Food Ethics - Overeating

I read a wonderfully thought-provoking book last week - The Way We Eat: Why our Food Choices Matter (review here). It really challenged a lot of the ideas I had about food, despite all the studying I've done on the topic for the last 2 years. And ever since, there have been a couple things heavy on my mind. I'll just touch on one of them today: The ethics of overeating.

The bulk of the book's contents covered ethics regarding how food is produced, it's effects on animals, humans, and the environment. But at the end, the authors touched briefly on our attitudes as we are actually consuming it - the ethics of obesity/overeating.

As an environmentalist and an advocate of voluntary simplicity, I spend a considerable amount of effort minimizing waste, consuming only what I need because I think it's unethical to waste resources just because we can. So when the book presented me with this question: is eating too much unethical?, I really took it to heart.

From an evolutionary perspective, we are wired to eat whatever we can get our hands on, for fear the next meal might be hard to come by. Even in our more recent past, gluttony was considered one of the seven deadly sins. But in modern times (particularly in the US with the food system we have set up), do we even think about it?

From a personal perspective, I often find myself overeating, then getting in some extra work-out time to burn the extra calories off. We all do it, right? But the question is, when we really start to think about it, is that attitude unethical as it relates to wastefulness?

It's a tough question, and if you were within range, you could probably smell the smoke from all the gears turning in my head. What do you think? Is obesity/overeating unethical?

P.S. Keep in mind this is regarding people who have a choice in the matter, not those for whom obesity/overeating is the result of a medical condition...

Local diet update - November 29, 2009

It was a gorgeous day for the farmers' market yesterday and despite the holiday weekend, we had an amazing showing of vendors - 17 maybe? I kept loosing track when I tried to count...

Of course, that also meant a wonderful harvest of fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, baked goods, plants and crafts. Well, let's get right to it. Available at this week's Brazos Valley Farmers' Market were:

Veggies and Fruits: Yellow onions, green onions, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, wax beans, peanuts, a variety of hot and sweet peppers, cucumber, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, spinach, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, swiss chard, chinese cabbage, iceberg lettuce pumpkin, okra, patty pan squash, turbin squash, herbs, lemons, dried apples, dried cranberries

Baked Goods: tamales, yeast breads, sweet breads, cheese breads, dinner rolls, cakes, pies, pralines, pecan specialty treats

Canned Goods: jellies, jams, relishes, pickles, salsas, canned veggies (tomatoes, eggplant preserves, pickled peppers)

Other Foods: pecans, eggs, olive oil, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, hot pepper sauce

Crafts: stained glass, gourds, aprons, hats, scarves, bird houses, soaps, perfumes, massage oils, ornaments, candles, jewelry, pot holders

Plants: herb plants, decorative plants, live oak trees

Not bad, eh?

Of course, I brought home my own little mini-harvest. A few things I purchased, the rest was bartered for or given to me. Check this out... 1/2 dozen eggs, cornmeal, dried cranberries, onions, lemons, red potatoes, collard greens, and mustard greens. Is there any wonder what's on my menu this week? Stir fry!

Of course, I have all those green peppers I harvested yesterday, sweet potatoes stocked in the hall closet, veggies being harvested from the backyard (green onions, sage, broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi, and lettuce), pecans in the freezer, and plenty of goodies like rice, home-canned soups and pasta sauce in the pantry. And the best part is... EVERY last bit of it is local!

I've picked up a few non-local things at our locally-owned natural food store to round out my diet - beans, tofu, and some fruit. But that's it. Everything else is local and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. The land here in Central Texas just keeps on giving. And, we'll keep right on eating!

Have a great week, everyone! And, as always, Happy (and mindful) Eating!

Prepping for Frost - 2009

Well, it's finally that time of year - the time when at long last, Central Texas has to actually deal with the possibility of frost. Believe it or not, until today, I still had green beans, green peppers, and basil growing in the yard. All three were ripped out today to make way for another round of winter planting. You can see the green bean and green pepper plants made a nice addition to my compost pile.

Of course, I harvested every last nibble from all the plants. The basil became vegan pesto and is tucked away in the freezer. The green beans were picked and refrigerated, ready to be steamed perhaps later this weekend. The green peppers, well. There were 144 of them. Yeah. Not all of them were large - in fact, most were on the medium to small side, but since they were just going to end up in the compost bin, we harvested them all. Most ended up in one of three gallon-size freezer bags (washed, cored, and halved) to be stored until I need them for soups or stir fries later in the winter. And another half-gallon were prepped and are sitting in the fridge for me to use next week. Pshew. I've finally seen the last this of year's peppers.

We still have 6 tomato plants in the yard, but seeing that all the tomatoes are still green and we haven't harvested a single fruit from it, we're going to cover them on the colder nights to make them last as long as we can. Come on 'maters. Ripen, will ya?

Needless to say, with an extra 53 square feet of growing space cleared (and rain coming in with the cool front tomorrow), I went ahead and replanted the areas we harvested and hoed with another round of lettuces (3 varieties), cabbage, and radishes.

So, the garden is planted and the harvest has been stored. Bring on old man winter. We're ready!

The Way We Eat - a book review

There's just no beating around the bush with this one. The Way We Eat: Why our Food Choices Matter (2006) by Peter Singer an Jim Mason is an intensive look at the ethics of eating, something that seems almost lost in our modern Western culture, but that is gaining ground once again.

