Have you been hearing about Chia seeds? Well they are no longer a fun American way to create silly plant sculptures.  

Chia seeds are one of the world’s oldest sources of nutrition, often used for medicinal purposes and documented to be a mainstay for the ancient Aztecs and Mayans as early as 3500 BC.

Today they’re a powerhouse addition to your diet and you would be wise to take advantage of this economically feasible and nutrient dense food.  Chia seeds can be eaten raw, soaked in juice, and added to traditional recipes for breakfast cereals, granola, puddings and even as a vegan egg substitute.
Here are some reasons you should consider them.
Chia Seeds Are usually Non-GMO And Grown Organically
Chia Seeds Are Low in Carbohydrates
Help Your Digestive System
High in Plant Protein
Assist in weight loss
Chia Seeds Support Healthy Bones
Help To Detoxify The Body
Protect Your Heart
Reduce Your Risk Of Colon Cancer
Reduce Your Risk Of Metabolic Syndrome
Chia Seeds Are Gluten-Free
Chia Seeds Are Great For Those With Diabetes

I will be adding recipes as I try them, but so far I found a fairly simply way to work with them, besides adding them to a beverage and just letting them be.
I like to make various nut milks by adding 1 cup of nuts to 3 cups of filter water in a blender (my favorite is walnuts) straining the milk, and cleaning out the blender.  Add the milk back to the blender and put in about ½ cup of your favorite dried fruit or 1 cup of your favorite fresh or frozen fruit, (so far I have used blueberries, cherries and bananas) 2/3 cup of chia seeds and 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, honey or coconut syrup.  (you can also use stevia for a sugar free version).  If you like you can add vanilla or almond extract, two tablespoons cocoa powder, peanut butter the list goes on… Blend for 3 minutes on high.  Poor thickened mixture into serving containers and refrigerate for 4 hours.  Yum, the end result is healthy heart loving pudding like porridge that is best new thing in my life.

The Greenhouse

First, I have to say, that I have wanted to own a greenhouse for as long as I can remember.  The idea of growing healthy food throughout the year in Wisconsin has been on my bucket list since I first realized that joke about Wisconsin was true. You know the one, Wisconsin has two seasons - winter and construction.  So when my generous next door neighbor bestowed upon me the wood from an abandoned project I was more than delighted.

This considerably cut down the cost of my greenhouse.  Now to build it. Research must commence. It has been consuming all of my curious moments.  There is so much to consider.  What type of walls would we use.  We decided on polygal 10 millimeter twin wall construction.  This would provide a good deal of sturdiness and give us a maximum amount of light transmission for our seedlings. What type of ventilation will we need and where will it be located.  Roof ventilation leaves us open to leaks so my builder friends thought that to put the vents on the roof in Wisconsin would be a poor choice of design.  At this point we are considering an open wall design.  This will involve removing some panels for the summer.  Screens will be affixed to the top part of each wall so that we will be able to take the top sections of the walls right off. Next was the door and the shelving.  And of course there was the foundation.  It is a temporary structure but with northern winters, spring rains and summer tornadoes we couldn’t go with a fly by night operation, literally.

We opted for concrete footings. The conversation as turned to gravel and bricks mounted under the foundation to keep out rodents.   The next decision concerned the type of beds would they be raised or in pots?  We decided pots would be best as they are movable and be brought out in the summer to increase the yield of the greenhouse and lesson the transplanting.  We could then easily bring them back in again for the fall.  

So much to think about.  And with my artistic background of course I also had my mind on other things, like finials and dragons and celtic shelving.  The greenhouse had to have some flair so architectural elements are a must. Later today we will begin the polygal operation.  More pictures to follow.

How morels grow is an often asked question and the answer is tricky. The source of the spores is a mystery as they may come from many different places. Spores grow after being transplanted through an airborne method or through an underground root system. Even seasoned hunters cannot determine the exact source of the spore. Often, when finding a hot spot for the tasty mushrooms, morel experts attribute it to the decomposing tree or its root system they are found on. One thing is for sure; when that tree is gone so too go the morels.

Unlike other mushrooms that have gills under their caps, the morel spores drop from the crevices in the cap. The spores are microscopic and once they have dropped, the mycelium begins to grow under the ground in the first inch of dirt that is on top of wood chips or some type of decomposing wood. The tiny spore needs high humidity and the proper temperature to thrive. Morels tend to like colder temperatures than you might expect. They grow well anywhere from 50-75 degrees as is evidenced by their appearance in mid spring. After the mycelium has colonized 100% of the decomposing wood it's growing on or in, it develops what is called the fruit body of the fungus. The morel mushroom will grow in about 3-10 days. The time it takes for the morel to mature depends on the amount of shade, temperature, moisture and wood source.

The mystique around morel mushrooms seems to grow with each successive generation. And it is well founded. Morels are more than delicious; they are probably the most tasty mushroom you will ever eat and well worth the effort. The one pictured in this article was a gift to me from a dear friend who shall remain anonymous, lest the secret of her morel hotspot be found by others. When I came home from work a few days ago, there was a little brown lunch bag with a handwritten birthday note on the outside. Much to my surprise when I opened this humble wrapping, I found a beautiful selection of recently picked morels. What a wonderful gift. We stoked up the grill and I gently soaked the morels, then sliced them in half, placed them in a shallow grill pan. I drizzled them with butter, freshly chopped garlic and Spike seasoning. Put the pan on the grill and closed the cover letting the morels cook for about 10 minutes. I served them with a crusty sourdough and triple cream Brie. Morels simply cannot be beat when you consider the fun of the hunt coupled with their spectacular flavor. Good Luck and Happy Morel Hunting!

