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Your Guide to Well-being and Wild, Crazy
Healthy Living!
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February 2010
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Want More Energy?
Want to regain your optimal health? Maybe optimize your weight while you get healthier?
Do you feel that you have the right to better health and that it is just out of your reach?
Act now and start optimizing your health and renewing your energy!
Schedule a Strategy Session with Me!
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I have reserved some special evening and weekend hours for meeting with you to see if we would be a good match to work together to strategize and revamp your health.
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I work with people who suspect that conventional health care and advise is leaving
out most of the Truth about how to live a vibrant healthy life. As your health coach, I will act as a resource and advocate for you, working with you like a personal trainer would.
Visit Barbara Taylor Health
Strategy Session is free of charge and no obligation; it is strictly some time set aside for you to see
if working together could turn your health and life around.
Before our session, I will ask you to fill out a Health History form, which can be found here!
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Top 10 ways to renew your energy levels:
1. Reduce caffeine
2. Drink more H20
3. Eat dark greens
4. Gentle-up sweets
5. Physical activity
6. Get enough sleep
7. Evaluate protein
8. Take "you" time
9. Nourish spirituality
10. Set boundaries
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For chicken and bird people ....
This site is SO cool!
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 Greetings all! I hope the winter has been good so far for you. We are in the throes of ordering and organizing our seeds for the upcoming growing season and even starting to plant some of the slow-germinators like parsley. I just seeded a whole tray of the Giant-Leaf Parsley I love so much. It is so much tastier and greener than the regular flat-leaf parsley you can find in stores. I am really looking forward to eating it!
February is all about planning and plotting out what the farm will become this year - it is all about choosing breeds of chickens, deciding to try to grow wasabi and okra, and buying a quince and a medlar tree. It really does feel like Farmers' New Year!
We are really excited about a new series of workshops we want to do this Spring - I'm calling them Garden-Cook workshops. The focus is to garden with a plan for the meals you want to create. Many people comment at my workshops that they don't know where to find the herbs and veggies that I'm throwing in the recipes. I don't think they are so unusual because they have become staples in my garden each year, but they are actually really hard, if not impossible, to find in supermarkets. I'm planning a Summer Salad gardening and cooking workshop, a Flavored Water gardening and cooking workshop, a Pesto gardening and cooking workshop, a Risotto and Gnocchi gardening and cooking workshop, and a Cooking with Herbs in two parts - a spring and a later summer gardening and cooking workshop. They should be really fun. I just adore the idea of integrating garden and kitchen!
The food you grow and harvest and plan recipes around and feast upon out in the garden is just the best of living. Especially on these cold gray winter days, it is so seductive to think about the green bright vibrant foods of spring. I can't wait to make Sorrel and Stinging Nettle Gnocchi!
And that's what I mean by Artisanal Living. I mention the word Artisanal a lot - Artisanal Living - Artisanal Farming - our farm logo says Sustainable and Artisanal Agriculture. I like to think of farming, gardening, cooking, living as an art form, as something that affects us deeply, giving us fulfillment, energy, awesome health, vibrancy. I really encourage you to start a garden if you don't already one, or start some container gardens if you don't have access to a plot of soil. If you do currently garden, do some expanding this year, cancel the gym membership and get out in the sun. Do yoga as you weed; don't always wear gloves - a study came out last year connecting certain microbes from the soil getting under your nails with alleviating depression!
Below you'll find our workshops for February and March. I will send out an email really soon with the April and May Workshops and Events including the Garden-Cook workshops as soon as possible. April and May become a bit of a scheduling nightmare for us - too many awesome things to do! We are planning to once again expand and enlarge our plant and seedling sale. I am so excited by the varieties this year. We are aiming for more than 30 different heirloom tomato and pepper varieties! And, for the first time, we will be doing a Late April Cold Season Sale - selling seedlings in the onion (allium) and broccoli (cruciferous) styles as well as other cold weather plants and strawberries. I'll be posting exact details, dates, and our 2010 Plant and Seedling List in the next week or so.
Also we are looking for great new local venues for selling our seedlings and plants. If you belong to a community garden or garden club and think that your members would like to have us come by to sell our plants, please let us know! We love the spirit of these endeavors and we can answer questions, give advise about what varieties to plant, even do a mini demo version of one of our Garden-Cook workshops for your group.
Don't forget that I have also started a website to archive the articles from these newsletters in one place - you can access it here. And you can also still find additional links and materials on the Midsummer Farm website's Newsletter Extras and Links page. And visit us on Facebook and Twitter too! |
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How can you live Artisanally this year?
