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Normally when I raise something here it stays for good. But today I said good-bye to my 3 ducks. It wasn't an easy decision, but one that's been begging to be made for about a year now. I had to let my ego take a backseat and admit my failure and strong dislike for these 3 ducks. Last year, my male duck (pekin cross) started brutalizing my call ducks. He even killed a few, he's like many ducks, in the way that he insists on mating with ANY water fowl. Nevermind that he out weighed the calls 3 times over or that he was trying to mate with the males as well, that didn't matter to him. I separated the 3 standard ducks by tossing them in with the chickens. They did just fine there, too. Unfortunately, I lost the last of the call ducks during the winter to a very wiley possum. That finally stopped, I envisioned the giant rat crossing the highway a mile away or trying to take on one of the many dogs that wander the area, either way, the killing stopped. Nobody has bothered my dominiques, the big ducks or any of my other birds for many months now. Then the Cottonpatch came. Within two weeks that stupid duck started brutalizing one of my geese. That was the last straw. Still I hung on, thinking that Alfred would finally punk him out and he'd stop bothering Matilda. I didn't care anymore that I had hatched these ducks from eggs in the incubator and raised them to adulthood, but I wasn't willing to part with them yet. Then Monday I left the pen spittin' mad. I had fallen so hard for my geese, that seeing Matilda's head with a bald patch and a few sores and the dominant male duck chasing her around without mercy put me into a tailspin. That was IT!!! I was done. I had worked around these 3 ducks long enough. They had to go, they'd done nothing but make me angry for a year now. My patchies, dominiques, and turkeys are my priorities. NOT 3 mutt ducks. Tuesday morning before work I put the 3 onto Freecycle. Today, they went to their new home, one with no call ducks, no geese and another female duck. The dominant male will be VERY happy and I'm sure the other male and the female will enjoy having another friend. When I got home from dropping them off, I swear I saw Matilda smile and laugh. She knows she rules. Gracie and Alfred are happy too I'm sure since that darn duck chased them around as well. Through my escapades with ducks over the last several years, I have learned...I prefer Muscovies. They're the only duck I'll ever have again. No matter how blasted cute they are as ducklings, if they're not a Muscovy, I'm not bringing them home or incubating their eggs. If I feel so justified, why do I feel like such a failure? |
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Oh yes it is. Even when things are grim, there's always hope, right? So yes, life is good. Recently I added to my little farm three geese that I've been striving to add for about 3 years. Cottonpatch geese. Cottonpatch are discernable from other geese in a few ways, one is that they're dimorphic and the other is their pink feet and bills. I'm so excited to have these lovelies here. I so hope that next season I'll have some eggs to put into the incubator! I desperately want to help these guys come back from the brink of forgotten American farm history. I'm pleased to introduce: Alfred the Gander-he's a handsome fellow and amiable as well.  Next we have Matilda. She's gorgeous girl, however there's a problem. She's an angel wing. According to most of the information I can find online is that angel wing is NOT genetic, but dietary induced. Most of the information says that angel wing was once thought to be genetic and there is still some slight speculation that it is. So I'm in a quandry as well as curious. Is it genetic? Is it dietary? If it is dietary, is there a genetic link that predisposes the goose to developing angel wing when the diet is too high in protein? Here beak isn't as pink as it should be either. Either way, she was thrown in with the two breeders to keep Alfred Here is my angel Matilda:  The star of the show is Gracie. Oh my gosh, I'm so in love with this girl. She's still young (just a few months old) and still chirps like a baby, but she's to be Alfred's mate (Matilda will be separated from them around breeding season) and I hope to get some beautiful goslings from them. *swoon* Meet, Gracie  My beautiful cottonpatch geese. I never thought I would ever have geese, but there's no denying my love for this breed. Here's a few pics of them together  In case it wasn't obvious, Matilda is a big time ham!!! Of for a dip in the pool!  In other news, I've developed quite the fancy for Begonias!  