Julia Winter

steward
+ Follow
since Aug 31, 2012
Julia likes ...
hugelkultur urban chicken food preservation bike bee
Merit badge: bb list bbv list
Forum Moderator
Julia Winter currently moderates these forums:
Biography
Pediatrician with a Master's Degree in Nutritional Sciences. Moved to Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2013. Took Geoff Lawton's first online PDC in 2014.
For More
Moved from south central WI to Portland, OR
Apples and Likes
Apples
Total received
905
In last 30 days
3
Total given
328
Likes
Total received
3462
Received in last 30 days
23
Total given
972
Given in last 30 days
0
Forums and Threads
Scavenger Hunt
expand Pollinator Scavenger Hunt
expand Pioneer Scavenger Hunt Green check
expand First Scavenger Hunt Green check

Recent posts by Julia Winter

I think the new sweater is lovely and definitely appropriate for public wearing.
2 weeks ago
The other store in Ireland where I got a sweater off the sale rack for I think 70 Euros was this one:

https://www.sweatershop.com/sales-items

I don't know what the shipping costs, but these are nice sweaters. My friend took a picture of me in the new sweater, it's a dress and I wore it over a turtleneck and loose flowy pants.
2 weeks ago
I just traveled to Ireland, and I was determined to come home with a gorgeous cable knit sweater. I figured a good one was going to cost over $300.

I was shocked at the low prices, I think when they say "handmade" it's more like a human operated knitting machine, but you know what, these are 100% Merino wool sweaters and they are beautiful. I took my $300 budget and I got two sweaters for me and one for my husband!

All of the stores (which are in almost every city and village in Ireland) have this thing where if you spend more than 150 Euros they will ship your purchases to you. I did that and it showed up in less than a week! They use plastic envelopes but we have a way to recycle those now

https://www.aran.com is where I got myself a long "coat" that I think I'll keep at work to fight excessive air conditioning. I'll see if I can attach a photo.
2 weeks ago
Are the Inuit a short-lived people?  (I don't know, but off the top of my head, they have a fairly high meat, low carb diet.) The Masai in Africa are another indigenous group that I don't know enough about.

Anyway, I did another extended fast, albeit not as long as March 2022 when I went 8-9 days. I ate Monday dinner, then not again until Saturday when I had a little soup (two Matzoh balls) and then Sunday I had a full Ethiopian meal out with a group. I kept working, after my experience last year I realize it's actually easier to fast while working, just because it is distracting.

Since I've been on OMAD for years now, doing a longer fast is pretty easy. I don't get hungry until 5pm or so, and if I can stay busy until 8-9pm, I'm good. I may try to do another extended fast maybe even in March or perhaps in April.

I've discovered a really good evening yoga class and I'm pondering just regularly skipping the Wednesday meal and attending the class instead. I did that two days ago and it was no big deal. We went to a nice restaurant for my birthday and that was a good way to limit my caloric intake after the short fast, believe it or not. They served us multiple small, very delicious portions and the meal was spread out such that it gave me time to realize I was OK. "It takes your stomach 30 minutes to tell your brain that it's full" my mother always said, which is an argument for eating more slowly and mindfully.
2 months ago
I found a cool website called CenturyLife.org and they have an article about Dutch Ovens Le Creuset vs other brands:

https://www.centurylife.org/how-to-choose-an-enameled-dutch-oven-is-le-creuset-worth-it-is-staub-worth-it-why-does-it-cost-so-much-what-are-my-alternatives-are-chinese-made-ovens-safe-can-i-use-bare-cast-iron-instead-how/

Q: What are the alternatives to Le Creuset? Are Chinese-made enameled cast iron ovens safe?

