the nano approacheth

If my entries in this blog slack off in november, i have a good excuse. This will eb the third year that i am participating in National Novel Writing Month a.k.a. Nanowrimo. If you don't know about it check out the website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
but the gist of it, i'll be writing a 50,00 word novel in the 30 days of November.

Tonight i prepared my workspace by cleaning off my very messy desk. now my keyboard is front and center and ready to create a story. i still have some blog entries planned, but the noveling will come first for the month.

Don't Blame the Bran

well, i found out it wasn't the rice bran clogging our sink. after waiting a week for the maintenance guy to come, i tackled the problem myself and looked up online how to disconnect the stopper so i'd have access to the drain. after a little poking, i pulled out a nasty plug of hair and who knows what else, but it definitely wasn't a sink trap stuffed with rice bran.

but my face has been just as painful and spotty as ever, so i have decided to go chemical warfare on it and got some facewash and anti-pimple cream. so i'll try to be regimented with that for a while to see if i can get improved skin. hopefully i look less spotty in time for thanksgiving and my birthday(one month away!)

yesterday we visited a pumpkin patch!

Produce Freakshow

Since i have been a little behind on posting about food i've been making, here's some unusual flora eye candy.


In honor of Halloween this week, THE GREAT PUMPKIN!
175 pounds, and 87 inch circumference, this beast is sitting outside my store, to be raffled off in two days. I'd have joined the raffle, but what the hell would i do with it if i won?



next up, a dragonfruit! i guess my produce department bought two of them and opened up one to sample. and sold the other to a customer for 16$ ( this guy also wants to buy a case of starfruit. tropical fruit fetish?)
anyway, the dragonfruit is shockingly bright inside. like it is filled with florescent purple highlighter dye. it taste was surprisingly watery and not really very sweet or sour.



another case of gigantism. this is my coworker, holding a giant zucchini that we brought back from the cow farm.


that was the largest of three huge zucchinis just sitting on the ground. and farmer Don was like, "oh, do you want those? just take em." i was gonna take home one of the smaller ones, but i realized it was likely too woody to be edible, and a hassle to butcher it up.

and the anticolorful, a ghost tomato. i got this for free from work, it was a little over the hill. it's just a type of heirloom tomato, which in my experience are less acidic that conventional tomatoes.

i tried saving the seeds, there weren't too many. maybe someday i can grow some ghosties of my own.

A tale of two eggs

i fried an egg from Safeway next to an egg from Bates Farm.let's compare and contrast!

age:I've heard that an eggs from a supermarket can be laid up to 40 days before you buy it! i'd guess the big brown eggs from Bates' Rhode Island Reds were maybe a week old?

purity: i'm sure bates' eggs are organic, but i have no idea what could have been fed to the other hens.

size: the farm eggs are bigger than the white store eggs.


awesome chopstick basket made by Jamie Kertay.



( the left eggs is from the farm, if you can't tell from my clues.)
yolk: the farm eggs is darker. backyard chickens get more greens, and thus more beta carotene, than factory chickens (who are usually fed corn and soy). the extra nutrients result in a deeper, orangey yolk color, and are better for you.

viscosity: older egg whites tend to become more runny. this is why the store egg spread out in the pan more, even though the egg shell itself was smaller. in the newer egg, the white just "holds together" more. the proteins are stronger. the white stays thick and even the yolk stands up a little higher.

fyi: the only time you might prefer older eggs is if you are hard boiling them. if they are older, they will be easier to peel. something about the inner membrane letting go of the egg white easier.

taste: the farm eggs yolk has flavor! it's hard to describe, but it's just the flavor of real eggs.

cost: of course, eggs from big companies cost less, but it's really a trade off in quality. small egg producers have to charge more to cover their costs because they don't have thousands of chickens stacked on top of eachother in a barn.

If i hadn't mentioned it before, i really want to have pet chickens of my own. i've wanted chickens for about two years (somewhat to the chagrin of my boyfriend who is tired of hearing about them.)
It may be years before i am settled in a place and have enough yard and money to make my chicken dream come true. *le sigh*. someday this raw blog may be overrun by picture and post about chickens, but until then...


