Eating Weeds for Your Health-Dandelion Fritters & Sautéed Dandelion Greens

04/03/2013 By
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 1:2

I started the week off by making Dandelion Fritters! Yep, with the weeds from our yard.  Dandelions are the most amazing plant ever and just to think people spray killer on them in their yards. Don’t use yours if you’ve sprayed them!! The flowers, the greens and the roots are all medicinal. The flowers  taste a lot like zucchini blossoms, if you’ve ever had those. They’re addicting with your favorite dressing or with honey!

Dandelions are SO good for you; for liver disorders, diabetes, acne, cancer, anemia, for your  bone health, helps in weight loss and the list goes on. . . Read the benefits here! The juice inside the steam of the flower is used for warts, age spots on skin and other skin aliments.  1 cup of dandelion provides vitamin A (186% RDA) and vitamin C (21% RDA)! One cup of chopped dandelion greens are  good sources of vitamins B1, B2, B6, vitamin E  and especially abundant in vitamin K (357% RDA)!

Dandelion Fritters

A bunch of cleaned dandelion flowers—only use clean and organic, meaning no pesticides.

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup of cornstarch-organic if possible

¼ cup of flour-(I use GF flour)

½ cup of water

Oil for sauteing

Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix egg, cornstarch, flour, water and salt together. Let sit for 10 min-gets thicker. Then dip dandelion flower’s into the batter. Drop on to hot greased skillet. Cook on medium high for 3-4 minutes and flip. Flatten down with spatula and cook for another 3-4 minutes until slightly browned and becomes soft inside.

 

Dandelion Greens w/ Walnuts and Blue Cheese- (The greens are on the bitter side. Go easy when you first start eating and build up your amount- they are a powerhouse)

Bunch of washed Dandelion greens- in the spring time they are the best, tender— I use all summer

2-3 garlic cloves minced

¼ cup of olive oil or grape seed oil, plus 2 tablespoons

Balsamic vinegar spray

4 ounce crumbled blue cheese—I used my homemade goat feta

Chopped walnuts

Chopped dates

In skillet, saute garlic in a tablespoon of oil. Add dandelion greens and additional 2 tablespoons of oil, cook until they wilt- just a minute or so. Transfer to serving dish. Spray balsamic vinegar over the greens, sprinkle with chopped nuts, blue cheese, chopped dates and salt if you want.

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2

One of many dandelion plants

One of our many dandelion plants

 

Dip dandelions into batter and then onto a very hot greased skillet. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium high then flip and flatten just a little with spaula

Dip dandelions into batter and then onto a very hot greased skillet. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium high then flip and flatten just a little with

spatula

Flipped and flattened

Flipped and flattened

YUMMY Dandelion Fritters!! dip in your favorite sauce (mine was curds with garlic and seasonings) or honey. HONEY is DELICIOUS with it!

YUMMY Dandelion Fritters!! dip in your favorite sauce (mine was curds with garlic and seasonings) or honey. HONEY is DELICIOUS with it!

caley,easter, wedding invitations, dandelion recipe 064

Saute with garlic in oil

Saute with garlic in oil

Yummy and healthy

Yummy and healthy

Dandelion Blossom Syrup

Dandelion Blossom Syrup

Easter

Easter

Easter with family!

Easter with family

Felicity and Jeffrey

Felicity and Jeffrey

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Valentine’s Day Goodies

02/04/2013 By
screen of gmos 2

Valentine’  Day Goodies- Glazed sugar cookies,Chocolate Bottom Macaroons and Meringue Cookies

This year for Valentine’s Day make your own decadent sweets that say, “I love you.”  Then sit down with the people you love and explain why you’re not joining the millions who are buying the commercial candies.

Millions of people are suffering with infertility, chronic digestive diseases, cancer, autism, and countless other unexplained illnesses.  Most of these issues were not widespread 30 years ago. What has happened?

For one thing, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) have become a normal staple in the American diet.  The scary part of it all is that the average consumer has no idea what they really are- and how bad they are for them.

In test studies, animals being fed steady diets of GMO’s showed large increase in pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, testicles, partial atrophy (or increased density of the liver), odd shaped cell nuclei, and other unexplained anomalies.  They also saw an increase in false pregnancies, and higher death rates. The GMO’s once consumed remain active in the body, long after eaten. They become a factory that doesn’t die, damaging intestinal walls, etc.

The more you read about these, the more you know that you don’t want to eat anything with a GMO in it. So, what foods have GMO’s?  First let me show you the top foods made with GMO’s.

