July

Independence Day in Beacon Hill, Boston: A child's interpretation.

To all outward appearances, this month has not been a particularly remarkable one as far as that goes. To be honest, July was much calmer than the preceding months. Yet I am left with the sense of having experienced a uniquely vivid and emotional period, one which deserves to be contemplated as an entity unto itself. 

Myer's new job as a Software Engineer (which he began in May) has enabled us to finally afford organic/free-range/pastured/grass-fed vittles, something we've long aspired to. I have not been able to eat a largely organic diet since my childhood in the Wisconsin woods, and I must admit, I'd forgotten what a tremendous difference there is... not only in nutrition, but also in taste. My first trip to the market on this budget was difficult; I actually felt a little guilty, picking up the expensive versions of items I normally buy. But I have adjusted quickly, and it would be difficult to go back now! The sense of joy I find in making such beautiful, nutrient-dense meals for myself and my husband can't be fit neatly into words. Perhaps a few images will tell the story more accurately.

Wild salmon, anchovies, organic spinach, garlic/ginger/onions, homemade sauerkraut, natto, yeast+ACV dressing, grass-fed butter+olive oil, and turmeric paste. 

Grass-fed spicy burgers with seaweed, onions, garlic, salsa+mustard... surrounded by a sea of cucumber-dill salad in cashew-coriander dressing. 

Organic arugula with seared portobello mushrooms, red pepper, organic tomatoes, grated carrot, ACV, sesame oil, black sesame seeds, and Tellicherry pepper.

Another area of life that I've improved on this month is my exercise routine. I quit the whole "chronic cardio" scene a while back, and have slowly adopted a weight-lifting habit. I spend 1/2 hour, five days a week, using the various machines provided at our gym... which were intimidating at first, for sure! The weight room definitely has a dude-oriented atmosphere, but I've gotten used to that as well, and now I'm seeing the benefits of my discipline. The pain in my neck is greatly lessened, and I'm able to hold a better posture in general. In addition to weights, I've upped the ante on my long-distance walking. Lately my weekly average is 75 miles. I walked over 300 miles in July, or so Fitbit tells me. I cannot begin to describe how therapeutic this practice is for me. Not only does it feel wonderful in my body, but it gives me time with my meditations and my art projects. Yes, painting takes place (for me) only 50% in front of an easel; the other half is done while walking. And I have seen so much more of "our fair city" this way--- I can't believe how little we usually know about the areas we inhabit. I've lived 6 years in Boston, and this summer have seen ten times more of it than I ever did before. Oh, one more tidbit on the subject of exercise: I must tell you about my barefoot shoes. These are by far the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn in my life. I never thought a shoe would approach the comfort of actually going barefoot, but Merrell/Vibram has done it. I should really be a spokesperson for these shoes, because I rave about them to everyone.

July has been beautiful, indeed, but also difficult. Two of my very best friends, women whose friendship during these past few years in Boston I will cherish for the rest of my life, have moved to the other side of America. They are my angels, these ladies.... I feel their absence deeply. They are both new mothers--- brilliant mothers!--- I will miss seeing their babies grow. This sense of loss has me thinking a lot about the transient nature of our modern lives; whereas once the majority of people would stay in the same village throughout the duration of a lifetime, today virtually no one has that experience. My Great-Great-Great Grandpa Johann Kohlmoosz left his German village at the age of 18, only returning for a visit once. Of his generation, he and his brothers were the only ones to leave. What he did was rare. Now it is rare to stay. I find myself wondering what we keep when people flit in and out of our lives on such a regular basis? I feel the loss, but I don't know what it means or how to address it, how to transform it into something useful.

~ <3 ~ 

Two years ago I began a tradition of watching Le Tour de France. This is a bit out of character for me, as I've never been a sports fan of any sort. Perhaps it's because I grew up with a father who built bikes for a living and rode them out of obsession. When I was a kid, we would regularly see him heading off in his Gios gear, one of those bright birds of the road that you'll occasionally see speeding past in colorful flocks... he'd commute to work all through the Wisconsin winter, 20 miles each way, and return home wish icicles hanging from his big red beard. Partly this, I'm sure. But also because I appreciate the sense of awe it gives me--- awe for the capacities of the human body. It is thrilling, entertaining, and aesthetically pleasing. I look forward to this event every year now.

