We were out shopping at Wal-Mart for a few things when we wondered past all the Halloween candy.  Brightly wrapped and irresistible as can be we pulled ourselves away knowing the inherit chemicals of mass produced candies, especially those major brands prominent in grocery stores.  We decided we might go for something that was likely to be safe peppermint, spearmint and cinnamon hard candies.  However, as we read the ingredients we found artificial flavors (another term for MSG or can include MSG), Blue 1 and Yellow dye food coloring (see http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm) and preservatives better left on the shelf.

Not one of these candies was safe for us to eat, which caused me to stop and think, what are people passing out Halloween night, candy treats or chemicals; a true trick or treat conundrum.  And when your kids come home with that huge sack of candy should you be proud or sad?  They have just won what once was a grand prize of sweet treats for any child.  Sure too much sugar is not the best of things, but these chemicals are not good at all.  There was always a concern when we were children that some crazed person might put poison in home baked goods they passed out.  As children we only went to homes we knew.  Now the playing field if leveled, eveyone is passing out poison, they just don’t know it. 

Consider this Halloween making caramel covered apples.  You will have to make your own caramel from sugar water and cream, since caramels at the store have Carrageenan.  Oh and watchout most cream has Carrageenan which incorporates MSG.  Okay, make some brownies, but watch the cocoa since it can include Carrageenan and MSG.  Maybe offer them a glass of water?

It sounds dissmal and like there is little that can be done, Halloween is lost.  Well that is just the begining, every holiday meal and for that matter every meal or snack is more than likely filled with a number of undesirable if not outright dangerous chemicals.  Many food manufacturers would perfer a profit over your health, that should be acceptable (at least from their point of view) since you are not related.

In reality, you can have anything and everything you want and can avoid the harmful chemicals.  Stop buying chemical infested foods when you can do better for yourself and your family.  When enough people turn their backs on the manufactures that wish to harm us they will be forced to treat us with respect and sell safe products or go out of businesses (good).  That is how it should be.  We stand in the isles reading labels; confusing, long, tedious, frustrating labels, because we know they are poisoning us.  In concert with other manufactures we could be ingesting large does of FDA approved chemicals that do not belong in our bodies.

Buy smart, create a garden, buy local, buy slow and make most foods at home.  Buy local is the new Organic/natural food term since the FDA was manipulated into modifying the term Organic and Natural to include unnatural products like harmful chemicals.  Buy slow started in Europe, but means avoiding the fast food chains.  However, many restaurants inadvertently buy brand foods thinking they are safe to use, but include unwanted chemicals.  There are few places you can eat out safely including at friends and families homes since they also buy processed foods.  WoW!

We cook the majority of our foods at home and rarely by foods that have anything beyond very basic processing.  It does take time, but not as much as you might think and the tastes are far superior to those products sold in the store.  We make a rich, creamy, buttery buttermilk that you want to drink or cook with unlike the carrageenan filled, bland buttermilk of the stores.  We make many exciting foods including healthy versions of what would otherwise be junk food.  Are these bland health foods, absolutely not, we use sugar, butter, cream, cheese, lard and meat.  We simply use a host natural products from healthy sources.  In moderation none of them are harmful.

Later this year, if not early next year, we are releasing 1 of 2 books on what we have learned along with the recipes we have created.  The book, an extensive effort, is in full-color and is being produced at the best possible price for those that are price contentious.  Every recipe is easy to follow and we provide details on how things work chemically.  You get the recipes, but also a great education in how you can go beyond our recipes to create even more including your holiday family favorites.  Each book will have over 200 recipes and now it looks like there may be a third book.  Many recipes are from generations past and incorpoate tricks almost lost to the younger generations.  One book is dedicated to deserts and candies, wonder, rich, deep flavors with all the zest, and buttery flavors or impact you may want.

Look to this WEB site for healthy food sources and later recipes that replicate some of the foods you love.  We look forward to hearing from you on chemical free food recipes or questions on how to avoid chemicals found in your favorite foods.