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Today (Friday 4/13) I’ll be sharing all my best time-saving tips at a free webinar — Traditional Food Time Savers. Please join me at 1pm Pacific this afternoon. You’ll get to take home all my tips in a convenient free PDF. Even if you can’t make the live event, register for the replay and the PDF.

At the webinar you’ll also hear from Jami @ EatNourishing.com (the free online traditional food recipe sharing site) — she’s sharing how she brings her young children into every kitchen task while keeping things efficient.

In this post, I’m going to share five of my best tips, plus invite you to share yours. Truth be told, it was hard to pick just five of all I have planned. So do come to the webinar so you can hear the rest!

I look at all these tips as gifts I give myself and my family. Little things make a huge difference in the scheme of things — giving us more time for ourselves and our families and to do things we enjoy.

1. Do the hard things first.

Got a task you’re dreading? Do it first, get it out of the way.

I’ve learned that if I’m going to fit in exercise, I have to do it in the morning before everything else or it tends not to happen. Same goes for the kitchen. Everything else feels like coasting once you make the big uphill climb.

2. Figure out what kind of menu planner you are and work with it.

I’ve noticed there are two types of menu planners — those that plan a menu and shop accordingly and those that stock a pantry and “shop” there for a daily menu.

Which type are you? Here’s one of those places where your personal strengths come into play. Don’t force yourself into a method where you can’t flourish.

If you’re the first kind of planner, make a menu and follow it. In my weekly menu plan service, I provide a weekly chart for subscribers to write down what’s on the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also includes spaces to write down any necessary AM and PM prep. You can download that chart by clicking here, or click the picture below.

If you’re the second kind of planner, you probably already know what you like to keep in your pantry. At some point, I plan to share a comprehensive pantry list with readers. The idea is you create meals from things you have on hand, which can vary seasonally. I am this type of menu planner, without a doubt.

And of course there are people in-between. When I have big things happening in my life, I do more of the first method because it saves me from having to think when I’m in the thick of things.

3. Keep your sink full of soapy water.

I love this! When preparing a meal, everything dirty goes in there (except for knives) for immediate, easy washing or loading in the dishwasher. This tip came from Peggy at LocalNourishment.com a long time ago when I was overwhelmed with a messy kitchen.

4. Preserve foods through fermentation.

Fermenting is often just packing ingredients in a jar. You’ll save all sorts of time (not to mention utilities and energy). The beneficial organisms do the work instead of you or your stove. For much more information on this, see my new book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods, or my online class in lacto-fermentation.

5. Perpetual stock.

Use a crockpot for stock. Keep it on low all the time. Replace water every time you take stock out. Replace the bones every three to five days. You can check to see if it is still gelling by taking some out and chilling it. I don’t often do this but more often go by flavor — when it starts reducing in flavor, it is time to switch the bones out. Of course, you’ll want to wash the crockpot every once in awhile — you get the idea!

This will save you time, and also — more importantly, perhaps — give you ready-to-use stock to boost the nutrition in countless dishes and meals!

That’s it for now!

Come to the Traditional Food Time Savers free webinar to hear more. If you can’t join us live, register anyway so you can watch the replay and download the PDF after the fact. I’m sorry, but you must register for these things. But hurry because when the webinar is over, the registration page will be taken down.

See you soon!

Please share your traditional food time savers! What are your best tips?

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I gave birth to my son Mikah, my third child, at home in 1999. He cried quite a bit, so we wondered if he might be in some kind of pain. He had several issues from birth, which made things all the more confusing. One of them was itchy eczema from head to toe (that’s another story for another day). But that seemed unrelated to a noticeable neck weakness. He couldn’t hold his head up straight, nor could he turn it side to side.

Our pediatrician said he probably had torticollis, permanent nerve damage in the neck area, and he might not ever get better. She said, “Let’s just wait and see.”

Our midwife, who had been with us for two home births, suggested we see a chiropractor. She knew of one who believed so strongly in newborn adjustments that he did them for free! When I called his office and explained what was happening with Mikah, they gave us a next-day appointment. Mikah was 2-1/2 months old, much of which time he’d spent crying.

