Homemade Stevia Extract

“Stevia leaves and stevioside are virtually calorie-free, beneficial in the prevention of cavities and do not trigger a rise in blood sugar. They are not only safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics, but in some countries stevia leaves are even prescribed as a medicinal substance for these conditions because they normalize pancreatic function and thus aid in the metabolism of sugar.”
Weston A Price Foundation: Sugar-Free Blues: Everything You Wanted to Know About Artificial Sweeteners

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It has taken me a long time to discover a way to make a stevia extract that is sweet but without the unpleasant aftertaste.

“The whole stevia leaves contain a number of beneficial compounds, including ascorbic acid, calcium, beta-carotene, chromium, cobalt, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, sodium, thiamin, tin and zinc.”

Stevia is an excellent sweetener for people with metabolic syndrome or diabetes. It tastes incredibly sweet but some people dislike the aftertaste. I’m one of those people so I’m not a fan of stevia. Nevertheless, I have family and friends with blood sugar issues. It has taken me a long time to discover a way to make a stevia extract that is sweet but without the unpleasant aftertaste.

Normally, when making plant extracts infusions take 4-6 weeks. This does not work with stevia. The trick to making a nice stevia extract is to only infuse for less than 24 hours. During the infusion process, taste the extract every few hours. If the extract starts getting a foul taste, note the time and stop the infusion process. This method will produce a very sweet extract without the nasty aftertaste. I have also found that using homemade vanilla extract as the alcohol base improves the flavor greatly.

1tsp organic stevia powder
1/4c Homemade Vanilla Extract or organic vodka

Add the stevia powder to the homemade vanilla extract and let the stevia infuse for no more than 24 hours. Longer infusions will bring out the unpleasant aftertaste. I don’t normally filter extracts but with stevia filtering is needed to avoid pieces of plant material staying in the extract and fouling the taste. So, filter the extract to remove any stevia powder. A coffee filter or cheese cloth will work well. Decant the stevia extract into a bottle with a dropper for convenient use. Add some more straight vanilla extract if you find the stevia extract too sickly sweet.

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Use a coffee filter or damp cheese cloth to filter out the stevia. Filter a second time, if necessary. I’m still not a fan of stevia but this extract with vanilla is pretty good.

“When applied topically, the stevia leaves also fight acne and speed wound healing while also reducing the formation of scar tissue.”

You can grow stevia at home. If you are looking to purchase, there is a local farm that grows stevia. They attend the Kamloops Farmer’s Market:

Suede Hills Organic Farm
Phil and Cindy Levington
6049 Thompson River Dr, PO Box 513, Savona, BC, V0K 2J0
T: 250.373.0191, C: 250.682.1188
www.suedehills.com
www.steviasweetsuccess.com
44km
certified organic STOPA farm no.166: organic stevia powder, alfalfa powder, pet supplements, worm castings

Homemade Broth Powder

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This homemade broth powder is a good camping or travel food. Adding some healthy fats to the broth will make this drink very nourishing and sustaining.

“Nutritional yeast is an excellent natural source of B complex vitamins (except for B12) plus a variety of minerals. Look for yeast that has been processed at low temperatures.”
Weston A Price Foundation: Guide to Superfoods

Commercial broth powders, bouillon granules or cubes are filled with some very questionable ingredients. These ersatz foods are among some of the worst industrial foods available. Making your own broth powder is a easy way to say “No!” to a boatload of food additives while still having access to a convenience food. With homemade broth, no one has to pay for convenience with their health.

This homemade broth powder is a good travel food. The powder can be used by itself in hot water or with bone broth. A cup of broth is tasty with 1-3 teaspoons of coconut oil, creamed coconut or butter. Add some extra nutritional yeast or fermented miso, if desired.

1c organic shiitake mushroom powder
1-2T sea salt
1-2T organic sage, finely ground
1-2T organic nutritional yeast, finely ground
1-2T wildcrafted dulse, finely ground (optional)
1 organic birdeye pepper, finely ground (optional)

In a spice grinder, finely grind the sea salt, sage, nutritional yeast, dulse and hot pepper into a very fine powder. In a bowl add the mixture to the shiitake mushroom powder and mix very well. Use 1-2 tablespoons of powder for each 2-3 cups of hot water. Adding some healthy fats to the broth will make the broth very nourishing and sustaining.

Weston A Price Foundation ACTION ALERT for Polish Farmers

I received this Action Alert from the Weston A Price Foundation. They are requesting all Weston A Price Foundation members and people interested in food freedom to commence a letter writing campaign to mobilize against government interference with private property rights and food freedom. This is an act of solidarity with Polish farmers that are facing increased government regulation from the European Union which will put them out of business.

International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) wants to raise “public awareness of the importance of the small family farm in creating an ecologically sensitive, long-term solution to the countryside, which avoids the destructive consequences of CAP policies. ICPPC is non-governmental organization and co-operates with all who want to promote and protect the Polish countryside’s natural and cultural biodiversity.”

Friends!

In Poland the battle to?save Polish farmland from corporate buy-outs’ continues. But that’s not all the Polish farmers are up against… See link to film. Tractors have been blockading government institutions from 14 January…

Regulations that the?Warsaw?government?has imposed over the years have?made?it?virtually impossible?to sell farm?processed foods to local shops, schools or private individuals. The only way farmers can conform with the hygiene and sanitary regulations imposed from above, is by carrying out their simple processing tasks in specially designed and equipped buildings that none can afford to build or to adapt… except the very large producers supplying the food industry and supermarkets. Yes, that’s right — it’s all about destroying the competition — which in this case is the small and medium sized independent family farms that produce the best foods!

