That led me to looking online.  I searched for non-GMO organic baking powder.  Lots of links came up with organic baking powder in the heading.  Clicking on them took me to all of the above products listed available at the local PCC  which we’ve already established as NOT organic or verifiable non-GMO.  Here is where we hit yet another road bump in helping consumers make informed and accurate decisions about what they’re purchasing:  searches online can be very misleading.  If the word organic is anywhere on a site it can show up anywhere in the search, leading people to think that the products that are listed under that link are indeed organic or non-GM.  You have to look closer, dig a little deeper –  that’s inconvenient, takes time and is not done by the majority of consumers.

The next option, if a ready made product is not available, would be to make one yourself.  This leads to looking up recipes for home-made baking powder.  It seems pretty simple and straight forward – at first.  According to most recipes you need three things:  sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), cream of tartar, and a starch – usually cornstarch is listed.  Cornstarch is available organic and is on the shelf at most natural food stores (usually sitting next to a non-organic option, which of course costs less, thus tempting the consumer to chose it instead – but that’s another post altogether.)  So what about the other two ingredients?  Sodium bicarbonate – baking soda – it’s most likely already in the cupboard of households all across the country.  It’s the alkali ingredient in the baking powder and can be used on its own to raise baked products if an acid ingredient is in the recipe.  How it is sourced and processed is more than I want to dive into in this post.  So for the moment I’ll move onto cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is an acid and, according to the sources I have found, is a bi-product of the wine making industry.  How it is processed is still something I am researching, but in the mean time I just want to address that I have not been able to find an organic source for it.  The wine industry is another chemical heavy industry.  Pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and inorganic fertilizers all play a part in the production of non-organic wine grapes.  We don’t want to play any part in encouraging that and don’t in our everyday food choices, so why do so for this ingredient?

With all this taken into consideration, my husband and I sat down and discussed our options.  The first thing to point out is that for me personally this isn’t that big of a deal.  I hardly ever eat things that contain baking powder due mainly to the fact that  I don’t (can’t) eat sugar and most quick raised baked goods contain sugar.  So, it really came down to what my husband wanted to do.  He really prefers to keep what comes into our house as pure as possible and said that for now, he would rather just go without the baking powder and find creative ways to live without it.  We’ve already been having crepes instead of pancakes and enjoying them.  We know from past experience that we love spoon bread, a variation of cornbread that uses a lot more eggs and no chemical leavening.  I’m sure we can discover more foods to try in place of what would call for baking powder.  In the past I’ve often made quick breads for my husband to add to his lunches, since we’ve been out of the baking powder he’s just been taking more whole grain breads and nut butters for his afternoon or mid-morning snacks. Due to my intolerance to yeast, baking with it in our house is not an option but we are fortunate to have two local bakeries with plenty of options – Tall Grass Bakery and Essential Baking Company.  I suggested he look into some of their less savory breads as a replacement to the quick breads if he gets a craving.  He’s looking forward to that.  Really when it comes down to it, it’s a matter of the mind.  We can think about what we can’t have when trying to make more conscious and informed choices about what we eat and be miserable or we can look at what we can have, even make it a fun adventure and feel good about making better choices for ourselves and our world.

If anyone is interested in a little trivia about the history of baking powder and similar products here are a couple of links to get you started.

http://foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#bakingpowder

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/BakingPowderHistory.htm

These walks have really opened my eyes to many things and as I spend time writing in my journal about them I find myself discovering new ways of seeing and embracing the season that is winter.  Last winter I spent a large portion of the time in a very terrible state of situational depression and I was determined that this year would be different, though many of the situations lending to it are still present in my life… being outside everyday has been at the least distracting and more often healing.  I can not recommend this practice more.

I find my journal writing waxing poetic, especially on the days that are mild enough for me to plop down under a tree or on the beach, taking it all in in detail and writing it all down right there in the moment.

In my writing today I found I was likening this time of year as the time in yoga practice where you are just beginning to wiggle your toes and fingers at the end of a lovely shavasana, the deep relaxing time at the end of any good yoga practice.  The earth in this northern region has been in her own shavasana – not asleep, she never truly sleeps – but resting, gathering her energy to her and now she’s beginning to wiggle her fingers and toes.  The energy begins to rise from the earth and find direction.  It’s in the swelling of the soft furry magnolia blossoms, the several inches of bulbs bursting forth from the earth,and the witch hazel already blooming joined by the alder trees and soon the daphne and Indian Plum.  It’s in all this and more.  The Pacific Wrens are testing out portions of their songs, the nettles are peaking up under the fallen leaves and the water birds are getting frisky.