Cyclists having a smoke in a 1920s Tour; maintenance in a 30s Tour.

Greg LeMond in 1986; Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome, 2015.

It has been a long month; endless in the way that long walks feel, yet brief because I did not want it to end. Tomorrow we are leaving on a trip to the Midwest--- I haven't seen home in a long time. I'll see Dad, Mom, a couple of my sisters, some very good friends, and a little school called Lawrence University... when I left that place, no one had "smart phones" and few had wi-fi. Facebook was a novelty. I'm not sure how I feel about seeing old places. I'll know more in a week, I suppose.

Addendum: other sights and sounds of July: Seinfeld, Patrick Swayze, Tangerine Dream, Ian McEwan, and Hokusai.

The unmistakable poppety-slappety theme.

Point Break, 1991. We laughed our bums off.

Hokusai's Fuji Mountain, 1831.

Tincture

I've recently developed a passing obsession with making herbal tinctures. Not only are tinctures fun, delicious, and easy to create, but they can also be quite beneficial to the health when used appropriately. A tincture differs from a cordial and an infusion--- specifically, it is the result of soaking an herb in distilled alcohol of at least 80 proof. A cordial, meanwhile, is often sweetened and uses weaker alcohol as a base, and an infusion requires heat to extract the plant's healthful compounds (such as tea). 

Portrait of Ibn Sina.

A page from Sina's Canon. 

Cordials and infusions have been used for thousands of years, but tinctures date back only to the discovery of distillation. The credit of this discovery is given to a Persian man named Ibn Sina , one of the most important thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age (often called the "Father of Medicine"). In The Canon of Medicine, published in 1025, Sina wrote recipes for medicines that we would now call tinctures. It wasn't until the 15th century that distilling became a widespread practice, bringing tincture-making with it. For several hundred years, until the invention of pills, tinctures were the gold standard in oral medicine. Even into the early 20th century, this form of treatment was ubiquitous.

My favorite brand.

The uses of a particular tincture depend upon what herb or herbs were involved in its creation. There are thousands upon thousands of botanicals known or believed to have medicinal applications, and many of them can be prescribed in tincture form. One traditional concoction that I myself find especially helpful is Swedish Bitters, a powerful combination of 14 different herbs that help to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes. I take a couple of teaspoons before eating, or sometimes I add a little to hot ginger tea. I find it delicious, but my tolerance for the bitter taste is relatively high. Swedish Bitters includes: manna, angelica, zedoary, aloe, rhubarb, senna, myrrh, carline thistle, camphor, black snakeroot, valerian, cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron. The tinctures I have made so far were not chosen strategically in terms of their medicinal uses; rather, I was simply interested in how each might taste. For my edification and yours, however, I investigate their practical applications below.

My first effort was a rose petal tincture. One needs quite a bit of herb for this purpose, otherwise the results will be weak. The bottle used should be at least half full of herb before the alcohol is added. Vodka is best, being clear and relatively tasteless. The jar is then filled to the top with alcohol, corked, and set in a dark place for about 6 weeks. It is best to gently shake the bottle every so often to make sure all air bubbles become dislodged and the saturation is complete. Botanical.com gives a good overview of many different herbs and their uses. It says rose strengthens the liver and stomach, prevents cough and vomiting, and calms the nerves. It has also long been thought to treat heart conditions (because of or resulting in the connection with romance?), but this appears to be more of a treatment for the "emotional heart" than anything else. Not that symbolism isn't powerful in its own right, of course.

Victorian rose wallpaper.

