REAL FOOD WEDNESDAYS

Welcome to this week’s Real Food Wednesday!

If you’re new, or if you’re a regular, we’re glad you’re here! 

Please read at the link above to find out what we’re about before you add your link. Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

Remember your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• Ann Marie said, “My post is about How to Get Your Kids to Eat ANYTHING — advice from the owner of my daughter’s daycare.”  Don’t forget that Real Food Wednesday is at the CHEESESLAVE blog week!
• In my new post today I share a little about some things I’ve learned and the patience of others…  OK fine, I’ll just tell you.  I killed my kefir grains.

YOUR TURN:

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Welcome to this week’s Real Food Wednesday!

If you’re new…we’re glad you’re here! 

Please read at the link above to find out what we’re about before you add your link. Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

Remember your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• Ann Marie’s post will include a link to her new podcast that was recorded yesterday with Peggy, the “sprouted flour lady”.    (Hopefully she doesn’t mind being called that!)  Ann Marie said, “Tell everyone to expect a special article written by Peggy Sutton about how to sprout grains at home.”
• I have a couple new posts, but one is pretty short.  In the first one I’ll share the results of last week’s Real Food Rookie Class poll and you can find out more about the crazy twist in that story .  Also today you can read about my fun Bloggers’ Night Out!

YOUR TURN:

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Welcome to this week’s Real Food Wednesday!

If you’re new, be sure to read what Real Food Wednesday is all about before you add your link. Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

Remember your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• Check out what Ann Marie/Cheeseslave has for us on this Real Food Wednesday, it’s sure to be good.  (Hopefully it will be her sourdough success story she promised soon, if not, be sure to subscribe to her site so you don’t miss anything juicy…like me whining that she got it right and I’m still pooping with my starter…)
• UPDATE:  Ann Marie’s post is How to Cure Tooth Decay with Rami Nagel – listen to her first podcast (how exciting!), plus read tons more info in her post!
• My new post today:  GMOs & BAD Customer Service

Now it’s your turn, Real Foodies!

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It’s that time again where Real Foodies unite!

PLEASE READ!

Remember your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

If you’re new, be sure to read what Real Food Wednesday is all about before you add your link. Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• I can’t wait to read Ann Marie’s post, she tells me it will be about her trip to Hawaii!  Remember she’s on the West Coast and she has a toddler, so if it’s not up yet when you check, try back later at her Cheeseslave blog. 
• My new post today has a video from Joel Salatin that I think you’ll find interesting.  See if what he said made you feel the same way it did me.

Now add your links below and thanks for joining in!

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A lot of my friends have been a great help with my blogging escapades.  Either with recipes they’ve shared or with all sorts of helpful advice, and I’m thankful to each of them.  But Jeanne & Sonia have been over the top.  They’ve both done research in their own kitchens to help me figure things out; they’ve sent tons of recipes my way; they’ve given me new post ideas and helped me find ways to make my site better; Sonia has even taken pictures of her creations and emailed them to me with her recipe!

THANK YOU!

So last week I took them out to our favorite restaurant for dinner as a way to say thank you for all this and more.  Even at dinner, they were brainstorming with me for ways I could make my blog better, and I don’t think they were just being polite, either!

At that link above, you can also see pictures of our cute little town, which is just down the hill from where we live.  We’re so blessed to live in such an amazing community of people who really look out for each other.  Especially right here in our neighborhood, where Jeanne & Sonia also live.  (And lots more of our friends that you’ve heard me mention here on the blog before.)

The best thing about Reds is the S L O W food.

Slow in two ways actually.  ‘Slow’ as in everything is made from scratch and Chef Glenn knows how to make Real Food. And also ‘slow’ as in how it’s served.  We were there for three and a half hours.  It was a fun and relaxing dinner.

HERE ARE PICTURES OF SOME OF OUR AMAZING FOOD: (The pics aren’t great due to the low-lighting…)

Crème Brule deserves to go first since it’s my favorite!

Top left is a unique bruschetta appetizer that we all loved; top right is another delicious salad; bottom left is my “old-standby”:  “London Broil” – man do I love that dish with its rich veal reduction sauce; bottom right is a lemon dessert with a little shortbread and I think that was a lemon sherbet on top – so full of yummy flavor.  Sonia & Jeanne, please add any details that you’d like, because two weeks is a long time for my brain to remember much.

Thank you Jeanne & Sonia!

