A Farm, A Freezer, and A Crock Pot

Monday night supper.

I recently discovered Nature's Harmony Farm in Elberton, Georgia owned by Tim and Liz Young. This is a family-owned, sustainable, pasture-based farm that sells directly to local consumers. I'm still learning about them, but I am thrilled to have discovered this resource. Following is a quote from the farm's website that sums up what this jewel is all about:
"What do we mean by sustainable? We mean no artificial fertilizers, no growth hormones, no antibiotics and no keeping animals penned up. Our cattle forage on grass with sheep browsing what the cows don't eat. Chickens (pastured broilers and layers) follow the grazers, spreading fertilizer naturally, and follow their instincts by foraging for insects and scratching on the ground. Our beautiful hardwoods are the perfect environment for rare breed pigs, who are free to use their terrific "plows" to hunt acorns, tubers and all kinds of great treats."
The Young's offer farm tours now and then, and I can't wait to visit. I had the opportunity to buy some meat from them recently. I picked it up on Saturday. My order included 12 pounds of ground beef, pork chops, a beef roast, a ham roast, and a chicken. So my little freezer is stocked.
Today I cooked the first item from my Nature's Harmony stash: pork chops! I put them in the crock pot this morning with a little chicken broth, salt and pepper. I laid a piece of foil over the top of the pork chops and placed two sweet potatoes, each wrapped in foil, on top of the foil layer covering the chops. Then I set the crock pot on low and let it cook all day long. Tonight, to round it out, I cooked up a pot of collard greens. I used the frozen ones because they are easy and quick. This supper was delicious, and I have leftovers for three more meals.

Curious and Hard to Believe

2010 is in full swing now, and it's time to get back to normal. For the most part, things have righted themselves. However, since my birthday is January 7, it seems it is always the second week of January before I'm totally back to my routine.

It's been five months now since I made big changes in my diet by eliminating (for the most part) grains, sugar, and other refined carbohydrates. I haven't blogged much recently about this, but now with the holidays behind us, I think it's a perfect time to give an update. Let me start by saying that for the first time in my life, I weighed less after my birthday (this morning) than I did before Thanksgiving. That's right. I lost weight during the holidays! And I wasn't dieting. Like most people, I indulged --a few cookies here, some fudge there, sweet potato pie, a glass of wine now and then, and birthday cake of course. There were times when I definitely over did it. When I allow myself to have sweets and other refined carbs, it's so easy to get into trouble. They are addictive for me. A little something sweet has always left me wanting MORE SUGAR. The same thing happened this holiday season.

The difference this year was that over-indulging made me sick. I can't handle the sugar anymore. When I over do it, I feel terrible. I become tired and depressed. I don't sleep well. I have a persistent headache, and my vertigo returns. I've had a problem with vertigo off and on for years. Since going low-carb, I've discovered that my bouts with vertigo are associated (possibly always) with over-indulgence of refined carbohydrates. I found this curious and hard to believe. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but I proved it on three separate occasions over the last six weeks. (Hopefully, I'm done testing that scenario for a while). I did more reading on the subject and found a recommendation in some of the literature that eliminating sugar from the diet can help with vertigo. Of course my doctor never mentioned this to me. She knew of my struggle with sugar; we had discussed it many times. She said there was really nothing that could be done for my chronic vertigo; "just treat the symptoms by taking meclazine for the dizziness until it passes." That's right. Keep eating the standard American diet so that you can keep taking the standard American drugs for the rest of your life. . . so sad and so true. I'm grateful to have found a better way.

So that's my update: The excess weight is slowly coming off. I feel better than ever, my performance in the gym continues to improve, and I'm not dieting. Curious and hard to believe.

Happy New Year

A single, old-fashioned Christmas light shines brightly against the winter woods,
framed perfectly by the porch railings of the cabin.

That photograph is one of my favorites from the Christmas holidays. I took it on Christmas Eve at the cabin, mid-afternoon, just before the rain started. It was a cold, gray day, but I was happy, toasting pecans in the oven, and preparing to head over to Mama's house for the family festivities. I never got around to sharing it with you during the holidays so I decided to use it today. For me it captures the slight melancholy that I feel now that we must return to normal. The lights are out. The parties are over. Work looms on Monday. I'm a little sad to see it all end.

Time to turn our view to the future. It's a new year. And a new decade. Rather than looking back, we can look forward to a fresh year with a fresh start. Maybe you've set some resolutions for yourself. I think it's in vogue now to say that you don't do New Year's resolutions. But I do. I'm always setting goals for myself and trying to improve in this area or that. It's just my nature. And of course, I fail a lot and have to start over. Or adjust my expectations. But still, I like setting goals and thinking about what I want for myself and others in the future. I won't bore you with all the details of my 2010 resolutions. Suffice it to say that I continue to pursue good health and happiness. And I wish the same for you.

A friend of mine posted the following quote on her Facebook page on New Year's Day. I liked it a lot. I hope you do too. Happy New Year, friends.

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.
~Henry Ward Beecher~