Raising a healthy Jane (or just being a healthy grown-up Jane) comes from good food and proper nutrition. Grab your aprons, I’m on kitchen duty with food to spare and recipes to share! When time allows, here’s where you’ll find one of my how-to-convert-to-an-organic-diet recipes.
Here’s a recipe destined for your kitchen on St. Patrick’s Day (coming up on March 17) that will help you avoid the red dyes that are present in grocery-store corned beef. Enjoy!
Here’s a note on corned beef from my DIL, Ashley, who came up with this recipe for you.
“In many corned-beef recipes, pink salt or salt peter is listed as an ingredient. This does not mean Himalayan pink salt; it refers to a salt that is a combination of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite. This type of salt is dyed pink as a way to distinguish it from regular salts.
Sodium nitrite is useful as a preservative and helps prevent the growth of botulism-causing bacteria. It is also responsible for a chemical reaction that makes meats retain their pink color even after cooking. All of these things sound beneficial, so what’s the problem with nitrites?
Sodium nitrite has been researched for its carcinogenic effects and has been linked to several different types of cancer and other health issues. The data on all of this is unclear, and the general consensus is that large quantities need to be consumed to be toxic, but isn’t it better to err on the side of caution? And nitrites have proven to be particularly harmful in the intestines of young children. This recipe for corned beef is brined for just 48 hours, and tastes like the real deal.
The only thing that is missing is the traditional hot-pinkish color of the meat. We experimented with adding beet juice to the brine in the hopes that it would dye the meat, but without success. So, the beet juice is a optional ingredient in this recipe. As far as preserving the meat and preventing the growth of nasty botulism-causing bacteria, use fresh organic brisket, brine it right away, and cook it right after brining.
Well, you can bet I’ll be trying this! We always do the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner (with potatoes and carrots) for St. Patrick’s Day. We’re Scottish/Irish . . what can I say!
But it’ll be SOOOOOO nice to do something with less “junk”! We have our own beef in the freezer so we’ll just pull out a “Pumpkin” (that was her name) brisket and fix her up!
Thanks so much!
CJ
Sylvia Jacobus says: This sounds really good. I”m dying to try the roasted cabbage. Normally roasted vegetables taste sweeter.
Meet Beau Vine, the latest addition to our Heritage Jersey herd.
I checked on momma, Sally O’Malley, at 11 p.m. Saturday night. She was sleeping quietly, no contractions yet. When I went to the barn at the first hint of light the next morning …
Awwwww <3 This means spring really IS coming, Yippeee. Congrats on an eventful delivery!
Winnie Nielsen says: So,so cute! Look at those eyes!! Glad he arrived safely to the farm too.
Kathy says: What a beautiful little face that is!
Winnie Nielsen says: Mia, I hope you have a special day!!
Happy Birthday, Mia! How can it be that you are already FOUR! My goodness!
Have a wonderful day! Have a fun, special birthday!
Hug your mommy and daddy for me, please!
CJ
Cathy R says: Happy Birthday Mia Marie! You are adorable with an adorable name! And guess what?
I’m 65 today and live in Idaho also! Have a wonderful day!
Megan Rae says: Happy birthday to you too Cathy!! We hope your day was fabulous!
I love this idea! Can any china teacups be used or do you use the everyday pottery type of teacup?
MaryJane says: The cups we used are from our B&B set and they say OVEN SAFE on the bottom.
Winnie Nielsen says: Me too! So fun to have the dessert in an easy to handle cup. Plus it looks so pretty as a presentation!
i’m making these today. Just wanted everyone to know. If i get a good picture of them before they are snarfed up I’ll send it along. I’m making these today…
So far so good… I’ve gone to the upper orchard and picked two grapefruit (in case they weren’t juicy and I’d need more than one to get a 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon of juice). I’ve gathered two eggs and the oven is heating. I’ve lightly buttered 6 blue calico teacups that are PERFECT for this dish. Butter and sugar are creaming. All’s right with the world.
More play-by-play to come…
MaryJane says: Lovin’ it! Keep it coming.
So, I’m thinking now that my blonde braininess remembered my blue calico teacup’s volume as 8 oz. when, by the looks of the cakes in the oven just now, they may actually be 6 oz. cups. No worries! They will be fine. I think. No, they will be fine. I know… Sure smells good around here…
Have you ever had “special sprouts”? They’re actually Brussels sprouts, but if you say it fast, it sounds an awful lot like special sprouts, especially to a 6 and a 3-year-old. (Our very own Nanny Jane calls them Barbie cabbages.)