The second tincture I bottled was an outgrowth of my obsession with galangal, which I purchased in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs for the purpose of flavoring kombucha. If you have never tried this wonderful rhizome, you simply must. It is like ginger but... sharper and somehow more earthy. My galangal tincture turned out to be nothing short of mind-blowing--- I must admit that I've not used it medicinally at all, since it makes one doozy of an awesome cocktail! (Best ever low-ish carb tropical cocktail: 1 oz of galangal tincture + 4 oz all-natural coconut water, served very cold. Yow!) The health benefits of galangal, which is closely related to both ginger and turmeric, include: stimulating (aids in blood flow), powerful digestive, gas reliever, treatment for nausea/vomiting/fever, and helps with muscle recovery after a strenuous physical task. You also may be interested to know that the famous 12th-century nun Hildegard of Bingen, who was not only a composer and writer and artist but also a scientist/botanist/healer, extolled the virtues of galangal; she believed it to be a cure for pretty much every ailment.

Hildegard of Bingen stained glass window.

My most recent tincture is a preparation of wormwood, which I have not yet tasted. Wormwood is said to be the second most bitter herb known to man, though I have my doubts because the strong tea I make with it is not bitter to the point of intolerance. I often crave the bitter taste, which makes sense considering my weak digestion--- bitterness is said to stimulate digestive bile and the production of enzymes. Wormwood is said to be "excellent for all disorders of the stomach, creating an appetite, promoting digestion and preventing sickness after meals." It is the basis of absinthe, which, when taken medicinally, is supposed to tone the nerves and clear the mind. When taken in excess, however, it can produce giddiness, convulsions, and (some say) hallucinations.

L'Absinthe, 1901, Pablo Picasso. One of his many depictions of this subject. 

There are many more tinctures I'd love to experiment with, whether for medicinal purposes or for use in cocktails. Among them: turmeric, Tellicherry pepper, hibiscus, cardamom, anise, ginger, and chamomile. The extent of my obsession probably depends on availability of pretty bottles and supplies of particular herbs/spices. It isn't the cheapest of hobbies, but it is lots of fun and produces a useful product.

"Paleo" Flourless Chocolate Cake

The CAKE, ready for its close-up.

Myer tastes the cake.

For about a year an a half, Myer and I have been eating a mostly Paleo-style diet. We decided to take this route due to a number of factors, including a book we both read titled Good Calories, Bad Calories by science journalist Gary Taubes. I could write countless blog posts about various aspects of this book/diet/lifestyle; suffice it to say, however, that I've not done much baking lately. I don't crave bread or grain products--- I actually never had much of a passion for them--- but when a birthday rolls around, I do like to create something that I can stick candles into. This year for Myer's birthday I dreamed up a cake recipe in my brain-kitchen that seemed flawless. I only needed to manifest it! I didn't have much of a budget to buy extra ingredients for experimentation, so I had to trust the vision and hope that a failure in the kitchen wouldn't lower my wife-score too dramatically. Luckily for me, the first try was an absolute success! You know how I could tell? The look in Myer's eyes: Pure Love. If you've ever cooked something delicious for your beloved, you know exactly what I mean. 

The ingredients are very simple, which, I believe, is the basic tenet of "Paleo" eating. I've read some recipes that are so long and complex, it seems the antithesis of ancestral eating philosophy... I mean, to be frank, baking isn't really "Paleo" at all, is it? That's why I don't do it very often. Anyhow, the simpler, the better. And the less processed your initial ingredients, the better. Here's what you need:

The Requisite Elements.

These are the main ingredients, although I also added some spices and vanilla. Below is the recipe with amounts and instructions:

Cake... Perfect Husband Phood.

PALEO CHOCOLATE CAKE

6 VERY RIPE BANANAS

6 EGGS

¼ CUP COCONUT OIL

1 TABLESPOON VANILLA

2 ½ TEASPOONS BAKING SODA

2 TEASPOONS CINNAMON

1 TEASPOON GINGER

PINCH OF CAYENNE

PINCH OF CLOVES

2 CUPS COCOA POWDER

COMBINE BANANAS, EGGS, COCONUT OIL, AND VANILLA; MASH/MIX WELL. COMBINE SPICES, COCOA AND BAKING SODA. THEN STIR DRY INGREDIENTS INTO WET UNTIL CONSISTENCY IS SMOOTH.