Presently the top eight GMO foods are: Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, Sugar-Beets, Hawaiian Papaya (most), a small amount of Zucchini, and Yellow Squash.

This means that anything with a corn derivative, like corn syrup, or corn starch most likely has it in it.  This is true unless it says it is non- GMO or organic.  Organic foods do not have GMO’s in them.  Anything with a sugar derivative has great potential of being GM.

The purpose of this blog post:

Most all Valentine’s Day candy is made with corn syrup and sugar.  So, most all is genetically modified.  I personally don’t want to feed that to my family with all the side effects that can be life damaging. And, I don’t want you to be uneducated when you buy your candy this year either.  If you can afford it, you could buy organic chocolates or you could follow me and make your own Valentine Goodies!

It is more effort and money to eat healthy- but it is worth it.  The organic sugars are expensive but deserts are not our daily portion.  We’re eating deserts occasionally and on holidays.

For the Valentine Sugar Cookies, I used organic sugar and the glaze is made from organic powdered sugar, organic corn syrup, and all-natural color.

The Macaroons are made with almond flour, organic egg whites, and organic powdered sugar with organic dark chocolate on the bottoms.

The Meringues are made with organic egg whites and organic powdered sugar.

Still on my list to be made before Valentine’s Day are Chocolate Truffles…

I hope you have a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day!

You’ve got to watch the Genetic Roulette Movie–http://geneticroulettemovie.com/ shocking and amazing!

 

Romans 12:1-3 says it’s important to God how we take care of our body.

“I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

 

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The Healing Recipe- Chicken Soup

01/29/2013 By
Chicken soup ingredients- I didn't have Celtic Sea Salt, so I used regular sea salt

The Healing Recipe-Chicken Soup

The Healing Recipe- Chicken Soup

Soups and stocks made from the bones of chicken, fish, lamb, venison or beef contain minerals, gelatin, cartilage, collagen and electrolytes to help heal and give life.  For centuries it has been used to heal people. It’s been called Jewish Penicillin.  However, the tradition or art of making soup healthy has generally been lost. Two key factors to making it a super food; length of time cooked and organic ingredients.

Every ingredient listed in this recipe is vital for your health. Pour all in a large pot, simmer for many hours- and you’ve got a powerhouse all in one stock pot.  Soup or stock made the right way can help reduce inflammation, reduce joint pain, strengthen your immune system, repair intestinal wall from effects of IBS, Celiac and Crohn’s disease, be an antibiotic overuse and so much more.

If you want to be healthy eat this chicken soup.  If you want to boost your immune system- eat this soup.  If you need to bring a meal to a sick family- make this soup. If you want your house to smell heavenly- make this soup.  If you’ve had a lot of health issues for a long season- eat at least one serving of this once a day, every day, and enjoy!

The Healing Recipe- Chicken Soup

2 1/2 gallons filtered cold water- (You can lessen this if your pot isn’t big enough)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

4-6 tablespoons organic extra virgin coconut oil

1 medium organic, free range or kosher whole chicken

5 organic carrots, peeled and sliced

6 stalks organic celery, sliced

2-4 organic zucchini, sliced

2 large or 3 medium organic onions, diced

2 heaping tablespoons of grated ginger( buy in jar or fresh and grate)

5 cloves garlic, diced or minced (less if garlic bothers you more if you love garlic)

2-4 tablespoons high mineral Celtic sea salt

1 large can of organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes

2 cups of uncooked organic brown rice

1 large bunch organic parsley

*curds- see below

Every ingredient is vital in this recipe, except for the crushed tomatoes and rice. Those two are the only ingredients that can be left out. If you leave them out it will lack in flavor and filling, but it will be healthier to your body. For a very sick person you must not add tomatoes and rice.  This recipe has helped rejuvenate many a sick people.

Importance of each ingredient:

1. Filtered water- I use our well water it is 275 feet deep, has been tested for pollutants (has none) and is filtered. It is better water than you can buy at the store.  If you don’t have access to good water buy filtered water.  Do not use chemical laden city water. Make sure your water is cold when you put the ingredients in.  This helps fibers open slowly, releasing nutrients and optimum flavor.

2. Apple cider vinegar- Helps draw minerals from the bones and into your soup.

3. Organic extra virgin coconut oil- Even though a whole chicken has plenty of fat-you’re adding this for your health. It contains large amounts of lauric acid, which have potent anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties.

