The more we learn about leaky gut syndrome and gluten sensitivity, the more we question which came first, the gluten sensitivity or an overgrowth of Candida?
Gluten free diets may be all the craze right now, but there is a good reason for this. Many people are finding they feel better and their health improves when they remove gluten from their diets.
What Is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is made up of gliadin and glutenin. It acts as an emulsifier and it helps to bind food together. Wheat is the most commonly eaten grain that contains gluten, but the list of gluten grains is actually pretty long. It includes:
Wheat
Barley
Bulgur
Einkorn
Emmer
Farina
Farro
Kamut
Mir
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Spelt
Triticale
Many people who react to gluten are also sensitive to oats. Although oats do not contain gluten, the protein in oats is similar. Also, to avoid gluten with oats it is necessary to purchase gluten free oats and most oats are processed in the same plants as wheat and other gluten containing grains. Cross contamination is pretty much guaranteed if the oats are not gluten free.
In addition to oats, many gluten sensitive individuals react to cow dairy. Some are sensitive to other gluten free grains.
Note that couscous is made of wheat and malts are made of gluten grains. Learn the various names of wheat to avoid it. (See link below.)
What Is Candida?
Candida albicans is a yeast that is found in most humans. A healthy gut contains an abundance of good (beneficial) bacteria that keeps Candida in check, not allowing it to overgrow. If this balance is disturbed (generally through antibiotic use or ingesting too much sugar) Candida overgrows.
Through its metabolic process, Candida releases harmful toxins. As it grows it changes forms from a one-celled yeast to a form with filaments or threads that can cut right through tissues and single cells. It destroys the biofilm lining the intestines and can drill right through the gut wall. Proteins and food particles that never would pass through the villi now enter the bloodstream.
The body reacts to these invading, unnatural substances as if they were pathogens. This release of gluten proteins into the blood may well explain the rise in numbers of gluten sensitive people. Candida is ravaging the health of Americans and is rampant due to our overuse of antibiotics and the outrageously high sugar content in the typical American diet.
Is Wheat Poison? What’s Behind the Rise of Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance
We humans have been hunter-gatherers for more than 99.9% of our history. For millions of years, we subsisted on a diet of fruits, nuts, wild vegetables, bone marrow, seafood, meat, and herbs. Grains such as wheat, corn, barley, oats, and rye were not introduced into the diet until about 10,000 years ago. These grains became staples of our diet due to the introduction of agriculture.
Not everyone fared so well in this new agricultural system. As a matter of fact, the majority of people didn’t. Relying on agriculture for the most of the diet, restricted variety. Archaeologists have discovered that the switch to agriculture resulted in a dramatic decline in health in every culture.
Our bodies are not well adapted to grains, though some tolerate them better than others. Many cannot tolerate grains that contain gluten at all, in any amount. For other sensitive individuals, long-term consumption of gluten destroys their health and may lead to their death.
Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, non tropical sprue, and gluten sensitive enteropathy, has probably always been with us. The earliest case, known as the “case of Cosa,” is more than 2,000 years old. A young woman’s remains were found southwest of modern day Tuscany, Italy. It is believed that she was between the ages of 18 and 20. We know that she had celiac disease because genetic testing revealed the presence of the HLA-DQ2.5. gene, a definitive genetic marker for the disease. Her skeleton also revealed the typical damage caused by malnutrition that is characteristic of a person with celiac disease who continues to eat gluten throughout their lifetime.
Aretaeus, an ancient Greek physician who was believed to practice in the 1st century AD, was the first to describe one of the most noticeable symptoms of celiac disease. Steatorrhea was the most common symptom, a tendency for fatty stools with poorly digested food. He wrote about a mysterious disease afflicting a number of his patients who he called “koilakos,” which means “suffering in the bowels.” Aretaeus believed the affliction was caused by a lack of heat in the digestive tract. This was a reasonable idea because he found that his patients only partially digested their food. Unfortunately, he did not find the cause or cure. Celiac disease and its debilitating symptoms continued to plague a percentage of the population for centuries, without anyone identifying the source of the problem.
Francis Adams translated Aretaeus’ work from Greek to English at the Sydenham Society of England in 1856. He coined the term coeliacs.
In 1888, Samuel Gee, a British pediatrician, was the first to make the connection between diet and the disease. He said, “If the patient can be cured at all, it must be my means of diet.” Gee experimented with various diets. He showed moderate success by introducing mussels (a gluten free food) into the diet. Eventually though, he put his celiac patients back on a high gluten diet, (no fruit, no sago, no rice, no vegetables) and they got worse, slowing dying a painful death.
Gee primarily fed his patients a diet of thin slices of bread and raw meat. He failed to discover the bread was killing them. Part of the reason was the fact that he was actually treating patients with two different afflictions: celiac disease and tropical sprue, two unique diseases with similar symptoms.
(Tropical sprue is a disease that to this day has an unknown cause, but is believed to be an infection caused by an unknown pathogen. It solely afflicts people in the tropics, and people who have traveled to tropical regions. Damage to the intestines and malnutrition are the typical symptoms.)
Many years later, a Dutch pediatrician, Willem Karel Dicke, discovered a link between celiac disease and wheat. During World War II, food shortages made it impossible for him to feed his patients the standard staples of wheat. Out of necessity, the doctor switched to gluten free alternatives, and his celiac patients thrived under the new diet. When wheat became available again, his patients with celiac disease quickly deteriorated. This lead Dr. Dicke to make the connection between proteins found in wheat and damage to the small intestine. He wrote his thesis on celiac disease and its connection to wheat in 1950.
In the early fifties, Dr. William Holmes Crosby Jr. developed a less invasive technique to biopsy the small intestine. Then in the late fifties, Dr. Cyrus Rubin further refined the intestinal biopsy technique. This refinement lead to a more accurate diagnoses of celiac disease. Dr. Rubin also defined the diagnostic criteria for celiac disease, proving that it afflicts both children and adults.
Then in the 1970s, the right kind of specialist shed more light on the problem. Anne Ferguson, a gastroenterologist, discovered that celiac disease is due to the body’s immune response to gluten in the digestive tract. In 1975, she published a paper in the Lancet, which showed how biopsied tissues from celiac patients react to the proteins found in wheat, while the control biopsies from other individuals did not show this immune response.
Glyphosate and the Rise in Celiac Disease
In 2013, Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff revealed a correlation between the increasing use of glyphosate in agriculture and the growth of celiac disease in the Western population. (Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Round Up, and it is used extensively in modern-day agriculture and landscaping.)
Celiac disease can originate from genetics, but you don’t have to be born with it. Like many diseases, environmental toxicity is increasing its numbers. To further explain this interplay between genetics and environment, the following passage is a quote from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences:
Nearly all diseases result from a complex interaction between an individual’s genetic make-up and the environmental agents that he or she is exposed to.
Examples of environmental agents:
Mold
Ozone
Pesticides
Air pollution
Cleaning solutions
Dust mites
Some foods and medications
“Subtle differences in genetic factors cause people to respond differently when exposed to the same environmental agent. As a result, some possess a low risk for developing a disease through an environmental insult, while others are much more vulnerable.
“As scientists learn more about the connection between genetics and environmental factors, and how that connection may influence human disease, they’ll begin to develop new strategies for the treatment and prevention of many illnesses.” – Gene-Environment Interaction
Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff have suggested such a strategy. They have urged governments to ban the use of glyphosate in agriculture.
