21st Century Farmwife: 2016

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

My first time calling into a radio station...

My first for today - I called a radio station (K-LOVE). They did a news bit about the annual "dirty dozen" list that is published every year, listing the produce with the most pesticide residues.

This is a prime example of fear-based marketing. The list should preface in big bold letters: None of these foods (not even the #1) pose risk to your health.

Here's just one fact to help you sleep better at night: If a CHILD ate 1,500 strawberries in ONE day (strawberries were #1 on the list), they wouldn't have any impact from residue.

Another flaw: "the list will always have twelve items on it. If farmers increased their pesticide use by a million times overnight, or if they abandoned pesticides in droves, next year's list wouldn't reflect the change in your ACTUAL risk. It would still be a dozen items long."

And a third (because I just can't stop myself): Organic farmers use pesticides too - there's a whole list approved for them to use. The difference is that they're derived from natural sources, but still toxic, nonetheless (otherwise they wouldn't kill the pests). This list does NOT account for organic pesticide residue because the USDA does not test for them. So there's no way to know at this point whether organic produce has more or less pesticide residue.

The three facts above were derived from the following two links - I encourage you to read even more:

My 40-minute drive this morning was statistically much riskier to my well being than any produce could be.

While I didn't get on the air, I hope maybe the djs will think twice before continuing to give such false information a national platform. After all, the truth will set us free. In this case, free from guilt, worry and fear.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Ben Nelson, DIY Extraordinaire

I had to stop and admire Ben's DIY abilities this week on two main projects that are going on. Also, definite props to all the guys who are part of all these "little" projects at various stages.

Bathroom remodel (pictures will come later - this is just a list of my handyman's work)

Demolition of existing tub, wall and some of the ceiling that had water damage
Built new walls in a new spot for the larger whirlpool tub, including a shelf all around the tub and a three-shelf inset for shampoo bottles
Ran all new plumbing for the new location of the shower and bathtub faucets
Installed and wired inset lights and wired a new fan and the motors for the whirlpool tub
Installed the new tub
Re-vented our clothes dryer (note - this was a rabbit-trail to-do item because we discovered that was the cause of the damaged ceiling drywall)
Tiled the floor and tub/shower wall (what a task with SOOO many steps!)

Smoking meat

Built a smoker with a group of guys a few years ago - yes, they built a humongous smoker - probably 7' tall and 4' sides
Went to Colorado and shot an elk - DIY bow hunt - packed out all the meat and cut it up himself (with Don Friemoth's help!)
Got two live pigs delivered that he and his dad processed
Ground the meat and mixed in all the spices
Smoking it - eating it!

He is really talented in a lot of things. To be honest though, he didn't know how to do 75% of the things on this list. He just learns as much as he can and then goes for it. He's very ambitious and willing to tackle new things when it comes to hands-on projects. It doesn't always go smoothly - like he had to spend probably five hours cleaning the mortar between the tiles instead of 30 minutes if he would have done it before it set. Lesson learned.

All the hard work is always worth it in the end. Much more of a "Pinterest" project than I could ever handle!