I remember the appointment day so clearly. It just so happened that we had an appointment with the pediatrician right before the visit with the chiropractor. By the way, I was the only one going to these appointments; my daughters stayed behind with my mother-in-love, while Jeff (my husband) was working.

I think I should tell you that I am the kind of person that tends to trust everyone and sometimes says too much. So, with my usual naive style, I told the pediatrician how we were going to the chiropractor next and why. She was already politely skeptical about our having had two home births, our resistance to topical steroid creams for eczema, and our hesitation to immunize. Her response surprised me, but it shouldn’t have. She advised that we not go to the chiropractor because she didn’t think it would do any good, and she even thought it could hurt Mikah.

I left her office and called my husband Jeff from the parking lot. I was ready to cancel the chiropractor visit. Jeff said, “You already have the appointment. Keep it. If you feel uncomfortable with something, you don’t have to do it. But it won’t hurt to give it a shot.” Neither of us had any prior experience with chiropractors, so we had no idea what to expect, if anything…

Click here to read the rest of this story… (I’m guest posting at Keeper of the Home.)

This post is shared with Simple Lives Thursday.

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I bumped into a vintage ad for margarine this morning, which led me on a hunt to find more. I was struck by how the processed food industry’s main marketing message seems to be that their foods are natural, have wonderful flavor, and are healthy. *cough cough* Some things don’t change, do they? For more on this topic, read Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry.

I picked five of my “favorites” to share with you. Visit Vintage Ads for more (including non-food ads) or do a google image search. I’m warning you, you’re likely to waste an hour or so.

Click on an image for the full size.

1940 Kraft Old English (source) — pasteurized for your protection and always cooked perfectly? Pasteurized milk is more dangerous than raw and I’ll take my homemade cheddar any time!

Kool-aid 1949 (source) — I’m not sure I’m even going to comment on this one. I’ll stick to homemade probiotic ginger ale or bubbly probiotic water kefir, thank you.

Mazola (source) — This is a tub (or, bottle) of lies. Read The Skinny on Fats (web article), the book Eat Fat, Lose Fat, take my class Fundamentals II, or watch the video Big Fat Lies.

Oscar Mayer “Sack-o-Sauce in a Can-o-Meat” (source) — Fresh cooked flavor? Hardly.

Margarine 1948 (source) — When margarine first came on the market, it was against the law to color it yellow (so as not to compete with the dairy industry) unless the manufacturer paid a fine or people colored it themselves. This ad claims discrimination against margarine! Are you kidding me?

What thoughts come to mind when you see these ads? Do you think the food industry has changed its basic advertising approach or not?

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Don’t be shy — use the buttons above to spread this message!

Hi — my name is Wardeh (‘Wardee’) Harmon. I am a blogger, teacher, homemaker, homeschooling mom, traditional foods cook — and Ron Paul supporter.

I think Dr. Ron Paul is a really cool guy. He’s a Christian who’s been married for 55 years to his wife Carol. He gardens with his grandkids in Texas. He’s an obstetrician turned Texas congressman.

“But it is true, there was essentially 4000 babies that I delivered. And it’s a delightful thing to bring new life into the world.” –Ron Paul

He’s a champion for the unborn.

“You can’t very well defend liberty and personal choices if you don’t defend life.” –Ron Paul

He’s just very real and down-to-earth.

Ron Paul Cherishes Liberty

My family and I agree with Dr. Ron Paul on a lot of issues, but we primarily support him because he cherishes liberty.

“It’s most important that we understand where our life and liberty comes from. And for me, it comes from a Creator. It doesn’t come from our government.” –Ron Paul

Our Government is Taking Away Our Liberty, Bit by Bit

Our government should be protecting this, but instead is taking it away, bit by bit. We have body scans at airports. Difficulty selling or obtaining raw milk..

“I would like to restore your right to drink raw milk any time you [want] to.” –Ron Paul

Water supplies tainted with chemicals like fluoride and chlorine. Heavy taxation on the fruits of our labor.

“If  we have a natural right to our life and liberty, we should have a natural right to the fruits of our labor.” –Ron Paul

Liberty for All

If you’re willing to fight for your own liberty, you also have to be willing to fight for the liberty of others — others that may not choose to exercise their liberty the same way you do.