Wheat isn’t grown the way it used to be. Conventional methods of wheat farming have become more toxic. For decades now, farmers have been fertilizing their fields with petroleum based chemical fertilizers and using poisonous insecticides. Recently, wheat farming has grown even more toxic. A common modern farming practice is for many farmers to douse their fields with Round Up right before the harvest. This practice kills weeds that compete with the wheat. It also increases the yield from the wheat crop, which goes to seed more readily as it is dying. Note that no one claims Round Up is good for us; the biotech folks only profess that it isn’t bad for us. Wheat farming has become so toxic, is it any wonder that allergies to wheat and gluten are on the rise?
How We Make Bread
Consider how we make bread in modern times. White bread is manufactured from only one part of the wheat grain – the starch-filled endosperm. This process removes 4/5 of the nutrition. The starch is then ground into a fine powder. This processing is done at high temperatures and more of the nutrients are destroyed. The flour is then gray, so it is bleached with chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas.
White bread appears to be healthy when one reads the label that lists its fortified vitamins and minerals, but these poor quality, often petroleum based vitamins and minerals are rarely of any nutritional value. All of the good vitamins and minerals were removed during processing.
Unfortunately, there are other added substances that are harmful to sufferers of celiac disease. Yeast, a common leavening agent used in breads, can make the environment in the digestive tract more suitable to an overgrowth of Candida. Those with celiac disease are particularly prone to Candida overgrowth in their digestive tract.
Some amount of Candida in the body is normal, but too much can be very harmful. When Candida multiplies out of control, it kills off good bacteria, releases toxins, and can actually penetrate the intestines by growing through them. This can cause partially digested food particles to enter the bloodstream through the perforated intestines. This is what is referred to as leaky gut syndrome. This often causes an immune system response, which can lead to more food allergies and a variety of autoimmune diseases. Overconsumption of grains, bread, and especially bread that has been highly processed and sweetened with refined sugars, has been linked with Candida overgrowth.
Traditionally, Bread Was Healthier
Breads have been made for more than 8,000 years, but yeast wasn’t introduced in baking until 1668. So what did bakers use before yeast? The traditional cultures used to make dough rise were bacteria, microscopic hard working fermenters that were pulled from the air.
Lactobacilli gives sourdough bread its unique flavor. The same bacteria that bakers have used for centuries to bake bread is closely related to the bacteria used to make yogurt and many cheeses.
This bacteria breaks down gluten and other proteins, making grains with gluten more easily digested. In the past, grains were routinely sprouted before grinding them into flour, another step rarely done today.
Some individuals with celiac disease can tolerate sourdough bread if it is prepared in a precise manner: made with sprouted grains and fermented for an extended period of time.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is made up of gliadin and glutenin. It acts as an emulsifier and it helps to bind food together. This is why gluten free foods do not usually have the doughy, elastic consistency of foods containing gluten. Xantham gum is often used in place of gluten as a binder for baked gluten free foods.
Candida, Gluten, and Other Food Allergies
Individuals with celiac disease are commonly allergic to other foods as well. Cow dairy is a very common food allergy for sufferers of celiac disease. Many are sensitive to oats, even when they are gluten free, due to a similar protein. Some are sensitive to other gluten free grains. The reason for this is due to an overabundance of Candida in the intestinal tract. And this is due to sugar.
In modern diets, sugar intake has increased substantially for many years. In other words, along with all of the other changes with how we produce and consume wheat products, we are also seeing a rapid increase in people with an over abundance of Candida due to refined sugars.
Proteins from foods (such as gluten, and many others) enter the blood stream through holes in the intestinal wall due to Candida. Candida, when left unchecked, will actually destroy the protective biofilm and drill holes into the intestinal wall, causing leaky gut syndrome. When foods passes through into the bloodstream undigested, the body sees the proteins as foreign compounds that do not belong, and the body can develop an allergic reaction to the proteins.
Many have reported being able to consume gluten products occasionally after balancing their intestinal flora and healing their gut. It is wise, whenever consuming gluten, to also take a probiotic. Also, we highly recommend not eating any commercial bread. For someone who feels that bread and pasta are too important for them to give up, it’s crucial for them to abstain from wheat products until the intestines are healthy, and then make their own bread and pasta the right way, including soaking, sprouting, and using a strong bacterial culture.
Increased Risk for other Debilitating Diseases
Individuals with celiac disease are more likely to develop several cancers. They are also more likely to have Addison’s disease, anemia, dermatitis, diabetes, thyroid disease, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, sarcoidosis, IgA nephropathy, and Down’s syndrome.
Symptoms
There are over 300 known symptoms of celiac disease. The more common symptoms are listed below.
Abdominal bloating and pain
ADHD
Anemia
Arthritis
Anxiety
Bone pain
Bedwetting
Chronic fatigue
Constipation
Delayed growth and puberty
Depression
Diarrhea
Eczema
Failure to thrive
Infertility
Irritability
Irregular menstrual periods
Joint pain
Malnutrition
Migraines
Miscarriages
Osteoporosis
Persistent canker sores
Rashes
Seizures
Tingling sensation or numbness in hands or feet
Unusually foul-smelling stool, blood or undigested foods in stool
Unexplained weight loss
Vomiting
Diet Is the Only Known Treatment
The treatment for sufferers of celiac disease is to avoid gluten entirely, to eat a completely gluten free diet. The FDA does not require food manufacturers to list gluten on their labels. Wheat is required to be clearly labeled, but gluten is not. The following foods contain gluten:
Wheat
Barley
Bulgur
Couscous
Durum
Einkorn
Emmer
Farina
Farro
Kamut
Malt
Mir
Oats (unless labeled gluten free oats- oats are often contaminated)
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Spelt
Triticale
Gluten is commonly found in breads, bread crumbs, baked goods, beer, biscuits, brewer’s yeast, brown rice syrup (often made with barley enzymes), cereals, communion wafers, crepes, croutons, dextrin, flour tortillas, food coloring, food starch, French toast, granola, gravies, herbal teas, malt vinegar, marinades, sauces, pancakes, pastas, roux, salad dressing, soup, soy sauce, starch, stuffing, waffles, and wine. Any processed food made in a facility that also processes foods with gluten may be contaminated.
Other non-food items that may not be gluten free include:
Lipbalm, lipgloss, lipstick
Supplements
Pharmaceuticals
Vitamin and mineral pills
Over the counter medications
Playdough (some kids will eat copious amounts of the stuff when playing with it)
This list is not meant to be comprehensive. Many processed foods contain gluten, and unless the package says certified gluten free it probably isn’t. Many items that one might think are gluten free like corn flakes and rice cereal use malt or barley extract as a sweetener. Restaurants that do not offer gluten free menus cannot guarantee that their food is gluten free. And sadly, many that do offer gluten free choices contaminate the food while preparing it.
Conclusion
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, and like all autoimmune diseases, the body’s immune system attacks the body’s tissues. In the case of celiac disease, T cells attack the lining of the small intestine in response to gluten being passed through the digestive tract. This damage to the small intestine makes individuals with celiac disease more prone to cancers of the intestine. When an individual with celiac disease eats gluten, their symptoms can vary drastically in severity. Ingesting gluten can cause severe symptoms on one occurrence and only mild symptoms the next, which can confuse and delay an accurate diagnosis.
Many individuals with celiac disease suffer in silence, living their lives in constant pain and discomfort, because they have yet to be diagnosed.
Like most autoimmune diseases celiac disease affects more women than men. Women are more likely than men to be misdiagnosed as well and more likely to be told that their symptoms are “in their head”. This is one of the reasons why many sufferers of celiac disease are likely to ignore their symptoms until they become unbearable.
Thankfully, celiac disease is not the mysterious death sentence that it used to be in ages past. Now there are gluten free menus, gluten free options at the grocery store, and naturopathic ways to detox from gluten. Even the Catholic Church and the Methodist Church provide gluten free communion wafers upon request.
