Our Natural Life » Green Living http://ournaturallife.com/blog Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:01:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=6487 Searching for accurate information and provocative discussions about living a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life? Join hosts Jon and Cathy Payne for informative interviews with local and national experts, authors, farmers, filmmakers, and chefs. A bimonthly podcast of varied length that focuses heavily on the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, and buying local food. Reported through the lens of the hosts lives in rural Georgia. Jon and Cathy Payne no Jon and Cathy Payne jppaynesr@gmail.com jppaynesr@gmail.com (Jon and Cathy Payne) 2009-2010 - Alchemy New Media LLC Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Weston A. Price, sustainability, sustainable food, holistic health, farming, organic, nutrient dense food, slow food, biodiversity, locavore, pastured meat, raw milk Our Natural Life » Green Living http://www.ournaturallife.com/logo/ONL144x144.jpg http://ournaturallife.com/blog/category/green-living/ De-Clutter to Prosper! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/03/de-clutter-to-prosper/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/03/de-clutter-to-prosper/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:44:56 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=315

Did you know that you partner with your living space? When you create the space you want, it allows you to become your best self. And while you're de-cluttering, you can earn income from your unwanted items

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/03/de-clutter-to-prosper/feed/ 7 ONL059 Nature’s Harmony Farm Tour http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:09:46 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=294 We're very excited about our latest Podcast! Last fall, on our farm tour to Nature's Harmony Farm with Tim and Liz Young, we were inspired to make the transition from suburb to country. Our new place, Broad River Pastures, is about 7 miles from Nature's Harmony. We think you will be inspired as we were. You can listen to the Podcast on the link below. [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/02/onl059-natures-harmony-farm-tour/feed/ 1 We're very excited about our latest Podcast! Last fall, on our farm tour to Nature's Harmony Farm with Tim and Liz Young, we were inspired to make the transition from suburb to country. Our new place, Broad River Pastures, We're very excited about our latest Podcast! Last fall, on our farm tour to Nature's Harmony Farm (http://) with Tim and Liz Young, we were inspired to make the transition from suburb to country. Our new place, Broad River Pastures, is about 7 miles from Nature's Harmony. We think you will be inspired as we were. You can listen to the Podcast on the link below. (http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_0377.jpg) We love learning new things. Our brains are about to burst with all of the new information from our growing library of books on farming topics. In addition, we attended farming conferences in January and February and have been busy informally interviewing local farmers. The frustrating part is putting that on hold while holding down our day jobs and packing up our things to sell or move so we can put our house on the market. We are ready to be "agripreneurs!" We're proud to be newly associated with the Real Food Media (http://realfoodmedia.com/tag/real-food-media/) network. The network now includes 16 like-minded bloggers who promote real food, small farms, and green living. We'd like to join Wardeh Harmon's lead by offering e-learning related to homesteading and other topics. Please call or write us with suggestions for courses you'd like us to produce. Now, back to the Podcast. What you will hear is an interview with Liz's father, Brian Smith, and his reaction his daughter's lifestyle. This is followed by "in the field" recording of Tim Young's narration of a tour of Nature's Harmony recorded October 10, 2009. After that you'll hear us read some of the letters we've received and some personal updates. What we admire about Tim and Liz is the efforts they take to raise happy, healthy heritage animals in a natural outdoor environment that mimics nature. They use a multi-species model and build biodiversity on their land. As time goes by, the presence of the farm animals actually improves the land in their care. In addition to managing their farm, meat CSA, cheese-making operation and household, Tim and Liz are involved in education through their practical classes (http://grassfed.myshopify.com/collections/farm-tours-events), farm tours, and their new Podcast. (http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_0393.jpg) We have a long list of pending interviews and book reviews to share with you, but need to be hold them on the back burner while we pack up our recording equipment. Thank you for your patience. We hope to reward you with even more excitement and quality programs in the future. In the meantime, you may want to listen to the Farmcast (http://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com/natures-harmony-farm-podcast/), also available on iTunes, produced by Tim and Liz Young. Thank you for those who are patronizing our affiliate stores on our Go Shopping! page (http://ournaturallife.com/blog/9/). Remember that you can make your Amazon.com (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20) purchases through our link, as well as get your Green Pasture's fermented cod liver oil from Selina Naturally (http://celticseasalt.directtrack.com/z/2/CD178/). Each purchase you make will support purchase of better audio equipment to enhance your listening experience. Tips are also welcomed. Special Offer - Selina Naturally (http://celticseasalt.directtrack.com/z/2/CD178/) is offering free shipping on orders of $75 or more until March 7, 2010. Just use coupon code FSPROMO during checkout. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:19:34 ONL057 OMG, We Bought the Farm! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:16:11 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/

Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, we are only hours away from a blue [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/feed/ 6 413 Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/DSCF4252.jpg)Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this ... Jon and Cathy Payne no 24:08 ONL052 Preserving the Harvest Tips from Karen K. Brees http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:39:25 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=79

Karen K. Brees , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot’s Gude to Preserving Food is the subject of Cathy’s interview today. Her book is a great beginner’s reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the device below or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher.

