Grain Milling Tip 1 - Part 2
by Donna Miller
Tip #1 - "You do WHAT? Why bother?" - Part Two
Part One of this tip may have helped you determine a few health reasons why it is good to mill your own grains, but that may still not be enough to satisfy your friends and family.
The following tip to answering the questions of why you bother to mill at home is the advantages of cost and storage. Of course, we can purchase 'whole wheat bread' at the bakery. Of course, 'dead bagged flour' lasts for a pretty good period of time. Are these reasons to pass up home milling all together? Of course not! In fact, look closer and you can see why milling at home is better.
Health advantages aside, which is the MOST vital one in my personal opinion, storage and cost come up on the convenience end of considering milling at home. The 'whole wheat' loaf of bread we can buy in the bakery is not only made of old, processed whole wheat, but by the government regulations only has to be at least 51% - or mostly whole wheat - to be labeled as such. I deviate, this is also a health reason. The cost of a loaf is generally $2.29. A home milled, fresh WHOLE GRAIN flour, loaf of bread costs me generally $.75 to make and that is using all organic (a bit pricier) grains and sugar. Also, I know for certain what is in that loaf!
Storage is the other thought. Of course, in our house the bread doesn't last long because we can't resist slicing into a warm loaf when we smell it so we don't have to worry about self life. However, the grains last for years! The husk was created as the greatest protection for the grain. Grains have been found in pyramids that were over 4000 years old and when planted, they grew just as they were meant to. I don't think you'll be needing those grains in 4000 years, but store the grains in a sturdy container and from getting moist and you can store them for years.
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What You Need To Know About Ipod Docking Stations
What You Need To Know About Ipod Docking Stations
by Terry Roberts
The iPod docking station is probably the �must have� accessory to go with your iPod, especially if you are a constant or frequent user. The docking station allows the iPod to fully charge while still allowing the listener to enjoy their music without interruption. The docking station also keeps the iPod safe and secure, avoiding the chance of damage if it were simply left on a chair or on a table.
There are several different options in iPod docking stations and the choice is largely one of price and convenience. For the tiny iPod Nano, a simple docking cradle gives the basic stability to the player and allows the Nano to be synched to the computer for downloads while charging. While the simple cradle does not have speakers of its own, an audio-out port allows the Nano in the docking cradle to be connected to external speakers, headphones, or even through your computer to play all your favorite songs while charging the battery. Typically these smaller cradle style docking stations are less than $20.00 US.
Larger docking stations for iPod Video or MP3 players typically have built-in speakers on either side of the docking cradle. These speakers are designed to be ultra high quality to preserve the sound from the iPod itself. Many of the larger docking stations come with surround sound speakers, subwoofers, tweeters and 3-D sound processors for an amazing sound quality from a small package. As with the simple cradle docking stations, the iPod is easily connected to the computer with a USB cable or FireWire connection. This allows synchronizing and downloading of songs while charging the batteries on the iPod and listening to tracks through the speakers.
Some docking stations have optional battery power to charge the iPods, typically using four or more AA batteries. This additional battery feature makes it an ideal choice for having to connect to a computer in areas where there are not enough power outlets, or even for playing and charging your iPod outside or in remote areas. Most of the larger, speaker-equipped docking stations range in price from $30.00 to under $100.00. There are some very unique in-wall docking stations that keep your iPod in a safely recessed dock that is permanently mounted to a wall behind or near your computer, but these are usually quite a bit more expensive. In addition many of the docking stations also have radios and additional features to make them more versatile.
When purchasing an iPod docking station it is important to carefully read what size and type of iPod the docking station can handle. Typically iPod docking stations will have additional inserts to allow them to hold a Nano but not all can hold the smaller, new generation of iPods.