We know more about this disease and its symptoms than we ever have before. We also understand that gluten destroys the cilia in the intestines, the part of our anatomy that pulls nutrients into the bloodstream. If a person with this disease continues to eat gluten, malnutrition can result because the body is so damaged it is unable to properly metabolize nutrients from food. Individuals with celiac disease are more likely to be diagnosed with other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
We highly recommend that anyone with any autoimmune disease completely remove gluten from their diet and concentrate on healing the gut. Anyone with a history of gluten intolerance needs to heal their gut and balance their flora. Check out How to Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring, toxic element found in the earth. It is found in over 200 different minerals. There are two main types of arsenic: organic and inorganic. Organic arsenic compounds are primarily found in marine life, but they are also sometimes found in terrestrial life forms. Exposure to arsenic from organic sources is widely considered to be less toxic than exposure to inorganic arsenic.
A Poison Fit for a King
Arsenic has been used as a poison for centuries. Assassins have historically been very fond of arsenic because symptoms of arsenic poisoning resembled other sicknesses like food poisoning. The resulting death would look like natural causes. In low doses, arsenic poisoning could cause diarrhea, confusion, paralysis, or weakness. Arsenic was difficult to detect as it has little odor, almost no taste, and it doesn’t affect the color of food. How many kings and queens have died of arsenic poisoning? No one knows, but many historians speculate that kings and queens who died young rarely died of natural causes.
Where Does All This Arsenic Come From?
The majority of arsenic that we are exposed to is not of natural origin. Natural processes can bring arsenic into the atmosphere (such as volcano eruptions), but only one third of the arsenic in our atmosphere is of natural origin. Arsenic can be found in the earth’s crust, in deeply drilled wells, and in rocks, soil, air and water.
We Have Industry to Thank for This
Industrial activities such as mining, smelting, and the burning of coal in power plants all play a role in contaminating our environment with arsenic. Arsenic is produced commercially from arsenic trioxide, which is one of the leftover byproducts of smelting copper and other metals. Arsenic is commonly used by the timber industry as a preservative for treating wood. Arsenic is also an active ingredient in many insecticides and herbicides, and it is a common additive in chicken and swine feed (apparently it is used to fatten them up). The timber industry and agriculture industry account for over 90% of environmental arsenic pollution that is not due to natural processes.
No One Would Want to Die This Way
Consistent exposure to even small amounts of arsenic has been linked to several diseases, many of which are fatal. Arsenic is so toxic that it causes many different cancers, including skin cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer and prostate cancer. Over consumption of arsenic has also been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, reproductive problems, and it is known to compromise the immune system.
How Arsenic Gets into Rice
Many plants can absorb arsenic from its environment and rice is one those plants. Rice absorbs high amounts of arsenic from the soil, from water and from pesticides. Unfortunately, with so much arsenic contaminating the soil and water, organic rice can contain dangerous levels of arsenic even though it has not been exposed to pesticides. Counter-intuitively, there are actually higher levels of arsenic found in brown rice than in white rice. This is because more of the arsenic is found in the outer layers of the grain. The outer layers of the rice are removed during the processing that turns brown rice into white rice. (This processing also removes the majority of the nutrition found in rice).
While the FDA Does Nothing, Consumer Reports Steps Up
Consumer Reports has been doing the job that the FDA should have been doing for a long time now. On their website, you can find recommended weekly allowances for rice consumption based upon the levels of arsenic that rice contains. There is no federal limit for levels of arsenic in rice (but there is a biological limit, and one of its many names is cancer).
Since 2012, Consumer Reports has been asking the FDA to set a limit for arsenic in rice, a request that has been ignored. Over the past couple of years, Consumer Reports have tested over 700 foods containing rice, and they have tested hundreds of different samples of rice grown in different regions. It turns out that knowing where your rice is grown is very helpful if you wish to avoid high levels of arsenic in your food.
Not All Rice Fields Are Created Equal
Rice grown in California, white basmati rice grown in California, India and Pakistan and sushi rice grown in the US typically has almost half of the arsenic content as rice grown elsewhere. Rice that is grown in the US (with the exceptions being Californian rice, quick cook rice and sushi rice) contain the highest levels of arsenic. Rice labeled as having been grown in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas also stood out as having very high levels of arsenic in it.
One company in particular stands out as being proactive on this issue. Lundberg Farms is located in California. Their CEO, Grant Lundberg, recently issued a statement about the high levels of arsenic found in rice.
“We recently updated the published levels of arsenic in our rice, which now covers three consecutive years of data. I am happy to report that the levels of inorganic arsenic continue to remain low, and average less than half of the standard established by Codex. We are also actively engaged in the development of a code of practice through Codex to help develop ways to reduce arsenic levels even further.”
Codex is an international standard. Once again, we have no standards to rely on from the FDA.
Conclusion
According to the USA Rice Federation, you should eat rice because the benefits outweigh the risks. These are the people who are selling us rice, so no surprise there. The FDA recommends that Americans consume a variety of grains, and they say they’re looking into the arsenic problem. We recommend that you limit the amount of grains in your diet, especially rice. Also when you eat rice, eat rice that is grown in California. A healthy diet consists of 80% raw produce, with more vegetables than fruits as the main staple of your diet – not grains of any variety.
Permaculture Agriculture – The Transition to a Sustainable Future
“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Albert Einstein.
Permaculture stands for permanent culture. It is an ecological method of design that shapes many practices, including farming.
The term permaculture was first coined by two Australians, David Holmgren and Bill Mollison. However, many of their design ideas were inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka’s sustainable farming methods. The founders of permaculture recognize that a change in farming is needed. A change in culture is needed as well – a change in the way we view the world.
American culture, and indeed Western culture, often sees human beings as somehow separate from nature, that nature is out there and we are in here. Anthropologists don’t necessarily see such a demarcation from us and nature and neither do permaculturists. Not only are human beings a part of nature, it is optimistically believed that we can do more than mitigate our harm to the environment. Through the active implementation of permaculture principles, we can actually improve the environment around us.
A Grassroots Movement
We don’t need negativity to promote change. Negative emotions interfere with creativity. Bill Mollison believes that positive change is more effective from bottom to top, than it is from top to bottom. If we wait for change to come from the politicians, we could be waiting a long time. Change yourself. Change the way you garden. Change could come from one neighborhood at a time, rather quickly. Permaculturists believe that we must be the change we seek to find in the world.
Permaculture methods are similar in some ways to organic methods of farming, but the differences lie in matters of degree, sustainability, and working within an improved upon ecosystem, instead of trying to work against it. Permaculture doesn’t allow the use of any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, while organic farmers can use a short list of approved chemicals. Permaculture also doesn’t allow the use of motorized machines or plastics as their use is not sustainable in the long term. Despite these prohibitions, permaculture techniques are designed to be less labor intensive than industrial farming.
Working Smart and Not Hard
Permaculture espouses thoughtful planning in place of protracted labor. To this end, Bill Mollison’s book suggests planning from the home dwelling out, with zone zero starting in at the center.
Zone zero would apply permaculture principles in an effort to reduce energy use, efficiently use water, and utilize natural resources such as sunlight. From outside the home, the most labor intensive crops are placed as close to the main dwelling as possible, and a compost pile/bin for kitchen waste and a greenhouse would be nearby. From there in concentric circles, crops and livestock are placed out from the main dwelling. The last two zones are the wild and semi-wild areas used for firewood and as a habitat for wild plants and animals. The placement and contents of zones 2 and 3 are primarily determined by the amount of labor needed to maintain the zones and their relationships to one another. The relationships between different plants, crops, and livestock are carefully considered in the planning stage of a permaculture farm. It is these relationships of one element to another and their maintenance requirements that determine the design of a permaculture farm.
