Well, I'm in the kitchen, cleaning out the cupboards. Oh, what a mess! And then you find something else that needs your attention and there is where the trouble starts. Its like a snowball, just keeps getttin' bigger n' bigger.
So, I'm just working a little bit at a time, one cabinet at a time, and I'm getting rid of things that I don't need or want or just plain throw away. I have a pile outside on the porch for the GoodWill donations, and then the junk pile. I close my eyes when I throw as I don't want to drag it back and find a spot for it. Don't have no room for anything in this dumpy place I live in.
Also found a damn flea, I usually find a few jumping around this time a year, so I guess Monday, off to the vet's to get the spray and some Frontline, and then a few bombs, looks like I will have to bomb the rooms and move the cats to the car and the dogs outside til the bombs get done fumigating the rooms. Damn.... Always something.....&*$@
I am going to fix some ham and navy beans tomorrow, since I am now in cleaning mode and once I am in this mode, I do not stop, I have some energy so, look out, I'm in gear and on the move. And I hate to stop and cook, so out comes the crock pot, (found that finally, buried in the back of the cupboard).
I have been reading a few blogs and this is what a lot of my fellow bloggers are doing, cleaning and de-cluttering. Boy, when I de-clutter, I have a whole winter to do it. I am going to start tackling each room as I can, probably a room a week. And just heave it, (wish I could just throw it out the door and throw some kerosene on it and throw a match), but I would have a 3 alarm fire here, don't want that.
Anyway, hope all are well, and sounds like everyone is cooking or vegging out, so enjoy the weekend and all that you find enjoyable and restful in your lives. Will be back to blog about some things on my mind.
Till then
Bye!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Access to better vegetables and food
I have wanted to post this for quite some time now, as some of you may find this useful and maybe start an access to this in your area of the country or community. I had to find out if I could do this without making someone mad about advertising this.
For quite some time now, especially during the fall and winter months where I live here in Nebraska, I have bought meat and vegetable items from an organization called "PrairieLand Food. The organizers are located in Kansas and there are 2 women who work very hard to bring this to many folks, who are mostly on fixed income, though it is for anyone. It is based on volunteer hours, and it means "any" volunteer hours. It is NOT a gimmick, it is a true blue access to as fresh and possible vegetable and meat items as we can get here. Though it is not through a co-op or CSA, it is as close as we can get here to it. These items are called "prairie paks" and there is a very large selection of items and very reasonably priced.
If you are interested in this, and possibly find a way to bring this to your community or church or any other community based interest, please go to www.prairielandfood.com and read about this and if you have questions, please contact either coordinator about this program. My coordinator is Linda Hagan as I am located in Nebraska.
I am now generally buying vegetables as I have my meat packages already. I am so very pleased with the vegetables as they are much fresher that what I can get in the regular grocery and I don't have to fight my way through the grocery that much any more since this is getting harder for me to do so.
Please look into this as it is a god send to me and to many other who use this. Again, this is not a gimmick, it is a true help to many who just cannot afford food items, many of the people here who use it, this is their only food source as they do not get food stamps or any assistance, and it is very reasonably priced and you can order directly online, which is what I do, or you can order through your coordinator.
Look into this for your area to see if you can implement this to your area and possibly help others who have no or little access to fresh food especially during the winter.
If you contact Linda, please tell her you found out through my blog, so she knows how her email was found. Her email and contact information is on the web site that I listed above.
Hope this may help some people.
Have a great week and I will be back with more boring details that are happening here.
For quite some time now, especially during the fall and winter months where I live here in Nebraska, I have bought meat and vegetable items from an organization called "PrairieLand Food. The organizers are located in Kansas and there are 2 women who work very hard to bring this to many folks, who are mostly on fixed income, though it is for anyone. It is based on volunteer hours, and it means "any" volunteer hours. It is NOT a gimmick, it is a true blue access to as fresh and possible vegetable and meat items as we can get here. Though it is not through a co-op or CSA, it is as close as we can get here to it. These items are called "prairie paks" and there is a very large selection of items and very reasonably priced.
If you are interested in this, and possibly find a way to bring this to your community or church or any other community based interest, please go to www.prairielandfood.com and read about this and if you have questions, please contact either coordinator about this program. My coordinator is Linda Hagan as I am located in Nebraska.
I am now generally buying vegetables as I have my meat packages already. I am so very pleased with the vegetables as they are much fresher that what I can get in the regular grocery and I don't have to fight my way through the grocery that much any more since this is getting harder for me to do so.
Please look into this as it is a god send to me and to many other who use this. Again, this is not a gimmick, it is a true help to many who just cannot afford food items, many of the people here who use it, this is their only food source as they do not get food stamps or any assistance, and it is very reasonably priced and you can order directly online, which is what I do, or you can order through your coordinator.
Look into this for your area to see if you can implement this to your area and possibly help others who have no or little access to fresh food especially during the winter.
