Why I'm an Egg Snob (and think you should be too)

Today's post is written by Tara Stainton, originally posted on her blog.  I loved what she had to say and asked her permission to post it in this space.   Also, some of you have told me you are excited about taking the vegetable culturing (fermenting) class.  Be sure to reserve your spot. Space is limited.  --Julie

I decided recently that over the last ten years I (unknowingly) became an egg snob.  Shortly after getting married I acquired my first laying hens.  At first I simply no longer needed to buy eggs from the store.  Before long though I made a conscious decision that I WOULD not buy eggs from the store.  Not because I thought mine were better but because of the feeling of independence that came with the knowledge that I no longer needed to rely on the grocery store.  (It wasn't long before this feeling transferred to veggies as well).  About the time my eyes opened to organic methods of farming I became aware of the ethical issues surrounding store bought eggs.  Sweat-shop chickens, factory farmed, whether in cages or loose, housed with 20,000 other birds was no way to ethically produce eggs in my mind.  The longer I kept chickens, learning their ways of life, the more convinced I became that we would in no way support conventional laying methods.

I first sold our eggs several years before we started growing vegetables.  Several years before I ever thought I would farm for a living.  I had about 20 laying hens and Robert would take my eggs with him to work at the Corps of Engineers weekly and dole them out to his faithful co-workers for $1 a dozen.  That makes me laugh now.  And I'm reminded of this every time we are driving out in the country and see a sign at the end of a driveway offering "Fresh Eggs $2/doz".  I wasn't in the business to make money off my eggs.  I thought I was paying for my chicken feed.  Years later, after meticulous spreadsheets have become the norm, I have to laugh.  But I wasn't keeping chickens to make money.  I was keeping chickens because I love having a laying flock.  I love the cooing and the cackling and watching them scratch the dirt.  I love that every day is like an Easter egg hunt around here.  Although, fortunately, due to their current living conditions, I don't have to hunt any further than a laying box these days.

I'm proud that over the years there has become such a high demand for our eggs.  I hear people at market tell me how much better our eggs are than store bought eggs.  I just smile and nod my head because I know that our eggs have stiff orange yolks and they are ridiculously fresh compared to store bought eggs but in the back of my mind I kind of shrugged my shoulders at the notion that they really tasted much different.  Fast forward to the last two weeks where while we were traveling for the holidays I ate store bought eggs on three different occasions.  Having been so far removed from sweat-shop eggs, I now understand what my customers have been telling me for years.  There is a difference between our eggs and store bought eggs.  Our eggs are AWESOME.  Not only is there an ethical difference in the way they are produced, there is a difference in how fresh they are, there is a difference in the way they look and there is a difference in the way they taste.  And if you've never seen our eggs before, oh my gosh.  They.Are.Beautiful.

If you are in our area, I urge you to sign up for our Eggshare program.  This is a 10-week program we are running in conjunction with ourFarmshare.  I realize though that this is only 10 weeks out of the year. We are working on the logistics of running the Eggshare  even when the Farmshare is out of season.  If you aren't near us, find a farmer or a backyard chicken keeper near you.  Whether you realize it or not, they are all over the place, it just takes a little work to find one.  And if this topic interests you, stick around...soon to post a bit about egg economics on a small farm.

Tara Stainton

Rattle's Garden

Vilonia, Arkansas

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Related:

Why You Should Pay More for Eggs

Deviled Eggs: The Perfect Party Food

Fermentables: Now Carrying Cultures! (& Classes!)

Central Arkansas has a gem of a locally-owned store called Fermentables.  

Primarily the store targets home brewers of beer and wine but also you'll find organic growing supplies.  I usually send people there to purchase swing top bottles for kombucha.   Most recently they have begun carrying culturing supplies!  {happy dance:: I'm thrilled!! Probiotics for the people!!}

Below my baby is modeling one of the vegetable culture starters. Behind him in the refrigerated case you'll find other Cultures for Health starters (San Francisco sourdough, milk kefir grains and water kefir grains among others.)

My daughter is holding a kraut pounder.  These things are awesome for packing sauerkraut into your container (wide or small mouth jars, especially).   Bless her heart, she wasn't feeling well during our field trip. 

