Welcome to the third issue of our newsletter. As past readers can tell, we have expanded it to four pages; there just wasnít enough space in two pages for everything we wanted to write about

We recently began stocking clocks and lamps from a company in Kansas called Waste-Nots.

The clocks are made from colorful recycled book jackets supported by metal rods made from crushed car bodies. The lamps are made from cast glass blocks and are supported by the same metal rods as used in the clocks. The lamps have paper inserts with a design done in ink and use small 7-watts bulbs to create a romantic glow.

Also new are lanterns made from recycled coffee cans, with intricate designs cut out by a blowtorch. There are both hanging and tabletop models. When lit (simply add candles!), they are quite striking, especially in a dim or dark area. Perfect for summer nights on the porch or romantic winter nights inside!

Our newest incense, Ancient Forest Incense, is made locally by Native Americans from herbs and trees traditionally used by Native Americans for cleansing and inspiration. There are three types: Cedar, Sage, and a blend of Sweetgrass, Cedar, Sage, and Copal. It comes in a beautiful, handmade box with burner or can be bought separately in bundles of 18. We have it close to our desk area and it really does smell like being in an ancient forest!

In keeping with Miradorís low-tech philosophy, we are now carrying stove-top Italian-made espresso makers. These are two-chambered devices in which the base is filled with water and a filter funnel filled with coffee. The coffee maker is then placed on the stove and the heat causes pressure which forces the water through the coffee into the upper chamber. Clever design and a lot cheaper than the fancy ones. We carry the three cup maker ($18.00) and the six cup maker ($20.00).

Although we have been sprouting for years, itís been an on and off, unadventurous thing. With so many of our customers being interested in living foods and the fact that we carry a lot of sprouting equipment, we have started doing a lot more with it.

Sprouting beans and seeds converts proteins, fats and starches to amino acids, essential fatty acids and sugars, and increases vitamin content. The dormant energy of the bean or seed is converted into the life energy of the plant -- a living food.

Weíve tried sprouting red clover (which is a relative of alfalfa and, in our opinion, more delicious), cabbage, broccoli and fenugreek (which has a flavor reminiscent of curry) in wide-mouth jars and have used them on sandwiches, omelets and, of course, salads.

Weíve learned that having several jars of sprouts going is kind of a pain, so we have brought home a Sprout House Kitchen Garden, with which it is possible to sprout four different seeds simultaneously. To grow the sprouts, you soak the seeds overnight, then pour them into the Kitchen Garden tray. The tray fits into a food-grade plastic ìhouseî that has plenty of room for tall sprouts such as sunflower or red pea lettuce to grow. The house keeps the sprouts warm and humid and has a specially constructed bottom that collects any water that drains from the sprouts. Twice a day you remove the tray from the house, rinse the sprouts for 30 seconds, drain, and place back into the house. After years of thinking that jar-sprouting was just fine, we are amazed that we put up with the result -- masses of tangled, part yellow, part green sprouts  for so long. You know the sprouts you buy at Natureís or Peopleís in the trays -- nice, green, long sprouts in a thick carpet? Thatís what you get when your sprout in the Kitchen Garden (or any other tray). Much more beautiful and delicious-looking.

We also brought home a flax Sprout House Sprout Bag to try. Now this is really easy. You just soak the seeds or beans overnight, then put them in the bag. Just dip the bag in water twice a day and hang or set aside. The bag keeps the seeds damp without too much moisture and allows better airflow than jars, both of which reduce the possibility of mold. We first sprouted the green peas that came with the bag (along with some lentils), cooked them (our raw friends will wince at this) and made a rice and pea dish and some of the best veggie burgers weíve ever had. If youíve never sprouted your beans (pinto, garbonzo, lentil, etc.) before, you will be pleasantly surprised at what sprouting does to the beans. They become sweeter, cook faster and of course, are more healthful.

Many people were frightened last year by newspaper accounts of salmonella poisoning traced to sprouts. The hysteria generated by this was way out of proportion to its importance. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 4 million people contract salmonellosis from foods every year; 93% of these cases are caused by meat, poultry, milk and eggs. The remaining 7% of cases are from shellfish, fresh fruits and vegetables. Compare this to sprouts -- in its entire 40 year history, the U.S. sprout industry has had a total of about 2,000 cases.

