I've decided to start a "recipe of the month" for this blog; basically, I discover a recipe that interests me very much and I post it here after trying it out.
This month's recipe is for Finadene Sauce. Finadene sauce, according to Wikipedia, is "a salty, spicy, sour all-purpose condiment used in Chamorro cuisine." Chamorro refers to the culture of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, by the way.
Here it is:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white vinegar (you can also use lemon juice, but I used vinegar and added a "dash" of lemon juice)
1/2 cup soy sauce 2 green onions , thinly sliced (1 small white onion, finely chopped, can be substituted)
3-5 small minced hot peppers (apparently, boonie peppers are the best to use; I used a serrano; tabasco peppers are more similar to a boonie, however)
Preparation:
Mix vinegar and soy sauce together
Add onions and peppers
Shake well
(Keep refrigerated)
For good recipes to use it on, try searching around the Internet for recipes from Guam (chicken and grilled fish seem appropriate).
So, try it out!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
WTFFDA?
Yesterday, the United States was totally hosed by one of its own taxpayer-funded bureaucracies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cloned animals (and their products, such as milk) to be allowed into America's food chain... and of course, without adequate testing (unless you consider testing partially funded by the same biotech firms that produce cloned animals as adequate or impartial). Plus, the FDA went against the wishes of the U.S. Senate (i.e. Congress), who passed a bill requiring a rigorous and careful review of the human health and economic impacts of allowing cloned food into America's food supply by a vote of 79 to 14. And, they of course went against the will of the American people; according to the Center for Food Safety:
For further information, read Not Ready for Prime Time: FDA's Flawed Approach to Assessing the Safety of Food from Cloned Animals.
Recent opinion polls show the majority of Americans do not want milk or meat from cloned animals in their food. A December 2006 poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers were uncomfortable with animal cloning. A national survey conducted this year by Consumers Union found that 89 percent of Americans want to see cloned foods labeled, while 69 percent said that they have concerns about cloned meat and dairy products in the food supply. A recent Gallup Poll reported that more than 60 percent of Americans believe that it is immoral to clone animals, while the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology found that a similar percentage say that, despite FDA approval, they won't buy milk from cloned animals.
For further information, read Not Ready for Prime Time: FDA's Flawed Approach to Assessing the Safety of Food from Cloned Animals.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Da seedz
Okay, just got my spring 2008 seed list together. I'm trying to consolidate to only three (quality) suppliers, to save money on shipping. Plus, I have local suppliers of Wyatt & Quarles seeds for anything else. This year, I'm ordering from Baker's Creek, Seed Savers, and Seeds of Change.
As of right now, my list is:
Snow's Fancy Pickling cucumber, Riesentraube tomato, Mary Washington asparagus (seed), Thai Red pepper, Munchener Bier radish, Bowling Red okra, Merveille des Quatre Saisons lettuce, Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach, Blue Lake bean (bush), Jalapeno pepper, Cocozelle zucchini, Yellow crookneck squash, Buttercup winter squash, Roquette Arugula,
Mayflower bean (pole), Amish Deer Tongue lettuce, Speckled lettuce, Christmas lima bean, Wenk's Yellow Hots pepper, and maybe Potimarron winter squash.
I still have to figure out what kind of broccoli seed to get, and what type of Latin-American pepper.
I saved seed from my okra (Clemson Spineless) and corn (Stowell's) last year, so I'll just replant those. Plus, I have other various seeds I didn't use last year I'll plant again this year (mainly carrots and radish). And, I'll purchase tomato (a paste type, a striped type, and Cherokee Purple) transplants locally.
C'mon spring!
As of right now, my list is:
Snow's Fancy Pickling cucumber, Riesentraube tomato, Mary Washington asparagus (seed), Thai Red pepper, Munchener Bier radish, Bowling Red okra, Merveille des Quatre Saisons lettuce, Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach, Blue Lake bean (bush), Jalapeno pepper, Cocozelle zucchini, Yellow crookneck squash, Buttercup winter squash, Roquette Arugula,
Mayflower bean (pole), Amish Deer Tongue lettuce, Speckled lettuce, Christmas lima bean, Wenk's Yellow Hots pepper, and maybe Potimarron winter squash.
I still have to figure out what kind of broccoli seed to get, and what type of Latin-American pepper.
