The big question on everyone's mind is, "Are we going to be able to afford to eat with the wheat prices going up daily?"  Thankfully, the answer is a resounding YES!!  Wheat Montana Farms allowed us to preorder our grain several weeks ago.  We locked in a reasonable price for Prairie Gold, Bronze Chief and Pastry Wheat.  Lord willing, we ordered enough to cover our needs.  When John and I drove across the fruited plains last summer, we only saw soy and some corn growing, except around Wheat Montana Farms.  I am hoping the farmers of America will plant many acres of wheat.  Pray God will give a good growing season and abundant harvest, then the fall prices will decrease.

Margaret Loew, 15091 Lazy Lady Lane, Palmer (99645), 745-5639
Laurel Coombes, Box 3141, Soldotna (99669), 394-3175
Katie Helkenn, HC60 Box 306, Copper Center (99573), 822-3469
Lalena Leigh, 118 Mountain View, Fairbanks (99712) 457-5763
Kathy Lambert, HC62 Box 5855, Delta Junction (99737), 895-5117
Heather Ramseth, 25050 Glacier Highway, Juneau (99801), 789-4917
Elizabeth Dingus, 219 Mill Bay, Kodiak (99615), 481-7262

1 ~ ORDERING INFORMATION ~ As always, the ordering info tops the list. I'd like to be able to distribute grain earlier in May.  Please place your order by Monday, April 14th. You will save 10% on the consumables by placing your order by the 14th. I'll contact you either by email or phone when the truckload arrives. The sooner you come and get it, the better!!! We need to empty out that container ASAP!!! If you plan to order more than usual, please let me know ASAP!! Wheat prices change daily, so I need to order extra if necessary.

2 ~ CLASSES ~ Monday, April 7th and Monday, May 5th at 1:30 and again at 6:30 pm, we'll have our informative bread class here at our home in Palmer.  This is a great opportunity to see a bunch of new products and get reinspired to use your Nutrimill and Bosch.  Bring a friend and share all the wonderful advantages of whole grain bread baking.  We will make pizza, hot cereal and cinnamon rolls along with the bread.  Bring your favorite pizza topping and a pie plate to take home your own batch of cinnamon rolls. Thursday, April 10th, at 10:00 am, come and learn about Fabulous Fiber Fancies ~ my version of sprouted bread, Almond Crusted Patriot (French) toast, English muffins, power bars, and some freshly rolled hot cereal. We all need our daily fiber, so let's make it fabulous fancies!!!

Please call to confirm a spot for any of my classes - 745-5639

3 ~ WELCOME ABOARD ~ Many hands make light work. I am thankful for several more demonstrators. For bread classes in Anchorage and Eagle River, contact Kim Sears at 929-0946 or sears@acsalaska.net . In the Wasilla - Big Lake area, contact Janell Wolfe at 357-2929 or homemadehappinessalaska@yahoo.com. In Kodiak, contact Elizabeth Dingus at 481-7262 or momof6wildkids@hotmail.com. For families with gluten free needs, contact Linda Slater at 373-1081 or glutenfreecentral@yahoo.com. Attending one of her classes on Monday, April 21st at noon to 4:00PM or Saturday, May 10th or 24th from 11:00AM to 3:00PM will help you transition into this new arena.

4 ~ APHEA CONVENTION is April 18-19th ~ Calling all homeschoolers or anyone else interested in education!!! You won't want to miss this one!!! Plan on absorbing invaluable information from not one, not two, but THREE excellent speakers ~ Little Bear Wheeler, Andrew Pudewa, and Dr. Jay Wile. Both days, all day Friday & all day Saturday, will be packed with 10 workshops/addresses by these learned homeschool men. You will be challenged and inspired, ready to carry on through this year and into the next. Even if you don't homeschool, come for your children's education. If nothing else, attend the free Friday night session at 6:30. The cost of the convention is no more than a family outing at McDs and a much better investment. The meals, an exceptional deal as well at $5 per meal for Friday lunch and dinner and Saturday lunch, are provided by Belle Vista. Those have to be preordered by April 2nd. Please take the time to come!! We will join the ranks of many fine vendors in the exhibition hall. Please go to www.aphea.org for all the information and registration forms.

5 ~ IDEA CURRICULUM FAIRS ~ The IDEA Fairs follow right on the heels of the APHEA convention. DO NOT go to the Captain Cook, but to the new location, the Egan Center down the street in Anchorage. For info about all the fairs, etc. around the state, go to www.ideafamilies.org. We also have a table at the Anchorage & Soldotna Fair. Look for Heather Ramseth at the Little Red Hen's table in Juneau.

6 ~ WHOLY LIVING's 15th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, Saturday, November 8th ~ Amazingly, we placed our first grain order as Wholy Living in the fall of 1993. We wrote up a simple newsletter, published a price list, and ordered about 1000 pounds from Wheat Montana Farms, a very humble beginning. God blessed our efforts. Today, we cover most of this great state and bring up about 125,000 pounds from the lower 48 each year. November 8th, let's have a 'party' of sorts. Here's the theme ~ Health for the Body (our products, some informative classes and product workshops), Health for the Soul (a Loew family concert), and Health for the Spirit (a message from our Pastor). Oh yes, lots of samples and a soup dinner. We'll have it in the Eagle River area, convenient for Anchorage and Mat-Su valley families. Please submit your ideas for workshops and classes on the checkout page when you place your orders or you can email me at margaret@wholyliving.com. 