4. Organic chicken- if at all possible use organic chicken. It has so much more nutrients for your health. Bones from beef, lamb, wild game, turkey, and duck can all be used to make a good broth or stock if you don’t have a chicken.  Bones can be saved in zip lock bags in the freezer until it’s time to make up a batch of stock.  They can be bought, too, from local natural-foods stores.

5. Carrots- rich sources of carotenoids, B vitamins, phosphorus, calcium and all important iodine. Use organic.

6. Zucchini- restores sodium-exhausted liver.

7. Onions- Contain carotenoids, B complex vitamins, C vitamin, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulphur compounds. They help kidney function and have antibacterial properties.

6. Ginger- It is an anti-inflammatory so it to help arthritis, pain, inflammation and stiffness. Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. It helps ease gas and sick stomach.

8. Garlic- Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties just to name a few benefits. Read this article for a list of the other things it is good for http://naturalsociety.com/benefits-of-garlic/ .

9. Fire roasted crushed organic tomatoes- This should not be included in your soup if you have sensitivity to salicylates, the nightshade family of foods, or if you have severe digestive issues. Roasted tomatoes give an added flavor our family enjoys.

10. Organic brown rice or quinoa- I add this for bulk not for nutrition, never ever use white rice. It has no nutritional value for your health.  If I’m making soup for a sick person, I do not add a simple starch like rice or quinoa, or the tomatoes.  If your intestinal tract is inflamed, you shouldn’t have tomatoes or rice until you are healed.

11. Mineral Celtic sea salt- Is high in organic iodine, contains trace minerals, sodium chloride and magnesium salts.

12. Parsley- http://naturalhealthtechniques.com/diet_nutritionparsleybenefits.htm The list is too long to write for the health benefits. Read it for yourself. Add to soup when it is finished cooking.

Parsley has a tripetide called glutathione. It’s a substance composed of 3 amino acids containing cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine, which serve as both a hydrogen acceptor and donor.  It acts as an antioxidant and can inactivate cancer causing agents that may damage cells.  It seems to neutralize rancid, oxidized fats that initiate the artery clogging process.  If parsley is cooked it can kill 30 to 60 percent of the glutathione, if it is canned it kills 100% of it.

That’s why I add it at the end of cooking- fresh.

*curds- if you have curds add a tablespoon to each individual bowl when the soup is cool to touch along with the parsley. Never add curds to a liquid above 110 degrees.  That would kill the good bacteria and living enzymes.  For instructions on how to make curds read this post: http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/07/how-to-make-curds-and-whey.

Where to find raw milk? http://www.realmilk.com/

Directions:

Place all ingredients (except for rice and parsley) into a large stock pot. Let sit for 10 min’s before you turn the heat on. Bring to slow boil then turn down to simmer for 10-24 hours! Yep, the longer you cook it the more nutrient dense it becomes. Simmering the broth, not boiling ensures clarity in the broth. 

Take chicken and bones out of pot. Add rice or quinoa to broth, cook until done.  Let chicken cool, pick chicken off the bones (the small bones will crush between your fingers-add those to the soup).  When rice is done add the chicken back to the broth.  Let it cool a bit before you eat.  You may freeze this. Eat every day for your health. You’ll know if you have a generous amount of gelatin in your soup, if when cooled it becomes thick. This is a super food for people with digestive issues, bone disorders, arthritis, cancer, Lyme disease, and other ailments.

If you make this for someone who is very ill you will need to puree it. Pureeing it helps in digestion process and takes work off the digestive system.

Recipe to get well:

1. Eat soup or clear stock at least once a day. Eat cultured plain yogurt every day- preferably unpasteurized.  If you’ve got major digestive issues only use goat dairy.  Eat organic eggs, meat, fish and fermented vegetables for the rest of your life.

2. Ask Jesus to heal you.

3. Read and believe James 5: 13-16

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray…Is anyone sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, you that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Chicken soup ingredients- I didn’t have Celtic Sea Salt, so I used regular sea salt

Put all ingredients in pot except for parsley and rice and bring to boil-turn down to simmer for 10-24 hours

Chicken soup without crushed tomatoes cooking

I like the added flavor of the fire roasted crushed tomatoes-only use organic tomatoes

I cooked this batch for 17 hours- sometimes I only have time for 10. The longer you cook it the more medicinal it is. The chicken is cooling in the bowl.

I ladled two quarts of broth off the top of my soup- we’ll drink a small cup of this with meals

Add neck, liver, gizzards to your soup. The neck falls apart and you’ll see the vertebrate after 17 hours of cooking, the bones crush easily. Crush them and add to the soup, if they aren’t cooked long enough they won’t crush, toss them out if they are hard. On the left you can see the vertebrate before i crush it. On the right, crushed it is soft.