Singer and Mason explore every last nook and cranny of our food system from factory farming to the organics and local food movements, to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, even into dumpster diving and obesity - all far deeper than even Pollan dares to tread. Because contrary to what we'd love to believe about food, it's not just about what we do to our own bodies. Our food choices affect the rest of the world around us, far beyond what we could ever imagine.

The authors have done extensive research, but the best part is that they come at each ethical question as a non-believer, asking tough questions; but more importantly, demanding that you take the information, analyze it, and decide for yourself where your ethical lines are drawn.

When we buy food we are taking part in a vast global industry. Americans spend more than a trillion dollars on food every year. That's more than double what they spend on motor vehicles, and also more than double what the government spends on defense. We are all consumers of food, and we are all affected by some degree by the pollution that the food industry produces. In addition to its impact on over six billion humans, the food industry also directly affects more than fifty billion nonhuman land animals a year. For many of them it controls almost every aspect of their lives... Through the chemicals and hormones it puts into the rivers and seas and the spread of diseases like avian influenza, agriculture indirectly affects all living creatures. All of this happens because of our choices about what we eat. We can make better choices. [emphasis mine]

Whether you're a meat eater, a devoted organic foodie, a locavore, a vegetarian/vegan, or simply a conscientious consumer, this book will challenge what you believe about food. Put plainly, this is not an easy book to read. There were times I felt sick about the treatment of animals and farm workers; there were times I felt defensive, particularly of the local food movement; and at other times, to be honest, I felt the need to reform some of my views on ethical food choices.

Again, it's not a quick and easy read, but it's a must read for anyone looking to live a more mindful life.

Rated: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended: Do you eat? You need to read this book!

This and tons of other great eco-book reviews can be found at the Blogging Bookworm. Be a bookworm today and check it out!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - A special Thanksgiving book review

This book, far different from those I typically review for their Simple-Green-Frugal-ness, just had to be shared. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - the book with the silly name, yet one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

A story entirely told in letters, I was immediately swept away to Guernsey Island, nestled neatly between France and England where a small group of islanders discover a passion for books and an even greater compassion for each other as they struggle to survive the German invasion in WWII.

What struck me most was two-fold. First, no one writes beautiful letters like these anymore. We've become far too dependent on the backspace-key, much in contrast to letters that bare our most intimate thoughts, shared in pen that cannot be taken back.

Second, that we indeed can find the greatest beauty even amongst the ruins. Despite unimaginable circumstances (famine, death, and destruction), we each have the opportunity to embrace life, be at peace, and find our salvation in caring and being cared for.

I often imagined, as I read, what it would be like to live in Guernsey, to suffer these characters pains, to share their deep friendships. And I found myself longing to take part in the hunger, the loss, if only to be connected. It shocked me. How lucky are we for whom life is not so dire, yet we fail to grasp our great fortune. The truth, however, is that we need not visit Guernsey to find pain and suffering. We need not travel to discover the blessings in the gathering of loved ones. We need only to awaken. Gurnsey Island is here, now. May we discover the beautiful story in the simplicity our own daily lives.

Having finished this book on Thanksgiving-eve, I'd like to give thanks - for my health problems, for they have humbled me; for my family, who've given me great comfort; and for dear friends, who share their lives with me, their love of books, and their passion for living. You each know who you are.

And to everyone, a very Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. Be sure to check this out from your library as soon as it opens tomorrow...

Prepping for turkey day

I haven't been posting much this week because I've been CRAZY busy with holiday plans. We're leaving for our Christmas vacation in 3 weeks (more on that soon) and driving thousands of miles always includes a bazillion preparations. More pressing, of course, is Thanksgiving preparations. My poor kitchen is such a mess...

Thanksgiving for us this year will be a small gathering here in town of my grandparents (91 and 89), my dad and his wife, and Dave and I. In an effort to keep my 89 year-old grandma out of the kitchen, I've been cooking, baking, and mixing up my share of the feast. Here's what we're contributing:

Whole Wheat and White Yogurt Rolls - The whole wheat rolls have local wheat and local honey. The yogurt rolls (Dave's absolute favorite) just has local honey. Both batches were made from scratch.

Sweet Potato Pie - With all those sweet potatoes hanging out in the hall closet, there was no question about this year's dessert. The sweet potatoes came from my very own back yard. The crust and pie are both from scratch, and those are local pecans I'm using for decoration.

Salad and Dressings - I'll put the salad together tomorrow with leaf lettuce and radishes from our backyard; carrots, onions, and dried cranberries from the farmers' market; pecans from the local orchard; as well as mushrooms from Madisonville (about 40 miles away). The dressings I was able to put together today. One is a basic vinaigrette - 1 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, and 1 tbs dijon mustard (olive oil from the farmers' market), the second a pesto vinaigrette (made with basil from the backyard and olive oil from the farmers' market).

My dad will provide the rest of the feast and knowing my family, a feast it will be! I'll be sure to take lots of photos. What local foods are you including in your feast?

Oh, and Happy Turkey Day!

Special showing of Food Inc

Check it out! The TAMU Department of Multicultural Services is hosting a special showing of Food Inc. next Friday, December 4th.

Food Inc. delves deep into the state of our current food infrastructure showing us what it is and what it can be. Local food advocate Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food) and sustainable farm hero Joan Salatin (Polyface Farm) are both featured in this eye-opening and unforgettable documentary. If you've not had the opportunity to see it and you like to eat (who doesn't?), this is a must-see.

