See on Scoop.it – Avant-garde Art & Design
It’s being called “the most beautiful, haunting infomercial you’ll ever see.”
This video is addictive and eerie at the same time. It does tell an ‘Orwellian’ story of what has become of the food industry and what can be if we take back our power, our passion and our hearts.
See on gawker.com
Lately ‘Back to Basics’ A Simple Healthy Green Natural, Relaxed and Thrifty Life has become my Ikigai, my reason for being. Ikigai is a Japanese word that roughly means what motivates me ‘to rise and shine’ each day. My Back to Basics projects certainly qualify as just that. On a daily basis, I rise and head for my laboratory (also my kitchen) to see how something is fermenting, gelling, infusing or whatever process is used as a back to basics alchemist.
I am not very good at remembering things. I have numerous paper recipe notebooks. But I either forget to write things down or do a terrible job of it. On the other hand, I love to blog. So I decided that Alison*s Back to Basics Journal, an online collection of blog posts, would be the best way to go. This also provides a recording of my current Ikigai and an archive of these activities.
MY BACK TO BASICS JOURNAL
Here I am at a new beginning. I have completed a few ‘Back to Basics’ projects. So before I forget what they are and the details, I better get going with this journal. I have been working on five projects that are at various stages of maturity. They include:
• orange essence infused vinegar (not shown)
• homemade apple cider vinegar
• Kombucha
• Kefir water/Kefir milk
• homemade laundry detergent (not shown)
HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
I have already written a blog post about homemade apple cider vinegar. Ironically, it is the last project to be started and the first to be written about. I have followed Janella Purcell’s instructions as indicated:
“Here’s what you need –
cores and peels from 6-8 (preferably) organic apples (colour not important)
2 tbsp organic sugar or raw honey
filtered water to cover
Return the liquid to the jar and cover it again with a paper towel and band. Leave it for 4 more weeks, stirring daily.
Taste it and see if it has the acidity you would like. If it does, transfer it to a bottle with a lid for storage. If not, leave it in the wide-mouthed jar for a little while longer, checking every few days.” #applecidervinegar #janellapurcell #fermentedfoods”
Since I just started yesterday, I have to wait until the 28th to remove the scraps. Then I have to wait another 4 weeks to taste it. I am going to have to be very patient with this project. Next, I think I will explain how to make orange vinegar. It is easy, fun and great for house cleaning. It also smells great.
KOMBUCHA
The most involved are the Kombucha and perhaps the Kefir. They involve not only fermentation but also a special mushroom to transform the ingredients added to them to give them probiotic qualities for consumption. Both Kombucha and Kefir have links to them so you can learn more about them. In fact, if you can’t wait for me to include them in my Back to Basics Journal, you can learn how to make them from watching YouTube videos and asking lots of questions, yourself.
KEFIR
Kefir water can look very similar to Kombucha. But Kombucha has some effervescence and Kefir does not. They are both supposed to be very healthy. So I guess it is a matter of taste preference. I actually prefer Kombucha to Kefir water and Kefir milk to kefir water.
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Last but not least is my homemade laundry detergent. I am having lots of fun working on perfecting the consistency. I may wash all the clothes in my neighborhood by the time I perfect it. One bucket goes a long, long way. But I am going to wait for another day to go into detail on that project in my Back to Basics Journal. Suffice to say, I have grown to love it. The savings makes it even more desireable. There is a blog with a recipe in the additional resources below.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Why You Should Be Drinking Kombucha
Kombucha Health Benefits
What Is Kombucha
How To Make Kombucha
Making Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar
The Difference Between Kefir and Yogurt
Back to Basics Laundry Detergent For Only Pennies A Day
Back to Basics has become a necessity for many of us. For some it may be a trend, a fad, even an adventure. It is all of those. But at the same time, it is an imperative for those of us who:
• Need to simplify our lives
• Become healthy
• Live a green life
• Live naturally
• Relax
• Practice thriftiness
What started out as a project called, The Middle Class Poor and Resources for the Middle Class Poor, is evolving into a whole lifestyle, Back to Basics.
Let’s examine each of the above points to get a better understanding of the Back to Basics Movement.
• Need to simplify our lives
One need look no further than the skyline to see the proliferation of self-storage facilities. We have so much stuff. How much stuff do we need? How many cars? televisions? Internet devices?
How many of us have gone into debt, maxing our credit cards, to have the things that we keep consuming to fill the hole inside us?
