BHM Newsletter
Volume 10      Number 8

August 29, 2008
 

INSIDE BHM

New Issue

The September/October issue should have arrived in subscriber's mailboxes over the past few weeks. If you have not yet received yours, please let the folks in the office know. They are available Monday — Friday, 8:15 AM to 4:45 PM Pacific time at 1-800-835-2418.

Selections from the issue have also been posted on our website, including

• Sewing and using cloth diapers by Annie Tuttle
• The many benefits of garlic by Joe Knight
• Part 3 of Jeff Yago's Energy Class
• The first intsallment of John Silveira's three-part Our energy crisis - it's our creation, but we can fix it
• Brining pickles by Vicky Rose
• Homemade bread-a metaphor for life by Claire Wolfe

Click Here to go straight to the Table of Contents.

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SELF-RELIANCE TIPS

Do you want to find or save seed for planting or learn about or develop a new variety of your favorite plant? Find information about seeds and plant propagation methods for the home and commercial grower.

Organic Seed Suppliers Search
National Center for Appropriate Technology. ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Provides sources for organic seed of both agronomic and horticultural crops with an emphasis on small alternative seed companies offering open-pollinated vegetable, flower and herb seed.

Seed Savers Exchange
A nonprofit membership organization of individuals working locally and internationally to save heirloom garden seeds and offering a large selection of those seeds for sale. The catalog of seeds derives from a diverse selection of vegetables, herbs and flowers maintained by the group in its seed bank and preservation gardens.

Saving Yesterday's Seeds for Today and Tomorrow
Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center. Offers a catalog of heirloom seeds and information about production of beans and tomatoes.

Plant Breeding as a Hobby
University of Illinois. College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. "The purpose of this circular is to explain the principles of plant reproduction and to describe some of the simple techniques that can be used to produce new varieties or strains of plants."

Sustainable Organic Plant Breeding
Louis Bolk Institute. This report discusses opportunities, needs and challenges of an organic plant breeding system.

Basic Seed Saving
International Seed Saving Institute. Provides a glossary and description of basic terms, descriptions of basic methods and seed saving instructions for twenty-seven common vegetables sorted by difficulty.

Saving Our Seed Project
Provides a collection of seed production information resources, publications covering production of a varieties of seeds, a certified organic seed sourcing service, an online discussion forum and information about the One Seed At A Time program, a Southeast seed bank and curation facility.

Plant Breeding and Genetics: Seeds of the Future
Cornell University. Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics. Several programs and projects of interest including the Organic Seed Partnership.

COMMENTARY

Emergency Physicians Express Safety Concerns Over Text Messaging as Kids Go Back to School

Plain old common sense' advised; don't text while walking, driving, rollerblading

Editor's Note: This special commentary from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is especially timely in light of the completely unnecessary death this month of a 16-year-old girl who died in a single-car accident while drunk, speeding, and texting.

Washington, D.C. — The nation's youngsters will soon be headed back to school and making new friends in new classes, as well as catching up with old buddies - activities that these days typically spark a flurry of text-messaging, especially among teens and young adults. But the nation's emergency physicians say they are seeing a dangerous trend that can go hand-in-hand with texting: a rise in injuries and deaths related to sending text messages at inappropriate times, such as while walking, driving, biking or rollerblading.

"It's tragic," said Dr. Linda Lawrence, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), who noted that her colleagues across the country are anecdotally reporting cases, "among teens and young adults, in particular, who are arriving in emergency departments with serious and sometimes fatal injuries because they were not paying attention while texting."

"We see this every day, since we are [in] downtown Chicago, with lots of people walking around," said Dr. James Adams, MD, professor and chair of the department of emergency medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. "People are texting and they trip and fall on their faces - usually people in their 20s. We see a lot of face, chin, mouth [and] eye injuries from falls."

Even worse, said Dr. Adams, are the injuries that result from people texting and causing collisions with bikers, rollerbladers and others.

"Some [people] are actually on [Chicago's busy] lakefront path texting while walking or exercising," said Dr. Adams. "We see people rollerblading or biking while texting. They are usually very skilled but sometimes crash and fall when they are not watching where they are going."

