Hallelujah! Spring is on the horizon! I am always excited to prepare for another coop order. God is so good to provide wonderful suppliers & transporters & distribution families. Show your appreciation for all the fine families who facilitate our coop orders by picking up your items in a timely manner. It is no small task! We all look forward to seeing you again in our granaries! We also want you to come to our 2nd Expanding Your Whole Grain Horizons Event at Camp Carlquist. It promises to be an informative opportunity. Read all about it below. Our son, Paul, & Stacey are counting the days until their baby girl arrives on the scene in early May, our 8th grand cherub!

Alaskan Humor!

Do I have to stop if I can’t see the stop sign?

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Announcements

1 ~ COOP ORDER INFO ~ Spring is here . Take time for an inventory & place your order by Friday, March 30th for the 10% savings on cash or check orders & 7% on credit or PayPal orders. Lord willing & helping, we’re be distributing by Mother’s Day. John & I will take a break from April 21st to May 5th, retuning just in time to disburse product.

2 ~ Reserve FRIDAY, MARCH 23RD or SATURDAY, MARCH 24h and join us at CAMP CARLQUIST, the cub scout camp at the Mirror Lake exit for EXPANDING YOUR WHOLE GRAIN HORIZONS 2012. On the heels of last year’s enthusiasm, we decided to offer the same program both days. So plan on either Friday or Saturday. Our day begins with a delicious breakfast at 8:15. Lacey Berry, the National Sales Manager from LEquip, along with our local ladies, will share their expertise during 5 hours of cooking demonstrations. Last year Linda Cox taught the principles of whole grain nutrition. This year we’re putting shoe leather to those principles, cooking on stage. Our first session is basic bread and soaked grain breads. Then we’ll learn to use the dehydrator not only for grains, but also pasta, granola, camp food & yogurt! April Lawson will introduce SPAETZLE! Super simple, delicious pasta, formed right into your pot. The best fast food is made at home in the BRK Pressure Cooker Pots . During two full sessions, Lacey & Debbie will create meals in minutes for pennies! Beans, Chicken, Beef! Watch how easily the BRK takes all the work and time out of cooking. What’s new at LEquip? Come see the unveiling of our newest additions as well as utilizing the Bosch to the max! Oh yes, lunch promises to tickle the taste buds & fill the belly! Purchase your tickets in advance from one of the demonstrators or through me for $45. This includes breakfast, lunch, & an informative 3 ring binder, choke full of notes, recipes & ideas. Expect shopping deals and door prizes. Bring your spouse for $30. Tickets at the door are $50. We are so excited to share our ideas & are working diligently to make it a memorable day! Look for signs to guide you into the Camp. Bring a hearty appetite! You’ll be glad you did.

3 ~ CLASSES ~ Obviously, the most comprehensive class with be the Expanding Your Whole Grain… March 23 or 24. On Thursday, March 15th at 6:30, we’ll use the BRK to cook corned beef & cabbage, add our delicious 7 layer salad, biscuits & green smoothie. Then Monday, April 2nd at 11 am, let’s do an Easter breakfast class of crepes, Hot Cross buns & fruit braid. These classes are $10/family, held right here in our kitchen on Lazy Mountain. Shoot me a quick email to reserve a spot. Friends and budding cooks are always welcome!

4 ~ Study our 6 month ’grocery’ list as a great resource for planning your spring order. It provides a well rounded variety of consumables. I estimated the ingredients necessary for baked goods, 5 loaves of bread/week, 1/2 gallon of milk/day, grains for hot cereal, dried fruit and nuts for variety, coconut oil for all fats, agave syrup instead of honey, and a bag of 11 bean soup mix. Of course, the 7% or 10% savings on consumables applies by placing the order by March 30th. For consumable orders with a final total of $1200 or more, choose 2 free bags of beans from the back side of the order form, as a thank you from us. (Yes, you can also order beans & the new #10 cans of fruits and vegetables as part of the consumable order. I just didn’t have room for everything on the front side of the order form.) Feel free to devise your own order. These were just my suggestions of what we use in six months. The items with an * should be consumed and NOT stored longer than 18 months. Please don’t stash your grains for future use. EAT them daily. Grains are economical and will keep you healthy in the long run. Pray and ask the Lord for wisdom to prepare for your family’s future needs. The back side is a suggested list of equipment for the beginner. By placing a $1000 equipment/book order, take home a Family Size BRK Pressure Cooker set for just $190. or the Couple Size for $150 We can also divide these large orders (consumables &/or equipment) into 4 monthly payments (M-A-M-J) to make it easier on the budget. Either CC or postdated checks work for me. The outlying depots accept checks. We are willing to work with you!

