Mary's Newsletter: NEW Heirloom Varieties and BIG Savings!

Hello and Happy Friday!!!

Mary's Heirloom Seeds November NEW Heirloom Varieties 4-Day SALE Announcement and NEW GOODIES!!! Dear Mary, We hope you had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Just a reminder that tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. We're giving YOU a chance to get a jump on Savings, Check out NEW goodies and Gift Sets. All New Gift Sets!!! -Greens Gift Set -Tomato Lover's Gift Pack -"Mail Call" Gift set and So Much More!   Seeds of the Month Club There are 4 options to join the Seeds of the Month Club starting @ only $44 for 14 packs!  All of our seed varieties are open-pollinated, Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds.  The "SUPER" membership options also includes 4 extra packets of Organic Wildflower seeds with your first month. Click for details  Mortgage Lifter Tomato  80 days.  This huge heirloom beefsteak (up to 4 lb.; average 2½ lb.) consistently wins taste-tests. Developed in the 1930s by a gardener who planted the four biggest varieties he knew and crossed one with pollen from the other three. He did this for six seasons and created a variety that produced immense, tasty fruit. Blue Curled Scotch Kale  60 days.  Compact plants yield tender, blue-green, crinkled leaves that are quite delicious, very cold hardy, and rich in vitamin A. White Wonder Cucumber 60 days.  A great yield and very special. Creamy-ivory, 7"-long fruits, delicious and great for pickles or slicing. W. Atlee Burpee introduced this heirloom in 1893. Golden Midget Watermelon  70 days.  Unique watermelon discovered in 1959. This beautiful miniature watermelon that weighs around 3 lbs. It's easy to tell when they are ripe, as the rind turns a lovely golden yellow when ready for harvest, a very beautiful contrast with the salmon-pink colored flesh. The taste is sweet and refreshing. 4-Day Seed Special ENDS Monday, Dec 2nd@9pmDanver's Half-Long Carrots  Snowball Self-Blanching Cauliflower Black Beauty Eggplant Purple Plum Radish Laurentian Rutebaga Pink Oxheart Tomato Varieties BACK In Stock: Thai Sweet Pepper Marglobe Tomato Cilantro Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach Saturday, Nov 30th will be our last day @ The YG Farmer's Market for 2013.  We're in Booth #110.  We're taking a break for the moment.  Pick-up orders will be available in Hollywood, FL Monday-Friday...Just send us an email! December 15th is the LAST day to order online for delivery on or before Dec 24th.  Sincerely,                                                 Mary Mary's Heirloom Seeds "Very simply, we subsidize high-fructose corn syrup in this country, but not carrots. While the surgeon general is raising alarms over the epidemic of obesity, the president is signing farm bills designed to keep the river of cheap corn flowing, guaranteeing that the cheapest calories in the supermarket will continue to be the unhealthiest."   Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

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Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls using REAL Ingredients

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm in the kitchen today and taking a bit of MUCH NEEDED time off.  I am so thankful for my Florida friends and "Family" of Patients.

Lucy and Rocky rolling around the kitchen in catnip!

We're celebrating our first Thanksgiving being a Married couple...Woohoo!!!

I am forever grateful to my friends and family in California.  

I love you all and miss you LOTS!

My dad hanging out with the grandkids!

If you want dinner rolls without the nasty chemicals and preservatives, this is the recipe for you!

Mary's Perfect Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm organic milk (for this I use whole milk)

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup organic sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup organic butter, softened

2 teaspoons salt

7 cups unbleached organic flour, or as needed

1/2 cup butter, melted (I omit)

Dough rising!

I used butter from a local cheese and butter maker.  They are a small local business and their products are AMAZING!

Directions:

Pour milk into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the surface. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Beat in the sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and salt; blend thoroughly.

Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover bowl, and set in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, cover the bowl, and allow to rise again. Repeat this step two more times.

Break off 2 to 3 inch size pieces of dough, roll lightly into round shape, and place in prepared baking dish, edges touching. Repeat to make 36 dough balls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

Large rolls and Small rolls!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish

Bake rolls in preheated oven until tops turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. When rolls are finished baking, drizzle melted butter over the top, and serve warm. 

If you have a minute  Check out Home for the Holidays. 

Also, I shared a super fun Essential Oils Giveaway this week.  It's easy to enter!
At the moment I'm prepping for Small Business Saturday which just so happens to be this weekend.  I've even created an event on our facebook page.  There's plenty going on around here.  

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Sharing HERE and Wildcrafting Wednesday.

Why REAL Food Thanksgiving?

Before I get started sharing recipes I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have participated in Real Food Fridays.  Thank you for Respecting our guidelines and only shared REAL food recipes.

Check out our GMO-Free fb page!