Here's the scoop:

What: Screening of Food Inc

When: Friday, December 4, 2009 (11:30-1:00)

Where: Koldus 227 (TAMU Campus)

RSVP to Diane Kraft at 979-862-2000 or dkraft@tamu.edu

Local diet update - November 21, 2009

As of yesterday, the Saturday forecast was clear, but when I woke up to the sound of rain, I was a little worried about today's scheduled Thanksgiving celebration at the farmers' market. The plan was we'd have our booths decorated, a live turkey for the kids to see, and a local spinner demonstrating wool and angora on her spinning wheel. The word had been spread around town and well, everyone was excited.

Needless to say, the rain immediately meant our spinner would need to cancel (but never fear, we've already rescheduled for Saturday, December 5). Everything else, went as close to plan as possible. I arrived at the market to find a couple of the vendors dressed up, one as a pilgrim, the other as an indian; booths were decorated (but how much do you really need to decorate when you're entire purpose is to display a beautiful harvest?...); and the live turkey was strutting his stuff in the back of a truck encouraging everyone to "eat more chikin".

Here's the best part, despite the rain, we had 17 vendors at the market - basically, our normal-size market for this time of year. That's awesome! That's commitment!

Granted, the flow of customers started out pretty slow, but eventually picked up as the rain tapered off after 10:00. As for me? Well, my entire booth consists of maybe 90% paper products (fliers and our new 2010 farmers' market calendars. But even I adapted to the weather. As you can see, I just cleared out the back of the Prius and set up shop in the hatchback. Hey, whatever works, right?

As for harvest? You can't get any better than this. Check it out:

Veggies and Fruits: Yellow onions, green onions, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, wax beans, peanuts, a variety of hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, spinach, leaf lettuce, spring mix, mustard greens, collard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, arugula, broccoli rabe, kale, swiss chard, chinese cabbage, iceberg lettuce pumpkin, okra, snow peas, patty pan squash, sprouts, herbs, lemons, dried apples, dried cranberries

Baked Goods: kolaches, yeast breads, sweet breads, cheese breads, pumpkin rolls, pecan bars, cheesecake bars, cookies, cornbread, carrot cake, peanut brittle, pound cake, pies, bagel bites, croutons, dog cookies

Meat: beef and veal

Canned Goods: jellies, jams, relishes, pickles, salsas

Other Foods: pecans, eggs, olive oil, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, locally roasted coffees, hot pepper sauce

Crafts: stained glass, gourds, wallets, purses, aprons,

Plants: herb plants, decorative plants

It has to be one of the most impressive displays I've seen, rain or no rain. And I came home with a beautiful haul myself, thanks to some very generous vendors, with all but a few of the following given to me: lettuce, spinach, whole wheat flour, yellow onions, lemons, a carrot, a winter squash, green beans, grape jelly, parsley, rosemary, chives, cucumber, and dried cranberries.

All I know is that with all this wonderful food, plus the green beans, sage, basil, lettuce, green peppers, and green onions we're harvesting out of our own backyard, we're going to be eating well again this week. Plus, I now have everything I need for Thanksgiving - I'll be bringing homemade rolls (wheat and honey are local), sweet potato pie (potatoes from our garden), and salad (backyard and farmers' market) to Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's.

We definitely have a lot to be thankful for - wonderful friends at the market, an amazing harvest of fresh, whole foods (some of it from our own backyard) and a loving family to share it with. But then, that's what eating local is about all year long!

Market to Table - Playing with Pesto

My absolute favorite way to eat pesto is to slice open one of my homemade whole-wheat rolls, slather it with pesto, and top it with a nice thick slice of homemade tomato. Mmm. Honestly. It's heaven on a roll!

But my backyard tomatoes have not yet ripened, so with two gorgeous jars of homemade pesto given to my by a wonderful friend, I decided to do a little experimenting and see what else I could come up with. Let's see...

Salad Dressing

With about half a dozen heads of leaf lettuce needing to be harvested from the backyard garden, this week needed to include some serious salads and pesto sounded like a wonderful ingredient for a dressing. After a quick search on-line, I found two recipes that looked wonderful:

1. Pesto and lemon dressing
2. Pesto vinaigrette dressing

For the first, I used a lemon and some olive oil from the farmers' market. For the second, I used store bought balsamic vinaigrette and dijon mustard. The pesto and lemon dressing was tangy, but good. The pesto vinaigrette, however, was an absolute favorite!

The salad itself contained leaf lettuce (backyard garden), green peppers (backyard garden), carrots (farmers' market), mushrooms (grown 40 miles from home), dried cranberries (farmers' market), and pecans (TAMU pecan orchard). The photo here was the salad that used the pesto vinaigrette. Mmmm!

Pesto Potatoes

More leftovers: I had some boiled red potatoes (farmers' market) and steamed green beans (backyard garden) in the fridge leftover from last week. Sunday night, Dave and I decided to put together a simple dinner of both with a small side salad. Before heating up my plate of potatoes and green beans, I sliced the boiled potatoes into quarters and drizzled just a little pesto over top. Yep. Pesto and potatoes go together quite nicely!

Pesto dip and Crackers

The friend who gave me the pesto said one of his favorite ways to enjoy it was on crackers. I happened to think that was an excellent idea. So I whipped up a batch of my homemade whole wheat crackers (honey and whole wheat are local) and used the pesto as a dip. What a great snack! But it also sounds really good as a side next to a bowl of my homemade italian soup...