Mirador carries an extensive array of sprouting goods: In addition to the above-mentioned Sprout Bag and Kitchen Garden, we carry stainless-steel and plastic screens for wide-mouth jars, trays, The Tube Seed Sprouting Kit, a German-made terra- cotta sprouting system, lots of different types of organic sprouting seeds and beans. In addition, we have made up two free brochures on sprouting; one on the health benefits and one on how to sprout using the Kitchen Garden and the Sprout Bag (a lot of this information is general sprouting information).

-- Steve

Grapefruit Seed Extract, or GSE, is a compound synthesized from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit that is available in a liquid and powder form. GSE was discovered in 1976 by Jacob Harich, MD, an immunologist interested in natural substances that would combat undesirable germs. It was first used in commercial applications as a mold inhibitor and a preservative. Word got out about the power of this natural antimicrobial compound and it has now been available to the public for over a decade.

The uses for GSE are extensive. To name a few: Acne, cold sores, cuts, dandruff, candida, flus and colds, gum problems, herpes, parasites, sinusitis, sore throats, viruses and warts. The successful use of GSE depends mostly on the proper concentration of the liquid or powdered extract in relation to the problem. It seems to work synergistically with a number of herbs such as Echinacea.

Mirador is carrying GSE in a concentrate, a vegicap and a spray, as well as a couple of short books on the subject. We think it can be a helpful addition to your complement of natural remedies for both internal and external use.

--Lynn

ViewPoint is a regular column in which we discuss Miradorís relationship to our lives, to our communityís life and to the life of the wider community of the city, state, nation and world in which we live.

A local community development corporation (CDC) recently announced a partnership with an Internet web site that would donate a percentage of sales through that web site to the CDC. They urged Southeast residents to buy through this web site in order to support the CDC.

We wrote and told them that this was encouraging the destruction of our local community. Why do we believe this?

The businesses on this web site were all non-local, large corporate businesses (e.g., Gap, Amazon.com, JC Penney, etc). Every dollar spent on these businesses is a dollar that is not spent on our local, neighborhood businesses, which are owned by us, our friends and our neighbors, and have traditionally -- until the last few decades -- been the backbone of community.

Today, more than ever, these ìmain streetî businesses are under siege by both large corporate Internet ìstoresî and formula ìbrick and mortarî stores.

These stores typically sell their products at a discount, thus luring shoppers away from their locally-owned shops. In addition, misguided public policy has subsidized chain stores through the use of tax breaks and other incentives under the mistaken assumption that these stores increase employment and lead to a larger tax base. These actions have caused tens of thousands of small businesses nationwide to fail, while the expected employment and tax base increases never materialize, since most of the business the new chain stores do is taken from existing ìmom and popî businesses. Once the local businesses shut down, prices go back up; this has happened in the book business, for example, where once large discounts have either disappeared or shrunk.

Locally-owned businesses offer a diversity of products and services that chain stores -- stamped from a mold by corporate headquarters -- just canít. They hire other local businesspeople as construction contractors, accountants, architects; support local newspapers with advertising; help local schools and charities; buy goods made by local craftspeople. Thus, dollars spent in a locally-owned business keep getting spent on other locally-owned businesses, not exported to a corporate headquarters somewhere
As residents of Southeast Portland, we want more local retail stores -- they are a pleasure to do business with, they are often decorated with the ownerís distinctive tastes, we like getting to know the owners and employees, and we know that our shopping at these stores keeps the money circulating in our community.

And as owners of a small business, we depend on you, the people in our community, to survive and prosper.

--Steve & Lynn

Mirador is very pleased to announce that coming this October we will offer a class taught by natural foods chef and consultant Kristin Suratt. Kristin has been in the natural foods field for over 20 years and studied with the esteemed Ann Wigmore of the Hippocrates Health Institute. The class will encompass the theory behind including raw and living foods in our diet, as well as basics on a number of key aspects of raw foods preparation such as sprouting, making nut and seed cheeses, pates, dips and more.

Fee for the class will be $15. The date of the class will be announced in the Fall Equinox Mirador View.

-- Lynn

The food preserving season has started, and to encourage you to put up your home-grown or farmerís-market purchased produce, Mirador is selling all food preserving items at 20% off in the month of August! For those of you who have never done any home-preserving, we hope this sale will entice you to try it. Itís not that hard, and nothing is more satisfying than eating food all winter long that you preserved during the harvest season. For you other ìexpertsî, we may have items you always wanted but couldnít find, or items youíve never seen before that will help you with your food-preserving task.

In addition to the items listed in the box at the top, we carry a lot of gadgets that can help you process your fruits and vegetables -- green bean frenchers, mini hand-food processor, food mills, cherry stoners, cabbage slicers, sauerkraut crocks, and on and on. Canning aids include wide-mouth funnels, wide-mouth jar lids, cheesecloth, jelly strainers, various utensils, etc. We also have a selection of bottles suitable for homemade vinegars.

