I AM COOKIED OUT. AND I STILL HAVE MORE COOKIES TO BAKE FOR THE HOLIDAYS. MAYBE I SHOULD BAKE MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEN I WOULD BE FATTER THAN I AM AS I LOVE TO EAT WHAT I BAKE. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

CANARIES IN THE KITCHEN WHAT NON-STICK COOKWARE IS DOING TO YOUR HEALTH

By reddog1027

The first sign of danger

Did You Know, I Didn't!

Are you aware of the fact that Teflon is a danger to your health? I wasn’t. While surfing the net, I came across and alternative health site that was discussing this fact. But, as they were also selling “safe cookware”, I decided to research it for myself.

Canaries in the Mines

For many years canaries where used to protect miners when they entered the mines. Miners used them as an early warning system. Small birds are extremely sensitive to toxins in the air. When poisonous gases began to seep into the mine shafts, the canaries would stop singing. This was a signal to the miners to leave the mine and head for fresh air. What has this to do with Teflon? Read on.

Discovered First by Vets

Avian veterinarians have known for decades the dangers of non-stick coatings to small birds. It even has a name, “Teflon toxicosis” (poisoning). Dr. Roger Wells of MichiganStateUniversity calls the birds’ response to the fumes from non-stick coatings as “acute respiratory failure leading to rapid death”. This description of Teflon toxicosis is echoed by Dr. Larry Thompson at the University Of Illinois College Of Veterinary Medicine. It is a horrible way for a bird to die. Please to www.ewg.org to learn more about the dangers of Teflon toxicosis. Be sure to read the bird diaries as they will show you the danger Teflon posses to birds.

What does Teflon toxicosis has to do with our health?

A lot! DuPont, the manufacturer of Teflon, has known for over 50 years that the fumes from their non-stick coating caused what is known as “polymer fume fever” in its workers that handle Teflon. DuPont found that “polymer fume fever” could lead to pulmonary edema (the lungs filling with fluid) and death.

For 50 years

DuPont has claimed that their non-stick coating does not emit hazardous chemicals at normal cooking temperatures. In a recent press release, DuPont stated that “significant decomposition of the coating will occur only when temperatures exceed 600 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just not true

DuPont’s own studies

DuPont’s own studies showed that at 446 degrees Fahrenheit Teflon was capable of producing fumes. While at the temperature of 680 degrees, Teflon pans released at least 6 different toxic gases. As you can see, normal cooking temperatures are high enough to cause the release of toxic chemicals even according to DuPont.

Documents from DuPont showed that the company couldn’t find a safe level of exposure to Teflon as far back as 1973. Rather that look for safer alternatives, DuPont chose to save money instead. Check this web site www.ewg.org/issues/pfcs/20051116/index.php to read what a former DuPont scientist has to say about Teflon.

Research Says Different

University level testing has found out:

• That a pan coated with a generic non stick coating was preheated on a conventional electric range, it reached a temperature of 736 degrees Fahrenheit in just three minutes and 20 seconds. After the test was terminated, the temperature continues to climb.
• A Teflon pan tested under the same conditions reached a temperature of 721 degrees Fahrenheit in just five minutes.

The EPA

The EPA has stepped in.

On Thursday, May 19, 2005, DuPont was served with a subpoena from the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Unit requesting documents on a key Teflon chemical. Because of this investigation DuPont agreed to pay up tp $40 million in a civil settlement for Teflon pollution and the subjects of an EPA’s investigation into its cover up of the studies of Teflon’s health effects.

Just Toss It

Now that you know the dangers of Teflon, throw away anything that has a non-stick coating on it. All non stick coating is dangerous, not just Teflon.

Your nonstick cookware is on it’s way to the trash can, right. Remember to avoid aluminum as well. Aluminum pans have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. So what can you safely cook on?

Safer Choices

Stainless steel cookware is non reactive and is safe to use.

Enamel cookware is safe as long as the coating is intact.

Copper cookware is safe if it is lined

But the simplest and safest is the same cookware your grandmother used, cast iron.

Cast iron

• :Is almost indestructible.
• Spreads heat across the bottom of pans so there’s no hot spots.
• When properly seasoned it is non-stick.
• Cooking in cast iron is also an easy way to get a little more iron in your diet.
• Did you know that cast iron cookware was so valuable to our forefathers that it was listed along with sterling silver and as an asset?

