Maple Syrup, Raw Milk and Local Honey
In my kitchen, I have many staples including unbleached flour, eggs from my niece's farm, local raw milk, real maple syrup and local raw honey to name a few. Making slow food from real whole ingredients is the foundation of my homestead kitchen. Don't get me wrong: my kitchen is not "perfect". You will probably find chicken nuggets in my freezer on any given day. Will we ever get to a point where we live only on food we grew ourselves or by someone we know? Honestly, probably not, as much as I would love this. But every time I learn a new recipe, I eliminate one more processed factory food from our plates. Today I'd like to share a little bit of research I found on some of these ingredients that may inspire you to make a change or two in your own kitchen. Life is busy. Don't pressure yourself to do it all and make every meal from scratch. You might not work from home like I am lucky enough to do and so creating a home cooked meal that pleases your whole family when you get home from work is probably not on your list of Things You Can't Wait To Do Later. Switch out one ingredient. Start by making from-scratch-meals one day a week. And for heaven's sake, drop the guilt. No one needs that. xoxo
According to the Raw Milk Institute “Large studies have found that raw milk consumption is associated with lower rates of asthma, allergies, eczema, ear infections, fevers and respiratory infections.” In addition, raw milk offers beneficial enzymes, probiotics, proteins, and bioavailable vitamins and calcium.
Sounds like a good deal to me. Make sure
you get your milk from someone you know
or a farm certified to sell raw milk. The Raw Milk Institute is a wealth of information on the safe handling and use of raw milk.
According to the Maine Maple Producers Association, maple syrup contains essential nutrients including manganese, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. In addition, real maple syrup is also known to:
*Contain antioxidants that reduce free radicals
*Score lower on the glycemic index than sugar and does not contain the toxins of artificial sweeteners
*Fight inflammatory diseases.
*Help protect against cancer
*Enhance antibiotic affects
Who knew? Getting rid of "maple-flavored syrup" in favor of real maple syrup is probably one of the easiest changes you can make in your kitchen. And you can feel good about it too, knowing all of the health benefits. And it's available in every grocery store, even if the source of the syrup is not local.
We use local raw honey to help my daughter with her allergies and asthma. I recently learned some things about honey from Astor Apiaries that are pretty amazing. Raw honey has the power to:
*Fight free radicals with powerful antioxidants
*Fight bacterial and fungal infections by boosting the immune system
*Boost brain function
*Heal wounds when applied topically
*Soothe sore throats and coughs
*Provide essential vitamins, minerals and proteins
*Improve digestion
*Excellent additive to skin and hair treatments
*Instantly boost energy while regulating sugar and cholesterol levels
*Relieve insomnia
Again, raw honey is available almost anywhere. And a quick online search will give you substitution charts so you know how much honey to use in place of processed bleached sugar. Local raw honey is even better if you can find it because the plants that bees in your area are pollinating are used to make that honey by those hard working bees. That means you are being exposed to small doses of those plants, and the effect of that is a reduction of allergies to those plants over time.
What ingredients do you have in your kitchen that you can't live without? What are some of your pantry staples? If you'd like to start doing more things from scratch, check out my 150+ page slow-living guide Bohemian Farmgirl's Backyard Homesteader eCourse: 12 Traditional Skills to Start You On Your Journey Towards Simple and Sustainable Living.
