The Rural Voice, 1989-10, Page 44For service call your
professional Goulds dealer
for a reliable water system.
CLIFF's PLUMBING
& HEATING
Lucknow
519-528-3913
"Our experience
assures lower cost
water wells"
89 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Member of Canadian
and Ontario
Water Well Associations
• Farm
• Industrial
• Suburban
• Municipal
Licensed
by the Ministry
of the Environment
DAVIDSON
WELL DRILLING LTD.
WINGHAM
Serving Ontario Since 1900
519-357-1960 WINGHAM
519-886-2761 WATERLOO
42 THE RURAL VOICE
RURAL LIVING
My children recently read a
story about a princess who loved her
father more than salt. Her father,
angered by the trivial preference, ban-
ishes her. Later he gets a wedding
invitation from a neighbouring king-
dom and does not recognize his own
daughter under the bridal veil. His
daughter has the wedding banquet
prepared without salt, and when her
father tastes the meal he weeps for his
lost daughter and realizes just how
important a pinch of salt can be.
My children were at a loss to
understand the story. For the sake of
my family's health I have learned to
cut down on using salt when cooking,
but I still keep a salt shaker beside my
dinner plate.
Early man risked life and limb to
mine salt from the bowels of the earth,
and others trekked across deserts,
mountains, and seas to trade for this
intriguing mineral. Salt is used to
prevent microbes from spoiling food,
but when used in the correct amount it
can also promote the growth of the
lactic acid bacteria necessary to
ferment cabbage into sauerkraut.
Salt can also dry out flesh by
drawing moisture out; it is equally
important in the tanning of leather and
was an important element in the recipe
for mummifying Egyptians thousands
of years ago.
But we have found that the ingre-
dients in salt, sodium and chloride,
can aggravate our heart, body fluid
balance, and blood pressure. We need
approximately 500 milligrams of
sodium, equal to about 1.4 teaspoons
of salt, a day. Statistics show that the
average Canadian consumes 2,500 to
4,800 milligrams of sodium a day.
SALT: The edible mineral
So where do we start to cut back?
We have to educate ourselves about
foods that are high in sodium. The
obvious ones like potato chips and
salted peanuts come to mind readily,
yet other culprits that creep into our
diet on a steady basis are peanut butter
and canned soups. Canned vegetables
are much higher in salt content than
their frozen counterparts.
We can also start by eating as
much fresh or frozen produce as
possible, and fresh meats rather than
processed meats. Reading labels
should be a habit — more and more
manufacturers are putting sodium in-
formation on labels. Even when spe-
cific sodium amounts are not given,
you can look at the ingredients to see
whether salt or salty ingredients are
included. The closer to the beginning
an ingredient appears on the list, the
more predominant it is in the product.
I have found that leaving out salt in
many recipes does not alter the flavour
a great deal, especially in cakes and
cookies. A dash of sugar or nutmeg
on veggies goes just as far as a dash of
salt towards heightening flavour.
I have some recipes that don't
use salt and use fruits and vegetables
available now in your garden or on the
market shelves. The pasta with chick-
en could be used with some of those
Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.
Low Sodium Mayonnaise
1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 t paprika
Several dashes ground red pepper
2 egg yolks
2 T vinegar
2 cups salad oil
2 T lemon oil