• Become healthy
We are a nation of sick people. We have been led to believe that disease is inevitable. We are committed to a deteriorating life-style as we age until the point that we die an unnatural death.
Disease is not our birthright. Wellness is.
• Live a green life
We suffer from allergies. We can’t breathe. We get headaches. These have become the norm. They are not normal. Due to all the chemicals and toxins in the air and in the food we eat, we are being poisoned. Our very immune systems are being compromised.
• Live naturally
How great it would be to live free of allergies, breathing difficulties, headaches, other symptoms and illnesses. Imagine that as well as not having to take a cabinet full of medicines for these ailments. Living more naturally can go a long way in helping to bring this about.
• Relax
Our lives are very stressful. We work longer and harder than ever before. We have tremendous financial pressures. We have lost the ability to just be. We are always having to do something.
• Practice thriftiness
Increasing numbers of people are having to be very thrifty. In addition, the number of people who need government assistance are employed. But the money earned is not enough to live. We need to be thrifty, very thrifty.
The intention of going Back to Basics is to recapture something good that we have lost while seeking more. We need to surrender the glut, greed and self-destruction. It requires letting go of the baggage that weighs us down by literally and figuratively. We live lives based on immediate gratification and ‘gimme-gimme-gimme’. The idea is to regain a good life, a really good life. Slow down. Get back to basics and let’s see what happens. The results may be very pleasantly surprising.
I have been buying and using Bragg’s apple cider vinegar for years. It has many wonderful properties and uses. Here is a link to the Bragg website to learn more about this live food. When I found the following recipe by Janella Purcell, Nutritionist, I decided to give it a try.
“Making Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar – with the Mother.
The ACV available in supermarkets is refined and distilled, over-processed, over-heating, and filtered. DIY vinegar is easy, and cheap.
By making your own ACV you’re boosting the natural fermentation qualities of the apples. When the vinegar is ready, it contains a dark, cloudy, web-like bacterial foam called mother, which becomes visible when the rich brownish liquid is held to the light. The mother can be used to hasten maturity for making more Apple Cider Vinegar. Natural vinegars that contain the mother have enzymes and minerals that other vinegars in grocery stores may not have.
Here’s what you need –
cores and peels from 6-8 (preferably) organic apples (colour not important)
2 tbsp organic sugar or raw honey
filtered water to cover
Method – After you’ve dried apples, made apple muffins or fruit salad etc, place the cores and peels in a large, wide-mouthed jar. Cover the scraps with water and stir in the sugar or honey.Place a paper towel on top of the jar, and secure it with a band. Let the mixture sit for 2 weeks at room temperature, then strain out the liquid. Discard the solids. (compost or worm farm.)
Return the liquid to the jar and cover it again with a paper towel and band. Leave it for 4 more weeks, stirring daily.
Taste it and see if it has the acidity you would like. If it does, transfer it to a bottle with a lid for storage. If not, leave it in the wide-mouthed jar for a little while longer, checking every few days. #applecidervinegar #janellapurcell #fermentedfoods”
The above photo shows what is should look like when you start to make it. I started today, Monday, April 14, 2014. I have to wait until April 28, to discard the solids. Then I have to let in stand for four weeks at room temperature, stirring daily. This is a fun back to basics project. But it does require a lot of patience. We’ll see if it is worth it. More to come.
This statement may seem like a profundity. But is it one of the most basic elements of a joyful life. We are all so busy keeping busy. Social Media has become all consuming. It is a gift and a curse.
Today, I am inspired to share the joy I am finding on it. I have been drawn to Google+ lately. I am sure it has many more profound uses than the one I have just discovered. It is the Pinterest component. In face, I feel like I am on Pinterest when I use the ‘posting’ feature. So let’s pin some Google+ posts (from +Diply and +Fashion is my Attitude) as a way of spreading joy today.
These hydrangea cupcakes make the most appealing photo and irresistible treat. I smile every time I look at this image and the others that follow.
“If you’ve been wondering what all those terms printed on egg cartons mean, this (Egg Labels Infographic) should clear things up.” from the post of the same title by Will Blackmore of Takepart.com.
Via: TakePart.com
How much product information provided today to consumers is for educational purposes? And how much is merely the latest advertising hype filled with buzz words to grab our attention? We live in an age where the media mesmerizes us into buying a product. All too often the message is filled with misinformation.
