Time

Not long ago, dh asked me, regarding our food preparation, "So when does all this start saving us time?" At the time, I said, "You'll see," but I've come to realize that it was a lie.

In truth, this type of intensive, DIY, from the roots up food preparation does not save time at all. It eats time for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. Nourishing food does not come in a can or a dried mix. Nor does it come ready to eat for those days when you just want to play outside in the garden. That is, not without planning.

As I sit here tonight, preparing to create a menu for the next two weeks, I realized this. I am going to probably spend an hour perusing cookbooks, websites, getting distracted occasionally (ahem), and by the time I'm finished, I'll turn to dh and say, "I still need two lunches and a dinner. Can you think of anything?"

Not all of our food is nourishing. We have the occasional hot dog day, pasta and sauce, pizza night every week, bacon and avocado sandwiches pop up... but we do our best.

But is time what we need to save? Or is saving our families more important? Sure, I don't want to be a slave to the kitchen. We all need freedom from that. However, the nutritional sacrifice required to have a life of convenience is, in the long run, incredibly inconvenient, as we see evidenced every day in the rising costs of healthcare, rising rates of obesity (from which I'm not immune), and diabetes running rampant.

When things in the home began becoming more convenient, they had to think of things for us to do. In fact, we had the time to create television, computers, DVDs and a whole host of things to take up all that free time we had from keeping a home, raising our food, raising our children, building, and all that other work that used to be called life. Now, instead of being a way to take up time that we don't need to spend doing those things, we don't want to do those things because we are so busy with the things designed to take up our time, so we make more convenience, this time to fit in with our "busy" lives.

We don't farm unless it is an online farm. We wake to go work for someone else so we can pay someone to do the jobs we would be doing if we weren't at work. How did this happen? Why did it happen? And what was the spark that began driving us away from that life of convenience?

There is a movement toward an end of wasting time. I think that people my age, especially, see the use in it. But I think, too, a little critical thinking needs to happen. We have to look beyond this generation and the last and the one before that, which seems difficult for some people these days. There is a blindness, especially in the United States, an inability (unwillingness?) to look beyond our borders, our living history. It is an assumption that anything worth doing was post-industrialization. Post "America." We have to suss out what is fact, be critical of "data," reconnect with and redefine what it means to "live," identify those things designed to make life more convenient and balance them with the truly useful things that have emerged.

I'm no luddite (she said from her laptop on which she's blogging), but I'm not interested in technology for the sake of technology. I'm seeking balance. I'm seeking connection with community and art and the work of life and living. I'm seeking a sustainability, for myself and my family and my community in a way that doesn't act hastily and doesn't bulldoze sensibility and reason.

So, this is my little revolution. My fermented, raw, grassfed, wild revolution. And I'm taking my time.

Part 2

As I lay here typing this, we have fresh made raw milk butter in the fridge and raw milk yogurt tucked into the warm oven for the night. There is extra buttermilk and cream for dh's coffee, and milk for more yogurt we will inevitably need before next Friday.

I've written before about raw milk and drinking and sourcing raw milk. I've also written about trying to save money on groceries. This is the intersection I'm referring to today.

There is something so heartwarming about having these products busily shaking, warming, culturing, fermenting away in our home. There is chicken and fish broth in the fridge, bones for sheep broth. Kombucha is bubbling in the cupboard. Carrots are fermenting on the counter.

We stopped getting two gallons of raw milk a week when I lost my job in order to save money. We were also drinking less kefir, so that was about three cups less milk a day. We went down to half a gallon.

Once Little A's dental issues reared their ugly heads, though, we sought more natural remedies than what he could get from conventional dentistry. The one thing we found that consistently reflected the alternative dentistry information we heard was the book Curing Tooth Decay. This book is a distilled version of the research of Weston A Price on tooth health.

The dietary recommendatipns within were a pretty radical step for us: organ meats, fish, bone broths, raw milk, fermented veggies, fermented cod liver oil...

If we are going to be a family who eats meat, I would rather do it in this way. Local, hormone free, antibiotic free, small farm operations should be supported. By buying kidneys, livers, hearts, and bones, we are making efficient use of the animal's body. We are operating as ethically as we can.

We are saving money because these parts - the animal's nutritional powerhouses, really - are cheaper. Broth is very inexpensive to make, especially when I save veggie scraps and freeze them to use instead of a whole, fresh onion, for example. Chicken broth uses a whole chicken, which is considerably cheaper by the pound, and it just takes a little work to get the wings, breast, legs, etc. if I want them for something else.