There are still one and a half million such farms in Poland!

ICPPC is supporting the protesting farmers to highlight this grossly unfair treatment of all who wish to provide fine quality, flavorful and ‘real’ farmhouse-foods in their own localities.

You too can be part of this vital protest…

Join in by sending a brief letter in support of the farmers to Prime Minister Tusk urging him to change the regulations so that family farmers can sell their products locally! And send a copy of your letter to us here at ICPPC: biuro@icppc.pl. You can donate to ICPPC here.

Contact to Prime Minister:
Premier Rz?du RP Donald Tusk, Secretariat of the Prime Minister
Aleje Ujazdowskie 1/3, 00-583 Warszawa, Poland
F: +48 (22) 694 70 53
E: sprm@kprm.gov.pl

With greetings,
Jadwiga and Julian

Fresh Milk, Food Politics in Vancouver, BC

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If you value the freedom to choose the kinds of foods on your table please come to Fresh Milk, Food Politics in Vancouver, BC.

When: April 6, 2013
Time: 8:30am-8:30pm
Where: Ukrainian Cathedral, 154 East 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 3E5
Cost: $99.00
Buy Tickets Here: Fresh Milk, Food Politics

Jackie Ingram and Alice Jongerden of Home On The Range invite you to Fresh Milk, Food Politics. “Please join us for a day of networking, activism and food politics. Dynamic speakers and food exhibits, followed by a wonderful local cheese and wine party to end the day!”

I will be running an information table for the Weston A Price Foundation. Please come and meet the people trying to ensure that you can have the food you want on your plate. If you would like to have some background history about raw milk and food freedom please read: Food Freedom: The Politics of Food.

Updated April 11, 2013: I wanted to share some pictures from Fresh Milk, Food Politics. Apparently, there will be videos of the lectures on the website soon. There were two lectures that I found particularly interesting. Karen Selick from the Canadian Constitution Foundation lectured on how the government uses children to restrict personal freedoms and Nadine Ijaz from the Pacific Rim College outlined the science behind the myths and truths around raw milk.

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From the left are Mark McAfee, Micheal Schmidt, Jason Grati and Alice Jongerden. These are the people who are fighting for your food freedom.

Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures runs the largest raw milk dairy in California. In California you can buy raw milk in stores. Micheal Schmidt is from Glencolton Farm in Ontario. Michael has been fighting the government for nearly twenty years for the right of herdshare owners to drink milk from their own herd. Jason Gratl is the lawyer for Alice Jongerden from Home on the Range. Alice runs Canada’s largest herdshare program.

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This is Raoul Bedi with the Canadian Consumer Raw Milk Advocacy Group getting signatures to petition the government for raw milk sales in Canada.

Canadian Consumer Raw Milk Advocacy Group

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Slow Food Vancouver was a supporter of Fresh Milk, Food Politics.

Slow Food Vancouver

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This is Kate Hutchinson from Whole Family Nutrition. She is a specialist on the GAPS program.

Whole Family Nutrition

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The Weston A Price Kamloops Chapter was an exhibitor. It was great to meet all the people working — and sacrificing — to keep nourishing traditional foods on everyone’s table.

Updated April 19, 2013: Here are just two short interviews with Karen Selick and Nadine Ijaz. There are many more interviews from Fresh Milk, Food Politics.

Season’s Greetings!

At this time of year, I am always filled with gratitude for all the good things life brings. I think about my family and how everyone is so healthy now. I look at my well stocked larder and give thanks to all the farmers that have provided the good food that makes my family healthy. I give thanks for their commitment to practices that produce great tasting food while healing the soil and the earth. I look at the bounty of my table and know how lucky I am.

I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year. May your plates be full of nourishing traditional foods!

For the seven days before Christmas, I would like to share Dr Mercola’s interviews with? Joel Salatin at Polyface Farm. Joel states that we could totally change our food system in two years, if the household purchaser of food changed what she bought.

If you enjoyed these videos about Joel Salatin and Polyface Farm and would like to learn more about his farming system and equipment please see the Polyface Face Farm Resources. Here are some of his books I have read over the years:
Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal
Pastured Poultry Profits
The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer

Updated December 20, 2012: I just received a wonderful ebook from Elizabeth Gibbons who is a long-time member of the Weston A Price Foundation. She has just written a ebook called Overfed and Undernourished: Taking The Confusion Out Of Healthy Eating which is FREE to download from Amazon Kindle on Thursday and Friday, December 20 and 21, 2012.

overfed-undernourished

FREE ebook for download on December 20-21, 2012.

This ebook is a good introduction to some of the common contaminates found in the industrial food system such as: artificial sweeteners, genetically modified organisms, soy creations, monosodium glutamate, artificial coloring, trans fats, fluoride, pink slime, and meat glue. The ebook is not all horrors. Elizabeth helps you navigate a safe passage through the murky waters of the industrial food system. By the end of the ebook, you might wonder if our government regulators have abandoned us, but you will have the tools to make better food choices for your family.

Thank you Elizabeth, for your wonderful ebook.