A: The short answer:

If you want to pay Le Creuset level prices but get a comparable (and in some ways better) product, consider Staub.
If you want to pay less money and get something that performs as well as Le Creuset but probably isn’t as durable, there are a ton of Chinese knockoffs, the most popular of which may be Lodge (made in China under contract to an American company).
If you want to split the difference, buy Staub’s sister company’s products, which don’t seem to be as well-made or have as good quality control, but at least it’s made in France and has a good warranty and lid handle.
Chinese-made enameled cast iron is safe if made by contract to major brands like Lodge, who have the resources and incentive to closely monitor their production in China in order to defend their reputations.
But don’t buy cookware from companies that don’t operate their own Chinese factories. Many companies–even big-name companies–merely import product from Chinese factories for resale, and often don’t spend enough resources to verify quality after the first batch. (They would rather spend money on marketing, such as slapping some celebrity chef’s name on the cast iron instead, with the celebrity chef having nothing to do with the cookware except collecting royalties.) It takes money and expertise to continuously ensure that products lie flat, do not contain harmful or radioactive chemical contaminants, are polished properly, and so on. If a company doesn’t operate its own factories in China, it could end up like Lumber Liquidators, which sold floorboards with excessive formaldehyde that leaked into the air of the homes it was installed in, which increased consumer cancer risks among other things. Lumber Liquidators told its Chinese partner that it wanted in-spec product, but received out-of-spec product anyway, and nobody caught the discrepancy until end-users started getting unexplained symptoms like headaches and nausea. There are many more examples of Chinese and Indian exports containing toxic or radioactive chemicals, and even more examples of Chinese cookware falling apart, such as handles breaking off while in use, frying pans exploding or popping rivets off, enamel coatings cracking and flying off, ceramic roasters shattering, lids breaking, etc. In contrast, chemical contamination and structural failure are almost unheard of with cookware made in the USA/EU, such as All-Clad and Le Creuset.

5 months ago
This sounds fascinating - I wish I felt like I had the time to commit to this class!

It would be 6pm-7:30pm on the west coast - is this every Wednesday for 12 weeks?
5 months ago
I found a cool website called CenturyLife.org and they have an interesting article on cooking oil:

https://www.centurylife.org/whats-the-healthiest-cooking-oil/

5 months ago
I found a cool website called CenturyLife.org, and they have a decent article on reusable menstrual products:

https://www.centurylife.org/in-depth-product-review-a-guide-to-feminine-hygiene-products-menstrual-pads-diva-cups-etc/

THREE PROBLEMS WITH DISPOSABLE TAMPONS AND PADS

1. Disposable tampons are potentially unhealthy and dangerous.  Anything on the tampon like bacteria, allergens, fragrances, pesticides, preservatives or bacterial toxins will go straight into your body.  If you are using 16 to 20 tampons for each period, 13 times a year for 30 to 40 years, you are racking up a lot of chemical exposure. Some exposures are particularly dangerous, like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a rare but potentially fatal infection that typically happens when a common skin bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, grows in a tampon and releases toxic poisons. TSS is associated with tampon use, and symptoms of TSS include high fever, sunburn-like rash, nausea, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, and muscle aches.  No matter what kind of tampon you use (rayon, cotton, or a blend), Staphylococcus aureus can grow on it.1  Additionally, merely inserting and taking out a tampon can inflame or tear the vaginal walls.2

2. Disposable tampons and pads generate a lot of garbage. Most tampons come with plastic or cardboard applicators, so every tampon you use means more garbage for your local landfill.  If flushed, tampons and applicators can clog toilets and sewage treatment plants, or create litter on beaches or in the ocean.  Menstrual pads come with plastic wrappers and adhesive backings that cause similar problems.

3. Disposable tampons and pads cost a lot of money.  A single box of 34 tampons costs over $5 and will last about two menstrual cycles.  If you switch to a menstrual cup (see below), you will spend around $25 for one cup which can last you years.  So you break even on the menstrual cup in less than a year, and everything after that saves money.

5 months ago
Oh yes, the oven is still in use.  I haven't been out to the farm much lately but the tenants are using it. I'm told it should have a larger roof, I think that makes sense.  There's just barely enough room to stand right in front of it during rain.
6 months ago
This is great!  I was hoping to set something up in NE Portland near the Kennedy School Hotel, but I struck out.

Let me know what kind of food would be helpful to bring.
10 months ago