If you contact Linda, please tell her you found out through my blog, so she knows how her email was found. Her email and contact information is on the web site that I listed above.
Hope this may help some people.
Have a great week and I will be back with more boring details that are happening here.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Voting Day recipe for all
Real Quickly, I am going to post this recipe. I do not know if any of you will enjoy this. This was my grand mother's recipe for meatless meals which there was a whole lot of. It was a no-name recipe but I will dub it Mabel's "29" crash vegetable loaf. It was something that she served many times as my grandfather and her came out in full swing of the 29 crash and got married during the 29 crash.
Now, this can be a fickle recipe, sometimes you have to adjust the liquid and the bread crumbs. If you are an accomplished cook, you can do it and totally make it your own. You can add any vegetable you wish to your family's taste, you can add vegetable broth or meat broth to your liking and just please have fun with it. I make it with vegetable or chicken broth usually but please be a free spirit with it, it is yours with my grand mother's blessing. I am not bragging but she was a very accomplished cook and could make dinner our of nothing.
I will post later on some ramblings and thoughts but this should get you started. Enjoy!
Mabel's 29 Crash Vegetable Loaf
16 oz of sliced or diced carrots (cooked)
16 oz of green beans
1 1/2 cups of Lima, pinto, or your choice of cooked beans
1 C of chopped celery
3 cups of dried bread crumbs or cornmeal bread (can use whole grain also)
2 Tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil (your choice)
dried parsley
1/2 Cup of chili sauce or tomato sauce
1 egg beaten
chopped onion (however much you like
celery salt or celery powder
pepper
bacon if you wish
chili sauce or tomato sauce or ketchup for the top
In a food processor, or hand grinder, run your cooked carrots, green beans, Lima, or other beans until smooth. Put into a large bowl. Stir in bread crumbs, bacon drippings or oil, herbs, onion, celery salt, pepper, stir with a heavy spoon. Take some vegetable broth or chicken broth or beef broth and blend into mixture until it holds together well like meatloaf. Preheat your oven to 350* F (175)* C Place into a 9"x5" loaf pan, and press and mold into the pan. Place your tomato sauce or chili sauce on top and then your bacon if you use it, and bake for about 30-45 minutes until lightly browned. Makes about 5-6 servings.
You could also add sweet peppers, or a more hot pepper to your liking, like Poblanos or a Salsa pepper also. You can add potatoes, parsnips, turnips or root vegetables also, Just make sure they are cooked. This would be great for using up left over veggies from a roast which is what I do with it. I have had good luck freezing this also, makes a good filling for a sandwich.
I hope that this works for some. Not sure but enjoy.
Take care
Now, this can be a fickle recipe, sometimes you have to adjust the liquid and the bread crumbs. If you are an accomplished cook, you can do it and totally make it your own. You can add any vegetable you wish to your family's taste, you can add vegetable broth or meat broth to your liking and just please have fun with it. I make it with vegetable or chicken broth usually but please be a free spirit with it, it is yours with my grand mother's blessing. I am not bragging but she was a very accomplished cook and could make dinner our of nothing.
I will post later on some ramblings and thoughts but this should get you started. Enjoy!
Mabel's 29 Crash Vegetable Loaf
16 oz of sliced or diced carrots (cooked)
16 oz of green beans
1 1/2 cups of Lima, pinto, or your choice of cooked beans
1 C of chopped celery
3 cups of dried bread crumbs or cornmeal bread (can use whole grain also)
2 Tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil (your choice)
dried parsley
1/2 Cup of chili sauce or tomato sauce
1 egg beaten
chopped onion (however much you like
celery salt or celery powder
pepper
bacon if you wish
chili sauce or tomato sauce or ketchup for the top
In a food processor, or hand grinder, run your cooked carrots, green beans, Lima, or other beans until smooth. Put into a large bowl. Stir in bread crumbs, bacon drippings or oil, herbs, onion, celery salt, pepper, stir with a heavy spoon. Take some vegetable broth or chicken broth or beef broth and blend into mixture until it holds together well like meatloaf. Preheat your oven to 350* F (175)* C Place into a 9"x5" loaf pan, and press and mold into the pan. Place your tomato sauce or chili sauce on top and then your bacon if you use it, and bake for about 30-45 minutes until lightly browned. Makes about 5-6 servings.
You could also add sweet peppers, or a more hot pepper to your liking, like Poblanos or a Salsa pepper also. You can add potatoes, parsnips, turnips or root vegetables also, Just make sure they are cooked. This would be great for using up left over veggies from a roast which is what I do with it. I have had good luck freezing this also, makes a good filling for a sandwich.
I hope that this works for some. Not sure but enjoy.