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Organic Wine: Reprieve for the Allergic
Organic Wine: Reprieve for the Allergic
by Jennifer Marie Jordan
When I was a kid, I developed an allergy to peanut butter, something I loved to eat by the spoonful. While others ate it, mixing clumps with strawberry jam and putting it between two slices of bread, I stood by drooling; then, with a sense of defeat, I went to stick my head in my Easy Bake Oven. To me, there was nothing worse than being five years old and having a peanut allergy; it�s the equivalent to having a wine allergy when you�re over 21.
Lucky for me, I�m not allergic to wine. I�ve self-tested with hundreds of bottles and I can confidently declare that I would definitely know by now. Definitely.. But, many others aren�t that lucky; some people have wine allergies, an allergy that hinders their ability to savor one of life�s greatest pleasures.. This allergy leaves people with an empty wine glass, an empty wine cellar, and a unyielding impulse to look up to the sky and scream, �Make me allergic to diary, make me allergic to cats, make me allergic to my siblings, but please don�t take away my Cabernet.�
While no one wants a wine allergy, those who have one are forced to take it seriously. This is particularly true if they are allergic to sulfites, compounds often used as a means to preserve wine by helping it to avoid oxidation and spoilage. Unfortunately for those with allergies, sulfites are added to a vast majority of wines. Because of this, checking the label doesn�t just become a matter of hoping to find the best tasting wine, it also become a matter between being well and being ill.
When someone who is allergic to sulfites drinks wine containing this compound, they run the risk of experiencing an allergic reaction - an allergic reaction to wine makes a wine hang over look like a walk in the park. Some people may experience sneezing, or hives, while others may have difficulty breathing and need emergency medical attention. Sulfites can also cause anaphylaxis, the most severe of allergic reactions.. During this kind of reaction, a person�s blood pressure dangerously drops and their bronchial tubes narrow, making it increasingly harder for them to breathe.. If left untreated, this can lead to death in a matter of minutes. For these reasons, many people with sulfite allergies avoid wine altogether: not even the greatest wine in the world is worth compromising health.
However, luckily for those affected by sulfites, organic wine has come to the rescue, wearing a red cape and giving those allergic to regular wine a second chance.
Organic wine doesn�t necessarily mean �sulfite free,� a tidbit of information extremely important to those sensitive to even the most minute levels of sulfites. In fact, wines are rarely sulfite-free; sulfites occur naturally in wine. However, conventional wines go above and beyond the naturally occurring sulfites, adding many more sulfites to their finished product. Organic wine, on the other hand, tend to believe that the naturally occurring sulfites are enough - they don�t want to compound the situation.
The true definition of organic wine depends on where the wine is produced. For wines produced in America, the National Organic Program, the federal agency overseeing the production of organic food, has mandated that any wine claiming to be �organic� must not contain any added sulfites. Wines merely claiming to be made with �organic grapes,� however, aren�t subject to these regulation.. Along these lines, wines that are produced outside the US are governed under their own regulations: these wines generally have added sulfites, but the amount is roughly a third of the amount found in conventional wine. Thus, for those with sulfite allergies, it�s important to read the label very carefully.
Drinking organic wine isn�t just limited to those with sulfite allergies - it�s not a secret club people are allowed into by submitting their medical records.. Many people simply find organic wines better tasting, healthier, and good for the environment.
Organic wine is composed of grapes that are grown in an organic vineyard with organic farming techniques. Essentially, this means that the grapes were grown in a manner void of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides and full of natural fertilizers.. These vineyards also contain cover crops between their vines and work to attract beneficial insects, insects that will feed on harmful pests. Though no scientific provides credence, there is strong speculation that drinking organic wine instead of conventional wine decreases the chance of a hang over. This has led many people down an organic path, a path paved with the healthiest of soil.
Though not widely available, organic wine has recently begun to gain in popularity. Sommeliers are finally beginning to get the hint as bottles of organic Pinot Noir approach, tapping their fingers and impatiently saying, �Ahem.� Still, organic wine remains harder to find than conventional wine - many restaurants do not serve it and some liquor stores have either no collection or one that is minimal.. But, rest assured, there are places to find it, and soon they�ll be more..