With the rotten luck I've had growing vegetables I'm real close to simply growing what I seem to have the best luck with, herbs and flowers. I really don't know for sure yet, we're ordering the stones for our rock wall next week and once that's in we'll be able to start saving for the fence. I have an issue with wanting everything NOW and I'm just starting to realize AND ACCEPT that it takes time to develop the kind of landscaping I want. Baby steps. Eeesh. Whatever. But it's all I can do, unless I win the lotto and have somebody else do all the work. ;-) I bought two gorgeous rose bushes and one of these days I'll get around to setting them in the ground. My husband annihilated my Black Beauty Elderberry with the lawn mower, so it's growth is starting over and I don't know what the heck happened but my Laurel Bay bush died. I really wasn't expecting that at all. It weathered the winter no problem, it was getting plenty of water and in just a matter of days it was brown and dead as if it never recieved a drop of water!! I was devastated about it and my elderberry. I don't usually cry over a plant, but I cried when I found the little stick in the ground that was once my Black Beauty and when my cats ate my Lakota Blue Pumpkin seedlings. Silly me. Anyway, no vegetable garden until the fence is up. Period. It's not worth it to have the dogs in the neighborhood ruining my beds and I think it will be easier to put the beds in a good place once I have the perimeter secure. I'm still looking for a passionfruit and fig plant this year though. If you have interest in wonderful handmade items from jewelry to fiber to you name it. Check out Etsy!! I know I'm addicted, haven't spent any money yet, but I'm close! Yes. Life is good. |
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Yesterday morning a great man of my life passed away. He was one of my favorite uncles. His voice is still clear and strong in my head as is the whistle that pierced the air when it was time for all of us to come in for the night after a day of adventure and play on 40 acres. His big grin. His chuckle. The mischievous twinkle in his eye. Standing on the slab concrete porch of the farm house with his cup of coffee in one hand and smoke in the other. The gold wrapped Almond Roca he'd give us instead of the pigs. "don't tell your aunt" I will sorely miss him. He was surely, one of the greats. G'bye Uncle Jim. |
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Yup, I got sucked into the rumor mill about HR875. But I did something many didn't. In less than 12 hours after I was sucked in, I did my own research. Then quietly sat back, breathed a sigh of relief and chastised myself for allowing rumors to get the best of me. I know better, research has always been my friend. HR 875 Update |
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I lost all my tomatoes, but I've started over already. It was disappointing, but that's the way it goes. I'm just planting the Stupice this time and if they do okay I'll plant some more grape maters. I've finished my "seed case". A bookcase that I've had for about 15 years has been retired with the addition of a bigger and better bookcase. My fear of never having enough book space prevents me from giving away or otherwise discarding a bookcase though. We have close to 20 large bookcases full of books as it is but still, both of us tend to amass more. Soooo...I turned the old bookcase into a seedling case. LOL
Here's too a picture of my special babies, the Blue Lakota Pumpkins. I'm determined to grow these out so that I can save some seeds for my friends who I think will enjoy growing this heritage pumpkin.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on the web regarding the Blue Lakota, just that it's from the Midwest and is an heirloom variety. You can google it, but all the sites I found said pretty much the same thing. I thought I had misplaced my Peter Peppers, but Lo! I found them and if the small flat of them doesn't continue to do well, I'll start over. I will leave it to you, the reader, to Google Peter Peppers, I'm not sure how much trouble from the Homestead Blogger folks I would get in if I were to post a direct link. If you're old enough to Google, you're old enough to find them yourself. ;-)
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My own state has it's head up it's.... Oh, I'm so mad! The word obtuse comes to mind. I'm not on the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. But I've known many that are or have been. It's a great program especially for single mothers and I am appalled that: "Washington State WIC Says Organic Milk has "No Nutritional Benefit"" Say what? Read it for yourself. What a bunch of MORONS! |
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An online friend of mine offered to send me some dominique eggs to put in the incubator. Up to that point I had resigned myself to no more incubating eggs and I was just going to order some Murray McMurray. However, I couldn't resist when the offer was made. Jim was kind enough to send me 18 eggs! I popped them in the 'bator 3 weeks ago and you guessed it, they're hatching! What a difference from last year. I didn't use my auto-turner as it was vibrating and being noisy and that can affect development drastically. I also used THREE thermometers and pushed daily to maintain 99.9F. Here's the pay off to being such a "mother hen" about this clutch of eggs.