5 ~ GIFT REGISTRY ~ Fill our an order form as a gift registry or consult with the coop leader in your area. Brides receive a Wholy Living $50 gift card just for registering with us. Perfect for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or even Christmas! We can also hold a cooking class as a bridal shower.

6 ~ SEE YOU AT THE FAIRS!!! Mark your April calendar first for the APHEA (Alaska Private and Home Educator Association) Convention, Friday and Saturday the 13th & 14th of April. Note the NEW LOCATION for this annual event!, Anchorage Baptist Temple. Visit the APHEA website for all information on the convention. Our prayers go out to Abbott Loop for the reconstruction of their building. Right on the heels of APHEA begins the IDEA Curriculum Fairs. You’ll find Wholy Living in Soldotna on Wednesday the 18th, Thursday & Friday, the 19th & 20th in Anchorage & Monday & Tuesday the 23rd & 24th in Fairbanks. Stop by for a Howdy & a Hug! We’re offering an expanded number of items that IDEA funds this year.

7 ~ Saturday, March 24th, is a follow up session on last October’s Purity Conference. Encourage young ladies to attend with parents, Registration begins at 3:20 pm, at the Crossing in Birchwood. $5. Call 622-8827 for more details.

8 ~ Another EXCITING EVENT: An acquaintance of mine from Idaho called this week, overflowing with excitement about an all day health seminar she attended. Covering the 10 major body systems, it offers natural means to deal with health issues using herbs. Cynthia went on and on about all the great things she learned, empowering her to deal with common health concerns. She called me because, the same annual seminar we held Saturday, March 31st at Evangelos on the Parks Hiway from 9 am to 5 pm. You’ll come away with plenty of written resources & a DVD. I called 1-800-223-8225 today to reserve my spot. The $35 is more than worth the info you’ll receive! Please go & bring a friend with some health issues. You’ll have to wait another whole year before it comes around again. Cynthia has used several of these supplements, with incredible results. Best of all, they are VERY reasonably priced!

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What’s New

1 ~ New 2# packaging for the dough enhancer & vital wheat gluten.

2 ~ Our Auguson Farm long term storage, fruit, vegetable & powdered products receive rave reviews from all consumers. Try samples of them at the Expanding…Event on the 23rd or 24th. The Family Pack is a real money saver. I revised it a bit to include the cheese powder & egg powder. If you want more specific info in regards to the items, check the food storage link at www.augusonfarms.com.

3 ~ I have not played with the BOSCH FLOUR SIFTER until recently. Come to our event to taste angel food cake & see the bread baked with freshly milled, sifted flour. Your can hardly tell the difference between our flour & store bought lifeless flour. Of course we save the bran & add to other batter.

4 ~ PICTURE PROVERBS from Solve Family Problems , 4 DVD set ~ 2 DVDs of the book of Proverbs, a gorgeous drawing with audio of each and every verse . Another DVD is the Proverb screen saver, then a bonus disc, HOW TO GET OR GIVE WISE COUNSEL., a wisdom message from Dr. S. M. Davis. For more information, click on www.solvefamilyproblems.com

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Soaked Grains from Fall

After soaking and dehydrating now for 6 months, I can still say, I love it & will continue to soak my grains, dehydrate them & store them in a jar for future baked goods. The problem with whole grains is the preservative layer, the phytic acid surrounding the bran, which causes indigestion ~ bloating & gas. Soaking & dehydrating the grain nearly eliminates all the phytic acid, so here are the benefits. Softer, squishy, lighter texture bread. More flavorful bread. Easier to digest. By investing about 10 extra minutes to my normal bread making time, I have more wonderful bread!