A flock of your own gorgeous chickens laying the most delicious eggs ever? Making your own homemade gourmet pet food - you wouldn't eat processed factory food, why spend your money buying it for your animals? How can you get more dark leafy greens into the meals you make? What about slow cooking aromatic stocks out of the bones of grassfed local meat? How can your kitchen produce wonderful, artisanal meals in a small amount of time without a microwave? These are some of the things that are driving our winter workshops ...
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20th
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 Backyard Organic Poultry Rearing Workshop
Saturday, February 20th 2010
10 am - 12 noon
For anyone who has dreamed of walking out to your own chicken coop and collecting fresh eggs for breakfast, this course will guide you through starting up your own flock and in organic and natural rearing methods. We will discuss all of our secrets to Organic chicken care that we have discovered over the years. Chickens are wonderful stewards of the earth; and kept in proper conditions, chickens are valuable assets to the garden, lawn, and compost pile. They also provide backyard joy. They are easy to take care of, are not noisy or smelly, and are an important part of the Organic garden. This is the optimal time of year to start planning for chickens and placing chick orders for next spring. (Please be sure to check with your town to make sure that chickens are allowed where you live.) Workshop takes place mostly outside (dress appropriately - wear boots) and is weather permitting. Cost is $36 | registration closes 2/17/10
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Making Homemade Dog and Cat Food
Saturday, February 20th 2010
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Healthier, Economical, Delicious. Either as a supplementary meal or as your pets' regular diet, homemade food is better, safer, and easy to make. We will mix up a batch of balanced food using raw chicken as a base. We'll go over tons of options in food bases - raw vs cooked, various nutritional additions, dogs vs cats, special needs pets, and discuss the wide range of commercial diets and brands. You'll take home recipes, a clearer knowledge of the commercial pet food available, and resources for suppliers. We'll also make up a wonderful whole foods supplement that you can add to a commercial diet using higher quality ingredients and for a lot less money than the fancy brand names. Even if you're not ready to switch over completely to a homemade diet, you'll get a lot from this workshop. In the Farm Kitchen | $36.00 | registration closes 2/17/10
SATURDAY, MARCH 6th, 2010
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 Dark Leafy Greens - The #1 Missing Ingredient in Today's Diets!
Saturday, March 6th 2010
10 am - 12 noon
We will demonstrate a wide range of ways to use dark leafy greens of all types. You will leave feeling empowered to live more healthily with a solid collection of great recipes. Workshop is hands on and tasting is encouraged - it takes place in the kitchen at Midsummer Farm | cost is $36 | registration closes 3/3/10
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Making Herbal Infused Salves, Ointments, and Lip Balms 
Saturday, March 6th 2010 12:30 - 2:30 pm
With a focus on organic, fair-trade, medicinal herbs and spices, we'll construct a variety of healing and soothing salves and lip balms. We'll also discuss different types of healing herbs, what they can do for us, and where to get them. You'll never want to be without a jar of Anti-itch salve made with white willow bark and plantain or Dry-skin healing Calendula salve made with self heal and chickweed once you see how fun they are to make and how effectively they work. A great autumn/winter project for making use of your herbs. Workshop takes place in the farm kitchen | Cost is $36 | registration closes 3/3/10
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SATURDAY, MARCH 13th, 2010
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Soups and Broths Workshop
Saturday, March 13th 2010 10 am - 12 noon
One of the healthiest convenience foods is a big pot of minestrone soup or chicken broth full of carrots and escarole. Soups and broths make a hearty breakfast, can travel easily as lunches, and are a satisfying snack food. A big pot of simmering soup on the stove is a great comfort to the home. Learn how to easily make a variety of broths and stocks and take home an exciting collection of soup recipes. In the Farm Kitchen | $36.00 | registration closes 3/10/10
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Cooking with Parsley and Cilantro new!