Take care
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thoughts and what's going on Part 2
Dear Friends,
My apologies for the delay, seemed that in between trying to finish outside work and finish a little bit of canning of tomatoes from the neighbor (sorry, but I'm a sucker for free food, I do not like to waste anything) , and trying to finish my posting to all of you, I picked up a "little" flu bug. It didn't go into the full blown flu but boy, did I have a tummy ache and the achy joints and headache and general ill feeling that you get. I generally do not get sick so to speak, but a few days ago, I had to go to the dollar store that we have here to pick up some plastic wrap to finish some meat wrapping for the freezer and there was a woman who had 3 kids who didn't need to be running around in the first place, they were all sick and I tried to avoid them, but you know cooties, how they float around in the air! So out come the herbal teas I have, the Echinacea, the Elderberry syrup, and some juice, and aspirin and just rest. It sure doesn't get the work done though, don't have a Cabana boy running around. lol
I wanted to sort of finish my posting on the big 4 packing houses and something else that goes hand in hand with this: Please re-read the post if you need to, but on top of the big 4, pretty much ALL of our food is genetically altered by some of the biggest names in the seed business, Monsanto being at the head of the class in GM seeds and promoting their claims of safe seeds. Some of the others that we have here are, Cargill, and then you again get into the food companies like Cargill, ConAgra, which goes hand in hand with the big 4 packing houses, and you basically have a recipe for a boatload of disaster for all of us. Monsanto promote seeds all over the world, and from what I have read, their seeds are back-firing and making growing and secondary things coming out from the use of these seeds even worse.
In the new issue of Mother Earth News, (http://www.motherearthnews.com/), there are several articles pertaining to mega farms and an article which pertains to systemic pesticides that are "in" the seeds already, the article is named "Chemicals you can't wash off". Then the article of factory farms is called "The danger lurking in factory farm chicken". Go to their site and search these articles and they will be for this Oct/Nov 10 issue. Please read these if you can. Then search for more articles about this control that the packing houses and the seed companies have on our food. I am sure most of you keep track of GM food, there is an article out on the GM salmon that the FDA wants to throw on your table also.
I probably shouldn't even be talking about this, to me, it seems that you do not have control over your food except if you grow it yourself, or support your local growers and farmers. And I'm also sure that like all of you, I some what do not have control of what I buy because I am on a limited income, and have little choice here where I live, especially during the late winter, when I do not have good access to fresh greens or fruit. I get very frustrated a lot from this, I am envious of some of my readers who have fresh milk and cream, and have farms who are very self-sustaining as best as they can. This is a worrisome thing for me as I really feel that the gov is controlling pretty much everything that we eat or make you eat, and those of us who are urban or limited communities, are really at the mercy of others who truly don't care about anything but the dollar, or euro or anything else that matters. Then the gov wants to control the small farms that want to bring fresh milk and cream and fresh eggs and other farm fresh items to you, because of the food safety issues which are brought about by the big 4 packing houses and the big mega seed companies in the first place that make food unsafe and is processed in unclean and unhealthy facilities in the second place, but makes the small farms responsible for it like they did the bad deeds to start.
I'm not even sure where this will go, I don't like to speak of politics at all, but I guess, if we want change, please go to the polls on Nov 2nd, and vote. That is all I will say about this subject, as I don't want to give opinions about government issues, though they are important to all of us. Even if we are all different, and have different views, we still are seeking a simple and less stressful life that is more fulfilling that the materialistic realm that others live in. I love to hear what all of you are trying to achieve, again, we are all different, and seeking different but for the goal of a more simplistic lifestyle.
Going back to the food issues, (sorry for the wandering, I have a fuzzy head) I guess, we just have to seek out food for our families and seek harder, look farther, do more for ourselves if possible, but yet, IF we have to fall back on some things to get us through till next year, seek out more organic from a health food store or a co-op, then so be it. It is not the end of the world, it is not taboo, and if we have to buy some things from the conventional grocery, we pick what we can, as healthy as we can, or simply go without till the next growing season and better access.We need to read more and look into the companies that provide us these foods or mixes, and do more searching on our own about these companies and asking more questions, and the best yet, the power of OUR dollar, telling these companies that we will not buy until they change ingredients, (like high fructose corn syrup). I have called several companies or email them and told them that I refuse to purchase any more of their products until they change the ingredients and on some, they have done so, so I guess the power of the voice and the dollar do work, but for how long, who knows.
This also is following something that we in the state of Nebraska are dealing with. The building of a gas pipeline through one of the purest water holdings in the nation, The Ogallala Aquifer. It seems that this Canadian company wants to run a pipeline right through our source of fresh water. This source of water runs from Nebraska, some parts of South Dakota, through Kansas, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and is pure to its form. This company is not addressing the issues that pertain to leaks in the pipeline or other safety issues, (the Gulf gusher), and is just basically trying to just ram this down the state of Nebraska's throat. As I read or hear more, I will keep you posted on this. This is not being talked about much by the state government, and I assure you, that the state's citizens are not happy at all about this either.
Anyway, I think that this is enough of the ranting for now. There are better things to talk about now. All of you will think that is all I do....