How Plants Can Benefit Each Other
One such relationship is the symbiotic relationship between leguminous plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria. Leguminous plants are among the best known nitrogen fixing plants, but literally thousands of plants are known to help fix nitrogen into the soil. Many of these nitrogen fixers are not in the legume family. A useful permaculture technique is planting nitrogen fixing plants alongside food producing plants. This is done both with indigenous plants and pioneering plants that are well suited to the area. (With so many thousands of plants that fix nitrogen into the soil, it is a wonder why anyone uses nitrogen fertilizer).
Nitrogen deficiency is one of the most common limiting factors for the growth of crops. Nitrogen fixing trees are the most commonly used nitrogen fixing plants in permaculture designs. Permaculture stresses the need for bio-diversity, so when given the option, using a wide variety of nitrogen-fixing plants is ideal. A large variety of food producing plants also helps to prevent pest infestations.
Natural Pest Control
Pest control in permaculture is achieved without the use of synthetic chemicals due to their destruction of the soil and the destruction of the natural balance. For example, encouraging ladybugs to proliferate in your garden is usually a more successful method of controlling smaller pests such as aphids than spraying pesticides. After all, a ladybug can eat up to fifty aphids in a day.
When insecticides are used to control aphids, two things invariably happen. By a process of selection, the aphids with some inherent resistance against pesticides will survive and go on to breed the next generation of pesticide resistant aphids. Meanwhile, the ladybugs are killed off due to their far greater rate of exposure.
The ladybugs that do survive the initial pesticide exposure will succumb to the poison after eating a number of the surviving aphids. Their exposure increases with each aphid they eat until the amount in their tissues becomes too high for survival. All that remains are pesticide resistant aphids in greater numbers than before because the pesticide application killed off most of the aphids’ natural predators.
The goal is to use and encourage beneficial organisms – to have them do the work for you, to work in harmony with the natural order instead of working against it. You can put in ladybug habitats and spray ladybug lure to attract them. When you make conditions favorable for beneficial organisms, you can watch them make themselves right at home in your garden or on your farm. If you need a jumpstart, you can purchase many beneficial organisms online and have them delivered to your door.
Fighting Biology With Biology
In some parts of Australia, grasshoppers are such a problem that the guinea fowl is an absolute necessity. Before choosing a permaculture site, many Australian permaculturists will look for areas where the guinea fowl have chosen to live before buying land. In the outback, they also utilize small ponds dug out by the fruit trees to provide a habitat for tree frogs or rock piles to attract lizards. Both frogs and lizards help eat the remaining pests that the birds miss.
Slugs, grubs and aphids are not necessarily the most challenging pests to most home gardeners and farmers. Ants are often a more difficult challenge. Not only are they known to bite, they have also been known to cultivate aphids. That’s right, Homo sapiens are not the only farmers in the animal kingdom. Ants have been known to spread aphids to your plants so the aphids can feed on your plants and the ants can then feed on the aphids’ sugary secretions. Ants also occasionally prey on the aphids as well, making it a complex relationship, not really a symbiotic one. Ants secrete a toxin that inebriates aphids and makes the aphids easier to control.
Obviously, two pests in one can be double the trouble. Pouring boric acid over ant hills has been known to slow down ants, but it will not stop them. As soon as boric acid gets wet, it is no longer an effective control against insects. The answer is to fight biology with biology. Beneficial nematodes are one solution a permaculturist might utilize.
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes are parasitoids that prey on ants and dozens of other garden pests. They are harmless to mammals and other vertebrates. They patrol the soil to a depth of seven inches eating anything they find savory like fleas, weevils, ants, beetles, etc. Again, they can be purchased online.
With careful planning, pest control can also be a task delegated to your livestock. But pest control is only one goal of many. Chickens and ducks are known to eat pests while they fertilize the soil with their waste.
Why placement in a farm or garden matters
In Bill Mollison’s chicken model, he describes four separate elements to a farm that can be used to benefit one another or they can be placed to stand alone without any relationship. His example includes a chicken coop, a pond, a greenhouse, and a forest. By placing all four of these elements next to each other, a beneficial relationship can be realized.
The forest provides shade and forage to feed the chickens. When the temperature rises with the midday sun, the chickens leave their coop due to the high heat. They find shade and food within the forest. In the forest area, if pests were left unchecked, they could harm the trees and other plants. The chickens’ manure also helps to fertilize the forest.
When the chickens are in their chicken coop, their body heat helps to keep the greenhouse warm. The pond placed next to the greenhouse reflects additional sunlight and warmth back to the greenhouse and to the chicken coop.
Placed separately, these aspects of a farm do next to nothing to benefit one another. When placed together, a more harmonious relationship is realized.
How Our Efforts Can Improve the Environment Around Us
Permaculture seeks to reproduce what hundreds or thousands of years of natural processes can do to the soil in a fraction of the time, in a more controlled and productive design than what would be rendered by natural processes alone. Conserving water in a permaculture design is a top priority. All known forms of life need water; life on the farm is no exception. This is typically accomplished by three methods, and when used together, the results are amazing.
The first and most difficult step is to alter how water flows over the land. This is done by altering the contour of the land so that it will retain water. After a rainfall, water will typically flow off of the land and into the nearest stream or river. By altering the contours of the land, water can be retained. This helps provide sufficient water for the plants and the microorganisms in the soil.
Another common technique is to bury wood and/or charcoal beneath the plants. This practice helps to retain water in the soil, and it retains nutrients for plants that they can utilize as needed.
Finally permaculture uses mulch as a final step in retaining water. When water would otherwise evaporate due to the heat, it is trapped beneath a layer of leaves, pine needles, or other mulch such as wood chips. As the mulch breaks down, it also serves as fertilizer for the plants.
Take a good look at the next wooded area you walk by. I’m willing to bet that things are growing like crazy. The main reason for this growth is the layers of leaves and natural mulch that serve the area by retaining water.
As biological beings we will always impact the environment around us, but a permaculture principle is the notion that instead of having a detrimental impact on the environment, we humans can have a beneficial impact on our environment.
Beyond Organic
Organic agriculture is often described in terms of what it isn’t rather than what it is. There is a good reason for this. For far too many organic farmers, the only difference between their farm and a conventional farm is the list of chemicals they are not allowed to use on their crops or the restrictions place on the feeding and care of their animals. To many permaculturists, the strides made by organic farmers, though commendable, are far from adequate. Permaculture can be better described by what it is, rather than by what it isn’t.
Permaculture was invented to address the shortfalls of agriculture, to take several steps beyond all-natural, organic farming. The overall idea is to drastically change the methods of production, to promote logical, interactive, natural processes, and to create a healthy, sustainable, permanent culture of productive, truly organic farming.
Our Survival Depends On It
Despite what sci-fi movies often suggest, if we destroy the Earth there really is nowhere left to go. Our survival as a species depends on our ability to live on Earth and not exhaust our resources. A permanent culture is a culture that can survive indefinitely. Changing culture, changing the way in which we view the world, is phenomenally difficult, but our survival as a species is certainly worth the effort.
Your Guide to Root Vegetables – Health Benefits, Recipes, and More
Root vegetables are exactly what the name implies – they are the root of the plant. The most common root vegetables have become family staples: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, and radishes. Some are treasured spices: garlic, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. And then there are the more adventurous root vegetables that you may or may not have cooked or eaten: daikon radishes, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, kohlrabi, yuca, jicima, maca root, and more.
Due to their ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from the ground, root vegetables grown in rich soil are full of nutrients and are an excellent source of fiber. Many are high in vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin A. Many are antioxidants. Several have remarkable healing properties.
Unfortunately, root vegetables absorb toxins from the ground as well, making organic the best choice.