“You don’t have to be judgmental and say, ‘Oh, he’s using his freedom the wrong way. I want him to use his freedom the way I use my freedom.’ No, you can’t do that. You have to be tolerant. People say, ‘Oh, no, you can’t be tolerant. What if they do something that you don’t like?’ Tolerance does not mean endorsement.” –Ron Paul

“It’s wrong to assume that if you legalize liberty and freedom, that because somebody might do something wrong, you don’t want to legalize it. Liberty doesn’t mean libertine — it means you have choices.” –Ron Paul

Everyone gets the responsibility to make their own choices. It’s just like how God doesn’t force us to believe in Him. But, with government, if what we do hurts or trespasses on someone’s liberty, that’s when government steps in as a protector. And that’s how it should be.

“The easiest way for people to understand this is, we do understand pretty well in this country about religious liberty. We know that you have a right to practice your religion. We know that you have a right not to practice religion, if you don’t want. But, if we could translate that into all personal behavior, as well as all economic behavior — that it’s your life, you run your life, don’t hurt any body, don’t steal from every body, you suffer the consequences of the way you run your life. You can practice your religion as you see fit. You can run your intellectual life as you see fit. And you have the right to spend your money as you see fit.” –Ron Paul

Ron Paul Gets It

Ron Paul is the only politician who understands how important liberty is and how to protect it and uphold it. As President he’ll pull the meddling government out of our lives so we can decide for ourselves what to eat and how to educate our children. He’ll give the states back the power to protect the unborn. He’ll bring our troops home and he’ll stop sending all that money overseas. He wants to stop the Fed from printing money we don’t have and therefore bring our cost of living back under control. He’ll phase out the FDA and EPA.

“You can’t just drop it all at once, but you can transition away from it. On regulations, no I don’t believe in any of these federal regulations. But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in regulations. The regulation of the marketplace takes care of it.” –Ron Paul

Please help put Dr. Ron Paul in the White House.

Your vote is a vote for Life, Prosperity, and Liberty.

Want More?

If you want to know more about Ron Paul and where he stands on issues of liberty and other important matters, visit WhyRonPaul.com or RonPaulFlix.com. Ron Paul Flix featured my little ol’ video right here.

Like my weekly free videos? Please use the buttons at the top of this post to share this video with others. And subscribe to the GNOWFGLINS Channel on YouTube — you can give this or any other video a thumbs-up!

Are you a Ron Paul supporter? Why or why not? Your kind comments and observations welcomed!

Many thanks to Christopher Ouellette of DancingSkunkMedia.com for direction in the making of this video. The use of copyrighted media clips in this video constitutes “fair use” for the purposes of launching a discussion, as allowed in section 107 of US Copyright Law.

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I’m at the check out, buying Kerrygold butter. (Our cow is drying up, so I’m back to buying butter.)

Lady at the checkout: “What’s so special about this butter?”

Me: “It comes from grass-fed cows, so it’s rich in beta-carotene and Vitamin D.” (Also E and K2, but I didn’t say that.)

Lady: “Oh, would that be the same as the Amish butter we carry?”

Me: “YOU CARRY AMISH BUTTER????” (I was a wee-bit excited.)

Lady: “Yeah, it’s over there [she described where] and people just love it. It’s SO GOOD! And it’s such a good price, too! You get this big log for about six dollars or something like that.”

Me: “I’ve got to check that out!”

Finding the Amish Butter

I found the refrigerator case with all the hand-rolled logs of Amish butter.

Wait a second. Hold on. What’s “country” supposed to mean? It’s from the same area as Amish farms? It’s rolled into a log like Amish butter?

Is this Amish butter or not?

I open the case and pull out a log, going right for the label.

You see what it says. Don’t read further down this post. Check your gut feeling. Is this Amish butter or not?

(blank space to give you room to think)

What I Was Thinking

“WI Grade A” — Grade A milk from a regular dairy in Wisconsin? “Alcam Creamery” — could be Amish? Nah, doesn’t sound Amish.

If this is Amish butter, wouldn’t it be labeled as “grass-fed” or “fresh from a Wisconsin Amish dairy farm”?