Well, like I said at the beginning of the post, I have been trying to clean up my garden areas and the now dead plants the freeze took out. It sure looks pretty sad around here now, everything is looking like November now, I'm not ready to be forced inside yet, we have been having very cold weather now, but the days are nice and warm by early afternoon, so I will resume my clean-up this afternoon and hopefully be done.
Well, this post was long winded, and probably will make someone mad, hope not, but if it does, I'm sorry.
So, to all, please have a great weekend, what ever the plans, if you are going out for Halloween, please be careful, have fun, and don't eat too much sugar, or "you'll get worms", like my grandmother would tell me. lol
Take care all
My apologies for the delay, seemed that in between trying to finish outside work and finish a little bit of canning of tomatoes from the neighbor (sorry, but I'm a sucker for free food, I do not like to waste anything) , and trying to finish my posting to all of you, I picked up a "little" flu bug. It didn't go into the full blown flu but boy, did I have a tummy ache and the achy joints and headache and general ill feeling that you get. I generally do not get sick so to speak, but a few days ago, I had to go to the dollar store that we have here to pick up some plastic wrap to finish some meat wrapping for the freezer and there was a woman who had 3 kids who didn't need to be running around in the first place, they were all sick and I tried to avoid them, but you know cooties, how they float around in the air! So out come the herbal teas I have, the Echinacea, the Elderberry syrup, and some juice, and aspirin and just rest. It sure doesn't get the work done though, don't have a Cabana boy running around. lol
I wanted to sort of finish my posting on the big 4 packing houses and something else that goes hand in hand with this: Please re-read the post if you need to, but on top of the big 4, pretty much ALL of our food is genetically altered by some of the biggest names in the seed business, Monsanto being at the head of the class in GM seeds and promoting their claims of safe seeds. Some of the others that we have here are, Cargill, and then you again get into the food companies like Cargill, ConAgra, which goes hand in hand with the big 4 packing houses, and you basically have a recipe for a boatload of disaster for all of us. Monsanto promote seeds all over the world, and from what I have read, their seeds are back-firing and making growing and secondary things coming out from the use of these seeds even worse.
In the new issue of Mother Earth News, (http://www.motherearthnews.com/), there are several articles pertaining to mega farms and an article which pertains to systemic pesticides that are "in" the seeds already, the article is named "Chemicals you can't wash off". Then the article of factory farms is called "The danger lurking in factory farm chicken". Go to their site and search these articles and they will be for this Oct/Nov 10 issue. Please read these if you can. Then search for more articles about this control that the packing houses and the seed companies have on our food. I am sure most of you keep track of GM food, there is an article out on the GM salmon that the FDA wants to throw on your table also.
I probably shouldn't even be talking about this, to me, it seems that you do not have control over your food except if you grow it yourself, or support your local growers and farmers. And I'm also sure that like all of you, I some what do not have control of what I buy because I am on a limited income, and have little choice here where I live, especially during the late winter, when I do not have good access to fresh greens or fruit. I get very frustrated a lot from this, I am envious of some of my readers who have fresh milk and cream, and have farms who are very self-sustaining as best as they can. This is a worrisome thing for me as I really feel that the gov is controlling pretty much everything that we eat or make you eat, and those of us who are urban or limited communities, are really at the mercy of others who truly don't care about anything but the dollar, or euro or anything else that matters. Then the gov wants to control the small farms that want to bring fresh milk and cream and fresh eggs and other farm fresh items to you, because of the food safety issues which are brought about by the big 4 packing houses and the big mega seed companies in the first place that make food unsafe and is processed in unclean and unhealthy facilities in the second place, but makes the small farms responsible for it like they did the bad deeds to start.
I'm not even sure where this will go, I don't like to speak of politics at all, but I guess, if we want change, please go to the polls on Nov 2nd, and vote. That is all I will say about this subject, as I don't want to give opinions about government issues, though they are important to all of us. Even if we are all different, and have different views, we still are seeking a simple and less stressful life that is more fulfilling that the materialistic realm that others live in. I love to hear what all of you are trying to achieve, again, we are all different, and seeking different but for the goal of a more simplistic lifestyle.
Going back to the food issues, (sorry for the wandering, I have a fuzzy head) I guess, we just have to seek out food for our families and seek harder, look farther, do more for ourselves if possible, but yet, IF we have to fall back on some things to get us through till next year, seek out more organic from a health food store or a co-op, then so be it. It is not the end of the world, it is not taboo, and if we have to buy some things from the conventional grocery, we pick what we can, as healthy as we can, or simply go without till the next growing season and better access.We need to read more and look into the companies that provide us these foods or mixes, and do more searching on our own about these companies and asking more questions, and the best yet, the power of OUR dollar, telling these companies that we will not buy until they change ingredients, (like high fructose corn syrup). I have called several companies or email them and told them that I refuse to purchase any more of their products until they change the ingredients and on some, they have done so, so I guess the power of the voice and the dollar do work, but for how long, who knows.