Okay, more than one egg hatched..hehe. This pic is of 9 chick-lets the one closest to the front I had just watched hatch and she's tuckered out, so don't worry. She's all dry and peeping around now as I type this. I removed the eggshells so there's enough room for everyone . Also, keep in mind that hatching eggs is messy, so the incubator is ooky in this pic. Oh yea, and there's 2 more eggs hatching right now.
14 out of the 18 eggs developed which is VERY good for shipped eggs (they came from CA). I have no idea how many of them will hatch when all is said and done, but having 9 chicks with 2 on the way the odds are good I'll have at least 9 (haha, you thought I'd say 11 didn't you? But you never know. Never count your chickens UNTIL they hatch. Anything can happen even during the hatching process.) I'll post pics again when they're all settled into the brooder. |
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So much to do, so little time! But I'm ready. I think. So what is everyone else doing to prepare for spring?
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This certainly isn't news to most of those that actually read my drivel, but hey. It's been snowing for the last few days. Extremely unusual for our area. I curse myself for thinking around Dec. 6th which is about a year since our last extreme weather beating with massive rain, flooding, and mudslides; then wham! Here comes the coldest December since 1990. Ugh. Trust me it's freakin' cold. We're the rainy state, remember? The worst part? I haven't been able to get to work, neither has my husband and we're out of poultry/fowl food. Who knew? I sure didn't. So I've been cooking up rice and veggies for them. We're on such a steep and long hill that even if we do get down, it's pretty clear we won't be coming back up. Several autos are being abandoned on our road and even my husband had to park his car at the grocery store and hoof it about 3 miles home, with the last mile being up the godforsaken hill. Here's a few snapshots, not good ones, the battery was dying so I couldn't get better. Maybe tomorrow.   |
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I tell ya, I've been ranting about those disgusting "Sweet Surprise" commercials regarding high fructose corn syrup. They really drive me nutters. For one thing the line, "it's fine in moderation" really grates on my nerves. Excuse me, but exactly how does one consume HFCS in moderation when it's in EVERYTHING including MEATS? Huh? Come on, tell me oh ye wise Corn Refiners Association. Seriously, HOW? It taints every aspect of our food supply in one way or another. The *only* way to avoid it is to avoid prepared foods, frozen foods, fast food, canned; avoid crackers, breads, cookies, cakes, deli meats, bacon, sausage, need I go on? It's in EVERYTHING! |
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Please be so kind to make it so I can post to my blog using the Mozilla Firefox browser. Please? I know this is a free service and don't get me wrong, I love HB'er, preferring the homey feel and appearance, but I love my Firefox more and if I can't post links or pictures using it, well then I don't know what to do....oh come on, I can't possibly be the only user on the whole site that uses Firefox and finds IE to be an inferior browser. Can I? Please...pretty please? *hugs HB & bats eyes* |
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From Organic Consumers dot Org "What Michael Pollan Hasn't Told You About Food" By Onnesha Roychoudhuri an interview with author Raj Patel's regarding his book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System a quote: "OR: Can you point out some more of the ways in which the supermarket experience is such a constrained environment? RP: The resemblance to rats in cages in laboratories is more than cosmetic. The way that we shop today in supermarkets is profoundly manipulated. Everything about it is the result of millions of dollars in investments and experiments. Everything about it: the lighting, the positioning of things, the reason that the milk is always at the back, all of these are ways in which we're manipulated. The profound irony is that we go into supermarkets and we are made to believe that we choose freely but the moment we step through the doors of the supermarket, we have been made for our food. We are being crafted in that environment into people who will impulse purchase, will accept a range of fruits and vegetables that is very narrow, will think that when we pick between Coke and Pepsi, that that's real choice." When are YOU going to take back control of where your food comes from and no longer be manipulated by big corps, agribiz and media advertisements? |