While many of these injuries turn out to be relatively minor, others are more deadly. "In March, [we] were driving and saw a woman in her twenties step off the curb and get struck square by a pickup truck," said Dr. Matthew Lewin, MD, PhD, an emergency physician at University of California San Francisco Hospital in San Francisco. "She was unconscious and it appeared she'd suffered a massive brain injury. You could tell she saw the truck at the last moment because her cell phone was dropped right where she was struck just off the curb, and she was thrown about 20 or 30 feet.. It was horrifying. The truck stopped. The driver was devastated. I was amazed to hear she survived all the way to trauma center but died [in] the ER."

Of course, it's not the just young who are vulnerable to cell-phone-related injuries. Dr. Paul Walsh, an emergency physician in Bakersfield, Calif., reported treating a man in his 50s who was talking on the phone to his wife. "He was distracted and was killed as he crossed the road.

"This issue is real," said Dr. Walsh. "In Ireland, the government developed advertising specifically targeted at teens for this very reason."

Because of the inevitable distractions and subsequent dangers related to texting and the use of other electronic devices such as Ipods, Dr. Lawrence advised the following common-sense safety measures:

• Don't text or use a cell phone while engaged in any physical activities that require sustained attention; such activities include walking, biking, boating, rollerblading or even intermittent-contact sports such as baseball, football or soccer. Never text or use a hand-held cell phone while driving or motorcycling, and use caution even with headsets.

• Avoid becoming distracted by rummaging through purses, backpacks or clothing by keeping cell phones and blackberries in easy-to-find locations, such as phone pockets or pouches. Ignore the call or message if it might interfere with concentration during critical activities that require attention. Better yet, turn off the device beforehand during times when incoming calls or messages might prove to be a dangerous or even simply embarrassing or annoying interference.

• Be mindful of the distraction and corresponding reflex-response delay that texting can cause, and don't text in any environments in which excessive inattention can cause safety concerns, such as while sitting alone at night, waiting for a bus, or in a crowded area, where one could easily become a victim of a personal theft.

"The bottom line is to be aware of potential safety concerns and to simply exercise caution, restraint and good judgment at all times when using a cell phone or blackberry," said Dr. Lawrence.

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 26,000 members.

RECIPES

Very, Very Berry

'Tis the season! No, of course we don't mean Christmas. But if you live in the northern hemisphere, you know it's the season for many, many varieties of berries. The blackberry brambles are heavy with fruit. Blueberries are bursting in the sun. Huckleberries, loganberries, marionberries, gooseberries -- depending on where you are, they're all around you.

With that in mind, every recipe this month features, or at least contains, one or more kinds of fresh berries. You might be surprised what you can make with berries -- everything from salad to main course to dessert, of course.

In many cases, you can substitute your local or seasonal berries for the ones named in the recipe. Experiment! If you're reading this many months from now while the snow is on the ground, you can usually substitute frozen, canned, or sometimes dried, althought it won't be quite the same.

Cranberry-Orange Relish

2 medium oranges
4 cups fresh cranberries (1 pound)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Finely shred one tablespoon orange peel. Peel and section oranges. Using a food processor or food grinder with a course blade, process or grind orange sections and cranberries. (If using a food processor, process half at a time.) Stir in sugar, walnuts, and orange peel. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 6 months. Serve with ham or poultry.

Makes 3 3/4 cups.

Raspberry-Cranberry Ring

This recipe gives you another way to use the relish, above.

3 ounces raspberry Jell-o
3 ounces lemon Jell-o
2 cups boiling water
10 ounces frozen raspberries
1 cup cranberry-orange relish
7 ounces bottled lemon lime carbonated beverage

Dissolve Jell-os in boiling water. Stir in raspberries and relish. Chill until cold but not set. Resting bottle on rim of bowl, pour in beverage. Stir gently with up and down motion. Pour into Jello ring mold. Chill until firm. Remove from Jello ring and garnish with parsley.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn
2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled

Dressing
1/4 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

In a large bowl, toss spinach with sesame seeds. Prepare strawberries, cutting large ones in half. Add strawberries to salad. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar or shaker; shake well then refrigerate to chill. Pour chilled dressing over strawberry and spinach salad mixture in bowl and toss gently to distribute well.