(For comparison, the Kerrygold butter label says, “In Ireland, cows graze on the green pastures of small family farms. This milk is churned to make Kerrygold butter.”)

What’s with the pale yellow color?

And why are there gobs and gobs of rolls of it? Certainly small Amish family farms don’t produce enough butter for discount markets across the country?

My stomach is now sunk all the way to the floor.

This is no Amish butter, I’m certain of it.

As I put the butter back into the case and turn around to leave, a lady tells me, “That butter is THE BEST. … It’s Amish.” Really? I wasn’t so sure.

Getting the Facts

Back home, I visit the Alcam Creamery website, specifically the Hand-Rolled Butter page.

I notice that nowhere in the text of the page is there any mention of Amish. The only place you see Amish is on the picture of the package.

Check out these words: “A great item for specialty stores, for a chef in an upscale restaurant and farmers’ markets.” So, are they hand-rolling regular (non-Amish) butter to sell as a specialty item and therefore charge a higher price? Hmm… could be.

Then I call Alcam Creamery, using the customer service number listed on the website. A man answers.

Man: “Alcam Creamery. How can I help you?”

Me: “Hi, I live in Oregon and I just picked up a roll of your Amish Country Roll Butter at my grocery store. Is this Amish butter?”

Man: “Yes, that’s the brand name.”

Me: “But is it actually Amish butter?”

Man: “No.”

Me: “So, why is it called Amish?”

Man: pause

Me: “Is it because you hand roll it?”

Man: “Yes, that’s why.”

Me: “Thank you so much.” Then I hang up.

At-Home Comparison

I open a package of Amish Country Roll Butter and Kerrygold and put them side by side to compare color and taste.

The Kerrygold butter is more yellow, no doubt. More yellow means more beta-carotene. It means the cows were probably eating lots of rapidly growing green grass, because that is where they get the beta-carotene that gets into the cream which makes the butter (or cheese). Yellow cheese and yellow butter are awesome all around — taste and health.

Ingredients in each type of butter? The same: pasteurized cream and salt. The kids and I do a taste-test. The Amish Country Roll Butter is overly salty — unmistakeable to all of us. And we like salt, so that says a lot.

The taste and color comparison is neither here nor there in terms of getting the facts. I don’t even know if Amish farms have grass-fed cows any more. Do they? Or have they converted to grain-fed? You tell me.

It was just interesting to compare, for our own curiosity.

By the way, the Amish Country Roll Butter is about half the cost of the Kerrygold.

Deceptive Marketing?

I talked with three people about this Amish Country Roll Butter and two of them thought it was true Amish butter. The checkout lady told me how everyone in town loves this Amish butter, and I speculate many think it really is Amish butter, too. This reminds me of how the labels “natural” and “farm fresh” are used on foods. Most consumers fall for it.

I’m not even sure that the Amish Country Roll Butter is falsely labeled. It is hand-rolled like real Amish butter, after all.

I do think the name on the package is deceptive, though. I’ll go that far. Alcam Creamery must realize that people think their hand-rolled butter is Amish, yet they don’t do much to dispel that myth. Remember that when I called Alcam Creamery and asked whether the butter was Amish, the man’s first answer to me was: “Yes, that’s it’s brand name.” Does that usually satisfy people? Are they told to say that and hope the inquirer won’t try to go deeper?

If Alcam Creamery was really interested in truth in marketing, the employees (or maybe he was the owner, I don’t know) would answer something more truthful, like “Oh, no, it’s not Amish. But we hand-roll it like the Amish do and that’s where the name comes from.”

Instead, his answer confirmed for me that he knew the label was misleading. He couldn’t answer my real question without revealing his insider knowledge.

I don’t know much else about Alcam Creamery, and I’m not trying to slam them or their people. I only know what I’ve shared here about the hand-rolled butter. For all I know, they’re a great small town place to work. In terms of labeling, though, they’re not unique. Many companies use misleading labels.

All around I think it is unfortunate and depressing. Consumers don’t question what they’re buying and assume that labels are truthful. Companies knowingly mislead consumers through less-than-truthful product labels.