In choosing the best root vegetables, all should be firm, never soft, and blemish free. If the tops are still attached, you want to choose fresh leaves, not only as a means to choose the freshest vegetables, but the tops of many root vegetables are eaten as well as the root.
In the past, we stored root vegetables in the root cellar, a dark, cool, humid space. If you choose to store any root vegetables in the refrigerator, cover and seal them in plastic or paper and place them in a drawer or they will soon become soft. (Do not refrigerate regular onions or potatoes.)
Many root vegetables can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, baked, roasted, stir fried, or fried.
Potatoes
The number one food crop in the world, potatoes are a nutritious vegetable unless they are fried or loaded down with butter and sour cream. They are a good source of antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, copper, and pantothenic acid.
There are around 100 varieties of potatoes with varying skin colors (red, brown, yellow or purple-grey). The flesh is white, yellow, or purple. Potatoes also come in all shapes and sizes from the giant russets to tiny fingerlings.
Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator or in sunlight. A cool, dark place is best. Do not leave them in a plastic bag that will trap moisture. Store in paper bags or burlap. Do not eat potatoes that have turned green or sprouted.
Potatoes are one of the “dirty dozen” with the highest pesticide residues. Choose organic potatoes to avoid these toxins.
Potatoes can be baked, roasted, steamed, boiled, or fried. A common favorite way to cook baked potatoes is with rosemary.
Recipe: Rosemary Potatoes
Bake small potatoes (or 4 large potatoes) in the oven at 360 degrees until they are 3/4 of the way done. Remove from oven, cut in half (peel and dice large potatoes) and mix with the following:
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil or ghee
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon spicy red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of turmeric
Return to the oven and continue cooking until done.
Carrots
Most of the time, the carrots we see in the grocery store or farmers market are a bright orange color, but carrots come in a variety of other colors: white, yellow, red, and purple.
Carrots are a well-known and proven aid to eye health, including glaucoma and cataract prevention. Newer studies reveal their ability to prevent colon cancer and cardiovascular disease. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, with one cup of carrots providing more than the daily requirement. They are also a good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin E, manganese, potassium, and more.
If the carrot tops are attached, cut them off before storing the carrots and the tops in the refrigerator. Tops can be eaten; try adding them to your salads.
Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways; however, steaming is said to retain the most nutrients and provide the best taste. Cut in 1/2 inch slices and steam for 5 minutes.
Recipe: Carrot Slaw
A delicious carrot slaw can be made with three ingredients: carrots, pineapple, and raisins (or dried cranberries).
Cut one fresh pineapple into small pieces – retain juice.
Add shredded carrots. Judge the amount by the pineapple and pineapple juice. You want the juice to moisten all of the carrots. (You can always add a little extra juice.)
Add raisins or dried cranberries. Stir and eat immediately or cover and refrigerate a few hours to let the flavors mingle.
Sweet Potatoes
There are about 400 varieties of sweet potatoes. Their flesh may be nearly white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, or purple. They are anti-inflammatory, have antioxidant properties, and they help maintain blood sugar levels.
The leaves of the sweet potato plant have antioxidant properties and are often added to soups. Purple sweet potatoes contain an antioxidant ability more than 3 times that of blueberries. They are also a very good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and pantothenic acid.
Sweet potatoes can be baked, roasted, stir fried, fried, boiled, or steamed. Like carrots, steaming retains the greatest nutrients, though boiling retains plenty of beta-carotene. Baking or roasting doubles the glycemic index.
Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie
4 medium sized sweet potatoes. (The dark orange kind)
1 fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces.
If you bake the sweet potatoes, bake them slowly in a 350 degree oven. If you slice and steam them, you may want to add a little honey after mixing all the ingredients.
Mash or whip cooked sweet potatoes with coconut oil or ghee
Add spices to taste: cinnamon, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
Add fresh pineapple when the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to not kill the pineapple’s enzymes.
Onions
Onions support the cardiovascular system, benefitting both the heart and the blood vessels. They help increase bone density, support ligaments, and are an anti-inflammatory. Onions have also been shown to help prevent cancer and are antibacterial. Rat studies are showing onions help balance blood sugar. They are a very good source of biotin and a good source of vitamin C, copper, B6 and B1, phosphorous, potassium, and folate.
There are two important things to keep in mind when dealing with onions. 1. Do not over peel! The outer layers are more nutrient dense than the inner layers, so peel as little as possible. 2. Let onions sit for 5 minutes after chopping or slicing before cooking them. Again, this has to do with nutrients and the chemical process that takes place within the onion when it is cut.
Green onions can be stored in the refrigerator along with bagged scallions. Other onions should be stored at room temperatures, away from potatoes and bring sunlight. Wire baskets or other methods that allow for ventilation are good.
This amazing recipe comes to us from Julie Kinch and Debbie Fraser of Cooks With Cocktails (See link below).
Recipe: Gluten Free Crispy Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
1 large Sweet Onion (I like Vidalia, but you can really use whatever)
Olive Oil Spray
For The Dry Mix
½ cup Arrowroot Powder
2 tsp Paprika
5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
5 tsp Sugar (optional)
For The Wet Mix
½ cup Coconut Milk
1 Egg
Instructions
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Mix together the two wet ingredients.
Slice the onion to make rings that are about ¾ of an inch wide. Peel the skin from each ring and carefully separate the rings from each other.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
One at a time, take each ring and dip it into the wet mix. Then drip it into the dry. Coat it well, but make sure to tap all the excess back into the bowl. Place the ring on the baking tray.
When all the rings are ready, spray the rings with olive oil spray. You want to coat them, but not get too much. Flip them over and spray the other side.
Pop them into the oven. Check them after 9 or 10 mins and flip them over. Cook for an additional 4 mins or so.
Take them out and serve them right away.
Leeks
Like onions and garlic, leeks are an allium vegetable. And like onions and garlic, they should be allowed to sit for 5 minutes or more after cutting before you cook with them in order to receive the greatest nutritional benefit. However, raw leeks are delicious with a milder taste than onions.
Leeks are an excellent source of vitamin K; a very good source of manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, and folate; and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, calcium, and omega-3 fats.
Leeks provide support for the cardiovascular system due to their antioxidant qualities and their ability to lower homocysteine levels.
Store them in the refrigerator without cutting or washing them before use. To use them, cut off the root and peel the outer layer around the base. You can slice the lower part in whole slices, but as you near the greens you must slice it in half to wash out the dirt that always accumulates.
Cock-a-leekie soup is a delicious traditional Scottish recipe for those who eat chicken.
Add them to any recipe where you would add onions. You can stir fry or steam them, or add them to soups and salads.
Beets
Beets provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. They are especially good for the nervous system and eye health. They help prevent heart disease and cancer, and their fiber is especially healthy for the digestive tract. Beets contain folate, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, B6, and iron.
Beets can be eaten raw, baked, roasted, boiled, or steamed, but the most nutritious way to eat them is raw or lightly steamed. (If you cut them into quarters, they should steam within 15 minutes. Cooked beets can be easily peeled after cooking by rubbing the skin off with a paper towel. Nutritious beet greens can be eaten raw or cooked.
To store beets, cut off the tops, leaving 2 inches of stem. Place tops in one plastic bag, the roots in another, and store them both in the refrigerator.
Raw Beet Salad
Three medium to large beets.
2 limes
Honey to taste
Use a spiralizer to make beet ribbons. Juice the limes. Mix honey into the lime juice to taste. Pour over ribbons. (If you do not have a spiralizer, use a peeler or grate the beets.)
Yams
Yams are also root vegetables, distinctly different from sweet potatoes. Yams, which are native to Africa and Asia, are rarely found in U.S. grocery stores, though they may be found in an Asian market. The peels are brown and are not smooth–rather they look like they are covered in small roots.