Karen, a master food preserver, [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/feed/ 0 Karen K. Brees , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot's Gude to Preserving Food is the subject of Cathy's interview today. Her book is a great beginner's reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the dev... (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/preserving_150.jpg)Karen K. Brees (http://practicalpreserving.blogspot.com/) , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot's Gude to Preserving Food (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/detail/1592579167) is the subject of Cathy's interview today. Her book is a great beginner's reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the device below or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher. Karen, a master food preserver, lives on a ranch in Idaho where she raises South African Boer goats (for meat) and vegetables. In spite of a small growing season, she manages to produce a large bounty of produce for her family. By preserving her harvest, she and her husband enjoy local, sustainable food year round. Food preservation techniques used to be handed down from mother to daughter, but many of these traditions have been lost over the last 40 years as modern, processed, convenient foods filled the supermarket shelves. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/images-11.jpg)With the recent interest in eating local foods, eating seasonally, and home gardening, there is an increased need to learn these skills once taught at home. Karen's book is a good beginner text that gives newbies the basics in a wide variety of skills including food safety, freezing, canning, pickling and fermenting, relishes, jams and jellies, drying, salting, smoking and root cellaring. Learning to preserve your sustainable, seasonal food can save you money, as well! I've used a couple of recipes from the book and they were easy to do from her clear directions. I put up 7 pints of Wilma's Bread and Butter Pickles using my own homegrown cucumbers. Karen describes these as "the best you will ever find," and I have to agree. They include 3 ingredients I haven't used in bread and butter pickles before. I've also put up a beef brisket from Natures Harmony Farm using her corned beef recipe. I've made this once before from a Julia Child recipe. I need to wait another three weeks to see how it stacks up, since the corning process takes 4 weeks. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/images-2.jpg)If I'm ever successful in growing more cabbage than our cabbage worms can eat, I'd like to try her sauerkraut recipe. One reason I've been hesitant to attempt this is insecurity about what might go wrong at each step. Karen includes a thorough troubleshooting section to address these concerns, detailing what to expect when things are going right and how to know when it has gone wrong. In the interview, Karen discusses some helpful tools and hints that are helpful to know. The supplies and gadgets she discusses can be found at our Amazon Store (http://www.ournaturallife.com/blog/?page_id=22). (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/images-31.jpg)Chapter 6 is devoted to the freezing of meat, poultry, seafood and game. This includes tips for wrapping, identifying cuts of meat, definitions, and more. We'd love to hear about your favorite techniques for preserving the harvest and your experiences with them. Leave comments below. Write in any questions you have for Karen. New Products Please check out our new products page (http://www.ournaturallife.com/blog/?page_id=340) to check out CDs from some of our popular interviews on sustainable food. We hope you will consider purchasing these for your self or as gifts to support our work for the sustainable food movement. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund We recently issued a Call to Action to demand clean, sustainable real food sources in your products. Current laws and regulations to not reflect the growing respect for sustainable family farms, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation's Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (http://www.ftcldf.org/). Check out their website to see all the hard work they are doing to help your local farmers. Jon and Cathy Payne no 48:39 ONL043 Installing Rainbarrels to Harvest Rainwater http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 17:03:30 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=256

Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. Additionally, it helps consumers save money by reducing water bills. It may also be healthier for [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/feed/ 0 Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/rainwater-harvesting.jpg) Rainwater harvesting has several benefits (http://www.rainfilters.com/why) to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoidin... Jon and Cathy Payne no 39:41 ONL042 – Healthy Baby and Healthy Home http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 01:50:40 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/