We are forced to find out the facts for ourselves. There are often so many choices that it is dizzying. This is no accident. Millions of dollars are spent on product research. The goal of most food companies is not to produce what is best for us. It is to produce what makes the most money for them. But at least with eggs, now we can now be informed consumers. This is because of ‘The Egg Labels Infographic’.
In case you would like a translation of ‘The Egg Labels Infographic, read Jane Says: Here’s How to Unscramble Egg Carton Labels by Jane Lear also of Takepart.com. She goes into great detail to explain what all the terms mean. As consumers, we are entitled to know what the products we purchase contain. May this egg label post set an example for other areas in the food industry to become transparent. But more about that at another time.
There has been a great deal of noise in the news lately about food related issues. From state battles over GMO food labeling to the most recent debate over deer population “culling” on the East End of Long Island, one can become very confused about what to think, what to do and what to eat.
Deciding what one believes in is much easier as an intellectual exercise. It takes on a whole new meaning when it is a matter of hunger. In the case of GMO foods, for those who believe that genetic modification is dangerous, of course one wants food labeled so it can be avoided. But what if non-GMO food is too expensive and beyond ones budget?
In addition, we keeping hearing that the number of hungry and needy people keeps growing. Statistics show that the face of food stamp recipients has changed. The majority has shifted from the elderly to working age folks who can not make ends meet.
We are part of both the new demographic and the old demographic of hungry people. We have had our food stamps slashed to 5% of our original monthly benefit. The immediate result of that was that we had to turn to the food pantries. I have never seen food pantry packaging indicating whether or not the contents contain genetically modified food. I suppose I am consuming GMO food. So I ‘bless it’ before I eat it. Not only that, it is actually already blessed. The mere fact that someone has donated it so that I can eat is a blessing.
What about the latest news about shooting some deer or culling the deer population as it is called? The East End of Long Island is overrun with deer. They eat vegetation on people’s property. They ignore the boundaries that man has set for what is his and what is theirs. They are also disease infested. But they are regal as bucks and does. They are adorable as fawns. How can we justify killing them? It is inhumane or is it more human than many realize? Nature keeps a balance when left to its own devices. When we take actions that ignore or destroy the balance, something has to be done to rebalance it. In this case, it is called ‘Deer Management’.
I see no point in sterilizing the males. Contrary to my liberal, formerly ‘New Age’ thinking, I am now a pragmatist. I believe there are two very good reasons for choosing deer population culling:
1. The food is needed by the growing number of hungry people including myself.
2. We need to trim down the deer over-population since other methods are not working or being introduced.
If things go as planned, sharpshooters will be brought in from the Department of Environmental Conservation to carry out the deer population culling. The deer meat will be donated to Island Harvest and if I am lucky enough, my food pantry will receive it. I will get to have some of it. I was introduced to elk earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how deer meat tastes now since I have not had it for about 25 years.
thoughtshaker.com
Have I compromised my beliefs? Do I think GMO food is as healthy as non-GMO food? Do I no longer care about wildlife protection? The answer to all these questions is NO. So what has happened to my optimistically liberal perspective? I became one of The Middle Class Poor, the hungry Middle Class Poor and I am grateful for the blessed food I receive. It may not be up to my ‘preferred standards’. But when one gets hungry, one is grateful to eat.
Phil Collins – Take me home live
I spend a great deal of time curating very serious topics and issues. Sometimes it becomes very depressing. What is the anti-dote for this? I decided it is to make a joyful noise in the world, now.
So today’s blog post is about fun, whimsical, joyful things I like to do on social media. I did not even realize how much I needing this healing medicine to soothe the pain of life and the misery in the world. But a new facebook group, called Best World Music woke me up and got me smiling. Not everyone posts music I know or like. It doesn’t matter. I learn about new songs and groups from all over the world, thanks to Sasa Dobrijevic, it’s founder and contributing member, from Serbia.
I have also had the opportunity to focus on something that gives me enormous joy, music itself. I rarely listen to music. My wonderful Bose Radio/CD player is about 20 years old. It skips, the CDs often do not play and there is not a single radio station that I enjoy listening to for very long. Thanks to Best World Music, the famine is over. I can listen to other peoples suggested music, post my favorites and listen to them. In addition, I am making new friends from this group. We all share a happy common interest.
Another of my passions is architectural history. One of my favorite periods is The Gilded Age and the stories of the people and Mansions of the Gilded Age.