There are two main types of sweet potatoes. The one with a deep orange colored flesh is often called a yam, just to differentiate the two.
True yams are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. As far as recipes go, you can cook yams like a sweet potato but know that they are drier and not as sweet. Try yams in place of the sweet potatoes for these fries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyVpipOmYpY
Radishes
The health benefits of radishes are truly impressive. They are said to be good for the liver and stomach, the kidneys and bladder, the lungs, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. They purify the blood and eliminate waste, detoxify and are an anti-congestive. They are used to treat cancer, jaundice, constipation, urinary tract and kidney infections, skin ailments, and more.
Radishes come in varying shapes and sizes from large to small, from long to round, and in colors that include white, black, yellow, green, pink, red, or purple. All are a great source of vitamin C.
Daikon radishes come in all shapes and sizes, though the ones sold in the U.S. market generally look like oversized white carrots. The tops are edible and have a peppery taste; they are often added to salads.
Smaller radishes are more nutritious because nutrition is pulled from the root to the tops as the vegetable matures.
Daikons are an excellent source of vitamin C. They also contain vitamin B6, magnesium, and calcium.
To store, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.
Grate them raw and add to salads, slow cook, steam, roast, bake, or pickle them. You can frequently find a daikon radish salad made with rice vinegar in Asian buffets. But here is a recipe for a real treat:
Recipe: Spicy Radish Kimchi
From Reviving the Tradition of Fermented Foods (See link below)
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients
1 large (12-16″ and 3″ diameter) daikon radish
2 baby leeks OR 4 scallions (green onions)
filtered water
sea salt
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
2-inch piece of ginger
1 oz. red pepper powder (more=spicier)
1 Tbsp fish sauce (to taste); optional
1 Tbsp tamari or shoyu (soy) sauce
Instructions
Soak the Veg
Cut off greens from radish and peel outer layer off with a peeler. Use greens for another purpose.
Cut radish into 1 inch cubes, or slice into rings.
Dissolve 3 Tablespoons salt into 1 quart of water in a half-gallon (or larger) container. Avoid using a metal container.
Add radish cubes to brine and soak for up to 6 hours.
Drain the veggies through a colander. Reserve 1 pint of brine when draining.
Make Paste
Roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Add to bowl of a food processor bowl. If you don’t have a food processor, dice the ginger and garlic so it’s almost a paste, and add to a mixing bowl.
Slice leeks or scallions into ½” pieces and add to mix.
Add pepper powder, tamari and fish sauce to mixing bowl. Vegan variation: omit fish sauce.
Stir and mash contents (or pulse with food processor) together until a paste forms.
Wearing a latex or plastic glove to protect yourself from the heat of the pepper, mix the paste thoroughly with your hand into the drained radish cubes. You can mix everything directly in the fermenting container, or in a separate large mixing bowl. Mix until the cubes are coated nicely with the paste.
Ferment
Even out the cubes in the container. Next, right on top of the mixture, place the largest object (usually a plastic lid or plate) you can find which will fit inside the diameter of the container.
Add a weight (such as a wine bottle or other glass bottle) on top of the lid/cover.
Liquid will continue to create a brine while the veggies are weighed down.
Check the container in 1 day. If the contents are not sumberged in brine, add the reserved brine.
Cover with a cloth and rubber band to keep flies out. (If using airlock skip this step).
Place in a cool spot (out of direct light) for 14 days. The larger pieces take a little longer to ferment than smaller diced styles of kimchi. Note: Your house will smell like kimchi.
Move to refrigerator, where the taste will develop slowly. Will keep for up to 6 months
Turnips
Turnips are an ancient food for humans. Evidence shows they have been eaten since prehistoric times. They have also been used as fodder for animals for 600 years or more.
Turnips are a good source of vitamin C, while the greens (the tops) are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and calcium.
Some people find turnips too bitter to eat due to a genetic sensitivity to the cyanoglucosides they contain.
Turnips can be eaten raw – just grate them up and add them to salads. Generally, they are eaten in the many ways we eat potatoes. You can boil them, fry them, steam them, mash them up with milk and butter or add them to soups, stews, and other dishes.
Rutabagas
The origin of the rutabaga is an interesting one: they are a cross between the turnip and cabbage. In many countries they are called turnips, yellow turnips, or Swedish turnips along with other names such as neeps.
Rutabagas are an excellent source of vitamin C.
Like turnips, rutabagas contain cyanoglucosides. To those who have inherited 2 genes that detect a particular bitterness receptor, rutabagas are inedible due to their bitterness.
Rutabagas are eaten in a variety of ways. They can be baked or boiled and eaten alone or mashed and combined with other root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Rutabagas are also added to soups and stews.
Parsnips
Parsnips look like white carrots. Like turnips, they were once used as a regular staple before the popularity of potatoes took their place.
Parsnips are a good source of vitamin C, folate, and manganese. You can cook them any number of ways from grating them and adding them to salads raw to using them instead of carrots in a cake.
Below you will find two recipes; one is sweet, the other not. These recipes are from Seasonal Chef. (See link below).
Recipe: Orange-Glazed Parsnips
8-10 medium parsnips
1 tsp salt
2 tbl butter or margarine
2 tbl honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
Instructions
Peel parsnips and cut into quarter-inch-thick sticks. Cover parsnips with water and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter, stir in honey, salt, orange juice and peel. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat, add drained parsnips and gently stir to coat pieces.
NOTE: For maple-glazed variation, try using ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ tsp prepared mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe: Kale and Parsnips
Ingredients
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup halved and sliced parsnips
1 tbl corn oil
1 cup water
2 tbl ginger, minced
1 bunch kale, veins removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
Saute the onions and parsnips in oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the water and ginger. Cover and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the kale and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes longer. Stir occasionally but otherwise keep the saucepan covered.
Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are a plant native to North America that was cultivated by Native Americans. The plant is in the sunflower family, and it grows tall beautiful sunflowers. The root is similar to ginger root or fingerling potatoes.
The skin of the sunchoke root may be light brown to tan or pink to reddish in color. The inside may be white, cream colored, tan, or purple. They are high in fiber and a good source of iron, potassium, and thiamin.
There are many recipes, various kinds, for sunchokes, from soup to chips. As a matter of fact, there are many recipes on the web for chips. Just slice them thin and cook in oil. Sprinkle with herbs. But be careful, they’re apparently delicious. Don’t eat too many. Sunchokes have quite a reputation for flatulence when eaten in excess.
The following recipe is from The Fruit Guys. (See link below.)
Recipe: Pan-Fried Jerusalem Artichokes in Sage Butter
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, coarsely torn and divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Preparation
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add Jerusalem artichokes and half of the sage.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning frequently, about 10 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer Jerusalem artichokes to shallow serving bowl.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds.
Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over Jerusalem artichokes in bowl, tossing to coat.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4–5. Prep time, 15 minutes; cook time, 15 minutes.
Celeriac
Also known as celery root, turnip rooted celery, or knob celery, is a variety of celery. Celeriac is an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and phosphorus. The big brown bulbous root is eaten raw or cooked and tastes similar to celery, or some say, celery and parsley combined.
The following recipe is from Sylvia Fountaine of Feasting at Home. (See link below.)
