store. I think to try and entice people like me back into buying it again.  However, despite all the fancy labels claiming “Olive Oil” or “Organic” mayo all the brands i see are still mostly unhealthy and definitely not tasty soybean oil and other nasty ingredients like corn syrup.

For a few years now I’ve used a modified version of the Nourishing Traditions recipe combined with a Coconut Oil Mayonnaise recipe and the Blender Mayonnaise method out of Joy of Cooking to get the perfect blend.  A friend has recommended I try using Macadamia nut oil in place of the olive oil as it is supposed to be much healthier and produces a nice tasting, more neutral mayonnaise.  Whichever you choose remember that strong tasting oils are going to make a very strong tasting mayonnaise that may be quite unpleasant.  For that reason I will usually use half Expeller-Pressed Coconut oil with half “liquid” oils which I include a good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil (Bionaturae is my favorite) and sometime Organic Sesame Oil.  When I get some Macadamia nut oil i will try using that instead and see what we get.

I use farm fresh pastured eggs because they are healthier and fresh.  I reduce the risk of salmonella by carefully breaking open the egg so as to not touch the shell but really this is an exaggerated problem caused by the unhealthy condition of battery raised chickens.  A healthy chicken from a local farmer is not likely to have problematic eggs.

Here is the recipe I follow.

Approximately makes: 1 1/4 cups
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

• 1 whole pastured egg
• 2 pastured egg yolks
• 1 tsp whey (real whey recipe )
• 1 tablespoon organic mustard
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1 tsp sucanat or organic maple syrup sugar (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Real Celtic Sea Salt (fine ground)
• 1/2 cup Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil (melted if solid)
• 1/2 cup Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Bionaturae is my favorite)

Recommended Tools: Good quality blender (preferably glass), with lid.  A silicon rubber spatula.  A pyrex glass measuring cup with easy pour spout. Measuring spoons.  Funnel with narrow spout.  Kitchen towel to limit splatter.  Glass container with lid to store finished mayonnaise.

The coconut oil may be solid so it needs to be melted and then mixed with the olive oil.  Put both in a large measuring cup (Pyrex 2 cup glass with easy pour spout is my choice).  Once combined allow to reach room temperature before making mayo.  Get out all other ingredients to sit at room temperature especially the eggs which must  not be cold when starting.

Using a good quality blender add the egg, egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and blend gently to mix.  Then add all the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix again briefly.  Put the lid on the blender without the inner piece and place the funnel in the center of the lid.  Use the towel between pouring of oil to minimize splatter by covering up lid and funnel.

Slowly pour a steady and fine stream of oil while blender is on.  Take a break every so often to allow the oil to work in if needed and turn off the blender periodically and use the rubber spatula to wipe down the sides of the blender to keep the mayonnaise at the bottom.  Put the lid back on with the funnel and continue blending with the oil stream.  It is a good idea to always keep a hand on the lid of the blender while it is opperating to prevent messy accidents if the lid blows off.

Do not keep pouring oil if it begins to pool on the top of the mayonnaise but blend for a bit until it disappears.  Continue adding the oil in a slow stream until it is all gone then continue blending until there is no oil on the surface of the mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise will start out very runny and slowly build up to a thicker consistency but this recipe requires refrigeration to see full thickness.  Because of the coconut oil the refrigerated mayonnaise will be much thicker at than room temperature

Turn off blender, and remove mayonnaise into glass container using the rubber spatula to scoop it out and work around the blades.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and put into the fridge.  With the addition of the natural whey it will keep several days.

Alternatives:

• Try using a high quality cold pressed Macadamia nut oil in place of the Olive Oil.
• Add some chopped basil for a tasty basil mayonnaise that is perfect for club sandwiches or potato salad.
• Add some naturally fermented tamari for an Asian twist.
• To make it superbly Texan try adding chopped cilantro and lime for a cooling effect and serve on your next Texas style jalepeno and Monteray Jack Cheese Burger.  (Recipe coming soon)

The possibilities are endless and this is a great mayonnaise to make creamy salad dressings by mixing with home cultured piima cream or sour cream.  Even my most fickle junk food junky relatives love this mayonnaise.

