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Get your Fill of Nuts at the Testicle Festival

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Yes you read the title correctly,it is time for the “Testicle Festival” in South Bend Nebraska at the local Round the Bend Restaurant. Some people refer to them as Rocky Mountain Oysters, Calf Fries, or just, calf nuts or balls, but regardless of the name they are the removable reproductive organs of a calf, lamb or even turkey.

2011 Testicle Festival in South Bend Nebraksa
2011 Testicle Festival (Day 201 of my 365 Project)

In ranching country, or just the midwest they are considered a delicacy. Here at Round the Bend Restaurant they are a sometimes considered a dare, a novelty, and a reason to celebrate and have a party one weekend out of the year.  I do have to admit, that after living in the Elmwood-Murdock area this was the first time I had actually eaten Beef Fries. They were actually very good. But when you cover anything in batter and fry it you can make anything taste good.

Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright BizarreEdible plants and animals: Unusual foods from aardvark to zamia

For eighteen years hundreds of people show up the Friday and Saturday of Fathers Day weekend for bragging rights that they attended this very unique event. Many leave home with a custom T-Shirt.  Others leave with one more item checked off their bucket list.

Testicle Festival at Round the Bend in Nebraska
Just some girls getting some NUTS (taken with my cell phone)

Sometimes an adult beverage makes things go down easier and I’m partial to Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Only this time someone decided I needed the “Harder Lemonade” for this culinary experiment. Being in Nebraska you make friends with everyone and an event like this gives everyone a topic of conversation.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 6pk, 11.2 oz

The lady sitting across the table was from Chicago, first time at the nut fest, and she compared them to Schnitzel.If you’re wondering if there is a recipe somewhere, yes there is, but it’s not mine. Check out Cooking on the Sagebrush for authentic back country style cooking or even The Story Lady’s recipe. It’s not just people in Nebraska that enjoy calf nuts. Ree Drummond, the infamous Pioneer Woman talks about nuts, eating nuts, cutting nuts, and even takes pictures of nuts in unusual placements. It’s a way of life in some parts of the country.

You can buy Bull Fries online to cook for yourself, and where else? Amazon. So if you want to try a ranching delicacy, fry up a gag gift for a party, or just act on a dare, go ahead and order some bull fries and tell me how you like them.

Beef, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Sliced And Breaded, Frozen – 10 Lb Case

So next time you hear of a Testicle Festival, pull up a chair, tuck in your napkin and enjoy gourmet cooking, mid-western style.

BTW: My daughter, who worked as a hostess at Round the Bend, told me they served up 2,300 lbs of testicles and ran out before it was over on Saturday. If you’re looking for the location of Round the Bend it’s located between Omaha and Lincoln, exit 426, head south past the Wildlife Safari Park, “round the bend” and at the top of the hill across from Quarry Oaks golf course.

Here is a video of one of my favorite celebrities, Mike Rowe, eating lamb fries during one of his episodes of Dirty Jobs. Just think, NOTHING goes to waste, agriculture is efficient and one of the least wasteful industrys’. My Mom said everything on the pig is used, except the squeal. So do your part. Eat some nuts.

 Find a Testicle Festival in your Area

‘Testy Fest’ Returns to Virginia Square

Testy Fest 2015 logo The Montana State Society is again hosting its annual Testicle Festival in Virginia Square this year. The event, which lets participants dine on all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain oysters while sipping all-you-can-drink beer and Crown …

The Myth of Sun Exposure: Love the Healthy Summer Sun Again and Get Your Vitamin D

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This is my idea of summer. Sand, water, sun and the time to relax and enjoy it. I’m a sun worshiper at heart. I gauge a successful summer by my tan line. Most summers I fail, but I do have some good weeks. I do not buy into the myth of sun exposure.

Getting Vitamin D from the sun
Nebraska’s version of a beach

My heritage is Native American, I have a lot of melanin in my skin, I tan easily, rarely burn (with the exception of the first of the season) and I just feel better when I’ve had some natural vitamin D exposure.  No, I do not do cloudy winters well at all, I’ll leave that to those with European heritage

Myth About Sun Dangers

I honestly believe (based on the New World, Old World monkey vitamin D research requirements) that certain people require more exposure to sun to stay healthy, and sane. New World Monkeys (Tamarins and marmosets) lived in the tree tops, with more exposure to the sun and need more vitamin D supplementation than the Old World Monkeys (macaques, and baboons), who live primarily on the forest floor.

The Sunlight Solution: Why More Sun Exposure and Vitamin D areSunshine and Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of the ”Sunshine Vitamin

I believe the same thing happens in humans. People who are from areas of the world that receive more sun exposure have adapted to physiological nutritional needs according to their environment. The color of the skin is a prime example. People who tan easily normally have Mediterranean ancestry (Italians, Greeks, Middle Eastern) or Native People ancestry such as Native American, Eskimos, aboriginal descent and commonly have vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder.

This past winter my daughter was diagnosed with severe vitamin D deficiency, she is dark skinned like me and suffered through various health issues this past winter. She was also living on her own for the first time and I’m sure her diet and nutrition wasn’t the best.

Her vitamin D serum test result was 20 ng/ml which is extremely low. She is now taking Vitamin D supplements, but has increased her sun exposure.

Vita Optimum Vitamin D3 5000 IU – In Certified Organic Olive Oil (360 minigels) GMO-Free & Made in USAVitamin D3 2000IU, 100% Pure, Premium Quality. The number 1 Best Vitamin D supplement available online today.

 Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

Here are a few signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, check with you doctor before self diagnosis, but if you have dark skin, get depressed during the winter months and feel better during the summer it’s something to consider

  • Wintertime depression
  • Sweaty head
  • Bones aches
  • Overall tired and achy (fibromyalgia, fatigue syndrome??)
  • GI issues, trouble digesting food (mimics gluten sensitivity)

This last symptom, stomach issues is actually quite interesting. Diseases such as Crohn’s, celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and inflammatory bowel disease “may” be in part to a Vitamin D deficiency.

Benefits of Vitamin D

Get some Vitamin D in your system, kick the kids outside to play, go for a walk in the sun and DON’T use sunscreen. Vitamin D boosts the immune system, helps ward off colds and infections, and is important in heart health.

  • Increased heart health
  • Boosts immune system (autoimmune diseases)
  • Fights bacterial and viral infections
  • Helps prevent colds and influenza
  • Helps prevent and fight cancer

The Northern Europeans had limited exposure to sunlight and did not need melanin as skin protection. Think about it,..yeah, makes sense.

Dark Deception: Discover the Truths About the Benefits of Sunlight ExposureThe Truth About Sunscreen: A Closer Look At The Facts And Myths Behind Sun Exposure

So with that I’m out to enjoy my Nebraska sun at the only beach within driving distance. Louisville Recreation area, where I can lay on the beach, listen to good music, and take a dip in the water when I get too hot. Perfect. If only it were an ocean beach, oh that’s right, I wish I could be sitting on Block Island right now!

A book, music, sun, and beverages, make a summer complete
A book, music, sun, and beverages, make a summer complete

Have Fun in the Sun Again

So everyone enjoy your summer and if you enjoy the sun, and feel like you need it, then you probably do. If you’re pale and freckled, douse with sun screen and take precautions. But don’t hate on us sun worshipers, it’s in our genes.

More Information About Vitamin D

Have A Vitamin D Deficiency? 5 Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Of The …

If you’re feeling blissfully happy to see the face of the sun after what seemed like a century of grey skies this winter, your body may need those glorious beams more than you’ve understood — there’s been a recent widespread rise in vitamin D deficiency.

People’s Pharmacy: Will sunscreen lead to vitamin D deficiency?

Sunscreens are big business. Americans spend well more than $8 billion a year slathering on creams, lotions and gels to protect themselves from sunburns. People have gotten the message that exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation equals aging, …

What should we think about Vitamin D?

If you’ve been reading about the health problems supposedly linked to vitamin D deficiency — such as heart disease and cancer — getting your levels tested might seem wise. But here are some common myths and realities about D testing. [Lay off the …

Lifestyle, diet causing Vitamin D deficiency epidemic among Indians

The drive includes first creating awareness among medical fraternity followed by awareness among the public. National IMA President Dr A Marthanda Pillai told TOI that though tropical countries had enough sunlight, the vitamin D deficiency had become …

Time for fun in the Gulf sun? Warnings against lack of vitamin D

Dubai-based nutritionist and health promoter, Hala Barghout told Dubai-based Arabian Business, “studies from the third international conference on Vitamin D deficiency also showed 78 percent of the UAE population have Vitamin D deficiency, with the …

 

 

Day 199/365:Weeding the Vegetable Garden

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One of the things I really dislike about gardening is weeding. Seriously, I’ve tried weeding to music, weeding when I’m mad, you know the whole therapeutic vision of yanking someone out of the ground by their head, doesn’t matter, I don’t like the task and I never will.

Weeding the Vegetable Garden

In order to raise a bumper crop of vegetables, weeding must be done. My favorite method of weed prevention is smothering them with grass clippings. I bag up my lawn grass (I don’t spray with chemicals) from the lawnmower and it not only helps to prevent weeds but the are rows nice and soft to sit while harvesting. It decomposes and adds organic material to the soil for the next year.

Weeding the Vegetable Garden

My friend Beth (pictured above) raises a large variety of vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, beans, spinach, chard, kale, romaine lettuce, spring greens. broccoli, watermelon, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, and a few others I know I forgot.

Tools To Make Weeding Easier

I have the diamond headed hoe and love how it easily pushes and pulls through the soil, even the hard concrete-like soil during the heat of summer. It actually makes weeding the vegetable garden fun, ok, maybe not fun, but less of a chore. I also really like the claw gardening gloves.

Flexrake 500W Hula-Ho Mini Flexrake Hula-Ho with 14-Inch Wood HandleAsano Japanese Ninja Claw Rake and CultivatorGarden Weasel Long Handled Garden ClawBadger Garden Digging Gloves, Durable Gray Claws on Both Hands – No More Worn Out Fingertips or Broken Fingernails!Nejiri Gama HoeCorona Clipper SH61000 Diamond Hoe

When I was younger I NEVER wore gardening gloves, I was tough, didn’t need any stinking gloves, just wash my hands afterward.

With age comes wisdom and it’s so much easier to just pull them off and not have mud and dirt under your nails. Plus with gardening gloves, you don’t get poked with sticker weeds.

My small handled tools stay in my rolling garden seat, yes, another concession to age, I can’t believe I said that.

Taking Extra Produce to Farmers Market

If you have extra produce, as I do, you can take it to your local farmer’s market. In Elmwood Nebraska, we have a small group of small but mighty vendors. It’s a great way to earn some extra money from your labors and socialize with other gardening friends.