Saturday, August 30, 2014

A taste of Permaculture tour Sunday June 5th 2016

Guided permaculture tour  Sun June 5th 2016

from 10 am  to 1.30 pm.  

Join Stew and Bee on Merri Bee Organic Farm,Sunday morning this long weekend for an introduction to Permaculture .  We will  take a wander through food forests, some 25 years old, visiting many friendly farm animals along the way. 
On this extensive guided tour you will see more than 90 different mature species of plants that provide fodder, fruit, timber, nuts craft materials or bee forage. Admire the happily grazing free range pigs, sheep, cows and ducks and marvel at the developing bamboo collection. See how nutrients are recycled and water flows through   this thriving eco system. 
Being spring on the farm we may see a chick hatching or a calf  being born if we are very lucky!
Stewart and Bee have  provided most of their own meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs, condiments, bread and dairy produce from this land for 30 years and are keen to
share  the really useful permaculture design principals which  start with an ethic ....care of Earth and care of people. We have created a day especially for those who  have decided to withdraw their support from multinational agribusiness / pharmaceutical corporations by simply refusing to buy their "food".
If  GMOs, pesticides, food additives, nanno particles, hormones, irradiation, and antibiotics, all packaged up in gaily coloured plastic and delivered via fossil fuel are not for you;   if you believe there must be a way  we can eat ,without adding huge toxic loads to our air, water and soil, then  please join us. Meet  others on the same path and pick up many helpful ideas. 







 Taste the forgotten flavours of compost grown fruit, nutrient dense veges and animal products. Children do appreciate real food and we would love your family to join us for a day of memorable experiences which show where food comes from.
The cost is $75 .00 per adult and $15.00 per child, which includes lunch and teas   . 

See the passive solar human and animal housing, intensive gardens, nursery, poultry sheds and runs, compost and compost tea  production, worm farm, wicking bed, swales, mature rare fruit and nut trees, raspberries, wood lots and  lots more. Bring appropriate footwear and clothing for steep hiking in the fresh air of Nannup.  This workshop will assist those looking for  a property as we  will focus on assessing a block's  potential for permaculture and the principals of design whilst simultaneously engaging your children.  Please note, you are responsible for your children's safety at all times on the farm but we will take all care as well. Please email beewinfield@westnet.com.au  after  booking  your spot (instructions  here) . We look forward to meeting you . Cheers, Bee

 


Sour Dough Bread Day Sunday June 21st 2015

Sour Dough Bread Day  Sunday June 21st 2015


Suffer bright white squares of pliable fluff no more!

Sour Dough Bread Day
  at  Merri Bee Organic Farm  on Sunday June 21st  2015
Please join us,  this will  be fun and useful.
 Merri Bee Organic Farm is a 27 acre Permaculture which has been developing for over 30 years . The visitor will find a broad array of tools and techniques for sustainable living, from soil restoration with worms, compost,  perennial pastures combined with managed grazing, food forestry and bamboo, to intensive gardens and hand made homes, we are growing  a place of genuine wealth and abundance . 
One very handy food which can be the most sustaining is bread. Whole wheat is definitely a super food. It is made more digestable by the sour dough fermentation process, and can introduce pro biotics to your intestinal flora. 
Our sourdough bread class, commences at 9 am and finishes  at 3.30 pm. 

We will teach you very clearly how to bake a bread that will outshine nearly all others not only in  health outcomes but in sheer eating pleasure.  Compared to yeast bread , sour dough bread is not crumbly, is moist and keeps very well without going mouldy. It should not taste sour.  We have taught many people the art and they have happily emailed pictures of their creations since doing the course, saying the family are stoked with their new baking skills.  We  provide 
everything: lunch and teas,  course notes, recipes, wonderful bread and starter culture to take home….. so just bring your enthusiasm to learn.
Let’s face facts; what passes for bread these days contains only 6 cents worth of wheat and a cocktail of emulsifiers, bleach, preservatives, and GM soy. It is no longer “the staff of life.” It is not fit for human or animal consumption , and in fact  animals will avoid it.
Over night two very different breads, each in a plastic bag, were in a box in our rough camp kitchen. The home made sourdough wheat bread  on the right was devoured by wild life  ( note the excavation) but wisely, they did not touch the commerical bread on left.