BAKE AT 350°F IN WELL-OILED SPRINGFORM PAN WITH PARCHMENT PAPER UNTIL TOOTHPICK COMES CLEAN, ABOUT 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES

WHEN COOL, FROST WITH ALMOND BUTTER AND DECORATE WITH YOUR CHOICE OF DRIED FRUIT.

I put a bottle of honey out at the party, just in case folks wanted more sweetness than the bananas and raisins had to offer, but no one opted for a drizzle. Either they were being super-polite, or else the cake really did please everybody. Myer's pleasure was unmistakable, I can tell you that. Husband cake-tasting-expression does not lie! All in all, it was an exciting experiment and I look forward to other similar culinary experiences on future special occasions.

Consistency and texture were amazing....

It was VERY dark chocolate....

These raspberries were grown, picked, and dried by Mom....

Myer gets his wish!

Natural Body Care

Beauty mud bath circa 1985 (?)

When I was a kid growing up in the woods, my parents never bought many "products." Imagine a household of five girls--- and yet nary a moisturizer or spritz or hairspray to be seen in the bathroom cabinet. Actually, nary a bathroom was to be seen, since we had an outhouse. In any case, it wasn't until college that I started to learn about the wide world of products... and how desperately I needed them in spite of never having missed things like "Jergens" before. I remember one of my first roommates laughing at me because neither I nor my mom knew what 409 was; the first of many such experiences. Being rather self-conscious, I was susceptible to the opinions of roommates and decided to hop on the product train. I lusted after designer perfumes and magic lotions of all sorts. Unfortunately, it wasn't until just a couple years ago that I finally started to remember why we hadn't used these things back home in the woods........ because they are toxic. 

Reasons to chuck the "products"!

Just peruse the label of an average shampoo or toothpaste or perfume bottle, and see how many ingredients you can recognize. Well, I certainly need a chemistry class or ten to comprehend much of that! So, do I really want to slather it all over my body? After all, skin is the body's larges organ. It is permeable. We communicate constantly with the physical world through this organ. I don't know why it took so long for me to realize this, but I now feel quite strongly about not using body products that I couldn't also ingest.  Now let me say here that I'm definitely not as thorough about this rule as I sound... I'm still hoping (in vain!) that products prescribed by the dermatologist will eventually clear up my acne. But one by one I continue to banish this or that store-bought item from my regimen and replace it with a homemade concoction. Following are a few I've discovered/invented/heard about/experimented with. It's an evolving process, one of trial and error. You've got to enjoy the mad-scientist-mixing-things-up experience because there are messes and failures involved, for sure!

First, a shameless product placement. My mom always used Dr. Bronner's castile soap for everything, and recently (spurred on by nostalgia and a desire to consolidate products) I've been recreating this part of my childhood. Wow, the smell brings me back! And it is a lovely smell. With very few ingredients and almost all of them organic, this stuff really is "all-in-one." I use it in the bath, on my face, as shampoo, as shaving cream for legs and armpits (gone are the awful pressurized shaving cream bottles; Myer even uses Dr. Bronner's for shaving his face), for hand-washing clothes, as dish soap, for rinsing food, and of course as general hand soap. How great is it to replace so many different bottles with just one? Pretty great, in my opinion. Also you simply can't beat the electrifying tingle of fresh mint oil on your skin. It comes in many scents, and I enjoy the lavender, but peppermint is definitely my standard. Seriously guys. Don't miss out.

Bath & Body
There are many natural body cleaners one can come up with based on just a few ingredients. For shampoo, baking soda works great on its own. Just sprinkle it on your head and lather away. Various body scrubs can be made using either salt or sugar plus some sort of oil. I like crystallized raw honey with lavender oil, or chunky sea salt with coconut oil. My favorite go-to body moisturizer is virgin coconut oil ($5.99/pint at Trader Joe's), but I also like to mix things up. I recently did a combination of coconut oil, beeswax, and cocoa butter that is absolutely exquisite! It smells like heaven and feels pretty dang sexy going on. I've also experimented with different types of body scrubs. One I'm LOVING is a scar-fading, anti-cellulite body scrub that I made with finely-ground fresh dark roast coffee beans, natural cane sugar, and castor oil. You could use any noncomedogenic oil, like jojoba; I had castor on hand. The scent is fantastic, and after you rub it into your skin and oil is absorbed, you can easily rinse the sugar and coffee off in the shower. Seriously luxurious. I swear it helps with stretch marks.