 Fermentables carries all kinds of fermentation vessels and supplies for culturing vegetables.

Best of all, they are remodeling to make room for classroom space!

Upcoming Classes

The store's owner, Mike, is a great guy.  He is offering a steal of a deal on these classes.  His heart is for people to learn.  Each class is only $10 and you will go home with gifts!  There is a limited number of space in each class so contact the store soon if you are interested (details below).

On Saturday, January 31 at 10am, I will teach how to culture vegetables (or lacto-ferment).  Each student will go home with a Caldwell Vegetable Starter and a plastic fermentation lid with airlock that will fit Bell and Kerr mason jars. You can begin fermenting as soon as you go home!

On Saturday, February 21 at 10am, I will teach a kombucha class.  The kombucha class will include 1 flip-top bottle and a 1/2 gallon wide mouth mason jar.

Call or email Fermentables and reserve your spot.
(501) 758-6261 or mike@fermentables.com
3915 Crutcher Street
NLR, AR 72118
The class fee is $10/class.

These classes promise to be a fun time of learning and connecting.  I hope you will join us.

Julie

Deviled Eggs: The Perfect Party Food

They need no utensils, are nutritious and many people really like them.

These were made with pastured eggs (read why you should pay more for super yellow yolks), fermented roasted red peppers and parsley from my garden.  I didn't color enhance the picture.  Instead of using mayonnaise (I was out), I used heavy whipping cream.  Delish. If you preserved lacto-fermented pickle relish this summer, use that, too.

Take some to your next holiday party.
-Julie

Last Minute Local Shopping (for the person hard to buy for)

I went to a "Favorite Things" party recently.  You know, the kind where you bring one of your favorite things wrapped then tell about why it is your favorite.  At our party, we drew numbers to choose a gift then played "Dirty Santa" style and people could steal the gift you opened.  

Three of the favorite things were gift cards.  Of those gift cards, two of them were from local stores that I love: The Root Cafe and The Green Corner Store.  And actually, one of the favorite things I took to the party came from The Green Corner Store (Tammy Sue's Goat's Milk Lotion).  This is really beginning to sound like a commercial, but I really like that store.  My kids love the soda fountain (who doesn't like homemade ice cream?!) and I like to go there when I'm looking for a gift for the person who has everything (except homemade marshmallows!).  You can find some one-of-a-kind gifts there.

Another option for last minute gift giving is to head out to the Hillcrest Farmers Market this Saturday 8am-noon.  Check their Facebook page for ideas.

In addition to summer 2015 CSA program North Pulaski Farms is offering gift cards for the spring.  Now thru the end of the year, buy a five pack of $25 gift cards for only $100!  The cards are valid from March 2015 thru May 2015 and can be used to purchase any products at any of the markets or on the farm.  To order you can call Kelly Carney OR pick them up at the Hillcrest Farmers Market.  The Giant Winter spinach in the photo will be the size of a basketball and ready in early March!

Kelly Carney
North Pulaski Farms, LLC
(501) 240-4233
Kelly@northpulaskifarms.com

Happy shopping and merry Christmas!
Julie

Real Food Hands-On Cooking Class

Start the new year with real food cooking skills!  I will be teaching real food basics on New Year's Day at 1:30pm in my kitchen for the person eager to make baby step changes in 2015.  We will make chicken pot pie and talk and learn along the way.   

Chicken pot pie is a comfort food that many people love.  With a few minor changes, you can make it very nourishing.  It is a recipe that is easy to double and freeze half.  

 Some of the culinary topics covered will be:

- cooking / deboning a whole chicken 

- taste testing: crock pot vs. roasted chicken

- knife skills

- bone broth basics

- creating cream of chicken / mushroom soup from scratch

- making a pie crust from scratch.

Class size is limited to 6 people.  This would be a great class for mom and daughter to take together.  Or a fun gift to give to the person who has everything. 

When: Thursday, January 1 at 1:30pm

Where: my kitchen, near Whole Foods on Rodney Parham

Cost: $25 per person

Email me for additional details and to reserve your spot -- luvmyhub AT gmail.com

Stay tuned for other classes in January and February.  I will be teaching a couple of classes at Fermentables: one on culturing vegetables and one for kombucha making.