Wheat and Lee growing strongly in 2013
 Learn about how real sourdough bread (with it’s life enhancing nutritional properties) starts with a healthy soil. Follow the creation of bread from the paddock to the farmhouse where we will experience the intriguing age old practices of threshing, winnowing and  milling the grain. On this day you will become proficient at mixing, kneading and baking a bread that will provide essential nourishment for your family. We will show you the streamlined method which Bee uses to turn out 25 loaves every saturday for the markets. Of course you will not go hungry , we intend to send you home nourished with home made soup and many variations on  bread. Sample Merri Bee olives, dried fruits, fresh nuts and the fabulous fresh fruits bestowed on us in the food forest in June. All organic of course.
The cost of this powerfully educational day is   $ 120.00 per person or $200 per couple. For those individuals who car pool, there is a $20 discount.
For enquiries and /or to reserve your spot please email beewinfield@westnet.com.au  or phone Bee on 97561408





For further reading on the health benefits of wholewheat bread see the web site of the Dr Weston A Price Foundation. Dr Price used a freshly ground wheat gruel to heal children suffering from terminal disease. Sometimes very sick children were brought to  Dr Price when all hope was gone, even as  the priest had been called in to administer last rights to these children. His cure was freshly ground wheat, golden butter from cows in spring grass, and  whole milk. The young patients were running around in no time. Its all in his excellent  1920's published book  Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

Monday, August 18, 2014

Deflecting cancer

Once rare , now common, cancer touches all of us. 

Some humans have released carcinogenic substances into the air, soil, food and water. Radiation must also be building up as elements such as plutonium do not go away for several centuries. So how can we  reduce our exposure and risk ? The best help I've heard all in one place is from Jerry Brunetti,listen here: Food as Medicine  

Jerry unfortunately passed away a month ago. He  ( gorgeous BTW) was  a prolific writer and speaker on farming and health and a self treated survivor of non Hodgkin Lymphoma which he kept at bay 15 years after doctors gave him 6 months to live.  

He said  that tumours are not deadly, it is  metatastic illness which kills .  We all have cancer cells in our blood every day. It is our immune system that intercepts and deals with these "seeds" which emanate from tumours. Chemo weakens our immune system. There are heaps of foods that strengthen our immune systems and they are listed below.The list comes  from the Weston A Price Foundation . 

I notice that everything but the seafood is available from us. We are very proud to be able to supply the variety and quality of food required to be healing and protective, from our permaculture. We have stopped frying in anything but animal fats and consume them gently heated if not raw. Only the cold pressed oils will do, such as olive , and these
Our avos grown with quality compost. The African Horned Cue is high in Vit C
 should not be heated. Not all people see the wisdom in paying more for their groceries but how much would you  spend to cure a sick loved one? Diet related  diseases are  costing Australia, Canada and the U.S. a whopping  80%  of GDP.and of course cancer is a booming industry.
 In  2008, America spent $76.6 billion on caring for children ill due to exposure to farm chemicals.

Its time to find out how to :

Protect Yourself Against Cancer With Food

Once a rare disease, cancer is now widespread, affecting as much as one-third of the population. The rise in cancer in the West has paralleled the rise in factory farming and the use of processed foods containing vegetable oils and additives.
Orthodox methods for treating cancer (radiation and chemotherapy) do not prolong life. The best approach to cancer is prevention.
Traditional diets, containing animal and plant foods farmed by nontoxic methods, are rich in factors that protect against cancer. Many of these protective factors are in the animal fats.
Vegetarianism does not protect against cancer. In fact, vegetarians are particularly prone to cancers of the nervous system and reproductive organs.