I added a little quinoa to my soup, parsley and a dollop of curds when it cooled. If you don’t have homemade curds, add plain yogurt for the probiotic properties (Goat if you have digestive issues) Delicious!!

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8 Fermented Food Recipes–For Your Health

01/10/2013 By
6 Fermented Fruits and Vegatable's Completed

The Flu is rampant! More than 50% of the nation is being hit with it right now. I’m taking precautions; eating healthier, getting sleep, washing my hands after being in public places and praying!

At every meal I’m eating at least a tablespoon of fermented foods. I know, you never hear of them anymore. In the olden days everyone knew how to preserve vegetables. It’s done through a process called lacto-fermentation. The lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances digestibility, increases vitamin levels, produces helpful enzymes and antibiotic properties critical to our health.

Lactic acid in the fermented foods keeps them perfectly preserved and promotes healthy flora in our intestines (80% of your immune system is in our gut).

Making them is easy. You don’t need any special equipment. The most important thing is to use the highest quality ingredients. When available use organic fruit or vegetables.  If the vegetables are deficit in nutrients the fermentation is likely not to work. Use pure water, not chemical laden and use sea salt when available.

Most people don’t have access to homemade whey that’s in the recipes.  Don’t use commercial concentrated whey, it’s not the same thing at all. You must have whey to ferment fruit but you don’t have to have whey to make the vegetables. Just use additional salt as I state in the recipe.  If you want to know how to make whey read my post: http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/07/how-to-make-curds-and-whey/. If you don’t have access to raw/unpasteurized milk you can make your own whey using plain yogurt from the store. Here is a site that tells you how to do it http://wellnessmama.com/2402/how-to-make-whey-and-cream-cheese-in-one-step/.

Wash your fruit or vegetables, cut them up, add; salt, spices, water, then pound down gently to release juices. The salt helps eliminate bacteria while the fermentation is taking place. Put top on the jar, close tight. Don’t open while on the counter, it is a anaerobic process and the presence of oxygen can ruin the final product.

When you are ready to eat your fermented food–If  it has a horrible odor toss it out. It should smell fermented and maybe sprity.  Some vegetables don’t smell like  anything. Once I made a batch of fermented cucumbers and when opening they were mushy on top, I tossed those out.  They should have been the texture of it’s natural state.

Eat in small quantities, like a condiment.  Enjoy the benefits of being healthy! Recipes are taken from Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions book.

Homemade sauerkraut recipe: http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/05/making-sauerkraut/

Homemade preserved lemons :http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/05/preserved-lemons/!

Fermented Beets

9 medium beets (when possible use organic)

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 tablespoons whey (if you have none, use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

1 cup filtered water

Chop greens off and wash beets well. Place on cookie sheet and bake on 300 degrees for 3 hours. Peel and chop beet’s into thin strips. Don’t mince beets. Place beets in quart jar with wide mouth. Press down slightly. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the beets. Press down lightly. Should be 1 inch below top. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 3 days before transferring to refrigerator.

Beets in 300 degree oven for three hours

Peeled

Pour all other ingredients into beet and pound lightly

Pickled Radish

1 bunch of radishes

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons whey (if you have none, use 1 additional teaspoon salt)

Take greens off, wash and grate radishes. Place grated radishes into pint size mason jar. Pound down the radishes, then pour other ingredients on top. Pound again. The top of the radish mixture should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 3 days before storing in refrigerator.

One bunch of organic radishes

Greens off and washed

Grate them–not your fingernails!

Put into pint size jar and pound down

 

Add salt

Pickled Garlic

6 heads of of organic garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons whey (if you have none, use 1 additional tablespoon salt)

1/4 cup water

Bake garlic heads in 300 degree oven until cloves open. It will smell wonderful in your kitchen. Take outer layers off the cloves and put cloves into jar. Pour rest of ingredients on top. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 3 days before storing in refrigerator. This is DELICIOUS! Our daughter Rachael spreads it on toast and sprinkles cheese on top-said it was heavenly.

Baking garlic on 300 degrees

Took clove out

Done, now cover tightly and let sit for 3 days at room temperature

Pickled Cucumbers

3 cucumbers

1 tablespoon of fresh dill if you have it

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 tablespoons whey (if you have none, use additional 1 tablespoon salt)

1 cup of filtered water

Wash cucumbers and slice in long quarters. Place in wide mouth quart sized jar. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Top of liquid should be 1 inch below top. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days before transferring to refrigerator.