What’s the solution? Not government regulation! Consumers should wise up, push back, and stop supporting companies that market like this. There’s nothing more effective than marketplace competition. Ron Paul said of the healthcare industry, “True competition in the delivery of medical care is what is needed, not more government meddling.” That’s true of the food industry as well.

What do you think about the Amish Country Rolled Butter and how it is marketed? Would you have bought it thinking it was really Amish butter or would you have known better? Do you think it is falsely or deceptively labeled? What is the responsibility of consumers, government and food companies in issues of deceptive marketing? Seen any false labels on other foods lately?

I shared this post in Simple Lives Thursday and Fight Back Friday.

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Learning to culture my own homemade dairy foods has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. The flavors are beyond delicious, the health benefits greater than anything you can buy at a regular store, and the experience of learning the skills profoundly revealing.

I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to learn to milk both goats and cows and then to turn the delicious, God-given food into sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, kefir (especially kefir!), cultured butter, and a bunch of delicious cheeses.

You Couldn’t Pay Me Enough

I want to share with you a passage from a book we recently got — Greg Judy’s No-Risk Ranching. He expresses why I’m glad my children are growing up doing farm chores — and things I even feel about myself getting this experience as an adult!

“Our family moved to Missouri in 1966, mainly to escape the long cold winters. My Dad sold the dairy cows shortly thereafter and went to work in town. He kept one cow for the family milk needs. I used to watch in amazement how my dad blasted the milk streams into the bucket with his powerful hands and with such great rhythm. When I reached seven years of age I asked him one night if I could try milking the cow. From that point on, I had the job until I moved away from home after high school!

I remember the freezing mornings, how the back of your fingers and hands would freeze as you tried to get done as fast as possible. The cow was always kicking at biting flies, and runny manure-laden tails would smack you in the face while you tried to milk in the hot summer months. After milking, I let the milk cow’s calf have half of one hind teat. You had to wrestle the calf away from the cow before turning the cow out to grass. As the calf grew it got to be quite a chore. You grabbed him by an ear and the tail and with a lot of momentum because the calf always outweighed you. He was never ready to leave.

After the milking, I would strain the milk through a fine cloth to remove any debris. I remember my grade school principal telling me that it was unsafe to drink the raw milk; we were supposedly at risk of contracting all kinds of diseases! I asked him what he drank while he was growing up? I never heard any more from him about unsafe milk. It was an extremely satisfying feeling to head to the house with a bucket full of fresh milk for the family. The cow was always ready to go back to grazing. The calf was full. The barn cats had a little milk. And I usually poured a little out for the meat hogs on the way to the house. Life was good.

As a youngster, there were times when I was milking the cow that I would have rather have been doing about anything else. But guess what? You couldn’t pay me enough to give up that experience now. It taught me responsibility, a work ethic, and a daily job that had to be done twice a day by me or it would not get done. I know this is not possible, but it would be fantastic if every kid had some type of chores with an animal every day.” –Greg Judy, No-Risk Ranching

He didn’t go into it (and I don’t know him to ask him), but I like to think that his mom (or sisters?) probably took that milk and created all sorts of nutritious cultured dairy foods out of it, giving their family another “I wouldn’t trade it for the world” growing up experience.

Important Virtues Nurtured on the Farm

Joann S. Grohman, author of Keeping a Family Cow, shares the importance of farming and dairying in recent history:

“The dairy cow doesn’t ask for much but she asks every day. People who are creating wealth with a cow either are hard working and reliable or they get that way in a hurry. The fine farms of Europe, England, New England and much of the United States were all established thanks to the wealth derived from cows. … It is certainly no coincidence that such a large number of our finest American statesmen were born on farms. Important virtues are nurtured on the farm, including a graphic understanding of the relationship between working and eating.” –Joann S. Grohman, Keeping a Family Cow

How fortunate we are that even today — in the midst of a society that is vastly raised on boxed non-foods and has no relationship to the farm whatsoever — we can still learn to milk dairy animals or make our own homemade cultured dairy… or even both!

Whether you’re doing it all yourself, or taking a trip to the farm each week for your weekly cow or goat share, you and your children are getting a marvelous and unparalleled education. You’re working hard, reaping the rewards, learning how it is all done, most importantly, seeing God’s hand in it all — from how the animals feast on His grass, to how we and assorted farm animals feast on the abundant milk, and finally to how we make beautiful, delicious and healthy cultured dairy foods.