Recipe Celeriac Fennel Soup
Prep time, 15 mins. Cook time is about 20 mins. The recipe yields 8 Cups Soup
Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb, cored and diced ( about 1 ½ cups)
1 C white onion, diced
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 grapefruit-sized celeriac- peeled and diced ( about 4-5 cups)
8 Cups Chicken or Veggie stock
¼ teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
¼ cup creme fraise or sour cream for garnish ( optional)
Parsley oil (optional, for garnish – see recipe below)
Instructions
In a large heavy bottom pot, saute diced onion in 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, over medium high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add fennel. Turn heat to medium-low and saute until fennel begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally about 12 minutes. Add celeriac, pepper and 8 cups chicken stock. Turn heat to high, bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover, and continue simmering until celeriac is very tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Using a blender, blend until smooth -in batches, only filling blender 1/2 full. (Remember when blending any hot liquid, cover the blender lid firmly with a kitchen town, and only fill blender 1/2 full, and start on the lowest speed, to prevent a blender explosion.)
Return to the pot. Taste for salt. When serving, garnish with a swirl of creme fraise, (or sour cream) and a little parsley oil.
Recipe Parsley Oil
1 Cup packed Italian parsley ( stems ok)
½ Cup olive oil
½ clove garlic
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Pulse all ingredients in a blender or food processor until combined.
1 white onion diced
Kohlrabi
You know how tomatoes are actually fruits? Kohlrabi isn’t actually a root vegetable. The bulb is actually a part of the stem that grows above ground. It is probably considered a root vegetable due to both its name and its appearance, as it looks like a cross between a turnip and celeriac, and its name is a German word that is literally a combination of cabbage and turnip.
Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, though it is said that its mild taste is more like broccoli. This vegetable, once a favorite of European nobles, has never lost its popularity in Europe.
It is high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and calcium.
It can be eaten raw, as a matter of fact, it is eaten raw like a piece of fruit by many Germans. Choose small bulbs; large bulbs are woody, tough, and require peeling. Small bulbs can be eaten peel and all.
There are two varieties: one is purple, the other green. The purple one is sweeter.
Here is an interesting salad from Vegetarians in Paradise. (See link below.)
Kohlrabi Siam Chopped Salad
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
4 medium kohlrabis, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chopped Napa cabbage
1/4 pound (115g) snow peas, chopped
1/2 to 1 fresh pasilla (poblano) pepper, diced or 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into fine julienne about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons organic canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 inch (1 cm) piece ginger, peeled and grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Dash of rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons minced green onions
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients, except the black sesame seeds and green onions, in a large bowl and toss well to distribute the seasonings evenly.
Transfer to an attractive serving bowl or platter and garnish the top with the black sesame seeds and minced green onions.
This salad is best if made several hours ahead to allow the dressing to penetrate the vegetables. Serve as a salad course or a side dish.
Cassava or Yuca
Cassava, also known as Yuca, maniac, Brazilian arrowroot, tapioca, and many other names, is an important staple throughout the world. Yuca has a high carbohydrate content and is high in vitamin C, phosphorus, and calcium. An amazing variety of traditional dishes are based on this root vegetable from alcoholic drinks to a vegetable used like potatoes or flour to make bread, cakes, and crackers. In the U.S. cassava is mostly sold as tapioca for pudding.
Cassava is a rot generally 2-4 inches in diameter at the top and approximately 6-12 inches long. The brown skin is rough; the inner flesh is white to yellow. Cassava is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin C. The leaves are edible as well and are a good source of protein.
Cassava root must be properly prepared or it will be toxic.
Tapioca Pudding
3 cups of goat milk or nut milk
2 eggs – whisked
½ cup tapioca
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ to ½ cup (more or less to taste) of honey
Instructions
Soak tapioca in cold water overnight.
Drain tapioca and add to milk and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring.
Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes. Continue to stir.
Remove from heat. Whisk a cup of mixture into beaten eggs, a little at a time. Once it is all blended, stir it back into the pot.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 2 or more minutes, until it thickens. Remove from heat and add honey and vanilla. Stir and taste. Add more honey if needed.
Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold.
Jicama
Jicama, also called Mexican yam or Mexican turnip (among other names), is actually a relative of the bean family. Like regular potatoes, the vines and leaves of this plant are poisonous.
Jicama is a good source of fiber and an excellent source of vitamin C.
The flesh is white with a papery yellow/brown peel. The sweet, crunchy flesh is often cooked in soups and stir fries, but it usually eaten raw with a dip.
An easy dip is made by adding a bit of honey and lime juice to yogurt. But any dip you use for raw veggies is a good match for jicama from spinach and guacamole to the hummus and gourmet combinations. Many just squirt lime and sprinkle chili powder on jicama strips. Here is a great recipe that utilizes the dehydrator.
Combine tamari, agave, lime juice and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
Peel jicama and cut it in half. Slice into strips 1/8″-1/4″ thick. You can do this by hand or with a mandolin slicer.
Place jicama strips in a medium bowl and coat thoroughly with marinade. Make sure each piece of jicama is completely covered.
Place strips on dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 110° for 4 hours, then flip jicama over, rotate trays and dehydrate for another 4-6 hours. Your chips are done when they are crispy on the outside but not shriveled. Enjoy with salsa, guacamole or your favorite dip!
Maca Root
Maca root is also known as Peruvian ginseng. It’s not surprising, considering the medicinal properties attributed to it and the fact that it is known to be an aphrodisiac. It is eaten as a food in the areas where it is grown and it made into flour. But most of its use in the U.S. is as a supplement.
Maca root is said to increase energy; boost brain power, endurance (both athletic and sexual), stamina, libido, fertility, and general health. It balances hormones (both male and female), reduces stress and anxiety. It stabilizes mood and mood swings, aiding in depression. It improves health of teeth and bones, strengthens hair and reduces hair loss. It alleviates symptoms of menopause and PMS. It is also said to clear acne and blemishes. Wounds heal faster.
Maca is rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, iron. Magnesium, phosphorus, and amino acids.
The hypocotyl, the bulb between the stem and actual roots, can be one of many colors: cream, gold, red, green, blue, purple, or black.
Maca Root Contraindications
Do not use if pregnant or lactating.
Do not use if you have hormone-related cancer or polycystic ovary syndrome.
Use with caution if you have thyroid problems. Lighter colored maca inhibits iodine uptake, while darker maca contains natural iodine.
There are also warnings to start slow, with no more than ½ to 1 teaspoon a day; 1 tablespoon is the average daily dose for a few days followed by a few days abstinence. Too much may disrupt your hormones.
These are most of the better-known root vegetables. There are more, of course, some familiar, many not, but all are worth discovery. If you have any favorite recipes, please share them.
Can Progressive, Cutting-edge Organic Agriculture Feed Everyone?
Change We Can Believe In
In 2007, then presidential candidate Barack Obama promised that if elected he would direct more money for organic agriculture. He also said, “If I am elected president of the United States, I will support legislation that will require the mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods.” Now, well into his second term, it seems Obama has no intention of honoring his promises. Even if Obama honored his word, would such steps be enough to ensure our survival?
Can organic farms yield comparable outputs with conventional farms? To answer this question in 2002, Dr. Paul Mader and colleagues analyzed more than two decades of data. On average, organic farms yielded 80% of the output conventional farms produced. Although the yield was lower, the quality of the produce and the quality of the soil was far superior in every conceivable way. There are more nutrients found in organic foods.
Farmers all over the world are proving it can be done…
The use of chemicals, so prevalent in modern agriculture, may result in a high yield (for a time), but their use is actually more expensive than organic food production. Conventional agriculture is more profitable for farmers due to government subsidies. That’s right; our taxes pay farmers more to cause harm to the environment and to produce chemically laden foods.
Subsistence strategies are a cultural phenomena. Just as language cannot be separated from culture neither can food be separated from culture. The food people eat and how the food is produced varies dramatically from one group of people to another. As with linguistic centrism, people tend to think that their way is the best way. Americans are often under this delusion in regards to feeding the world without simultaneously polluting it. Could the world feed itself without the so called benefits brought forth by the chemicals and drugs used in conventional agriculture?