The definition of REAL food can be confusing for some people.  Basically, recipes items should be Non-GMO, un-processed, locally grown and or humanely raised.  Most important is the homemade/handmade aspect.  
I know it can be difficult to decifer "food code" when it comes to GMO ingredients and I have shared this in the past.  Check out GMO and GMO Education over @ Back to the Basics.

What is a GMO? 

GMOs "genetically modified organisms," are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.  -from  Non-GMO Project

What are the potential Side Effects of GMOs? 

It is important to understand the process of creating a Genetically Mutated Organism.   Example:  Corn - There are two main varieties of GE corn. One has a Gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis inserted to produce the Bt toxin, which poisons Lepidoteran (moths and butterflies) pests.[2] There are also several events which are resistant to various herbicide. Present in high fructose corn syrup and glucose/fructose which is prevalent in a wide variety of foods in America. source

GMOs are created so that when they are DRENCHED in Poison (pesticides) the crop lives but the bugs and weeds die. 

A new study shows that low doses of Bt biopesticide CryA1b as well as the glyphosate herbicide, Roundup, kill human kidney cells. source

GMOs are not safe. They have been linked to thousands of toxic and allergenic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals. source 

 Here's an example: If your SUGAR is not "can" sugar and/or Organic Sugar it might be Beet Sugar from GMO beets.  If your Papaya comes from Hawaii and is not Organic is is probably GMO.  NEVER use Canola Oil unless it is Certified Organic.  Corn is in just about everything: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, corn sugar, corn starch (All GMO unless it's Organic!).  Check out GMO-Watch for a thorough list!

So I said all of this to let you know we have decided to KEEP REAL FOOD FRIDAYS GOING!  That's right.  BUT...I will delete ALL posts that include junk-food, chemical-laden recipes as well as other posts (like fashion or finance) that do not "fit" with Real Food Friday. 

Thank you!!!

The Last Real Food Friday Link Up

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday (the last link up)! 

H4H Gift Sets to Grow Your Own Real Food!!!

I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts.  We will continue to share "Real Food" recipes every friday but this will be the last link-up.  Thank you for sharing!

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life and 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen 

Meet your co-hosts
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
Deborah @  Kneaded Creations


I have no features this week.  I am getting ready for my last workshop of 2013 AND packaging up "Home For The Holidays" Gift Sets.

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite?

<a <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>="http://<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">maryshealthymeals</span>.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">blogspot</span>.com/"><<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> border="0" <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://i1287.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">photobucket</span>.com/albums/a627/<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">greenmary</span>_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>"/></a>

Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon. ***This Party runs for 2 weeks***

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

Wondering WHY we promote REAL Food?

Another beautiful morning over here!  Rather than "preach" to you any more about GMOs and Real Food I thought I'd share a great video.




I'd love to hear what you think after you watch the movie.

When Did We Become So Disconnected?

This is a HUGE question.  Disconnected from what?  Since this is Mary's Kitchen we'll talk about Food.  When did food mean something you buy in a store; all packed up, processed and in glittery packaging.

When did we forget where our food comes from? When did we stop caring?  Before I continue, I am aware that I keep using "WE" and by that I mean People everywhere but mostly "developed" countries.

When I'm @ the YG Market I have the opportunity to interact with so many people every weekend.  They say that 1,500-2,000 people visit the market every weekend.

I've heard some of the most crazy, odd and ignorant statements EVER when I'm exposed to so many people from all over the world.  One guy was speaking with my neighbor about the organic plants she sells.  He said "these are all organic?" and she says Yep.  He replies, "Oh I won't plant anything organic."  WHAT?!?

Then there was a young girl (probably 20) and I asked her if she grew her own fruits, veggies or herbs.  She stated she lived in an apartment.  My common answer is "That's okay.  You can grow a Basil plant on a balcony or window sill and have fresh basil in about 30 days."  She asked "And you can eat it?"  
Cue the eye-bulge, jaw-drop animation!

YES!!!!  You CAN grow it AND eat it!

I was a very blessed kid growing up.  My mom cooked most of our meals during the week and she was a great cook.  My Granny taught us how to cook and she grew the BEST tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten.  Both of these amazing women were very strong influences in my life.

Every home should have a garden even if it's just a Basil plant.  It's time to start learning about where our food comes from and how to grow our own.  At the end of the day, all we have is the skills of our hands and the knowledge in our head.

REAL FOOD Friday #13 with a Special Reminder

Hello and Welcome to another REAL Food Friday! 
***PLEASE Read this before linking***
This NOT a place to share fashion posts, other link-ups or sugar-laden
chemically preserved junk food.  These types of posts will be deleted.

Last week I was seriously frustrated but that's totally me.  Everyday I share with more and more people about the dangerous effects of GMOs.  But I'm just one person and while I'm not completely GMO-free yet, I and trying my best everyday.

Since 1910 the world has LOST over 93% of all seed varieties

I've been busy blogging about the GMO fight:

Washington State Sold to the Highest Bidder and Tips to Avoid GMOs. 

