Just for fun, I wanted to share with you all a few statistics on the amount of vegetables people in the United States consume:

1. A 2005 survey of 350,000 adults found that the average American adult eats 1.6 servings of fruit and 3.2 servings of vegetables daily—well below the 3 to 5 servings of fruit and 4 to 8 servings of vegetables recommended by U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
2. The average American high school student eats less than 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables daily.
3. A 2007 Johns Hopkins study found that vegetable consumption in the U.S. is declining—even when scientists counted French fries as vegetables!
4. Even after heavy promotion of the benefits of fruits and vegetables by a 2009 government campaign, not a single state met the target numbers for desired fruit and vegetable consumption in 2010.
5. In many school districts, ketchup counts as a vegetable in meeting the daily required vegetable intake for children.

Are you depressed yet?  I hope not!  But if so, try adding a whole foods supplement such as PureNutrition to your daily routine to put the statistics in their place.

Sources

• How Many Fruits and Vegetables Do You Eat?
• Americans Eating Fewer Vegetables
• State-Specific Trends in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults—United States, 2000–2009
• Does a Packet of Ketchup Count as a Vegetable?

I love to make my own butter.  It is very easy to do, and never fails to impress (I love making things that seem difficult and impressive, but are really simple!  Shhhh… don’t tell my secret!)!  I also like doing this, because it allows you to control the quality and freshness of the butter that you and your family eat ( and we love to eat butter!). 

By using organic, fresh, raw (if possible, or lightly pasteurized) cream, you are ensuring a very high quality butter.  It also allows you to be creative while saving money.  Purchasing a high quality “fancy” butter at a store can be expensive, but by making your own you save money, while having the opportunity to “customize” your butter for each meal (ex:  Honey/ sage butter, herb butter, garlic butter, etc.).  Have fun – and enjoy!

Items Needed:  

·         Good quality heavy cream

·         Food processor

·         Any goodies you want to add to butter (ex: salt, herbs, garlic, honey, sage, etc.)

How to Make Butter:

1.      Pour approximately two cups of heavy cream into food processor 

2.      Pulse food processor until the cream separates into butter and buttermilk.  This will take several minutes.  Hold down the pulse button for several seconds each pulse, and continue for 3+ minutes.  The cream will thicken into whipped cream before it separates.  You will know when it is ready when you have visible, yellow curds of butter, and a separate watery substance.  This is your butter and buttermilk! 

3.      Gather the butter in your hands, and squeeze the buttermilk out 

4.      Discard buttermilk, or keep for drinking or baking 

5.      Put butter in a bowl.  Using a large spoon or scraper, press the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk.

6.      Press additional ingredients, if any, into butter.  I made agave nectar & sage butter… yum!

7.      Form into some type of shape, and refrigerate.

8.      Before you use the butter, I would recommend that you take it out of the fridge at least an hour before use.  It can get very hard when cold.

9.      Spread liberally on tasty bread, or anything else – and ENJOY!

With all this talk about the economy, I thought it would be fitting to give you ideas for living healthy on a budget.  This is an easy and healthy way to live, even in times of plenty!

• Shop at farmer’s markets.
• Buy meat, eggs, and dairy directly from a local farm if possible.  Go to http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html to find a Weston Price chapter leader in your area who should be able to refer you to sources of local food.
• Learn how to make your own household cleaning and personal care products.  Many websites have info, and now we have our own expert here at the farm – look for articles by Annie on our website in the near future.
• Buy groceries in bulk through buying clubs.  Your local health food store or a Weston Price chapter leader may be able to refer you to an existing club or help you find out how to start your own.
• Plant a garden, even if it is only a small pot of herbs grown on the kitchen counter.
• Make your own meals at home and limit eating out.  If needed, spend a little bit of money on quality storage containers to motivate you to pack food from home instead of going out.  For example, a nice thermal mug that you use for coffee each morning might keep you from stopping at the local coffee shop on your way in to work.