Of course, there's always pesto pizza and pesto on just about any kind of noodle (or spaghetti squash). Even after all this fun, I still have a full jar of pesto left. I'll keep nibbling on salads with my leftover pesto salad dressings awaiting the day when my tomatoes have ripened. That last jar is destined for tomato sandwiches, my little heaven on a roll.

In the meantime, what other ways have you used pesto in recipes?

Shop your farmers' market for a healthy local economy

In the past, I've quoted research studies that have shown the following:

When you shop at a big-box store, $14 out of $100 stays in the community.

When you shop at a locally-owned store, $45 out of $100 stays in the community.

That's wonderful, right? Three times the money stays in our communities. But it gets better.

It wasn't until today that I found the stats for what is returned to the community when you buy direct from the farmer.

Get this.

When you buy direct from your farmer, $62 out of $100 stays in the community!

That's 4.5 times that of buying at a big box store and 1.4 times that of buying at a locally owned store.

Want a healthy local economy? Buy locally (and direct from the farmer as often as you can)!

A big THANKS to Crunchy Chicken who posted the stat on her website. I was able to contact the Eat Local for Thanksgiving campaign contact for a copy of the full report. Check it out here.

Go local!

Local News - Time Running Out on Water Supply?

Our local TV station, KBTX, just posted a story about the increase in Texas population vs the decreasing water supply. Looks like the state government will be working towards an educational campaign to raise awareness, which is definitely a good idea considering a good part of the population thinks "water shortage" is an invention of a bunch of crazy liberals (this area is predominantly politically conservative).

I'm looking forward to reading the comments on this article as well as doing what I can to help spread the message.

In the meantime, I've posted a number of times about reducing our water consumption. Check out the KBTX article here, and my water conservation posts here.

Have a great Monday!

Empty Bowls Fundraiser - 2009

Yesterday was the 2009 Empty Bowls Fundraiser to raise awareness about hunger in the Brazos Valley as well as support the Brazos Valley Food Bank. I donated some of my homemade whole wheat rolls for the event and rushed right over to join the festivities as soon as the farmers' market closed.

Lois Vaughn, one of the market vendors joined me for lunch, we met many other friends there, and made a few new ones as well. Here's how it worked:

• Donate $15 or more to the Brazos Valley Food Bank
• Select one of the many ceramic bowls made by local artisans all over the brazos valley (this is your keepsake for the event)
• Savor a simple lunch of homemade soups and breads (there were 2 vegan options!!!)
• Enjoy the company of others, as well as live music by Joey McGee, as you dine

This has been the first time in the four years of Empty Bowls that I've been able to attend the event. This year, I just MADE time and it was SO worth it! Let's just say, I'll be attending every year in the future. But then, how can you pass this up? There's GREAT food, wonderful company, and beautiful music... all for a wonderful cause!

Thanks to the artisan who crafted and donated my beautiful bowl and thanks to Greta Watkins for organizing and hosting the events. You can count on me for bread again next year!

Local Diet Update - November 14, 2009

Today could not been a more gorgeous day, and, in fact, it was a PERFECT day for our farmers' market! Vendors lined the parking lot, customers came out in droves, and the Friends of the Brazos Valley Farmers' Market unveiled the 2010 Farmers' Market Calendar. The Calendar was a HUGE hit - we sold almost 1/3 of the ones we printed (AWESOME!)

Speaking of huge, can you believe the size of that carrot? Lois Vaughn is famous at the market for her carrots, but geez louise! THAT's a carrot!

Of course, we had lots more than carrots at the market this morning. In fact, this is a wonderful time of year with summer veggies slowly wrapping up and winter veggies just entering the market. Check this out:

Veggies and Fruits: Yellow onions, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, wax beans, peanuts, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, spinach, okra, snow peas, patty pan squash, collards, kale, swiss chard, herbs, lemons, dried apples, dried cranberries

Baked Goods: yeast breads, sweet breads, cheese breads, pumpkin rolls, cookies, carrot cake, peanut brittle, dog cookies, pound cake, pies

Canned Goods: jellies, jams, relishes, pickles, salsas

Other Foods: pecans, eggs, honey, olive oil, grits, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, locally roasted coffees, hot pepper sauce

Crafts: stained glass, gourds, aprons, hats/scarves, wooden bird houses, jewelry, pillows, dolls, wallets, purses, cloth-covered books, pot holders, christmas tree ornaments, candles, decorative welded iron work

Plants: herb plants, fruit trees (including an avocado tree), decorative plants

I don't know about you, but I'm thinking "wow!" is a bit of an understatement!

Honestly, I don't know how I got out of there without buying one of everything, but with a backyard harvest of sweet potatoes, green beans, sage, basil, green onions, green peppers, broccoli, and lettuce from our own backyard, a pantry full of all-local, home canned goodies as well as local brown rice, plus some Texas grapefruit in the fridge - well, we really didn't need much.

I picked up (whether bartered for, bought, or was given...) whole wheat flour, carrots, red potatoes, lemons, dried cranberries, and two jars of pesto (the pesto was a birthday present from my friend Mike - Thanks Mike!).

All I know is that it's going to be another delicious week. Anyone hungry? We have plenty to share!

Have a great weekend everyone, and Happy (and mindful) eating!