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What a month! We're still kicking of course, things have just been a bit topsy turvy is all. But here I am ready to run off at the keyboard again. The flocks are doing fine and for awhile there I was contemplating dispatching my blue slate tom for Thanksgiving since I never got around to buying him a few girl friends. But alas, not only can I not do the deed, I don't think the lad is going to be fat enough to feed six. SO, I found a local organic heritage turkey breeder and reserved 2 for the holiday. One is for family and the following Saturday Tim and I will have our own Thanksgiving. Their only $40 a piece and considering I wasn't finding anything under $75 online I felt truly blessed to run across her ad on Craigslist. My new sister-in-law and myself are going to get the TG meal together for the family, it will be organic, low carb friendly, plenty of dishes for the vegetarians and diabetes friendly for my father. Should be a hoot! I'm getting out keeping call ducks, so the four I have will go early next year and since I got the go ahead from the former owner, the cochins will be given away as well. I hemmed and hawed all this season, yaked about getting rid of them but never really commited. They're going to be gone no later than the end of March though. *pounds desk* doggone...I will DO IT. hehe I'm desparate for Dominiques and determined to get the flock going. I also found a source for Cottonpatch geese and I'm on her list of people to call when she gets goslings. YAY! I wanted to share this article I recently read on Mother Earth News. Now if you haven't read "The Omnivores Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food" ....do it. I need to get the second on yet, but I've read so many reveiws and snippets from the book that I feel like I already have. But I haven't...in fact...I think I'll order it tonight. Michael Pollan is amazing! Please go read "The Michael Pollan Prescription: How to Eat Better and Avoid the Industrial Diet" Oh yea...been eating very well these last few months and since August have shed 40#. Phew! I can't believe how good I feel. Shucks...only about 80 to go! LOL Keep it real food, natural and organic. Trust me, you'll feel the difference when you cut that devil known as prepared processed food. Shop the outer edges of your store, keep it fresh! |
I'm amazed at how chilly it got in what seems like a relatively short period of time. We're still having sunny days, but YIKES it's c-c-c-cold! I made some pumpkin bread today, nothing special and not from scratch, but it sure filled the house with a scrumptious odor. I'm sure it will be tasty. If I like it, then I'll venture on to make some scratch. I tend to try thing out pre-made once and if I like it, I make it myself. I have 3 jars of jalapeno mint jelly in the BWB and it'll be done boilin' away in about 4 minutes. I had a taste and oooohhhh mmmmyyyy goooodnesssss. *slurp* Good stuff! I definitely need some serious practice in canning though. I ...well...I suck. LOL It's just lack of experience as I have only tried to make any kind of jam or jelly all of 2 times in the last 20 odd years. I'm going to look for some local fruits to make up some other flavors of jams, jellies and I would also like to make some marmalade. Fig jam is high on my list but I'm not sure if I can find any locally this late in the season.  Jalepeno Mint Jelly Cooling I finished one sock of the pair I started earlier this year (or was it around Christmas of last year? I don't remember for sure). Kim spun up some beee-U-tee-FULL yarn for me to make the "Ice Queen". I am so excited, however I discovered I'm lacking the proper needles, so they're on my ebay watch list now. She did a fantastic job and though she thought it wasn't as soft as she expected, I think and my fingers agree, IT's POSITIVELY DIVINE! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!! I can't wait to work with it.  Doesn't it look fantastic??? mmmmm  |
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EEP!! A little before 7am brought a ruckus from the turkeys outside and the dogs inside. The dogs were looking out the window barking quite aggressively. At first I didn't see anything and crawled back into bed. 3 minutes later they started up again and more aggressive. I finally saw what they were barking. Not 2 feet from the back of my pens was a coyote. Great. Just freakin' great. I can't shoot it there since if I miss it'll probably kill my neighbor instead. Not that I would miss them mind you (think Cletus and Brandine of The Simpsons), but I wouldn't want to serve time in the state pen, thanks. So now to fix that little problem. Made some KILLER YUMMY pizza dough Friday night. O my goodness. I used Jamie Oliver's recipe from his show and book "Jamie At Home". Dang it was good.  