I love Brussels sprouts. I admit it. (There. I said it.) So I introduced them to my girls last month. I take mine whole, sautéed in a bit of butter, and then tossed with a splash of balsamic vinegar and sea salt a few minutes before serving. I eat them with abandon the same way I can eat bacon or popcorn. And guess what, so do my girls! Mia asks for seconds and Stella, thirds. Mia likes to peel back the layers and savor them one leaf at a time. Stella is an eat-’em-whole girl like me.
Last week we had BLTs, organic French fries, and … special sprouts (a rather interesting combination, but that’s what happens when it’s dance and gymnastics night). Stella’s fries remained untouched, and on her third helping of special sprouts, I wondered if I should make her eat her entire plate of food before I let her have more of something else. I promptly decided against it.
When she asked Friday morning if she could take any leftover special sprouts to school for lunch, I also decided against that. No need for her to know just yet that her peers might not love them the way she does.
Winnie Nielsen says: Brussel sprouts were a veggie that I did not get to like until my adulthood. So much depends on how you cook them because overcooking leaves them mushy and bitter. Now, I love them roasted with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt . You are so right to help your children learn to try and enjoy all of the healthy veggies of the world! They will be so much more healthy for it!
Terry Steinmetz says: For salads, we used to have each child go to the garden & pick their own leaves to eat. They would also find peas, radishes, onions, kale…whatever was ready! My grandgirls are salad lovers, but not beets! Oh well,can’t win them all!
NancyB says: I, too, love brussel sproats, fixed just about any way imagined. However, as a kid I can remember wondering how anything that stunk up the house so bad could taste so good!
Kathy says: I too only recently discovered how great they are! I can’t get enough of them now.
Mark your calendars, farmgirls …
National Pie Day is on the way!
If you LOVE pie,
(and who doesn’t LOVE pie?),
Then set aside January 23 for some serious pie time.
Pie time?
What sort of pie time?
What can a pie partisan do to prove her piety?
Winnie Nielsen says: January 23 was my Daddy’s birthday. In his honor, I should make a cherry pie. My Dad was not a huge sweets fan, but he loved a big juicy berry or apple pie laden down with lots of fruit. This is a great idea for a way to spend some time “with Dad” over coffee and a big slice of hot, steamy cherry pie! My calendar is marked!!
Terry Steinmetz says: My hubby is already excited about this day! He loves pies of all kinds! I’m not sure which one he’ll get, but he’ll get one & we’ll celebrate!!!
Barbara Grace says: I’ve put it on my calendar….I may not have time to bake a pie, but I’ll find a way to share a pie with the “Garden Club” at work (really just an excuse four of us made up to do nice, slightly eccentric things together, and to throw fun parties for other co-workers). Looking forward to it!
It’s a girl thing!
Pop quiz:
What’s the first “girl thing” that came to mind?
Stereotypes have a way of superseding our rational senses, so don’t beat yourself up if you immediately thought of make-up or sparkly dresses or slumber parties.
The latest “girl thing” to sweep the globe, however, is not another glitzy gimmick.
It’s …
science.
Yup, science.
Last summer, the EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, launched the Women in Research and Innovation campaign to encourage more women to choose research careers.
Go, girl!
It all started with a statistic:
Women make up more than half the EU’s student population and account for 45 percent of all doctorates (PhDs), but they account for only one third of career researchers and are very poorly represented at the senior level.
Suddenly, a slogan was born:
“Science: It’s a Girl Thing!”
The first facet of the campaign is bent on bringing teen girls face-to-face with inspiring women-scientist role models and enlightening them about the excitement and challenges of being a professional scientist or engineer. The second phase targets college-level women and encourages them to choose a career in research.
I love the campaign’s website at a glance. There are quizzes, contests, video clips, and dream jobs—all designed to dare girls to dream big.
And the best part about being a girl scientist?
YOU call the shots.
You can …
Winnie Nielsen says: I can remember starting out my love of science in second grade when we learned about weather, cloud patterns, and the planets. My friend, Linda Foster, had a telescope and we were stoked!! The first full moon had us setting up her telescope in my front yard and viewing the craters while squealing with delight. We also spent countless hours studying the skies and trying to predict snow. Oh, how we wanted snow!!
Terry Steinmetz says: I’m thrilled to read about this. My grandgirl, Jade, is in fifth grade & she LOVES science & math. She works hard all year thinking of a new idea for the science fair project. When she comes to visit in the summer, she is all about nature walks, seeing the stars & learning about the constellations, figuring out why a cake rises with certain ingredients, etc.. She is right now studying hard to be in Math Bowl at school, too. They have a district competition each year. She tries it all! She is challenged to come up with so many neat things. Girls can achieve exactly what they want.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
Delicious Swiss Chard! I love this veggie and eat it almost every week. The rainbow colors are so perfect for Spring.
The swiss chard looks so good. Can’t wait till mine comes up in a few weeks!