Empty Bowls Fundraiser this weekend

I'll be attending the 2009 Empty Bowls fundraiser this weekend at the Frame Gallery in downtown Bryan to help raise money for the Brazos Valley Food Bank.

Here's the scoop from organizer Greta Watkins!

When: Saturday, November 14th (11AM - 3PM)

Where: The Frame Gallery (216 North Bryan Avenue in downtown Bryan)

Help us raise money for the Brazos Valley Food Bank! www.brazosfoodbank.org

In return for a donation of at least $15:

• You may choose one of the ceramic bowls created by local potters and artists
• Be served a simple meal of soup, bread and water
• Keep the bowl as a lasting reminder of the ongoing problem of hunger throughout the Brazos Valley.

This year's event will be our 4th! The idea for the event started in Michigan in 1990 by a high school art teacher. Empty Bowl events have taken place all over the country since then. More info: www.emptybowls.net

Many individual potters and artists as well as Joy Pottery, Mudcreek Pottery, U Paint It, Living Water Pottery and Blinn College Fine Arts Department (Bryan) created bowls for this event.

Soup and bread will be donated by Square One Bistro, Village Cafe, Must Be Heaven, Casa Rodriguez and others as well by individuals.

I'll be there as soon as I wrap up at the farmers' market. Hope to see you there!

Brazos Locavores- December Field Trip Announcement

The Brazos Locavores have linked up with the Brazos Valley Farmers' Market's newest vendor - Wild Type Ranch - who made their debut at the market during our October 31 Halloween Celebration.

Wild Type Ranch produces sustainably-raised beef and veal in Cameron, TX, about an hour north of Bryan and distributes throughout Central Texas through a variety of farmers' markets and subscriptions to various drop-off locations.

Founded in 2005, Wild Type Ranch is composed of an amazing 333 acres, but what they pride themselves on is quality. "The founding principle of Wild Type Ranch is respect for all life. We believe in responsible stewardship of the animals, the land, and the world which sustains us."

The grand tour will include a wagon ride through the pasture, views of newborn calves (due in the weeks before our trip), the opportunity to hand feed "cow candy" to some of the pasture residents, a presentation on breeding and maintaining healthy cows, then back to the workshop for questions and refreshments (including sample of their beef products, hot off the fire).

NOTE to VEG*Ns: Even if you're not a meat eater (I'm not either), this is a great opportunity to enjoy fresh air, a wagon ride through the country, and the magic of newborns (again, some of the momma cows are due to give birth in the weeks before our arrival...)

Excited? Here's the scoop:

Who: Everyone! The trip (as always) is free and don't forget to bring the kids!

What: December Field trip to Wild Type Ranch

When: Sunday, December 13 (1PM - 5PM)

Where: Meet-up at Brazos Natural Foods and carpool out to the farm

RSVP: to Heather at brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday, December 9th so that I can print enough driving directions and alert the farm to the number of visitors.

For more information on the farm, visit their website. See you there!

Culinary Indecision

Time for lunch... if the photo here looks a little odd, it's because I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted for lunch. In the end, a little bit of everything got tossed in...

• sweet potato (backyard garden)
• green onions (backyard garden)
• green peppers (backyard garden)
• mushrooms (grown 40 miles away)
• leftover corn in the fridge (farmers' market, then I canned it over the summer)
• leftover brown rice in the fridge (grown 100 miles away)
• leftover steamed green beans (backyard garden)
• peanut (not local, but I don't know - it sounded good)

The fresh veggies were sauteed in a little olive oil (farmers' market) and salt before I tossed in the already cooked leftovers to heat through. I obviously didn't have a theme (for goodness sake, I couldn't even decide on a starch so I did BOTH rice and potatoes), but I have to say, it totally worked.

Excuse me while I finish gobbling it up...

Resale Heaven - Shopping SGF Style

Fellow SGF-ers I have shopped. It has been 16 months since my last clothing purchase...

Until I actually looked at the blog archives, I had no idea it had been that long. But I'm not one for clothes shopping as

1. I don't like spending money,
2. Buying food is WAY more fun than buying clothes
3. I have a tendency to get frustrated when nothing fits quite right - of course, part of this may be that I shop second hand so it's a bit of an treasure hunt to find what you're looking for ...

But as I've been biking more and more, including to places where at the end of the bike ride I need to look decent enough to do a presentation on local food, I've been in need of finding some clothes (particularly pants) that look good and are bike worthy.

Jackpot (you may need to click on the photo to get a better view)!

My first stop was the Hospice Thrift Shop where I found

1. That gorgeous red sweater ($6), and
2. The 3/4 sleeve blouse ($3)

They don't just have great clothes, though, they have a little bit of everything. It was a great store, so if you're local be sure to check it out, not to mention it's in support of a great charity!

My next stop was to Resale Trends, another used clothing store not far from the Hospice Thrift Shop. The owner is a really nice lady from Denmark. She noticed I was wearing a bike helmet and she was telling me all about biking in Denmark. Soon we were talking about recycling, enjoying good food, and I (of course) invited her to the farmers' market on Saturday (always the local food salesman...)

Anyway, back to clothes. I really hit the jackpot here! I found

1. A pair of long kaki pants that roll up and button into capris ($5.50) and PERFECT for biking
2. A pair of tan capris ($4) - also PERFECT for biking
3. A denim sleeveless blouse ($5) - looked good with the pants....?

