Urgent: House to Hear "Raw Milk" Bill Tomorrow

Today the House Agriculture Committee passed House Bill 1536 in favor of on-farm sales of raw milk in Arkansas. That's great news! But our work is not done yet. Now it goes before the entire House tomorrow (Saturday)!! So, NOW is the time to contact your respective Representatives! This is for all of Arkansas, so please spread the word.

The complete alphabetical list with contact information can be found here:

http://www.arkansashouse.org/members

If you are not sure who your Representative is, go here and enter your home address:

http://www.geostor.arkansas.gov/G6/Viewer.html

Please let him/her know you support what should be our constitutional right already--the freedom to eat or drink what we want and to purchase it from whom we want.

Don't forget to identify the bill as HB 1536 when corresponding with your Representative.

Farmers Markets Open

The weather should be perfect for the opening day of the Certified Arkansas Farmers Market this Saturday in Argenta (North Little Rock.)

Last weekend, the Hillcrest Market was open - despite the rain.

The downtown Little Rock Market opens Tuesday, April 30.

Eye Exams for Babies

Many optometrists do free vision exams for babies ages 6-12 months old through the InfantSEE program.

My baby is almost three months old and occasionally his eyes are crossed or are not aligned with each other.  A quick internet search tells me that this is not abnormal, yet if this continues after four months of age I should check into it.

A friend of mine works as a private educator with children who struggle with learning and behavior.  She told me that a vision exam by someone knowledgeable about visual development is a good idea for all children - not just those with crossed eyes. A lot of development depends on good vision – and the InfantSEE program makes such an exam free.  [My friend recently wrote a blog post about vision and learning.]

Many times developmental optometrists are able to identify problems that pediatricians are not trained to observe.  Dr. Franks in Bryant (phone: 501.847.9797) is one of the optometrists in central Arkansas who participates in the InfantSEE program.  He is good with kids and does regular eye exams for babies.  Because he is a developmental optometrist, he is trained to know exactly what visual skills are appropriate at what age.

As with most things, early intervention can make a big difference.  If you have a baby -or know someone with a baby- please tell them about the InfantSEE program.

-Julie

Granola Bar Cookies

Hello All! HB here with a yummy recipe that I came up with all by myself! I made these cookies about three weeks ago for the first time. Julie and my Ma both tried them and were instantly hooked. Most importantly, my hubby lurves them. I was going for a granola bar alternative that was simple and makes a lot at one time. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Granola Bar Cookies

1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, muscavado, or sucanat

6 eggs

2 cups peanut butter (natural or regular)

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups regular oats (not minute oats, gluten free oats work great too)

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup raisins

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup pecans, chopped

Cream butter or oil in mixer, gradually add sugar and honey beating well, add eggs till blended well, add peanut butter, vanilla , soda, and salt. Stir in oats, chips, raisins, coconut, pecans, mix well. Drop in 2 tablespoonfuls per cookie on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes till lightly golden. Cool for about 3 minutes on cookie sheets and then transfer to cooling racks. Makes 48 cookies. 

A few tips: these are even better if the dough has been chilled for an hour more. Julie used an ice cream scoop to dole out her cookies. These could definitely be made with quite a bit less sugar, but I would not skimp on the honey. These are also yummy with craisins. Coconut oil makes a thinner cookie if the dough is not chilled. 

Freedom for Real Food

Joel Salatin has some witty quotes.  This is one of my favorites:

"We don't need a law against McDonald's or a law against slaughterhouse abuse -- we ask for too much salvation by legislation.  All we need to do is empower individuals with the right philosophy and the right information to opt out en masse."

On Friday, March 15, HB 1536 will be heard by the Arkansas House Agriculture Committee to allow unpasteurized milk and incidental sales from the farm.

Even if you do not drink unpasteurized milk or live in Arkansas, please take action for the sake of food freedom.

Go to the hearing (9am Room 138 Arkansas House) or simply email the committee members*.  Let your voice be heard for food freedom.  We don't need salvation by legislation.  Keep the government out of our food.