Here’s how I do it.

• Pour 6 C P Gold, 3 C spelt & 3 C Kamut into a gallon jar. Fill with water. Let sit 8—18 hours.
• Pour approximately 2 C soaked grain into a colander. Rinse thoroughly. Spread into a dehydrator tray. Repeat until all 6 trays are evenly filled. Set the dehydrator on 120 for 12 hours.
• Transfer into a gallon jar. When I pour this batch into the mill, I repeat it all over again. Then I always have a batch of grain ‘in the bank.’
• Use the same method for baking mixes– all purpose mix = parts of spelt, brown rice & barley.
• For oat groats & corn, add some acid based liquid to the water before soaking.

Here are a few observations and thoughts:

1. When using them for baked goods, decrease your sweetener, as soaking intensi- fies the nature sweetness in the grains.
2. You might need to slowly feed your soaked grains into your mill as it runs.
3. The soaking water is great to nourish plants, full of minerals.
4. Rice digests easiest by soaking it in water for 8 hours.
5. If you mill before soaking, add acid based liquid to the water—a little lemon juice, good yogurt or vinegar. That removes the phytic acid as well.
6. Debbie soaks & dehydrates her grains and beans separately. You’ll see each jar neatly labeled on her shelf. Very inspiring!
7. Many folks diagnosed with gluten issues will do well with soaked grain baked goods.
8. Refer to Nourishing Traditions for information on soaking & dehydrating nuts, making them so much easier on the digestive tract!
9. On rare occasions, bugs invade our grains. It can be salvaged. Soak your grain, rinse it well, then dehydrate it. Now you can use it without feat of those invaders!

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Dehydrator Tips

This Dehydrator Tip Sheet is from L’Equip for making notations when dehydrating.

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Sprouted Grains

Maybe next year we can seriously address sprouting grains. Here are a few tips gleaned from my customers:

• When sprouted grain tastes sweet, either use or dehydrate it. It spoils quickly.
• When milling sprouted dehydrated grain, feed the grain slowly into the mill, pouring a small steady stream of grain into the mill.
• To make a kind of sprouted scone, process the wet grain in the meat grinder or with the stick blender to make a mash kind of substance. You may add your favorite seeds or nuts, but it is great by itself. Scoop the ‘mash’ onto a baking sheet in individual dollops. Bake in a slow oven several hours.
• Sprouting grain increases vitamin C.
• Some folks add the soft grain sprouts to bread for a crunchy texture.

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Basic Legume Factoids

By Debbie Deitz

• Beans are rich in minerals and B vitamins, omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids and much more.
• Legumes are a very important part of a nutritious complex carbohydrate enriched diet. Complex Carbohydrates are not the monsters of our diets, the simple white refined and processed Carbohydrates are.
• In order to get both the most digestible nutrition from your beans and a more flavorful dish, presoak your legumes for at least 8 hours (soaking neutralizes the phytic acid and inhibitors found in all legumes & grains) and then rinse before using in dish.
• Legumes will be most flavorful when combined with robust broths and many combinations and varieties of spices.
• For best nutritional benefit, eat legumes and grains together with a little dairy, hence beans, rice with cheese is perfect combination!

Beans can be cooked easily & quickly under pressure in the BRK Pots. No more crunchy beans after a day cooking in the crock pot! Save time & fuel costs with the BRK Pressure pots. Each set includes a short pot & a taller pot with interchangeable lids ~ 2 glass lids for conventional cooking and an innovative, patented one handed pressure lid. The vegetable basket steams veggies & is a handy tool for many other applications.

