A local farmer was my source of raw goat's milk cheese. He was very low profile, sold only to friends. He lives in the hills around Newberg, and now he has been shut down by the state and can no longer make the raw goat's milk products. This is happening everywhere. I also received notice that Kookoolan Farms suddenly decided to no longer sell raw cow's milk. They had decided, they wrote, that the risk was too great. I suspect they mean the risk to themselves and their business.

We are working on being really present and mindful when we eat. This morning I am enjoying some organic Ethiopian coffee roasted by a friend who has a roastery in Portland. This is a lighter roast than I usually like, but I decided to explore it and found that the aroma of the ground beans (before putting on the hot water) is really "vegetable-y". It smells like a bean, like something you would find outdoors! My roaster friend is the one who opened my eyes to the GMO coffee out there. Almost… Continue

I have been drinking the nettle water that I learned about in Sue's herb class a while back. I've tried various mixtures - one had nettles and mint and oatstraw, and the most recent, which is now may favorite, has nettles and lemon balm. I drink it with a bit of ice, to make it a bit festive, and I find it helps with the hayfever. When I forget to make some or drink what I have, the hayfever is worse. I make a batch of about a quart at a time, just to be sure not to have some get too old to… Continue