• Have you seen this list of healthy restaurants in your area?
• More about Reds & Chef Glenn’s cooking
  

Go see what else is going on over at Real Food Wednesday today! (At Ann Marie’s blog this week.)

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Welcome to this week’s Real Food Wednesday blog carnival!  Today is your last chance to share Christmas tips and recipes, or any Real Food scoop with us, either using Mr. Linky below if you have a blog, or by sharing in the comments.  Ann Marie & I have decided to take a couple weeks off from Real Food Wednesday over the Christmas and New Year holiday.  (We’ll still be posting, but not for RFW.)  RFW will be back on January 6th, 2010 at Cheeseslave’s blog, and then we’ll return to our schedule of taking turns hosting every other Wednesday.

A few important notes (just in case you’re not a regular reader):

• Today is the LAST DAY you can sign up for the CHEESESLAVE Menus by Mail Giveaway!  It has an $85 value and would make a great gift for the person who does the meal planning, shopping and cooking in their family.  Time is also running out for the Recipe Subscription Giveaway from Jenny at Nourished Kitchen, don’t forget to go sign up!
• For another gift idea, and an inexpensive one, too, you could give someone a copy of my new Real Food Ingredient Guide, for only $5.  More info at that post.
• Lastly, did you see that our new Real Food t-shirts and shopping bags are now available for sale online?  If you have a Real Foodie in your life, they would love one of these.  We’ve dropped the prices and only have a few of each size left, and I promise that’s not a ‘sales gimmick’ phrase!  We didn’t know how well they’d go and only ordered a few in each size.

Real Foodie Readers: please take the time to STUMBLE the below posts with us (it’s easy when you download the toolbar) & RETWEET (using the button to the upper right) – it will draw more readers to all our posts.  Thank you for your help! 

PLEASE READ!

Remember your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

If you’re new, be sure to read what Real Food Wednesday is all about before you add your link. Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• Ann Marie is posting from Hawaii, the lucky snot, and is announcing the winner in her Excalibur giveaway!  (FYI:  Her post won’t be live ’til just after midnight Pacific time…)
• My new post today is an appetizer recipe that you could take to your Christmas or New Year’s Eve gatherings.  It’s super easy and always goes fast.

Now add your links below and thanks for joining in!

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Each week I don’t even have to “make myself” go visit your Real Food Wednesday posts so I can Stumble them, your topics are always so fun and juicy that I can’t wait to go visiting.  Ann Marie & I really appreciate the support from all you regulars and new-to-the-party bloggers.  As always, we also love to hear from you in the comments.

PLEASE READ!

Remember to follow your “blog carnival etiquette” and always put a link in your post back to this one.  Thank you!

Also, read what Real Food Wednesday is all about before you add your link.  Anything vegan or low fat most likely will not be a good fit for this carnival.  One more thing:  please don’t add 15 links from your blog archives.  One post from each person is usually the norm.

We hate to play hardball, but Ann Marie & I may delete links that do not follow these guidelines or else the carnival could get annoying for everyone involved.

HERE’S OUR NEW POSTS TODAY:

• Check out Ann Marie/Cheeseslave’s new post for RFW.  With the time change (she’s in L.A., I’m in Michigan) I don’t usually get to read hers before I fall into bed, but I always look forward to it in the morning. 
• My new post today gives you a GREAT REAL FOOD GIFT IDEA with a GIVEAWAY that I can’t wait to tell you about…

Ann Marie & I take turns hosting, and next week it’s at her place…but wait, she’ll be in Hawaii, the lucky girl, on her first vacation with just her and Seth in years!  (And that girl deserves a vacation, for SURE!)  So I just checked with her and she said I can go ahead and host it again next week, and THEN we decided to skip the two weeks of Christmas and New Years.  So here’s how it looks:

• Next week:  RFW will be back here at the Kitchen Kop blog again
• Skip two weeks
• First Wednesday in January will be back at CHEESESLAVE
• Then back on schedule with Ann Marie & I hosting every other Wednesday

Now, after all that, finally here’s the Mr. Linky doo-hicky:

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Do you like our new Real Food Wednesday logo?

If you’d like to add that picture to your sidebar or your RFW post, go right ahead, and thank you!  If you need a smaller size, see the very bottom of this post.

Just in case this is your first time playing along, you can read here about Real Food Wednesdays.  Wonder how to join in?  Share your Real Food tips and recipes in the comments, OR use Mister Linky below to add your Real Food post.  Most blogs get a good traffic surge on RFW’s.  (Please remember to link back to this post.)

