Creamed Nettles {Gream Soup}

Every spring I like to try something new from the yard, this year I tried the stinging nettles, I've been wanting to for long while. Nettles are very high in minerals, especially, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silica, and iodine. They also provide chlorophyll and they're a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and B complex vitamins. Nettles also have high levels of easily absorbable amino acids. They're ten percent protein, more than any other vegetable. It is also very easy to recognise, seeing as how it STINGS you.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4+ cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1+ cup milk (as needed)
• soup pot full of nettle leaves
• onions, mushrooms, zucchini, can of corn, leaks, cooked potatoes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash nutmeg, lemon pepper, cayenne (optional)

Preparation:

Nettles: pick lots of leaves, spring of fall is best. wear gloves, wash & chop. Fill the pot with leaves wet from washing, cover, low heat for 10-20 min 'till leaves are wilted. next I put them in the blender with more water (1 cup) if needed, if I have zucchini or mushrooms I steam them with the nettles and put them in the blender, too, but I put the onion into the blender raw.

while steaming the nettles I melt the butter over low heat. then blend in flour until smooth. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add blended nettles and veggies. Corn can be added now. Cover and cook stirring occasionally, until hot. Season with salt, pepper, and others of choice. let cool, serve.

My husband said it was good but tasted/smelled like fish, not sure where that came from?

The kids helped me pick the nettles so there were stems and even some roots nothing I had read said to just use the leaves so I lest them in, BIG MISTAKE the stems didn't blend well so when I was eating I had to keep pulling out fibers and woody stems, and when carefully washing I must have missed a root or two because there was dirt in it... yum :/

But I thought the flavor was very good {I had 3 bowls} and would like to make it again.

Preparedness Fair

This coming Saturday, March 13th we will be attending a Preparedness Fair being held at the Lodi Stake Center on 1510 W. Century Blvd.

My friends in the stake have worked hard getting ready for it. The one they had last year went really well. This year they will have lots of booths and demonstrations done with the help of local public agencies and many experienced volunteers. Topics will include:
* Emergency food and waters kits for the home, car and workplace
* Alternate sources of cooking
* Home protection, home safety, security, crime prevention information
* Different facets of emergency communications
* Documents and important records preservation, child identification kits
* Basic first aid information kits for home and car
* Emergency needs for the elderly
* Gardening in small containers
* Cooking with food storage in an emergency

Co-op Order

Most months we place an order with Azure Standard.

I usually order grains like hulled barley, millet, brown rices, oat groats, rye, and wheat grains. I love the brown rice pasta, it is a wonderfully easy way to get the whole grains you need into your diet. Canola oil, normally I would say isn't a good oil, but they sell a non-gmo cold press that is an exceptional oil choice. I get allot of my staples there my flax and sunflower seeds, stevia, 5 roll, realsalt, coconut, agave, grain & nuts cereal, and oat bran (the best). If I can, I try something new- this month I'm getting arrowroot powder, I'll be using it as an alternative for corn starch.

What to feed the hamster?

Today a friend gave us a sweet little hamster named Geoffrey Gnaucer (like Chaucer but gnaw, get it). So, Zion Prep has a new classroom pet. We are keeping him on a trial basis for now, but, what will we feed him? so I am looking up what the right foods would be for him...

What do wild hamsters eat? :P

Ok, a hamster is an omnivore that lives mostly on seeds and nuts. I can do that.
equal parts of:
• sunflower seeds
• flax seeds
• lentils (dry)
• pumpkin seeds
• pine nuts (optional)
• sesame seeds (optional)
• soy bean (optional)
• buckwheat (optional)
• millet (optional)
• feed corn (optional)
• find other items that your hamster prefers.

Feed him about a tablespoon each day.
Supplement his diet with a variety of fresh foods like:
• apples
• bananas
• green beans
• broccoli
• cabbage
• carrots
• cauliflower
• corn
• celery
• peas
• zucchini
• sweet potatoes
another good treat is a boiled egg.
Do not feed hamsters tomatoes, garlic, onions, grape seeds, apple seeds, citrus fruits, almonds, cabbage, eggplant, kidney beans, mushrooms, pickles, potato, rhubarb, or junk food designed for humans (chocolate, chips, etc.)
I really enjoyed the inspirational food I saw at Hamster Tracker  :)

2nd log

We did school all morning. This afternoon we went for a play date at the Laura Cragan’s house. I made dinner for them, my Santa Fe Tacos, my kids love them, her kids, not so much... Then Isaiah went to his achievement day activity.
I took one of those online, IQ tests from tickle.com
My IQ score was 138 "This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others."
My Intellectual Type is Visionary Philosopher.
"This means you are highly intelligent and have a powerful mix of skills and insight that can be applied in a variety of different ways. Like Plato, your exceptional math and verbal skills make you very adept at explaining things to others — and at anticipating and predicting patterns."
OK, thanks for the boost, I don't need to pay the $12.99 for more. Every now and then it feels nice to be told how highly intelligent you are.
Now all I have to do is apply it to life.