My day on the farm :: Week 4

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jul 08, 2011

I’ll keep this short and sweet. The mosquitoes were vicious yesterday. Even with bug spray. I hate to say it, but the natural stuff doesn’t work as well as Off. I’ll just have to suffer, as I ain’t sprayin’ Off on my skin.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again. It’s amazing how the fields change in a week. Last week, no broccoli or cauliflower flower heads. This week, broccoli and cauliflower went into the CSA boxes. Joey gave me a whole extra bag of broccoli and I came home, roasted it, and ate it all. 

My day on the farm :: Week 3

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jul 01, 2011

It was a hot one on the farm yesterday – quite the antithesis of last week. And I loved it. Hot blazing sun? Bring it. (A nice breeze doesn’t hurt.)

Because of the forecast for a heat index of 107, we got started early and the greens were the first to get harvested, bathed, and into the coolers. Talk about some dense, hearty heads of lettuce. Oh my gosh, gorgeous. And I was excited about adding a new kind of kale to the bouquets going into the CSA boxes. It was a fatter, wider leaf with a very purple spine. 

Thyroid Self-Test

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jun 26, 2011

One way to test for potential hypothyroidism is to do a basal body temperature (BBT) test at home. According to Dr. John Douillard, “Before blood tests were available, the thyroid was evaluated by basal body temperature and the signs and symptoms presented by the patient. Today, these traditional tests have been replaced by modern blood tests. It has now become clear that these blood tests alone are not accurate enough.”

The Long and Pathetic List of Hypothyroid Symptoms

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jun 26, 2011

If you experience several of these symptoms listed here, you may have an underactive thyroid, including adrenal dysfunction. (Many integrative and functional medicine doctors now claim that the symptoms of hypothyroidism and adrenal dysfunction are largely indistinguishable.)

My day on the farm :: Week 2

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jun 23, 2011

“What’s that? And what’s that?” I want to know what it all looks like as it’s coming up, you know? Joey, our ever-so-patient leader and owner of Cramer Organics is so sweet and enthusiastic about educating us. It’s June in Minnesota, so it’s still early in the growing season (and muddy) and while we harvested a lot of stuff today, many crops are mere leaves, like eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes. So after cleaning our harvests, she took us on a walk through the fields and pointed out what all the “thats” were. 

My day on the farm :: Week 1

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Jun 16, 2011

Today was my first day working at Cramer Organics, our CSA farm. We purchased a CSA share from them last year, and enjoyed every bit of our weekly bounty. (My husband would say, “…except for the kohlrabi.”)

A few months ago, when they asked who would like to work one day a week in exchange for a share, I leapt at the chance. Think Horshack in Welcome Back Kotter. (I’m dating myself with that one.) 

Coming Soon :: the Fire Your Thyroid Teleseminar Series

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on May 28, 2011

After three years of reading and research about natural, drug-free ways to jumpstart my sluggish thyroid, which meant putting a stop to my weight gain, relieving my afternoon fatigue, facing my day alert versus feeling like I’d been beaten up the night before, and helping many of my clients do the same, I am developing a teleseminar series that is going to be the best of my thinking and personal experience with getting this gland in gear.

You Have to Get Jenny's Cookbook

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on May 28, 2011

It’s nearly impossible to be attuned to the Minnesota local and sustainable foods drumbeat and not know chef Jenny Breen. I met this veteran good food advocate at an Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) local foods event a few years ago. When it comes to the local and sustainable food movement, she’s no Jenny-come-lately. Jenny was local when local wasn’t cool. She’s a petite powerhouse, a no-nonsense visionary and entrepreneur who will undoubtedly continue to be on the front lines, educating her students, customers, and the rest of us about the importance of real food.

Allergies Making You a Basket Case?

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on May 25, 2011

Got nasal congestion, itchy and burning eyes, the sneezes, fatigue, headaches, runny nose, sore throat, and brain fog? You’re not alone. Everything is abloom and while it’s wondrous to finally see green after our long, cold winter, suffering from allergies can make many want to become shut-ins.

Farmer Jack :: the interview

Posted by Jill McLaughlin on Apr 25, 2011

Life is funny. For the last, oh, year or so, I had wanted to reach out to Sarah Moran to tell her how much I appreciate her writing. A couple of weeks ago, I woke up thinking, “Must…email…Sarah” and dropped her a few lines. Minutes later, my phone rings. She and I proceed to chat each other up, wherein she shares that her brother, Jack McCann, and wife Betsy recently started True Cost Farm in Montrose, MN. What? A sustainable farm near the Twin Cities that I hadn’t heard of? I had to know about these people.