Wash cucumbers well, then slice in long quarters

Put cucumber pieces into wide mouth quart jar and then pour water and whey on top

Sliced and ready for the water, whey and salt

Mango Chutney (or Papaya)

3 cups of firm mango, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup  lime juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup whey

1/2 cup filtered water

Mix all in large bowl, then pour into wide mouth quart sized jar. Press down. If it doesn’t all fit don’t force it. Eat the left over’s for lunch. The fruit should be covered in liquid, if it is not add more water. Leave 1 inch a top. Cover tightly and sit at room temperature for 3 days before transferring to refrigerator. We’ve used this as a condiment with Mexican dishes, yum!!!

Getting ingredients ready for Mango Chutney

You don’t have to have one of these mango slicers–but it helps

Chopped mango

Lime juice, cilantro and ginger in the mango

Onions, red pepper and salt added

Rest of ingredients added and stirred

Pour into jar and pound–extra left in the bowl was yummy for lunch

Incredibly yummy– put lid on and let sit for 3 days at room temperature

Pineapple Chutney

1 pineapple, chopped- if at all possible use organic

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 tablespoons fresh  lime juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup of whey

1/2 cup of filtered water

Mix all in large bowl. pour  into wide mouth quart jar. Press down lightly. If it doesn’t all fit, eat that part for lunch! You should have 1 inch head space at top. Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature for 3 days until transferring to refrigerator. I didn’t like this one as much, it tasted really fizzy! But I eat it! You need whey to make this one.

Ingredients for pineapple chutney

Took skin off pineapple and cored it- it’s hard

Chopped pineapple

Grated ginger

Add chopped cilantro, water, lime juice and whey

Add Salt

Stir and pour into wide mouth mason jar- Pound, add more if there is room. Extra is delicious to eat right away!

I had to pour some off the top. There is suppose to be 1 inch head room at top

Video of me milking our goat. I use unpasteurized milk to make our whey.  http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/07/how-to-milk-a-goat/

 

 

 

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Canning Pear Butter-Video

11/14/2012 By
Canning_pear_butter

Sharon’s Pear Butter( I double the recipe)

We have an abundance of pears on our property. We just found another tree drooping with pears a couple of weeks ago in our field. Some people are allergic to apples so pears are a great way to enjoy the same recipes with a fruit similar. I would recommend using apple cider in this recipe if your family members can have apples. I posted how to make your own pear cider in a previous post; http://sharonglasgow.com/2012/10/the-weekend-harvest-bushels-of-pears-pear-cider/

10 cups chopped pears (approximately 5lbs)

2 cups pear cider (you can use apple)

3 cups sugar (you can make it without sugar)

1 tsp ground gloves

1/2 tsp allspice

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Wash, peel,core and quarter pears. You don’t have to peel the pears if they’re blemish free.

2.Cook pears in cider and sugar until done, 20 min’s on high.

3. Pour pears in small quantity into blender and puree.

4. After all pears are pureed put spices in and stir

5. Pour into a pan and cook in oven on 350 degrees for at least 7 hours. It becomes thick and rich the longer it cooks.

Don’t use iron pans, it turns the pear butter a dark color and takes on the taste of iron. I learned this the hard way. Glass, stainless steel or ceramic are good choices. Test for desired thickness by spooning a drop of pear butter on cold plate. If no liquid oozes around edges, it is ready.

6. Ladle into sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

7. Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Yeilds 5 pints

 

 

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How to Make Curds and Whey

07/24/2012 By
Curds and Whey Separating

Pour fresh raw milk into a clean jar. Put top on loosely. Let sit for 3-4 days in72-78 degree room. When The curds and whey separate it is time to process. This jar is ready to process.

Raw milk has all 8 of the essential amino acids our body requires. It also has two players in antibiotic protein/enzyme arsenals, lysozyme and lactoperoxidase. These two work together to get rid of undesirable bacteria and unwanted microbes.

When milk is heated(pasteurized) many of the super abilities of the milk are lost. You must read, The Health Benefits of Raw Milk www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html Raw milk is life to the body.

Now let’s take raw milk and supercharge it more; Leave unpasteurized(raw) or partially pasteurized milk out on the counter for several days in warm temperatures(72-78 degrees) and you get–curds and whey the super food hero’s.  Whey is the golden clear liquid known throughout the centuries as “healing water.”  Whey from fully fermented milk no longer contains lactose, and is  full of probiotic organisms (good bacteria) that helps repair intestinal walls and a host of other healing properties. A blog post is too short to expound on the priceless commodities of whey.