I saved seed from my okra (Clemson Spineless) and corn (Stowell's) last year, so I'll just replant those. Plus, I have other various seeds I didn't use last year I'll plant again this year (mainly carrots and radish). And, I'll purchase tomato (a paste type, a striped type, and Cherokee Purple) transplants locally.
C'mon spring!
Friday, January 11, 2008
This oughta...
...throw a wrench into things for the pro-pasteurizers:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22561188
Too bad it happened to a local, hormone-free dairy, though...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22561188
Too bad it happened to a local, hormone-free dairy, though...
Current thangs
Still am narrowing down my seed wantings from the seed catalogs... I've gotten rid of some from my list I had wanted, but added others I hadn't previously know about. I have already pre-ordered some German Butterball seed potatoes from SSE, however, as last spring I was too late and they were sold out.
I may just plant my saved Stowell's corn seed. Nothing really excites me that is "dual purpose" (one of the purposes being "sweet"), although I still may try and find some Tuscarora/Iroquois White seed to plant. I thought about Gourdseed (again), but since I won't be making meal for awhile, I don't see the point. Decisions, decisions...
AND, it's about time to order chickens for this year.
My main garden is still doing ok, even though the weather has been fluctuating between 15 and 80 degrees lately! My broccoli is hanging in there, as well as a speckled lettuce and my carrots. My garlic is still going strong (but it has awhile to go), and my onions are doing well, but some deer infiltrated my [very low] fence and munched many of the tops. Who knew?! I thought deer wouldn't like onion greens, but obviously they do.
Although a bit late (or early, depending on how you look at it), I've been thinking about what kind of fruit and nut trees I want to plant (a few different kinds of apples, a pecan or two, a few black walnut, and a pear or two). I have an area in mind to plant them in, but need to do some land clearing first anyway (so, I guess it will happen next fall). A man named Creighton Lee Calhoun lives about an hour south of me, and he is considered by many to be the apple guru for the South. Too bad (for me) that he doesn't sell heritage apple trees anymore, but he still works his magic at Horne Creek Living Historical Farm and the trees can still be purchased locally through Century Farm Orchards.
I may just plant my saved Stowell's corn seed. Nothing really excites me that is "dual purpose" (one of the purposes being "sweet"), although I still may try and find some Tuscarora/Iroquois White seed to plant. I thought about Gourdseed (again), but since I won't be making meal for awhile, I don't see the point. Decisions, decisions...
AND, it's about time to order chickens for this year.
My main garden is still doing ok, even though the weather has been fluctuating between 15 and 80 degrees lately! My broccoli is hanging in there, as well as a speckled lettuce and my carrots. My garlic is still going strong (but it has awhile to go), and my onions are doing well, but some deer infiltrated my [very low] fence and munched many of the tops. Who knew?! I thought deer wouldn't like onion greens, but obviously they do.
Although a bit late (or early, depending on how you look at it), I've been thinking about what kind of fruit and nut trees I want to plant (a few different kinds of apples, a pecan or two, a few black walnut, and a pear or two). I have an area in mind to plant them in, but need to do some land clearing first anyway (so, I guess it will happen next fall). A man named Creighton Lee Calhoun lives about an hour south of me, and he is considered by many to be the apple guru for the South. Too bad (for me) that he doesn't sell heritage apple trees anymore, but he still works his magic at Horne Creek Living Historical Farm and the trees can still be purchased locally through Century Farm Orchards.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The seed catalogs...
...are now out! Well, many of them are. I'm already looking forward to spring (which is only about three+ months away). I've already been drooling over my Baker Creek and Seed Savers Exchange catalogs.
I've been working mostly in the mountains of NC lately (southwest of Asheville), and so have been vveeerrrrryy cold. Getting seed catalogs already makes me think warmer...
The fall-winter garden is doing ok still; perhaps because we had a few days in the 80s last week! A few nights ago it was down to about 20, though, so that kinda hurt some things. I've been harvesting broccoli and carrots and lettuce, mainly. The onions popped up awhile ago, but are awhile away from being harvested.
ok, that is all
I've been working mostly in the mountains of NC lately (southwest of Asheville), and so have been vveeerrrrryy cold. Getting seed catalogs already makes me think warmer...
The fall-winter garden is doing ok still; perhaps because we had a few days in the 80s last week! A few nights ago it was down to about 20, though, so that kinda hurt some things. I've been harvesting broccoli and carrots and lettuce, mainly. The onions popped up awhile ago, but are awhile away from being harvested.
ok, that is all
Friday, November 16, 2007
If a Prius hits a Volvo in a Whole Foods parking lot, does anybody hear it?