It’s also happening in the people.  Gardeners are out in their yards, even under grey skies, weeding and cutting back last years growth, they look up and smile from the inside out as I pass by.  The people that get out there, outside, close to the earth show the signs of the season the most. While other still glare out the window at the light drizzle forgetting the beauty of the bright sun from the day before, mumbling how it’s always raining.  I wish I could encourage those latter folk to put on their shoes and coats and wander outside and take time to look for the beauty that is there each day, waiting to lift the spirit and redirect the mind and heart to brighter ways of being.

Do you have a winter practice of being outdoors?  How is the earth wiggling her fingers and toes where you are?

We collected fallen pine cones and this year Mark shared a memory from grade school when he learned to smear peanut but on cones and then roll them in birdseed.  It was wonderful messy fun.  We decorated our live Solstice tree that stayed outside this year on our front porch, potted up in a beautiful green planter and adorned with seed smeared cones, berry sprigs and shells hung from string.

Then we had lots of fun walking through our neighborhood as the light faded, birdseed bombing with abandon!  We hung seeded cones here and there and left little piles of bird seed to be found by critters.  Our gift to nature, given with lots of giggles and smiles.

 

 

Our house is decorated inside and out with lots of greenery and bright colors and reminders of the gifts of nature.  This year I’ve been folding cranes as part of a meditation practice and they’ve been put to use in all sorts of fun creative ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on Sunday we had family over to celebrate.  We played games and played on the beach.  We made snowflakes and folded cranes.  We colored and played with play dough – adults and children alike.  We enjoyed each other’s company and the simple spaghetti meal made by my husband and our almost four year old nephew.

 

 

 

 

 

We exchanged gifts as people have over the many long centuries, many lands and many traditions during this time of year.  We all seemed to be thinking along the same line this year with an overwhelming theme of self care, relaxing and wandering in nature being  behind the gifts. Mark and I opened gifts in the morning before family came.  He got me some of the bamboo To Go Ware to keep in my bag – YEAH!  I’ve been wanting a set of these for a while.

 

 

He put together a coupon book redeemable only by me that never expires and can be used as many times as I can remember where I put them!

 

I especially like the coupon for a poetry picnic!  How fun!

Then he really surprised me!  Saturday night he asked me for a crash course on using the sewing machine.  Then he locked himself up in the den for quite along time.  Boy was I surprised by what he made!  A carrying case for my art ink pens!

Now I’m wondering if I can get him to make another for my water color pencils!

We got two awesome coupons from our nephews.  One for a day hike and another for a free bike race!  I am looking forward to cashing these in!

Bike stationary – so appropriate!  It’s from twoguitars.etsy.com.

I’m already enjoying this beautiful nature book by Julie Zickefoose called Letters from Eden.  I can so relate to this woman’s fascination with nature and her art work is wonderful!

My in-laws got me a gift certificate for a massage – oh boy oh boy!  Do I ever need that! Mark helped them research a massage therapist that would be scent and chemical free – Thanks honey!

I was stuffed last night when I finally got to look through this cookbook that our in-laws gave us, but that did not keep me from drooling!  This is an amazing vegetarian cookbook and I can’t wait to cook my way through it!  Drooling again even thinking about it!

Mark and I were very happy to get another year of membership to the Seattle Art Museum – we love both the Asian and Downtown museums and they prove to be common dates for us.  Another great gift from the in-laws!

What an amazing fun time celebrating with family!  We’re still looking forward to actual Solstice day when we’ll greet the sun and have a small ritual, but this was a great way to start off the celebrating!

During my blogging hiatus and all through this last year I worked on deepening and reconnecting to my herbalist practices.   I went to the Bastyr Herbal Fair  back in June, The Northwest Herbal Fair in August and started wild crafting again and obtaining locally grown herbs to  once again start making my own tinctures, infused oils and dried herbs.  I studied and practiced Plant Spirit Medicine more and more and made my first few flower essences.