This also is following something that we in the state of Nebraska are dealing with. The building of a gas pipeline through one of the purest water holdings in the nation, The Ogallala Aquifer. It seems that this Canadian company wants to run a pipeline right through our source of fresh water. This source of water runs from Nebraska, some parts of South Dakota, through Kansas, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and is pure to its form. This company is not addressing the issues that pertain to leaks in the pipeline or other safety issues, (the Gulf gusher), and is just basically trying to just ram this down the state of Nebraska's throat. As I read or hear more, I will keep you posted on this. This is not being talked about much by the state government, and I assure you, that the state's citizens are not happy at all about this either.
Anyway, I think that this is enough of the ranting for now. There are better things to talk about now. All of you will think that is all I do....
Well, like I said at the beginning of the post, I have been trying to clean up my garden areas and the now dead plants the freeze took out. It sure looks pretty sad around here now, everything is looking like November now, I'm not ready to be forced inside yet, we have been having very cold weather now, but the days are nice and warm by early afternoon, so I will resume my clean-up this afternoon and hopefully be done.
Well, this post was long winded, and probably will make someone mad, hope not, but if it does, I'm sorry.
So, to all, please have a great weekend, what ever the plans, if you are going out for Halloween, please be careful, have fun, and don't eat too much sugar, or "you'll get worms", like my grandmother would tell me. lol
Take care all
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thoughts and what's going on Part 1
Hello Everyone! I hope that all of you are having a great week, and hopefully a very productive or rest filled weekend.
I first want to take time to thank all of you for your most kind and thoughtful words of comfort for Ya-Ya, you do not know how much it meant to me to receive your comforting words. This really hit me very hard, and I still am going through the "I should of done this or that" bit, but each day does get better and I keep busy so as to not think too much on it. I miss her terribly, and I have to get through this daily but it will get better.
I get news on the computer like I'm sure a lot of you all do also. The other day, I got a news article that hit home here especially. And I also think that it does tie into what all of us are doing, living a simple lifestyle and eating more local produce and products and fair trade.
I am located in one of several very big agricultural states in the nation. In this article, it talked about the Big "4" packing plants for beef. These plants are: Tyson, Omaha Beef, Swift, and JBS. which is an Argentina based Big Ag corporation.
JBS had taken over the Greeley CO plant after it closed several years ago. It used to be a Monfort packing plant years ago, then Swift, then JBS. This is funny also, as Nebraska has laws in place for having foreign companies being in Nebraska, and JBS is located in Grand Island NE, which used to be a Swift plant. Anti-trust laws?
In this article, it mentioned that beef producers are not getting good prices on beef, and that eventually the beef will be of much poorer quality in a few years to make up for the poorer prices that producers are getting. The other fact of this article mentioning is the fact that there are only 4 plants that buy beef from all producers, thus limiting the playing field for competition in the market for ranchers and producers to get a fair price for beef.
This goes deeper than the article relates to in the fact that producers are producing beef, generally for export to over-seas markets, generally Japan, South Korea, etc. Japan has put a halt to Nebraska beef because of BSE, which is a chronic wasting disease in the brains and spine cords of bovine species. Japan found spinal pieces in boxed beef several years ago, and stopped the export of beef from Nebraska to Japan in one fell swoop. The other other reason is: the economy is very devastating now as people, including me cannot afford beef. This may seem totally off of the wall to all of you, but I live in beef country, and I cannot afford beef. It is surprising that beef here is unaffordable to a lot of people here. I am not sure what beef is in other areas of the country, but here, a pound of 90% lean hamburger is $5. A small T-bone is $15-$20 each. An arm roast is $20. I would be interested in what beef runs around the country. Now, this beef is not pastured humane beef, it is the beef that is finished in the feed lots and processed by the one of the big 4 plants.
I guess why I am talking about this is, the ability to purchase fair humane raised beef or pork or chicken, for those who do eat meat, and why it is so important to find and support local farms and ranches who do this and be able to make a decent living and bring to your table, a healthy product at a fair price to the farmer and the family and very fair to the livestock who give their lives to us.
Then this goes on also to the government, who now wants to kill the small farm or ranch, because the Big AG, Big Farm, Big Mega corporations is whining that the small producer is dipping into their big profits and making life a pain for them. I would suggest going to another blog I read, I have it listed in my blog reader list. It is A Year without Groceries, Her name is Rachel and she has a very interesting blog about being self reliant and not going to the grocery or buying groceries for a year. She is experimenting with using only local purchased products for her family, and buying pastured, local meat. On her blog a few days ago, she listed a number of companies who used to be small companies who cared, and are now bought by Big AG, or Big Corp and don't care about you or your families health any more. The list will surprise you. Please read her blog for more information.
I am on a rant again, sorry. :^)
Over the weekend, I will do part 2 as this can grow into quite a large thought on food and who controls it.
I have to run errands today, so I will post sometime over the weekend, and I want all of you to think about this and give thoughts.
Till this weekend, have a great Friday, and upcoming weekend.