JAMIE OLIVER I made a stupid mistake the other day when I was at the local fruit/veg stand. I bought about 2 pounds of jalapeno peppers for the jalapeno mint jelly I was going to make. Then I got home and reread the recipe. I only need TWO jalapenos! *DOH* So I'll be making either a lot of salsa (not likely) or some pickled jalapenos. Oh and I made one other error. I bought Sure-Jel thinking that would be just fine, but I guess I need to have liquid pectin instead. *big sigh* Went to Bellevue yesterday and bought the pet birds some new toys, perches and boings. I also met a friend there I was buying Indy's new cage from...yea baby, Indy LOVES his new digs. However, one thing I didn't notice was there were no perches. Did I get him a perch at the Aussie Toy sale? noooo So the perch I bought Skittles went to Indy and today I made some madrona perches for the both of them. I had some madrona that had been drying for almost 2 years (okay, over doing it, but what the heck) and gained some confidence regarding the bird stand I have yet to build. Onward!! This winter should bring some finished projects into the spring. |
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As the season ends I wrap myself up in the comforter of there only being a few months before new seed catalogs start arriving. Oh yes, as the rain, or snow, pelts the windows I'll be sitting with the promises of Spring 2009 dancing in my head as the highlighter pen dances across the pages of what dreams are made. Until then.... With the recommendations from a friend I've trimmed back the tomato plants so that all the little green globes get what little rays of sunshine are slashing their way through the cloudy days. I've managed to get about 2 dozen grape tomatoes so far, their sweetness burst with freshness in each salad they graced, with many more turning their faces to the dying sun gasping for warmth and brightness. Until the first frost I'll hang on before retiring them to the compost. In the areas cleared of wandering tomato branches and weeds I'll be planting the last hope of fresh greens and radishes. With luck I'll have some freshness into November. We'll see. September is giving way to the new month of October and the garlic is begging to be nestled into the cooling soil where they can bring forth fresh cloves of goodness next summer. The herbs are hanging tight and though the savory & tarragon has already taken their leave the rosemary, sage & oregano wave on as the parsley clings to life. Thyme, it's little baby leaves make me wonder if it will weather the winter. I've not grown it before and as it's close to the house it might. I bought a pound of jalapenos and will gather some of my mint, before cutting some new starts, to make some Jalapeno Mint Jelly. At least 20 years ago my mother shared some that a friend of hers had made and I never got over how absolutely, mind-blowingly delicious it was on a cracker with cream cheese. I pondered a few different recipes and finally found one that think is THE ONE. I'll let ya'all know. :-) I have to travel to Bellevue this coming Saturday and pick up a cage for Indy that I'm buying from Indy's breeder. He's going TO LOVE IT, big and roomy. The cage he has is fine, but I don't think he's ever gotten over the fact that he lost his GIANT cage to Baggins last year. I'm excited for him, he's going to go nuts! At the same there will be a "Bird Toy Party" where I'm meeting her and can pick up some toys, boings and a few treat dishes for everyone.  On a final note: With September goes another 9 pounds. Doesn't sound like a lot? Trust me, it's a lot. Besides, the goal is to lose the weight wisely and without compromising my health. That's almost 30 pounds sine August! YES! Progress is GOOD. |
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...that I report the demise of the one and only dominique chick hatched out of 36 eggs. The simple truth of it is that I had to euthanize her due to the bone deformity worsening and she was unable to move about. It was one of the most difficult things I've had to do. Last week I even asked one of my friends to please tell me that I was being cruel, inhumane and selfish keeping her alive. After listening to my plight, she agreed and complied with my request. Today was the day. I am so sad and frustrated right now. |
