It was juiced apples, carrots & kale, frozen peaches from last summer, cocoa powder, pinch cinnamon, pinch sea salt (if you are eating processed food you don’t need this), splash vanilla and/or mint extract is good too, a few tablespoons of melted coconut oil drizzled in if you have it (again, if you are eating processed snack foods you don’t need this), whole milk and yogurt and your favorite sweetener (stevia, agave syrup, honey, maple syrup). If peanut butter and bananas were local to me I would have used and 1 T of pb and frozen bananas instead of peaches but we stopped buying bananas. I’m really hoping our almond trees take off and we get some home grown almond butter since my kids are allergic to the hazelnut trees that I planted which will grow in my climate.

Hi Auburn, I had bought cultures from a place called Niki’s Natural Nook that has an ebay store but that stunk because I had to buy each item separately and they never consolidated my shipping charges even though they shipped in one box. I had plans once to start a “truth in shipping” movement but sometimes I’ve just gotta let go some of my ideas.

It was a piima culture though and I really liked it but my dh could never get over the texture (like the Straus’ European style, very viscous). Since I bought that I discovered http://www.culturesforhealth.com and they have an amazing variety of stuff. Next time I would order from them.

Sara, just like I am buying California lemons right now maybe you could buy some Northern Cal or OR blueberries this summer and freeze them. Along with raspberries and wild blackberries they are my favorite freezer fruit.

Sandy, I do run myself ragged though so do as I say, not as I do. ;p

Shannon, love to! The kids eat the kale once it’s juiced and I put it in chocolate things so they don’t know. Breakfast smoothies are the best since the enzymes are still intact. It also makes a fun way to flavor bread which they will eat if I put cheese and garlic in it too. Imagine 1/3 loaf dyed red with beet juice, 1/3 loaf left natural color and 1/3 loaf dyed green with kale juice. Then give them blogs and let them make shapes which they can eat once you’ve cooked them. The beet juice I also use to dye frosting and cakes or muffins although in the batter I like to leave fiber (not juice). Somewhere on here I have a recipe for chocolate beet muffins that they love.

I suspect that being full is the problem. I should starve them a bit more.

I too share the sorrow of fewer freezer blueberries. My step-uncle in Vancouver BC, bought 30lbs on blueberries from a local farm and they were all eaten by January last year. I bought and froze about 15lbs and they are gone too. My bushes never produce enough for freezing.

Now, when you feel better I would love your thoughts on this faux spring. Do we plant early just in case?

I have changed our garden beds this year and so I have no idea how the new beds will go. I have 5 beds in various amounts of [faux] “full sun” and I have no garden plan.

I do want FLOWERS too. It doesn’t seem so improbable with all this sun.

I’ve been making two quarts of raw yogurt per week since last June. First I was using Stonyfield organic yogurt as a starter – I don’t use the regular yogurt starter powders because they all contain powdered milk.

But two months ago I learned about GI ProsStart yogurt starter (made by a Massachusetts company) which is dairy, gluten and preservative free and contains Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and L. casei.

I’ve made four batches with this starter and they all turned out perfect. Very nice taste and consistency.

Another company, Custom Probiotics, makes a similar product and they are based in Glendale, California.

Sending more healing vibes your way. :]