a few days ago i found a link to a hen cam in Massachusetts, so know i can watch some hens, and their goat and bunny friends. so at least i have that to curb, or intensify? , my poultry longings. because of the time difference, the chickens go to bed at 3pm my time.
http://www.hencam.com/

oh yeah, i have a little anecdote to mention. back in highschool,. i think around the time they had us do the PSAT, we took career placement test things. you answer specific questions about your skills and what you enjoy doing. and you follow the charts to find what the test believes is your ideal career. and i was informed that my destiny was "chicken co-op designer". at the time i thought it was a bizarrely specific job area, and took it to mean "design, animals, architecture".. which is all good. and then i forgot about it for several years, recalling it very occaisionally. but now since falling in love with chickens. and now i think back to that test result and marvel "Oh god! they were right!" i had no idea at the time, but this destiny will come to pass. :)

return of the cashew cream

after enjoying the Onion Cashew cream on my meal at Thrive, i found a recipe online and tried making it myself. i don't know if this is the exact recipe they used, but my attempt turned out alright.

http://hi-rawkus.com/recipe/onion-and-herbs-cashew-cream/
2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked for one hour)
1/2 cup pure water
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Vidalia onion, chopped small
1 level teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

i made a few changes, i just used as much flesh and juice that i could get out of one medium lemon, it was probably 3 tablespoons or less. i used a pinch of rosemary and two dried basil leaves for the herbs. and i used my homemade kombucha in lieu of apple cider vinegar (they taste very similar), and a plain yellow onion. i had to use a blender, which is probably why mine was a little less creamy(more granulated) than the restaurant version.

i used it as a dip with some of my dried zucchini chips(flavored with taco seasoning)



i still have plenty left over so it will go on more meals.

this is another recipe from this website that i'd like to try.
http://hi-rawkus.com/recipe/superfood-chocolate-banana-pudding/


i watned some juice tonight. i haven't used the juicer for a few weeks, but i was especially inspiried after seeing this!:



:D

i remember that juiceman's eyebrows from all the infomercials i watched as a child.


i wonder if there is any truth to this Eugene college students story of his:

Food Party!

i know there will be good food when a grocery store throws a party. Tonight was my co-op's annual party and each department brought food. i did get to try some of our raw products that i hadn't gotten to taste yet. i had a little bit of a raw chocolate cheesecake by Earth Cafe Living foods.(https://earthcafetogo.com/ their website seems a tad self righteous for making cake..."GENIOUS DEFINES POWER!") it may have been a bit to warm, but the taste was like cinnamony butter. it was too soft i think. The treat i really liked was the vanilla popsicle by Happy Day Raw foods,handmade in AShland Oregon. They are almost entirely frozen coconut, so that is most was it tastes like, but that's good with me. it can be a a little grainy, but it still tastes great.
ingredients!
raw coconut milk,coconut oil, coconut sugar, lucuma powder, vanilla bean.

sounds easy enough to make in a home freezer.

i guess the coconut sugar is like coconut crystals : http://lesliesorganics.com/crystals.html

i also had the chocolate one, which was super chocolately and not too sweet. but i think i prefer the vanilla/coconut one. nom nom nom


i even have coconut milk lid earrings :D

raw butter!

I let my raw milk sit still over night in hopes that i could see the cream one top. i could see a clear line, but i just assumed that the cream was on top and poured off about two inches into a little plastic tub. then all i knew was you had to shake the hell out of it.



after that i poured some more from the carton onto my breakfast.



it's very simple, buckwheat from the ground, milk from the cows, honey from the bees, all uncooked.


soon i started shaking the cream (after i put a tiny bit of seasalt in it). and i did that for about ten minutes before looking up an online tutorial. you have to make whipped cream before it becomes butter, and i don't think i was ever gonna get whipped cream the way i was doing it, so i brought it to the blender.



i ended up with butter bits everywhere, even on my glasses. but i did end up with this fluffy airy butter. i poured all the contents through cheesecloth. the liquid part was buttermilk, of course. it didn't taste drinkable with the salt i'd put it :P.

i knew you have to rinse the butter with cold water to wash away the buttermilk. so i kept filling the tub until the water was clear. but i didn't press the butter for fear that it would fall apart. it seemed so delicate. (edit: it did harden up more after an hour or so in the fridge. tradionally, there are tools like butter paddles and mold, and crocks, so clearly it can take a beating.)

i didn't get much butter in the end, but i really didn't start with much cream.

it's waiting in the fridge. i may have to eat it on some Dave's killer bread, because i dont think i have anything raw to put it on. i can't resist buttered toast!.

i convinced my boyfriend to try some on a bagel"pretty good butter! It's great , i mean, wonderful butter. you win" :D but not before he said "if i die, i'm blaming it on you and your butter! :D

edit:
later in the day i saw a coworker who took me to the farm yesterday. she said her husband made butter too. and it only took him about 6 minutes of shaking it in a mason jar. so it sounds like i just didn't have enough air space in the container i was shaking. i would have used a jar, but mine all smelled like pickles or curry :P

Bates Farm

I'm drinking raw milk right now, that came out of a jersey cow, either Anabelle or her daughter Sophie, less than two days ago. It's whole milk, un pasteurized, unhomogenized. it feels velvety smooth and tastes like, well, milk, but a little more buttery since it has the cream left in (which makes it a creamy color also.) the aftertaste is, like cheese? but not bad.



