| Issue 12 Fall 2002 Edition | A mirador is "A turret, window or balcony that commands an extensive view" |
|
If you've been to Mirador recently, you have seen Fermenting vegetables is an age-old process to increase health. Fermented vegetables contain high levels of vitamin C (Captain Cook introduced sauerkraut to his ship crews to protect them from scurvy), and the lactic bacteria produced are important for the build-up and maintenance of healthy intestinal flora. The Harsch Crock is a stoneware crock designed for fermenting vegetables without yeast forming, a problem that traditional crocks have. This is accomplished by incorporating a water groove at the top of the crock. This groove is filled with water and the crock lid placed on the crock. The fermentation gases can escape through the water (due to increased pressure) but nothing can get into the crock from the outside. The crock also comes with weighting stones that exert the pressure the vegetables require to be properly fermented. This 7.5 liter crock is made in Germany and is difficult to find in the US.. Popcorn Popper We have a new version of a popcorn popper this year. This one features a six-quart bucket instead of four and a clear viewing lid so you can watch the popcorn pop. There is also a butter cup that you can put butter or margarine (non-hydrogenated, preferably!) in and the heat of the popcorn popping melts the butter evenly onto your popcorn! Every kernel pops with this popper due to the paddles that you turn with a crank while you pop. Spice Racks and Jars We now carry six types of spice racks. There are two sizes of wooden racks, made of Oregon red alder in Eugene, (without jars), and four kinds of stainless steel racks, (with jars): A countertop rack, a revolving countertop rack, one that fits into a drawer, and one for a wall or cabinet door. We also have three kinds of spice jars: Round and octagonal with a cork (made from recycled glass) and round with a plastic lid. In addition to our North American hardwood bowls, we now have three salad bowl sets, a mahogany set, a set in which the outside of the bowls are stained red, and a light wood set that can also be used for pasta. Each set contains four serving bowls, a salad bowl and a matching fork and spoon for serving. Palm Wax Candles We are really excited to introduce palm wax candles into our candle line. Unlike paraffin, these candles are not made from petroleum and burn cleanly, with no soot. or smoke. We have two types, an aromatherapy votive with pure essential oils, and a taper, in an assortment of colors. These are beautiful candles, burning with a nice, clean light for a long time. After the newsletter went to print, we received some vegetable wax pillars. These also contain some palm wax, which makes candles give off sort of a sparkle. The pillars contain pure essential oils and smell delicious! During the Division Street Fair, a woman named Migyoung set up a little booth selling exquisitely designed magnets and boxes. We liked them so much that we asked her if we could sell some at Mirador. The items are made in traditional Korean papercraft manner, of paper layered and coated with glue. Motifs are derived from Taoism, Buddhism, flowers, symbols of longevity and Chinese characters, among others. Bright colors, derived from natural dyes, are used in the designs. And Migyoung's artistry in these objects is beautiful and meticulous. Old Sap Bucket! No, that is not a derogatory name I'm calling someone. We have started carrying some products for the home made from reclaimed maple sap buckets and old barn roofs. They now appear as luminaries, ornaments, wall sconces and letter boxes for mail. They come in assorted colors and show the imperfections of being over 50 years old. As I write this, I'm getting ready to put out the Halloween ones: pumpkins, witches and ghosts. Add a candle and say boo! We rent out a juicer/strainer, for making tomato sauce, applesauce, grape juice, pureed squash, etc; and a juicer steamer usually rented to make grape juice. Rental fees can be applied to purchase, if you decide you have to have one of your own! ViewPoint is a regular column in which we discuss Mirador's relationship to our lives, to our community's life and to the life of the wider community of the city, state, nation and world in which we live. Mirador's Voting Guide Actually, we are only going to talk about two of the initiatives that will be on the November 5 ballot, the two that pertain to us as a food and health business. Well, we all know what a mess health insurance is in right now. Measure 23 ensures access to affordable quality health care for all Oregon residents through a comprehensive plan providing payment for medically necessary health services. Everyone in the state would be eligible for this plan in other words, everyone in the state would have health insurance. There would be no deductibles, co-payments or premiums; thus almost everyone would save money. You would choose your health care practitioner from any certified or registered practitioner in the state including "alternative" care practitioners such as naturopaths. And this practitioner would decide what kind of care you need, not an administrator in an HMO. Prescription drugs, dental, vision, inpatient and outpatient care, mental health, and in-home, emergency, and long-term care would all be covered. This plan will financed by current federal, state, and local government expenditures (which will provide more than a third of what will be needed), a progressive tax on employers' payroll (which will replace current insurance premiums paid by employers; the larger the employer the larger the tax), and