Real Foodie Readers: please STUMBLE (it’s easy when you download the toolbar) & RETWEET (using the button to the right) – it will draw more readers to all our posts.  Thank you for your help! 

Ann Marie & I take turns hosting the Real Food Wednesday blog carnival, so next week it’s over at her place.

OUR RFW POSTS:

• Today Ann Marie shares a recipe for Moroccan chicken with lemon and green olives, and she shows you a funky new kitchen gadget that I’ve never even heard of!
• My RFW post is all about something fun that I found on my front porch last week.  (Also at that post is my recipe for chocolate fondue, Mmmmm…)  I also added one more post that includes a cheery (NOT) pre-Thanksgiving whine along with some leftover ideas.

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Today I’m turning things around a bit to ask for your insight on the issue of whether or not to eat only fruits and vegetables in season. (Don’t you love this picture of our summer berries?)

I recently received this email from my friend, Jeanne:

I have just started reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  Although I have been on the path of whole foods for a long time I still consider myself a “rookie” on many levels. I try to set goals for myself and concentrate on one change at a time for my family.
My new goal is to eat produce in season. In the past I have had the disposable income to by organic produce no matter what the season and I never thought about where it was grown or how far it traveled to get to my market. Luckily I have canned and froze some produce this past season.
My question for you is, do you have a list of in-season fruits and veggies for the mid-west area? I would love a detailed list of what is in season each month.  I think realistically I should start thinking about this in the early spring, and this winter focus on not buying out of season veggies.
Jeanne

Another reader sent this to me a while back (sorry, I forgot to note who it was):

I am having the debate in my head right now about local and fresh versus just eating produce. My kids are big veggie and fruit eaters and I’d hate to stop buying things they love and will happily eat as snacks (Cukes, red peppers, red cabbage, spinach in salads, etc.). But I want to try and eat more nutritiously dense foods and avoid the foods shipped from far away. Maybe the answer is just eating USA grown foods in the winter when I can find it.

When grappling with the question of whether or not to eat produce in season only, I’ve narrowed it down to the 4 options available to us:

1.  Do what Jeanne did (and what I have generally done in the past):  buy organic produce shipped from who-knows-where.

Advantages: We’re at least getting some fruits and veggies into our diets.  This happens to be the “politically correct” way of eating.  How often have you heard that we need to eat more vegetables and be sure to have a variety of colors on our plates?  (I’m not saying I disagree, but it’s just frustrating that “they” don’t say anything about the importance of the fat-soluble vitamins found in animal fats.)

Disadvantages: Not only is this bad for the environment, it is also not a traditional way of eating.  Obviously our ancestors weren’t able to have produce shipped in when it wasn’t available to them locally.  Generally the produce is low in nutrients after having traveled from so far away anyway.  What makes this the most difficult choice for myself recently is that I don’t know my farmer or how my food was grown.  I like buying from farmers who I know are knowledgeable about the importance of nutrient-rich soil and not just after the “organic” label.

2.  Don’t eat any out-of-season produce.

Advantages: This feels like a more traditional way to eat and we’d be avoiding the environmental concerns with shipping organic foods.

Disadvantages: For those who live in regions with short growing seasons like we do, and who don’t use the methods you’ll read about below, this means little or no produce all winter. As much as I know that getting in the protein and healthy fats are most important, not eating any fruits and veggies (or very little) all winter can’t be good either.  Especially since I’m trying to eat a more low-carb diet all the time, which would leave me with only meats. That would get very expensive and would also get very boring and difficult to maintain for long.

3.  Can or freeze your produce when it IS in-season.

Advantages: You can enjoy food from your own back yard or from your favorite farmer in the middle of the winter, and you know how it was grown and that you canned or froze it yourself (a great feeling to be sure).

Disadvantages: A.  With either freezing or canning some nutrients are lost. (But it’s better than not eating any produce at all over the winter, or buying blah-tasting, low-nutrient food from China.)  B.  The time involved to get enough food put up for the winter can be overwhelming for some.  (Like myself!)

4.  Use traditional methods of lacto-fermentation to preserve foods for winter.

Advantages: This is the most traditional and nutrient-dense choice of all.  As Scott from Zukay said when he spoke at the conference last weekend, “Traditional cultures didn’t lacto-ferment their foods because they knew it provided beneficial bacteria to improve their health.  They did it because they didn’t want to starve over the winter.”  Another quote from Scott (who I thoroughly enjoyed meeting in person, by the way!):  “We all know veggies are good for us, but the fermentation process turns them into something INSANELY healthy.”