In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-orders of her new book, Raising Baby O , that will be released in June. [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/feed/ 0 - In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-o... (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/moz-screenshot.jpg) In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby (http://www.trulyhealthybaby.com/Home.html) . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-orders of her new book, Raising Baby O , that will be released in June. Heather tells the story of how she grew up eating whole natural foods. When she moved from California to Georgia and needed support to continue that lifestyle, she discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation (http://www.westonaprice.org/) . By networking with the Atlanta chapter, she found sources for the raw milk (http://www.realmilk.com/where.html) that was so essential to her diet. As Cathy discussed with Sally Fallon Morrell in our last podcast (http://www.ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=281) , Heather is providing the kinds of advice and services traditionally offered by elders in the village, tribe, or community. In today's society of isolated nuclear families, this kind of support can be very reassuring and helpful to new parents. Additional support for healthy eating can be found from Nina Planck (http://www.ninaplanck.com/) , author of Real Food (http://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-What-Eat-Why/dp/1596913428%3FSubscriptionId%3D0PZ7TM66EXQCXFVTMTR2%26tag%3Dournatlif-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1596913428) and Real Food for Mother and Baby (http://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Mother-Baby-Fertility/dp/1596913940%3FSubscriptionId%3D0PZ7TM66EXQCXFVTMTR2%26tag%3Dournatlif-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1596913940) . We also love to find healthy recipes from AnnMarie at her cheeseslave (http://www.cheeseslave.com/) website. Last week I was excited to find her recipe for healthy banana bread (http://www.cheeseslave.com/page/4/) that featured sprouted flour from To Your Health Sprouted Bread and Flour Co (http://www.sproutedgrainbread.com/index.html). While Jon and I avoid most flours and gluten, we find that we can tolerate sprouted spelt, sprouted rye, and soaked oats or barley in limited amounts. I ordered some sprouted flours so we can feed more overripe bananas to ourselves than we do to the worm bin this summer. These products are recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation. While you're at cheeseslave, be sure to check out information about the "No GMO 30 Day Challenge. (http://realfoodmedia.com/no-gmo-challenge/) " You can also find information on the challenge at Seeds of Deception (http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm) , the website of Jeffrey M. Smith. On the left side of his home page you can download a pdf document called "The Non-GMO Shopping Guide" to help you make informed choices when grocery shopping. What you put on your skin (or your children's skin) is just as important as what is put in your (or their) mouths. Our skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs lotions, creams, and soaps that directly go into our bloodstream. I am careful when shopping for skin care products and order most of them from Simone Karsden at Flutterbye Aromatics (http://flutterbyearomatics.com/) . She does a great job of delivering a high quality product, and your order will be filled with loving attention. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/bimart-0031.jpg) Heather discussed the importance of detoxing your body prior to pregnancy and detoxing your home before pregnancy and delivery. We found this "What's Under your Sink? (http://www.shaklee.net/cleanandgreen/gc_yourhome1) " survey to help you determine how you are doing in this regard. More and more, consumers want to make informed decisions to help them choose the most healthy and green products. However, in the case of GMO food or cleaning products, there is no right-to-know law requiring full disclosure. Jon and Cathy Payne no 31:58 ONL036 – Planning a Green Wedding http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl036-planning-a-green-wedding/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl036-planning-a-green-wedding/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:32:12 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl036-planning-a-green-wedding/

A discussion about the various facets of wedding planning, and how to incorporate more green or natural elements into each phase. Topics included dress designs, wedding rings, wedding invitations, decor, location, menu, and gifts. We include lots of website links to help you get started.

Links: The Green Life: 10 Steps to a Green Wedding Biocompostables | Worldcentric Green wedding [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl036-planning-a-green-wedding/feed/ 0 A discussion about the various facets of wedding planning, and how to incorporate more green or natural elements into each phase. Topics included dress designs, wedding rings, wedding invitations, decor, location, menu, and gifts. A discussion about the various facets of wedding planning, and how to incorporate more green or natural elements into each phase. Topics included dress designs, wedding rings, wedding invitations, decor, location, menu, and gifts. We include lots of website links to help you get started. Links: The Green Life: 10 Steps to a Green Wedding (http://www.sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2007/03/10_steps_to_a_g.html) Biocompostables | Worldcentric (http://worldcentric.org/biocompostables) Green wedding guide | Yahoo! Green (http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/122/green-wedding-guide.html) Wooden Rings from Touch Wood Rings (http://www.touchwoodrings.com/) Our Natural Life podcast on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johns-Creek-GA/Our-Natural-Life-podcast/48399957293) //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 39:07 ONL028 – Healthy Lifestyle Tips http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/01/onl028-healthy-lifestyle-tips/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/01/onl028-healthy-lifestyle-tips/#comments Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:11:04 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=216