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Eek! I have to wonder what is going as my life seems to be going through these changes. I almost need a moment to catch my breath. Do you ever just stop and wonder why you're here? I mean on this planet, not here reading my blog. I keep wondering as I flounder around through one hobby, career, etc., or another. I look in my "hobby room" and what do I see of the various things I've been interested in at one time or another, not that I don't enjoy those things anymore, it's just that it always seems something else takes my attention away. I always tend to amass a whole lot of books, magazines and supplies for everything, too. As I embark on yet another interest I have to seriously ask myself, HOW SERIOUS AM I? I'm working on it. I have a lot to learn yet and evaluate. I don't really want to say what it is right now until I know more. I will say this much, I have looked at the commonality of all the things I have been interested in and though some things have fallen by the wayside or that I had to abandon due to there only being so many hours in a day. A single common thread prevails, it touches darn near every aspect of my life, aviculture. From learning the peyote stitch so that I could make feather fans out of the molted tail feathers of a peacock to the parrots sitting on their perches in my house to my chosen career aviculture is a strong part of everything I do. One dream I've had *may* become a reality. I'll let you know as I get closer to it's realization. I have another reason for working to become healthy & strong again...and yep, it involves aviculture. It's not an easy road, I hope by this time next year the dream will be a reality. |
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so what does that mean for my garden. Well...due to the fact that I've changed my whole diet lifestyle I have to rethink my garden. Okay...wait...before you get all freaked out by what I just said, let me explain. I am an obese person. Grossly. Or is that grotesque? LOL Seriously though, it's a very real health threat and I have been making changes in my life to change that fact. About 6 years ago I (and my husband) followed the "Carbohydrate Addicts Lifespan Program" (CALP) by Drs. Richard & Rachael Heller. I felt GREAT! I lost a little more than 100# and my husband lost about #70. But I slipped back into my old habits and put it all back on. I know...bad me. But you know, when you're a carb addict, and I am, that's what happens when we fall off the wagon. For the past month we've been "back on plan" (BOP) and I've lost about 20# now and he's lost around #10. I feel MUCH better, I sleep better, I breath better, and I have much more energy. Just imagine how it will be when I'm down to a more human weight again! The truth of it is, I have to limit my carb intake. If I don't things spiral out of control and I gain weight ...FAST. Seriously, I can put on 5 pounds in 24 hours eating carbs. Now, because I want to stay on plan for the rest of my life, I need to alter my gardening plans. That's not a bad thing folks, it's just the way it is for me. No more potatoes, carrots, corn, parsnips, winter squashes, and other high carb, starchy or sugary veggies (I won't miss the squashes, trust me). BUT...I can enjoy all the leafy greens I want (spinach, kale, collards), herbs, radishes, mushrooms (not a vegetables, but I'm listing it anyway), but easy on the onions & tomatoes. What else?..let's see....aspargus mmmmmmmm, eggplant (I need a tasty recipe, I'm actually afraid to try eggplant still), sprouts, green beans, snap beans, wax beans, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, kohlrabi, kale, endive, scallions, celery and *shudder* okra...is there really a way to make okra tasty (no batter recipes)? It just looks slimey and gross to me. Oh and peppers are okay, too. There's only one problem with peppers...I HATE HATE HATE green peppers and so does my husband. I'll eat red, yellow, purple, orange and any of the HOT peppers, but keep green ones AWAY!!! To us there is only one non-negotiable, we will never eat, vegetable and that's green peppers.  Once a day I have what is called a "reward meal" (RM) It consists of a large green salad w/ a few other vegetables, shredded cheese, and organic (MSG FREE & sugar needs to be low on the list of ingredients at least not in the first 4 listed) dressing. I usually make my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. Some protien (chicken, turkey, fish or grassfed beef). Cooked vegetables. And...here's the best part...a REWARD! Yup, one goodie, that is porportionate to the servings of cooked vegetables and the protien. All other meals are "carb reducing meals" (CM) and are balanced proportions of vegetables and protien. I often have cooked chicken thighs on a bed of leafy greens. OH...must not forget lots and lots of WATER to drink....I drink Lipton's Tea to Go for now...it's one of the few that is aspartame free (EVIL STUFF!!!!) and I don't have any problems with Splenda (not everyone reacts the same way to sugar substitutes, I'm fine with Splenda though I prefer Stevia ..which is a bit spendy for me right now.) STOP! Now before you go off willy-nilly about how bad this dietary lifestyle is, please do some research, if you're just parroting