"Re-starting" food? Yes, really!

I read somewhere about fruits & vegetables that you can "re-grow" or "re-start" some of them from a piece, a shoot, roots, etc.  That's where I found this idea & we decided to give it a try!

When done with a celery bunch, put it in water for a few weeks.  Once it starts to grow new stalks, transfer it to soil.  Bam!  You just grew celery!   :)

Just that simple?  Yuppp, sure is!  I included a few photos of ours so far.  When we get ready to move it to soil, I'll post again.

These are after 4 days in this glass of water.  I do change the water every other day...

I love this!  I'm slightly frugal, so any way to save some moolah is my kinda thing!   ;)

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Sam

Vermont Maple Open House Weekend 2013

We live in Vermont where maple sugaring is kinda of a big thing.  For us, it is the sign that winter is over & spring is finally here. 

We make our own maple syrup right at home every year.  A much smaller operation than sugar houses but it's fun & the kiddos love to do it.  I've already planned a separate post about that.  ;)

Here are some pictures from our visits to a few area sap houses during Vermont Maple Open House Weekend...

 Harmony & Mason having a taste of the Sugar Shack's maple syrup after our tour of their process.  We also got to try some Maple Taffy when we visited Kim in the store!   ;)

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Paul Ennis, Jr. explaining how their equipment works...they see this every year yet they get so into it.  :)

Enjoying some hot pancakes with fresh maple syrup at Ennis' Sugar House.

Our annual sugaring photo opp at Ennis'.

Mason, loving those pancakes!

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Then we visited Kobik's in Shaftsbury.  Here's Mr. Kobik showing the kids his wood pile.  He boils his sap with wood heat.

Kobik's again.  We loved the maple oatmeal cookies they offered here!  Yummmm!

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It was a great day!  We learned (more re-learned, lol) all about maple sugaring plus got some free treats!   :)

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Sam

Our organic pork

Along with fresh eggs from our chickens, we also grow our own pork.  I understand many do no necessarily agree with butchering animals and whatnot, but guess what?  We KNOW where our food comes from.  We KNOW it contains no chemicals or additives.  We KNOW how our animals are treated...from birth to death.

Here are some of our piggies, who are definitely loved.   :)

Getting ready for feed time!

This is the boar who fathers them.

 Awww, aren't they adorable?

This lil guy was my buddy...he had a tomato fetish. Lol

Food sensitivities? More like chemical reactions, if you ask me!

For many years I could not eat eggs.  They would make me feel like I had the flu...cold & hot sweats, extreme nausea, horrible tummy pains...it was bad.  My symptoms would last for a couple of hours & once it digested, I was fine again.  (This included store bought and the ones I received from the state program, WIC.)  It was terrible because I like eggs...omelets, egg salad, oh yum!

Things that had eggs IN them (ex: cake, cupcakes, etc.) did not seem to bother me though.  Weird, yes.

Well, we started raising chickens in our backyard.  Our daughter gathered up her collected birthday money one spring day & headed to Tractor Supply with Daddy because she wanted some baby chicks.  (She is TOTALLY a farm girl!)  Since, we've expanded our chick crew to somewhere around 20 chickens who altogether lay about a dozen eggs a day.  They get no medications, no pesticides, no chemicals, no steroids...nothing but cracked corn, grain, bread, scraps, etc.  Our eggs are only rinsed, cooked & eaten...no processing at all whatsoever.  

It was a few times after eating our nice, fresh, chemical-free eggs before realizing that I hadn't been sick.  (I know, how could I not notice not feeling like that, right?  With four kids to keep you entertained, it's easier than you'd think!  Lol.)
I started paying attention then, being conscious of it after eating them.  Wouldn't ya know...NO reaction!!  I was so excited!  

One morning, Albert & I decided to go out for breakfast.  There's a restaurant locally that has some pretty delish Eggs Benedict, so that's where we headed.  I was a little worried about getting sick but they had a sign that claimed they use "Organic Eggs"...so I figured yeahhh we'll see.  I totally enjoyed my breakfast, remained conscious, preparing for writhing pain & ickiness...but nothing!  Yayyy, their eggs WERE organic!  ;)


Yet it concerned me & got me thinking...what exactly do they do to chickens and/or eggs, what is it they treat them with that would cause such awful sickness for me??  Scary scary thought that it's "OK" for these companies & factories to contaminate our food like that!  
I have not yet looked into what exactly it may be...but give me time & I'm sure you'll get an update.  ;)