10 Reasons Why We “Get it Right” on Thanksgiving – free lessons for a wise Christmas and beyond

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What are 10 Things we generally “GET RIGHT” at Thanksgiving time!!

#1 We intend to remember to be Thankful for all we have!

#1 repeat – We intend to remember to be Thankful for all we have!

#2 We use the turkey drippings to make a healthy “bone broth” gravy

#3 We use the leftover turkey carcass to make bone broth soup

#4 We take advantage of the healthy cranberry. Wise cranberry sauce includes gogi berries too.

#5 We remember that the CONDIMENT TRAY used to be an important part of a meal – but most of us dont know how to prepare it so that we get the REAL benefits from it.

#6 The traditional gelatin dish !  If you still have this as part of your “traditional” dinner, this also has an extremely healthy part of your dinner – or any meal or snack. I use to go to a friends house when I was little and she always had a gelatin “salad” at Thanksgiving.

#7 We make use of healthy root vegetables.

#8 We use alot of colorful foods for this meal. A variety of colors means a variety of nutrients.

#9 A great Thanksgiving table will use cultured dairy. An awesome meal will have cultured beverages too.

#10 Even desserts have a healthy component : we use pumpkin and apples and even lots of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger.  Nuts are used alot but most of us were never taught how to prepare these in a healthy way.

Its not often that we get our Family together to share a meal! Why not make your next holiday meal together extra special and nutritious !

I will be offering a series of posts on how to make your next meal “extraordinarily nutritious”.

Follow along the preparations of ONE meal and learn WHY Old World preparations are the most nutritious.

SIGN UP HERE for the free lessons , this will give you access to our free forum

BONUS  free video conference

Listen in HERE for some background on how and why foods can be truly Nourishing.

See you on the inside !  Chef Cathy, Adirondack Wellness Chef

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Broth Cuisine for the Flu Season

Guest Post by Lynn Cameron

The Old World Kitchen specializes in appetizing Soups and Entrees made with nourishing and easy to digest Bone Broths – delivering rich food value for those that choose carry-in meals regularly or on occasion.

Chef Cathy produces real stock created from hormone-free NYS farm-raised produce as it is available.  Beef, chicken and fish creations alternate according to seasonal supplies of fresh and natural ingredients.  The Lodge restaurant kitchen is NYS inspected and certified for catering/carry-out.

If you haven’t the time or resources to make enough broth in your own kitchen, and if you have the need or desire to get the nutrition and taste benefits of rich bone broth in your meals – call Cathy for the help you need!   Store some in the freezer for emergency health support or take it for supper to ‘grandmother’s’ house.

 

A simple broth soup may start a meal well

Add vegetables, grain and/or legumes,

 It becomes a sustaining main course

SOUP & SOURDOUGH take-away is available

Save time and 5% with Value 6-Packs for busy homemakers and caregivers.

Choose from a menu of simple broth for a convalescent to a hearty supper stew

ALL made with traditional bone broth stock base

& a sprouted grain, sourdough, or gluten-free biscuit

SOUP & SOURDOUGH SUPPERS are perfect for:

• the nutritional requirements of housebound seniors
• busy and dedicated caregivers of elderly relatives
• tempting aroma & authentic taste for the sensitive palate
• tasty, nutrient-dense suppers for picky eaters
• satisfying, low-calorie comfort for those with special dietary needs
• quick early suppers to sustain after-work activities
• comforting, easy to digest late suppers after a long day
• recovery support from illness

Broth-based soup does more than please the taste buds as convalescent care has proven.

Sadly, broth seems gone from the American tradition even as science validates what grandmother knew – rich homemade bone broths can regenerate a weakened system.

Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.  Broth and soup made with fish heads and carcasses provide iodine and thyroid-strengthening substances.

When stock is cooled, it congeals due to the presence of gelatin. The use of gelatin as a therapeutic agent goes back to the ancient Chinese. As supplements and medicines occupy center-stage in health research today, so two hundred years ago gelatin held a position in the forefront of food therapy. Although gelatin is not a complete protein, containing only the amino acids arginine and glycine in large amounts, its protein is immediately ready for use in tissue building making it particularly nourishing for children, the convalescent and the elderly.  Gelatin, heritage from the French and probably the first functional food, is easily digested and tolerated well by all systems.  Gelatin is a hydrophilic colloid, which means that it attracts and holds liquids so crucial in diets of those on medications that cause dehydration.   It helps digestion in everyone by naturally attracting digestive juices for assimilation of food.

