MERRY CHRISTMAS

Naturally from our farm to your home we extend our heartfelt Christmas blessings for the coming days and a New Year filled with unending hope, respect, and understanding for our family, friends, neighbors and people we meet by chance.

We will continue to celebrate real food, for as long we can, and go forth with ongoing respect for the land and individuals, taking responsibility for ourselves, our decisions and the risks we encounter with each of those choices, and rejoice and give thanks every evening as we turn out the lights.

What else can one do but take responsibility for ourselves, apply our faith to every step we take, and continue to "hope for tomorrow?"

Merry Christmas and God bless all of you!!!
Michael and Deb

SLEEPING LAND

Wells Creek valley, where Sol 'N Tyne is nestled, is now 'sleeping' and 'resting' under a blanket of 20 inches of snow we received this past weekend.  We take this time to be thankful, plan ahead, and contemplate our past season until the cycle starts over in a few short months.

NOBLE

OPPORTUNITY

Every once in awhile opportunities come along worth taking a more in depth look at.  This little opportunity is only eight weeks old and been here less than 24 hours and has succesfully wormed her way onto our bed and couch, much to Amber Jo's chagrin. 

 We welcome the newest addition to the Sol 'N Tyne crew - our list of names are too many to pick the absolutely right one, but she could potentially be Daisy Mae.



Belly deep, but it's that kind of day!



 This little charmer comes from mixed heritage.  Her momma, Annie, is a 75 pound purebred Black Lab was just too sweet for her daddy, Hank, a 150 pound purebred Bernese Mountain Dog, to resist.



Cuz she arrived on the biggest snow of the season,
she begged Michael for a ride.

 But we get to take advantage of this little mishap because we love labs and Bernese, aka Berners, were bred to farm dogs. They take care of dairy cattle, kids, and pull carts.

Amber Jo taking advantage while she can!

 Now how can a person go wrong with that combination!  We want to thank Rusty and Kelly for the opportuity to welcome this little (soon to be bigger) wonder of doggy love.

JELLIES OUT THE DOOR

Today the last shipment of jellies heads out the door Christmas bound!  Thank you to all and with blessings we send our homemade goodies your way! 

BLACK BEAN AND ROASTED SWEET POTATO TOSTADA

We made this recently and on these cold Minnesota days and nights it was fulfilling on many levels.

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas

(modified from the Culinate Kitchen Collection)

Serves 4

Ingredients
Organic Vegetable Oil (we used Spectrum Organic Olive Oil)
3 small to medium organic sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch size cubes (about 3 cups total)
Salt
1 small organic yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup total)
3 cups cooked organic black beans (if using canned beans be sure to buy beans in BPA free cans)
1 tsp ground cumin (for our taste it took much more cumin)
8 prepared tostada shells (or fried-until-crisp corn tortillas) (try to find the ones with the least amount of ingredients)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese (we substituted Goat cheese for the flavor and added health benefits.)
1 cup fresh organic cilantro leaves, washed and dried
Prepared green or chipotle salsa or hot sauce (we used our 2010 homemade hot salsa)
1 organic lime, cut into wedges



Photo Courtesy of Culinate

 1)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2)  On a large baking sheet pour enough oil to create a thin film.  Place the sweet potato cubes on the pan, cover with a big pinch of salt, toss to coat with the oil, then spread out in a single layer.  Roast the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes until cooked through and light brown.  Set aside the cooked potatoes and lower the over temp to 350 degrees.

3)  Meanwhile, add enough oil to coat the bottom of a medium saucepan.  Saute the onion until soft and starting to brown.  Add the black beans along with some of the cooking liquid (if using canned beans, drain and rinse them first) or water, about 1/2 cup.  Add the cumin and salt to taste.  Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Just before spreading the tostada shells, roughly mash the beans with a potato masher (this will keep them from rolling off the tortillas.)

4)  To prepare the tostadas, place tostada shells on one or two large baking sheets.  Divide the beans among the 8 tortillas and top with the grated cheese and roasted sweet potatoes.  Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.

5)  Just before eating top each tostada with cilantro, salsa, or hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

COOKS NOTES:
We do our best to use organic, fresh ingredients for health and environmental reasons.  When we have to resort to canned ingredients we make sure they are in BPA free cans (WHY AVOID BPA). We did not use tostada's or tortilla's (mostly because we forgot to get them) but substituted Kettle Black Bean chips and spread them onto the bottom of a glass baking pan and spread the bean mixture over the top and baked.  In our culinary opinion - we approve and will top with avocado's the next go round.

FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!

It's been really bugging me.  Food.  Obsessing about it, ruminating about it, lamenting about it,  always turning "food" over and over in my head.  The reason - how important it is.  Isn't it one of the major reasons we get up in the morning?  If we didn't have to eat - would we have to work?  Maybe not as hard - shelter is the next reason we get up in the morning and go to work.  There are others, but FOOD is our fuel.  Like the gas we put in our car or truck.  If you put in bad gas, does your car let you know?  Oh ya. 

So why would we put anything less than real food in our bodies?  It's our fuel.  We ARE WHAT WE EAT.  And boy do I know.  I'm no different than the average person - when I get busy I get lazy and don't eat the way I should and I PAY THE PRICE.  I feel like crap, don't have any energy, ache, muscles hurt, stomach hurts, bad gas (TMI), headaches, coughing up icky stuff (again TMI), but as soon as I start eating real food, all is well.  Duh. 



NOT REAL FOOD

 What is real food?  Food that has been grown or raised in a natural or organic environment, as close to it's roots or mother it can get, not packaged or preserved.  Organic fresh veggies, organic fresh fruit, organic eggs, organic meat and fish, organic legumes, organic grains.

Eating real food is more than staying away from fast foods, it is avoiding as much processed food as possible and consuming mainly fresh and local food.

In Minnesota we have a relatively short growing season.  So there is a challenge to eat fresh and local during these long, snowy months, but we can and in the relative ease category - it can be a challenge.  All-in-all eating healthy appears to be more expensive and appears to be more time consuming.  At least that has been my experience, but then I am not the most organized person all the time. BUT  if we compare the savings in what we reduce in doctor's fees and cost of medication the initial cost and of eating real food is insignificant.

 BUT (there is that inevitable BUT) the paybacks are huge!!!  More physical energy, more mental energy, better health (I know of this person who dropped her health insurance and saved herself over $100,000 during her life time and has never had to go to the doctor due to the way she eats - she's well into her 80's now), did I say more energy?  Yes endless, boundless energy and health by making a conscious decision to change the most important thing we do every day - put fuel in our bodies.

Fresh carrot juice in the morning along with organic steel cut oats topped with organic blueberries and organic milk, raw if you like.  Then for lunch an organic spinach salad and top your day off at dinner time with an organic black bean, organic sweet potato tostada.  Lots of water, ten 8 ounce glasses!  All those super foods and water to flush!  Ha - no pun intended.

Reorganize, reprioritize and take a step toward a healthier lifestyle.  Like absolutely everything we do - it takes effort, a conscious decision to not be a burden to society or your family, we stumble, we slip, and we fall and like when we were kids we get back up and keep going!  What's important?  Being healthy for the ones you love or owning the newest, fancy gadget you  just saw on TV?  Think what it would be like if when you got up in the morning - you didn't have to take medication, your body didn't ache, and you just naturally bounded out of bed!!!!  FOOD!  Can you see now why I've been rolling it over and over and over in my head?