A field in Gettysburg
Yesterday morning, I got up a little late. I considered not going to the farmer’s market since I still had some vegetables left over from the previous weekend. But as I thought about it, I realized I could not go a week without quark, the creamy fresh cheese made from cultured buttermilk. And so, I made the journey to the farmer’s market after all. I ended up getting some sheep milk cheese, heavy cream, and berries in addition to the quark, so it was productive. I’m preparing a post on quark. It is something you can make at home, if you are so inclined. In the meantime, here are a few links that I found interesting: some local farms I love, a coconut milk cooking contest, misconclusions drawn from studies, nutrient deficiencies, supplies for preserving food, and why local food is awesome. See below for all the links.
Valley Shepherd Creamery - This is where I got the sheep’s milk cheese from. It was very tasty. I don’t eat a lot of sheep’s milk cheese for some reason, sticking more with cow and goat. But I should make regular stops at this farm’s stall to try the different sheep’s milk cheeses. The sheep are grass fed, and they even offer some raw milk cheeses. I see that they give farm tours, so I might try to go. Their cheese can be purchased in the NYC/NJ area, but if you don’t live here, they do have an online store.
Hawthorn Valley Farm - I love this farm. Someday I will figure out how I can go work there. Grass fed cows, fermented foods, vegetables, they have it all. If you are in the NY area, check them out.
Clean Your Plate - A cooking contest hosted by The Nourished Kitchen. This month’s theme is coconut milk. Submit your recipe by July 15th, or vote once she posts the entries! Coconut milk is a wonderful ingredient, so this will be a great one to bookmark and make all of the recipes!
Warning: Bologna May Cause Cancer Headlines - There are a lot of studies out there that tell you eating meat is bad for you, fat is bad for you, etc. Is that really true? Here is a critical look at one such study. Read it, and you will learn never to trust the headlines when someone tells you some new study shows X. Instead, read into the study for more information. How was the data collected? What data did they look at, etc. Here is another one debunking the Finnish Mental Hospital Trial.
ABC’s Big Meal Propaganda - A similar article, this one debunking a news report on ABC. Here is a quick synopsis - A reporter eats 4 foods that are really bad for you - a deep fried appatizer, a hamburger, french fries, and one of those mega cookie ice cream desserts at popular restaurants. Then a doctor gives her an exam and tells her how the food affected her, and she says how awful she feels after eating all that saturated fat. What the report doesn’t tell you is all of the sugar and white flour in these foods. That is what makes them so unhealthy! Not the saturated fat. Read the whole article the complete details. Very interesting. In general, that is what makes fast food unhealthy - the sugar (in the soda, in the bun) and the vegetable oils everything is fried in. It isn’t the saturated fat that poses the biggest problem.
Supplies for Preserving Food - If you want to preserve your own food, here is some equipment you might want. Look for them at garage sales. 
Are you Nutrient Starved? - I believe most of us aren’t getting enough proper nutrition. Our lifestyle and diet just does not make it easy. For example, vitamin D. I work an office job and can’t go sunbathe for 30 minutes every day to get my requirement of sunlight for optimal vitamin D conversion. And most people don’t eat enough dairy or eggs to make up for it. The RDA only lists the bare minimum requirements of nutrients to prevent your body from getting deficiency related diseases, but less profound deficiencies can still affect you. While I disagree with her assertion that answering “yes” to any of her list of symptoms means you have a deficiency, she still makes a good point that any of those things can mean you aren’t getting enough nutrients. Here is another article on the RDA of vitamin D.
Why local food - A great post on why local food is so good for you and the community at large.
Healthy and unhealthy ingredients - What ingredients to avoid, and what you can substitute with. A very helpful post for those of you just starting out on a more traditional, less processed foods way of life.
I think that is it for now. That should keep you busy until I can regale you with tales of quark and lambs quarter.