Whey also contains  enzymes, minerals and vitamins to restore life and energy. I put a couple of tablespoons of whey in fruits and vegetables in the  fermentation process like sauerkraut, preserved lemons, grape leaves, carrots, beets. . .the list goes on. I have the recipes for preserved lemons and sauerkraut under recipes. I also use a whey mixture in soaking grains, beans etc.

If we’ve been exposed to sickness we take a couple of tablespoons at each meal. If any intestinal issues arise, whey is always the remedy.

The Bible says in Isaiah 7:15 that Jesus would eat curds and honey so that he would know to refuse evil and choose good. If Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man needs to eat curds and honey, I need it more! Isaiah 7:22 is another great reference to curds and whey.

If you watched my milking goat video I mentioned that in the 1300′s millions (estimated 100-200 million) of people died of the Bubonic Plague, the only people not dying were the Jews. The Jews didn’t get the Bubonic Plague because they were eating biblically correct, they were eating fermented foods, like curds and whey and raw honey.

Whey last  over 6 months in the refrigerator. Many of the fermented foods listed above will last more than 6 months when preserved in whey. It’s incredible the health benefits.

The curds are chock full of nutrients just like the whey. They are the solid part and resemble a soft to firm cream cheese. They only  last a month in the refrigerator. If they ever discolor, throw it out. Depending on what the temperature was in your kitchen will depend on whether the curds are dry or soft. Sometimes when the whey and curds separate the curds are firm other times soft.

If the curds are soft you can use it like cream cheese and put it on your toast or use in recipes where cream cheese would have been used. If the curds are firm, use like feta cheese. For the cream cheese consistency you can add chives and garlic and it taste like Boursin cheese! After the curds are poured into a strainer you can continue to strain until very dry and it crumbles just like feta. Delicious in salads, middle eastern dishes and omelets, etc.

Once in a while the temperature in the kitchen doesn’t stay warm enough and the whey and curds don’t separate fully. You can use this as  sour cream or buttermilk in baking. Whey is never milky looking, if yours didn’t separate perfectly it is almost always that it wasn’t consistently warm enough. If it is just buttermilk looking use it in baking recipes.  I use it in our pancake batter, cakes and all my baked goods. When your house is too cool  you could use a heating blanket under the jar to keep it warm. If your house is too hot and you don’t have air conditioning you’ll have to wait for spring and fall to make it. I try to make enough in the spring and fall to last a long time.

(If you don’t have access to raw/unpasteurized milk you can make whey from store bought organic  plain whole milk yogurt. It is not as beneficial for your health but you can use it in making fermented vegetables, etc. Strain yogurt through cheesecloth. The liquid part is the whey. The solid left is more dry now than yogurt, use as cream cheese)

Put cheese cloth or thin cotton material over another clean jar. Start to pour the mixture carefully over the clothe. The whey (the liquid part came out first this time out) Now I’m scooping curds out of jar.

Straining the curds for a day. Curds stay in the strainer over a bowl to catch any drippings of leftover whey. I cover the top of the strainer and leave in refrigerator. When finished draining, the curds are firm, I break it up and I use as crumbled cheese in dishes. Looks like feta, taste milder than feta in the store.

The curds in the strainer are firm. Sometimes you’ll have one big clop of firm curds and the rest whey. That’s the easiest batches you make. Sometimes you’ll have firm curds mixed in to softer curds, the curds in the yellow cup are are soft, the consistency of thick sour cream, the jar in the background is the whey.

This is a perfect jar of whey. After it settles for a couple hours it will be a little less cloudy, a little clearer.  After you’ve separated the curds out of the whey a perfect jar of whey won’t have curds floating in it. If it has curds left in, it will shorten the life of the whey. If you are using whey to make fermented vegetables or fruit only use the purest whey–meaning no curds in it.

Here is another set of curds and whey being made. I have a thermometer in the room to keep me informed of the temperature. This set actually didn’t turn out right. I was disappointed whey I saw the middle jar getting yellow coloration on top of curds. Sometimes that happens–either the temp gets too hot or too cold.

The temperature was a constant 72-78 degrees the first 2 days, then the temperature changed drastically and ruined my curds and whey.

