Nursing Obscene? I Don't Think So

There are now more than 100,000 members of the group, "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!"

It's disturbing that Facebook officials are removing breastfeeding shots.

Good gracious. What could be more natural than feeding your child the way God intended?

I joined, though it's been a couple years since I've been a member of the nursing set. Back then, Americans seemed to finally be coming around. Though it was still pretty novel that I was a working mom who wanted to nurse both kids until they were able to drink whole milk.

I'm proud that I was able to pump while typing and talking on the phone. Now that's multitasking.

I hope Facebook comes around. Maybe they need a few nursing moms on the obscenity review team.

My Turn to Play with My Christmas Toys

After nearly two weeks of abstaining from alcohol because of this nasty, seemingly endless cold, I have broken my dry streak.

I just couldn't wait any longer to taste some of the wine we got during our holiday party. After all, the kids get to play with their Christmas toys, right?

Looking for something sweet...that doesn't have a menthol aftertaste, I opted for the Illinois Cellars Red Velvet that the Urban Dweller brought us.

Usually, this would be a little too sweet for me. But it's a very nice sweet wine. It's sort of like a very good grape juice with a kick. Yum.

Tomorrow I get to play with some more of my toys...starting with my new Whirley-Pop!

Gearing Up for a Windy City Staycation

We're just settled in at home and, despite my cough, I'm looking forward to a week with just me and the kids.

I was hunting for things to do in the city and thanks to @VisitChicago on Twitter, I found a great way to get the kids thinking about something besides the toys they got for Christmas.

Check out Chicago For Kids. It's a cute site with games like Picasso Slide and Adventure on the L.

I'll test it out tomorrow to see if I can get the kids excited to do a little exploring...especially if the weather stays above 40.

10 Reasons I Gained 10 Pounds This Christmas

I don't think I'll even bother climbing on the scale when I get back home tomorrow. I already know what it'll say. Even though I still have a rotten cough and this cold medicine has a nice appetite suppressant side effect, I have not been deterred from the good eats spread before me at each family gathering.

I won't bore you with the details of each meal...but I will note some highlights, partly to remind myself that I need to get the recipes or apprentice with one of the cooks for some of them.

Here goes...VFG's Top 10 Holiday Good Eats:

10. Carolina Pulled Pork (Thanks to myself for tossing this in the crock pot before driving down to The Farm)

9. Enormous Steak for two (and plenty extra) at Janko's Little Zagreb in Bloomington (Thanks to the IU kids [Go Hoosiers!] for posting the photos on Facebook to lure us there)

8. Bean Soup. This is a Hoosier Outsider original. I'll have to watch him make it before attempting it on my own.

7. Spiral Ham from Dave's Meat Market in Greenfield. You have not tasted ham until you've had a cut from this place. I hear they make a fantastic lunch sandwich too. Probably not a good idea to bring your vegetarian friends here.

6. Bacon from Mariah Foods in Columbus. I love their ham too. But I didn't have any to compare to what I had from Dave's this season.

5. French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping. No surprise that this is a Paula Dean recipe. Our hosts made it without the pecans. But it was still excellent and a great way to feed a brunch crowd after church.

4. Sweet Potato & Praline Casserole. Can you tell I like brown sugar and pecans? I don't know who brought this to The Farm...but please identify yourself.

3. Cherry Chip Cake with Butter Cream Icing. This looked very hard to make, but I'm told I should be able to manage it. I'm very exciting to try the butter cream icing on my own.

2. Uncle Sap's Doughnuts. (Thanks to my brother-in-law for keeping that tradition and the recipe alive.) This was a close contender for the No. 1 slot. It may have won if I'd had the doughnuts hot off the stove. But my No. 1 holiday food experience this year was the...

1. Handmade Caramels at a cousin's house. These little drops of heaven were hiding in the basement where the kids retreated during a graduation open house (Go Boilermakers!) we attended today. I thought briefly about stuffing as many as I could into my pockets. But since these are melt-in-your-mouth delicacies, that would have ended up pretty messy.

Oh well...I will definitely need to get the recipe for those...after I work on my New Year's resolutions and trim down a bit.