7 ~ EVANGELIST JOHN BISHOP speaking at Independent Baptist Church of Anchorage, 1801 East 68th Ave, between Lake Otis and the frontage road. (I don't normally advertise our church in the newsletter, but I would be amiss not to give you this exceptional opportunity.) Friday, April 4th at 7 pm, Saturday, April 5th at 1 pm, and Sunday, April 6th at 11 am & 5 pm.  His ministry focuses on touching the lives of hurting people. Nearly dying from spinal meningitis in 1995, he literally started at ground zero, learning to speak, to walk and to eat.  What is a wife? What is a family? You won't want to miss this golden opportunity to be inspired and helped yourself. Come Friday night just to hear him. I guarantee you'll be back on Saturday with a friend.  John Bishop's website is www.godissogood.net/home.html.

In the grain secton of the online store, check out the new sizes for a variety of items. Many grains now come in 5 pound trial sizes - Prairie Gold, Bronze Chief, Spelt, Kamut, oat groats, buckwheat, quinoa, rye, and amaranth. The 25 pound bags of millet and oat groats are more manageable. Try 3 pounds of rolled 7-grain. You'll be back for the 50 pound sizes.

BOSCH UNIVERSAL PLUS KITCHEN MACHINE ~ What a dandy!  Bosch took the premiere kitchen machine and introduced this super star last fall!  How do I like it?  Glad you asked!  I love the additional 100 watts, the removable center post, the suction feet, and the lock on bowl.  With the sleek new style, the Plus is the perfect 'servant' for every Proverbs 31 woman (or striving Proverbs 31 woman).

CLEANSING YOUR BODY with THE MASTER CLEANSER ~ How often do you clean your clothes, wash the car, or change the oil?  Regularly, right?  Our bodies will work like a fine tuned engine, given a 'good cleaning' several times a year.  From the food we consume, the air we breathe, the lotions, potions and cleaners we use, our bodies absorb and collect a multitude of poisons.  Many of our health problems stem from these toxins stored within.  Whether you use the Master Cleanser plan we use or something else, you will avoid a multitude of illnesses, allergies and diseases by regularly detoxing your system.  We now stock the necessities (except lemons) for the Master Cleanse, i.e. the Lemonade Diet.  Such as Celtic Sea Salt, Smooth Move laxative tea, and 140,000 hu Cayenne Pepper, along with the Organic Grade B Maple Syrup, and the Bosch Citrus Juicer attachment.  We also have the books The Master Cleanser, and Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in Ten Days in either book or CD form.  It is fairly inexpensive and very effective.  John and I cleanse several times a year.

ROLLER/FLAKER MILL by hand or with the Bosch ~ My newest hobby horse is a roller/flaker that can either attach to the Bosch Universal like the meat grinder or can be purchased with a motor unit or a hand crank.  I love to roll my own grain and seeds for hot cereal.  I roll several days worth and store it in my refrigerator.  Peruse the Cooking and Baking with Fresh Ground Flour book for ideas to utilized this wonderful addition to your Bosch attachments.  Try rolling sunflower seeds for baking granola bars.  Oats roll best.  Harder grains become more like quick oats.  My grandchildren eat pancakes with half fresh flour and half fresh rolled.  Use fresh rolled for bread dough, even topping for casseroles and baked potatoes.  Its possibilities are endless.

1 - I am experimenting with sprouted grain. Sprouting increases nutrition and digestibility. I basically sprout the grains several days in a tray until they are sweet to taste. Don't wait until they go sour!  I then run them through the Bosch meat grinder with our date pieces. Then just plop a small loaf size portion on a cookie to bake in a slow oven until golden.

2 - Try adding 1 cup of good yogurt to your bread batter and pancake batter. It made mine REALLY soft. The pancakes disappeared in a flash. I only purchase Nancy's plain whole milk yogurt in the natural section at Carrs & Fred's not the kind in the dairy section that is sweetened with Splenda. Another great addition to breakfast or anytime is a fruit smoothie. In your Bosch blender, float 5 or 6 frozen strawberries in 2 cups of Swiss Whey, add a couple of bananas, and a tablespoon of frozen orange juice. Process. John & I add a tablespoon of flax meal just before serving. Delicious & nutritious!! The grandchildren beg for these at every visit.

3 - To clean the blender, just put a drop or two of dish soap, add water & blend.  Rinse well!!!

4 ~ I will try to order enough buckets to last this time around. But when purchasing a plastic container from another source to store grain or any food item, look for the letters HDPE and/or NFS on the container which stand for 'high density polyurethane' and 'National Food Safe Seal'. You can then be assured they are food grade.

5 ~ Always refrigerate or freeze wheat germ & yeast (even the unopened packages).