German Elderberry Soup

2 1/2 pounds elderberries
6 tablespoons cold water
9 cups Water
2 tablespoon lemon juice
lemon rind
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch

Wash berries and place in a soup kettle. Add water and a twist or two of lemon rind. Cook until the berries are soft. Strain into a bowl, pushing though as much of the pulp as possible. Return the liquid to the kettle, bring to a boil, and remove the kettle from the stove.

Combine the cornstarch, cold water, and lemon juice, pressing out all the lumps. Add to the soup, together with the sugar, and stir thoroughly. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Adjust the sugar and lemon to suit your taste. Serve hot or cold.

Steak with Blackberry Port Wine

Four steaks of your choice (tender types like filet mignon are best)
1 large shallot or small onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries, divided
2 cups port wine
1 tsp sugar
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon butter, softened

In a saucepan bring diced shallot, 3/4 cup blackberries, wine and sugar to boil. Boil gently to reduce wine to 1/2 cup. Strain and set liquid aside. Boil beef stock in separate pan to reduce by half. This will take approximately 15 min.

Grill steaks or pan broil in a skillet 3-4 min. per side. Whisk blackberry and port wine reduction into reduced beef stock. If sauce is too thin, dissolve 1 tsp. cornstarch in water, then sir into sauce and bring to boil. Whisk in 1 tbsp. softened butter. Serve steaks with sauce and garnish with remaining blackberries.

Serves 4.

Chicken Kebabs with Rosemary and Berry Sauce

4-6 boneless chicken thighs or breasts, skinless
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:
1-3/4 cup blackberries or boysenberries
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons red currant jelly (or any berry jam or jelly)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cut the chicken into 1-1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Mix with the wine, oil, rosemary, and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers and season generously with salt.

Preheat the broiler. Place skewers on an oiled broiling pan, 5 to 6 inches away from the burner. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place on a platter and cover with foil to allow the chicken to rest. (You may also, if you prefer, grill the kebabs on high heat.)

For sauce: Place the marinade and the berries in a sauce pan and simmer gently until the berries are soft. Press through a strainer and discard the pulp. Return the juice and marinade mixture to the pan. Add the vinegar, jelly, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered until it has reduced by about 1/3 to a light syrup-like consistency.

Place chicken skewers on plates. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Berry-Flavored Vinegar

3 cups wine vinegar
4 cups berries (your choice)
2 tablespoons honey

Rinse and drain 4 cups fresh berries. Hull and slice strawberries. Hull small berries. If desired, set aside 1/4 cup for display in the vinegar bottle.

Combine vinegar, fruit and honey in a 2 to 3 quart pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until cool (up to 2 hours). Pour liquid through fine strainer into a bowl or pyrex measure with a lip (for pouring). Discard pulp/residue.

Pour vinegar through a funnel into a 1 quart bottle, plain or decorative. Close tightly. Let stand at least 1 day. Use or keep at room temperature up to 4 months. If an opaque film develops on surface, you can either spoon it off or, to preserve clarity of vinegar, pour through a fine strainer into a pan and bring to a boil. Cool. Wash the bottle. Refill with vinegar. Store as before.

Makes about 1 quart.

Blueberry-Yogurt Delight

You may also substitute raspberries, strawberries, or most any other kind of berry in this simple breakfast, dessert, or snack.

2 1/2 cups blueberries -- cleaned and chilled
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 packet sugar or sugar substitute

Crush 1/4 cup of the berries. Halve the remaining berries. Combine crushed berries and yogurt and sugar substitute. Spoon halved berries into dessert bowls. Top with berry-yogurt mixture.

Variation: Sprinkle raw, unsalted cashew pieces on top

Serves 4.

Huckleberry Fritters

2 cup huckleberries or blueberries
3 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 c water
Oil (for deep frying)

Wash berries and allow to drain well. Sift dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Beat eggs with water until foamy. Mix quickly into dry ingredients. Fold in berries.

Heat oil or shortening in deep heavy skillet to 350 degrees F.

Drop batter by tablespoonsful into the hot oil. Turn fritters frequently so that they brown to a deep golden color on all sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Makes 2 dozen.