Coconut oil + beeswax + cocoa butter for moisturizing the body.

Coffee + sugar + castor oil cellulite-reducing, scar-fading body scrub.

  Facial Care

I've experimented with a plethora of cleansing facial masks. Some of my favorite combinations so far: clay (I like French green or Aztec) with baking soda, clay with activated charcoal, clay with apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil, and clay with raw honey and coconut oil. Just smear it all over your visage and let it dry for 45 minutes or so, then wash. I am always tempted to pick rather than wash, but this is kind of hard on the skin. A good way to follow the facial mask is by toning and moisturizing. I like to use apple cider vinegar (get unpasteurized) or rose water as toner, and both work well. If you have tender skin, ACV might sting--- but it helps eliminate bad bacteria and also has an alkalizing effect, which is usually helpful. For facial moisturizer, I enjoy either coconut oil or argan oil. Both sink deeply into the skin rather than just making a greasy slick on top. To moisturize lips, I swear by lanolin. I've never used anything else. Some might not like the smell, as it is rather "sheepish" (haha) but I actually enjoy the natural scent. It soaks in deep and stays on for hours. 

Toothpaste, Deodorant, Feminine Care 

Botanical illustration of coconut plant

Two additional products one can replace with homemade versions are toothpaste and deodorant. Plain baking soda works just fine as tooth cleanser, but you can get fancy with other ingredients if you want. Activated charcoal + baking soda + coconut oil + peppermint essential oil makes is a lovely recipe that gives you a legitimate paste rather than a powder. Deodorant is often extremely toxic as purchased in-store, so it's very important to chuck that stuff and make your own. Actually, Myer and I don't really use anything these days; if your diet is clean, you don't stink much! But there are fabulous versions you can mix up yourself if need be. Finally, for the ladies, I think it's worth mentioning "feminine care" in this post. The products provided to us for this need are so wasteful and often toxic--- it's sad how long it took me to find the right alternative. My mom used to make and wash her own, but I'm too lazy for that! However, natural sea sponges are a wonderful in-between answer. They are super easy to use and completely safe for you and the environment. I was enlightened! Tip: put a drop of tea tree oil on it before using. It helps with scent and to keep bad bacteria away.

Scents

I have a large collection of essential oils that I use in various ways. Mostly I put them on straight out of the bottle as natural perfume. I wear different ones according to my mood and the physical state of my body. If I'm feeling sluggish or weighty, frankincense, tea tree, pine, peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus, or myrrh are all uplifting/invigorating. For particularly stressful days, lavender, rose, jasmine or neroli help to relax me. When I'm extra energetic, I like something musky such as patchouli, amber, sandalwood, or vanilla. My favorite brand is Wyndmere, partially because the quality is very fine, and partly because they come in the most gorgeous little cobalt glass bottles. Besides perfume, these oils are also wonderful in candles, as aromatherapy, in other bath products, and just to sniff now and then. Rose is probably my all-time favorite; surprise surprise. 

  

Tea

Every morning I drink a pot of tea. The first thing I do when I enter the kitchen is turn my silver kettle on to boil. I crave my tea at that time of the day, not because it wakes me up (I rarely have difficulty with mornings), but because there is a certain something about the combination of pre-dawn and that crisp, steaming beverage... that I find to be blissfully cleansing and invigorating. Apparently I'm not alone in my love of tea; it's the second most-consumed beverage in the world after water. I drink one whole pot myself, and sometimes I have more late-morning. I know people who prefer their tea lukewarm... but I like mine very hot. I can taste it better this way, and my body feels most calmed and satisfied.