Healthy Lifestyle tips from Campbell Family Medicine. In today’s show we interview Dr. Ellie Campbell, board-certified family practice physician, and Natalie Patierno, lifestyle coach, both from Campbell Family Medicine. They discuss therapeutic lifestyle changes to promote maximum health and avoid using drugs, including natural ways to control diabetes and blood pressure. Links include more articles on [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/01/onl028-healthy-lifestyle-tips/feed/ 0 Healthy Lifestyle tips from Campbell Family Medicine. In today’s show we interview Dr. Ellie Campbell, board-certified family practice physician, and Natalie Patierno, lifestyle coach, both from Campbell Family Medicine. Healthy Lifestyle tips from Campbell Family Medicine. In today’s show we interview Dr. Ellie Campbell, board-certified family practice physician, and Natalie Patierno, lifestyle coach, both from Campbell Family Medicine. They discuss therapeutic lifestyle changes to promote maximum health and avoid using drugs, including natural ways to control diabetes and blood pressure. Links include more articles on therapeutic lifestyle changes, green living, and sustainable farming. Show Links: * Campbell Family Medicine (http://www.campbellfamilymedicine.com/) * Lower Your Blood Pressure With Vitamin C (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/24/lower-your-blood-pressure-with-vitamin-c.aspx) * Quick Study: Lobbying’s Long Arm (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/08/quick-study-lobbying-s-long-arm.aspx) * CREE |U.S. Pentagon to Install Cree LR24 Recessed LED Luminaires (http://www.cree.com/press/press_detail.asp?i=1231279088576) * Cree LED Lighting : Residential LED Lighting (http://www.creelighting.com/residential.htm) * Dan Barber’s surprising foie gras parable | Video on TED.com (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html) //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 37:14 ONL004 – Putting up the Harvest http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl004-putting-up-the-harvest/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl004-putting-up-the-harvest/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:20:30 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=118

Putting up the Harvest – Whether you are growing more food at home than you can eat, bringing it home from your CSA, or purchasing in bulk from your local farmer’s market, you’ll need to preserve it if you want to enjoy during the fall and winter months. Today we’re discussing four methods of food preservation: [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl004-putting-up-the-harvest/feed/ 0 - Putting up the Harvest - Whether you are growing more food at home than you can eat, bringing it home from your CSA, or purchasing in bulk from your local farmer's market, you'll need to preserve it if you want to enjoy during the fall and winter mo... Putting up the Harvest - Whether you are growing more food at home than you can eat, bringing it home from your CSA, or purchasing in bulk from your local farmer's market, you'll need to preserve it if you want to enjoy during the fall and winter months. Today we're discussing four methods of food preservation: freezing, canning, dehydrating, and fermenting. Freezing is a quick and simple method appropriate for fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, cheeses, breads, and prepared food. There are several articles on freezing methods at the University of Georgia Extension Service website. (http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/food/canning.php) We enjoy using a nifty kitchen appliance called Foodsaver. You can find it and other food preservation supplies (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/102-0535939-5208961?node=2&page=3) at our Amazon e-store. Please check these out and consider shopping here for your food preservation needs. The Foodsaver is a vacuum-packaging system that saves time, preserves food quality, and makes putting up your food very easy. We keep ours out on the kitchen counter for frequent use. Canning may be more unfamiliar to some of our listeners but is not mysterious or difficult to do. You will need a bit of equipment to get started (see food preservation supplies (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/102-0535939-5208961?node=2&page=3)). Canning is a great way to put up tomatoes and tomato products because instead of losing nutrients and flavor, it actually improves flavor and increases the lycopene available. For more on the benefits of lycopene in your diet, visit this website (http://www.lycopene.com/Default.aspx). In order to best utilize this powerful antioxidant, be sure to eat some healthy fat such as extra virgin organic olive oil with your tomato sauces. A great description of canning and a tomato sauce recipe can be found in Barbara Kingsolver's new personal narrative, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/detail/B000OJKVL0/102-0535939-5208961) Cathy just finished reading this book and it is a great read, inspirational, and full of great information about sustainable food and eating locally. The UGA (http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/food/canning.php) website has pdf files on canning, as well. Canning of low-acid vegetable such as green beans requires a pressure canner. We prefer these foods frozen to retain texture and flavor. Dehydration of food can be accomplished by the sun in less humid climates, in a warm oven, or in a dehydrator dedicated to that purpose. Dehydrating is effective for making your own sun dried tomatoes (another recipe in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), sweet or chili peppers to add to soups or stews, herbs, figs, liver treats for your pets, or crispy nuts (recipe pp. 513-516 in Nourishing Traditions. We use a 4-tray Excalibur dehydrator (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/detail/B000I6ORKA/102-0535939-5208961) for our dehydrating. It has a fan to keep the drying even and does not heat up the kitchen like a warm oven. It's easy to use and clean and can be used to make yogurt. A good reference for dehydrating is Mary Bells Complete Dehydrator Cookbook. The UGA website sited above has pdf articles as well. Fermentation has been used for thousands of years by traditional cultures to preserve food long before the advent of freezing or canning. Fermentation has 5 benefits: preservation of food, removal of toxins present in some foods, improving nutritional value, making food more digestible, and promoting the growth of healthy flora in the human intestine. Ancient Greeks referred to these chemical changes as alchemy. Fermented foods are an acquired taste and largely absent in the Standard American Diet. Fermented foods and beverages include saurkraut, miso, tempeh, Korean kimchi, Japanese umeboshi, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour doughs, kombucha, wine, beer, vinegars, and traditional chutney, ketchup, and pickles. Jon and Cathy Payne no 26:21