I Am Grateful

I couldn’t be happier about what my family is doing and learning, and I’m just about positive you share the same feelings about the traditions you’re keeping or learning in your home.

Please share in the comments about your “farm life” — whether you live it or you support it, I want to hear your experiences!

A year ago, I taught almost everything I learned about cultured dairy and cheese in the online Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eCourse. That class is always on and always available to members of GNOWFGLINS eCourse. (I’m sorry, but it doesn’t give milking instructions… just loads of things to do with the milk and cream!)

But while online videos and lessons and forum support prove to be very popular and helpful, others just want something they can take home and study independently. That’s why we compile all the print lessons of each class into stand-alone, single-download, independent-study eBooks. We did this to create the Fundamentals eBook and then the Sourdough A to Z eBook.

Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eBook — Now Available

I’m pleased to share that our third eBook — the Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eBook — is out and available. Ready to learn simple, delicious, healthy cultured dairy recipes? Now you can!

Our newest eBook contains all 18 print lessons of the online class, teaching you how to make your own sour cream, yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, buttermilk, basic cheeses and more! If you’re not into videos, membership, or forum interaction but want to learn how to culture dairy easily at home — this eBook is for you.

Lots of members like the eBooks to save time downloading and organizing single lesson print materials. Plus, members get a discount on our eBooks.

Click here for a sample chapter.

Just to be clear: You do not need your own cow to make use of this eBook. You do not even have to have raw milk. I cover all your options inside.

Bonus: “Easy Sourdough” Booklet + Video

For a limited time, you get a bonus with any eBook purchase — the “Easy Sourdough” booklet and video. These bonuses are available with memberships and menu plan subscriptions, too.

Don’t forget to share about your “farm life” — whether you live it or you support it, I want to hear your experiences!

I’ve shared this post with Simple Lives Thursday.

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“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”
–Proverbs 17:22

What is a merry heart? Certainly it is a heart that’s happy. Happy because things are going well and life is grand? Could be. Sometimes is.

But most of us do not live that kind of life. We have struggles and challenges. God is clear that during our lives, we will experience our fair share of labors, cares, and tribulations. And still He tells us that a merry heart does us good. Which means it must be possible!

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
–John 16:33

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
–Matthew 11:28

How is this possible? We must decide to be happy — and act on it — rather than let our emotions be determined by the things that happen to us. God gives the exact strategy for how to act, in good times and in bad.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks.”
–1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. … If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
–Galations 5:22, 25

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks deepens our relationship with our Savior, and it transforms our whole outlook about our life and our world. Extending grace, forgiveness and mercy (among the other fruits) is good for others and ourselves. Perhaps moreso for ourselves; it is freeing not to carry around burdens of guilt, cynicism or bitterness.

I know it is tough to rejoice when things are hard. But joy — true joy — is not found in our circumstances or ourselves.

“Be glad in the LORD and rejoice,
you righteous; And shout for joy,
all you upright in heart!”
–Psalm 32:11

And — not to be underestimated — by cultivating a cheerful, forgiving, joyful countenance, we are more likely to experience positive improvements in our health. By sharing our merry heart with others, we are helping to improve their health and healing. One tender look, word, or touch can ease a million burdens and stresses.

A merry heart is good like medicine. God bless you with His joy! And be sure to pass your joy around.

What gives you a merry heart? Have you seen or experienced a physical or spiritual transformation through cultivating a merry heart?

P.S. You’ve gotta love this! Dietary Guideline #20 by the Weston A. Price Foundation is: “Think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness.”

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Lots of times we talk about the “how” of real food. How to do this, how to do that. But how often do we consider why?

The “why” is often more important than the “how.” It gives us the motivation for all that we do, including how we prepare and eat foods.

This may come as a shock to some who haven’t actively pondered the “why.” Whether we realize it or not, everyone has a “why” lurking behind the scenes. For example, the “why” for the family that eats lots of boxed foods might be convenience. (I happen to think the idea that boxed foods are more convenient is a myth, but I’ll save that for another day.)