Online is a great place to start, booming with shops that will ship organic wine to your house. Organic food stores - such as Whole Foods - have also jumped on the organic band wagon, obviously needing a ride from drinking too much. Along these lines, there are certain liquor stores that do carry a large selection of Organic wines.. To find one in your area, try calling around, doing an Internet search, or going to http://www.wine-searcher.com.
It might take a little research, but you�ll be rewarded once you are cradling that bottle of organic wine in your hands with a straw in your mouth. Then, it will all be worth it�naturally.
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Vegans: Rising
Vegans: Rising
by Jim Smylie
Maybe you've seen their products in supermarkets. Boca Burgers paving the way for Smart Links, rice bread showing up an aisle away from Soy Dream. And suddenly more and more you're meeting people who refuse eggs and cheese along with meat. You may have seen one carefully scrutinizing food labels. They are legion, and they have a name: The Vegans. And although you've probably only noticed them relatively recently, they've been around for over half a century.
VEE-gan?
Veganism is vegetarianism "turned up to eleven." It avoids any product obtained through the use�read, exploitation�of animals. That means meat is out, obviously. So are eggs and dairy. But less obvious are things like honey or silk. These are also verboten; after all, those bees made the honey for themselves, not for some clumsy farmer who crushes ten worker bees whenever he checks on the hive. And imagine yourself in a silkworm�s position: all that effort to create a cocoon, and for your trouble you�re boiled in it and tossed aside.
According to the website of Britain�s Vegan Society (the world�s oldest), the movement started in 1944, when a group of concerned �non-dairy� vegetarians (as they were then called) grew tired of seeing fellow herbivores consume animal products. Led by Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, they chose a new name for themselves: �Vegans,� from �vegetarian�s� first and last syllables. Though the movement met with initial resistance from vegetarians unwilling to completely forego animal products, it has since grown dramatically. Britain is home to at least 250,000 vegans; in the U.S., up to 1.4% of people refuse to eat or use any animal products. And with the rise of those vegan-friendly products, the convenience-factor is drawing more people in.
Why?
Vegans make the choice for a variety of reasons. First of all, it�s better for you. Vegan diets are high in fiber and protein and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. In a time when heart attacks are the most likely cause of death in America and obesity is on the rise all over the western world, this is no small benefit. Cancer risk is lessened, as well; a regular consumer of red meat is twice more likely to get colon cancer than a vegan.
Then there are the ethical considerations. In the vegan view, snuffing out the life of an animal�or even making it uncomfortable�for sustenance or comfort is a moral impossibility, even more so than with vegetarians. Many even oppose the use of yeast in cooking, and why shouldn�t they? The process kills millions to of yeast molecules. And if killing a one-celled organism is immoral, then the factory farming of everything from cows to honey bees is downright intolerable.
Under Fire
Veganism has never sat well in the public eye, even with some vegetarians, who view vegans as too extreme, and most meat-eaters, who consider them downright loopy. But recently public opinion shifted from puzzled disapproval to outright animosity, brought on by a controversial study in 2005 and several deaths. Lindsay Allen, a professor working for the US Agricultural Research Service, studied the effects of vegan eating habits on African children versus those of children given small, daily doses of meat. The meat-eaters experienced healthier development and performed better in school, while the �vegan� group�fed daily servings of just corn and beans�fell behind.
Based on the study, Allen concluded animal products contain nutrients not found anywhere else and that forcing children into a vegan diet is unethical and irresponsible. But vegans blasted the study as unscientific and heavily biased; not only were all the children starving, but the beef industry financed Allen�s study.
The deaths of several children by malnutrition did far more damage. Over and over, the same story arose: vegan parents fed their infants nothing but soy, juice, and crushed nuts. The infants took ill and died; the parents were punished heavily for criminal negligence (and in some cases, murder). Again, critics claimed this proved the flaws inherent in the vegan diet, saying children needed animal products to survive. Vegans countered that the parents were simply irresponsible, and that nothing was wrong with a proper Vegan diet.