6 - Spread sesame, sunflower or flax seeds on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake at 250 for 10-20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle on salads, casseroles, toast, anything for a good, nutritious crunch. Forget the calorie laden dressings and toppings!!

	Health Nut Bread		Almond Crusted Patriot (French) Toast
	Adapted from Laurel Kitchen's Bread Book		Adapted from Sparks People

HOME TEST pH KIT ~ Did you know that diseases, especially cancer, thrive and flourish in an acid environment? Did your grandmother tell you that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Well, here is a booklet with simple preventative advice for the willing listener. Learn which foods are acid forming and which are alkaline forming. Chapter titles include Feed Your Body, Starve Cancer Cells, What Do Different Readings Mean?, and Weight Loss or Gain is No Mystery. Also included with the book is a test kit, a 15 foot roll to test the pH level of your saliva or urine. Reshape your diet and pH balance for better health.

THE MAKER'S DIET by Jordan Rubin ~ Which diet is right ~ blood type, vegan, Adkins, the Zone diet, Low-Carb diet? Everyone has their biased opinions. I like Mr. Rubin's approach. After suffering several years from agonizing Crohn's disease, a nutritionist introduced him to the Bible-based diet, foods abounding with nutrients, enzymes and beneficial microorganisms. Thus began his road to recovery. He went on to study naturopathic medicine and now helps people from all walks of life to heal themselves through nutrition. 

Both these books work hand in hand. Give them a try. You might just find the end to your search for a 'perfect diet.'

The will of God is what you would choose if you knew all the facts.

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and will sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

Forgiveness is the fragrance from a trampled flower.

A Grain of Life

The more I learn about wheat, the more fascinated I become at God's marvelous and complicated science. This time of year we celebrate life - the eternal life Jesus bought for us and the scenery we enjoy as creation comes "back to life".  It therefore seems an appropriate topic to discuss the life God creatively packed into a minuscule wheat seed.

There have been entire libraries written on this small subject - I just want to introduce you to the basic anatomy of wheat. Most of this information came from a wonderful book by bread guru, Peter Reinhart. It is his newest book and teaches "New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor", via soaking and fermenting.

The wheat kernel (also called a berry or seed) has 3 major parts; bran, endosperm and germ. Bran makes up 14-15% of the wheat kernel and is the primary source of fiber. It is high in phytic acid, which some consider to be an antioxidant as it binds with iron in the colon (iron causes free radicals and can lead to cancer). It is also full of B vitamins and minerals. Did you know that all the bran and germ are entirely removed in white flour? Wheat bran is mostly insoluble and is not digested in the body. Its benefits include contributing to the pH balance in the intestines, moving food in the intestines and promoting regular bowel movements, and cleaning out toxins from the body.

The endosperm is three- quarters starch. Starch is a rather complicated subject- but for bread baking purposes starch has two functions; flavor and structure. Flavor arises from the various sugar chains that break free and structure comes by the gelling of the starch chains as they swell from the oven heat. Sugar is food for yeast and bacteria, which convert it to carbon dioxide, alcohol and acids. It is the freeing up of sugars where breads get their distinctive flavors and characteristics.

The other component of the endosperm is protein. Wheat is high in protein compared to other grains and this is what makes it so much fun to bake with. Proteins are composed of over 20 amino acids linked in various types of chains. Proteins have various sizes and shapes and are affected by heat, hydration, agitation and exposure to salt and other ingredients. Wheat has 4 major types of protein: gliadin, gluten, albumin and globulin. Gluten means "glue" in Latin and it gives dough elasticity. Here is an interesting fact- gluten is not actually in wheat, it is developed when flour is hydrated and the proteins gliadin and glutenin bond together to make a stronger protein which we call gluten. The more the flour is worked, the more organized and tightly knit the protein molecules become.

The germ is 3% of the kernel and is the nucleus that contains all necessary nutrients for the new life of a baby plant. It is particularly high in vitamin E, phytic acid, folic acid, and fatty acids. The oils and fatty acids in the germ put whole wheat flour at risk for rancidity. This is why you want to make sure the whole wheat flour you buy at the store is fresh. If there is a bitter flavor instead of the fresh sweetness to the flour, it is rancid. Best of all- mill yours at home. I hope this bit of information wets your appetite for learning more about whole grain nutrition. Or at least sparks a desire to go bake a batch of yummy cinnamon rolls full of flavor and packed with complicated, purposeful (by God) nutrition.

When I was growing up
I was taught The Golden Rule
We said the Pledge of Allegiance
Every day in School.

We always seemed to get along
Not because of what we did
But because we had our Father
Watching over His kids.

Now the courts have spoken
We are wrong in what we do
We can't say we're under God
We might offend a few.

It hasn't been that long ago
On a bright September morning
When our world turned upside down,
It could have been a warning.

I thought that day had brought us back
To where our Founders trod,
We joined our hands and prayed
One Nation Under God.

When our nation turns from God
It will surely fall
His love will turn to anger
The Bible tells it all.

I am Proud to be an American
With God I'll take my stand
We would not be here today
If He weren't holding us in His Hands.  (Copied)

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Jeremiah 6:16