High fructose corn syrup contains mercury!

[greenrootsmama]

Last year DSD's mom wanted to have her tested for ADHD because one of her teachers recommended it. DH and I were vehemently against it because we don't believe in it. The holidays were approaching and we decided to make frosted sugar cookies. It would be a fun treat but it was also a sort of experiment we were trying. Before we made the cookies the kids hadn't had anything with sugar, HFCS or food dye as ingredients for several days so we figured their systems were pretty well purged of that stuff. I already had the cookies made so we were going to sit down and decorate them with powdered sugar icing and all the colored sprinkles. None of the kids had a cookie but they were licking the icing and sprinkles off of their fingers. After only about 20 minutes of cookie decorating the boys were fighting and becoming very angry while DSD was literally running laps around the house. I know this didn't come from just sitting still for 20 minutes because they can sit for 90 minutes through a movie without this kind of reaction. While we weren't able to differentiate between food dye reactions and sugar reactions, we are convinced that this garbage definitely has a significant effect on their behavior.

My best friend has two DDs and she claims that sugar does not affect them but I don't think she's eliminated it from their diet for a comparison. Sugar is so much a part of their daily intake that I believe their little bodies have developed some kind of coping mechanism. But without removing it for comparison I can't be sure.

The point is that I try very hard to avoid HFCS, CS, refined sugar, MSG, nitrates, nitrites, aluminum, etc. but it seems to sneak in through the cracks somehow. Like I recently threw out all of my bouillon because of MSG that I previously didn't think to look at. Now I'm stuck without flavoring for my broths until I find a healthier alternative

 

[freemotion]

Greenrootsmama, I was the same with the broth. I was so dependant on the bullion and broth mixes that everything tasted bland when I stopped using it.

The flavor will come back, I promise.

Make your own broth using every bone you can get your hands on. Even buy some cheap necks if you can get them. Simmer for 12-24 hours and strain. I do this with no flavoring or veggies, just chicken bones, filtered water (we are on city water) and a splash of apple cider vinegar (draws the minerals out of the bones and into your broth.) It will smell kinda funky, without the garlic, onions, etc. But worth it.

I will freeze it in pints or quarts, or can some if I am canning anyways.

Then I can use the broth however I like. My favorite is to simmer some with garlic, scallions (just rinse and snip scallions into freezer bags for quick use later), rosemary, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. If making soup, I will also add a cup or two of pumpkin from my freezer, which I roast and puree before freezing. It adds another element of cooked-all-day flavor and is wonderful.

If you want an intensely flavored sauce, say for noodles or hot chicken sandwiches, you simply make a reduction. This is why you need to make it unflavored, so you can simmer some until it reduces in volume and the flavor intensifies. If it was already flavored, it would get too salty, etc.

It is SOOO good and SOOO good for you, too!

 

[greenrootsmama]

freemotion: Wow, I wish I'd known this back when we were butchering our chickens. I'll definitely have to try it. Thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

and broth made from home-grown chickens is MASSIVELY tastier than from supermarket chickens! definitely try it next time round, you will LOVE it

Pat

 

[freemotion]

Oh, Pat, I can't wait for my turkeys then! Dh refuses to let me raise chickens for meat (cityboy all the way) but said I can get turkeys this spring "because they are ugly!" I use store-bought chickens and the broth is wonderful. Can't wait to try homeraised....

 

[patandchickens]

I'm trying turkeys this spring too! FINALLY convinced DH. Just 3 BB bronzes. But am hoping they will work out well enough that we can try raising one of the smaller heritage breeds next year

Actually the best broth I've prolly ever made was from the 'spare' 16 wk old chantecler cockerel we et last summer... oh my goodness, both the meat and the stock came out wonderful. I think it was partly the age. Our CornishX still make a whole lot better stock than storebought chicken does, though! Like you, I am looking forward to trying the turkey version

Pat

 

[greenrootsmama]

We've been talking about doing turkeys too. We butchered out our chickens between 4 and 6 months and I preferred the younger meat even though the birds weren't quite as big then. The 6 month old chickens were still way better than store-bought but the 4 monthers were so juicy. At what age do you butcher turkeys? I know you're not supposed to keep them with chickens but do they require anything different than chickens? I still have some research to do before we jump into it.

 

[Wifezilla]

Dh refuses to let me raise chickens for meat (cityboy all the way) but said I can get turkeys this spring "because they are ugly!"

My best friend has two DDs and she claims that sugar does not affect them but I don't think she's eliminated it from their diet for a comparison.

If they are still eating wheat, rice, potatoes, etc... they are still eating sugar. All these things break down in to glucose during digestion. Straight sugar just doesn't have to digest much and hits a little faster....but it is all basically sugar.

 

[freemotion]

At what age do you butcher turkeys? I know you're not supposed to keep them with chickens but do they require anything different than chickens? I still have some research to do before we jump into it.

There are some great threads on BYC on turkeys, one is something like, "Give me the dirt on turkeys" and has, as usual, some arguing, but I like that it gives you several options.

What age you butcher seems to depend on what size you want and what breed you get. Younger for the broad-breasted bronze or whites, older for the heritage breeds.

The guy at sandspoultry (I think that's the name) told me that you can keep turkeys and chickens together if you don't have blackhead disease in your soil. The pictures on his site show healthy chickens and turkeys together, so I e-mailed him.

I'm getting Bourbon Reds, I think, and maybe Midget Whites, and plan to keep some for breeding if all goes well. Hopefully I will only buy turkeys once and have them forever. Naive, maybe, but I can dream!

 

[lorihadams]

Try it with deer meat! Use it in place of beef broth. Kill a deer and you have lots of bones for flavoring!