Gelatin has been researched and used continuously for the three centuries that diet was a major form of therapy for all illness.  Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk.  It was found useful in patient convalescence from a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer and early cookbooks dedicated whole chapters to its proper preparation.

Only stock made from bones and dairy products provides

calcium in a form that the body can easily assimilate.

Broth is important because gelatin in properly made bone broth helps the body use protein in an efficient way – a rare protein-sparing nutriment when meat is a luxury item.  For the malnourished, those with a limited food budget, caregivers and senior homes, this is an important dietary consideration because quality protein is as essential as it is costly.

An important source of minerals disappeared from the American diet when homemade stocks were pushed out by easier and cheaper imitations.  This has provided enormous opportunities for long-term profit for all industrialized food processors.

The protein in food has receptors on the tongue called glutamates that the human body has recognized as the meat taste since Paleo times.  In the 1950’s General Foods and other food conglomerates discovered that hydrolyzed proteins could mimic this meat taste naturally pursued for eons by humans as a nutrient-dense food source. Because these fake molecules artificially satisfied the tongue, soup became popular as a powdered base from a package or can – which are likely to contain the disrupting chemical we all know as MSG.

The food industry has worked for decades to conceal from the public that MSG causes a wide range of reaction, from temporary headaches to permanent brain damage.  As early as 1957, scientists found mice blind and obese when MSG was administered; in 1969, MSG-induced lesions were found in the hypothalamus region of the brain.  Decades of studies all point to MSG as toxic to the nervous system.

You CAN have your Pancakes and Eat them too!

September 26th was National Pancake Day – who knew?  

……except for pancake lovers maybe

…..except that there is less of them now that gluten and grain and flour is taboo..

This is about a better way to make pancakes… it is NOT about alternative flours – the alternative flours and ancient grains can be awesome but if you or someone in your family is partial to “white flour” pancakes – read on.

Do pancakes HAVE to be on your no eat list?  Well, that is up to you, as long as you know all the info – for most of you, if you want your grain you can eat it too. Yes there are all sorts of recipes for pancakes now, all free of something. I am talking about good ole flapjacks and why the traditional way of making them is still one of the best in my book.

Answer this – how many years has there been a form of bread in the world?  Then how come – like all of a sudden – bread is “not healthy”.  There are a few reasons, most of them wrapped  up into us humans fooling with foods and processes that nature gave us.

As early as 8000 B.C. bread was a staple with the Egyptians honing the practice of rising bread before baking. Bread was used as a form of money in times past – I am sure I do not have to say again – bread has been around a long time.

Let’s cut to the chase – you need to know about sourdough – REAL sourdough

REAL sourdough Fundamentals:

1) First of all – sourdough does not mean that it is sour. Don’t let the word sour turn you away, think of sourdough as a PROCESS not a flavor. It is a culturing and enlivening of ground grain.  And – sourdough is not just for bread! Anything you make with flour, you can make “sourdoughed”..

2) Sourdough is a live culture that does amazing things to flour and it can help you make bread and bread products that are lower in gluten (our ancestors did not make a gluten problem so they did not have a gluten problem) I have some friends that order my sourdough bread, when other bread products make them feel like they should not be eating it.

3) It rises the bread without any other commercial yeast you buy from the store

4) You can make your starter from thin air -literally!  So really it is an awesome, self – perpetuating, “sustainable” food source that can always be around to make any kind of bread products you want – I made sourdough brownies the other day that were amazing.

Why did I make brownies with sourdough?  Mostly – because this process works within the batter and makes your baking goods more digestible. Once you start seeing the wonders of sourdough you won’t want to make anything without it.

Think of your bowl of sourdough as a little fish tank with invisible little friendly fish – you have to feed them, most everyday. But if you are using it most everyday you want your little critters to be healthy and happy. You say hello, you feed your little batch of starter and – poof – a couple hours later it is bubbly and growing. When it gets to this jiggly stage is when it gets fun. When you don’t want to bake for a while – you just place it in a fridge – and will wait til you feel like wanting to deal with it again – it is very patient with you.

Now back to jiggly!  You add this sourdough to a recipe and it transforms it to – well – a more cohesive batter that has a life of its own.  Except for really cool pancakes – it you like a really spongy pancake – pure sourdough pancakes may be for you, and they are not like a rock in your tummy.