Thanks again to another existing facebook friend, Michael Carl Tanner, and several new friends I am having great fun walking down memory lane and discovering all kinds of new architectural and social wonders of the period.
Then there is my piece de resistance, purple food. Yes it does exist and this specific kind is from a yam native to the Philipines. It is known as ube. I had discovered ube in powder form in an Asian Market. I love to explore and try things I have never seen before. The powder sat in my cabinet for sometime. But when I finally got around to concocting my own version of the package recipe, I devoured the entire thing. I sought an expert, Jun Belen on this magnificent purple food. Much to my delight he had an entire blog post with photos of my beloved ube desserts.
About I month ago, I saw a video about the history of GMOs, based on the book Seeds of Deception. It made me so depressed I had to find a new focus for the Global Food rEvolution. I started to turn the corner when today I read about a new approach to crop production. It very much reaffirms my commitment to a future where Mother Nature triumphs over man made deadly GMOs.
The venture, named BioAg Alliance will “use microbes and fungi to enhance crop growth and yield, help with pest resistance, and reduce inputs like water. Monsanto paid Novozymes $300 million to partner in this ‘game changing’ venture. Monsanto will do marketing and field testing. Novozymes will do the manufacturing.” K. McDonald, Monsanto Going Green: Using Bacteria and Fungi to Increase Crop Yields and Lower Inputs
I am not naive enough to expect perfection. But like many people, I feel a sense of hope that at least we are not doomed to a death by consuming food consisting of nothing but genetically modified organisms. I do not know what dollars deal made Monsanto willing to change colors. But I do understand the sense of it.
Although Monsanto has received almost unanimous government support or lack of opposition due to lobbying and other enticements, there is tremendous opposition amongst the people. There have been huge public protests flooding the Internet. None were mentioned on the major TV networks due to collusion between corporate giants. But globally, there is a refusal to accept American exports due to GMO contamination. Apparently other countries have already realized what the US government and agricultural giants are just waking up to. GMOs are deadly.
The groundswell can no longer be held at bay. To see a change of heart, or at least wallet, to a greener approach restores hope and faith that Mother Nature triumphs to the good of all.
Back in 1929, when the stock market made its most precipitous crash, there were millionaires turned paupers who jumped from their office windows to their death. They could not bear the thought of a simpler life, one stripped of the glitz and glamour that accompanied the rarified air they were used to breathing.
Today, the economic see-saw is sending millions, not to their deaths, but rather to face the challenges of the 99% and The Middle Class Poor. For me, economic faith has led me to not only the acceptance of a simpler life but also the joyful discoveries that have accompanied it. This is not to say that it has not been a huge adjustment. But rather than plummet to my death, I have found my circumstance such that with the cultivation of economic faith and the acceptance of a simpler life, I seem to be keeping my head above water and enjoying it as well.
As the 1% continues to need to glut themselves on more and more, the ranks of the growing Middle Class Poor have increased and are tightening our belts. But, you know, it isn’t nearly as bad as I thought. Once you get an understanding of what financial assistance is available and just how to get it, you have a place to start. Here is an example.
Two years ago, we were granted food stamps, $367/month to be exact. Little did I know, this was considered a hefty sum. You see, I had a bit of the ticker tape millionaire attitude and was humiliated by the meager amount since it was a fraction of my monthly healthy food expenses. This past summer we had to file our SNAP (as food stamps is now called) recertification. To our mortification, our monthly allotment was reduced to 5%. That’s right TO 5% or $16 not by 5% as many other folks were. How the hell were we going to eat on $16/month. Short of dumpster diving or stealing, neither was an option, I had no idea.
Being one who perseveres rather than falls into self-pity, I knew this was my opportunity to make some new discoveries. These would be discoveries for my own salvation. My goal is that they could also provide information to support other souls who thought they would have only crumbs to pick at to survive.
There are so many things that I have learned to do simpler and even do without. My confidence in my ability to survive in challenging times has given me a sort of economic faith. I am resourceful. I know how to take little and make it into more. I know how to take things from the garbage and make them into treasures. I know how to accept a simpler life. In fact, I appreciate things more now than when I had more.
Future blog posts will focus on the specifics of making due, having more with less, and cultivating economic faith with acceptance of a simpler life. ‘Stay tuned’ for some fun projects, food recipes and ideas that will help you be a resourceful success as part of The Middle Class Poor.