Perhaps they'd hear it, but they most likely wouldn't stop to help and they'd probably just walk around it.
Why is it that Whole Foods customers seem to be some of the rudest anywhere?
Perhaps it's that usually a Whole Foods has a ridiculously small parking lot for the number of people that shop there, or perhaps it's that the aisles in the stores are usually pretty tight, so it's hard to get around people. Perhaps that all sets the initial mood. (Or perhaps it's just the kind of customer that tends to shop there?)
I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I have to remember to only go to Whole Foods during off hours; I just can't deal with the generally rude and inconsiderate customers. I don't have the two hours out of my life to wait behind you in an aisle to get around while you stand there talking on your cell phone while you figure out which applesauce your four kids will like, or while you stand in the middle of the aisle with your mouth hanging open while you attempt to figure out which type of soy granola you bought last time. I also don't have the extra time to stand in a check out line while you debate that the lettuce was only $4.98 a pound and that the cashier has charged you $4.99 a pound.
All I ask is to be able to park within a half an hour, to be able to walk down any given aisle unobstructed, and get through a check out line in a timely manner.
Really, people, I don't think it's too much to ask.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Resources, energy security, and national security
There's a lot of "semi-weird" energy and resources-related stuff going on lately (or somewhat lately) with the government and the military, but at least some of our tax money might perhaps be going to potentially worthwhile projects or at least potentially useful research.
Read on:
Securing America’s Future Energy
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Nuts II
Just thought I'd share my excitement at harvesting walnuts again this year. I was working on a project along a creek and came across a walnut tree, and soon found several more trees along the creek in a bend. A few days later I came back with a backpack and filled it with the nuts. I was there on a very windy day, however, and I felt as if the trees were trying to protect their nuts on the ground by bombarding me with them from the air. I ended up collecting just over seven gallons worth of nuts (and I sure didn't have the interesting nut-collecting stories this guy did).
I have yet to husk them, though. I hope they aren't all plagued by the walnut husk maggot, as a few I noticed were. And, I gotta get some gloves so my hands don't stain brown!
I've been keeping an eye on my main Hickory tree, but it doesn't seem to have shed its nuts yet this year. I missed collecting them last year, but may have given up before they dropped. And I'm too lazy to gather acorns.
Ok, that's all I got for now...
I have yet to husk them, though. I hope they aren't all plagued by the walnut husk maggot, as a few I noticed were. And, I gotta get some gloves so my hands don't stain brown!
I've been keeping an eye on my main Hickory tree, but it doesn't seem to have shed its nuts yet this year. I missed collecting them last year, but may have given up before they dropped. And I'm too lazy to gather acorns.
Ok, that's all I got for now...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Nuts
(This article '"Raw" almonds aren't, really' is excerpted from "What's really in your food?" from the Independent Weekly.)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently required that all almonds produced in the United States be pasteurized, including nuts labeled "raw." The rule went into effect September 1, despite protests from health-conscious consumers who prefer unprocessed nuts and small-scale growers who can't afford the equipment, which costs between $500,000 and $2.5 million.
The move follows two Salmonella outbreaks attributed to raw almonds in 2001 and 2004. Critics of the rule point out that both incidents were the result of faulty practices at large-scale commercial farms. Small-scale and sustainable practices—including mowing and mulching to control weeds, instead of using chemical herbicides—naturally prevent the spread of harmful bacteria more effectively than post-harvest treatment, they say.
The Almond Board of California, a governing body representing all almond growers in the state, pushed for the change. Small growers complain that the board disproportionally represents the needs of the large producers.
A spokesman for the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service says that the agency simply responded to the almond board's request. "We basically move at the behest of industry," spokesman Jimmie Turner says. "If the industry calls and says they want a standard or a marketing order, we take that request, and normally we do what's called a notice in the Federal Register. We seek public comment, and based on that comment, there can be a marketing order established."
The same process is followed for all food stuffs, Turner says.
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group leading a campaign to convince the USDA to overturn the pasteurization rule, contends that labeling treated almonds as "raw" is deceptive. More than that, the group argues that it epitomizes the industrialization of our food supply.
"This is just the opening salvo of corporate agribusiness wanting to sanitize all of our food," says Mark Kastel, co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute. The impetus, Kastel says, is the economics of large-scale production. In many cases, such operations utilize growing and cultivation methods that provide much greater opportunity for contamination.