We are making a conscious effort to incorporate more veggies in our diets. I think this has always been a weak place for us. We are much better these days.

We are also reducing our grain intake. I know that I say that at the risk of sounding like an Atkins follower, but I'm not. Phytic acid seems to be a pretty big tooth decay culprit, and we are taking more care to soak grains when appropriate and to allow veggies to take up some of the space grains usually did.

I'm sure there is a lot more to day about this topic, and I'm happy to talk more about it, but I think that is all I will bore you with right now.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

The Things We Put In Our Mouths

I've posted a few times about how my family's eating habits have recently changed. It has been and remains both rewarding and challenging to each of us in different ways.

For me, I've been a vegetarian of one kind or another for more than 15 years - that is, since I was 14. Most of that time was spent as an ovolacto vegetarian and pescatarian, which is to say I ate fish, eggs, and cheese. I had a few stints of veganism and spent some time as a raw foodist as well. Meat never really figured into things. It had never been part of my cooking life. I didn't need or want it. My worst dietary trait? I am a sucker for pastries and chocolate.

Dh, on the other hand, craves meat. He would eat it every once in a while, and it would make his body feel good and full. He also ate/eats a lot (a lot!) of sugar and processed vegetarian food, especially soy products.

Little N had homemade, hand ground organic veggies and fruits starting around 8 months. Before that, he was exclusively breastfed. Once he began eating real food, he loved carbs and cheese. He was sensitive to acidic food like tomatoes and such, but he loved them. He never had sweets until he was about 3. No dairy or meat except yogurt and cheese. At one point, he nicknamed himself Pasta Man. He has slowly become one of the pickiest eaters I know. If he had his way, it would be sweet candy, tortellini, and pizza every day.

Little A will try pretty much whatever you put in front of him. He began solids later than Little N and has nursed longer. If he doesn't like something, he will spit it out, say he doesn't like it and usually try one more bite just to be sure. He can really pack away the food, and he has always been a big boy, since his 10 lb. 11 oz. birth.

My food preferences have evolved over time, through education, experimentation, and experience. From vegetarian beginnings in smalltown, USA, vegetarian meant cheese pizza and chicken, American cheese, $.25 granols bars, Pepsi, and salad with the ham taken off. When I left for college and began working at a food cooperative, my world opened up dramatically. I met vegans, discovered new foods and began to explore nutrition. I hung out with "foodies" and discovered a world of vegetarian culinary delights. Still, though, I could easily subsist on a good hunk of French cheese and artisan bread. Even today, it sounds like the perfect meal.

Gradually I wandered into veganism and being a raw foodist. And then I found myself suddenly immersed in the world of vegetarian convenience food. Veggie burgers, Tofurkey, veggie bacon, Annie Chun noodles bowls, cans of soup, frozen burritos. This, when dh and I were discussing having a babe.

This has pretty much been the diet here for the past few years. I hate it. Sure, our food was organic, but organic crap is still crap. I missed REAL food, and I loved to have time to cook in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, working full time and commuting doesn't lend itself to dinners with sides and fresh food very often. Dh was charged with most of the menu making and shopping and cooking. He is the convenience food king, and he was managing a toddler and four year old... It just happened.

During this time I had begun collecting cookbooks that spoke to me, including Feeding the Whole Family and Nourishing Traditions. We tried to incorporate some of those meals, but picky eaters all around prevented anything from sticking.

Then Little A's teeth went from bad to worse, and we were faced with the prospect of surgery.

I think, considering that I've been doing long posts with no photos, I should stop here for now. In my next post, I'll talk about some of the challenges we have encountered during this transition (and ask you for suggestions).

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Christmas Crafting Continued

Sorry for dropping the ball on this. That's it. No excuse. Just sorry.

This was the piece de resistance of my xmas knitting this year. My first attempt at knitting with lace yarn. My first shawl(ette).

I knitted it with some baby alpaca I've had for several years. I ordered it by accident on EBay. Never ever thought I'd use it, until lace shawls started catching my eye on Ravelry.

The pattern is the citron shawl. I love how it turned out. Someday I want to make another one with several more repeats. But, whew! That will have to be a whole season project.

I knitted this for my grandma, and she loves it. I'm so glad!

That's all for now. Chicken broth to tend and winter root soup to make.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Dental Issues No More

So, after two weeks of fretting, research, preparation and dietary changes, we were ready for our dentist appointment. Little A was having his temp filling removed and replaced, and we were going to go toe-to-toe with the dentist, telling him that we were going to do nothing more to Little A's teeth except what had to be done on the tooth that was already drilled. I was anxious and ready for battle.