Last week I sent out another informational e-newsletter "What is a GMO?" and it's a big hit so far.  Sign up here

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life and 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen 

Meet your co-hosts
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
Deborah @  Kneaded Creations

If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! You can email me at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

I have no features this week.  I am getting ready for my last workshop of 2013.  Wish me luck!!!

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite?

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>

Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon. ***This Party runs for 2 weeks***

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

One of my favorites: Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

This recipe is actually vegan (no milk or animal products).  I was surprised at how deliciously creamy it was.  I tweaked the recipe by using sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes for a slightly healthier, vitamin-packed soup.

I found this recipe while searching for soy-free vegetarian meals.  

Buttons available at Back to the Basics!

You may not know it but approx 91% of all soy grown in the US is "Genetically Mutated" (GMOs) and I am against GE foods.
Check out our page GMO Free Worldwide for more info.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
Meatless on Monday #31
adapted from food.com

Ingredients

3 cups dried split peas
7 cups water *I used water*
OR 7 cups vegetable stock (may need more)
1 bay leaf 
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt 
2 cups onions, minced 
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 sweet potato, diced
fresh ground black pepper 
Optional: grated Parmesan cheese

Direction

Add all ingredients to a stock pot and bring to a boil then turn down to low.

Simmer for approx 60 minutes.  
Optional: mash remaining pieces of sweet potato. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 
(use vegan cheese for a completely vegan recipe)

Enjoy!

REAL Food Friday #12 with Features

Hello and Welcome to another REAL Food Friday! 
***PLEASE Read this***  This NOT a place to share fashion posts,
link-ups or sugar-laden/chemically preserved junk food.
These types of posts will be deleted.

This week I've been seriously frustrated but that's totally me.  Everyday I share with more and more people about the dangerous effects of GMOs.  But I'm just one person and while I'm not completely GMO-free yet, I and trying my best everyday.

Since 1910 the world has LOST over 93% of all seed varieties

I've been busy blogging about the GMO fight:

Washington State Sold to the Highest Bidder and Tips to Avoid GMOs. 

Yesterday I sent our another informational e-newsletter "What is a GMO?" and it's a big hit so far.  Sign up here

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life and 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen 

Meet your co-hosts
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
Deborah @  Kneaded Creations

If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! You can email me at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

My Features this week are:

Check out my first Features  I shared last week. 

Pumpkin Pie Soup from Gluten Free A-Z

Sweet Potato Kale Chips from A Life Unprocessed

Kombucha Tips & Troubleshooting from Phoenix Helix

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite?

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>

Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon. ***This Party runs for 2 weeks***

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

How to Avoid GMOs

I will no longer refer to GMOs as Genetically "Modified" Organisms.  

"Modified" implies that it might be an improvement.
They will now be referred to as GENETICALLY MUTATED ORGANISMS.

Ask yourself this question,  

"If I stopped supporting these companies would I starve?"  

The answer is NO! 

Here's another question, 

"Is your health and the health of your family important to you? 

My answer is YES!

The first step is to identify the most common GMO crops

 

Next, It is important to understand the process of creating a Genetically Mutated Organism.   Example:  Corn - There are two main varieties of GE corn. One has a Gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis inserted to produce the Bt toxin, which poisons Lepidoteran (moths and butterflies) pests.^[2] There are also several events which are resistant to various herbicide. Present in high fructose corn syrup and glucose/fructose which is prevalent in a wide variety of foods in America. source

GMOs are created so that when they are DRENCHED in Poison (pesticides) the crop lives but the bugs and weeds die.  

A new study shows that low doses of Bt biopesticide CryA1b as well as the glyphosate herbicide, Roundup, kill human kidney cells. source

How do we Avoid GMOs?

Homemade Pizza using homegrown veggies and locally made Mozzarella from the Farmer's Market

 Grow Your Own!  Not everyone has the luxury of a backyard garden but many communities are waking up to the growing food issue.  Community gardens are cropping up everywhere you just need to look around.  If you have a large property you might consider "renting" plots.

Look for 100% Organic products.  Some items labeled organic can include gm ingredients.  There are several trusted certifications such as Oregon Tilth.

Look for the Non-GMO Project Verification. 
The Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program (PVP) is a process-based program designed to assess compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard. The core requirements are traceability, segregation, and testing at critical control points. source

Buy REAL Food.  Next time you're shopping, don't reach for the can of soup or the package of "just add water" food items.  Many of these items contain very nasty chemicals and contain 70% (or more) GMOs.  Homemade soups, dressings and breakfast items can be made from scratch at a fraction of the cost.  Save time and money and make larger batches.

Shop Local.  CSAs and Farmer's Markets are a great place to find local produce at a fraction of grocery store costs.  This way you have access to real food and support your local economy.

If you have additional suggestions I'd love to hear from you.  This is such an important topic.  If you want more information please ask.

Email me at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com 

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