Saturday, March 13th 2010 12:30 - 2:30 pm
Parsley and cilantro are both fabulous flavorful artisanal ingredients and one of the only fresh herbs you can actually find in the supermarket in big, fresh bunches. Whole Foods and other health-focused stores almost always have organic fresh bunches in stock. These two herbs are mild enough to be used in bulk, as greens - and pack a huge amount of nutrients into whatever you make with them. They are great as Spring detoxifiers and add freshness and zip. We'll do a bunch of great and easy recipes using handfuls of parsley and cilantro! In the Farm Kitchen | $36.00 | registration closes 3/10/10
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 Backyard Organic Poultry Rearing Workshop
Saturday, March 27th 2010 10 am - 12 noon
For anyone who has dreamed of walking out to your own chicken coop and collecting fresh eggs for breakfast, this course will guide you through starting up your own flock and in organic and natural rearing methods. We will discuss all of our secrets to Organic chicken care that we have discovered over the years. Chickens are wonderful stewards of the earth; and kept in proper conditions, chickens are valuable assets to the garden, lawn, and compost pile. They also provide backyard joy. They are easy to take care of, are not noisy or smelly, and are an important part of the Organic garden. This is the optimal time of year to start planning for chickens and placing chick orders for next spring. (Please be sure to check with your town to make sure that chickens are allowed where you live.) Workshop takes place mostly outside (dress appropriately - wear boots) and is weather permitting. Cost is $36 | registration closes 3/24/10
 A Fun Note - Martha Stewart is filming a Backyard Chicken show in March in NYC - she wants to fill her studio audience with all chicken-owners! You can go to her webpage and apply for tickets to the special audience show!
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General Workshop Info.:
You must register in advance - either download our registration form, or just send us a check with a note. We're not terribly formal! You can download the form here: http://www.midsummerfarm.com/workshops.htm
Classes are taught from a strictly Holistic and Organic standpoint. Class size is kept small to ensure individual attention. Fees include all materials and supplies needed. Children are welcome; children under 5 are free. If more than one person from a single household is taking the workshop together, the second person may deduct $5 from the cost of the workshop. Many classes take place outside in the gardens and are weather-permitting.Times and dates of workshops are subject to change.
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 Water
This month I want share some info on using water to its best advantage for your health and well-being.
It seems more and more people are getting into the swing of drinking more water; you see everyone carrying around various brands of water in plastic bottles. And while it is great that people are becoming aware that they need more water, I'm afraid it is becoming a bit of a marketing ploy by big companies. You don't need a name brand water or a water fortified with synthetic vitamins or flavors - you need good solid quality water. And often, good solid quality water comes from your well or even tap water put through a simple filtering system.
Some bottled water products as just fine. Particularly those from actual springs and in glass bottles. But there is much unethical advertising in water products, unethical treatment of natural resources, and unethical production of plastic bottles to fill landfills and leach dangerous estrogenic chemicals into the people drinking out of them.
But you do need water, and the vast majority of people are dehydrated. So many illnesses are just symptoms of dehydration on different levels. Appropriate amounts of water can help you gain your optimum weight, give you more energy, detoxify your system, alleviate depression and so much more.
Water tips:
1. Drink about 64 ounces of pure water per day.
One rule is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces water per day.
2. Spread it out.
Don't water log yourself at the end of the day trying to make your quota.
3. Avoid water sold in plastic; use brands sold in glass.
Although the FDA has suddenly become silent about plastics and specifically about their goal of getting rid of bisphenol A from our food packaging by November 30th 2009 (didn't happen, big surprise), many studies were funded under this initiative and are being published demonstrating over and over how dangerous it is to consume water and foods out of plastic. No need to wait for the FDA to catch up - reduce your consumption of plastic-packaged food now.
4. Fill your own bottle from the tap or your well.
Use the money you would have spent on buying a plastic bottle of water each day to purchase a good quality water filter. Refill a glass bottle. Metal bottles may be good too, but I worry about the quality of the metal. So be careful and buy from reputable companies. Make sure the water bottle you choose is also easily cleanable. See my tip below.
4. Be aware of your water quality
Test your well water or tap water. Avoid tap water with chlorine and fluoride in it. (Don't buy bottled water with strange additives in it or with fluoride in it!). Don't drink distilled water. Most bottled water is simply tap water put through conditioning filters to make it taste better. Pepsi's Aquafina and Coco-Cola Co's Dasani are both made from purified tap water. This doesn't make it bad, but is something to consider when adding up cost and benefits. Contrary to popular belief, the FDA does not carefully regulate the bottled water industry; therefore even bottled water can be impure.
5. Fill a glass and leave it by the bed so you can drink it first thing upon waking up in the morning.
A good detoxifying habit. Morning is when you are most full of toxins and dehydrated.
6. Room Temperature is best.
Although many people feel water needs to be ice cold, the body likes it best at room temperature. Absorption and digestion will be more effective at a normal temperature. Stomach linings and acid work better at a medium temperature. If you are thinking, what difference does temperature make? Think about the difference in washing something with soap and cold water versus hot water. Big difference!
7. Drink water before and after food.
Ideally drink a glass of water half an hour before you eat your meal and half an hour after the meal. Don't drink too much while eating as it may dilute your digestive enzymes and weaken your metabolizing of the food. But don't restrict yourself if you are thirsty while eating!