Gabriel (almost 2 months old) and me October 2007

As I struggled with serious gut health issues I have to wonder how much of my lifelong problems were centered around some fundamental mistakes made by my parents who were misguided by doctors and the common opinion that is pervasive even today.

When my son was barely a few weeks old I remember my father advising me to put baby cereal into his bottle so he’d sleep through the night.  My son was always a good baby, only waking up once usually around 3 am wanting to nurse then he’d fall back asleep.  My life at that point was sleeping most of the day and night in 4 hour shifts around his need for nursing and new diapers.  I was recovering from the rupture of my c-section wound and had a wound vacuum in my stomach that was incredibly painful.  I was on strong pain medication because the constant sucking of the wound vacuum in my stomach was incredibly painful  though the bandage changes every other day were the worst part.  Sleeping was about all he and I did together but I had no complaints.  He was a happy baby and rarely restless and never had “colic”.  It mystified me at the time that my father thought I should make my son sleep more.  And I was horrified by the idea of giving a newborn any kind of solid food especially grains that I was figuring out were a major problem for me.  Thanks to the work of Sally Fallon Morell, and the book Nourishing Traditions, I had a healthy formula to make for my baby when I lost my breast milk early on.  I also had her advice not to give him any solid foods, especially grains until he was older.

It makes me wonder now how  many adults with gut issues, asthma, allergies, emotional and psychological disorder and more were created by this over-use of grains and pushing by doctors, pediatricians, and other “experts” put really young babies on inappropriate foods.  Of course we must not forget when it was considered taboo to nurse your baby and soy based formulas were born.

Now we have the work of people like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride that are showing us not only that these inappropriate foods fed at a young age can cause problems but also how to heal them.  Maybe there is hope for me yet.  My gut seems to be in very poor shape, even though I’ve been on major doses of probiotics for years and have now been gluten free for a year.  Some say I need to give up casein too and perhaps they are right but I think it’s time for a major overhaul.

So I’ve been reading and learning about the Milk Cure for almost a year now.  I had heard about it years ago when I first became involved with the Weston A Price Foundation.  A nutrition friend of mine uses it often to clean house and recharge his body and recommended it to me.  It is a scary prospect but also an exciting one.  I have been so sick for so long, all of my adult life.  Maybe this could  be the new beginning I’ve been searching for all these years.  It seems somehow fitting that I go back to my days a an infant, take it easy and drink only milk letting my gut rest and clean house.  Then perhaps can start over.

I’m reading the Milk Diet as a Cure for Chorinic Disease by Charles Sanford Porter.  Parts of it seem intimidating and not really feasible.  I will certainly not be able to set up a screened in outdoor room for fresh air not stay in bed for the 40 days of the milk fast.  I have a toddler, husband and pets to care for but overall I find hope in the pages of the book.

Milk

It’s not to be taken lightly and could be a bit dangerous as my body goes into overdrive to detox toxins and who knows what else.  But I will take it one day at a time and will document it here.  I plan to start soon barring any more financial or physical issues.  The sciatica attack seems to be abating finally though full feeling hasn’t returned to my foot and leg.  For the 40 day fast i will be using grassfed raw milk from my local farmers, drinking it as directed – room temperature every 3o minutes.  I am not a big fan of milk so this is going to be very difficult and a real trial but my health is worth it.  If i only make it part of the way through then I will have to try and try again.

Wish me luck? =)

Dawn

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  I am not advising anyone to follow the milk diet just sharing my experiences.  These statements are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant to diagnose or treat any disease or condition.  Seek medical and professional help if you are considering any diet or health changes.

Longhorn

There have been some interesting new developments with the USDA.   First there is the good news that the USDA has finally declared they are dropping the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)[1].  I was so happy that for once I was actually feeling a little better about a government agency though I don’t for a minute trust them that NAIS won’t be back with a different name.  It’s easy to believe the USDA is up to no good, business as usual, especially in the light of the latest development concerning genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. Once again they’ve ignored public opinion and our best interests in favor of agri-giant Monsanto.  They’ve approved Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered alfalfa[2], again, with blatant disregard for the growing concern over the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

First let’s discuss the good news with a little background on NAIS.  Thanks to many years of following the efforts of like minded farmers, lawyers and friends in fighting the may USDA encroachments onto our rights I have learned to distrust the USDA and most government agencies.   I learned about NAIS and what it would do to the small farmer, destroying their way of life and the agricultural backbone of the United States all in one fell swoop.  I watched with despair and dismay at the USDA’s underhanded actions, attempting backdoor passage and outright lying to farmers as they enrolled them against their will in a program they did not want.  All of these actions were committed in an effort to force the passage of NAIS passing despite great upheaval and opposition by the American farmers and people. I was surprised to see their callous disregard for the well-being of the American people, the farmers of the United States and the corruption that seems to be pandemic within the myriad agencies created, supposedly, to protect the public.  It was through this that I learned just how corrupt our government is now and how important it is that we hold them accountable.