Both pants fit like they were made for me and because they're capri style, they won't get tied up or greased up in my bike chain, AND I'll still look good (ok, decent - there's not much I can do about helmet head) when I get where I'm going.

What an awesome and hugely successful trip and all for about $25. Cha-ching!

Enjoying the Harvest

I'm feeling a little under the weather this morning, so other than a quick bike ride to the library downtown, I'm sticking close to home for some much needed rest.

I did manage to harvest an amazing amount of produce from the backyard over the last few days (most of it this morning). I brought in 7 cups of basil (which was quickly turned into pesto and is now tucked into the freezer) over the weekend. And this morning? Check this out...

This first photo (though it's hard to gage depth) is a total of 47 green peppers. Yikes! Even I can't eat 47 green peppers before more are ready to be harvested (I probably have another 50-75 that aren't quite large enough to harvest), plus, I already had about a dozen in the fridge that I harvested over the weekend. Needless to say, I had to do something.

About 30 of them were sliced in half, cored, and tucked into ziplock bags to freeze until I need them for soups or stir-fries long after the plants have been composted. The rest are tucked in the fridge for meals this week and for anyone who happens to stop by for some (I've already called my Dad and let him know there are plenty peppers for the taking).

Then there are the green beans. I don't know if you can tell how many are in the photo. It's about a pound (maybe a little more), and I'm harvesting that many every 2 days. That's not true. I'm harvesting slightly more than what's in the photo. Some of them don't quite make it to the house. What can I say? I LOVE fresh green beans!

Last, but certainly not least, I harvested several handfuls of sage. Now that the weather is cooling down, I'm drinking multiple cups of hot sage tea every day and this will keep me in hot tea for the better part of two weeks (maybe...).

Mmmm. There's nothing like hot tea and a good book, especially when you're not feeling so well. Guess what I'll be doing today...

Have a great week everyone!

Local Diet Update - November 8, 2009

I totally skipped the farmers' market yesterday morning, but I had a good excuse... the Brazos Locavores November field trip to the TAMU Pecan Orchard (more about that here). That doesn't mean we're low on local foods this week, though. Far from it!

I'm harvesting about 1-1/2 pounds of green beans a week, about 2 dozen green and red bell peppers, green onions, sage, basil, lettuce, and then of course I have a hall closet full of sweet potatoes that were harvested in October.

As if that wasn't enough... I have brown rice, soup, pasta sauce, corn, honey, and wheat flour in the pantry (all of it local); local eggs, carrots, red potatoes, mushrooms, pears, and grapefruit in the fridge; and now, thanks to the trip to the pecan orchard yesterday, 9 pounds of fresh (harvested last week) pecans in the freezer.

Yeah, I'm thinking one week away from the market won't starve us, but I did miss visiting with all the market vendors...

So, what's on the menu this week? I'm thinking lots of fruit and nuts for breakfast, sweet potato stir fry for lunch, and rice and veggies for dinner. It's November, but eating local here in Central Texas is still easy-cheesy! Gotta love it!

Brazos Locavores - Visit to the TAMU Pecan Orchard

Since the moment I took over coordinating events for the Brazos Locavores last December, I've had my little heart set on visiting the Texas A&M University Pecan Orchard during harvest (Nov-Dec here in Central Texas).

Today, after 2 years of buying my local pecans through the Horticulture Department, my pecan dreams came true. The Locavores visited the orchard itself and it was an absolutely incredible trip. Leo Lombardini, Assistant Professor of Horticulture Sciences at TAMU, pecan physiologist, and overseer of the orchard gave us a 1-1/2 hour tour and presentation on the ins and out of pecans - from planting to harvest. And it couldn't have been more fascinating.

The amazing thing is that the orchard receives no monetary support from the University. All the work is done from money earned from sales of pecans, and most recently, from a generous Houstonian who has donated 50,000 a year for 3 years to help fund the expansion and research for the orchard. Funds that have helped them plant 400 new trees!

The orchard hosts more than 30 different varieties of pecans, but they harvest for sale mostly Pawnee, Desirables, and Stuarts. Research continues, however, into new varieties, searching for perfect nut size and disease resistance. Lombardini shared with us one of the orchard's ongoing research projects into root growth, as they take underground photos of root development to determine when roots become active and what is the best time to fertilize. Just across the street is the USDA hosting one of only two pecan breeding programs in the world and some of the varieties come from this very orchard!

Of course, at the end of the field trip, we had an opportunity to sample fresh pecans. In fact, they were some of the more than 5,000 pounds harvested just last week. Now THAT's fresh! Harvesting isn't over, however. The Pawnees and Desirables have been harvested, but the Stuarts will be ready in December.

I picked up 9 pounds all by myself (much to the amazement of pretty much everyone else), stocking up so that I'd have a great source of locally grown protein for months to come. But it's certainly not too late to get your share of the local pecans. The TAMU Horticulture club sells them in the Horticulture Building (west campus) every Friday afternoon until they run out (mid December?).

Thanks to everyone who came today and a special thanks to Claire, Britteny, Kelsey, Courtney, and Tyra (TAMU Commun-ications Students) who volunteered to coordinate the November event.

For more information on the Brazos Locavores, visit our website or for field trip announcement right in your inbox, subscribe to our Google Group.

Hope to see you at the next field trip!