As Always,
I first want to take time to thank all of you for your most kind and thoughtful words of comfort for Ya-Ya, you do not know how much it meant to me to receive your comforting words. This really hit me very hard, and I still am going through the "I should of done this or that" bit, but each day does get better and I keep busy so as to not think too much on it. I miss her terribly, and I have to get through this daily but it will get better.
I get news on the computer like I'm sure a lot of you all do also. The other day, I got a news article that hit home here especially. And I also think that it does tie into what all of us are doing, living a simple lifestyle and eating more local produce and products and fair trade.
I am located in one of several very big agricultural states in the nation. In this article, it talked about the Big "4" packing plants for beef. These plants are: Tyson, Omaha Beef, Swift, and JBS. which is an Argentina based Big Ag corporation.
JBS had taken over the Greeley CO plant after it closed several years ago. It used to be a Monfort packing plant years ago, then Swift, then JBS. This is funny also, as Nebraska has laws in place for having foreign companies being in Nebraska, and JBS is located in Grand Island NE, which used to be a Swift plant. Anti-trust laws?
In this article, it mentioned that beef producers are not getting good prices on beef, and that eventually the beef will be of much poorer quality in a few years to make up for the poorer prices that producers are getting. The other fact of this article mentioning is the fact that there are only 4 plants that buy beef from all producers, thus limiting the playing field for competition in the market for ranchers and producers to get a fair price for beef.
This goes deeper than the article relates to in the fact that producers are producing beef, generally for export to over-seas markets, generally Japan, South Korea, etc. Japan has put a halt to Nebraska beef because of BSE, which is a chronic wasting disease in the brains and spine cords of bovine species. Japan found spinal pieces in boxed beef several years ago, and stopped the export of beef from Nebraska to Japan in one fell swoop. The other other reason is: the economy is very devastating now as people, including me cannot afford beef. This may seem totally off of the wall to all of you, but I live in beef country, and I cannot afford beef. It is surprising that beef here is unaffordable to a lot of people here. I am not sure what beef is in other areas of the country, but here, a pound of 90% lean hamburger is $5. A small T-bone is $15-$20 each. An arm roast is $20. I would be interested in what beef runs around the country. Now, this beef is not pastured humane beef, it is the beef that is finished in the feed lots and processed by the one of the big 4 plants.
I guess why I am talking about this is, the ability to purchase fair humane raised beef or pork or chicken, for those who do eat meat, and why it is so important to find and support local farms and ranches who do this and be able to make a decent living and bring to your table, a healthy product at a fair price to the farmer and the family and very fair to the livestock who give their lives to us.
Then this goes on also to the government, who now wants to kill the small farm or ranch, because the Big AG, Big Farm, Big Mega corporations is whining that the small producer is dipping into their big profits and making life a pain for them. I would suggest going to another blog I read, I have it listed in my blog reader list. It is A Year without Groceries, Her name is Rachel and she has a very interesting blog about being self reliant and not going to the grocery or buying groceries for a year. She is experimenting with using only local purchased products for her family, and buying pastured, local meat. On her blog a few days ago, she listed a number of companies who used to be small companies who cared, and are now bought by Big AG, or Big Corp and don't care about you or your families health any more. The list will surprise you. Please read her blog for more information.
I am on a rant again, sorry. :^)
Over the weekend, I will do part 2 as this can grow into quite a large thought on food and who controls it.
I have to run errands today, so I will post sometime over the weekend, and I want all of you to think about this and give thoughts.
Till this weekend, have a great Friday, and upcoming weekend.
As Always,
Saturday, October 16, 2010
In Loving Memory
I have some very, very sad news to bring to this blog. Friday afternoon, I had to very peacefully put my beloved ICU kitten, Ya-Ya to sleep.
She had developed problems Thursday, and by Friday, I knew we were in distress. I took her in to her vet and she x-rayed her and her colon had torn in several places, and the vet told me she was quite sure it was a combination of a heavy worm infestation, and a congenital defect from Ya-Ya being a preemie baby and not having mom kitty's milk. We just couldn't fix a problem that was there and I felt so helpless and heart broken.
So, I lovingly told her goodbye, and let her go over the Rainbow bridge and in no more pain and a new body for her to enjoy. It was one of the most difficult endings that I have had to deal with in quite a few years of taking care of ill pets.
These are things that I have dealt with for years, but for a tiny kitten, who really didn't have a chance, I gave her 6 weeks of care, love, and hope for a better life. I just wish I could of done better for her.
I am so very heart broken, and tears drip on my keyboard, and on my shirt as I write this. She was so very special, and a gentle soul. I am going through the emotions that all humans go through, the anger at myself, the anger at the previous owner and anger at my God, and anger at life itself. Only time will heal me, and I know that deep in my heart I did absolutely the most I could with my hands that God gave me with the ability to heal. I feel so very blessed to of had her in my life, and that she had a few weeks of hope and peace. But all my attempts to heal were not enough for her. I am missing her so very much.