Interested in the “how” of preparing nutritious, real foods? This Friday, January 6, 2012 is our next free webinar — Easy Steps to Real Food in 2012. Please come — it is free!

12 Reasons to Embrace Traditional, Real Foods

Before I start the list, I want to clarify this. I start with the assumption that real foods are traditional foods. In other words, they are traditionally prepared and nutrient-dense. For example, contrast these two types of real foods:

Sugar cane. It is real, definitely. But a diet of sugar cane to excess is not a healthy one.

Traditional food preparations (like culturing dairy or souring dough). Real, yes. And healthy because the preparations make the foods highly digestible and nutritious.

In the benefits and reasons listed below, I primarily focus on the second type. Of course.

So… here are my top twelve reasons for embracing real food… aka GNOWFGLINS.

1. God’s foods are real foods.

Before there were factory farms and processed foods, there were nutrient-dense foods prepared traditionally. These whole foods came from the field to the table with very little processing, other than traditional preparation methods.

Though we have studies to show that traditional cultures were more healthy than people today, let’s not turn this reason into a scientific debate. Let’s embrace real foods simply because they are in the form our Creator gave them.

We honor Him by honoring His design. It’s that simple.

2. Real foods are nutritious.

Real foods contain vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, fiber and more — the stuff we need for healthy bodies and healthy minds. Processed foods are basically empty calories and do not support health.

3. Real foods taste good.

Your picky eater may not agree. Yet.

For most of us, real foods are unparalleled delicacies when compared to their commercial, processed counterparts.

Recently, I gave a half gallon of raw milk — with a cream line 4″ deep — to someone who helped us. That evening, he grabbed the regular milk jug to serve his son a glass of milk. But his son saw the mason jar of real milk peeking out of the fridge, and he asked for that instead. He’d tasted our real milk once before. Clearly, it made an impact.

4. Your kids get to know their food.

Many kids (and probably adults) are so removed from reality, they have no idea their food doesn’t grow on a grocery store shelf.

When you embrace real food, your kids see/read/hear/discuss farming, learn that carrots grown in the ground, that eggs come from chickens, and that milk comes from real cows not a plastic jug.

This is exciting, mind-blowing stuff for children. They love it.

5. Working around allergies or health issues? Real foods to the rescue.

When you’re cooking from scratch with whole, real ingredients, you don’t have to worry about the unpronounceables that cause allergies, reactions, side-effects or general illness. Work around them with whole food recipes, tailored to fit.

6. Real foods support Liberty.

I know you’re a lover of Liberty. When you support local farmers growing real food — or you grow your own — you’re supporting the idea that people have a right  to choose, grow and prepare the foods they desire.

Presidential candidate Ron Paul is a supporter of individual Liberty, including raw milk freedom. He believes individuals should be able to make their own choices about food (and other things), rather than be told by the government what they can and cannot eat or buy. Check him out.

7. Real foods support local, simple food transactions.

When you purchase whole, real foods from local farmers, you’re helping them and your local economy. When you grow your own food (and perhaps share with others in your area), you’re helping yourself or others get off the industrial food machine.

8. Real foods put you in touch with God’s world and seasons.

To grow or purchase local, whole, real foods is to get to know your world better — the world God created. He is the author of the seasons, of planting and harvest, and even of rest. I believe that getting to know His world helps us know Him better.

9. Real foods = return to tradition.

People of old knew how to bake with sourdough, create ‘good-for-you’ crunchy and sour pickles, make farmhouse cheeses and churn cultured butter. They lived close to the land and its bounty and passed their knowledge down from generation to generation. When you embrace real foods, you return to those roots and old-fashioned skills. Good stuff.

10. Real foods help you learn real skills.

In your pursuit of real food you may garden, raise chickens, or milk a goat. Or at the very least, you may visit with your local farmers who do these things or more. You’ll be soaking up skills whether you desire it or not! For me, there’s not much more excitement in life than learning about traditional food preparation!

11. Real foods slow you down.

Tending to a batch of cheese, cutting curds, milking a goat or cow, churning butter, kneading dough, packing cucumbers in a jar for old-fashioned pickles — these are simple, nourishing, enriching tasks. They add up to a slower, satisfying life. A life more in tune with natural rhythms and God’s providence.

