By soaking pecans we can make them more nutrient dense, highly digestible, and the buttery flavor will also be enhanced. Pecans are a very nutritious and easily digested snack, as long as they are properly prepared and sourced correctly. If we don’t take the proper steps to make them more digestible (which is very simple), they can be very hard on our digestive system. They are a good source of omega 3 fatty acid, vitamin E, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. They are a great source of magnesium and have been my favorite food source to correct my magnesium deficiency. Since we always use food to correct deficiencies, we try to eat a big handful of properly prepared nuts daily, along with taking Epsom salt baths.

If nuts are not properly prepared, our bodies will need to use up a lot of enzymes in order to neutralize their enzyme inhibitors. Most Americans are already deficient in enzymes because of the dead, processed food that we eat so often, so it’s important not to stress our digestive system even more by not properly preparing our nuts. Studies also suggest that soaking them will make the nutrients more available.

We will be pausing our Tuesday and Wednesday posts for now. I will be sharing more recipes and farm happenings instead. I hope to come back to this in the fall, Lord willing. I still have several more weeks planned to share. Thanks for all of your encouragement with this!!

Science is not objective. I know, in the theoretical sense, science is objective. Your run the experiment, measure the results, record the data and analyze with no bias. The problem is we are biased beings. Every one of us. We come to every situation with predetermined ideas. How many times have people looked at the same data and come away with two completely different interpretations? How many times do scientists set up experiments within the framework of their own predilections? An old saying goes something like this. It’s hard to get people to see things that might jeopardize their paycheck.

Joel Salatin

Last week I shared the problems of Teflon, and this week we are going to look at aluminum. While aluminum might seem like a good alternative to Teflon, since it is light and transfers heat rapidly, aluminum is known to get into our food, especially when cooking something more acidic like tomatoes.

The amount of aluminum getting into our food is probably small each time, but in our modern world we are bombarded with aluminum in so many products that the risk of our bodies not being able to excrete (or get rid) of this toxic metal is greater. Then it ends up accumulating in our tissues. According to the Weston Price Foundation, “In Alzheimer’s disease, alu­minum accumulates in brain tissue to an extent that the brain’s coping mechanisms begin to fail . . . aluminum is everywhere throughout the body and is more than capable of contributing to most chronic diseases, including diabetes, autoimmunity, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.” 

“Fake food is being poised as a panacea to end world hunger and food shortages, but there’s nothing miraculous about synthetic, lab-made food. It can’t compare to food that comes from nature in terms of nutrition or environmental protection, and as we’re seeing with the mysterious infant formula shortages, when you’re dependent on fake food, your very survival is also dependent on the handful of companies that manufacture them.With parents getting desperate in the search for infant formula, it’s eye-opening that campaigns haven’t been started to encourage new mothers to breastfeed — the best food for infants and one that also happens to be free and readily available in most cases.”Dr. Mercola While breast milk is best for babies, if you are finding yourself in need of formula, the Weston Price Foundation offers a very nutrient dense, homemade baby formula. It was a great option for one of our babies after I was misled by the status quo. Without getting into any details, she thrived on it, and we didn’t have to worry about the horrible ingredients found in all infant formulas. Here is the recipe that we and many parents have used successfully.

https://www.westonaprice.org/…/formula-homemade-baby…/

If we don’t know the Bible, if we don’t know doctrine, if we don’t know theology, it is virtually impossible to identify false prophets.

Voddie Baucham

We know the importance of buying good quality, nutrient dense food, but it’s also very important to consider what we are using to prepare that food with. Teflon has been a very popular product over the years, but unfortunately, it’s now known to have harmful effects on our health.

I asked Kailey if she would write a short post about Ace so we could all remember his story. I didn’t think we would ever own a horse, but God had a different plan. Many of you probably remember seeing the paint pony or had Kailey offer to saddle him up and give you or your children rides. Kailey truly loved giving our family, friends, and customers a ride on Ace. Did you get a chance to ride him?

By Kailey Mentink

Anyone who has been out to our farm and had a tour might remember the little paint pony who would stand at the fence and whinny a greeting as they came close. Today I share with sadness that a few weeks ago, we lost Ace to an illness that took him quickly and peacefully.

How Ace Came into our Life

From the time I could talk, I begged my parents for a horse. They tried to explain they didn’t have the land, the money, the feed. It all fell on deaf ears. I just kept begging. My mom would sigh and say, “Well, if a horse walks into our yard, then you can have a horse.”

When we are feeling financially stressed, it’s best to focus on what we are spending verses what we are bringing in.

With the talk of food shortages potentially coming and the increased price of most everything, I thought I would take a little more time today to share what we have learned over the years about finances that have put us in a better financial position and helped us to discern between our wants and needs. We are certainly mindful of what is going on in the world, and trying to be prepared, but we are not scared or anxious, because we know that God will provide, and He has given us wisdom on how to live with less. Anything good or helpful in this post is of the Lord, not us. We never do this perfectly, and can only give God the glory that our hearts have been changed.

I believe it’s possible to live a frugal lifestyle while still enjoying a good quality of life and health. I have had several conversations with people over the years (married couples already both working full-time) that are very stressed financially and are convinced that they just need to “work more” or “make more money.” There are so many potential problems with this ideology. Working more hours is probably just going to add more stress to an already strained situation. We can get so busy working that we neglect the important things. If we aren’t able to take care of the work at home and ensure that we are eating good quality food, getting adequate sleep and exercise, and spending quality time with other people, our health, marriage, finances, relationships with our children and close friends and family, and spiritual life are going to suffer. Also, the busier we get, the less time we have to problem solve and think about where the money is going. I have noticed that my husband and I are doing a much better job of fixing problems or doing projects on our farm with little or no money, and spending a lot less because we actually have time to think through things.