We have been growing our own potatoes (a little different than most people) for many years. The only reason we started growing our own potatoes was for health reasons, but now I see even more benefits to it. Not only are they more healthy and nutrient dense with the way we grow them, but I have also calculated a significant cost savings, the flavor is amazing, and it’s nice to be able to grow and store your own food rather than relying on the world’s fragile food system that is being controlled by fewer and fewer people and the price of food continues to climb. I look forward to sharing a little bit more about this and explaining how we grow our potatoes today.

When my husband and I were first married, we both ate breakfast out most days. Cory would pick up a slice of breakfast pizza and a large fountain pop on his way to work at the gas station, and I would skip breakfast or eat at work or nursing school. Cory would often feel hungry by midmorning and eat a candy bar. Both of our eating habits have changed significantly, and Cory and I are both convinced that for us, eating clean foods have actually saved us a lot money. Today I am going to start with explaining how we are saving money at breakfast. I hope to be sharing many other ideas on how you can afford organic food too.

Did you know that eggs were once considered one of the best foods a person could eat? In order to get healthy babies, many cultures would make sure a pregnant or lactating mom was given plenty of eggs each day. At times long voyages under harsh conditions were endured to collect eggs. I even heard of grandmas taking on this responsibility. They would do whatever it took to ensure these women were getting the nutrients they needed for themselves and their babies.

Eggs produced by hens on pasture (eating plants) have been found to contain 10 times more omega-3s (think heart health), 3 to 6 times more vitamin D (these hens are soaking up the sun), 217 times more folate (critical in preventing neural tube defects and so much more!), and more vitamin E, A, and beta carotene (incredibly important for good health).  When you choose nutrient dense foods, those vitamins in a bottle don’t seem so important. When we get our nutrients from food, we don’t have to worry that we are getting too much of one vitamin/mineral that can cause toxicity or deficiency in another like we do with supplements.

Most people are aware of the health benefits of olive oil, but many Americans don’t realize that there are a lot of fake olive oils on the market. Studies have suggested that olive oil is high in antioxidants, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to help with blood sugar control, is antibacterial, and may help to prevent cancer. Olive oil has been a great substitute for vegetable oils when it comes to dressings, salads, and low heat cooking on our farm.