Yellow color is on top, I don’t like that when using goat milk. Using cow milk you may have yellow on top from the heavy cream separation. Goat milk rarely gets yellow on top. I throw it away if it has yellow, pink, green or any weird color on or in it. 99% of the time you won’t see an unusual color. Perfect curds are always a white color. This batch also didn’t separate, and it had a different smell than usual, it just didn’t do anything right.

 

If you have questions, leave a comment. I’ll answer anything I can. I’ve made hundreds of batches of curds and whey, but in the beginning I had a lot questions but no one to answer them! I would love to help you get healthy. Make sure all your jars, spoons etc are clean.

 

 

 

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The Home of Our Happy Chickens: Our Portable Chicken Coop

07/16/2012 By
Egg Gathering at The Glasgow Farm

Video by Rachael Glasgow

For years we enjoyed watching our chickens roam the property. It was great fun to see them running  around and hearing the rooster cock-a-doodle-doo  all over the farm. But, we had one major problem, at dusk chickens would get snatched by fox waiting for them in the fields, the only thing we would find of their remains–feathers. Dale decided to build a portable chicken coop, one that they could have fresh grass and bugs but be protected from fox.

I always bring Sparky with me when we get our eggs because there are times when we have had snakes in the chicken coop. Sparky will get the snakes for me. This is a portable chicken coop, dale built it so that the fox can’t get to the chickens,  they are totally enclosed inside. Everyday we move the chicken coop with our lawn tractor around the yard; so everyday they get fresh grass and bugs. It doesn’t kill your grass because you are moving it all the time, and you get more eggs because they are getting all the nutrients they need.

Alright it looks like a lot of eggs. There are 13 eggs for today. Alright, they have their water, they have their feed in there. Then we lock it back up. The portable chicken coop is carried by a pulley that attaches to our tractor. Do you want to see what it looks like inside? Let me show you how dale built this. Alright we’ll make sure there are no snakes. Sparky is ready. We put the grain feed on the door. We’re almost out of grain here. This is the grain; we put it in this container. We change the water in the morning and at night. We’re all done!

 

 

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Milking a Goat and Benefits of Unpasteurized Milk

07/11/2012 By
sharon_Angel_sharonglasgowcom (7)

Today, I’d like for you to join me as we milk our goats! Watch this video, and you’ll be able to learn how to milk a goat yourself.  One of the stories that I read that really made me want to try milking goats and having raw milk, was the story that happened in the 1300’s. The Bubonic plague came and hit Europe and killed 25 million people, within 3 years of time. The only people that weren’t dying were the Jews. The people thought that the Jews were killing them, but really what was happening was that they were eating “Biblically correct”.  Their immune systems were strong, and their bodies were able to kill the bad bacteria with the good bacteria from the unpasteurized milk.  They were able to kill viruses and pathogens that came into their bodies.  It’s an amazing super-food that God created for us to be able to have for our health.

Now that you’re convinced that you want a milking goat, here are the supplies that we need in order to milk her…

- We need a jar to put the milk in.
- We need a sterilized cloth to make sure that nothing falls into the milk while we’re milking her.
- And we need a cloth to wash her well.

The first thing that we’re going to do is wash her udders.  After you’ve done that, you lay the cloth over the jar and start milking. The first couple squirts go onto the paper towel, just in case there’s bacteria in there.  Put both hands at the base of her utter, push up and squeeze, and then all the milk comes down. So you go up, and squeeze down!  You want to make sure that you get it all out because you don’t want her to get any infections.

The next thing that you do is spray with Fight-Bac. This is a disinfectant, and it also helps to control mastitis. You never want your goat to have that.  Now we’re going to let her out…Good job, Angel!

The first thing we’re going to do is wash our hands.  The next thing we’re going to do is take the cloth off and rinse it out.  Rinse it really well and get all the milk and anything that fell on it off.  Then we have a filter.  I got mine from Hoager’s, a goat supplies store (online).  I put the filter on the bottom of the funnel. Then we’re going to put it through the second filtration process.  Make sure that we filter out anything that could have fallen into the milk. Sometimes you don’t have any dirt, and nothing comes through the first cloth that we put on.  But, you never want take that chance — you always want to have a second filter.

This is from one milking!  We get a little over a gallon a day.  This is from the night time milking, and we get the same amount in the morning.  Then, I take the funnel and filter off, I rinse it, and later I’ll be sterilizing it.  Now we’re going to put a top on and seal it up.  We have Saturday written on the top.   We put it on, and now we’re finished.  We’re going to put it in the refrigerator where it will last for 4 to 5 days.  And now we’re finished.  You know how to milk a goat.  And you know how to process it.