--Julie

My New Favorite Thing

One of my big take-aways from going to the Weston A. Price Conference was the importance of using epsom salts in my bath.  Usually I'm not a big bath taker.  Showers are much faster.  After being at the conference I decided that I would try at least once a week to take a 20-minute bath with 2 cups of epsom salts.  For bonus points, use your favorite essential oil.  

Time and time again I heard people give kudos to this inexpensive additive to your bath (both attendees as well as presenters.)  The below 10 pound bucket came from Sam's Club and was about $7.

Why is epsom salt so good for the body?

The chemical name is Magnesium Sulfate.  Many people are deficient in both magnesium as well as sulfur.  We theoretically could get those minerals from our food... 

- if we didn't have compromised guts from taking rounds of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals

- if we only ate biodynamic, nutrient-dense, organically raised foods (and no processed foods)

- if conventional farmers used soil amendments other than N, P, and K. (Since the introduction of synthetic fertilizers in the 1950's, magnesium in vegetables has decreased 25-80%.  Buy local and organic when you can.)

- if we lived stress-free lives (Stress influences digestion --upset stomach anyone?)

The skin is the biggest organ.  For better or worse, you are absorbing all kinds of things around you.   When you soak in a bath of epsom salts the body is getting a healthy dose of magnesium and sulfur.

  {disclaimer:  I'm not a doctor or scientist.  Do your own research.  The following is my limited and simplified understanding.}

Magnesium is needed by the body for almost every cellular function.  It is a cofactor for over 300 enzyme systems in the body.  A few of the systems include protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.  If you consistently just don't feel good --you quite possibly could be magnesium deficient.

When you sweat (exercise or menopause), you are loosing a lot of magnesium.  Ever have muscle cramps?

Some people tell me, "Oh, I'm taking a magnesium supplement" (or calcium and magnesium supplement).  That could be helpful, depending on your gut health and the quality of the supplement.  You could also be throwing your money down the proverbial drain if you are not absorbing it.  

You've read in this space before: compromised guts will not absorb as many minerals as a healthy gut. That is, minerals from food or supplements.

People who are extremely deficient in magnesium may find that a transdermal application of magnesium oil helps even better than a pill form.  The higher quality magnesium oils can be expensive.  Epsom salt doesn't break the bank but requires time to soak.

{side note:  several friends of mine swear by Calm and drink it as a night cap before going to bed.  They say it helps them fall asleep and stay asleep.}  

This 4 pound bag of epsom salt from Kroger was only $3.

What about sulfur?

Stephanie Seneff, PhD, argues in this article that sulfur deficiency could be a cause for obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer's and chronic fatigue.  She was a speaker for 6 hours at the conference this year.  She also spoke last year (6 hours on sulfur alone!)  One conferee told me the one big take away he remembers from last year's talks on sulfur was: 

When you’re getting sick-- cold, flu, cancer even! produces sulfur.  The body allows this to stabilize blood chemistry.  Take an Epsom Salt bath to give the body sulfur.  Or eat high sulfur foods (like garlic, onions, broccoli or cabbage). 

Since going to the conference, when family members feel a little under the weather and complain, I send them straight to the tub with instructions to use epsom salt.  My dad says he remembers his grandmother burning a sulfur candle (stinky!) in the room of an invalid.

Does it help?

It doesn't hurt.  It is not expensive.  And it doesn't stink.

Detox

Again, I feel the need to say I'm not an expert.  But I heard several people at the conference say that epsom salts (or sufficient levels of magnesium) will help you detox.  The word "detox" is somewhat of a buzz word these days and I confess I'm not sure what all it means or how the body detoxes.  

However, I do know that I want to help my body in every way possible to rid itself of toxic substances.  Another theme I kept hearing at the conference was "the reason we are so sick (as a culture) is because of all the toxins (like heavy metals) that are staying in our bodies and not being eliminated."

If taking a 20-minute bath in epsom salt relaxes my mind and heals my body, I'm in.  Bonus that it's not toxic or expensive.

-Julie

Creative Storage

The lid to the peanut butter that I frequently buy is the same size as a small mouth canning jar.  I store lots of things in jars, including spices in bulk from Azure Standard.  I prefer plastic lids to their metal counter parts because plastic doesn't rust when I send it through my dishwasher.