Sustainable Farms
Farmers all over the world are proving it can be done, among them farmers such as Takao Furuno, a successful organic farmer from Japan. The Furuno farm works as a part of an ecosystem. Every year, after planting their rice, they release hundreds of ducklings into the rice paddies. The ducklings consume weeds that would otherwise compete with the rice. They also consume pests such as insects and snails. The ducklings fertilize the rice with their waste and oxygenate the water by their movements.
Sustainable, humane, and organically produced foods also tend to taste better.
The Azolla fern is also grown on the farm. This plant helps to fix nitrogen into the soil as it feeds the ducks, provides cover for the fish from predators, and provides habitat for critters that also help feed the ducks.
By manipulating the natural processes on their farm, the Furuno family’s level of production is amazing. With only three hectares of land, they yield 7 tons of rice, 300 ducks, 4,000 ducklings, and sufficient vegetables for a hundred people.
Japan is a relatively small country. When including the entire Japanese archipelago, the total landmass is about 142,000 square miles. The Furuno farm is twice as productive as other conventional Japanese farms – not 80% as productive as Mader’s study would indicate. Twice as productive. With this kind of yield, 2% of the Japanese people could farm and feed their nation, organically and sustainably.
Eduardo Suiza’s Sustainable Fois Grais
Sustainable, humane, and organically produced foods also tend to taste better. Eduardo Suiza has been helping to prove this. Recently he took 1st place in the Cu de Cois Culinary Competition for his legendary fois grais.
Chef Dan Barber explained that fois grais literally means to force feed geese or ducks a massive amount of food. This makes their liver expand by a factor of eight, a practice many see as inhumane. Eduardo Suiza uses an entirely different approach. He lives by the concept of giving the geese what they want. On his farm, he has everything the geese might need – olives, figs, lupin bushes and other plants to feed the geese.
In the fall, the temperature drops and Eduardo’s geese gorge themselves in preparation for the coming winter. After the geese gorge themselves, Eduardo slaughters some of his birds. This makes a more natural, more humane, and better tasting fois grais. His geese are so content; they invite wild geese flying by to join them. These regular additions to the flock voluntarily stay.
Examples of a sustainable approach to food production can be found all over the world. Thankfully, not all of these examples are in small-scale farming. In the Seville province of Spain, located 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, another example of sustainable, high quality agriculture thrives.
Veta La Palma 27,000 Acre Farm
Aquaculture has been instituted on an island farm, and their productivity and quality has caught the attention of the world. The original owners planned to create a cattle ranch so they dug canals to drain the water away. Despite their best efforts, the area was poorly suited for dry farming or raising large amounts of cattle, so eventually the property changed hands. The new owners had a different concept; they reworked the canals to reverse the water flow back inland. The result: Veta La Palma.
Here was a company trying to solve what’s become this unimaginable problem for us chefs. How do we keep fish on our menus?” – Dan Barber
Veta La Palma is a 27,000 acre farm with an amazing annual yield –1,200 tons of fish and shrimp. This aquaculture is self-sustainable; there is no need to feed the fish, as the fish feed themselves. There is no need to feed the shrimp, as the shrimp also feed themselves. In addition, the fish have attracted more than 250 different species of birds (some of which are endangered), and many of these birds fly to the farm from over 150 miles away. One might think that losing fish to the birds is the last thing anyone in aquaculture would want, but the farm is so productive they can feed the birds as well. Veta La Palma has become the largest bird sanctuary in Europe as a well as an incredibly successful fish farm.
Organic agriculture is seen by some as low-tech, and it is often described in terms of what it isn’t rather than what it is. Organic agriculture is agriculture without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. But it is so much more. Organic agriculture isn’t low tech; far to the contrary, the techniques used in organic agriculture today would astound the farmers of days past. True, sustainable, organic farming is a holistic approach to the microbes in the soil, the plants, the animals, and the relationships between them.
Barack Obama and Monsanto
In 2007, during the presidential debates, Barack Obama promised that if he got elected he would allocate more money for organic agriculture. Instead of honoring that promise, he appointed a man with ties to Monsanto, Tim Vilsack, to head the USDA. If we are to have change that we can believe in, it has become apparent that we must become the change.
Voting for change doesn’t necessarily bring change. Agribusiness votes, too, and they vote with their donations to politicians’ political campaigns. Monsanto, ADM, and other large agribusinesses are able to drown out the desires of the American people with huge sums of money.
Conclusion
Collectively we can change the world overnight by changing the way we spend our money. If we don’t want GMOs on the market, we can stop buying them. If we don’t want our foods grown in chemicals and sprayed with chemicals, we can stop buying conventional produce. And if we don’t want animals to be treated inhumanely, we can purchase our meats more selectively, as well. Together, by changing our buying habits, we can change the world. That’s change we can believe in.
Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan, Environment The Science Behind The Stories (Boston: Pearson Education, 2011), 274.
Unsafe Arsenic Levels in Rice and Poultry (especially brown rice)
Lately, there has been a lot of publicity about unsafe arsenic levels in rice and poultry due to a report from Consumer Reports. This is very disconcerting to hear, especially if you have only heard of arsenic as a poison. It actually is a metal, frequently found in our food and our water in both inorganic and organic forms. But arsenic, especially inorganic arsenic, is a carcinogen that increases the risk of bladder, lung and skin cancer. It also has been linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In utero exposure may damage the baby’s immune system.
Arsenic is found in dirt and water, but of course mankind has added to the problem through arsenic-based insecticides and factory farming methods. Factory farms have been feeding arsenic-based food additives to poultry through the FDA recently revoked three of these. They warn, however, that the supplies on hand for many of these operations will last a year, giving us another reason to eat organic chicken.
High arsenic levels in rice are attributed to the irrigation water and the dirt in which it is grown. Consumer Reports’ 2012 investigation, combined with the FDA study in 2013, and the latest 2014 investigation by Consumer Reports covers the level of arsenic in 697 rice samples and 114 samples of other grains.
Consumer Reports states, “White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice.”
But other states in the U.S. did not fare as well. “All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests.”
Arsenic levels are higher in brown rice (80% on average) because the arsenic accumulates in the outer layers (the bran and the germ), which are removed when rice is milled to make white rice.
Consumer Reports recommends the following: “Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.”
Due to these findings, Consumer Reports and the FDA recommend eating a wide variety of grains rather than designing a diet with rice as a main staple. High levels of arsenic were found in processed rice products such as rice cakes, cracker, pasta, and dairy alternative products. They suggest small children should not be fed rice milk. Consumer Reports recommends limiting rice intake using a point system. See the link below for details.
You can reduce the amount of arsenic in your rice by thoroughly rinsing it before cooking it and by cooking it in large amounts of water (6 cups of water to one cup of rice) – the traditional Asian way of cooking rice. This method does, however, decrease the nutritional value as it loses vitamins and other nutrients in the water. These two practices are said to reduce the arsenic content by 30%
While arsenic in food is a concern, it gives us one more reason to focus on the best possible diet, which is 80% raw produce, eaten with naturally chelating foods such as garlic and cilantro. Eating this way helps us remove heavy metals from our bodies on a daily basis through the foods we eat.
The health benefits of radishes are truly impressive. They are said to be good for the liver and stomach, the kidneys and bladder, the lungs, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. They purify the blood and eliminate waste, detoxify and are an anti-congestive. They are used to treat cancer, jaundice, constipation, urinary tract and kidney infections, skin ailments, and more.
You know how tomatoes are actually fruits? Kohlrabi isn’t actually a root vegetable. The bulb is actually a part of the stem that grows above ground. It is probably considered a root vegetable due to both its name and its appearance, as it looks like a cross between a turnip and celeriac, and its name is a German word that is literally a combination of cabbage and turnip.