This traditional tetsubin cast iron Japanese teapot was a wedding gift from our friend Mona. I use it every day.

Camellia Sinensis

Mythic/historical figure Shennong

The tea plant, camellia sinensis, probably originated in the area that now includes northern Burma and southwest China (Yunnan and Sichuan provinces), although the precise location is difficult to determine, as cultivation has spread far and wide over the past several thousand years. A popular Chinese legend attributes the invention of tea as a beverage to emperor Shennong ("Divine Farmer") in 2737 BC. However, tea was used medicinally much earlier on. In fact, no one really knows when or how humans began using the plant. To me, that makes tea both practical and mystical--- a combination of attributes I find most attractive (not just in tea). From China it spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. People in the Himalayan region of India used tea in medicine for an unknown period of time, but it did not become a common beverage until the British introduced it as such. The Western world discovered tea when Portuguese priests and merchants visited China during the 16th century. Tea-drinking spread to Britain around 1660, but did not become commonplace until the mid 1700s. A thriving black market trade organized around tea eventually led to the Boston Tea Party, and only ceased when the British stopped taxing it (by 1785). Interestingly, Americans actually drank more tea than the English did before Boston's most famous party.  

The five most popular varieties of tea.

There are many varieties of tea, but five can be identified as the "main" or most widely consumed. They are, as shown above: white, green, oolong, black, and pu erh. While they all come from the camellia sinensis plant, each type constitutes a radically different sipping experience. I was quite amazed to discover (in my early days of tea-geekhood) that every variation is a result of growing conditions, climate, harvest time, plant part, and processing. Tea production truly is an art, and the more I read about it, the more it astonishes me. I'm fast becoming a snob, although I do have a long way to go before I really qualify!

A great visual of tea data.

My personal favorites are green and oolong, with white a close third, and pu erh of great interest because making it involves fermentation (I <3 fermentation).  I wish I could give you an exhaustive list of all the exotic kinds within each category that I've tried... but to speak the truth, it's expensive, and I have not been able to indulge all my tea urges as yet. Some of the best I've tasted so far include gyokuro (a vibrant green from Japan), jade oolong (it smells like lilacs!), and silver needle (an airy white). I also love the traditional jasmine green, gunpowder green, and sencha. One I've been dying to try is Ti Kuan Yin, an oolong named after one of my favorite Buddhist deities (she is called Avelokiteshvara in Sanskrit).  I'm also lusting after shincha, pouchong, and the beautiful "blooming teas" made of tea leaves carefully sewn together that blossom when steeped in hot water. I don't mean to neglect the black teas here--- it's just that they aren't my particular favorites. I do, however, depend on Irish Breakfast to feed my kombucha culture! Black is definitely her favorite.

Aside from indulging my appreciation of fine craft and intricate gustatory pleasure, tea also happens to be extremely healthy. It's hard to deny several thousand years' worth of ancestral wisdom on this front. Tea feels so good to my body that quoting "evidence" seems a little absurd, but as I mentioned before, my personality consists of equal parts hokey-pokey intuition/magic and scientific rationality, so I can't not put in a few words about studies "proving" tea's health benefits. Time magazine has a page on tea that seems to check out, and here are a few juicy tidbits via Harvard Medical School's website:

• Tea drinking appears to lower the risk for heart disease and stroke
• Natural compounds called polyphenols in green tea might protect against several cancers, including those of the prostate, GI tract, lungs, breast, and skin
• Caffeine and antioxidants called catechins found in green, oolong, and white teas may increase metabolism and promote weight loss
• Tea polyphenols are thought to strengthen bones and protect against fractures
• People who drink tea could see improvements in mood, concentration, and performance.

The infographic at right is great; just click to enlarge if you can't read it at current size. It has some great statistics about all things tea. 

I have a wealth of nostalgic memories based on tea-drinking ritual. When I first met Myer in Autumn 2004 at Lawrence University, we bonded over our love of walking in the season's invigorating chill and bright leaf-colors with our travel mugs of hot tea. We still enjoy this practice, and every time we do, we are filled with a sense of romance because it was something we did in the beginning. Mushy, I know. (Sorry not sorry!) 