12. Real foods introduce you to cool people.

I love the people I’ve met through my family’s traditional, real food journey. From the Farmer’s Market, to co-operative gardening, to reading comments on this blog, to visiting with eCourse members on our forums, the people behind real foods are fun to know. I love you all.

What would you add? Please share in the comments!

Don’t forget! This Friday, January 6, 2012, we’ll discuss the “how” of preparing nutritious, real foods in our next free webinar — Easy Steps to Real Food in 2012. Please come — it is free!

This post is shared in Simple Lives Thursday.

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I make tons of mistakes. Now that’s out of the way. Let’s get to the story of my weekend baking (near) disaster.

On Saturday evening, I made a quadruple batch of sourdough chocolate cake — for my sister’s visit and for a potluck on Sunday. I quadrupled all the ingredients, but somehow I multiplied the baking soda by 8. This means the baking soda was double what it should be.

Would the cakes turn out? I put them in the oven, hopeful but filled with dread and frustration with myself… “all that expensive coconut oil” was the phrase I kept repeating to myself, heightening my already sick feeling.

While waiting for the cakes to bake, I ground more flour and fed the starter again, just in case…

Somehow the cakes turned out fine. (Did you notice how I posted “chic” instead of “choc” on Facebook? Really, I can blame that on my phone’s auto-correct.)

This story does not end there. No, my mistakes continued to pour forth…

On Sunday morning — just half an hour before we had to leave for church — I started the chocolate buttercream frosting. It was so last minute because I had thawed the butter that morning instead of the night before. And it was still too cold and would not cream. This is me, frustrated with trying to get the butter soft. My sister documented the whole story.

This is what butter does to beaters when it is too cold. It fills them up and then won’t go anywhere. In other words, it won’t cream.

I emptied those beaters a million times before the butter was finally soft. I also switched back and forth between beaters and food processor another million times. What finally worked was adding the cream, which was supposed to go in at end of the recipe.

My sister suggested I warm the cream a bit before adding it. I didn’t take her advice, though I should have. My excuse — my frustration level was high, I was tired of trying different things, and I didn’t want to add one more thing to the list.

This is not my best quality, but there it is. When things are difficult, I tend to want to scrap it all, or at least keep my attempts to fix very, very simple.

Anyway, the butter finally creamed. So it was time to add the powdered rapadura and everything else. But I didn’t powder the rapadura fine enough, so the frosting was really crystal-y. It tasted good, though.

I frosted the cake anyway. There was no going back at that point.

We arranged the cake for the potluck and off we went to church. Not the prettiest, but you know at that point, I just wanted to be done with it. I thanked God for helping me finish the project and I asked Him to bless that cake.

Everyone said this was the best cake ever. It really was good.

For future reference, I don’t recommend doubling the baking soda. I think it made the cake crumbly, but not fatally so. The additional saltiness was perfect (note to self: just add more salt next time).

The frosting was absolutely delicious (a real food recipe coming soon) — the coarser sugar crystals having dissolved into smooth perfection.

What should you take away from this? At the very least, be encouraged that I make mistakes, too — lots of them.

But more importantly — isn’t God gracious? We can trust our results to His care.

Sometimes things don’t turn out very good, yet we can always praise Him and learn from each experience.

Thankfully, many times — like this weekend — He works in spite of our mistakes and weaknesses to make things very good! Thank you, Lord!

Please share anything on your heart about this idea of being real, being human, and trusting God to bless the work of your hands. I look forward to what you’ll share.

This post was shared in Simple Lives Thursday.

I’m not an animal person. Never have been. But here I am, the chief milk maid in my family. I started out by milking goats and now I’m milking a cow. I figure, who better to tell you all about it (both the wonderful and the icky) than someone who was won over to it in spite of herself?

Here is one of the most often-asked questions I get: what are the differences between milking goats and milking cows? And probably the second-most-asked question is: which do you prefer? I don’t claim to know it all, but I’ll do my best to answer.

Read the rest of Should We Get a Goat or a Cow? One Homesteader’s Experience With Both at Nourishing Days, where I’m a guest today. Thanks for having me over, Shannon.

Be sure to let us know what you think about milking goats v. milking cows!