BRK Pressure Cooker Method:

• Place presoaked beans in BRK of choice, filling no more than 1/3 full of beans.
• Add enough water (or broth) to cover beans, plus 2”.
• Add ½ t. sea salt.
• Lock lid into place.
• Bring to 15 psi (#2) over high heat; reduce heat to maintain pressure.
• Cook for 8-20 minutes (small beans less time, larger thicker beans lengthier time), (for frijoles’ style bean with thickened broth, cook 30-45 minutes).
• Depressurize using the Natural Release Method.
• Adjust seasoning to taste.

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Grain Factoids

By Debbie Deitz

• A “whole grain” is a grain that has not been refined, processed and made “white” or “simple”.
• Whole Grains are a “complex carbohydrate” and part of a nutritious diet.
• Cooking whole grains may take a bit more time but is well worth the effort in nutritional value and a fuller, heartier flavor.
• Grains are either gluten free (buckwheat, rice and millet) or those that contain gluten (rye, wheat, spelt, barley and oats).
• Grains containing gluten should be soaked or fermented.
• Kamut & Spelt may contain gluten, but can often be tolerated by those with gluten issues because it breaks down more easily during soaking making it more digestible than wheat.

Cooking Whole Grains using the BRK Pressure Cookers:

• Pour grain and water into appropriate BRK.
• Place lid on pot, setting pressure knob to “2”.
• Place on burner with a “trivet” between pot & heat.
• Heat over high heat to 15psi (or red button pops up).
• Once pressure is achieved, lower heat immediately enough to maintain pressure & cook for designated time.
• Use the Cold Release Method to open pot. Stir rice. Put lid back on (red button will pop up again), allow to depressurize & then reopen.
• Season & Serve.
• Use cooked grains as a side or with meat, veggies for a main dish. Grain cold salads have endless possibilities.

(This would be a good chart to copy & tape inside a cupboard for quick reference.)

* This Bean & Grain Factoid column is copied from our Expanding Your Whole Grain Horizon 2012 Notebook. Thanks, Debbie, for authoring!

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Cordova Customer Comments

Margaret, i just wanted to get a note off to you to let you know how PLEASED I am with all the goods I got from you… We are so excited with everything.  I do not know how I lived without a Bosch mixer and the Nutrimill.  They are fabulous.  I have made so many loaves of bread.  It turns out so good. My family loves it. We made the pancake mix this morning and it is delicious. Also, the pressure cooker is unbelievable!!  Thank you so much for everything.  I cannot wait to come back to Palmer and visit you again.  If this snow ever stops down this way.  We have set all kinds of records for snow amounts in December, but I was able to just stay indoors and cook such wonderful things with my new grains and my new appliances.  Thank you Margaret.. Talk with you soon.  Renee

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April’s Tips

• Store what you eat and EAT what you store!

Food storage is essential here in Alaska, where we can’t grow the majority of our food and transportation brings it in for us. Our winter storms and earthquakes could wreak havoc with our roads and bridges, thus leaving us stranded in more ways than one. It has been said that Alaska has about 7 days worth of food on the shelves.

Doesn’t it make sense to store things like noodles, rice, bread making supplies, meat (canned or frozen) and vegetables? This will save time running to the store constantly (and purchasing those extras), and can be quite a windfall to your family in these trying economic times. Some people will call this their Emergency food, others try and store anywhere from 6 months to two years worth.  I know not everyone has a house large enough to store 6 months, let alone 24 months worth of food, but every little bit counts.  Use closets, under the children’s beds, or little used cabinets!

Next, make sure to store things your family will actually eat! Who cares if the case of Spam will last 20 years and it was ON SALE, if your family won’t touch it (and should they), why take up valuable space? Now is a good time to start checking on the shelf life of canned items, wheat berries, pasta and rice, etc.… Not all things can be stored in the freezer (there is only so much room), and what would you do if the power went out and you had no generator?  Make a list of essentials, and commit to buying X amount of dollars each month until there is a nice cushion!

Don’t forget to store in airtight containers, in a cool room with no sunlight exposure. Rotate your stock, last bought placed in back (or bottom). Also, keep a checklist of items you have, and make a list of items that are depleted.

• Budget your monthly food allowance to include your next 6-month food order!

Sit down with your husband when doing your monthly budget and talk about what you would like to order thru Wholy Living so you can take advantage of the 10% discount on consumables! In the beginning, this will seem hard, especially if this is your first time, but as time goes on, you will realize how much bread baking you need to do, and how many other staples you actually eat in 6 months. If it seems impossible to budget monthly, you could agree to set aside X amount of dollars from your PFD or Tax return! Study the 6 month supply order form. It was designed as a guide for this purpose.

• Buy organic!

This is the single most important thing you can do for your family’s health! Yes, I know it can be expensive, but so is health insurance! With the alarming rate of cancer and heart disease running through our country, now is the time to say no to pesticide, herbicide, and petroleum fertilizers. This includes the obvious fruits and veggies, but also dairy products like milk and eggs!  I know organic meat is ultra expensive, but start where you can!

Start a garden and GROW organic!  Even if it is only lettuce, peas, carrots and potatoes, this could provide relief from the food budget, AND give you a new hobby to share with your kids!

• Commit to cooking more of your meals from scratch (whole food cooking).

I know you think if you cook mostly from scratch you will be in the kitchen all day every day, but you won’t. This will provide your family healthy meals without all of the preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and food additives (MSG) that are so unhealthy and causing many allergic reactions. Might I add that there is such a thing as TOO MUCH SOY?

In the old days (think Little House on the Prairie), our great great grandmothers baked bread for the week on Saturday, washed laundry on Monday, and so on. You can set up a routine for yourself also. We clean house thoroughly and do most of our laundry on Monday. We then make yogurt for the next week on Tuesdays and bake on Saturday.

Yes, I do forget to defrost the meat for dinner sometimes, and there are even times I don’t plan the week’s menus. (BRK to the rescue!) You don’t have to have every moment scripted; just an outline will be helpful.  Slowly but surely you will find some time to try a new recipe, or a new technique to make your family’s meals healthier.

Eating out should be a treat, not the norm for optimal nutrition!  If you eat out 5 times a week, challenge the family to cut back to twice a week, and then once a week, etc. With the money saved invest in something the whole family can enjoy for more than the time it would have taken to eat it. I am not saying NEVER eat out, just keep it for special occasions, your body will thank you!

• Eat balanced meals!

Offer your family a balanced option for meals.  Have a fresh salad, baked bread, a nice roast or whole grains. Provide variety, not only in kinds of foods, but the way they are prepared. Raw is awesome! Raw veggies and fruit are great way to boost vitamins and antioxidants!  Preparing nuts the Nourishing Traditions way is considered raw due to the low temperature, and so is dried fruit.  We eat too much processed food!  This leads to poor nutrition, and fake vitamins added back in to have any nutritive value (think white bread from the grocery store).

Raw means the enzymes are intact to help you properly digest!

• Buy the best kitchen tools you can afford    and USE THEM!

Men have tools, and women have tools. The ones you use on a regular basis should be of the best quality that you can afford (i.e. you can’t really afford them if you can only buy them on the credit card).  If you can’t afford the Bosch Universal Plus right now, use what you have and SAVE for the Bosch.

Don’t spend hours trying to convince your husband you really need that new tool, only to leave it in the package for a few months unopened (been there, done that!)!

Make sure you read the directions before turning them on, not all items are “Plug and Play,” some have specific uses or speeds that must be followed. Pay attention to the best way to clean and store your tools, not everything can go in the dishwasher.

Set up your kitchen in a logical way. Make yourself a “baking center,” to include common tools and bowls as well as ingredients.  Save yourself trips back and forth across the kitchen (unless you count this as your exercise.)

When your children are old enough (and responsible), show them how to use the equipment appropriately, to include the cleaning.  When we get a new power tool in our kitchen, mom is the only user until she wants to share. Which also means she does all of the washing! That helps keep things from being damaged accidentally.

Have fun learning! Once you have learned the technique, you can relax and create your own recipes!

• These are great resources, check them out!

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon A wealth of information about our food, the history of food, and many recipes from other cultures.