Sourdough baking is an artisianal process – meaning that does not follow strict rules on time, temperature and amount of ingredients.  If you are a real “measurer” in the kitchen I may lose you right here – but on the other side it is a very forgiving, it is an “anyone can do it kind of thing”.  It is just one of those processes that your mom or grand mom would have shown you – that you could have worked on together in the kitchen, like learning an art that you finally master and can teach to your kid!  Bakers were once revered in the communities – and specialized in this craft alone.

So lets make pancakes!   Here is my favorite!  It is especially good to do on days that you have been feeding your sourdough but just have not gotten to making anything with it.

Here is how easy it is once you have the sourdough: While you are heating a griddle place a couple cups of sourdough into another bowl, add a bit of sugar if you want plus an egg, a dash of salt and a dash of baking soda (you can add more flour too, but why do that is you have lots of starter?)  Place coconut oil (or other good oil) on your griddle – make pancakes with that starter. done.  The jigglier the starter – the spongier the pancake!

Want to know more??  Come to one of my sourdough classes at www.LodgeOnLakeClear.com – my resort in the Adirondack Mts where I am Executive Chef – and passionate about sharing Old World healthy methods of cooking.

Bring a group and learn how to incorporate Old World preparations into a New Age!

This article from a Baker’s Forum does a nice job at explaining the history and science of sourdough.  Go here for more.

 

The Importance of Traditional Foods – Listen In

Listen In Here

Dr Weston A Price traveled the world in the 1920’s and 30’s.

He found peoples around the world who were happy, healthy and well built.  The diets differed depending on where they lived but had several common factors they all followed in terms of what they ate and more importantly – how they prepared them.

This is what he found and why you should re-learn the preparations they used.

Characteristics of Traditional Diets

see more at www.westonaprice.org  and a great intro video here

This wisdom passed down from generation to generation, kept primitive groups around the world in peak physical condition.

1.     The diets of healthy primitive and non-industrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; protein powders; artificial vitamins or toxic additives and colorings.

2.     All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal protein and fat from fish and other seafood; water and land fowl; land animals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects.

3.     Primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and the Price Factor) as the average American diet.

4.     In all traditional cultures, some animal products are eaten raw.

5.     Primitive and traditional diets have a high food-enzyme content from raw dairy products, raw meat and fish; raw honey; tropical fruits; cold-pressed oils; wine and unpasteurized beer; and naturally preserved, lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, meats and condiments.

6.     Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened in order to neutralize naturally occuring antinutrients in these foods, such as phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates.

7.     Total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30% to 80% but only about 4% of calories come from polyunsaturated oils naturally occurring in grains, pulses, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories is in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.

8.     Traditional diets contain nearly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

9.     All primitive diets contain some salt.

10.                        Traditional cultures consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths.

11.                        Traditional cultures make provisions for fertility and the health of future generations by providing special nutrient-rich foods for parents-to-be, pregnant women and growing children; by proper spacing of children; and by teaching the principles of right diet to the young.

Learn about real “Nourishing Traditions”

Learn the “Nourishing Traditions” that kept – and can still keep – generations of peoples healthy – truly.  No fads or “new” material – only researched and documented preparations of foods – most that we have forgotten or have never been taught – they have been lost though the last few generations of “convenience” foods. These preparations of real foods work with our physical bodies and provide them with nutrient dense foods.

This book is available for browsing and purchase here, in the Adirondack Nourished Market and 100 Mile Store, onsite at The Lake Clear Lodge, 6319 State Rt 30, Lake Clear, NY  12045

“This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Sally Fallon dispels the myths of the current low-fat fad in this practical, entertaining guide to a can-do diet that is both nutritious and delicious.

Nourishing Traditions will tell you:

1. Why your body needs old fashioned animal fats

1. Why butter is a health food

1. How high-cholesterol diets promote good health

1. How saturated fats protect the heart

1. How rich sauces help you digest and assimilate your food

1. Why grains and legumes need special preparation to provide optimum benefits

1. About enzyme-enhanced food and beverages that can provide increased energy and vitality

1. Why high-fiber, lowfat diets can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies

Topics include the health benefits of traditional fats and oils (including butter and coconut oil); dangers of vegetarianism; problems with modern soy foods; health benefits of sauces and gravies; proper preparation of whole grain products; pros and cons of milk consumption; easy-to-prepare enzyme enriched condiments and beverages; and appropriate diets for babies and children.”

Try Cultures – for Health

An interesting “other name” for bacteria …..  Cultures!  But do you know that they outnumber body cells by 10:1

What do you think of first when you hear the word – bacteria ??  Yuk right? We are led to believe that bacteria are bad – that they cause disease, that we need to sanitize.  We need to redefine our thinking – for the most part these bacteria we are talking about here are GOOD bacteria. And …. we need to nurture them.