I dedicated one under the eaves closet to drying and storing my preparations.  I just recently started pressing out some of my tinctures and infused oils.  I’m integrating some of my wild crafted and locally grown dry herbs into my  much consumed herbal teas.

My favorite blend right now is a calming, soothing and nourishing to the nervous system blend of Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Linden, and Oat Straw.  Sometimes I throw in a little rose petals and/or mint.  It’s a delicious and amazingly effective cuppa.

My skin is getting some loving care as well from all my herbal dabblings.  I had harvested Wild Nootka Rose early in the summer and a large amount went into a jar and was covered by organic olive oil.  I recently pressed that out and poured off some into a small jar, added a small piece of split vanilla bean and am using it as my moisturizer for face, neck and chest.  It is so lovely.  It leaves the skin feeling soft and satiny and it’s helping a lot from the cool weather drying out that hits me every year.

My herbal allies spoil me so!

Biodynamic Boutique is a local organic grain producer from Whidbey Island.  That means I can get beautiful, healthy, whole barley, kamut, and hard red wheat well within a hundred miles from where I live.  That is something to support!

I started by buying the two pound bag of whole Purple Tibetan Barley.  I was impatient to try it out, so I didn’t bother soaking my first batch (a technique that makes the nutrients even more available in grains).  Instead I put 1 cup of well rinsed beautiful barley (the color really is amazing!) into the crock pot with
2 1/2cups of filtered water.  I put it on low and set it for about 7 hours.  I was looking forward to a delicious new whole grain porridge for breakfast and I wasn’t disappointed!  It cooked up a little like a risotto, yet with plenty of texture still.  It was sweet, nutty and heaven in the mouth.  I added a little butter, half a fresh date chopped up and a little milk.  Yum!

I did have a little sticking along the edges in my crock pot, so I plan on adding a bit more water next time.  I’m looking forward to exploring all I can do with this wonderful barley.  I’m pondering a pumpkin barley risotto with fried sage, barley mushroom soup, and lots more breakfast barley porridge!

There’s still plenty to be done on the health front, as there always is, but I’m thinking I may be ready to reenter blog-land, slowly and gently.   So here goes…

I’m going to take the next couple weeks, maybe longer, to unplug from the computer.  If you want to stay in touch and we have interacted back and forth several times you can send an e-mail to nwmarmot@gmail.com with contact info and my husband will be sure to get mine to you.   I’m cool with penpals, or if you’re local and want to meet up in person, that’s awesome too.  I’m looking to develop a little more real in person community and I figure this would be a great time to start.  Hopefully I’ll come back refreshed and ready to enter blogging and social media land again.  In the mean time, I wish everyone a happy emerging Spring!

Maurie

Take care,

Maurie

The thing is, it may not be the teff  that bugged me but the large quantity of baking powder that goes into them to get them to raise.  I know that my body would prefer to be completely leavening free but I don’t adhere to its wishes on that completely.  The times are getting rarer, though, when I will have something with baking powder or baking soda.  Not having gluten hardly ever (I’m really not supposed to have it at all on the anti-candida diet) leaves me with only gluten free baking options and they leave much to be desired.  Most recipes call for things I don’t consider whole foods like xanthum gum and often several cups of various starches and only a little whole gluten-free grain.  I don’t care to eat a bunch of stuff, when I can eat so little as it is, that is basically junk food.

A woman I know recently told me that she finally figured out that that gluten-free bread she was eating wasn’t good for her, and she was probably right if it was like many gluten-free breads I have seen on the market.  Gluten-free doesn’t mean healthy and nourishing.  Whole cooked gluten-free grains and seeds are certainly healthy and those teff pancakes really aren’t that bad either.

Gluten-free can be healthy, but it can also just be another form of junk food and empty calories.  For those who really care about their health it would be a good idea to be certain which version they’re consuming on a regular basis.  So often when I pick up gluten-free products and look at the ingredients list I see a lot of sugars and fillers.  That’s sad.  Especially for people with serious health conditions that require them to be gluten-free.  Conditions that are often related to the intestines and can make absorption of nutrients very difficult, meaning what ever they are eating should be as packed with nutrients as possible.

Gluten-free is a big business these days and as with any business there will be those that are out there just to make a buck, not necessarily producing things with our best health interests in mind.   That’s up to each of us to decide if what we are putting into our bodies is really what our bodies need for us to thrive.  I for one want to thrive.