For the beginner or experienced food preserver, Stocking Up is an excellent how-to book for all kinds of preserving. It is put out by the Rodale Food Center and has Rodaleís numerous years of experience with healthful growing and preserving behind it. (For those who arenít aware, the Rodales, grandfather, father and now daughter, were and are a major force in the organic movement.)

Rescue Remedy is one of the Bach Flower Essences. To briefly explain the Bach System, in the 1930s, Dr. Edward Bach, a British physician, discovered the amazing healing power of flowers. He dedicated his life to discovering a system of healing that would address the emotional causes of disease. Rescue Remedy is a special formula of five of the 38 Flower Essences geared for the extraordinary, stressful times that we all have now and then. This remedy is also helpful daily when the stress levels are running high for an extended time and can be used to help you get to sleep or get back to sleep. There are no side effects to taking Rescue Remedy and yes, you can give it to your animals and plants when they are stressed.

Once you have Rescue Remedy in your house, the main thing is to remember to use it when the occasion arises. For example, for a fall, after an argument, youíve received some unpleasant news, too much coffee, or you are just plain stressed-out from a number of things. Rescue Remedy wonít fix your problem or necessarily take all of the tension away but it will take a huge chunk of the edge off, help you sleep, and in general calm you down. Is it all in our minds? How can we explain the effect Iíve seen on my cats when they are at the veterinarianís and are given a dose? It has calmed them down and made the visit more tolerable for all. And the next time a plant is suffering from transplant shock or under watering, give it a shot of Rescue Remedy.

Rescue Remedy comes in a small bottle with a dropper with instructions to take four drops in a glass of water or 4 drops straight. You can also apply Rescue Remedy topically for physical trauma or use the special topical Rescue Remedy Cream that Bach offers. Mirador also carries the complete line of 38 Bach Flower Essences as well as some books on the subject.

-- Lynn

In this most recent book by Stepaniak, we are given a group of sauces, dressings and vinaigrettes that can all be prepared without cooking, as well as three to four suggestions per recipe on how each may be served. In many cases, the serving suggestion will entail vegetables served as a salad, which makes this a perfect book for the lighter eating we will be doing over the next few months.

For instance, we prepared Creamy Orange-Sesame Dressing and used it over sprouted, uncooked lentils. It was delicious. Stepaniak also suggests using the same dressing over sweet potato chunks or sliced bananas, strawberries and kiwis.

Another very helpful aspect of this book is the 35 pages or so where Stepaniak dissects the aspects of making sauces and dressings so that we can develop our own. There is information on the components of these recipes -- thickeners, oils, nut and seed butters, herbs, sweeteners, salt, seasonings -- and how to adjust a recipe.

This fairly short book can spawn many great but simple meals because of itís unique approach. It is vegan and mostly raw by ingredient (with rare uses of peanut butter, tofu and other cooked foods) and should have a very wide appeal.
 

1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp minced shallots or onions
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Try this on:
* cold lentil salad
* sweet potato chunks
* sliced bananas, strawberries & kiwis

--Lynn

Since you have received this newsletter you have somehow come into the Mirador web. Most likely youíve been in the store or your lives are somehow intertwined with ours. As we come up to our one year anniversary, we would like to say thank you to one and all. We appreciate the support on both the financial and emotional side of things.

We want to extend an extra large thank you to the Raw Food community here in Portland and indeed beyond our fair city. The Raw Food enthusiasts in Portland have referred each other to Mirador, sent emails to each other about us and crossed our doorstep many times. What a nice bunch of people you are! Getting to know the Raw Food Community has had a great impact on our own diets and opened us up to so much. We thank you.

-- Lynn & Steve

Starting June 7, Mirador is donating 10% of all sales on Wednesdays to the People's Food Store Expansion Fund.

Why Wednesday? Wednesday is when Peopleís has its all-organic Farmerís Market. There are lots of local organic farmers there selling all sorts of delicious produce. There is usually some music going on as well. Itís a little like a mini-festival and it happens every Wednesday from the first week in April to the Last week in October (Daylight Savings Time period).

So, go to the Farmerís Market and buy some organic produce, then come shop at Mirador, and help People's with their expansion!

We at Mirador are committed to supporting our community, both local and otherwise. In addition to People's Wednesday (see story above), we have listed here some of the organizations that we support: