Unfortunately, I discovered that the butcher I was going to had changed their practices in the time I had spent mulling it all over. Now they no longer advertise a grass fed beef program, they switched to a NatureSource Natural Angus program. Admittedly it is probably a world better than what I would get at any chain grocery store, just in the fact that it’s beef guaranteed to be vegetarian fed, but all of the beef now has a minimum 120 day finishing on corn. I literally shed tears of frustration.

Just as an aside, is it not disgusting that non-human-consumable animal parts are incorporated back into the feed of animals grown for slaughter?

Still, I called the butcher to see if they had the parts I needed for this broth. They had only one of the four parts I was looking for.

Let’s just get this out of the way, these were the suggested parts: marrow bones, knuckle bones, neck bones or rib bones, calf foot.

At this point I needed to decide if it would still be beneficial to make the broth if I had to use standard issue grain fed cow parts purchased at the grocery stores available to me. I still don’t know the answer to that question, truly. I decided to go ahead with the project anyhow, and I spent my Saturday on a goose chase trying to find the best quality available to me. I checked a really large Asian market, because I had seen that bone broth was a huge part of Korean cooking. I thought that there was a chance they might carry some of the things I was looking for that seemed less common and/or harder to find. I couldn’t read much of the packaging, and left empty handed. Whole foods was next. Their meat counter has a rating system on the meats, so it was an easy choice. Unfortunately they didn’t have everything either, and the items they did have weren’t rated because they were in the freezer rather than the fresh meat counter. I took a chance that they were still better than the everyday average products found at the big chain stores. Finally I went to a local grocery store that I had noticed sold “different” products in the past. BINGO!! I got my last couple of items. Not grain fed, not organic; available was my only criteria at this point. I never in my life would have imagined that a calf foot was easier to find than knuckle bones.

The best part of all of this went down at the last store. I had to ask for the neck bones at the counter because I didn’t see them. The man came out and grabbed a couple off of the shelf to show me. I stood there looking at them in a stupor, and he said to me “I don’t know which one you want…. they’re for your dog, right?” to which of course I answered ‘uhhhhhh, yea. my dog. yep.’ I’m such a dope sometimes.

The stock simmering in my oven gives new meaning to the expression “put a foot in it.”

Anyone who can answer whether using standard-issue non pasture raised beef parts in my stock is going to be detrimental rather than beneficial, please comment. I’d love it if you could either put my mind at ease, or let me know not to waste my time on this again unless I can find pasture raised parts.

There was a LOOOOOOOONG stretch after my son (and then my daughter) was born that I didn’t read. Fatigue, time constraints, higher priorities all played a role, but I also developed some physical problems that were working against me as well. My eyes started to dart all over the page when I would read, and it became very difficult (if not impossible) for me to concentrate and read an entire line, let alone an entire page of text. I think maybe it was one of the first problems I started to have in my mile long list of changes which turned me from happy, healthy B to who I am now. I joked that I had developed adult onset ADD (which I realize isn’t a joke, or even remotely funny to a lot of people), but in reality that was the best description of the problems I was having. There were also some pesky sparkles, and the fact that my eyesight was already less than perfect and I still suffered from some degree of lazy eye even after my childhood surgery to correct the problem.

Do not give me a hard time and tell me to see an eye doctor, I swear…. I realize what a mess I sound like.

Anyhow, it was a lot of trouble to read in those days, and no trouble at all to close my eyes and sleep. Of course it was an easy decision. Who has time for hobbies of leisure, anyhow, when there are littles to raise up? I told myself that it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t tell my husband of my symptoms for years.

Since I’ve been on my vitamin regimen, eating differently, and getting more sleep… I’ve also found that I have been able to actually read again, too. My crazy darting eyes have been greatly improved, and the sparkling (although kinda nifty in a fireworks everyday *yay!* type way if you’re in denial) has been greatly decreased. The wandering eye… well, that will forever be something you can look for when I’ve stayed up too long or had way too much to drink. We’ll call it a party trick. My poor vision? I have no answer for that one, I realize I need glasses. Glass have full here, people! Avert your eyes from the bad stuff, K?

So long story short, I’ve been reading again. Squinty eyed reading with the book way too close to my face, probably, but reading. And it’s glorious.

Today I finished bloom by Kelle Hampton. It was really sad but also eye opening and inspiring, even. I am STILL reading the introduction in my Nourishing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon, but that’s just because I am trying to retain all of the information. Also, I just got word today that my hold on The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa has finally paid off at the library and it’s waiting for my pickup. The Help is waiting patiently on my bedside. I have a stack of books on my piano that I purchased at Goodwill just in case I have some free time.

Minus the horses, I’m worse. Much, much worse. And I’m glad my girl got it, too.

I’m pretty sure it’s clear that I’ve had some experiments going on in my kitchen lately. Some are going really well, and some appear to be mocking me with their high level of failure.  Well, stay tuned, because there is gonna be plenty more where that came from.

On Monday I used the directions on my friend Jess’ blog (because my Wild Fermentation and Nourishing Traditions books haven’t arrived yet in the mail), and made syrup for the soda. We went with Strawberry. The fruit syrup cooled and all of that, and then I added the bug. It’s been up on top of my refrigerator next to the Kombucha to stay warm since Monday night. I keep waiting for the air lock to start bubbling which would indicate fermentation, but so far nothing. Panic pants over here is trying to remain calm, because I know my house is a little on the colder side, so there is a chance I haven’t killed it yet. I know it’s just soda, and I have more bug to try again so it’s not the end of the world if I did kill it. However, I hit the 24 hour mark sometime last night so…. YES, I’m a little panicked! I can’t fight my nature.

I also split my kombucha scoby for the first time today, so now I have TWO batches of kombucha brewing side by side. Double down, baby, this is exciting stuff! I will never again have a dry day, dammit. At least not because I’ve run out, anyhow. I split it partly because I wanted to see if it would work, partly to be my own guinea pig before I decide to split the scoby to share with someone else, and partly so that I will always have at least one good scoby if anything catastrophic happens to one of them. White people problems, I know… Upside: there’s always the bonus of extra kombucha for sharing. Or not.

Am I boring you?

In other news, a long time friend of my husband posted a video he took of my wedding on YouTube. Man were we skinny. I watched it the other night and decided that I looked weird. It was so NOT ME with the out of character super fancy sprayed stiff up-do hair and the heavy handed makeup applied by the staff of the ever-classy Treasure Island spa. If I had it to do over again, I would still hit Vegas with all the friends and family we could muster but I would probably be truer to myself in the get up. When I watched the video the other night, I could see my discomfort on the screen and it made me cringe. Of course, it’s the marriage itself that endures, and the makeup washes off so nothing is lost. It still qualifies as the best time of my life.

Finally, I have to make a random confession. Yesterday I said “fricking” at the elementary school, in front of the new girl, to my daughter’s teacher. It qualified as a swear. She asked me to repeat it, and stupidly, I did. Now THAT is completely in character.

I think it’s time they re-test my IQ. Seriously, I can practically feel it going down.

This is new for me. This ENTIRE weekend will be spent at an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Haven’t heard of the sport? Well, neither had I until my son started practicing like a fiend to be on the high school JV team. Just as you would expect, it’s a cold, wet spring sport. Fast and high energy for the players, exciting to watch and slightly confusing for this newbie spectator.

At least one other spectator is spending her time searching for 4 leaf clover. I won’t mention any names to protect the innocent.

Did I mention we had to rise at 5:00am for this?

Happy spring break!

Another day, another trip to the Brew and Grow.

I have been brewing my kombucha so successfully and growing culture so regularly (yay!) that I now have the confidence to attempt to make some lacto-fermented soda. Simple, I’m told. I would much rather make ginger soda or sassafras than purchase syrupy sweet commercially produced root beer (the only soda my kids drink, really, save the occasional orange Crush). The photo shows the necessary equipment (except the bottles, which I already have), which meant that my husband couldn’t even complain about the startup costs. It cost me exactly $6.57, which could probably be reduced if you purchased a drink that came in a carboy at the market.