what you've heard from the heart association or whomever, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Funny thing about that....I read an article this morning that I think is worthy to post here...then we'll get on with my gardening plans..hehe. Excerpts from: "Good Calories, Bad Calories: What Really Makes us Fat" by Gary Taubes “Three facts were neglected during this national push for a low-fat diet. One was the upturn in obesity and diabetes rates that emerged as this new nutritional advice displaced the knowledge that carbs were fattening.” “The second was that when researchers actually did clinical trials to test the hypothesis that eating less fat or less saturated fat prevented heart disease, the evidence failed to support the hypothesis. ” “The third fact that was regrettably neglected during the years that we came to believe in the evils of saturated fat was that back in the 1950s and early 1960s, biochemists and physiologists had already figured out what it is that regulates the accumulation of fat in our fat tissue. In other words, scientists have known what makes us fat for almost half a century.” “What’s even more remarkable — and completely ignored in all discussions of obesity and weight since the 1970s — is that we must eat carbohydrates to accumulate excess fat in our fat tissue. It’s only by eating carbohydrates that we can obtain alpha glycerol phosphate, an enzyme that is an absolute requirement for storing fat. This enzyme fixes the fat in the fat tissue in a way that it can’t slip back out through the fat cell membranes and escape into the blood stream. This is why the more carbohydrates we consume, the more fat we will store. The less carbohydrates, the less fat.” “The reason this science was left behind was a simple one. Diet doctors in the 1960s read the same medical literature that I did decades later, and they then began prescribing carbohydrate-restricted, mostly meat diets to their patients. But a low-carbohydrate diet is high in fat, and fat was thought to be a killer. Indeed, in 1965, the same year that the American Physiology Society published an 800-page Handbook of Physiology describing the recent research in the regulation of fat tissue, the research that implicated carbohydrates and insulin in fat storage, the Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer was quoted in The New York Times saying it would be the equivalent of “mass murder” to prescribe low-carbohydrate diets to treat obesity. Mayer’s reasoning was that these diets were high in fat and the fat would cause heart disease. That’s how the medical establishment has treated it ever since, even after researchers revealed that high fat diets actually improve cholesterol profiles, rather than worsen them.”
Here's the Heller's carb addicts FAQ site. So my 2009 garden. It will be primarily leafy greens, spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula. I'll grow some green beans, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, and peppers. I'll continue to add more herbs. Oh and I probably should get some onions in. Asparagus is still up in the air whether I'll grow it or not. Yea...that sounds like something to dream about and I have 6 months to get the raised beds in between now and February so they'll be ready.
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Wow, is it hot or what? It's been pretty hot these last few days or maybe it's been a week, I'm not sure. It's been miserable though. Too hot to do anything, to hot to not do what needs to be done. I got some weeding done around the tomatoes, it was desperately needing a good grooming. Pinned up the tomato plants that were getting too heavy to stay up on their own and had managed to wiggle their vines out of the cages. It looks much better. There's some green tomatoes and lots of blooms. Whatcha think? Think I'll have some ripe 'maters before it starts getting chilly? Tim helped me stake out where the rock wall and koi pond are going to be going. We have it figured out that once things start dying out this fall we'll clear the heck out of the area. I've almost got the plans formed in my head. We've figured out about how much we'll need for the rock wall, but I'm having a little trouble picturing the koi pond area....getting there though. The real work will start in Mar. '09 when we dig out the hill. I'm sure wishing we had a mini-bobcat it would make things SO much easier, but it will all have to be done by hand for now. I've been blessed with a contact here in WA for Cotton Patch geese! Next season I should either have some eggs or at least a trio. I'm hoping for a trio, but will settle for eggs. I have another dozen Dominique eggs in the incubator. I'm sure hoping for the best. This is the last chance for this season. That's it for now. |