"After the fact, they want to use these technologies ... so they can sanitize our food supply, but it will do great damage to our food and, because of the infrastructure costs, will put out of business small and high-quality growers and independent processors," Kastel added.
To comply with the regulation, almond producers can either steam the nuts or fumigate them with propylene oxide (PPO), the almond board's preferred process. PPO is recognized as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is banned in the European Union, Canada, Mexico—and much of the rest of the world.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require labeling of foods treated with the fumigant, and while packages of almonds may contain the disclaimer "pasteurized," there isn't likely to be any indication by which process the nuts were treated.
The only way consumers will be able to distinguish how their "raw" almonds were pasteurized is by the organic label. Regulations mandate that foods bearing the "organic" seal cannot be treated with PPO.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently required that all almonds produced in the United States be pasteurized, including nuts labeled "raw." The rule went into effect September 1, despite protests from health-conscious consumers who prefer unprocessed nuts and small-scale growers who can't afford the equipment, which costs between $500,000 and $2.5 million.
The move follows two Salmonella outbreaks attributed to raw almonds in 2001 and 2004. Critics of the rule point out that both incidents were the result of faulty practices at large-scale commercial farms. Small-scale and sustainable practices—including mowing and mulching to control weeds, instead of using chemical herbicides—naturally prevent the spread of harmful bacteria more effectively than post-harvest treatment, they say.
The Almond Board of California, a governing body representing all almond growers in the state, pushed for the change. Small growers complain that the board disproportionally represents the needs of the large producers.
A spokesman for the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service says that the agency simply responded to the almond board's request. "We basically move at the behest of industry," spokesman Jimmie Turner says. "If the industry calls and says they want a standard or a marketing order, we take that request, and normally we do what's called a notice in the Federal Register. We seek public comment, and based on that comment, there can be a marketing order established."
The same process is followed for all food stuffs, Turner says.
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group leading a campaign to convince the USDA to overturn the pasteurization rule, contends that labeling treated almonds as "raw" is deceptive. More than that, the group argues that it epitomizes the industrialization of our food supply.
"This is just the opening salvo of corporate agribusiness wanting to sanitize all of our food," says Mark Kastel, co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute. The impetus, Kastel says, is the economics of large-scale production. In many cases, such operations utilize growing and cultivation methods that provide much greater opportunity for contamination.
"After the fact, they want to use these technologies ... so they can sanitize our food supply, but it will do great damage to our food and, because of the infrastructure costs, will put out of business small and high-quality growers and independent processors," Kastel added.
To comply with the regulation, almond producers can either steam the nuts or fumigate them with propylene oxide (PPO), the almond board's preferred process. PPO is recognized as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is banned in the European Union, Canada, Mexico—and much of the rest of the world.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require labeling of foods treated with the fumigant, and while packages of almonds may contain the disclaimer "pasteurized," there isn't likely to be any indication by which process the nuts were treated.
The only way consumers will be able to distinguish how their "raw" almonds were pasteurized is by the organic label. Regulations mandate that foods bearing the "organic" seal cannot be treated with PPO.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Whose bright idea is this anyway?
[*sigh*] About all I can say about this article is that it's all fine and dandy if the government (and Wal Mart ... again, sigh) wants to ban incandescent light bulbs, but I will never convert to CFLs, so I'm going to have to spend even more money on LCD light bulbs (which I was actually planning on doing one day somewhat soon anyway).
I'm just tired of all the uber-positive hype about CFLs; because, no, they're not as bright as advocates say they are; and yes, they do cast a different color (unnatural) light than incandescents; and yes, they flicker and buzz/hum and can affect one's eyesight (like they do mine); and yes, they are more expensive, break more easily, and contain toxic mercury (and I'm sure everyone who buys one will take it to the proper recycling center when it dies). They also don't last as long as manufacturers declare (five-year bulbs last about one year in actuality because of the abuse thy take when switched on and off), and you can't use a dimmer switch with them unless you pay a lot more for special CFLs.
I'm just tired of all the uber-positive hype about CFLs; because, no, they're not as bright as advocates say they are; and yes, they do cast a different color (unnatural) light than incandescents; and yes, they flicker and buzz/hum and can affect one's eyesight (like they do mine); and yes, they are more expensive, break more easily, and contain toxic mercury (and I'm sure everyone who buys one will take it to the proper recycling center when it dies). They also don't last as long as manufacturers declare (five-year bulbs last about one year in actuality because of the abuse thy take when switched on and off), and you can't use a dimmer switch with them unless you pay a lot more for special CFLs.