Nokin' Around the Christmas Tree

We're post Christmas and I haven't had a VFG post in days. I'd blame the busyness of the holidays, but it's really the fact that I feel so rotten. After days of taking care of sick kids, I was finally struck down myself.

My doctor had mercy and is calling in a prescription for an antibiotic...so hopefully I'll be feeling good enough to actually enjoy my time off work this next week.

Even though I was a bit under the weather, we had a lovely Christmas. There were some big hit gifts, but the clear winner was the jumbo Nok Hockey set for Future Farmboy. It's really a family gift, though FFB has figured a way to play by himself. He's the reigning champion, having a nearly 2-year headstart on us.

Besides the fact that there are no gears, bells, whistles or robot sounds attached, what I like about the game is that it's a Midwest original. Nok Hockey has been around since 1948, manufactured by the Carrom Co., which has a 100-plus year history in Michigan.

Future Farmboy wanted us to load the game into the van so he could play it with his cousins. But that would have been impossible. The van was already filled to the brim when we left.

I'm glad we didn't bother with the sleds either. There was plenty of snow in Chicagoland, but as soon as we headed south of Merrillville, there was nothing but ice and mud.

I'm also thankful I have a job that allows me time off for holidays and is flexible when I need it. The Playful Spirit Potter gets no paid holidays (the nursing home never closes). And I just learned that a neighbor down here got docked his Christmas pay because the ice storm that hit a couple days ago caused him to be 30 minutes late to work.

I expect we'll see more and more of this hard-edged management as the economy worsens and workers will put up with just about anything to keep the paychecks coming.

An Uninvited Guest Has Arrived...Croup

I don't know what it is about this particular ailment. But it seems to strike either right before or during Thanksgiving or Christmas.

In at least three of the last six holidays, croup has joined us for the celebration, including Future Farmboy's very first Christmas. I get the laryngitis and my son gets the barking cough and scary breathing patterns that inevitably send us to the hospital.

We are, however, getting the hang of this. During the last two bouts of croup, we've mastered the drill: 20 minutes in the bathroom with a steaming shower running; out into the cold air until his breathing is normal; then cuddled up to keep him (and me) calm.

The last time we headed to the hospital, I drove with him bundled up and the windows down. He was markedly improved by the time we checked into the ER, so we ended up leaving.

Last night, we avoided a hospital trip altogether...at least so far.

Some of the books I have say to call for help if the child's breathing is labored and lips are blue. I can say that I don't wait that long. If the wheezing is particularly bad, we're out the door.

As I was looking around for information about croup, I found the above image, an ad for Peckham's Croup Remedy. I wonder if it worked or if there are other treatments that you've used to send this uninvited guest packing.

Reporters Hot on the Trail of Mislabeled Food

So a product on a store shelf lists flour as an ingredient, but not "wheat. Or it lists butter, but not "milk."

What's the big deal? It could mean life or death for people, especially children, who suffer from food allergies and are trained at a very young age how to carefully examine product labels.

The problem is that many food manufacturers are cross contaminating or just not paying attention to what exactly is going into the foods they label.

The Chicago Tribune is on this story, doing its own investigation of food labels and holding these companies accountable.

Some of this could seem a little nuanced. How specific do the labels really need to be?

Well...I'm a firm believer in truth in advertising. So companies that stick on labels specifically targeting those who are allergic ought to really know what's in the mix.

And the others. If you're manufacturing food, you ought to know the ingredients. And if you know the ingredients, you ought to be able to accurately reflect those on the labels.

How hard is this? What worries me is that it's this hard because our food manufacturers don't really know the ingredients they're working with. If they don't know...how are we as consumers supposed to trust?

I suppose this is another reason to buy local (from known and trusted suppliers/farmers) and try to avoid processed food.

We're working on it, but not there yet.

The food labeling story this weekend is just the latest in the Trib's aggressive Kids at Risk series, exploring hidden hazards in toys, food, car seats, cribs, etc.

Without the Tribune and other local newspapers with the investigative know how, would we ever examine these issues?

Even in these investigations, the Trib can point to actual harm, sometimes death, caused by poor labeling or lax oversight. I'd argue that if journalists weren't shining a light, we wouldn't think to question these matters unless the death toll forces action.