My Favorite

Cast iron has been my favorite cookware for at least the last 30 years. I use it to cook on top of the stove and in the oven. I even use my small frying pan to bake cornbread. To season it is so easy. Just wipe a little olive oil all over the inside of the pan and pop it in an oven heated to about 100 to 200 degrees. Just let the cast iron heat for a couple of hours and it is seasoned and ready to go. I usually use a little Mazola olive oil spray (did you know that the non stick sprays have nasties in them?) and it cooks as well as any non-stick coating out there. There’s also no need to worry about scratching the non-stick surface. Most of the time all you need to do is wipe it out and put away. If it should need to be scrubbed, I just use a #3 or #4 steel wool pad and go to town. If the pan looses it seasoning, well its back in the oven with a little olive oil and it’s good as new. Try that with a non-stick pan.

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MY COMPUTER IS WORKING SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
How can I get my work done if it takes for everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr to go from one page to the next. Ya know, blogs are sure a good way of getting out your frustrations. Saves having to throw things around.

Heating the House with Pellet Stove

I have gotten so tired of the energy company's solution to the high price of natural gas. "Turn your thermostat down", they say. I already keep it a 60 most of the time. How much lower can it go before I freeze to death.

I did a lot of research and decided on a pellet stove. I had it installed last year and I love it. I chose a stove that does not get hot on the sides and the top. That way there is no danger of burns to the little ones hands. Those parts of the stove do get rather warm to the touch but not red hot.

I have found a way to keep my entire house warm through out the day with just my stove. It may not work in the dead of winter but right now it works just fine. When I get up in the morning, I turn my furnace thermostat to about 68 degrees. While I am cleaning the ash out of my stove, using my trusty shop-vac (I do not burn it all night), the house heats up. Then I fire up the pellet stove and once it gets the room up to 70 degrees the furnace shuts off. The stove then puts out enough heat to keep the entire house at a comfy temperature. It takes approximately 1 bag of pellets to keep my house heated all day.

My orphan kitties were just a tad bit older than these cuties
A good friend brought me two tiny kittens abandoned at the city water department. I guesstimated that they were about a month old. Their eyes were open but they were just starting to push themselves around.


Hated the Kitty Bottle
I went right to the pet supply store and found exactly what I needED. A complete kit with everything needed to hand feed kittens, an instruction book, two kinds of formula and a small bottle with nipples of different sizes.
The kitties hated the bottle and refused to nurse. Try as I might, I could not get them to suck on it. There was something about the texture that they just didn't like. I needed something smaller, like an eye dropper. I tore the house apart. I didn't have an eyedropper. What could I use instead?

But They Loved Their Uncle Blade


Nothing Makes You Feel Safer than a Big Dog

A Light Bulb Moment
I needed something small enough to slip past the kitties little kittie lips to reach the back of their tongue. Once there, I know that their swallowing reflex would over.
I began rummaging through my stuff and I have lots of stuff. The light bulb went on. Well, I didn't have and eye dropper but...I found several long narrow plastic straws (they had come on some bottles I used for liquid soap dispensing). So I mixed up the formula, put my finger over the top of the straw, lowered it into the liquid. Removing my finger from the top of the straw caused the formula to move up the straw about an inch. Putting my finger back over straw, I pried open the kitties mouths and put the straw in till it was just past their tongue. Taking my finger off the straw, the milk flowed right down the kittens' throats. I did this until I felt the their tummies get full. By the next day, they know what the straw meant, FOOD and greedily opened their mouths when the straw appeared.
The last feeding of the day seemed to carry them through till the morning.

There is nothing better than a brother in your basket.

Fat and Happy
As they got bigger and could handle more food at each feeding, I started to suck the milk partway up the straw. I found this a very fast and efficient way to feed the kitties. A few straw fulls and they were fat and happy. It took about five minutes at the most to feed two kittens.
I feed the kitties like this until they were old enough to wean. They are named Peter and Sinatra and they have certainly made my life fuller and more enjoyable. Their antics keep me laughing till tears roll down my face.

Mice and Steel Wool

Every fall do you get an influx of mice? Do they get on your counter tops and leave their little poopies everywhere? Is trying to caulk or fill every hole between your house and the outside world seem a daunting task? DID YOU KNOW THAT MICE HATE STEEL WOOL? They do, they hate to walk in it and they can't or won't chew threw it. Now don't get me wrong, I am not anti-mouse as long as they don't leave their little poopies all over and don't eat my bread. I have used steel wool to successfully keep mice off of my kitchen and counter tops by putting steel wool in any place that mice might gain access. I find it especially helpful when place between counters and appliances, counter tops and back splashes. If the mice are particularly bat, I even lay them end to end along the edges of the counters and any where else I want to keep mouse free. Hope this helps you as much as it has me.

