My Dog Lives Better Than I Do

He is my best friend, bed warmer, constant shadow, co-pilot, secret keeper, momma's boy, comic relief, personal trainer and the face that makes me smile even when I don't think I have one in me. He is Corbin Dallas and he lives a better life than I do. But you know... without any jealousy I can admit that he truly deserves it.

Our relationship is one that has given a 1000x return on the investment (I give him kisses, treats, snuggles and rides in the car to the dog park and PetSmart in exchange for his unconditional love and admiration). To sweeten the deal, I've never once questioned the purity of our relationship either. It's simple: I love him. He loves me. I take care of him. He takes care of me. Couldn't be easier.

Calling him a "dog" seems underhanded - so does referring to myself as his "owner" (after all, at 2 am when he's taking up more of the bed than Jim and I combined, who owns who?).

Sure, I spoil him - but he spoils me too. In fact, he's got the love thing down so effortlessly that when other relationships fall short, even just a little bit, they seem all the more intolerable.

So thanks for letting me gush a little bit about my favorite -- and brag about how lucky I am to be obsessed over by such a grand soul.

Here's to my Corbin!

love,
bunny

Farm Animal Sanctuary

I've always told my husband that one day, when we have land that I haven't already filled with dogs and horses, I'd like to rescue animals from slaughterhouses (his family raised beef cattle -- who says we aren't a match made in heaven?). I pictured it as a covert operation: belaying equipment attached to my black cat suit, suspended above the slaughterhouse floor from a roof hatch that I opened with a bobby-pin, reaching stealthily for the lever that would release helpless cows from their certain death... Fast forward the fantasy sequence to cows and sheep frolicking for the first time in the beautiful, rolling hills of Tennessee - thanking me silently with their gentle eyes. Ahh. It's one of my favorite ideas. Ever.

As if I didn't need any more encouragement (other than the encouragement I receive from the hubby, of course), Farm Sanctuary has gone and inspired me with their dedication to fair treatment and respect for life. With two locations (upstate New York and California), the organization exists to not only rescue the abused, but combat the abuses of factory farming and encourage a new awareness and understanding about "farm animals." Through the years, Farm Sanctuary has rescued thousands of animals (see the piglet named "Bob Harper" above) and educated millions of people about their plight.

Along the same lines, the video below is from a documentary called "Peaceable Kingdom - The Journey Home" that explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic premises of their inherited way of life. Definitely worth a watch and I'm looking forward to the release of the full-length documentary.

In other bovine news, Maybelline is great (and treated fairly). In the picture I posted last of her, you will see that she's eating a dried branch with brown leaves on it; which explains the odd after-taste in the milk we experienced for a couple of weeks. Anyway, our Amish farmer began supplementing their grass (since it's been so dry in our area) and the milk is back to it's sweet, creamy deliciousness.

Cheers to your health - and happiness!

Love, bunny

Maybelline

Friends. Allow me to introduce you to Maybelline; the producer of the most delicious milk south of the Mason-Dixon line and a poster child for Latisse eyelash enhancer.

I ventured out to Amish country again this weekend (along with my co-op partners in crime Tammi & Jodi) for milk pick-up and a corn pickin' good time. We saw a rat the size of a cat cross the highway in record time, wild turkeys, tobacco drying in authentic tobacco barns, scriptures posted on ancient oak trees, gorgeous teams of draft horses hoeing corn and some of the most beautiful countryside in Kentucky.

The Amish are inspiring with their dedicated work ethic and resourcefulness. It's actually intimidating. I never know quite what to wear (how superficial does this make me sound?) on my trips to Amish country, so a costume change was voted necessary after Tammi & Jodi deemed my top (one I wear to church...) "whorish" for the Amish.

The picture to the left is of us carrying in the large cooler into the milk barn. The cows are milked in the morning before we arrive for pick-up and the milk is immediately put in a water-cooled refrigeration system. All of the cows looked very pleased with themselves when we pulled up (especially Maybelline because she is a Supermodel). Good job, girls!

Love,
bunny

The Land of Milk and Honey

I didn't realize how much I have come to depend on the raw milk that I've been getting since May until we had a botch in our co-op's ordering process last week and I found myself raw milk-less. After buying some "regular" organic milk (I feel like such a snob saying this), it tasted void of nutritional benefits and almost chemical. A friend of mine claims pasteurized organic milk tastes like chlorine to her after converting (reluctantly at that) to the raw milk ways. I tend to agree.

Another unexpected surprise from our partnership with the Amish family that we get our milk from is the amazing sweet cream butter and pickled organic beets they sell (I buy a quart jar regularly). My new favorite snack is beets, goat cheese, honey and pine nuts tossed together in a symphony of deliciousness... complemented very nicely with a Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon.

Though I've been trying to eat mostly raw (not as hard as I thought it would be), I'm actually following a half raw and half macrobiotic lifestyle (hey, you have to find what works for you!). I'm getting my whole grains through Ezekiel Bread (which my husband calls "Bible Bread") and feel great just knowing what the highly digestible, simple ingredients are: Organic Sprouted Wheat, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Millet, Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Lentils, Organic Sprouted Soybeans, Organic Spelt, Filtered Water, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt.

