Ideas
Simple Herbal Gifts: A Little Cooking Wreath
1 stiff chive flower stalks (regular; or garlic chives)
1 long sprigs of thyme
1 long sprigs of parsley
1 long sprigs of oregano
1 long sprigs of marjoram
1 long seed heads of
basil
1 short sprigs of sage
1 short sprigs of rosemary
1 dried chili peppers
Small herb wreaths like this one can go directly into the
soup pot, or you can hang one in the kitchen to be plucked from as
needed. Present them in plastic bags to hold their flavors and
minimize their shattering.
Twist chive stalks into a 4- to 5-inch circle to form a base for
the wreath. Twist in sprigs
of thyme, parsley, oregano, and marjoram and basil seed heads to fill
out the wreath. Add a single short sprig of rosemary or sage.
Let dry thoroughly; the wreath will shrink slightly. Thread three
or four dried chilis on sewing thread and tie around top of wreath.
Cover thread with a tie of kitchen twine or a narrow ribbon.
* Developed by Jim Long of Long Creek Herb Farm, Oak Grove, Arkansas
* Published in: The Herb Companion - October/November 1993 *
Backpacking Simple Food Ideas
Here are very, very simple ideas for dehydrated and light-weight foods.
1) Any packaged dinner mix from the grocery and packed in ziploc
baggies ie, Macaroni & Cheese, Rice-a-Roni, Broccoli and Cheese, etc There
are tons of these things available today. If they call for milk, then
the boys can carry powdered milk in baggies. Margarine will
travel well, and since they will be working hard, the extra fat might
be desireable.
2) Instant oatmeal and instant grits and bagels are great for
breakfast. Again, powdered milk can be used with these.
Get some of the new Fantastic Foods hot cereal mixes--they are warm
and filling.
3) Dehydrated vegetables and full meals can be found in camping
stores. Add dried peas to a box of mac & cheese, for instance.
4) Try Ramen noodle soups, or any of those "soup in a cup"s (that can
be packaged in baggies so they take up less room).
5) Dehydrated bean flakes that mix up almost instantly with water
are available in HFS. Mix these with some cooked minute rice and put in a
tortilla. Yum! Flavor them with onion, garlic, cumin powders.
6) Cheese backpacks well. Again, the fat may not be so bad if they
are hiking all day. And if it's cold, then the
fat is almost necessary to help
them stay warm. (You need a lot more
calories when it's cold.) Add a hunk to any soup, pasta, rice,
or dehydrated veggies you're cooking.
7) Pasta, pasta, pasta. Top it with sauces made from the dry package
mixes. A lot of these are tasty. High in sodium and preservatives
sometimes, but for a couple of meals they won't hurt
you.
8) Instant mashed potatoes that can be mixed with the powdered milk
or water only. Make up an instant gravy to go
top. (I *really* like the Hain's brown gravy mix and it's fatfree and
all natural.)
9) Dried fruit can be cooked in some water and put on top of a piece
of angel food cake for dessert. (Hey, the cake might
get crushed a little, but it is lightweight!) Add some cinnamon and
Tang (in lieu of orange juice) and you approximate a Cooking Light recipe.
10) The dry veggie burger mixes would make a great meal. Most of them
make up with water only and many are quite tasty.
11) Bulgar and couscous cook up in only a few minutes with boiling water.
12) There are lots of dried meats and fish available, but I've never
used them.
As you can see, when we camp, I like to cook things that require
water only. No fancy cooking and then tough
clean up for me! I find that when I'm "on the trail", ALL foods taste wonderful because I'm
always so hungry.
The Most Important Part Of Your Evening Meal
Most people consider a salad to be an optional or less
important part of their evening meal . . . somewhat of an
appetizer before the "main course." This is unfortunate
because a good salad has all the nutritional components
required by our body, and this is a claim that can't be made
by any cooked food.
When planning your evening meal there are a lot of things
you could skip, but a salad isn't one of them. For example,
you could omit bread and cooked food without creating a
nutritional deficiency. You could--and should--skip the meat
and dairy products, and your health will benefit greatly
from their absence. The same is true for dessert. But if you
want all the essential nutrients needed by your body, you
cannot omit a good, raw salad full of fresh, living
vegetables.
Vitamins, minerals, amino acids (protein), enzymes,
carbohydrates, fats, water and fiber are all essential
components of a healthy diet, and every one of these
essential components can be found in raw fruits and
vegetables. This is a claim that can be made of no other
type of food other than raw fruit and vegetable. The more
you learn about the nutritional deficiencies of cooked and
processed foods, the more you will appreciate your fresh
salad, and the wisdom of Genesis 1:29, in which God handed
down a diet of raw fruits and vegetables.
Raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked vegetables
because heat from cooking destroys all enzymes and most
vitamins, while protein and minerals are altered by heat to
a form that is extremely difficult for the body to utilize.
Enzymes are the activating force that helps vitamins,
minerals, protein, etc. work in the body, and enzymes are
among the first of nutrients to be lost to heat or long
storage.
Raw vegetables are an ideal source of protein, partly
because this protein has not been altered by heat, and also
because this protein is not in an excessive amount. Heat
from cooking alters amino acids (protein) into a non-living
form, difficult for the body to use, which needs living food
to produce vibrant, healthy living cells.
Raw vegetable salads can be a good source of protein, and
you can add an avocado and Udo's oil for your essential
fatty acids.
Historically, protein has been America's primary nutritional
concern, but most Americans are much more likely to have a
deficiency of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes than they are
to have a protein deficiency. The main reason for a vitamin
and mineral shortage is that Americans do not eat a large
enough variety and quantity of fresh raw vegetables and
fruit. The reason for an enzyme deficiency is simply that
enzymes are only found in living (raw) food and most
Americans have exhausted their enzyme potential (the body's
ability to produce digestive and metabolic enzymes) by
consuming an excessive amount of cooked (dead) food.
Americans, overall, eat very little living food.
Raw fruits and vegetables are also a good source of water,
considering that they are composed of between 70 and 90
percent water. Our bodies lose almost a gallon of water a
day, which must be replaced, and the water from raw fruits
and vegetables should account for a part of this
replacement.
The solution to avoiding any dietary deficiencies is to
consume a broad variety of fresh raw fruits, vegetables, and
fresh vegetable juices, especially dark green and deeply-
colored vegetables, organic when possible, and some sea
vegetables, such as kelp (also found in Barleygreen). With
this type of diet, not only will you get every vitamin,
mineral, and trace mineral you need, but you will also be
well-supplied with protein, enzymes, carbohydrates, fats,
water, and fiber--all from a living, natural source.
This is not really my point of view. Give up meats and milk products, not my cup of tea, but it may be yours. John.
This info is from Hallelujah Acres, www.hacres.com.