Still Time to Order Pastured Lamb

If you're still rushing to finish shopping and haven't nailed down your menu, there's still time to add a fantastic featured dish.

I thought it would be too late to get pasture-raised lamb and turkey before Christmas.

But turns out that True Nature Foods on North Broadway in Chicago is taking orders until Dec. 22, with deliveries on Dec. 23 and Dec. 29.

Chicago Locavores has the prices per pound.

Looks like the supplier is Country Cottage Farm, a three-year-old sustainable farm in Fisher, Ill.

Hmmm...I've never tried to cook a lamb. I'm thinking it's too late to change up the menu now, especially since I'm not hosting. But I'm also thinking that lamb kabobs might be a nice feature of our annual New Year's Day BBQ.

We haven't nailed down the menu for that. I can only make suggestions on this one. The main course and drinks are up to the iFarmer. I just support the meal with sides.

This Farmer is One Chord Closer to Rock Star Status

It's only a matter of time before farmers become rock stars.

We're already seeing movie after movie. So what's next? Music videos of course.

Here's a cute, though kinda weird, music video about the Midwest's very own Farmer John. Chicagoans will recognize some scenes from the Loop.

Remember the movie, The Real Dirt on Farmer John? I think I'll add that to my Christmas wish list.

And the Next Ag Secretary Is...

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack? Really?

I guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow. Doesn't seem like an inspired choice...at least not from the perspective of the small family farmer or for those embracing sustainability.

But big ag, huge subsidy-driven agriculture operators are breathing a sigh of relief. We'll see.

Trib Profiles Chicago Backyard Chicken Enthusiasts

I had been so proud that Chicago allowed backyard chickens. Come to find out, some aldermen have been trying to outlaw these friendly egg layers.

Oh well...I'm guessing the locavore tide has turned enough that it will be much more difficult to ban the birds at this point. The Chicago Trib story today, "Chickens earning their keep in Chicago backyards," has some evidence of that.

Last month a backyard chicken workshop offered by Angelic Organics, sold out within 48 hours.

Tom Rosenfeld, who's been keeping chickens for eggs at his Rogers Park home for three years, told the Tribune, "We've finally gone over the top in this corporate food delivery system. It's about connecting much closer to [one's] food."

Weirdly, the Chicago Tribune had to go to UC Davis to talk to a poultry extention specialist. Really? No one at the many Midwest ag schools would do?

But I digress, UC Davis Farmgirl Francine A. Bradley debunked the oft-repeated scare tactic of misinformed politicians that backyard chickens spread disease.

"Obviously, if there was a [disease] problem, the human and chicken bond wouldn't be as old and long-lived as it is," Bradley said. She also pointed out to the Trib that chickens produce much less waste than dogs or cats.

Don't miss the Web extra video by the Trib, with Liz and her chicks on Adams Street.

Get Your Herbal Fix in January

If you look at my herb garden right now, there's not much to be seen. Amazingly, the chives and Italian parsley, while wilted, are still bright green and edible. And two of my three varieties of thyme seem to thrive in the cold. It also appears that my shallots may have taken root. But the basil, cilantro, etc. are long gone.

My first backyard herb garden experience has me eager to learn more. I'm apparently not the only one. At U of I in Urbana, the ag department is sponsoring Herb Day on Jan. 17. The registration is only $55 and includes a day of lectures and an herb-inspired buffet lunch.

I already have a lot going on in January and I'm not sure I can take a full day of herbucation. But the speakers sound wonderful. They keynote speaker, Lucinda Hutson, is going to give some garden party advice.

I'd be more interested in hearing from Kathryn and Melvin Schiedermayer, a couple from New Glarus, Wis. (isn't there a beer by that name?) who plan to talk about harvesting and preserving herbs. Sounds like their focus will mostly be on preserving for soaps and bath products, since that's their business: Garden Spirit.

I definitely could benefit from that session (though I'm very proud of my pesto...which I plan to toss in with some shrimp and pasta tomorrow).

Anyone up for an herbal road trip? And, please, you know which herbs I mean.
Photo from lavandarfields' Flickr photostream.

If You Left This Party Hungry, I Don't Know What Else I Could Have Done

Ah...my feet are finally up and our last guest left just a few minutes ago. I love our holiday party. It's so good to catch up with old friends and see co-workers outside our regular work environment.