Food Matters - A book review

When a friend mentioned that Mark Bittman's new book had made it to our local library stacks, I immediately added my name to the queue. Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating is an easy-to-read, well-written guide to eating for the benefit of our health AND the environment; far from mutually exclusive, he argues.

Bittman's writing style reminds me of what would happen if food advocates Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle got together to write a book. Food Matters presents eating in a way we can all understand: more plants, fewer animals, and as little highly processed food as possible, combined with advice on navigating your market in spite of confusing health claims on food packaging. Sounds easy, so what's the catch?

Absolutely nothing! Bittman explains this "diet" is meant to be long-term; one that relies on common sense, not confusing (and often conflicting) scientific studies or national food guide pyramids designed to make "Big Food" industries fat and happy. Best of all, Bittman gives you his own story, only to tell you to do what works for you. There's no one, single way about it.

The key is to exercise what he calls "Sane Eating." Eat lots of plant-based foods - LOTS. But most importantly, enjoy food! Don't eliminate anything entirely. For instance, have some cake - just limit it to rare occasions or have a much smaller piece.

This is not about deprevation or ironclad rules, but about being sensible.

In the end, not only is this better for our health, but it's better for our pocketbooks and the environment too! In other words, eat as though "food matters" - because we have an amazing amount of power as individuals over our health and even global warming. In fact, studies show our food choices make more of an impact than our driving choices.

[E]ach time you make a decision to support an alternative to the industrial meat complex, you're rejecting that type of agriculture in favor of something far better for the planet, and for you.

After explaining the whys and hows of "eating as though food matters," Bittman offers us Part II, which includes tips on saving time in the kitchen, tips on eating out, a list of items to keep stocked in your pantry, examples of dynamic meal plans, and recipes that range from simple dishes and snacks to more elaborate (though easy to fix) meals.

And to further whet your appetite, here are a couple of the recipes I'll be trying:

Nut-Wich: Lightly mash something delicious, smear it on toasted bread, then sprinkle chopped nuts on it. Some excellent combos: banana, honey, and almonds; avocado and peanuts... (page 198)

Vegetable Spread: Baba ghanoush, the classic middle-eastern eggplant dip, is the model for this dish. However, I've turned the procedure into a master recipe that applies to nearly any vegetable... (page 222)

Convinced? Check out Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating today and discover the ease of eating for two: you and Mother Earth.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Recommended: for newbies to the sustainable food realm or those wanting to be re-inspired

This and tons of other great eco-book reviews can be found at the Blogging Bookworm. Be a bookworm today and check it out!

No where to go and all day to get there*

Having finished most of my errands and housework earlier this week, I had only a few things to take care of this morning...

• lift weights - check
• weed front flower bed - check
• pick up fliers at the printer - check

That left me the rest of the day with "no where to go and all day to get there," so I hopped on my bike for an adventure.

Instead of heading into town, which is my normal routine, I headed in the opposite direction, through our growing neighborhood and into farmland. The road was a tad rough, but the scenery was wonderful. Although I didn't get a photo of it, there was a beautiful deer nibbling on brush right near the road, then field after field of cows and horses. It was wonderfully peaceful and NO ONE yelled at me to get off the road. Awesome!

While I was out wandering, I passed the local winery (Messina Hof). I didn't have any wine as a few sips make me tipsy (what can I say, I'm a cheap drunk), but I loved biking past all the grapevines, not to mention the facility itself (which includes an inn and a restaurant) are beautiful.

I was only gone about an hour and a half, but it really set the pace for the day, slowing me down to enjoy the gorgeous blue sky, calm breeze, and mild temps. May every day be such a beautiful adventure!

* Lyrics from a song I heard at the farmers' market in Aptos, CA this summer

Garden therapy - A backyard garden update (November)

It's been another exciting month in the backyard garden. Let's get right to it!

HARVESTING

I pulled out the last of the sweet potatoes, which have now been cured and have found a temporary home in the coat closet (the coolest place in the house). I swear, there must be 100 pounds of them.

I'm also still harvesting a couple dozen green peppers every week, green onions, leaf lettuce, sage, basil, and now green beans too - about a handful a day!

PLANTING

I did quite a bit of planting this month too, primarily in Beds 4 and 7 (both foot-deep beds).

Bed 4 now has carrots, radishes, and 1015 onions. Bed 7 has been planted entirely in red and sweet yellow (1015) onions. I planted some of the onions in empty pots in the orchard, too.

Yeah, I kinda overdid it with the onions. I think I have about 150 of them in the ground...

But this means that finally, all 250 square feet of garden is planted. Thirteen months after my first bed was built, I've made a veggie garden empire! Mwahahahaha! No seriously, other than fruit, nuts, and rice, I'm pretty much eating out of my backyard. Awesome!

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

Of course, there is tons of garden space that is in that not-ready-to-harvest-but-not-just-planted stage. The tomato plants are finally setting and I'm seeing tomatoes pop up here and there - we'll see how many we get before the first frost...

The broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and red potatoes are coming along beautifully. The snow peas are growing, but slowly. Many didn't come up, so I've replanted several times. As far as bugs, I've had to fight off cabbage loopers for the last month, but everything seems to have survived.

We're still trying to get a handle on how much of each veggie we need to plant, but we're learning as we go. Last spring it was obvious we planted WAY too many greens and not near enough green beans. This fall, we're doing perfect on the greens and have a wonderful steady supply of green beans, although I may plant a full bed of them come spring.