But let me tell you about the farm! Today i tagged along with my coworkers Beth and Teresa to visit Bates farm outside of Arlington, WA. We met the owner, Don Bates, who also has a chiropractic office there. first we went to the room where the milk it brought to be bottled and stored. it's really just a little kitchen in a cabin with a big sink for washing tools and a fridge for the milk.


then we saw the milking station, which is vacuum pumped, he doesn't do it by hand. he said from the whole process takes about 40 minutes, from fetching the cows to bottling. he milks the two cows twice a day and right now he is getting 4.5 gallons ( i can't remember if that is from the cows combined or not, from each milking) but he sometimes gets twice as much. right now the cows are "drying off" before they "freshen" again , that is, have another calf and start making milk again.

(From right to left: Ferdinand, Anabelle, Pearl and Sophie)

then we met the cows. there is the mother cow, Anabelle. don started with her three years ago just as the family cow that he kept in the neighbors yard. the elderly meighbor has fond bovine memories and gave him use of the land to pasture the cow(s). Annabelle's first calf is named Sophie. then this year Sophie had a steer named Ferdinand, and Anabelle has another heifer, named Pearl.
Here they are!




They graze on about 10 acres of land and eat grass and alfalfa pellets. they have a forest area with trails they can wander and they hide under trees when the weather gets bad. we got to pet them all (except Pearl, who is very shy) and i even got headbutted in the leg by Sophie. the cows were friendly and followed us around.






Don gave us each a half gallon of milk, 6 eggs, a giant zucchini, a glove of "chinese pink " garlic, and some salmon.! he said he used to have about 40 chickens but now he only has 7. he has production Rhode Island reds, and a banny cross? which i guess is a bantam of some kind. we didn't look at the chickens because this was really a cow event :)

I will try to let the cream rise to the top of my milk and use it to make raw butter! i know whole milk has a lot of fat in it, but i heard something about when it is raw, your body uses the fat differently. i can't quite remember what that was about.

we didn't talk very much about raw vs. conventional milk, but Don said something interesting.. he is pulling out of another seller, partial because they are trying to force him to put expiration dates on the milk he sells. "people that are familiar with raw milk look for the production date, they check that, and they smell it. if it smells off, they bake it in a cake or make it into yogurt. milk doesn't expire, it just changes."


more cow pictures available here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v713/feffy88/Bates%20Farm/

Gifts and Windfalls

what a lovely day. after making my big trip to Thrive, i still ended up getting to try a new raw food today. i went to work for a short shift in the afternoon. I got to take home a small bag of flavored sprouted sunflower seeds because the bag had a hole in it. The cocoa mole flavor was interesting.


I would have liked it to be a little sweeter, but it is supposed to me Molé, not candy chocolately. the cayenne pepper was very light. i couldn't really taste it, but the aftertaste was warm in the mouth, like i'd eaten salsa or some other spicy item. I appreciate that the bag says it was sprouted (increase sprouting awareness!)it was alright to snack on. $3.29
http://www.kaiafoods.com/about.html
this brand also makes sprouted buckwheat granola. i'm sure it's about 6 dollars for a little bag, so i wont be buying any. i already make it at home and they add just adding agave, cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds and raisins.

in the free bin for employees there was piles of zucchini and broccoli! i took a few, plus a bag of rainbow grapes.
















and when i got home i had gotten a gift! My sister, a bidding graphic designer, read my blog for the first time and she made me a new banner for this blog. i've already replaced the old one with it at the top of the page. Thanks Mel! more art by her here: http://mlrsn.wordpress.com/


the text is much more readable and it's nice and flowy instead of blocky

After work i asked the deli workers if i could look in their cookbook and i made a copy of their chia seed pudding. it's only a few ingredients, but i will have to shrink down the portion size because it's written for 20 cups of pudding! so look for that experiment soon! I'll also be visiting a raw milk farm in a few days, so i'll write about that, too.

Thrive!