Strawberries Romanoff

3 to 4 cups strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup good quality vanilla ice cream
3 to 4 tablespoons Cointreau liquor or orange juice

Wash and hull strawberries; halve large berries. Sprinkle with the sugar and chill thoroughly in refrigerator. Just before serving, beat cream until stiff. Beat ice cream until fluffy; fold ice cream into whipped cream. Add Cointreau, blending until smooth. Arrange strawberries in serving dishes and spoon cream mixture over them. Or, save a few berries for garnish and combine cream mixture with remaining berries. Serve with a garnish of strawberry slices and mint, if desired.

Serves 6.

Boysenberry Mint Frosty

1 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
1 cup milk
1 cup boysenberries
1 cup 7-Up or other lemon-lime carbonated drink
Mint leaves

Combine all ingredients. Whirl in blender until smooth and frothy. Garnish with additional mint leaves and enjoy!

HUMOR

BuyMore has just opened a new, state of the art 'Megastore' here in town.

It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and get the clean smell of fresh rain.

When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh cut hay.

In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks, burgers, & brats...maybe even a hint of grilled pineapple.

In the liquor department, the fresh, clean, crisp smell of a tapped Bohemian Beer.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle, and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.

The bakery department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked yeast bread, apple pie, & cookies.

I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

The Little Boy Blues

A father asked his 10-year old son if he knew about the birds and the bees. "I don't want to know," the child said, bursting into tears. "Promise me you won't tell me." Confused, the father asked what was wrong. The boy sobbed, "When I was seven, I got the 'There's no Easter Bunny' speech. At eight, I got the 'There's no Tooth Fairy' speech. And last year you hit me with the 'There's no Santa' speech. "If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for."

You know how developers are always naming their projects with names that have absolutely nothing to do with reality? You know what we're talking about. All those housing developments called "Stillwood Acres" that sit next to freeways without a tree in sight? Or those shopping centers with names like "Valley Vista" that you can hardly see for the smog?

Well we decided it's time for some truth in naming and we propose that builders choose names like the following:

• Asphalt Acres
• Monotony Vista
• Little Boxes on the Hillside
• Drivemore Estates
• ChemLawn Court
• Denuded Hills
• MowMore Meadows
• McMansion Expansion
• Woodless Way Homes
• Soil-Scrape Square
• Cold Concrete Court
• Mortgage Manor
• Vanished Oaks
• Weed Whacker Tracts
• Thrusting Garages Villa
• Fruitless Garden Homes
• Foreclosureland

...Featuring Cuke Skywalker and Obi Wan Cannoli.

An aged farmer and his wife were leaning against the edge of their pig pen when the woman wistfully recalled that the next week would mark their golden wedding anniversary.

"Let's have a party, Frank," she suggested. "Let's kill a pig."

The farmer scratched his grizzled head. "Gee, Millie," he finally answered, "I don't see why the pig should take the blame for something that happened fifty years ago."

Question: You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside.  What did you eat?

Answer: Corn on the cob:  You throw away the skin or sheaf, then cook it, eat the corn, then throw away the cob.

Question: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?

Answer: Pumpkin pi.

Question: What did the grape say when he was sat on?

Answer: Nothing, he just let out a little whine.

Question: What do you call a stolen yam?

Answer: A hot potato.

Question: What what can you make from baked beans and onions?

Answer: Tear gas.

Question: What is green and goes to a summer camp?

Answer: A Brussels' scout.

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives even without vitamins of the Flintstone.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created rich ice cream with much butterfat which was packaged in small quarts, and also he created doughnuts that were fried in lard and entombed in fine sugar icing. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"

And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles."

And they gained 10 pounds that were not muscular in mass. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman and Man might keep the shapes they found so fair in one another.

And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them.

And their shapes were not as comely.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad."

And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side.

And Man and Woman unfastened their belts, yea, even their buttons, following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter.

And they gained more weight and their cholesterol climbed up unto the firmament.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good."

Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds.

And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels.

And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them.

God then gave lean beef so that Man and Woman might consume fewer calories and still satisfy their appetites.

And Satan created fast food outlets on every street corner and placed 99-cent double cheeseburgers within them. And then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And make their sizes super!"

And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery........

Then Satan created HMOs.

OTHER STUFF

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Contact Info:

Editor/Letters - Dave Duffy, editor@backwoodshome.com
Web Site - Oliver Del Signore, webmaster@backwoodshome.com