For more information on safe mushroom picking, please check out the following pages. Each of these sites gives a great deal of information about poisonous mushrooms including pictures.

HYPERLINK "http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/how/mushrooms/safe-..." http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/how/mushrooms/safe-...

HYPERLINK "http://mushroomexpert.com/sitemap2.html#morels" http://mushroomexpert.com/sitemap2.html#morels

HYPERLINK "http://www.michiganmorels.com/" http://www.michiganmorels.com/

HYPERLINK "http://thegreatmorel.com/" http://thegreatmorel.com/

This is a great recipe for first time bakers.  It is called a pre-fermenting method. The resulting bread has an “artisan” bread feel and texture and is, for the most part, a no-fail recipe.  You will need a dutch oven.  I use a cast iron one from some of my vintage cast iron, but you can use enameled cast iron or even a glass casserole dish with a cover. I use organic flours and still save lots of money. I estimate that my cost is just over one dollar a loaf compared to the $5 or $6 loaves of organic rustic bread that can be purchased from bakeries.

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon granulated yeast
1 ½  teaspoons salt
2 ½ cups water
corn meal

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water and mix.  Dough will be on the sticky side. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or several towels to seal.  Allow dough to sit over night preferably for 12 to 15 hours at room temperature (be sure the room is not too cold). Sprinkle the bottom of your dutch oven pan with corn meal. Add dough.  Allow to rise for 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 450 F. I keep my pan near the stove so it starts to take on the heat.  Some people like to raise the dough a second time in the bowl and actually heat the dutch oven in a regular oven for 30 minutes at 450F. This is up to you.  Either way works to create a great bread.

Bake with lid on for 35 minutes.  Remove lid turn oven down to 350F and continue to bake for another 25 minutes.  Remove from oven to cool.  Remove from dutch oven after the bread is cooled. Do not cut until completely cooled.  If you store your bread in a plastic bag you will lose that crispy crust.  So it is best to store in a paper bag.  But don’t worry; it will get eaten so fast you probably won’t have to store it at all.

I find that if I make this at night before I go to bed, it is ready to bake when I get home from work and my family just loves it.

You can create variations of this bread by adding caraway seed and substituting 2 cups of rye flour for 2 of the 4 cups of all purpose flour.  I have heard that no knead overnight recipes never work well with whole wheat flour well I am here to tell you that it just is not true. If substituting heavy flours without gluten, be sure to add ½ to ¾ cup gluten flour to your flour mix. I used 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour and ½ cup vital gluten flour in the bread pictures accompanying this article.  Good luck and happy baking.

Let’s get rid of the BPA and DEHP in our diets: Here is how.

BPA is not a governmental regulatory agency or a company that drills for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, rather it is a highly controversial chemical additive used in a variety of plastics and resins.  BPA (bisphenol A) has been used since the 1960’s in food and beverage containers including water bottles, baby bottles and cups.  BPA, as well as DEHP (Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), are used extensively in toys and a multitude of consumer goods.  It is a component of the epoxy resins used to line metal containers that store everything from A to Z, including beans and baby formula.

The problem is that this chemical can leech into the food that is stored in those containers and researchers are concerned about it. The National Toxicology Program at the Department of Health and Human Services states that there may be toxicity concerns in fetuses and young children that can affect the brain and mammary glands.   It is metabolized by enzyme systems that change as people age.  Adult metabolic systems can rid the system of the BPA, whereas in children, BPA stays in their systems much longer.
DEHP has been shown to cause reproductive cancers in numerous animal studies.  

So how can you protect yourself from BPA and DEHP?  Well, the first step is to start using BPA-free products.  Most aluminum cans have BPA linings. Water bottles that are clear and hard plastic, usually made from Polycarbonate, often contain BPA.  Some water bottles that do not contain BPA are the following: Camelbak, Nalgene, Kleen Kanteen, SIGG bottles, Amphipod, ALEX bottles and unlined stainless steel bottles.

Be careful about how and what you microwave.  Do not microwave anything in a Polycarbonate plastic. Use alternatives to Polycarbonate plastic.  Glass, stainless steel and porcelain are good alternatives for food storage. Cut down on your use of canned foods in general. Use fresh foods. Or, in the case of beans, use dried beans, which are far healthier.  People who decreased their use of bottled water and canned foods also showed a decreased level of BPA by an average of 60% within days, according to research conducted by the Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute.  This study further suggests that the use of BPA in food storage is the number one source of exposure.

The Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute suggest that reducing exposure to BPA and DEHP can be achieved by introducing the following steps into your lifestyle:
Use fresh ingredients in your cooking and cook at home.
Avoid canned foods, especially for acidic foods
Choose glass and stainless steel for cooking and food storage.
Never microwave anything in a plastic container.
Do not eat at restaurants that do not use fresh ingredients.
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
Use dried beans for cooking.
Use a stainless steel coffee percolator or French Press rather than the plastic water tank in most modern coffee makers.

Ten canned foods to avoid are the following:
Coconut Milk
Soup
Meat
Vegetables
Meals in a can (ravioli)
Juice
Beans
Meal replacement drinks
Fish
Fruit

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/mp3/bucher-key.mp3
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/mp3/bucher-metabolism.mp3
http://www.silentspring.org/our-research/research-updates/new-study-shows-fresh-food-diet-reduces-levels-hormone-disruptors-bpa-
http://www.bbraunusa.com/index-A72BAD77D0B759A1E32FDFF9D0DA8F20.html