Ok, sure they do save a rather significant amount of power over time, which of course is a good thing (but so is walking or bicycling instead of driving vehicles!).
Anyway, the result may be like that 1996 "Shower Head" episode of Seinfeld, where Newman, Kramer, and Jerry buy black market Yugoslavian shower heads for their apartments after their superintendent installed low-flow shower heads. [Or perhaps it's time to start hoarding incandescent bulbs?]
Monday, October 8, 2007
Acting corny
For the 2007 season, I grew Stowell's (a.k.a Stowell's Evergreen), which is/was a fine corn and all, but perhaps as a friend of mine said, it is one of those heirloom corns that you'd better already have the water boiling before you even pick it. I only grew about 200 stalks of it, so it wasn't too much of a waste of space or time.
So, I of course would pick it a few hours before I cooked and ate it, and wasn't very impressed by its taste. I did save some of the seed (about a quart canning jar's worth), however, just in case I feel compelled to plant it again next year. I also saved a sack of it for chicken feed, as I'm getting a few Dominiques for 2008. Much of the corn was eaten up by worms at the last minute, just before I picked it (it's my own fault really, as I didn't take the necessary precautions).
I may bring it into the twentieth century with corn, however, and plant either Hasting's Prolific or something similar (as a sweet corn) ... but I also may go the other way and plant either Tuscarora (a.k.a Iroquios) White or Gourdseed, both at least eighteenth-century corns (and probably earlier).
By the way, if anyone knows where to obtain some Hasting's Prolific seed, please let me know; I may need to write Don Hastings (no, not the actor; the guy whose grandfather originated the corn type, and who is the writer of several modern gardening books) and ask him about it.
So, I of course would pick it a few hours before I cooked and ate it, and wasn't very impressed by its taste. I did save some of the seed (about a quart canning jar's worth), however, just in case I feel compelled to plant it again next year. I also saved a sack of it for chicken feed, as I'm getting a few Dominiques for 2008. Much of the corn was eaten up by worms at the last minute, just before I picked it (it's my own fault really, as I didn't take the necessary precautions).
I may bring it into the twentieth century with corn, however, and plant either Hasting's Prolific or something similar (as a sweet corn) ... but I also may go the other way and plant either Tuscarora (a.k.a Iroquios) White or Gourdseed, both at least eighteenth-century corns (and probably earlier).
By the way, if anyone knows where to obtain some Hasting's Prolific seed, please let me know; I may need to write Don Hastings (no, not the actor; the guy whose grandfather originated the corn type, and who is the writer of several modern gardening books) and ask him about it.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Finally (and just in time, really) ...
Just got some (Inchellium) garlic and (Ed's Red) shallots ordered for planting this fall. Thought I had ordered them (plus a few other things) from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange a month or so ago, but for some reason my order didn't go through and I just finally realized it. So, needless to say, I couldn't remember who I attempted to order them through originally, and ordered them through Seeds of Change this time.
So, my fall garden is now complete; I have greens, lettuce, carrots, turnips, broccoli, beets, radishes (which aren't planted yet), and now I'll have garlic and shallots. Plus, I still have okra and tomatoes going (but barely).
I guess it's time to start thinking about what I want to plant next spring! Oh boy, here we go again ...
So, my fall garden is now complete; I have greens, lettuce, carrots, turnips, broccoli, beets, radishes (which aren't planted yet), and now I'll have garlic and shallots. Plus, I still have okra and tomatoes going (but barely).
I guess it's time to start thinking about what I want to plant next spring! Oh boy, here we go again ...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Moo-ving right along ...
I just read an interesting article on why cattle in the United Kingdom come down with so many diseases. This excerpt particularly caught my eye:
Wow ... that doesn't sound very good, and that as a problem never crossed my mind. Cattle eating animal byproducts is not a very good thing (cows are herbivores, after all, and shouldn't even be forced to eat corn for instance), but feeding them with people food that may be contaminated from an uncontrolled international source sounds very baaad too.
As a side note, Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, wrote an interesting Op-Ed article in 2004 about the USDA and Mad Cow Disease.