This evening I will start my ginger bug using the instructions my friend Jess provided on her website, in about a week I will start the process of making soda. Of course I’ll get into more of the specifics as the process takes place.

Also, we have iPad! It makes my $6.57 a rather paltry looking sum, wouldn’t you say?

This is hard. My fingers hurt and sometimes my pride as well. Time to swallow some of what I preach: ‘you can do anything,’ ‘practice practice, practice,’ and my personal favorite ‘you will be awesome today.’

I’m trying my hardest, maybe today will be the day.

And YES, I really do say those things to my children on a regular basis.

I tend not to give a lot of facts on my blog. I do that for a reason. I’m not a dietitian, a nurse, a nutritionist, a doctor, or even a very good googler. I am writing about the things that I do, based on what I believe and the research I have personally done. You don’t have to agree, and you certainly don’t have to believe what I say (lots of people don’t!). My intention is to get people who read this to go do their own research and figure out what’s right for them.

That being said, I’m happy to point you in the right direction (based upon my opinion, of course, this is my site you know) if you need help! I’m not intentionally trying to withhold information from anyone who’s interested. I just know that the people who read this are uber-smart people who are also probably better googlers than me.

**on a side note, have you heard about the search personalization that’s gonna be happening on Google?  annoying!  i guess no more clicking on the stupid gossipy results first before reading the real results I’m looking for, going forward!  dammit.**

The milk:

In case you couldn’t tell, it was well received.  We haven’t had actual cow’s milk in the house for a number of years, so everyone was pretty excited.  The first glass we poured was shared between us, because we were all a little nervous about it.  Once we all tasted it, and realized that it just tasted like milk as we remembered, everyone wanted their own glass. There have been many requests for a glass of milk around here since we picked this half-gallon up on Saturday, obviously.  Gone in less than 48 hours, and costs me more than a gallon of gas (even at today’s inflated prices).

I’m not sure that I will continue to buy from this seller long-term.  The milk was fine, but that’s all they offer.  I am looking into more than just raw milk.  I’m considering joining a food club that also offers pasture raised animal products, eggs, raw milk butter and the like.  We’re going all in.

I have also found a local butcher who sells only pasture raised and finished beef.  I’ll count that as a major score here in the midwest, the land of the grain fed beef cow.

Man… when you know better, you do better.

As I mentioned, I’ve actually been taking care of my nails and painting them and such lately. Let it be known that this will be the VERY LAST TIME I let my husband have a say in the color selection. I’m more a black, brown, navy kinda girl. Yes, I know I did a crap job of painting them as well, but in my defense I knew this color wasn’t gonna be around long, and it was a working weekend, so I pretty much slapped it on. Sue me.

In other news, today the Blueberry goes back to the shop. Saturday morning as I was driving my family around, my husband looked over and said “what’s up with your tachometer?”. I’m not fooled, he was probably trying to check my speed (but I’ll let it slide this one time). Regardless, the tach is dead, as in 0 RPM at all times. Needless to say I was not pleased, as displayed by my string of curses a mile long. My husband wisely handled the call to the dealership to protect them from my wrath.

He will not be with me when I bring it in. I’m just sayin’.

I hear we’re expecting snow, so there will likely be shoveling.

We will also probably be dragging more of our useless or unused crap to the Goodwill. Multiple trips, I’m assuming.

The children shall clean their rooms. I don’t care if it’s begrudgingly, or happily. That should be a fun argument for all involved.

Did I really wait all week to get off of work for this?

So what are you doing this weekend? Cleaning toilets? Yea, me too.

Before I go, somebody wants to say HI!

Nosey always wants to know what I’m doing.

Speaking of, she needs to be brushed and have her toenails trimmed.  Should be as fun as getting children to clean willingly, or well.  Yea, me!

There will probably be wine involved in all of the above (except for the kids part, obviously).

Enjoy your weekend, all.  Don’t blink, or you might miss it!