He quickly did the necessary work on Little A's tooth. Then he mentioned something about the surgery, and I began the speech I had been practicing in my head. I told him that we had been thinking about the plan he wrote up for Little A's mouth, and we decided that, if he didn't have a specific objection, we were going to forego doing anything to A's teeth, except what had to be finished in the tooth that he already started. I said we had made significant changes in Little A's diet, and we planned to seek the services of a holistic dentist once I was employed again and go from there, if necessary.

He stared at me, then said he didn't understand.

I said again that, with the exception of finishing what he had already started, we would not be doing the surgery.

He said you want to cancel the surgery?

I said well I understand that we have to finish the tooth that has already been drilled, but otherwise yes, we want to cancel everything else.

He said well, that tooth is done. I just wanted to put a crown on it.

So we don't need to do any of it?

No.

Oh.

That was it. No fight, no argument, no judgment. Nothing.

Relief like a tidal wave.

But, I can't help but feel a little disturbed. I mean, this dentist was willing to put my child under general anesthesia and drill, cap, crown, fill and flouridate my child's teeth, and not one bit of it was necessary.

I think we should worry less about families abusing the system, and worry more about the doctors who prescribe more than is necessary to increase the return they get from the state.

Anyway, that's that. Who knows, maybe he was smirking with the receptionist about "holistic dentistry" or laughing about how he will probably see us hippies again real soon. I'd like to think that he was impressed that some patients took control of their own dental health and regained some sense of empowerment in his practice.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Dental Disempowerment

I know I haven't finished posting all the fancy things I made for Christmas yet. Here's what has been holding me up: teeth.

My youngest son, Little A, who is 2.5 years old, has bad teeth. We noticed they were yellowing slightly when he was very young, but I have great teeth and Little N has great teeth. So, I didn't keep a watchful eye. I should mention that dh does not have great teeth, but that most of his tooth woes come from a lack of care and poor diet as a teen.

Little A got a horrible fever while we were visiting family for xmas. We made it through, but when we got back, his face began to swell, and we could tell he had a tooth infection.

Since I'm laid off (now permanently - my grant wasn't renewed), we don't have insurance. We had to go to our local dental clinic. We got the first prescription for antibiotics this family has seen. He took it for two days, and his face swelled so much that his eye was deformed. Utterly heartbreaking.

We were told by the dentist we saw at the clinic that the antibiotics would buy us a few weeks before calling the pediatric dentist to whom she referred us. This was to allow us time to apply for our state's health insurance plan for children - a program I am loathe to join for so so many reasons, the least of which is that I find those types of plans basically accept the medical world's word on the source and cure for diseases, with which I heartily disagree. Anyway, I was going to start the complicated and paperworky process the following Monday.

We had to call the dentist that Saturday for emergency service. There, we were made to feel bad for not having immediately called him after leaving the dental clinic (which we were told not to do) and for not having taken him to the dentist before such a problem occurred. Little A had his first trip to the dentist shortly before I was laid off. We knew he needed some work, but we wanted to wait until I was back at work and insured again before we did anything major. We were/are also grappling with the fact that, because of his age, he would have to be anesthetized before having anything done. Not a decision we make lightly.

He then strapped Little A to a board and had dh hold his head so that he could drill into his tooth so that the swelling would be reduced. I believe we should not have done that, but we were scared.

We were told to come in four days later so that he could put "some medicine" in Little A's now-drilled tooth and put a temporary filling on it. I was also asked to hurry with the insurance application, because they are generally a pay-as-you-go kind of place...

SO, I went in the next week with both children sans husband. Little N waited patiently alone in the waiting room while we had the work done. Little A of course, was traumatized the first time we went there, and he was not jumping to open his mouth again for the dentist. Little A cried and struggled as we held him, and the dentist placed the "medicine," some cotton, and a temporary filling. I asked what the "medicine" was, and he told me the long name, but I can't remember it. He said it isn't an antibiotic, but it will prevent more infection...

This, he has to have removed in two weeks. Next week. Thursday.

We also received a "work order" of all the dental surgery he will get at the same time that he has what the dentist called a "nerve treatment" in approximately two months. From what I've gathered, this is essentially a baby root canal. The list included 2 nerve treatments, 4 "surface resins," and 4 chrome crowns, a cleaning and flouride treatment. Total value: $1990.00.