“All the bacteria living inside you would fill a half-gallon jug; there are 10 times more bacterial cells in your body than human cells, according to Carolyn Bohach, a microbiologist at the University of Idaho (U.I.), along with other estimates from scientific studies. (Despite their vast numbers, bacteria don’t take up that much space because bacteria are far smaller than human cells.) Although that sounds pretty gross, it’s actually a very good thing.”   This paragraph that you just read is an excerpt from a Scientific America article .  The article is not too long and is worth reading

From what I understand we live in dimensions 3-5 for the most part.  Bacteria are, in a simple way, the second dimension (read The Alchemy of Nine Dimensions by Barbara Hand Clow).  So maybe just maybe these tiny bacteria give us the fundamentals of life for a physical form. Umm, maybe we should pay attention to the FUNdamentals!

The bacteria in our gut relate to our immune system. “Further, probiotics—dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial microbes—have been shown to boost immunity. Not only do gut bacteria “help protect against other disease-causing bacteria that might come from your food and water,” Huffnagle says, “they truly represent another arm of the immune system.”” (reference the article above)

Make your dietary supplements consist of foods you make, not pills you swallow..

You recognize yogurt. But do you know about dairy kefir, japanese water crystals or kombucha? Do you know what real sourdough is all about? Do you know that condiments like ketchup and mustard used to be cultured and that they used to help us digest the hamburger that we put it on?

Did you know that the origins of the kefir grain is a mystery?  And that it can not be duplicated in a lab!  I think it truly nourishes the depths of your soul at a level of origins of your cells.

Join me for a “You Need to Get Cultured – for Health”  class onsite and online.  We can share cultures, ideas and techniques.

 

Make your Local Foods into Superfoods

Make Local Foods into  Superfoods !

Hey Folks – you need to Get Cultured!!  Sorry, not an insult, just a healthy suggestion!!

I am not talking about foods you need to get from a jungle far away or a vegetable that you can’t pronounce – I am talking about making your own local foods SUPER foods just in the way you prepare them.

Buying local is only the first step – keeping or even improving their nutrients is the next.  And yes – you can learn about other superfoods in the process – like coconut oil – that can add beneficial nutrients and make your local food cooking diversified.

Some of these ancient superfoods have found their way back to the top –to the top 10 superfoods on Oprah.com for one!  Talk about “classics” – when food preparations survive thousands of years – to return as they once were – there HAS to be a reason!

For example:

Full of healthy probiotics, cultured foods may seem unfamiliar at first but you have eaten many of them – just NOT the original version.  Much more than processed  vitamins from a jar – these foods have all the complements of nutrients that really make them work for you – not just the bits and pieces that we happen to filter in or out as the case may be.  Most yogurts, sauerkrauts  and cheeses are NOT the same as our great grandparents ate.  Pickles and even catsup , when prepared as they used to be – were full of probiotics and immunity boosting properties.  If I listed all the foods that were originally made by culturing and fermenting – you would be astounded.  From dairy to vegetable, grains to “sodas” – these ultra processed foods in the store contain tons of sugar, vinegar and fillers to make them taste like what we THINK they should taste like, but leave behind the properties that they were “born” with.

And then there are preparations like soaking grains to decrease “antinutrients” and make other nutrients available.  Know anyone who is gluten intolerant? Could it be that we do not prepare our grains properly? According to research – that may be the case.

Want a great short video?  see a great intro to Lacto Fermented Foods

Nope – has nothing to do with lactose – a milk sugar,  but does have everything to do with keeping your body’s system of healthy bacteria – so they keep you healthy.  Like Sarah says in the video “they are super raw foods”

Did you know bacteria in your body out numbers you 10:1?  Just maybe, they deserve a bit of attention!

Here’s a few more examples of “originally live” foods that we have pasteurized or otherwise fooled with:

Beverages such as ginger beer, root beer and buttermilk, porridge (yes the breakfast kind), sourdough breads and pancakes, etc, borscht,  apple cider vinegar, chutneys and salsas – and there is more. I mentioned pickles and sauerkraut – the real ones – the ones with live cultures (like yogurt) are NOT and I said NOT made with vinegar .  They are made by adding salt and maybe a bit of water to them and letting them sit for a few days.  The process eats the sugars and helps digest any proteins , adds beneficial bacteria good for our digestive system (ie immune system) and develops an environment where “bad” bacteria can not survive.