I seem to recall a court case against McDonald's in the late 1970s, where they were forced to quit feeding their cattle rendered byproducts from euthanised animals (mainly cats and dogs) collected from animal shelters in the U.S. And, you may never again eat any beef-filled items from Taco Bell after reading these postings.
But the country does have the distinction of being Europe's primary landing spot for global travel, and that could put livestock at risk. Travelers from every continent pass through London Heathrow Airport (the busiest airport in the world for international traffic), and with them comes food waste from airplanes. Pathology researchers consider airline food waste, which is sometimes processed into food for livestock, the greatest danger to animal health in the world. Airline garbage that's contaminated with foreign diseases can end up in livestock troughs ...
Wow ... that doesn't sound very good, and that as a problem never crossed my mind. Cattle eating animal byproducts is not a very good thing (cows are herbivores, after all, and shouldn't even be forced to eat corn for instance), but feeding them with people food that may be contaminated from an uncontrolled international source sounds very baaad too.
As a side note, Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, wrote an interesting Op-Ed article in 2004 about the USDA and Mad Cow Disease.
I seem to recall a court case against McDonald's in the late 1970s, where they were forced to quit feeding their cattle rendered byproducts from euthanised animals (mainly cats and dogs) collected from animal shelters in the U.S. And, you may never again eat any beef-filled items from Taco Bell after reading these postings.
Ok, that's all for now.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Corn causing problems again
When will outdated monoculture corn farmers come to their senses and give up on growing thousands of acres of corn each season? And when will the government quit giving our tax money away (via subsidies) that really only benefit the big processing companies (like Cargill, Archer Daniels Midlands, Monsanto, et al)?
Well, hopefully the bubble will burst soon. A recent article in the New York Times seems to point to another wrench in their gears. (Unfortunately farmers are going to take the biggest hit when the bubble bursts; but again, time to adapt and move on.)
Here's an update.
[On the flip side, here's an article on cellulosic ethanol that sounds promising.]
Well, hopefully the bubble will burst soon. A recent article in the New York Times seems to point to another wrench in their gears. (Unfortunately farmers are going to take the biggest hit when the bubble bursts; but again, time to adapt and move on.)
Here's an update.
[On the flip side, here's an article on cellulosic ethanol that sounds promising.]
Friday, September 28, 2007
Beyond [USDA] Organic
This is something I’ve been VERY interested in (I can thank Gene Logsdon for infecting me with the “bug,” and Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma for introducing me to the term), but I just didn’t know its proper name. I’ve always felt that farming like our families did in the 1800s (and even the early 1900s, or at least pre-WWII) is the way to go. Sound, tried-and-true (scientific) farming that produced quality crops in a sustainable manner was the norm until chemical use and monoculture supplanted it.
The man who has really pushed the idea of “beyond organic” is Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Regarding a pick-up day at Polyface Farm, Lynsie Watkins at perfectflavor.com had these select things to say: "… not an organic farm, but rather a better-than-organic farm” and "These older individuals probably never had to stand in line at a farm delivery. They most likely got most of what they needed from the farm they lived on. … This eat local movement is more like an ‘Ah-ha!’ moment for us, as for the older generation it's a, well, ‘Duh!’ sort of response instead ... " [That statement points out rather well how we're really just going back to an older way of farming; I'm always interested in how "old timers" think about seemingly new-fangled things like "organic" foods.]
Anyway, Mr. Salatin is anti-“USDA Organic” and anti-industrial organic (i.e. places like Whole Foods), largely because of their politically-based, watered-down standards.
He is also proof that if farmers would only go back to the very old ways of farming, they can be profitable. "I am absolutely bullish on the future of this kind of farming," says Salatin. "The weak link is the farmers who don't have the savvy to meet the challenge" (from: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/113/open_48-polyfacefarm.html). I feel that is farmers don't adapt to an evolving market (i.e. towards "natural" or even "organic" products), then it's their fault if/when they go out of business. You can't live in the 1950s forever! (But don't tell any of my rockabilly friends I said that.)
[Oh the irony ...]
The man who has really pushed the idea of “beyond organic” is Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Regarding a pick-up day at Polyface Farm, Lynsie Watkins at perfectflavor.com had these select things to say: "… not an organic farm, but rather a better-than-organic farm” and "These older individuals probably never had to stand in line at a farm delivery. They most likely got most of what they needed from the farm they lived on. … This eat local movement is more like an ‘Ah-ha!’ moment for us, as for the older generation it's a, well, ‘Duh!’ sort of response instead ... " [That statement points out rather well how we're really just going back to an older way of farming; I'm always interested in how "old timers" think about seemingly new-fangled things like "organic" foods.]