As far as the CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) program is going, I get so excited to pick-up my 1/2 bushel of locally grown, organic veggies each Wednesday. The investment has certainly not disappointed and the weekly yield is mainly comprised of squash, zucchini, corn, tomato, cucumbers, eggplant (multiple varieties), bell pepper, sugar baby watermelon, cantaloupe and okra (my favorite!). Delvin Farms is already planning their fall crops and in addition to a break in the 100+ degree heat index we've been having, I'm so looking forward to the potatoes, acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash coming in... Mmmm.

Speaking of the heat, my favorite drink to combat dehydration (preferably while poolside) is chilled Coconut Water. With health benefits like more electrolytes than the leading sports drink (i.e.: Gatorade) and more potassium than 2 bananas, coconut water is harvested from green coconuts (before the inside turns to "meat" and the water turns to fatty "milk") and contains high levels of lauric acid, what the body uses to make monolaurin, a disease-fighting fatty acid derivative (with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that protect the body against various infections and boost the immune system).

I will say that I noticed how much earlier the sun is setting... and how school is about to begin again, so I'm trying to savor the last days of summer!

Love,
bunny

Going Local

After a lot of talking about it, I finally did it - I am supporting a local farm, eating organically with the seasons and participating in a raw milk co-op (shout out to our cow "Maybelline" for her hard work and fine tasting milk).

In our first box from Delvin Farms (above), we received new potatoes, spring onions, kale, green leaf lettuce, arugula and strawberries. Today there's talk of swiss chard, lettuce, red Russian kale, bok choy and more delicious strawberries in our 1/2 bushel share.

Last Saturday I picked up two gallons of raw, whole milk. At first I was concerned with the fat content since the milk isn't skimmed, but learned that the nutritional value in the cream makes the raw milk worth all of those delicious, creamy calories.

To the farmer, the cream is the best part of the milk. Sadly, some raw milk farmers will skim the cream off of the milk and then sell what's left over, called "Blue John," to unsuspecting raw milk buyers. The milk then tastes watery and dull and, like the name implies, has a slight blue tint to it. RAW MILK FAQ online says that, "By removing important fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the skimming process, this once excellent food actually becomes a burden on the body, causing the liver to give up stored nutrients in its digestion. The loss of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), pathogen-busting medium-chain triglycerides and vitamin A alone constitutes an unforgivable crime against nature's perfect food."

To hit the point home, our raw milk farmer and Maybelline's caretaker give their skimmed milk, or "Blue John" to the pigs once the cream has been taken off of the top to make butter or other cream related products.

On June 5th, it will be my turn to drive to the farm to pick-up the milk for the co-op group. I'm very excited to tour the farm and get that "hands on" feeling from directly participating with the source of my food.

More adventures coming soon!

Love,
bunny

While Visions of Vegetables Danced In Her Head

Three weeks from today, I will pick-up my first bounty of fresh picked, organic vegetables from a local family-run farm that practices sustainable agriculture. This makes me (almost) a farmer. I have prepaid for a weekly 1/2 bushel (See? I even know the lingo...) during the 23 week growing season and expect an abundance of tomatoes, okra, kale, cabbage, peppers, potatoes, carrots, corn, onions, garlic, tender, baby lettuces and an assortment of berries from sun-kissed May to chill-infused October. I can taste them now.

I'm imagining my drive to the pick-up location: Putamayo's "Music From The Wine Lands" playing while the sunroof sucks my hair out the top of the car; I get out, French straw market basket in-hand (see above), wearing a lovely botanical print dress (see right), smiling ear to ear (while remaining completely calm and cool) and skipping to the produce tent (or truck... or whatever they transport my delicious renderings from God's miracle concoction of seeds, water and sunshine in).

Why don't I feel this euphoria when I go to the supermarket? Well, maybe because Publix doesn't allow me the opportunity to get to know the people who are growing my food - I don't get to feel personally involved with the growing process and have a "partnership" with a family that benefits greatly from my interest in knowing where my food came from, how it was grown and who grew it. Plus Publix has never invited me to a picnic with hayrides, bonfires and garden tours.

Eating "with the seasons" is something I have never really done in my adult life because of the availability and growing practices of commercial producers. I'm not opposed to having "sun-ripened" tomatoes year-round, but something feels slightly contrived about it, not to mention it's not sustainable to my local area and I don't feel a personal connection to the source of something I take such pleasure in consuming.

After watching "Food, Inc." last week on PBS (which I highly recommend everyone I know to watch), I went to www.localharvest.org/csa and printed off a list of local growers. After settling on one that I felt excited about partnering with (you buy a "share" in their growing season), I'm also considering other ways to get involved with my food source locally - a "cow-share" program for raw milk (find out about the benefits of raw milk here) is my next mission. Stayed tuned... that could be a great adventure - with a totally different soundtrack, outfit and accessories.

flatout fantastic

"Ahhhhh! The cumbersome task of sandwich making!"

No, not really. But flatout has new Foldit Flatbreads that do make sandwiching less messy and for the truly lazy or sandwiching impaired, easier (I love the instructions to "make it, then fold it").

And for those of us that love lots and lots of veggies in their sandwiches, the Foldits are particularly handy (less spillage only if you don't eat the "closed" side of the bread - duh!).

For today's creation (a beautiful avocado, compari tomato, clover sprout and cheddar sammich), I tried the 5-Grain Flax bread. At only 100 calories, 8 grams of fiber and 8 grams of whole wheat, it's guilt free deliciousness.