So, hopefully I will get back to my blogging, and some of the recipes that I have promised all of you. I want to also tell all of you who read my blog a big Thank you, and for all of your contact and just being here in cyber-blog land. I feel that if I didn't have all of you, I would probably be in the loony bin. I so enjoy all of your blogs, and I enjoy reading what everyone is doing in their lives. I enjoy the simple lifestyle that we follow, and the slow down that we strive to enjoy. This is the reason that I have no friends here, I follow a different path, and to these people, I am total freak, a moron, who probably should be in the loony bin. I don't party, I don't shop, I don't drink and run around being a bar fly, so I am the freak. Oh Well........
Anyway, I will get my recipes posted, and I will get back on to a normal blog posting if life doesn't get in the way. I have some ideas and will try to get it organized better and maybe if I can master it, a better layout on the blog.
Anyway, I didn't want to present sad news about Ya-Ya, but I had many get wells for her and concerns and hope sent to her and me, and I felt that it should be shared, even though it is sad and heartbreaking.
So, I will embark on new things and a better tomorrow for all. Have a peaceful and wonderful weekend.
Loving Regards,
She had developed problems Thursday, and by Friday, I knew we were in distress. I took her in to her vet and she x-rayed her and her colon had torn in several places, and the vet told me she was quite sure it was a combination of a heavy worm infestation, and a congenital defect from Ya-Ya being a preemie baby and not having mom kitty's milk. We just couldn't fix a problem that was there and I felt so helpless and heart broken.
So, I lovingly told her goodbye, and let her go over the Rainbow bridge and in no more pain and a new body for her to enjoy. It was one of the most difficult endings that I have had to deal with in quite a few years of taking care of ill pets.
These are things that I have dealt with for years, but for a tiny kitten, who really didn't have a chance, I gave her 6 weeks of care, love, and hope for a better life. I just wish I could of done better for her.
I am so very heart broken, and tears drip on my keyboard, and on my shirt as I write this. She was so very special, and a gentle soul. I am going through the emotions that all humans go through, the anger at myself, the anger at the previous owner and anger at my God, and anger at life itself. Only time will heal me, and I know that deep in my heart I did absolutely the most I could with my hands that God gave me with the ability to heal. I feel so very blessed to of had her in my life, and that she had a few weeks of hope and peace. But all my attempts to heal were not enough for her. I am missing her so very much.
So, hopefully I will get back to my blogging, and some of the recipes that I have promised all of you. I want to also tell all of you who read my blog a big Thank you, and for all of your contact and just being here in cyber-blog land. I feel that if I didn't have all of you, I would probably be in the loony bin. I so enjoy all of your blogs, and I enjoy reading what everyone is doing in their lives. I enjoy the simple lifestyle that we follow, and the slow down that we strive to enjoy. This is the reason that I have no friends here, I follow a different path, and to these people, I am total freak, a moron, who probably should be in the loony bin. I don't party, I don't shop, I don't drink and run around being a bar fly, so I am the freak. Oh Well........
Anyway, I will get my recipes posted, and I will get back on to a normal blog posting if life doesn't get in the way. I have some ideas and will try to get it organized better and maybe if I can master it, a better layout on the blog.
Anyway, I didn't want to present sad news about Ya-Ya, but I had many get wells for her and concerns and hope sent to her and me, and I felt that it should be shared, even though it is sad and heartbreaking.
So, I will embark on new things and a better tomorrow for all. Have a peaceful and wonderful weekend.
Loving Regards,
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Cooling off and catching up
Hello Everyone,
I have certainly missed blogging about my boring life. I hope that everyone has had a productive and pleasant week.
I finished most of my canning of tomatoes, and have done some desperate baking for the house. I felt ambitious and baked a cinnamon applesauce loaf, AND a banana bread! WOW. Since it is so very nice and cool today, (in the 60's) I can fire up the gas stove and I sure do not need to fire up the furnace, which I absolutely do not want to do until I have to.
I still have to finish up outside in the garden, and get things picked up and things put away before it gets too cold, oh, something that is interesting, today on this date last year, we had a blizzard that totaled about 20", then about a week later another blizzard of about 16" and then the end of Oct, we had a smaller blizzard of about 10". That was a surprise to say the least, and I sure didn't get the garden cleaned up until Jan when it warmed up just enough for me to get out to do it, then it turned to bitter cold and below zero temps in the 20's and 30's below with wind chills in the 40's below. How does that grab all of you!
My little ICU kitten is still having issues with her gut and colon. The vet had to do an enema Thurs afternoon, and kept her overnight and then I brought her home Fri am, she is doing good, but she has a sluggish colon and is going to be a issue for her life, which I am prepared to handle, and I will do the best for her. She is thriving, and eating very well and putting on weight, but just has this sluggish colon, and like a human, it must have special things and meds to help her. I know, as I have IBS and issues too, so I know what she is going through. I don't throw in the towel at all, and will do everything I can to make her life comfortable and productive. I have ordered probiotics for her and me, and we will just take it a day at a time. I will be talking to the vet on our game plan, and go from there.
