Sugar Sugar

I bought some stevia at the store last week. It is the stevia extract sold in packets like sugar and sugar substitutes. I've grown and used stevia before, so I felt like I knew what I was getting, however, the extract, while sweet, does have a bit of taste to it. I don't recall the leaf having a taste like this, so it must be from the extraction process, maybe even the solvent. It is not unpleasant, not bitter, but I can tell the difference between this stevia extract and table sugar in my coffee. I bought it simply out of curiosity, as stevia does not adversely affect one's blood sugar levels the way sucrose, table sugar, does. I have family members with diabetes, and you just never know what health surprises the future might hold.

Table sugar is historically made from sugar cane (see photo) or from beets, natural plants. Chemicals like saccharin and aspartame are not plant derived, and even though High Fructose Corn Syrup *is* plant derived, I think it borders on being evil. I learned recently that in Mexico and in other countries around the world, Coca cola is made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) like here in the states. The fructose from sugar cane is actually sweeter than the the HFCS, so you use less and the result tastes better. Most people don't realize that before 1985, Coke was made with cane sugar. When New Coke failed and Coke Classic emerged, it really wasn't the same formula as the sugar had been replaced with high fructose corn syrup. Due to tariffs and trade barriers, HFCS is cheaper than sugar.

In every two liter bottle of soda, there is the equivalent of one bottle of Karo syrup in it. You do know that Karo is corn syrup, right? From a health perspective, this presents multiple problems. Because HFCS is less sweet, you need more of it to satisfy taste, and it seems that it is now in everything you buy-they are even putting it in honey now, so be sure of your honey source! Mostly the corn used is GMO corn. That alone is a reason to stop drinking soft drinks. There is even evidence that the process used to make HFCS taints the product with mercury. HFCS also contains more carbonyl compounds than cane or beet sugar. These substances are often cytotoxic, meaning that they kill cells in the human body, and are often the cause for diabetic ulcers and poor circulatory effects.

Recently, Pepsi announced that it is considering a return to using cane sugar in it's soft drinks. I've always been a Coke fan, (growing up in the Atlanta 'burbs you can't be anything but a Coke fan!) but perhaps I will give Pepsi another try if they make the switch. For the most part, I have cut back on soft drinks, but I do love a coke every now and then the way some folks like a beer on a hot day or at the ball park. Old habits die hard. I'd rather consume Mexican Coke with sugar than American coke with HFCS.

Obesity and Diabetes are out of control in the United States. This was not the case 50 years ago. Is our gluttony, industrial substitutes like HFCS, or physical inactivity to blame? Perhaps it is bit of all three for most of America. We used to walk across the living room to adjust the volume on the TV or radio, now can even turn on lights, ceiling fans, and air conditioners with remote controls. Some people might be pre-disposed genetically, but mostly I think it all boils down to personal responsibility. Triple E. Educate yourself about food additives and food itself. Eat with your lifestyle in consideration (manual laborers need more calories than office workers), and Exercise as much as you can. I'm wiggling my feet as I type since I am still 30-40 pounds away from my goal and officially 25 pounds overweight.

Chef Jamie Oliver, AKA the Naked Chef, suggests that President Obama tax sugar. What needs to be taxed is High Fructose Corn Syrup. If manufacturers would eliminate HFCS from food products, the health of this country would improve in less than 5 years, I think. Not only could the tax generate income for health care, but long term, diseases exacerbated by obesity would dwindle and reduce the need for expensive treatments. It the loss of sales from HFCS might even put a dent in Monsanto's pocket.

I think I will send our President a letter. Feel free to join me. His newly appointed and confirmed Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack (D), is pro-GMO corn-the former governor of Iowa-the nation's leading corn producer. Nothing will change if we don't speak up. Vilsack certainly would not be in favor of a tax on HFCS.

Revonlahti

Just in case you are wondering about the image that is next to my profile information, it is a coat of arms. In Finland, towns and areas often have their own coat of arms, almost like an icon for that place. In modern times, we simply learn that ATL is Atlanta and LAX is Los Angeles, but Finnish luggage tags often contained a coat of arms. I have a leather one that belonged to my grandfather that is for the city/port of Oulu. It contains a fish, a salmon, I believe, and looks like the one on this page: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulu

My grandfather was living in the village of Revonlahti just before he decided to come to North America. Revonlahti means "fox bay" or "fox cove" and is located near Oulu. The coat of arms I display as my profile picture is the coat of arms for Revonlahti. On the bottom of the following page you can glimpse the Finnish Lutheran Church my grandfather attended. It is strange to think that he spent time there a hundred years ago. I never met him, but I don't think he was all that religious-it's just that everyone in those days went to church.

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revonlahti

What is really rather cool about this coat of arms is that it has three stars and three trees, along with some waves to represent water. It is a representation of Earth and Sky. So, it represents me as well as my heritage.

Hot Water and Mustard Greens

It is COLD. The temperature is only about 38 degrees, but when the wind is greater than 30 mph, one's cheeks become burned quite quickly. Snow was predicted, but never materialized here. We were near the center of rotation for the low pressure storm, at the eye, so to speak, and received only a few flakes.

For the past two days, we have declared the house a disaster area. The old water heater was in a closet at the end of the hall, and this closet held all types of cleaners, candles, towels and rags, TP, and lamp oil. We replaced a low boy type heater with a taller heater, so the entire 'closet' had to be revamped with new shelving, etc.. Also as a part of this project we are replumbing the house, replacing a mix of galvanized, PVC and copper with all copper. The PVC lines were of varying diameters, and the whole thing was simply a amateurish mess of mangled lines, so hopefully the new lines and equipment will be more efficient. The EnergyGuide rating for the new water heater shows that it will be more expensive to operate than the old one, but with insulated pipes AND a blanketed water heater, we hope to break even or even save money.

There is so much sediment in the old heater that we could not properly drain it. The drain is apparently clogged with sediment. We finally moved the water filled heater to the deck and it has been drip draining for over 24 hours now. It will probably continue to drip all next week.

In an effort to keep the landfills cleaner, we intend to build a compost turner/bait box from the old lowboy. I'll raise grubs and worms on kitchen compost so that I will always have fishing bait or winter protein for the chickens. The remaining metal from the old lowboy will be turned in for recycling.

Skyguy had to go to Home Deposit today to get another stick of copper water pipe and came home with some beautiful mustard plants. They are in 4" pots and are a foot tall, have delicious-looking purple leaves, and were only 99 cents each! Brassica juncea seeds make brown mustard. I looked at various images online and I think I might have the Osaka Purple variety of mustard like the image above. It is supposed to be 20 degrees tomorrow, so I have to wait to plant them until midweek. I suppose I will plant them on Thursday when I sow some spinach and squash among other things(the squashes will go in pots, the spinach into the ground).

I'm hoping the plumbing job is finished today. Skyguy is working at a feverish pace in a cramped crawlspace under the house in the cold. He wants hot water tonight for a well deserved and relaxing shower. I want hot water tonight to wash all the dishes, which now cover most of the kitchen countertops. A hot shower would be nice, too.