Anyway, Mr. Salatin is anti-“USDA Organic” and anti-industrial organic (i.e. places like Whole Foods), largely because of their politically-based, watered-down standards.
He is also proof that if farmers would only go back to the very old ways of farming, they can be profitable. "I am absolutely bullish on the future of this kind of farming," says Salatin. "The weak link is the farmers who don't have the savvy to meet the challenge" (from: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/113/open_48-polyfacefarm.html). I feel that is farmers don't adapt to an evolving market (i.e. towards "natural" or even "organic" products), then it's their fault if/when they go out of business. You can't live in the 1950s forever! (But don't tell any of my rockabilly friends I said that.)
[Oh the irony ...]
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The State of the Garden Address (SotGA) #1
Well, my garden's pretty much done with its spring/summer crops, and I just recently planted some fall/winter ones. So far, I've planted (from seed): mustard, cabbage, collards, turnips, kale, lettuce (Grandpa Admire and Black Seeded Simpson), carrots (Oxheart and Touchon), and broccoli. I even planted nine Packman broccoli plants, in case the seed-started ones don't do well. I still have yet to plant some winter squash and some garlic and perhaps even some shallots.
My Cherokee Purple tomatoes are still producing (although not as well as they were; I think the drought's affected them), as are my (late-planted) San Marzano tomatoes. My Marglobes are still producing a few small tomatoes as well. The Cherokee Purples were a big hit amongst everyone I shared them with, and they are likely the best tomato I've ever eaten (I/we have Craig LeHoullier to thank for that).
I still have two squash plants left, but they don't seem to be producing right now (perhaps anymore). My Fin de Bagnol beans are through, and my Ichiban eggplants are long gone (they both apparently fell victim to the drought, and to a problem with my irrigation system). My jalapeno and tabasco pepper plants are still going strong, as are my okra plants. I'm going to pickle my okra, and turn most of the jalapenos into chipotle peppers (by drying and smoking them); I may try pickling some of them as well.
My corn did fine, but it (Stowell's Evergreen) wasn't the best sweet corn I've ever had. Plus, without using pesticides, the ears got eaten up by worms, and I wasn't able to harvest as many as I'd wished. I may try Country Gentleman or a similar open-pollinated corn next year (I'm not quite desperate enough to go back to a hybrid like Silver Queen quite yet).
The only crop that was destroyed by wildlife (deer) was my sweet potatoes. But, it was my fault as I didn't make the fence high enough. And anyway, perhaps the deer meat will taste sweeter this year!
My Cherokee Purple tomatoes are still producing (although not as well as they were; I think the drought's affected them), as are my (late-planted) San Marzano tomatoes. My Marglobes are still producing a few small tomatoes as well. The Cherokee Purples were a big hit amongst everyone I shared them with, and they are likely the best tomato I've ever eaten (I/we have Craig LeHoullier to thank for that).
I still have two squash plants left, but they don't seem to be producing right now (perhaps anymore). My Fin de Bagnol beans are through, and my Ichiban eggplants are long gone (they both apparently fell victim to the drought, and to a problem with my irrigation system). My jalapeno and tabasco pepper plants are still going strong, as are my okra plants. I'm going to pickle my okra, and turn most of the jalapenos into chipotle peppers (by drying and smoking them); I may try pickling some of them as well.
My corn did fine, but it (Stowell's Evergreen) wasn't the best sweet corn I've ever had. Plus, without using pesticides, the ears got eaten up by worms, and I wasn't able to harvest as many as I'd wished. I may try Country Gentleman or a similar open-pollinated corn next year (I'm not quite desperate enough to go back to a hybrid like Silver Queen quite yet).
The only crop that was destroyed by wildlife (deer) was my sweet potatoes. But, it was my fault as I didn't make the fence high enough. And anyway, perhaps the deer meat will taste sweeter this year!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Two more reasons to raise your own food
"the family's bag of Fast Fixin Frozen Chicken Strips contained mercury and glass shards. The parents learned of the problem after their children complained about the taste of the chicken"
read it here: http://www.wgal.com/news/13957356/detail.html
and
"'We've urbanized a world. We have moved people and food around that world at ever increasing speed,' World Health Organization (WHO) epidemics expert Dr. Mike Ryan said. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said one of the changes affecting human health was increasingly intensive poultry farming, which may account for the global spread of bird flu.
