July 2 to 5, 2013 Call

Listen to Call   July 5, 2013   Moderated by Char


Listen to Call   July 4, 2013   Moderated by Jeannie


Listen to Call   July 3, 2013   Betty moderated the call today.

Research finds red meat linked with Type 2 diabetes article from post-gazette newspaper, written by David Templeton.  Can you believe 150 million hot dogs will be eaten on this week's holiday?  This information comes from The American Meat Institute.  If placed end to end the dogs would extend from New York City to Los Angeles nearly six times, or more than halfway around the world.  The Fourth of July represents one of the top days of the year for meat consumption with Americans consuming on average about 3,500 hot dogs per second from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.  In the week leading to the Fourth of July, Americans typically buy 190 million pounds (95,000 tons) of red meat, nearly equal to the weight of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier and 700 million pounds (350,000 tons) of chicken, nearly equal to the weight of the Empire State Building.  And we wonder why we, plant based eaters, are asked.... Where do you get your protein???

Part of our conversation today included a recipe for sourdough starter so here it is:
SOURDOUGH STARTER
1 (.25) oz. pkg. of active dry yeast
2c. warm water (110 degrees)
2 c. flour (I will be using spelt for my flour)
In a large non-metalic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups water and flour.  Cover loosely and leave in a warm place to ferment 4 to 8 days.  Place a cookie sheet under it in case of overflow.  Check occasionally.  When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use.  If mixture has a pink, orange or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over.  When using starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of flour and water.  If you use 1c. of starter, replace with 1c. of water and 1c. of flour.  Mix well and leave out on the counter or in the oven until bubbly again (leaving the oven light on helps with the fermenting).  If a clear liquid has accumulated on top (and it will) don't worry, just stir this back into starter.  feed once a week with 1c. water and 1c. flour.  Allow to rest at room temperature several hours after feeding.  Starter can also be kept in the refrigerator if you won't be using it for an extended period of time. 


July 2, 2013   Nancy moderated the call today