Buy Fresh Buy Local...... well... sort of

In addition to our recent venture onto The Maker's Diet (as chronicled below) we're also doing our best to "Buy Fresh. Buy Local". For example, our meat has either been butchered from our farm (beef) or shot in our woods (deer). If pork was allowed we would certainly be interested in obtaining some from Polyface Farms which is just down the road (and most recently featured in Food Inc.

But wait! Good news is on the horizon... a few overlooked facts that could bring redemption to this wayward, sugar-addicted soul! This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill candy. This candy comes with a %100 Freshness Guarantee and is produced just a few miles north in Landover, Maryland.

At first glance it would seem that this sugary-pink confection represents an abomination of healthy eating but, upon further inspection, anyone can plainly see that this "Quality Candy" does in fact meet "Buy Fresh Buy Local" standards (which neither the apple or the almonds can tout).

It's no Scat Snack (or Flax Snax as Lindsay has suggested as a more appealing name for the chocolaty-flaxy delights) but it's apparent that this little candy has high moral standards. And that's a compromise we can live with!

Harvest Farms - Adventures in Eating!

We're on a diet. All 14 of us. Well, it's not exactly a diet... we like to think of it as a new way of eating. Last weekend we embarked on a 40 day adventure called The Maker's Diet.

The Maker's Diet was written by Dr. Jordan Rubin. After being diagnosed with a number of chronic, gut-related illnesses he turned to modern medicine, then fad diets, and finally "miracle cures" on his quick and unexpected descent towards death (no exaggerating, the guy looked like a walking skeleton). He decided to turn to scripture for advice and began eating in accordance with the food guidelines found in the Old Testament. No fish without scales, no pork, no "unclean" animals, etc. He also decided to go all organic and dropped all refined sugars and grains. He stripped his diet down to the basics (nothing processed) and, surprise!, he started to regain his health.

The diet is broken into three, 14day phases starting out with the bare basics and adding new, healthy foods in a progressive fashion. The first phase is very much like a cleansing (no, not THAT kind of cleansing aka "drink-this-and-experience-a-blow-out"). No carbs for 14 days, just protein, veggies and a few types of fruit. Dairy is limited to goat and sheep milk (which, by the way, I would not recommend. It's baaaaaaaa-d (sorry, I couldn't resist).

All of us decided that we should do it together otherwise it would be too difficult to maintain. So all 14 of us (including the kids) have set out together in conquest of health. This first week has been a lot of "fun". Day 3 presented some special challenges as all of our bodies were yelling "feed us sugar!" and getting grumpy over the inability to actually feel "full". Regardless, we've had some FANTASTIC meals and I'm personally really, really pleased with our creative ability in putting meals together for such a large group of people (adults and kids) and such a small choice of foods from which to choose. We've had feta omelets, herbal tea ice cream, grass-fed beef hamburgers, sauteed carrots, garlic green beans, venison tenderloin, eggplant salad, chicken kabobs, and a pantry full of other culinary delights. Honestly, we can hardly wait for the day we get to add rice and whole grains back into our diets. Until that day, we'll be happy with our meat and veggies.

The good news is that we grow a lot of our own food in season. The bad news is that we're out of season! Outside of the row of leftover mustard greens in the greenhouse, nothing is coming up just yet. Luckily we have a freezer full of grass-fed Harvest Farms beef to compliment the store bought organic fruits, vegetables and sheep yogurt (which is incredibly good with a shot of agave nectar and blackberries). Can't wait for the garden to start producing.

If anybody has done (or is familiar) The Maker's Diet, let us know! Chime in with some of your favorite recipes and we'll be happy to try them out and let you know how they turned out. Stay tuned - 40 days of health up ahead!