The ultimate in recycling is actually using something you'd otherwise throw away.

--Julie

Resources for Gut Healing

Increasingly I talk to more and more people who are taking health into their own hands, specifically making huge changes in diet.  And seeing results.

This thrills my soul!  But it can be overwhelming, can't it?

One of my family members has had mystery symptoms for an extended period time.  We have tried countless remedies as well as ruled out many things.

Crazy enough, one of the last things we implemented was removing gluten.  It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated because I cook so much from scratch and making bread isn't in my routine.

Gluten wasn't the culprit.  Oh, I think removing it from the diet was a good move --at least for a season while we focus on healing the gut.  That family member has been gluten free for about 5 months with plans to go a year without gluten.

{side note:: Even if you are not gluten sensitive, if you are eating grains (primarily wheat) that isn't prepared properly (soaked or sprouted) it is hard on your digestive system.  Not to mention that you will not absorb the nutrients as well if you forgo proper preparation. :: end side note.}

Always looking to learn more, once we started the "gluten-free journey" I decided to borrow a copy of a friend's copy of The GAPS Diet.  Simultaneously, another friend told me that when she was researching GAPS she bought this ebook which spelled out the first 30 days on the healing diet.  I bought the ebook and it was helpful.

Here's a post that has several links to stories of people on the GAPS diet.

Some friends of mine have been following a Paleo diet (basically eating meat, fruit and veggies, eggs, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils but no grains, dairy, or refined sugar) and have found healing from eating that way.  Paleo and GAPS are somewhat similar (GAPS is a bit more complicated intentional about adding new foods to your diet.)  A couple of distinctives of the GAPS diet is copious amounts of bone broth and fermented vegetables.

{another side note:: If you're interested, here is a comparison of Paleo versus a traditional diet compiled by the president of the Weston Price Foundation.  The Paleo Mom wrote a rebuttal here.  I love freedom of press!! :: end side note.}

Other friends, who struggle with leaky-gut or autoimmune health issues are following the autoimmune protocol.  This diet, referred to as AIP, is similar to the Paleo diet mentioned above but is more restrictive.  AIP also removes nuts, seeds, eggs, beans, and nightshades which are tomatoes and peppers among others.

A new-to-me blog is The Paleo Mom and it is very helpful in sorting all of this out.  She holds a PhD and is now a mom who blogs and cooks and writes about science-y things in a language I understand and cooks some more.  Recently I gushed about recipes I've tried from her blog.

Another yummy paleo recipe blog is PaleOMG. (Note: her language may be offensive to some.)

Our gut-healing journey has included lots (daily) of gelatinous bone broth and fermented vegetables.  We have restricted grains, sugar in most forms, and for a season dairy.

I think it is helpful to underscore that we are created uniquely.  Each person has a distinct genetic makeup and cultural background.  Listen to your body.  Do your own research.  Ask lots of questions.  Listen to your body.  Think.  Ask more questions.  Keep a journal of what you eat and how you feel.  And listen to your body.  The body wants to heal itself given the right tools and deprived of toxic junk.

What resources have been helpful for you?
-Julie

Kraut:: It's What's for Lunch

At lunch today my 22 month old ate almost his weight in sauerkraut.  He definitely ate more 'kraut than anything else at lunch.  I love that!

Not only is traditionally made sauerkraut full of probiotics but it is a superior source of vitamin C.  Both of those things are welcomed in the winter when our bodies are working hard to fight of foreign invaders like colds and flu.

Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!
Julie

Meet Your Farmer This Saturday

Tammy Sue and her Critters invite you to join them at their place this Saturday, November 29 from 10am-2pm.  

Load up your children (grandchildren or the neighbor's kids) and head over to the outskirts of North Little Rock.

 You'll find goats, chickens, alpaca and even a guard llama.

While the farm tour is free, you'll want to remember your wallet.  Tammy will be selling her hand crafted soaps, lotions, lip balms and other body care items.  These make the perfect Christmas gifts!  I love her grapefruit scented lotion and hair bar (shampoo). --Julie

Tammy Sue's Critters Open House

Saturday, November 29, 10am-2pm

4 Cheyenne Trail, NLR 72120