Miss Vicki’s Pressure Cooker Recipes This is in paperback book form or you can get a wealth of information from her website: www.missvickie.com

The following movies should be watched in the order you read them!!!

Super Size Me dvd documentary about eating nothing but McDonald’s and the high price you pay!

King Corn dvd documentary about two college friends who embark on an adventure to grow their own acre of corn and the surprising discoveries they make along the way!

Food Matters dvd documentary about the importance of the kind of food we eat and the role of organic and raw foods plus vitamins in our diet. This has jaw dropping statistics and facts the FDA isn’t volunteering!

YOU –you are your families best tool to great health and nutrition. You know when your child isn’t feeling well after eating certain foods. Don’t believe everything your doctor says, go investigate for yourself!  How many times have you realized you did something just because the doctor said so, but have no idea why you should be doing it? This doesn’t mean your doctor is wrong, only that you should make yourself more knowledgeable!

Instead of taking medication for an ailment, like high blood pressure, ask yourself what the root cause is for the ailment! If you get bronchitis every year like clock work, don’t just accept that fact, I would encourage you to find out WHY!

A word of caution, there are many people out there selling something. Some are trying to take your money while giving you nothing in return; others have made it their life’s work to help people. Dig deeper, investigate!  The Internet brings many resources to our homes in an instant, use it wisely. We do not run off and believe the first “new tidbit” of information, we wait and find at least three reputable sources before feeling there is credibility.

• Soaking your grains and legumes are an essential tool to releasing the nutrients and enzymes for proper absorption!

I know Margaret has already spoken on soaking your grains, I would like to talk about the importance of soaking our beans.  By soaking your beans the Nourishing Traditions way, which is with warm filtered water and whey or lemon juice, you are preparing them for your body. The acidulated water over a period of time removes the phytic acid, which is nature’s way of preserving the seed; but it also softens the bean and shortens the cooking time! If the phytic acid isn’t removed, your intestines can not absorb the nutrients very well, so you are not getting all of the benefits, just the fiber! Why pay the cost for organic beans, if you are just flushing the benefits away, as well as getting a belly full of gas! Soaking helps to negate the gassy side effect. It is recommended that if you don’t eat the beans often, start slowly adding them to your diet. This will help your system to adjust!

Don’t forget, by having a meal with both a grain and a legume, you have a complete protein!

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Wholy Recipes

Gingersnaps

From April Lawson’s Kitchen

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Chicken Taco Soup

From the kitchen of Suzi Rawalt

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Chicken, Broccoli & Rice

STORE what you eat & EAT what you store! I needed a quick meal for a needy family. This was it. Love that BRK!

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Bookshelf

NO MORE BRICKS
Successful Whole Grain Bread MadeQuick & Easy

By Lori Viets

Lori authored an extremely complete volume discussing all aspects of whole grain bread baking. For the novice or experienced bread maker, everyone will benefit from Lori’s ideas and knowledge. She covers every aspect well, except for the soaking that we recommend. Just go ahead & soak , then practice all her suggestions. Lori offers 30 simple variations from four master mixes including main dishes & desserts! Check it out & you will take it home! Just $20.

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Wholy Thoughts

DID YOU KNOW?

• As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court, you can see near the top of the building, a row of the world’s law givers. Each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view. It is MOSES, holding the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW?

• As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of the door.

DID YOU KNOW?

• As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above the place where the Supreme Court Judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW?

• There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.

DID YOU KNOW?

• James Madison, the fourth president, known as ‘The Father of Our Constitution’ made the following statement: “We have staked the whole of all our political Institutions upon the capacity of mankind for Self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• Each session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayers since 1777.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Fifty-two of the fifty-five founders of the Constitution were members of the established Orthodox churches in the colonies..

DID YOU KNOW?

• Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of Interpreting the law, would begin making law an oligarchy, the rule of few over many.

How then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done in this Country for 220 years is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional?

Remember, this great country WAS built on
The Holy Bible and belief in GOD!

Can God still bless America? God, please forgive America & save Americans before it is too late!

Wholy Yours,
Margaret