I will not go into all the details of what makes the NAIS such a deplorable program for the typical American Farmer but will leave that up to others much better qualified.  You can read the NoNAIS.org website as well as the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s website. They have dedicated many resources to fighting tyranny.

It was with great interested and excitement that I read today the USDA is going to drop the dreaded NAIS program.  They’ve been trying for years to force this outrageous animal monitoring system on the American farmers that would include cost and time prohibitive paperwork and documentation which would effectively have shut down most small producers.

Now, I am not trusting of the USDA at this point and I do wonder if this isn’t a smoke screen of some kind.  It is as important now as ever that we support those who fought NAIS as they continue to watch the USDA to try and prevent any other such regulation proposals.

Now onto the bad news.  Once again the USDA shows us how they cater to the big corporations and agribusinesses.  Monsanto has gotten approval for more controversial, and potentially dangerous, Genetically Modified Alfalfa.  As we’ve seen with other GMOs cross contamination is a serious issue and those of us who want to avoid GMOs are finding it increasingly difficult when crops are contaminated from drifting seed or pollen from GMO crops.  Add to this problem there are farmers who are victims of this cross contamination but are being sued by Monsanto for violation of their patent rights when Monsanto and their farmers are to blame for tainting fields.  Another concern is the growing evidence that the recent honey bee deaths and disease could be in large part due to the genetically engineered crops[3].  Jack McDonald and other scientists are working to identify exactly how the bees are being affected but it is clear that the GE crops are killing our honey bees, if indirectly and bees are an important part of the eco-system of every farm.

Alfalfa Field

Besides these issues there are also the obvious problems with Roundup itself.  In South America ‘Roundup Ready’ crops are causing serious health concerns as vast areas are sprayed now that GM soybeans are being planted with such frequency.  Round Up has been linked to cancer[4] and other health issues and the more GM crops that are “Roundup Ready” that are planted the more our environment will be polluted with cancer causing herbicides.

Roundup also creates “super weeds” that are increasingly resistant to herbicides thus requiring more and more potent, and toxic, herbicides in order to kill them[5].  Already these superweeds are becoming a serious threat in America’s heartland[6].  There are better, traditional, farming methods to reduce problems with weeds that do not include poisoning farmers, neighbors and the environment.

Lastly, there are the far-reaching effects on the economy that GMO alfalfa will have on the US market.  Japan exports their hay from the United States but because of their laws banning untested GMOs from entering the country all USA grown hay could lose this extremely large market share.  This is a staggering amount considering that 75% of the hay exported from the United States goes to Japan.[7]

So, once again we need you to help us take action against Monsanto and the USDA.  We’ve stopped the GM Alfalfa before thanks to protests and a court ruling.  The USDA has not met the burden of proof that GM alfalfa does not pose a threat to agriculture and health and it’s time we held them accountable.  You can find various petitions online but here are a few links to some we have signed.

http://www.organicvalley.coop/index.php?id=2276

http://www.organicvalley.coop/index.php?id=2276

Information on how to submit your own comments to the USDA.

http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/GMO

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18206234

[4] http://www.organicconsumers.org/Monsanto/glyphocancer.cfm

[5] http://webs.chasque.net/~rapaluy1/transgenicos/Prensa/Roundupready.html

[6] http://www.france24.com/en/20090418-superweed-explosion-threatens-monsanto-heartlands-genetically-modified-US-crops

[7] “ISSUES WITH GMO ALFALFA IN THE MARKETPLACE” William T. W. Woodward – http://www.wa-hay.org/publications/Issues%20With%20GMO%20Alfalfa%20in%20the%20Marketplace.pdf