Mom is doing great also, I know that I had several asking if my parents live in town and the answer is yes, thankfully. They are about 5 miles away from me on the south side of town and I am on the north side. We live in a small city of about 25,000, so it doesn't take me too long to get there, about 10 mins., so I plan my trips and shopping around them and to save fuel. Sometimes, I take our little bus which there are several, that run all over town, and shop, when I just want to get out and enjoy the day. It's nice to have someone else drive you around, especially when it is cold and snowy and you don't want to drag the car out and warm it up and splash in the wet and cold. Call it lazy. It's also cheap too.
I have been digging through my grandmother's recipes today also, while waiting for the loafs to get done, and came across my grandmother's recipe for a vegetable loaf. She made this a lot, as during the depression, there wasn't too much meat around, even here in this area of the country. I think that I will compose the recipe for all of you, and you can add or subtract what you would like in it, and make it your own. It is a no name recipe, but I will call it "Mabel's 29' Crash Vegetable Loaf. It has a mix of different vegetables, bread crumbs, pinto beans or what ever bean you have in your pantry, and blend. It may be a little fickle, and you will have to adjust the liquid to make a loaf, but I have fixed it, and I think that it is pretty tasty. It is also yummy the next day in a sandwich, or a pita, add condiments, to your taste, and have fun with it.
I also came across my grandmother's cake recipes, a raisin spice cake, a applesauce cake, there are a few more, I just need to dig deeper. When I find them, I will post these also.
Well, I need to pull the loafs out of the oven, it sure smells good in here, I think now, a cup of tea and a sample of banana bread is in order.
Take care all,
I have certainly missed blogging about my boring life. I hope that everyone has had a productive and pleasant week.
I finished most of my canning of tomatoes, and have done some desperate baking for the house. I felt ambitious and baked a cinnamon applesauce loaf, AND a banana bread! WOW. Since it is so very nice and cool today, (in the 60's) I can fire up the gas stove and I sure do not need to fire up the furnace, which I absolutely do not want to do until I have to.
I still have to finish up outside in the garden, and get things picked up and things put away before it gets too cold, oh, something that is interesting, today on this date last year, we had a blizzard that totaled about 20", then about a week later another blizzard of about 16" and then the end of Oct, we had a smaller blizzard of about 10". That was a surprise to say the least, and I sure didn't get the garden cleaned up until Jan when it warmed up just enough for me to get out to do it, then it turned to bitter cold and below zero temps in the 20's and 30's below with wind chills in the 40's below. How does that grab all of you!
My little ICU kitten is still having issues with her gut and colon. The vet had to do an enema Thurs afternoon, and kept her overnight and then I brought her home Fri am, she is doing good, but she has a sluggish colon and is going to be a issue for her life, which I am prepared to handle, and I will do the best for her. She is thriving, and eating very well and putting on weight, but just has this sluggish colon, and like a human, it must have special things and meds to help her. I know, as I have IBS and issues too, so I know what she is going through. I don't throw in the towel at all, and will do everything I can to make her life comfortable and productive. I have ordered probiotics for her and me, and we will just take it a day at a time. I will be talking to the vet on our game plan, and go from there.
Mom is doing great also, I know that I had several asking if my parents live in town and the answer is yes, thankfully. They are about 5 miles away from me on the south side of town and I am on the north side. We live in a small city of about 25,000, so it doesn't take me too long to get there, about 10 mins., so I plan my trips and shopping around them and to save fuel. Sometimes, I take our little bus which there are several, that run all over town, and shop, when I just want to get out and enjoy the day. It's nice to have someone else drive you around, especially when it is cold and snowy and you don't want to drag the car out and warm it up and splash in the wet and cold. Call it lazy. It's also cheap too.
I have been digging through my grandmother's recipes today also, while waiting for the loafs to get done, and came across my grandmother's recipe for a vegetable loaf. She made this a lot, as during the depression, there wasn't too much meat around, even here in this area of the country. I think that I will compose the recipe for all of you, and you can add or subtract what you would like in it, and make it your own. It is a no name recipe, but I will call it "Mabel's 29' Crash Vegetable Loaf. It has a mix of different vegetables, bread crumbs, pinto beans or what ever bean you have in your pantry, and blend. It may be a little fickle, and you will have to adjust the liquid to make a loaf, but I have fixed it, and I think that it is pretty tasty. It is also yummy the next day in a sandwich, or a pita, add condiments, to your taste, and have fun with it.
I also came across my grandmother's cake recipes, a raisin spice cake, a applesauce cake, there are a few more, I just need to dig deeper. When I find them, I will post these also.
Well, I need to pull the loafs out of the oven, it sure smells good in here, I think now, a cup of tea and a sample of banana bread is in order.
Take care all,
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