Us back then.

That's about all I have to say on the subject of tea, for now. Let me know what some of your favorites are... 

Egg

A variety of eggs.

Eggs. Yes, they are incredible. And I think might be one of the healthiest and most versatile foods on the planet. This year I began eating them raw, which was a revelation, because I used to always get "egg burps" after eating them cooked. I'm not a big fan of the whites, but the yolks are to die for. There's nothing quite like the taste of a plain, fresh, raw egg yolk with a few grains of sea salt! As a kid, my sister Rhiannon owned a veritable bestiary of animals, many of which were the egg-laying sort. Here are the types of eggs I've tried: goose, duck, guineahen, peahen, emu, turtledove, and of course chicken.  Duck are my favorite. The yolks are large and extra creamy... and the color of the egg shell is a beautiful light green (if it's a mallard egg, like the kind we had). Unfortunately, I have not found a place to buy fresh duck eggs; only the black preserved ones (which I love, but are expensive... and not raw, obviously!)

Did you know that an egg is a single cell? At least that's my understanding of it; I'm no biologist. Pretty cool though, if that's the case. They are also a near-perfect balance in terms of nutrients, being intended to nourish a growing baby. Eating a raw egg is like taking a multivitamin, only 100% natural and super delicious to boot. Here is a breakdown of (some of) the contents of an egg, given in terms of white vs yolk. Don't throw out that liquid gold!!! Look for dark-colored yolks; eggs with the brightest, deepest yellow yolks are the healthiest. I remember some home-grown specimens being almost orange! (PS, yolk-fat is awesome. Without it, you wouldn't be able to absorb those vitamins).

The culinary history of eggs goes back as far as humans do. We've been eating them basically since we stood upright. And no wonder--- they are the original fast food. Long before people learned how to cook their victuals, eggs were sucked straight from the shell upon discovery. Egg symbolism across cultures is fascinating. Not surprisingly, they have long been a symbol of life itself and were often believed to enhance fertility. In the East there was at one time a practice called "oomancy" (delightful word!) for predicting the future in the cracks of eggshells. In the West, the egg has been used as a Christian symbol--- think Easter. The reason eggs are sold by the dozen relates to the special place held by #12 in Christian mythology (you guessed it: 12 apostles). Apparently eggs have been sold this way since Elizabethan times. 

If you don't know how this has to do with eggs, I pity you.

You can do just about anything with eggs. Their uses are so diverse that is difficult to decide which recipes to include here. Personally, I like to either eat the raw yolks plain or else mix them with cacao powder, cinnamon, and whey powder for a tasty and energizing mini-meal. But I also serve them to Myer in various cooked guises.

Deviled Eggs

According to my research, deviled eggs in some form or other date back at least to Roman times. "Stuffed eggs" in many different cultures take on a wide variety of forms, some of them more appealing than others. Here is one I've made a few times.

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt
Cayenne pepper

Slice eggs in half, remove yolks. Add coconut oil and turmeric to yolks and mix well. Form mixture into balls and press them into the whites. Sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Egg Tea

I found this recipe for "Primal Egg Coffee" on Mark's Daily Apple and was intrigued. However, I don't drink coffee, so I decided to try a simple version with tea. I couldn't really picture how it would work--- I thought the egg yolk would just cook in the tea and be all chunky and gross. Not a bit! It's like tea with cream, only sans lactose and plus all that great egg yolk nutrition. So here's what I do: brew one cup of strong black tea (Lapsang Souchong is great for this!)... wash an egg, carefully crack it and separate the yolk from the white. Plop the yolk into your cup, break with a spoon and stir well. The tea will instantly be creamy and opaque. Drink while hot! 

Egg-in-a-(Tofu)-Hole

I used to make this for Myer a lot. It's very simple. Just cut a square hole out of a chunk of tofu... roughly egg-sized... fry the tofu on one side, flip, crack an egg into the hole, and cook until the egg is solid so it doesn't make a mess when you take it out of the frying pan. Sriracha lovey-dovey decoration optional....