Maybe more broccoli next year too, and a few less green pepper plants. But hey, it's all a learning experience and I'm having a blast. And who knows? Maybe by my December report, I'll have you drooling over my bushels of tomatoes. Prepare to drool!

Photo 1 - green beans and cabbage

Photo 2 - red potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi

Photo 3 - tomato plants (can you see the baby tomato in the pic?)

My Fair and Feminist Radio Interview

Here's the interview I did with Shelly and Vandy, co-hosts of Fair and Feminist (KEOS 89.1). Enjoy!

Marion Nestle reports on BPA

Check out this post on Marion Nestle's blog: Oh no! Bisphenol A Again

Even stuff labeled BPA-free still had BPA. All the more reason to buy fresh, buy local!

Texas Wildscapes - A book review

Quite unexpectedly, I had the opportunity to enjoy Kelly Conrad Bender's Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (Texas A&M University Press, 2009). Bender, an urban wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has definitely done her homework, for what began as a series of pamphlets has become an extensive guide into transforming your property into a wildlife habitat.

Don't have 1000 or even 100 acres? It doesn't matter, a series of "wildscapes" throughout a neighborhood can still create a sanctuary for an amazing variety of plant and animal life. Similar to other contemporary authors like Heather Flores (Food Not Lawns), Bender challenges us to rethink sprawling suburbia and gives us all the tools to do it!

Of course, first thing's first - Texas actually has 10 ecological regions, each vast and varied as to rainfall, temperature, and plant/wildlife. Bender describes each one, helping you determine in which you live and what plant and animal life naturally thrives there.

Next, the sky's the limit. Bender takes you through step-by-step instructions on designing your own wildscape, from mapping your property to prepping your soil to building a backyard pond, and of course includes the most important features of your wildscape - food, water, and cover.

The book concludes it's final chapters describing the native wildlife of Texas (including birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, insects, and spiders), how to attract them to your wildscape, and how to keep unwanted pests out. And if you still can't get enough, attached to the inside back cover of the book is a DVD that includes more extensive brochures on Texas wildlife.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when I first laid eyes on Texas Wildscapes. It wouldn't have been something I would have picked up on my own. But I was quickly entranced by this alternative to the standard lawn, the opportunity to lighten our ecological footprint by truly sharing our living space with the nature suburbia seems so intent on pushing out. Not to mention, I could immediately think of quite a few friends and family that would love to get their hands on a copy of this book. And hey, the holidays are coming, so check it out!

Rated: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended: to the naturalist or environmentalist (or both) interested in rethinking lawn space

NOTE: In compliance with FTC regulation, I disclose that I received this book free of charge from the publisher as a review copy. However, this review is my own evaluation of the material, with no influence by the publisher or author.

This and tons of other great eco-book reviews can be found at the Blogging Bookworm. Be a bookworm today and check it out!

Pedal Power Update - November 2009

Wow! Is it November already? Somehow we moved from extreme heat to just about perfect weather (although we had some serious rains over the last month) - We're talking lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's. It IS Texas, so it's not like this will last for long, but I'm going to enjoy primo bike weather while I have it - and so I have!

I actually took two 20+ mile rides this last month and though my legs were aching by the time both were over, there's just something about the power I feel having gone so far (sometimes against some pretty hefty winds) and the ache of my poor legs just makes me feel that much stronger. I mean, seriously. A year ago, I would never even considered pushing myself this far just to run a few errands across town. Makes me wonder what changes another year will bring...

I have some exciting news in Pedal Power! One of my readers gave me a bike trailer (photo above). Yeah! No kidding! It was a thoughtful and incredibly generous gift. I need to have Dave do some modifications to my bike to make it work though so I haven't actually tried it out yet. I'll get to it, I promise. And a HUGE thanks to Michelle for offering it to me!

It's supposed to be gorgeous all week with no chances of rain, as far as I can tell. So you can bet I'll be out on my bike, pedaling around-town to get all our errands run and maybe even a few fun rides just to explore new areas of town. If you see me, be sure to wave!

Halloween 2009 - The aftermath

Ok. Get this...

We ended up with 711 pieces of candy - this includes what we bought, what the next door neighbor gave us to hand out for her, what our housemate pitched in, and what a vendor at the market gave to us to distribute. As you can see, and Kelsey agrees, this is a serious load of candy. How will we ever get rid of it all?

Are you still with me? Even with giving out only one piece of candy per child, we ran out of candy at 8PM. That's right. WE RAN OUT OF 711 PIECES OF CANDY AND THERE WERE STILL TRICK-OR-TREATERS ROAMING THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Dude! That's a lot of kids!

As you can see, I switched costumes for the evening and became a black cat with a very homemade, last-minute, thrown-together costume, but it worked and the kids seemed to like it, although not as much as they liked petting Kelsey, who was a good girl despite all the attention.

Our housemate, dressed as a gypsy, kept me company as we handed out the goods. Dave joined us about 7PM and our housemate's boyfriend, dressed as Spencer Tracy joined us not long after that.

We had a blast. I made homemade pizza, pumpkin pie bread, and vegan banana cookies. A neighbor gave us some chocolate dipped pretzels and a market vendor had given us some cupcakes so we were eating well and enjoying hanging out with friends. Kelsey even had a good time, although she was a little upset that we were giving ALL the candy away. I did slip her some pumpkin bread though, so she was soon a happy camper.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy halloween! Until next year!