-Julie

*Copy and paste the committee member email addresses into a new email.  My email said: As a drinker of raw milk, a supporter of food freedom, and mother of 3 small children, I ask that you support HB 1536.

randy.alexander@arkansashouse.org;matthew.shepherd@arkansashouse.org; nate.steel@arkansashouse.org; ewmccrary@sbcglobal.net;jcedwardslaw@aol.com; Stephen.Meeks@arkansashouse.org; greg@gregleding.com; l_jean@sbcglobal.net;homer.lenderman@arkansashouse.org; kelley@kelleylinck.com; Jon.Eubanks@arkansashouse.org;davidlbranscum@hotmail.com; Sheilla.Lampkin@arkansashouse.org; jamesratliff3468@yahoo.com;jeremy@growing45.com; tt4rep@att.net; douglasforarkansas@yahoo.com; stephen.magie@arkansashouse.org;joe.jett@arkansashouse.org; bob@bobballinger.com; dan-douglas@sbcglobal.net 

Nourishing Meals: Pizza, Kale, Liver and Steak

HB here. I hosted a little get together tonight in honor of my son learning to read.  The kiddos each made their own pizzas and had a ball! I got brave and decided to try this pizza crust recipe. The dough did need just a smidge of white flour when it was time to knead it (maybe  1/2 a cup). I have tried many wheat crust recipes and I have to say that this one is the best I've tried. You can easily do this in a Kitchenaid stand mixer or a Bosch. It is definitely doable by hand, but will be messy because the dough is more wet than a bread dough would be. You can see in the pic above that I rolled the crust fairly thin and I think this was definitely a good move. Be sure to sprinkle corn meal on your pan before baking.

Monday night, I decided to take the bull by the horns and cook up some beef liver. Oh yes I did. I have Julia Child to thank. I can't post the recipe tonight, but I will soon. It was super simple and I made some of the best potatoes I have ever eaten to go with it (another Julia recipe that I will post asap). I also fixed a couple different salads with lettuce and kale from Kellogg Valley Farm. The kale salad is similar to the kale salad at the salad bar at Whole Foods. Here is the recipe as best I can figure:

Kale Salad
4 cups fresh kale (I remove stems) torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup (more or less) EVOO
2-4 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 generous dashes red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chili powder
real salt, season to taste

Combine the above ingredients and stir well. Correct seasonings as you like. This salad keeps for 24 hours in the fridge. It is so yum mixed with a traditional lettuce salad and topped with blue cheese dressing. I also like to eat this salad as is and top it with a handful of crumbled goat cheese.

And, last night, I fixed steaks. They were Kansas City Strip steaks from Falling Sky Farm and they were delicious. Recipe:

Steaks in the Skillet
2- 1" thick steaks
salt, pepper, any other seasonings you like (I used Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning Mix)
8 tablespoons butter, divided

Heat oven to 500. Generously season steaks on both sides. Pat dry beforehand if you are feeling ambitious. Heat skillet with four tablespoons butter till butter is nearly smoky. Saute steaks on both sides for 3-4 minutes each. Transfer steaks and skillet to hot oven. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, turning steaks halfway through baking. Check for doneness. Ours were very pink in the middle and nice and crisp on the outside (i.e. almost perfect!). Remove to a large plate, dot with remaining butter, tent with foil 5-10 minutes. I encourage you to really play with this recipe till you perfect it. I have also used this method to cook flatiron steaks and they turn out great every time. The key is to check for the right amount of doneness and not overcook the meat.

What's cooking at your house this week? I'd love to hear.

Reader's Question: Where to Get Eggs?

Frequently I (Julie) am asked, "Where can I find pastured eggs?"  Today I received such a question and typed out a fast response then decided to post it here.  I'd love to hear in the comments where you source your eggs.  This is the time of year when it can be a challenge to find a good egg.

Options for finding pastured eggs in central Arkansas:

1. I get mine through a "farm share."  I think I've told you about picking up my veggies once a week.  I also get a dozen eggs.    I can't remember what I paid for the egg share, but I think it averages out to be about $4.50/doz.  The good thing about buying an "egg share" is that you've got first dibs on eggs...which are sometimes hard to find this time of year.  (Because the days are shorter and temps are lower, the girls just aren't as productive....)

2.  You can buy from an on-line farmers' market like this one (pick up Saturday) or this one and pick up is Wednesday.

3. Find a neighbor who raises chickens.

4.  I saw today at Whole Foods organic eggs from chickens on pasture.

The key to healthy eggs is for the hens to have access to real bugs and green grass...this is where the good vitamins and minerals are.  The egg cartons that say "free range" or "cage free" are probably from chickens squished into a nasty smelling warehouse.  This article gives more details.