We had fun with the record player this year too. The iFarmer was even able to fulfill a request for '80s Pop phenomenon Wham! I won't out the requester, but by writing this I realize I'm admitting that I actually have Wham! on vinyl.

I also realized a fringe benefit to having a holiday party...the hostess gifts! I have never had so much wine in my house (and possibly the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten). Thanks to the iFarmer, several of our friends walked in with local wines in hand.

I'm so excited to try these. We opened one during the party, a Cherry Pie wine from White Owl Winery in Birds, Ill. [Its claim to fame, other than hundreds of awards, is it's the only commercial winery in the world that produces Paw Paw wine]. You'd think it'd be super sweet. Not at all. It was a delightful party drink, perfect for sipping while grazing on our treats.

Speaking of treats, I'm pretty pleased with our spread this year. We opted not to focus on local. And we didn't make everything. But we did have some key homemade dishes.

Our main hot foods were soups and chili. We had a VFG savory original, Espanola Butternut Squash Soup; a sweet Butternut Acorn Squash Soup; and the iFarmer's White Chicken Chili.

I wasn't going to do meatballs again, but we got a request for them. Out of 120, we had three left. Am thinking I'll include those on next year's menu too.

On the treat side, we made gingerbread muffins and, my favorite, individual pumpkin pies.

Because I still don't have a pie plate (I'm still banking on getting on from Santa), I used my muffin pan and ramekins to make individual pumpkin pies, some with crusts, others without. I used a mini pumpkin cookie cutter on the extra dough to decorate the tops then served them in my grandmother's Ruby Red dessert cups. I think I should design a dinner around this depression glasswear. I'm not sure I've ever actually used those dessert dishes for dessert.

I was having too much fun with our guests to take pix...so no photos of the food or the rest of the finger foods.

The spiced wine was a nice addition again. But the spiced cider was a dud this year. I think it may have had to do with placement or the fact that it was alcohol free this year. Oh well.

To bed for me...we were up all last night with Future Farmgirl, who came down with a stomach bug, just as her brother's pink eye was clearing up. We've operated this whole day without more than two hours of sleep in a row.

Anyone for a Game of Skittles?

Usually when I've had a sick kid and had to stay home with one of them, I can get work done. I park him in his nest in front of the TV or tuck him in bed and I'm free to concentrate on my computer screen.

Not today. My son has pink eye, but is otherwise just fine. I was only instructed to keep him away from people until he got a couple doses of his eye drops.

I learned a couple things about my son today. He has boundless energy and he is not a fan of all-day television. I realize that's a good thing, but it meant there was no chance I'd get work done. I was trying to come up with ways to keep him from bouncing off the walls when I remembered we needed to set up the skittles game for our holiday party.

Ding ding ding ding! We had a blast giving the game a dry run. I'm not just saying that because I got my best score ever. I was reigning champ until the iFarmer got home and immediately got a perfect score.

Why we only get this thing out once or twice a year is beyond me.

Image is from Vintage Projects, which includes a history of the game and a downloadable schematic showing you how you can make your own tabletop skittles game.

New Orleans Paper Helps Families Recover Lost Recipes

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I misplaced my recipe notebook. It's nothing fancy, just a Impressionist-themed booklet meant for journaling.

Because I do all my journaling online, I have used this book for the last 15 years to jot down favorite family recipes and paste in ones I've cut out from newspapers and magazines.

When I realized it was "missing," I nearly panicked. That book has become important to me. While I know many of the recipes by heart, I have come to rely on it and, frankly, enjoy pulling it out and flipping through the pages. It's sort of like a scrapbook at this point.

I bring this up because I can't imagine losing all those memories in that little green book. So I was struck by a story on All Things Considered tonight about the Hurricane Katrina victims who lost all their family recipes. Decades of delicacies and comfort foods washed away.

One of my favorite newspapers, the New Orleans Times-Picayune recognized the loss and started a blog -- a recipe swap -- for folks to recapture their shared family recipes. Then the newspaper started digging through its own archives, looking for the family recipes that were printed in the paper.

The effort culminated in a book, "Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found."

Fantastic.

Listen to the NPR interview here.