Originally – these foods developed as a way to preserve foods.  Current science tells us why we should take another look and make them as they used to.   Plenty of accounts tell of foods used as medicine – many were these cultured foods.  Cultured dairy was even used to fight tuberculosis.

There are different – but the same – types of food processing that actually INCREASE nutrients rather than decreasing.

Culturing dairy products can improve your tolerance, natural fizzy soda can be made without added sugar and false carbonation, even bread can return as a healthier food product, far away from just adding whole grains.  Once understood the simplicity of them is amazing. While it takes time to monitor the process – you can save money by making your own , improve your nutrient intake and boost your immunity at the same time.

For more info and references, email me at naturetraditions@yahoo.com  and on facebook   Adirondack Lake Clear Lodge and Retreat  or www.LodgeOnLakeClear.com

Are you local?  Order pantry items or fully prepared items at www.OldWorldEatery.com or come to The 100 Mile Store at The Lake Clear Lodge Check out our good foods buyers club where you can get good foods at case prices when you split it with others.  Mountain Lake Wholeshare Buyers Club   

A Grain Quicky – To Eat or Not to Eat?

Here is an interesting pamphlet by Chef’s Collaborative,  on grains. Interesting – as chef’s need to find ways to offer grain free items just as much as menu items with grains.  So many people are cutting back on gluten or are encouraged to do so because of a medical diagnosis.

It’s All About Grain

But what is missing in any of the info, recipes, you name it,  when you talk about grains??

1) In the past, grains were soaked and sprouted before used in foods and recipes

2) We have disregarded these preparations for the most part

3) It is suggested by research of the WAPF that we need to relearn the traditional food preparations of grains to decrease “anti-nutrients” found in grains, nuts and seeds and to better assimilate the nutrients in them

4) There is evide

Preparing Grains, Nuts, Seeds and Beans for Maximum Nutrition

Phytic acid in grains, nuts, seeds and beans represents a serious problem in our diets. This problem exists because we have lost touch with our ancestral heritage of food preparation. Instead we listen to food gurus…..  see more

See recipes on this blog or the WAPF website and more.

The Historic Cure Cottages of Saranac Lake

Between 1873 and 1945, Saranac Lake, New York became a world renowned center for the treatment of tuberculosis, using a treatment that involved exposing patients to as much fresh air as possible under conditions of complete bed-rest. In the process, a specific building type, the “Cure Cottage” developed, built by local residents seeking to capitalize on the town’s fame, by physicians, and often by the patients themselves.

Many of these structures are still extant, and their historic value has been recognized

by listing on National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

“Patients that improved enough boarded in local homes called

‘Cure Cottages’

from fresh, local produce that was naturally nutrient-dense.”

The trend these days is to bring back the natural goodness of local foods –

but  “health and healing go BEYOND just local.

 “We need to re-learn the preparations  that accompany good foods

for health and healing of a modern world”

It is 1886 and Mrs. S.T. Rorer, Principal of the Philadelphia Cooking School has just copyrighted The Philadelphia Cookbook – A Manual for Home Economies.

It follows her first book, Diet for the Sick – a treasure trove of advice and recipes for convalescence and nurture of patients with communicable diseases in the age before modern drugs.
Then, the only hospital for such diseases, was a Sanitorium located in mountainous Northern Europe and in the old-growth forests of America – namely Saranac Lake, NY.

Nearly all taking ‘the fresh-air cure’ suffered from mild to acute cases of tuberculosis, and were between 18 and 35 years of age – consumption was a disease of the young, and it was devastatingly fatal much of the time.

Patients that improved enough boarded in local homes called ‘cure cottages’ where their meals were physician-directed and made, as those in the sanitoria, from fresh, local produce that was naturally nutrient-dense.
I am pleased for this opportunity to share back through time the recipes and time-honored methods of food sourcing and preparation that made up fully one-third of all disease treatment in the age before researchers discovered causes and treatments of disease through microscopic investigation.

Equal parts of good fofods plus rest and mild exercise in fresh mountain air made up the balance of the only healing modality available at the time.

A healing modality good for all of us – regardless of  our current state of health.

Join us in the Adirondack Mountains!

Lynn Cameron, Advocate of Health through Good Foods, Essential Oils and BEMER Magnetics

Cathy Hohmeyer, “Old World” Chef and co-owner of a “Healing Woods Retreat”

 History of Saranac Lake and the famous Cure Cottages