While it�s true that many vegans load up on daily supplements (because things like omega-3 or vitamin b-12 are hard to find in simple veggies), there are many who don�t, and most of them are living healthy lives. It may seem odd to a carnivore, but to a growing number of people, it makes perfect sense.
If you�re hungry for some vegan-friendly food, you should try the following recipes:
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Bold Vegan Chili
Tofu Burgers
Shieldzini
Black Bean Chipotle Burgers
Wolfgang Puck�s Spicy Bruchetta
Broiled Vegetable Quesedillas
Brandia�s Tex Mex Soy Lasagna
Black Bean Asian Tostadas
Zucchini �Crab� Cakes
Wolfgang Puck�s "My Mother�s Garden Vegetable Soup"
Steamed Yuca with Mojo
And there are plenty more in our Vegan/Vegetarian Section!
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Recipe4Living has tens of thousands of recipes, a growing userbase, and tons of features that would make any foodie drool. There can never be enough cooks in our kitchen, so stop at Recipe4Living.com today!
The Mountain Drive Wine Stomp
The Mountain Drive Wine Stomp
by Pierre Lafond
Mountain Drive in Santa Barbara in the 1950s was a center of bohemian life, inspired in part, by Jack Kerouac�s �On the Road�. Located in, what was then, an isolated area in the mountains above Montecito, a rich enclave then as now, and because of its then isolation, of cheap land - $1,000.- $2,000 an acre. Almost all Mountain Drivers built their own houses with the help of their friends and neighbors and often without the benefit of plans or permits.
Many, if not most, had day jobs but in the evenings and weekends they became true bohemians living their iconoclastic fantasies. They celebrated everything worth celebrating, Robert Burns Birthday, Bastille Day, Twelfth Night, the summer and winter equinox, sunset and above all the grape harvest. Wine was the social lubricant in an age where the dry martini reigned, and the wine of preference was Zinfandel from a small family winery in San Luis Obispo.
A Hollywood movie Seconds starring Rock Hudson includes the wine stomp as a central part of their narrative. Filmed on site and with real Mountain Drivers as extras.
Our first winemaker at Santa Barbara Winery was from Mountain Drive, an Optometrist by trade, but a bohemian by choice. What started this train of thought is that David Lafond lives in the house of what was then one of the principle actors on Mountain Drive. David has resuscitated, after more than 20 years absence, one of Mountain Drive�s most cherished celebrations - the Mountain Drive Wine Stomp and the choosing of a Wine Queen.
Today, because of technological advances, only children are allowed to stomp. Being lighter they are gentler. In the good old days the whole community got into the vat and preferably naked. The wine did not turn out half as well.
The bohemian spirit may have vanished, children rebel against their parents, and these are mostly the second generation Mountain Drivers, and maybe, just maybe, sitting on million dollar properties is inhibiting, but they still have a good time and the spirit is there. Hopefully the tradition will survive.
Although never a part of this culture Santa Barbara Winery, and in fact, the whole wine industry in Santa Barbara County owes a debt to these pioneers and their love of the grape.
There is a book, Mountain Drive, compiled and edited by Elias Chiacos, published by Shoreline Press, P.O. Box 3562, Santa Barbara, CA 93130, that covers this early history of Mountain Drive with an ample selection of photos.
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Questions to Find and Implement Fast Solutions for Accomplishing 20 Times as Much
Questions to Find and Implement Fast Solutions for Accomplishing 20 Times as Much
by Donald Mitchell
You should assume there are many pathways to creating a 2,000 percent solution (any way of accomplishing 20 times more with the same time, money, and effort) that improves a high profile benefit while enhancing many other benefits as well. With these questions, you will identify the opportunities that you want to use the eight-step process to develop.
1. With unlimited resources and skills, how would you create the most immediate and valuable benefits for your customers and end users?