One of the meals we had this past week turned out to be a delicious discovery.  I cooked up some lentils with just water and a myrtle leaf (similar to bay).  Then I chopped up the collards into smaller pieces, put them in my huge cast iron skillet with some olive oil and sauteed them just long enough to get them to wilt down a little, making room for a diced yam which got tossed in with them along with a little salt, a little more olive oil and some cayenne pepper.  That got put in the oven uncovered at 375 degrees F till the yam was mostly cooked through.  I stirred in the lentils and a couple cloves of pressed garlic and put the whole thing back in the oven till heated through.  We had this over rice and I was told this was something we should definitely make again.  There were also quite a bit of leftovers from this dish and at one point to add a little moisture back in while warming up in the oven, we put a bit of coconut oil on top to work in.  This made the dish sing!  So next time I make something like this I plan on using a mixture of olive and coconut oil.  It doesn’t look like much but it sure is delicious!

When I ran out of salad makings I had to get creative for my lunch, a lunch where I couldn’t have any grain.  That challenge led me to another tasty combination that I had never done before - Broccoli and Red Chard.  I sauteed some onion and celery in olive oil, then added some red pepper flake, broccoli, several red chard leaves and some garlic.  At the end I added a handful of hazelnuts to the mix and called it lunch.  Yum!

We made up another batch of the Corn Quinoa Chowder I wrote about recently, which was once again delicious, especially on the second day where the flavors got to blend.

So there are just some of the highlights of what we feasted on this past week using the produce from our New Roots Organics veggie bin.

Here’s what the bin this week looks like:

Celery
Green Cabbage
Carrots
Baby Bok Choy
Broccoli x2
Parsnips
Red Butter Lettuce x2
Arugula
Russet Potatoes
Garlic
Red Bell Peppers
2 Lemons
3 Minneola Tangelos
1 Navel Orange
4 Bananas

We doubled up on broccoli (Mark’s favorite veggie) and lettuce (one of my favorite veggies and in hopes of not running out of salad makings again!) this week.  We also had to supplement this box with some avocados from the store since they weren’t available this week through New Roots.

Last night we cooked up a batch of one of our favorite dishes, Roasted Parsnips and Cabbage, which you can read about here, and had lots and lots of salad with it.  The Parsnips were so sweet I felt like I was having cake or something!

I’m looking forward to another huge salad for lunch, but I still haven’t come up with what we’ll have for dinner yet… I’ll let you know in next weeks Food on Friday.

Bell Pepper with Funny Face

It’s funny that the lady across the street should choose this day of all days to feed the birds, for I have never seen her do so before. (Well unless you count the fact that her cat’s food, which is kept on her porch gets raided by the starlings from time to time.)  In some traditions and cultures this day is a day to celebrate, and one such way to celebrate this day is to leave an offering of food or milk for animals.  We did this by filling up our bird feeders again for the first time in a long time and to use the idea of milk, once I pick some more up from the store, our kitties will get a special treat.  One of my cats will be especially happy about this, she would worship cows if she knew they were the source of her most favorite treat.

Leaving offerings for the creatures of nature is just one way to celebrate today. Today is Imbolc, the half way point between winter and spring and another thing we will be doing today is burning our old paper snowflakes to usher winter out.  And in the coming days we’ll be walking in our neighborhood and parks and continue looking for signs of spring, which are already beginning to unfold.

Another ancient concept for this day has to do with a burning flame, often connected to the goddess Brigid or later St. Brigid and in the catholic Candlemas, the virgin Mary.  Since I tend to look at things in relation to nature more, for me this is a time where the sun grows even stronger and the light it brings ushers in new life and the creative forces of nature.  I celebrated this yesterday by letting my own inner creative flame inspire a bit of painting.

I call this piece ‘Almost Spring’.  Where the sky is a kaleidescope of blues, the hills are a patchwork of new greens, yet the oak tree, one of the last trees in our area to leaf out, still seems to slumber, waiting patiently for it’s time to unfold new leaves and join in the symphony of new growth and birds singing their spring songs.  A girl in her spring colored dress hugs the quiet oak, urging it to wake and at the same time drawing strength from it to wait patiently for the Equinox and all that it will bring.

Happy Almost Spring, dear readers.