I went to my first raw restaurant today! My man and I went to Thrive in North Seattle. Here's their website. http://generationthrive.com/
I was very excited to be there.




i was nice to have someone else make a raw meal for me, instead of having to deal with all the prep work. but of course that comes with a slightly higher price tag. but it was a day of splurging :D

(no ovens or stoves in this kitchen!notice the man opening young coconuts.)



I had the Oh My Sombrero, and my boyfriend had the Mighty Thai.



menu descriptions:

"Lighter fare, heavy on the Mexican flavor! Spicy taco Sunflower Seed Paté, Guacamole, Salsa, and Onion Cashew Cream served with shredded lettuce taco salad style!"


"Our house Thai “Peanut” Sauce massaged with shredded cabbage and carrots, providing a subtle, spicy crunch. Topped with cashews and dates."

i really liked my onion cashew cream, it was very rich and tasty. i definitely want to try making some at home. the pate was more of a half-dried cracker. i'd say the crackers i make are at least that yummy :D



kyle liked his meal, but thought it could use some fresh chilis or onions. the dates were a nice touch in his. i thought the sauce of his definately had a smokey, nutty flavor, maybe there was tahini in it?



Thrive also has a bulk section with raw food staples like nuts and grains.




they have a lot of books and raw chocolate and dehydrated cookies. i didn't buy anything like that there since i can either get it cheaper at my work or make it myself. one thing i want to make for my boyfriend is the kelp noodles with teriyaki sauce dish (called Oh My Samurai)
some other ideas i was reminded of there are kale chips and chia seed pudding.
after a weekend with almost no raw food ( and feeling the intestinal blocking consequences..) i'm using this experience as an opportunity to rededicate myself to my raw food habits.

other raw venues of note in seattle: Chaco Canyon Restaurant, and Vivir Living Foods (i think it is a raw chocolate and nuts factory)

Fungi world

Although you can't eat most mushrooms raw, i like to go hunting for them in the wild. This weekend we went on a short hike on the Olympic Peninsula in search of Chantrelles. my boyfriends went with his mother and her man. they'd gone on a different trail the day before and had good luck. We were on the Maple Valley Trail in Dosewallups National Park near Brinnon, WA.


the harvest







so tiny!



Lobster mushroom, which is really a russula (i think) that is colonized by the fungus on the outside that turns it red.



Most likely Bearshead, and the brown ones look like tiny cinnamon caps





these toadstools were everywhere in the hundreds


Shrimp mushroom



dont know what this is, but it looks deadly!






i call it Princess Peach's Parasol

recipes i want to try

http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/halvah.html

http://therawtarian.com/raw-food-eggnog-recipe/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Tofu/step7/Finished/
http://therawtarian.com/raw-tuna-salad-recipe/
http://aniphyo.com/blog/page/2/?cat=7&featured=all
http://therawtarian.com/raw-food-substitutions/

http://www.feelgoodeats.com/anytime-recipes/homemade-mayonnaise.html
http://therawtarian.com/raw-mayonnaise-recipe/
http://therawtarian.com/best-raw-chocolate-cookies/


http://blacksoap.blogspot.com/2008/02/mayocoba-beans.html
YUM! http://www.lovestreetlivingfoods.com/Coconut-Crystal-Chocolate-Bar-p/chocolate-cocosbar.htm

an update

Well, i had to stop washing my face with the rice bran because i suspect it has clogged the pipe in my bathroom sink. :( but overall my skin has improved a bit.

tonight i had a salad, made mostly of spinach, but it had a few leaves of russian red kale in it that i had grown on my small apartment balcony. i didn't have much growing, but it's a small achievement.

on enzymes

From Kitchen Mysteries: Reveling the Science of Cooking by Hervé This

"Cooking denatures the enzymes,which are proteins , that is, long linear molecules folded back on themselves in a specific way by weak chemical bonds. This folding gives them their functional properties, but heat suppresses their activity by breaking the weak bonds. Thus these molecular balls of yarn are inactivated."

Spaghetti a la Squash

If found ever cooked spaghetti squash you know that you can scrape the inside of the baked squash and it comes off in little strings like pasta. it can be made sweet too, with cinnamon and sugar. i figured it would be similar to make raw, i think i saw it in a raw recipe. but it was more difficult to serve raw. without softening the squash by cooking it, it refused to do the cool spaghetti thing. So i changed to plan B and treated like a zucchini and just took the box grater to it. it did take some arm power and a half a squash was probably enough for two people.( the squash resembles a yellow rubgy ball) i saved a little to eat the next day.

i ate it with a cooked sauce, but i did make the sauce from scratch, which i had never done before.