Since no organization has unlimited resources and skills, this may sound like a hypothetical question. Our experience has been that there are usually ways of approaching the level of unlimited resources and skills by joining with other organizations and individuals whose positions are complementary to your own. By addressing "what" needs to be accomplished, then it becomes easier to consider "who" you need to work with to get the results you seek.
2. What resources and skills do you lack now to implement those ideas?
Make as extensive a list as you can to identify what is missing so that you can separately focus on how to fill in each gap.
3. How can you eliminate these resource and skill weaknesses through adding information and knowledge?
Your choices include hiring people who already are well informed and knowledgeable, helping those who work for you to add the information and knowledge that they are missing and involving suppliers and potential partners.
4. Which organizations are in the best position to put into practice the ideas you have for your organization?
Naturally, if you can draw on all the resources and skills from a few (or even one) organizations, there will be faster progress towards your goal. Otherwise, coordination with too large a group of other organizations can make implementation unusually difficult.
5. How can you interest those organizations in working with you, rather than one of your competitors?
This is an area where imagination helps. Organizations that are more capable than yours are already quite busy pursuing opportunities in which they do not need to share the rewards. Your opportunity needs to put some of their current opportunities to shame by comparison, even after you reap your expected reward from the new success. Clearly, this change in priorities is easier to do when the other organization is smaller than yours. The best opportunities for you, however, will probably require help from those who are much larger than you are. How can you make that organization's involvement be simple, easy and enormously attractive?
Here's an example. Goldcorp, a gold mining company, engaged many of the best mining geologists in the world to help identify Goldcorp's best exploration possibilities through a global contest with prizes of about $500,000. As a result, the company located over a billion dollars in gold. How could you pursue a similar approach to add the resources and skills you need?
Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
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Why Are Online Organic Food Delivery Services On The Increase?
Why Are Online Organic Food Delivery Services On The Increase?
by Davinos Greeno
After a hard week at work or looking after children or relatives, the last thing you want to do is spend time pushing a big heavy shopping trolley around your local supermarket or walking around the busy town or shopping centre. Have you realized how much time you spend, and how much energy you use when shopping?
Are you sick and tired of having to waste this precious time, when you could be spending it with your family, chilling out or doing something of your choice? If so, then you need to start looking into deliver services in your area. Delivery services are becoming more and more popular as the growth of the internet means that nearly everybody has access to a computer and can save time by ordering online. You can even save money as its not as easy to get tempted into impulse buying when you cant see the packaging in front of you. Just think, no more dragging young children around the supermarket and watching in dismay as they try to pull everything off the shelves!
At the moment nearly every region in the UK has a delivery service that is easy to find online, GuideMeGreen has loads of local and national organic, fair-trade and special diet delivery services with an increasing range of food and non-food products. You often have to sign up or register with these sites and then you can begin your shopping right away, They are easy and fun and so convenient that you will find yourself with almost too much time on your hands!
Obviously, different companies offer different foods for delivery but you can often buy most if not all of your favourite groceries and more from these companies. You can find a vast selection of fruits and vegetables, both organic, locally grown and sometimes imported. You will find exotic fruits and vegetables as well as the old staples like potatoes and carrots. No matter what you need you can get it from these great food services.
You will also find a huge selection of organic dried and canned goods that you can have delivered right to your door any day of the week. Canned soup and dried pasta are just a few of the great items you can have delivered to you each week. Most of these services even have goodies like organic cookies and even some organic cakes! Many companies have non food lines such as eco friendly washing and laundry products.
You will get a choice of delivery. You may choose to have your food delivered after work or while you are at work. Many people choose to have their shopping dropped off while they are at work so that they are there when they get home. You can even ask that the goods be left in the back garden or with a neighbour so that they do not get stolen.
Organic food delivery services are flexible and convenient and they are something that every one can benefit from. The increasing number of people using these services is testament to that. The choice comes when you decide which ones to use � should it be supermarkets where you can buy anything and everything in one go or should you support the smaller companies where you may not be able to buy everything that you are used to�.ill let you decide.
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