Nutrients in Whole Foods that Protect Against Cancer

Vitamin A: Strengthens the immune system. Essential for mineral metabolism and endocrine function. Helps detoxify. True vitamin A is found only in animal foods such as cod liver oil; fish and shellfish; and liver, butter and egg yolks from pasture-fed animals. Traditional diets contained ten times more vitamin A than the typical modern American diet.
Vitamin C: An important antioxidant that prevents damage by free radicals. Found in many fruits and vegetables but also in certain organ meats valued by primitive peoples.
Vitamin B6: Deficiencies are associated with cancer. Contributes to the function of over 100 enzymes. Most available from animal foods.
Vitamin B12: Deficiencies are associated with cancer. Found only in animal foods.
Vitamin B17: Protects against cancer. Found in a variety of organically grown grains, legumes, nuts and berries.
Vitamin D: Required for mineral absorption. Strongly protective against breast and colon cancer. Found only in animal foods such as cod liver oil, lard, shellfish and butterfat, organ meats and egg yolks from grass-fed animals. Traditional diets contained ten times more vitamin D than the typical modern American diet.
Vitamin E: Works as an antioxidant at the cellular level. Found in unprocessed oils as well as in animal fats like butter and egg yolks.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): Strongly protective against breast cancer. Found in the butterfat and meat fat of grass-fed ruminant animals.
Cholesterol: A potent antioxidant that protects against free radicals in cell membranes. Found only in animal foods.
Minerals: The body needs generous amounts of a wide variety of minerals to protect itself against cancer. Minerals like zinc, magnesium and selenium are vital components of enzymes that help the body fight carcinogens. Minerals are more easily absorbed from animal foods.
Lactic Acid and Friendly Bacteria: Contribute to the health of the digestive tract. Found in old fashioned lacto-fermented foods.
Saturated Fats: Strengthen the immune system. Needed for proper use of the essential fatty acids. The lungs cannot function without saturated fats. Found mostly in animal foods.
Long-Chain Fatty Acids: Arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help fight cancer on the cellular level. They are found mostly in animal foods such as butter, organ meats, cod liver oil and seafood.
Co-enzyme Q10: Highly protective against cancer. Found only in animal foods.

Compounds in Processed Foods that Can Cause Cancer

Trans Fatty Acids: Imitation fats in shortenings, margarines and most commercial baked goods and snack foods. Strongly associated with cancer of the lungs and reproductive organs.
Rancid fats: Industrial processing creates rancidity (free radicals) in commercial vegetable oils.
Omega-6 fatty acids: Although needed in small amounts, an excess can contribute to cancer. Dangerously high levels of omega-6 fatty acids are due to the overuse of vegetable oils in modern diets.
MSG: Associated with brain cancer. Found in almost all processed foods, even when "MSG" does not appear on the label. Flavorings, spice mixes and hydrolyzed protein contain MSG.
Aspartame: Imitation sweetener in diet foods and beverages. Associated with brain cancer.
Pesticides: Associated with many types of cancer. Found in most commercial vegetable oils, fruit juices, vegetables and fruits.
Hormones: Found in animals raised in confinement on soy and grains. Plant-based hormones are plentiful in soy foods.
Artificial Flavorings and Colors: Associated with various types of cancers, especially when consumed in large amounts in a diet of junk food.
Refined Carbohydrates: Sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour are devoid of nutrients. The body uses up nutrients from other foods to process refined carbohydrates. Tumor growth is associated with sugar consumption.

The Weston A. Price Foundation

·         A reliable source of accurate nutrition information.
·         A strong voice against imitation foods.
·         Does not receive funding from any government agency, nor from the meat and dairy industries.
·         Campaigns for a return to healthy traditional fats.
·         Warns consumers about the dangers of modern soy foods.
·         Promotes access to unprocessed whole milk products from pasture-fed animals.
·         Keeps members informed through Wise Traditions, a lively quarterly magazine.

·         Helps consumers find healthy, farm-fresh foods through a system of local chapters.