Disadvantages: In my experience, these veggies are not easy to get by the kids, who are not used to the taste of fermented foods.  However, I firmly plan to keep trying.  Also, in some cases this is not an easy process to learn how to do.  Thankfully there are many good sites to help with this (see below for some good links), and I’ll be going over them all again myself soon, OR you can see my resources page for where you can buy fermented vegetables.

So what do you think?

Which option do you choose and why?  Help!

More on my plans for canning/freezing in-season produce

There are some foods that I won’t can or freeze because I can get almost-as-good (nutritionally) and sometimes less expensive when I buy it.  Other foods I definitely plan to start canning or freezing.  I imagine this list will be changing all the time as I figure out how to do more.

• My friend, Lyn, priced homemade spaghetti sauce once and found that the organic came out to be cheaper.  The kind I buy comes in glass jars (no BPA worries) and we all love it, so I’ll continue to buy this.
• We shop at a local farm store who get their frozen fruits and vegetables from a company called Coloma Foods. I called to find out if any of their produce is genetically modified, and the answer was no.  Also, he said most of their produce comes from the U.S. (Some from close by us:  corn from Wisconsin, blueberries from Michigan.)  They are not organic, but they claim it is “minimally sprayed, usually just enough to get it going”.  Granted, this is not ideal.  I don’t know my farmer, and not all of their produce is local.  But especially for the blueberries (since they’re from Michigan), we’ll continue to buy these frozen, and we go through a lot over the winter.  (Blueberries & cream, blueberry pancakes, etc.)
• I’d like to try getting more raw applesauce frozen this year than I have in previous years.  There is nothing like pulling out a jar from the freezer in the middle of February for a treat…
• We need to start planning now and definitely will plant more tomatoes next year to can ourselves and avoid the BPA that is in the lining of even the organic canned tomato products.  (Which I just found out and it drives me crazy.)  If I have jars of tomatoes to throw in chili, soups, etc., and don’t have to open a can of tomato sauce with BPA, I’ll be thrilled.  When we’re at Kent’s Mom’s and she just goes downstairs to her stash of veggies to make dinner, I’m always jealous.
• I’m thankful that I already have some zucchini frozen for this winter when I want to make frittatas or zucchini chocolate chip cookies.
• We (Kent & I, not the kids) loved the sauerkraut I made last summer, and plan to do that again next year and freeze it in small amounts.  (Fermented vegetables are good in small amounts with each meal to help with digestion.)
• I’d love more ideas for which produce you choose to put up for winter.  I’m just not sure what else we’ll use enough of in the off-season to make it worth the trouble.
• What else have you chosen to continue to buy, knowing that the nutrient value and expense is the same (or close) as canning or freezing?

Guest poster needed!

I don’t have a clue how to can foods.  Thankfully Kent used to help his Mom do it and I could ask her or my brother for tips, but in the meantime, I’d love someone to do a guest post here on canning!  If any of you are willing to submit something to me, I can look it over and see which post best answers the following questions:

• Exactly HOW to can with step by step guides, beginning with which varieties to buy and how to prepare the produce before canning.
• What supplies are needed?
• Are there different techniques depending on the food you’re canning?
• Which foods are better to freeze instead?  (To preserve more nutrients?)
• Where do you store your canned foods?
• Anything else you think beginners need to know!

More helpful links:

• What’s In Season In Your Region?
• Find local foods near you:  Eat Well Guide and Local Harvest.
• Why buy local and organic food? What is “Sustainable agriculture”?
• See my resources page for where to buy fermented vegetables.
• My personal favorite fermented foods:  kefir soda pop, fermented lemonade punch
• A few good posts from Jenny:  Learn about prebiotics and probiotics (can’t believe I missed that one), also Benefits of Lactic Acid Fermentation, and 10 Ways to Get Dairy-Free Probiotics
• Carrie’s post:  15 Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Lacto-fermented Foods
• Shannon’s post:  Fermented Food for Beginners
• This Mother Earth News article tells which produce provides which nutrients – very informative!
• More about eating seasonally from Mother Earth News

Now go check out more Real Food Wednesday posts and comments, hosted at Cheeseslave/Ann Marie’s blog this week!

This post is also part of Fight Back Friday. 

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