THE HISTORY OF GINGER

From India to the New World The History of Ginger

63

By reddog1027

Cardamom

Cultivated Ginger

Introduction

Ginger is a spice we are all familiar with. It flavors ginger bread cookies, goes into pumpkin pies and is served fresh with sushi. But what is ginger, where does it come from and how did it get into our spice racks?

Ginger goes many names. It just all depends on how you look at it.

• Its Latin name is Zingiber officinale.

• The name ginger actually comes from the Middle English word gingivere

• In Sanskrit it is known as Sunthi, Ardrake, Vishvabheshaja and Srngaveran or horned root

• One of the names it goes by in China is Sheng jiang

Ginger is in the family Zingiberaceaeand is closely related to turmeric, Curcuma longa, and cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. Ginger originated in the lush tropical jungles in Southern Asia. Although ginger no longer grows wild, it is thought to have originated on the Indian subcontinent. The ginger plants grown in India show the largest amount of genetic variation. The larger the number of genetic variations, the longer the plant has grown in that region.

Fresh Ginger Root

Cross section of fresh ginger

The Plant

The ginger plant itself is a perennial that grows from 1- 3 feet in height. Its lush green spears sprout from thick underground rhizomes. Rhizomes are not roots but are actually the under-ground portion of the individual spears. This is how ginger reproduces. Irises are a familiar plant that reproduces by rhizomes. The rhizomes are sent out from the original plant and these rhizomes then send up more shoots. The ginger plant also sends up club-shaped flower spikes, but new ginger plants are produced by the spreading rhizomes. These club-shaped spikes appear on individual stalks sent up by the rhizomes. The flowers are a yellowish white splashed with purple. The flowers ripen into red fruit. These fruits have 3 compartments filled with several small black seeds.

Lost in the Mist of Time

Ginger has been cultivated in India and China before historical records began. The earliest written medical books of both of these countries, discuss ginger, both fresh and dried and their many uses in great detail. In both India and China, fresh and dried ginger are considered separate entities. One of the earliest medical books in China “Nong Cao Jing” attributed to The Divine Plowman Emperor was written about 2000 BCE. While the Ayurvedic text “Charka Samhita” written in or about the 3^rd century BCE and “Sushruta Samhita” written in the 3 or 4 century AD discuss treatments using ginger.

From Arabia to the Mediterranean

Ancient Greeks

Ancient Romans

Arab Traders

Ginger reached the Mediterranean with Arab traders over 2000 years ago. It was brought from India to the Near East. From there, it was brought across the Red Sea by Arab traders and sold to both the Greek and Roman civilizations. Records show that ancient Rome taxed the imported ginger when it came ashore at Alexandria. When ancient Rome fell, ginger and its uses were lost to most of Europe

Bald's Leech Book

Good Queen Bess

Good Queen Bess

Europe Discovers Ginger

It wasn’t until the 11^th century that Europe rediscovered ginger. Bald’s Leech Book, an herbal, written by the Anglo-Saxons in or around the 11^th century mentions ginger. Ginger is discussed in great detail in the 13^th century in the book Physicians of Myddvai, a book written on order of the Prince of South Wales by a physician, Rhiwallow and his three sons. Marseilles placed a tariff on ginger imports as early as 1128. Paris followed in 1296. By the 14^th century, the only spice more popular than ginger, was black pepper.

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was fond of ginger. She is given the credit for the appearance of the now famous ginger bread men seen at Christmas time.

Spanish Explorers

jamaica

Jamaica

From Europe to the New World

Ginger reached the New World with Spanish Conquistadors. By 1585, it was being exported from Santa Domingo. As Western Europeans fanned out across the globe, ginger went with them. It is now grown in tropical countries around the world. China and India are still the largest exporters of ginger. Caribbean countries like Jamaica, South American countries like Brazil export large quantities of ginger. Nigeria and Sierra Leone on the African continent are also big exporters of ginger.

So the next time you eat a ginger snap or drink a glass of ginger ale, remember how long ago it started its journey and how far it had to come to make it to your table.

How to Avoid Fluoride Toothpaste

Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.

For years, kids ate toothpaste. I know I did. The fact that it contained fluoride was not as important as preventing cavities. Because fluoride is a heavy metal and heavy metals are toxic, it it's recommended that only a pea size amount of toothpaste should be used and should never be swallowed. Well, I know that secretly doing what my mother told me not to do was the high point of my day. Children haven't changed. I am sure that they are still eating toothpaste whether it is good for them or not. It just tastes good.