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Diet Cured My Daughter’s ADHD

06/22/2012 By
Jennifer painting Daisy Daffodil and enjoying French Press coffee (in The Shed)

Jennifer painting Daisy Daffodil and enjoying French Press coffee

Jennifer, our second daughter, had so many wiggles when she was a little girl. She couldn’t sit down at the dinner table or in her seat at school.  She had more energy than 5 kids combined. The school diagnosed her as ADHD (Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder). Her emotions all functioned at the highest level.  From the time she was born, she never took a nap and had the hardest time turning her brain off to go to sleep even after the most active days.

The summer after her first grade year in school, we knew we needed to do something about her ability to focus and sit still.  She couldn’t read on grade level, and other issues were popping up.  We begged Jesus to help us find the answer.

A friend introduced us to the www.feingold.org diet, which allows you to only eat all natural foods. There are two stages on the diet.  We did the most restricted.  Within four days of her eating all natural, she was able to go to sleep, stay asleep, and sit in her seat for meals.  Her emotions were level, and she wasn’t hyperactive.  Within 2 months, she went from below 1st grade reading level to 5th grade reading level.  Jennifer’s brain couldn’t handle all the chemicals in artificial colorings and flavorings, preservatives, nitrates or pesticides in foods. Once she was off of them, she was like a new person. She still had energy, but now it was focused and she excelled exponentially…

By the time she was a senior in high school, she was the president of her class, number 7 academically out of 400 students, had a 4.4 grade average while taking AP and duel enrollment classes, won many awards, and had a job.

Today, Jennifer is a powerhouse of productivity.  She is a prolific artist and painter, an anointed teacher and speaker of the Word of God, a creative genius, and visionary.  She is focused and driven and lives outrageously in the power of Jesus.  Her life is amazing.

A recent accomplishment, among many, is illustrating for a children’s book entitled, “Dancing Daffodil Daisy.”  When the author of the book sent her the story, at the beginning of the project, she knew immediately she was the right illustrator for the project.  The book tells the story of a little girl with a lot of wiggles and how God uses her for His Glory.

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Daffodil-Daisy-Ashley-King/dp/1467921092/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340383313&sr=8-1&keywords=dancing+daffodil+daisy

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Making Sauerkraut

05/28/2012 By
Sauerkraut_Sharon_Glasgow_Hartwood_VA_528121162

 

Temperature is key in making Sauerkraut or any fermented food. Ideal temperature in your house would be 75- 85 degrees. That means night time low-75. The key is you don’t want to go under 75 degrees or you’ll mess up the fermentation. I try to make most of my fermented foods in the fall and spring when temperatures are ideal. But you can find success if your house is cooler by putting a heating pad under your jars, using a heat lamp or sitting jars in front of a wood stove or fire place.

The lactobacilli in fermented vegetables increases the vitamin levels, enzymes, antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. The by- product, lactic acid, helps keep the vegetable and fruit in perfect preservation.

In past centuries ship captains would load large barrels of sauerkraut onto their ship for long trips. Some trips took over two years and the sauerkraut would still be good at the end of the trip, keeping the crew healthy.
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Recipe is from Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions.

Sauerkraut

(Makes 1 quart)

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey(if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoons salt)

(I use organic cabbage)

In bowl, mix cabbage with seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound mixture with wooden pounder or meat hammer for about 10 minutes, to release juices. Place in quart-sized, wide mouthed Mason jar and press down firmly until juices come to top of cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately but improves with age. When the sauerkraut is covered and kept in the refrigerator, they will last up to 6 months.

(Photo’s: I used two small heads of cabbages, instead of one medium, so it made more than 1 quart)

1 Gallon size jar holding 2 small heads of cabbage, shredded plus a jar of wheyPounding the cabbage downAfter 10 minutes of pounding, it reduced by more than 50%

Transferred to 1/2 Gallon Jar (you can get these at Michaels)After more pounding, it reduced even more and liquid is on top of cabbageAfter more pounding, it reduced even more and liquid is on top of cabbage. It is not ready! I put a top on it and screwed it on tightly and will wait 3 days before transferring to cold storage.After more pounding, it reduced even more and liquid is on top of cabbage. It is not ready! I put a top on it and screwed it on tightly and will wait 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

 

After more pounding, it reduced even more and liquid is on top of cabbage. It is not ready! I put a top on it and screwed it on tightly and will wait 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

 

Recipes for Preserved Lemons and Yogurt up next!

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