SEE FISH DREAM...

By Stefanie

Ever since having watched the movie Food, Inc. I have dreamed of having a self-sustainable farm. For those of you who have not seen the movie, please watch it. It's so important to understand where most of the food you are eating comes from, how adulterated it is, and the scandalous people and big companies that are behind it. Anyway, there is a guy in the film who owns a self-sustaining farm in Virginia called Polyface Farms. The man just "gets it." He can see the corruption of our food, our animals, our land and he does something about it. He even offers apprenticeships for those wanting to learn how to farm in a much more ethical, moral way. I wish he lived closer...

But there are people around us that are trying to do the same. We need to support our local farmers, especially when they are trying to farm organically. We need to buy organic food whenever possible--not just because it is the best for our bodies, but because it shows support of people who are trying to do things a better way.

I recently learned of another farm in Overton, Nevada. What happened to them this month was unbelievable! I encourage you to check out this link and read their story. It will make you wonder if the time is coming when we will be so controlled that we won't have the freedom to grow our own food and share it with our neighbors. Let's stand up for whatever is right, however we can, and protect our freedom.

I'm still dreaming of having a sustainable farm, but I need a lot of other like-minded people to join with me because it's too much work for one! I'm hoping my brother Kevin (who would be an awesome farmer--actually, he kind of is already) decides he wants to do this for a living and will let me have a small part in it.

SEE FISH DEHYDRATE

by Stefanie—fish #2

I, like my mother fish, have matured in my gratitude for the harvest and the amazing abundance of the the earth. (See post "See Fish Muse"). Today I have a hard time seeing any of that abundance go to waste. I distinctly remember--in my less mature years--having a bad attitude about growing and picking the garden, canning and freezing food. It seemed to take so much time and effort when food was so readily available and cheap at the store. I remember my mom, grandma, and great-grandma teaching me lessons on gratitude, thanksgiving, and self-reliance by consistently taking the abundance year after year and preserving it--never wasting it--for the future. Their values as well as their persistence and patience with their posterity have come full circle in me as I now see the valuable lessons and blessings that this kind of work brings.

I have some somewhat obnoxious Italian prune trees growing wild on a hillside in my yard. We cleared the hillside of most of them a few years ago, but they are persistent and determined to grow there. Every year they produce an abundance of small plums that fall and make the ground a mess. I don't necessarily like them but appreciate that they will grow and produce without any effort on my part. Since I have a hard time seeing things go to waste, I'm always trying to figure out what to do with these plums. Most years I make fruit leather out of them. This year was no exception, but I was extra proud of my leather this year. It turned out just like I remember my grandma's fruit leather that I used to sneak out of her food storage room. This was possible because I was able to use her dehydrator instead of my oven. My aunt inherited this this dehydrator--that I'm taking serious advantage of--but if I had known how much I would love it, I would have begged my grandma to will it to me. Anyway, I not only made plum leather but plum/peach, peach, and peach/strawberry. It's as easy as blending up the fruit in your blender, pouring it out onto a tray, and letting the dehydrator do the rest of the work. I've discovered that fruit leather really isn't a food storage item because it disappears all too quickly around my house.

I also dehydrated tomatoes from the abundant crop my brother grew this year. I don't like tomatoes--mostly a texture issue--but I love these. I also don't like mushrooms but enjoy them chopped, tossed in olive oil and seasoning, and then dehydrated until crispy.

Another thing I like to use the dehydrator for is sprouted grains and nuts. When you sprout wheat for instance, not only does it greatly increase the nutritional value, but it also increases the ease with which you digest it. Basically you soak it overnight, let it sprout for 12-24 hours (just until you can see the bud on the end swell), and then put it in the dehydrator to dry it back out so you can grind it. I also soak raw almonds overnight to sprout them and then dehydrate them. They taste so much better this way and are much better for you. Keep in mind that high temperatures destroy the enzymes in food, so keep the dehydrator under 115 degrees. I've got mine turned down to 100. Unfortunately the lowest my oven will go is 140 degrees. If you don't have a dehydrator (and can't borrow from someone like I do) then still give dehydrating a try in your oven. It's a good skill to know and is easy and satisfying!

Get healthy and stay healthy!