Related Links:
Apples to Apples or Eggs to Eggs - Not All Eggs Are Created Equal - This is an article I wrote to try to convince you to take the time to find a quality egg source AND to pay more for quality protein.

Where Do You Get Your Eggs? - Lisa Lipe wrote this egg-celent and informative article on the importance of knowing your grower and finding a quality source for eggs.

Probiotics Workshop in Conway

My good friend, Diane Loftness, is teaching a probiotics workshop.  Diane is well versed on traditional foods as she and her husband lived in Africa for several years.  Their family has experienced healing on the GAPS diet and she has a wealth of knowledge on natural living.  If you are curious about making probiotic foods in your kitchen, sign up for this workshop!   - Julie

You are invited to a workshop on making probiotics foods for your family on Saturday, February 9th from 9-11 am.  This is an opportunity taste a variety of lacto-fermented foods and to learn to ecoomically add probiotic, nutrient-dense food to your diet.

We will be making lacto-fermented sauerkraut and perhaps carrots, as well as making kombucha, and water kefir.  We will also make lacto-fermented condiments like mayonaise, ketchup, and mustard.

This workshop will be at the home of Mari Beth Wheeler in Conway.  There will be a limit of 15 participants. Cost is $25, non-refundable, in advance to hold your spot.  Please email Mari Beth or Diane if you would like to participate.

Diane Loftness - dloftness AT gmail.com  (501) 470-4097
Mari Beth Wheeler - mbwfirstgrade AT yahoo.com (501) 392-7120

Another Real Food Baby

Last Friday, my husband and I welcomed our third child into the family, a son, weighing in at a whopping 10 pounds, 10 ounces.  We named him Schaeffer Allen Majors.

If you want more details, click on over to my personal blog.

-Julie

Thermography Opportunity

Because my mother has had breast cancer twice, my ob/gyn started recommending mammograms every other year when I was 35 years old.  In addition, due to dense and cystic breasts, I have had 2 diagnostic mammograms. At only 46 years of age, I have had more mammograms than I am comfortable with and have become more and more convinced that this is putting me at a greater risk for breast cancer.

I initially learned about thermal imaging for breast cancer detection from Dr. Mercola.  Thermal imaging is an FDA approved adjunct to mammograms in which infrared technology is used to detect areas of rapidly growing cells or inflammation.  According to proponents, thermal imaging can detect breast cancer 8 to 10 years earlier than mammograms.  Unfortunately, it is not currently covered by insurance plans and there is not yet a provider in Little Rock.

A few months ago, I decided it would be worth my effort and expense to have thermal breast imaging instead of additional mammograms.  I asked thermal imaging technicians; Ron and Jeanine Jarvis of Body Scan for Health in Rogers, Arkansas; to come to Little Rock to do a weekend of thermal imaging which was hosted by Dr. John Vincent at the Wellness Revolution. 

In November, Geanine Jarvis performed my first thermal imaging scan.  I chose to have full body imaging, rather than just breast imaging.  I was a little nervous and didn't quite know what to expect.  My husband went with me to provide support (and to get to see neat technology - a big plus for him).  Geanine made me feel very comfortable. 

I spent 15 minutes in a cool (not cold) room in my hospital gown to get my body temperature right for the imaging.  Then Geanine and my husband sat at a desk with a computer screen.  I stood behind them with the thermal camera pointed at me.  Geanine watched the screen and gave me directions about which areas of my body to uncover and how to stand.  She was able to do that without turning to look at me (much more private than what I expected).  Also, unlike mammograms, there is no contact involved in thermal imaging.  We were all able to watch the images on the screen.

Geanine recorded the images so they could be sent to a physician's group to be read by a doctor.  Approximately 2 weeks later I received a report along with copies of the images and recommendations.  One recommendation was to get a 3 month follow up on my breast imaging so a baseline can be established.  If there is no change in the patterns in my breasts after my follow-up, then I can continue with annual imaging. 

Ron and Geanine are returning to Little Rock on Feb. 1st to do follow-ups and first time imaging.  Breast imaging is $199.  Imaging for other body parts or full body varies.  If you are interested in making an appointment or finding out more, please e-mail your phone number to me, Lisa Lipe (lisa8 AT sbcglobal DOT net).  I would be glad to provide additional information and/or schedule you for an imaging appointment.  Spaces are very limited so contact me as soon as possible.

Lisa