So if you're a fan of New Orleans cuisine, you can buy the book on Chronicle Books for $24.95.

'Speed Dating' for Farm Product Buyers & Sellers

Scanning my farm mail, this nugget from the Center for Rural Affairs newsletter jumped out at me.

In late October, Vermont's Agency of Agriculture organized a "Matchmaker" event to encourage better relationships between farmers and buyers.

The event was set up speed-dating style, with farmers meeting with buyers for supermarkets, restaurants and food co-ops.

CRA notes that "The event was created to provide an opportunity for buyers who do not know how or what is available at a local level and sellers who are not always sure how to tap a larger market."

"It’s a rare opportunity to have a mix of buyers and sellers in one place with time set aside to focus on local foods," said Farmer Bill Suhr, owner of Champlain Orchards. "Setting up a meeting with just one of these potential buyers could have taken my business all day. Now we’re all in a room and the potential momentum is incredible."

The event attracted between 110 and 170 sellers and buyers, according to this tourism brief in the Rutland Herald and a release after the event.

[Note that in this Rutland piece, there's mention that if Vermonters simply buy 10 percent of their food from local sources, they'd return more than $130 million to the local economy.]

Way to go Vermont.

Celebrating Lovingkindness

I was a little worried I wouldn't get them in time, but Miranda at Miranda Girl Designs says she'll have the little crocheted poinsettias before our Holiday Open House this weekend.

No surprise, her adorable little flowers drew a huge demand over the holidays, forcing her to temporarily close her Etsy shop to catch up on large orders (like mine).

I'm hoping to use them as decorations and to give away as party favors and to friends and family for Christmas.

They're part of our theme this year. The iFarmer's family picks a theme each year for Christmas. Some folks in the family go all out...everything from the decorations to the Christmas church clothes tie in the theme. Most folks also pick a bible verse that either precipitates or accompanies the theme.

We haven't always picked a verse, but this year, along with our poinsettias, we homed in on A Psalm of David, No. 103, about God's mercy. In our house, we think and talk a lot about mercy this time of year, especially when in the midst of celebrating Christ's birth we see so much hatred and bigotry.

But I digress, here's an excerpt:

...As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting...

I'll post more on the party and menu later.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

In honor of our favorite Patron Saint of Children, 4H Champ and family host a wonderful gathering. This time we were treated with the presence of the iFarmer's Twin and another lovely couple.

My luck, one of the guests is a purchaser for a pork plant in Chicago. I could have picked his brain all night, but didn't want to bore the rest.

As usual, 4H Champ had a fantastic Germanic spread with Roladen (thinly sliced beef stuffed with ham, mustard and pickles), red cabbage, mashed potatoes, wax beans, sauerkraut, and brats. And, of course, oranges. This time, I brought empty containers for leftovers. I didn't want to be overly presumptuous, so I erred by only bringing two containers. Big mistake. Next year, I'll be more prepared.

I love that when I eat at my sister-in-law's house that I can stretch that meal to at least one more supper and a lunch or two.

Woo Hoo...We're Getting a Trader Joe's

It's unnatural how happy I am that tomorrow is the grand opening of a Trader Joe's in Oak Park.

Trader Joe's is really just a step up from Aldi (same family anyway). But I do so love their three-layer hummus. And their frozen food section keeps our freezer well stocked with tasty last-minute meals.

And since I still haven't found a good Indian grocery in my area, TJ's is the only place I know of where I can get quickie Indian food and garlic naan.

I'm probably over their 2 Buck Chuck at this point (I think it's up to about 4 or 5 dollars now anyway). But the iFarmer still enjoys browsing the beer aisle. TJ managers for sure know their IPAs.

Farmgirl Katie's Alpaca Adventure

It was super cool to download my digital edition of Small Town Living and see, smack dab in the middle of the publication, a story about the Alpaca Farm Girl Katie Spears.

Check it out. Katie tells the story of how she first started thinking about raising these fuzzy creatures when her child got a Llama in Pajamas book as a baby gift.

Now her family is even larger. Follow her on Twitter and you can keep up with which of her 60 or so alpacas are with child, then follow the births and development.

Right now, I live vicariously through others since, because of allergies, the only pet I can have at this point is a fish.