a progressive personal income tax (from which the poor will be exempt). The progressive personal income tax will replace most personal health care spending: premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses for such items as prescription drugs, glasses, mental health, and alternative care. The rate will be between 0 and 8% of taxable income. Families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level are exempt. The website for the initiative has a lot of information, include questions and answers, about the plan. We urge you to look at this site and to vote "Yes" on Measure 23. Did you know that two-thirds of the food on grocery store shelves contains genetically modified ingredients? And when did you sign on to be part of this experiment? Measure 27 will would require labeling of all foods and food additives that have been genetically engineered. It would apply to foods sold in stores, as well as to foods exported by Oregon farmers and manufacturers to other states. An ABC poll done in June 2001 showed that 93% of Americans support labeling. In fact, labeling is required in many European and Asian countries. For more information about this Measure 27, see the measure's website. Also see www.thecampaign.org for more information on this measure as well as national efforts to label GE foods. These websites answer questions about the effects of labeling, respond to lies the multi-million dollar campaign is spreading about the effects, and give information about the dangers of GE foods. It is not an exaggeration for me to say that pure essential oils from plants have led me to being a store owner today. My first venture into retailing introduced me to essential oils and I was immediately taken with the gifts they offer. They eventually led me to massage school, and when Steve and I planned the store, I knew essential oils would be an important part of our merchandise. When I speak of essential oils, I am referring to pure plant oils that are extracted from flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs, roots, wood, needles, rinds, barks and berries. A great example is lavender oil, which many of us know and love. Lavender oil, which is distilled from lavender flowers, is called the Universal Oil because of the many ways it can be used. While there are 300 or so essential oils in use today, there is a core group of about 10 that will take care of most of our needs. Not all oils sold in little bottles are pure essential oils some are known as fragrance oils. These oils are basically made in a lab and are engineered to smell like natural plant parts. An example of this might be "peach". For whatever reason, peach trees and blossoms do not produce an oil that we would recognize as peach, so industry gives it to us artificially. Pure essential oils offer us therapeutic benefits and fragrance oils do not. This difference is not well delineated on many products but it is so helpful to know this when we shop for beauty products, bath oils, candles, incense, and many other products. I have become aware recently of cleaning products that incorporate essential oils, but they are a bit spendy. I think it is a good idea, but if this is something that interests you, consider making up your own and saving money. These oils can used in the laundry, bathroom, housecleaning, dish washing and more. And this is all secondary to the wonderful uses we can find for pure essential oils in supporting our mental and physical health. If you are new to pure essential oils, a fairly simple introductory book will get you on your way to using them. My few last words on this subject: I am closing out (at 25% off) the Medicine Flower oils I've been carrying in order to switch to Aromaland organic oils. It only makes sense the price difference in negligible and since many times we use essential oils on our skin, the organic aspect is important. And I warn you, once you go down the path of using essential oils, you will only want the real thing. We've been carrying yoga mats for quite awhile now and have branched out into other products for Yoga, Pilates and Balance Ball. We've added a good number of video tapes on Yoga and Pilates which might help give you a workout at home when you can't get to the studio. For those of you not familiar with Pilates, the work was developed in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates and was first adopted by dancers. It is now popular worldwide and recognized as a holistic exercise system that builds body strength and awareness. I worked with a Pilates instructor for awhile and I now have integrated some Pilates into my morning regimen. I can highly recommend getting some professional help in this discipline, but as with yoga, I think the videos can be a big help. Along the same lines, we have a kit that includes a video, ball and air pump for work known as "Balance Ball". I have to admit I haven't tried this yet but I have heard some glowing reports on it. It is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. There are many ways to move our bodies and it doesn't have to be hard, strenuous work to be of benefit. Yoga, Pilates and Balance Ball all offer opportunities to increase our fitness and our self awareness. We have a floor model of a grain mill that we would let go of for a very good price. This is the K-Tec grain mill and you can check it out at www.k-tecusa.com /kitchenmill.html. We will sell it at $150, which is below our cost of $170. Or, we would donate it to a non-profit (we would prefer a 501(c)(3) so we can at least get a tax write-off). It has been briefly used 5-6 times. Call us at 503.231.5175 or email us if you are interested. |
