Farm Fresh Eggs

When my mom was visiting recently she was very impressed with the eggs we have. We get ours from some people we know who raise organic beef and have a few laying hens. The yolks in these eggs are orange not yellow(this picture does not do them justice) and they really do taste great. During my mother's stay she kept trying to figure out how she could bring some home with her on the plane. I finally convinced her that this was not a good idea. My mom has always been very pro-eggs. Even during the years when people said that eggs were bad my mother said they were healthy. I, also, believe that eggs are one of nature's most perfect foods. And my mother has always said that to find good nutrition you should follow the color. Meaning nature will show you what is the most nutritious by giving it an appealing color. So we strongly believe that to get the most out of eating an egg you need to eat the yolk because that is where the color is. Science seems to be bearing this out.

Growing up we always kept chickens for eggs. And I have to admit to not really loving chickens themselves but I do enjoy eggs. In fact, my family would be shocked to know recently I contemplated whether or not I would want to keep some hens for eggs. But because I don't like dealing with chickens the answer so far is no.

This is a poem about the fig tree in our backyard when I was growing up but it talks about chickens so I am including it. Growing up we had lots of fruit trees including about 3 different types of plums, a peach tree, a guava bush, a pear, a couple of apples and last, but definitely not least, a fig tree. Also we had a banana tree but it was just an ornamental one.

figs

You are my first child
and I see you under the shade of the fig
chasing chickens.
You bend over,
hands low to the ground
just about chicken width apart.
The chicken is not too threatened by you
but avoids your hands,
pecking at fallen figs.

Later you will see what is above you
and pull the big flat leaves
from their rubbery branches.
Your hands will be sticky
with the milky blood
and you will be a seamstress
your only fabric green and furry.
And your dolls will be clothed with Eden’s best.

You will walk quietly up to the tree
in the summers of the future
and you will pull firmly but fearfully on your choice fig.
As you release the fig from its branch
you arouse and scatter a million iridescent beetles.
they are loud and frightening and beautiful.

When you are yet older
you will realize that you are bigger than a scarab
and you will want to play with them.
You will spend the quiet of a whole afternoon
trying to catch one and tie a leash about his body
and you will name him.

For years you will forget the fig
and the safety of the backyard
but later when you are me
you will stand on the blue porch
and watch your daughter chase chickens
under the fig tree.

Health Food People and Fudge

I come from health food people. My memory of peanut butter as a kid is going to the health food store and scooping out peanuts and then dumping them into the grinder(it looks kind of like the coffee grinders you now see in stores). Then you would catch the ground up nuts in a plastic tub. Voila, peanut butter! In fact, I now use Skippy All Natural Peanut Butter and it drives my mom nuts(pun intended). Every time she visits I hear the lecture about how it is not real peanut butter because it has sugar added and you don't have to stir it. I swear it makes her twitch just being in the same room with it(well, maybe I exaggerate a little). Anyway the point of this anecdote is that I am a born and raised health food person. As an adult I have chosen to be more moderate, hence, the Skippy but it is instilled deeply in me to eat naturally.

So recently I saw a cookbook at the thrift store called, Taming the Candy Monster by Vicki Lansky. It is a book of recipes of healthy treats for kids and recently we have been trying to cut down on sugar so I bought the book. In it was a recipe for Super Fridge Fudge(pictured above). I had to try it. I wont put the actual recipe up(because I am lazy) but I will describe it. It starts with warming up some peanut butter and honey. Then you add cocoa powder, lots of nuts and then coconut and raisins. You spread it in a pan and then chill it. It is nice and chewy and sweet. It will definitely appear again at our house soon.

Chocolate is an important health food!

I was reading yesterday on mercola.com that Chocolate is showing promise of lowering the risks of cancer, heart failure, diabetes and stroke. Some said it might rival penicillin in its societal importance and maybe its health component (epicatechin) should be considered a vitamin. You gotta love that! The best part of this article was a quote from a reader "That does it! No more penicillin-chip cookies for me!"

This means that I am now on the hunt for chocolate recipes. But I don't want to overdue the sugar so I am looking for savory chocolate recipes. Mole, anyone? I will keep you posted.