8. Use your water to re-balance your pH
You can make a huge difference in your health by balancing your body's pH. This can be accomplished simply by adding some Lemon or Lime juice to your water bottle.
9. Don¹t wait until you're thirsty to drink.
Make drinking water a regular habit and part of your life.
Water is simple - but needs to be taken seriously. If you have dry skin, chronic skin irritations, lack energy, can't gain optimal weight, constipation, bloating, insomnia, depression, consider drinking more water. It seems that if you are prone to a particular malady, not drinking enough water exacerbates the issue. Increased water intake has also been shown to alleviate asthma, allergies, arthritis, angina, migraine headaches, hypertension, raised cholesterol, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.
Visit Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D websiteand consider getting a copy of his book: Your Body¹s Many Cries for Water, especially if you suspect you may be chronically dehydrated which is much more common that you might think.
Make sure your choice of water does not become a limiting factor to drinking it. If you are drinking less water because of the cost of bottled water, supplement your bottles with reusable bottles or just fill up a previously used bottle with H20 from the tap.
Avoid
"Vitamin" water - I guess it sounds pretty good, but it is all
synthetic ingredients. And also avoid flavored waters with added sugar
or artifical sweetners. Look at the ingredients label and be
JUDGEMENTAL.
If
you want extra flavor in your water - try adding Bach Flower Essences,
Blueberry extract, Green Tea Extract, Lemon or Lime Juice, Herbal
Tinctures...
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TIP: I buy Mountain Valley Spring Water or Perrier or San Pelegrino in glass. While it may be cost  prohibitive to use these brands for your daily water intake, I buy one bottle every week or two weeks, and then after drinking that once, I clean out the bottle and refill it each day with my well water.
By doing this, you are recycling, not supporting the plastic industry, not exposing yourself to chemicals in plastic, not spending any money, you can add lemon juice or tinctures without any plastic contamination, you're burning calories carrying the heavy glass bottle, and you can easily monitor
how much water you consume during the course of the day. Wow.
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Although my focus is usually on Ultra-Healthy Eating, I do love baking and sweets! And treats are good psychologically for you! Michael Pollen goes by the rule that if you make it, you can eat it - and I think that is a very effective rule. So, I decided we needed something sweet this month, and these cookies are absolutely delicious and are wheat and dairy free!
Pignoli (Pinenut) Macaroon Cookies
A Festive Sweet
About 16 ounces of almond paste (you can make this yourself or use canned, 2 8-oz cans)
1-1/2 c Confectioner¹s (Powdered) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp mild honey
About 2 cups of lightly roasted pignolis or pine nuts
3-4 drops of lemon oil
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Crumble almond paste into food processor. Add sugar and salt and pulse until finely ground and well-mixed. Should be consistency of coarse corn meal.
Then move to a bowl and add egg whites, lemon oil, and honey. Beat at medium/high speed for 5 minutes.
Gently spoon batter into 1 inch dollops onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Very gently press the roasted pignoli nuts onto the  tops of the cookies.
Bake until just turning golden around the edges about 12-15 minutes. Slide the parchment with cookies still attached onto a cooling rack. Once cookies are cool, carefully use a spatula to remove them from parchment. NOTE: You may have to clean off the spatula a couple times while doing this as it will get very sticky and then mess up the cookies.
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Disclaimer
© Copyright 2010 Barbara Taylor-Laino, HHC / Barbara Taylor Health. All
Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright,
contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission,
when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired,
permission in writing from Barbara Taylor Laino is required.
This information newsletter is designed as an educational
tool for better health. Recipes and information are included as
examples for you learn from; they are not diagnostic or prescriptive.
Everyone's health needs are different. This newsletter is not to be
used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any
health condition or problem. Any questions regarding your own health
should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.
The entire contents of this newsletter and the websites of Barbara
Taylor Laino and Midsummer Farm are based upon the opinions of Barbara
Taylor Laino, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based
upon the opinions of the respective author(s), who retains copyright as
marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a
one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and
is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of
knowledge and information from the research and experience of Barbara
Taylor Laino. You are encouraged to make your own health care decisions
based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health
care professional.
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Thank you very much!
Forward to a Friend
It's such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and
healthier. Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or
colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it.
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Farm Contact Info
Barbara and Mark Laino
Midsummer Farm
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
info@midsummerfarm.com
Holistic Health Counselling Contact Info
Barbara Taylor-Laino
Barbara Taylor Health
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
info@barbarataylorhealth.com
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