'It should not come as a surprise that we are seeing more and more disease outbreaks coming from the animal sector,' including Ebola, SARS, or bird flu."
read it here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20416085
[Boy am I hungry!]
read it here: http://www.wgal.com/news/13957356/detail.html
and
"'We've urbanized a world. We have moved people and food around that world at ever increasing speed,' World Health Organization (WHO) epidemics expert Dr. Mike Ryan said. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said one of the changes affecting human health was increasingly intensive poultry farming, which may account for the global spread of bird flu.
'It should not come as a surprise that we are seeing more and more disease outbreaks coming from the animal sector,' including Ebola, SARS, or bird flu."
read it here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20416085
[Boy am I hungry!]
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Get the [friggin'] lead out
The recent discovery that several of Mattel's toy lines that were made in China were painted with lead now appears to be taking the usual turn that many problems we're dealing with these days are, where politically-appointed bureaucrats' incompetence is (thankfully) being exposed.
Darshak Sanghavi, in Slate Magazine, wrote an interesting article where he stated that "Just before the CDC [Center for Disease Control] considered lowering lead limits once again in 2003, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson removed a qualified scientist, Michael Weitzman, from the CDC's lead advisory committee and then rejected the appointments of Bruce Lanphear and Susan Klitzman, the researchers who found toxic effects of lead at low levels. Instead, Thompson moved to appoint Joyce Tsuji, who worked for two companies that represented lead firms, and William Banner, who has stated publicly that 70 mcg/dl of lead is safe for children's brains—a view not shared by any respectable scientists. [The Union of Concerned Scientists and Rep. Henry Waxman publicized Thompson's abuses in a recent New Republic article.] But the political message had already been sent, and no lowered limit resulted. Today, all those parents whose children will be tested in the wake of the Mattel scandal continue to be falsely reassured that all is well, even if the kids have lead levels of 5 to 10 mcg/dl, which may cost them 7 IQ points." And "A few years ago, I talked with Bruce Lanphear at a conference in San Francisco, just after he'd been rejected from the CDC's lead advisory committee. Resistance to lead control is a historical problem, he said. He was clearly frustrated by the politics but said he'd continue working in the field with the hope that somebody will listen. Perhaps the Mattel fiasco will finally bring attention to the hidden toll of lead paint."
Here' some other related articles:
How publicizing the truth about lead poisoning can get you attention by certain offending companies:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/6/977
On the ["secret"] history of lead use:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000320/kitman/20
On a Chinese toymaker committing suicide after the lead-tainted toy recall:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/news/international/bc.news.china.safety.mattel.dc.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007081305
Darshak Sanghavi, in Slate Magazine, wrote an interesting article where he stated that "Just before the CDC [Center for Disease Control] considered lowering lead limits once again in 2003, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson removed a qualified scientist, Michael Weitzman, from the CDC's lead advisory committee and then rejected the appointments of Bruce Lanphear and Susan Klitzman, the researchers who found toxic effects of lead at low levels. Instead, Thompson moved to appoint Joyce Tsuji, who worked for two companies that represented lead firms, and William Banner, who has stated publicly that 70 mcg/dl of lead is safe for children's brains—a view not shared by any respectable scientists. [The Union of Concerned Scientists and Rep. Henry Waxman publicized Thompson's abuses in a recent New Republic article.] But the political message had already been sent, and no lowered limit resulted. Today, all those parents whose children will be tested in the wake of the Mattel scandal continue to be falsely reassured that all is well, even if the kids have lead levels of 5 to 10 mcg/dl, which may cost them 7 IQ points." And "A few years ago, I talked with Bruce Lanphear at a conference in San Francisco, just after he'd been rejected from the CDC's lead advisory committee. Resistance to lead control is a historical problem, he said. He was clearly frustrated by the politics but said he'd continue working in the field with the hope that somebody will listen. Perhaps the Mattel fiasco will finally bring attention to the hidden toll of lead paint."
Here' some other related articles:
How publicizing the truth about lead poisoning can get you attention by certain offending companies:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/6/977
On the ["secret"] history of lead use:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000320/kitman/20
On a Chinese toymaker committing suicide after the lead-tainted toy recall:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/news/international/bc.news.china.safety.mattel.dc.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007081305
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