Health food stores do carry fluoride free toothpaste but they are usually not as easy to get to as the supermarket. (I take the bus so I like to do everything at one stop) I discovered that although they didn't carry fluoride free toothpaste for adults, supermarkets do carry fluoride free toothpaste for toddlers. So I am just passing this info on. If you have young children of any age, at home , pick up a tube and make it their special toothpaste. If they eat it or swallow some, there is nothing in it that will hurt them. Then just to keep temptation at bay, store adult toothpaste just as you would any adult medicine. Up and out of reach.

Hope this tidbit of info has made your life a little easier.

My Brain is just a Magic Eight Ball


Most of the people I know have logical brains. They think from point A to point B to point C. My brain on the other hand is like the Magic Eight Ball. When you shake it up and turn it upside down, random answers to random question float up to the surface. That is is my brain.

I have learned a lot during my life and someone else may find them useful. But since my mind works in such a mysterious way, there will be no rhyme or reason to what will appear when.As my words of wisdom surface from the Magic Eight Ball that is my mind, I will post them.

Just Say No to Colds

Winter is for snowball fights, snow forts, skiing, ice skating and viruses

Colds and the flu are both caused by viruses and these viruses are more active during the fall and winter months. The symptoms come on slowly, often starting with a headache and sore throat. A cold’s symptoms will peak between 3 and 7 days. By day 7 your immune system has begun to route the virus and by the end of the second week the cold is gone. The flu cycles in much the same way but the symptoms are worse and recovery time takes longer. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics and for viral illnesses with no complications the only treatment for them is time.

There May be No Cure for the Common Cold but There is Help

Just because there is no cure for the common cold, that doesn’t mean there is nothing that can be done. There are four simple things that can be done to not only lessen the symptoms but shorten the duration and in some cases prevent a cold from catching on. They are all natural and simple to do, no pseudoephedrine, no prescriptions, just relief. I have used them for years and my colds never last more than a couple of days and despite not getting flu shots, I have not had the flu in about 20 years.

Vitamin D, the Sunshine Vitamin

Take extra vitamin D. It is essential for maintaining good health especially in the fall and winter. Studies have shown that people who live north of the Mason Dixon line can’t get enough D from the sun. The days are too short and the sun too weak. More and more studies are showing just how important vitamin D is for good health. One of its many jobs is to keep the immune system in peak working condition. I dose daily with between 3,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D a day. Taking adequate vitamin D is one of the most important things you can do to prevent catching a winter virus.

A Netti Pot

A netti pot or nasal wash system is a great way to keep your nasal passages clean and hydrated. Both use a gentle saline solution to gently wash out the nasal passages. This helps flush viruses out while helping to hydrate the mucus membranes are parched from dry indoor heat. This saline nasal wash is also great for when you have a cold. It gently removes the thick mucus formed by colds, make it easier to breath, without using over the counter or prescription medications. Personally, I wouldn’t be without one.

Linus Pauling was Right

Despite what the medical experts say, I am a firm believer in vitamin C for upper respiratory viral infections. I listen to my dad, who has been taking vitamin C since Adel Davis published her first book. He has never had the flu seldom gets a cold and is 82 years old. When I feel a cold coming on, I always increase my vitamin C to 3000 IUs a day.

Combine Vitamin C with Echinacea and You Can’t Lose

This is a trick I learned from my sister, add echinacea to the vitamin C. Echinacia or purple cone flower is a proven immune booster. I first started using it before I flew on airplanes. If my daughter and I did not get sick when we got to our destination, we got sick when we got home. My sister said that by taking vitamin C and echinacea together, those nasty airplane viruses could be avoided all together. All you had to do was start dosing yourself a few days before a flight, take them every day while you are away, then stop a few days after coming home. I have not gotten sick while traveling in a very long time.

When a Cold Starts

This same combination works when a cold gets started. At the first signs of a sore throat and post nasal drip, I start taking 1500mg of vitamin C and 250mg of Echinacea twice a day. Even if this dynamic duo doesn’t stop the cold from taking hold, it shortens its duration. I can usually shake a cold in less than a week instead of two.

Vitamin C has proven to be safe even at high doses. At 3000mg the only side effect is gastro-intestinal upset. Echinacea is not intended for long term use. Once the body has been able to eliminate the virus, Echinacea should be stopped as it is not meant for daily, long term use.