Now, don't get me wrong, I would never not allow my child to get treatment that would help them if they were suffering. But, the thing is, his teeth aren't causing him problems. It was one infection in one tooth. I think that it is ethically questionable and economically questionable for the dentist who will be performing the surgery to also diagnose it.

I also wonder that, if this tab were not going to be on the state, if he would be so quick to make such a long list, including flouride ($85) and cleaning ($65).

So, there's the background. And here is the deal: I am an empowered woman with an empowered family. I have taken responsibility for the health of my family, and we have been healthy without medical intervention for many years. Neither child has been to the doctor for any reason. We have visited the naturopath exactly twice. So why on earth was/am I feeling so disempowered in this situation?

As a culture, we have taken back medicine, diet, herbs, birth, gynecology, and pretty much any medical field. If we want to live a life without doctors, we can pretty much do that using ancient herbal healing and holistic health techniques, accessing modern medicine in true emergencies. We can eat what we want, from pre-packaged mcplastic food to the finest raised organic grass-fed beef to vegetarian pate. I gave birth at home, in my bed and in my living room. But nowhere, NOWHERE is there an ancient tooth-tending practice.

Here's why: We created dentistry. There was no or little need for it before. Now, because of our diet and overall health, our teeth have become an issue.

I certainly didn't think to go to my herbal book to research this. As a kid, I was taught how to take care of my teeth: brush and floss and don't eat soda or candy because it was bad and caused cavities. The end. If you get a cavity, then you aren't doing this well enough.

Well, I did the same damn thing I did with Little N for Little A, and here I am...

The best part - he blamed night nursing for his tooth problems. The worst part - he may have been right, but for all the wrong reasons.

In my quest to provide the best health for my family, I have often run into information from the Weston A. Price Foundation. I find that much of what it indicates resonates with my experience. As I googled and googled and googled this problem, I ran into the book Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel. This is what I'm currently reading.

As I do all things, I am reading with an open but skeptical mind. The premise is that tooth decay does not occur from the outside in, but from the inside out. Our nutritional foundation protects our teeth from letting sugars and other carbohydrates destroy them. If that foundation is weak, then our teeth are more vulnerable to decay because of blood-sugar fluctuations. In order to correct imbalances, it is necessary to change our diet so that the foundation can be rebuilt.

My breastmilk and night nursing may have been contributing to blood-sugar fluctuations, but it was not the milk itself causing tooth decay in my son.

There are many suggestions for dietary changes that can be made in the book. Simply put, it includes no sugar, no grains, more calcium and phosphorus and specific fats. Little A has been taking fermented cod liver oil, drinking raw milk, tons of yogurt and veggies. We have been making soups with broth, eating fish, and organ meats.

I don't know if it will help, but I'm trying. If it doesn't, we will always have the option of dental surgery.

In the meantime, we have to go into the dentist's office next Thursday to discuss our decision with the dentist. Since Little A's tooth has already been drilled, I think that we won't be able to avoid finishing the "nerve treatment" on that one. Otherwise, we are going to wait and see if his teeth improve as a result of this diet. Obviously, if more infections occur, we will move forward, but I think it is irresponsible to go drilling into teeth when it may not be necessary. I'm nervous about the conversation, and I still feel a little like we're over a barrel, since we don't have the money to go to a holistic dentist or to get a second opinion. And I really really hate that. No one should have to feel that way.

If anyone on here has any experience with a holistic dentist or holistic dentistry, I'd love to hear some feedback. Why aren't more people talking about this? What is to be done? Are we alone here?

More Christmas Crafting

Christmas is over. We had such a wonderful time, seeing and catching up with family. It is so nice to shake up the routine a bit and come into the present. We are so excited to get home and put away and relaxed too. Nearly a week of gift giving, sweets, late or no naps and bedtimes, and the excitement of seeing so many loved ones can take its toll on the boys. And the grown-ups.

In the meantime, I can finally post all the things I've made for the readers in the family!

These are two felted bowls I made for my mother-in-law. It was my first felting adventure, and I made up the pattern as I went. I would definitely make some changes a second time around, but they will serve their purpose. They will hold jewelry she wears frequently.

The boys helped me felt these on an old washboard. It takes longer, but they got to be part of the process, which they appreciated.

For my mom, I made a neckerchief. I love this pattern. I looks like leaves or stalks of wheat.

This is the second time I've knitted this pattern, with the same yarn. I just love the way it looks. I hope it will be snug!

These two hats are for my two sisters. I couldn't quite get the colors right on the Hurricane Hat (variegated yarn hat). The colors are far more organic to me. I think that each goes well with each one's personality.

Well, that is all for now. More to come soon!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2