Walnut Grove in Fog (© Photographer: Terrance Emerson | Agency: Dreamstime.com)
Creating inspiring salads in winter need not be difficult: Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farm suggests adding companions like brightly colored fruits and vegetables, crunchy nuts, tangy cheeses and zesty dressings.
Bold beets, tangy blood oranges, roasty-toasty almonds and decadent figs also add an exciting new dimension to winter salads. Experimenting with a variety of leaves – from baby arugula and romaine, to a variety of lettuces and spinach – also helps to make salads visually interesting while accentuating subtle textures and flavors.
The winter salad recipe below is from her excellent book for cooks who love healthy and seasonal dishes, "Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook." Myra writes:
The vibrant colors and sweet flavors of the beets and oranges in this salad contrast deliciously with the smooth white feta and crunchy nuts. Blood oranges are spectacular in this salad, but if they're not available, don't hesitate to make it with any oranges you like. You can easily substitute mixed baby greens, mâche or frisée for the arugula.
Ingredients for 4 Side Salads
Salad Ingredients:
• 1 Pound cooked beets (roasted, steamed, or boiled)
• About 1/3 cup Orange Walnut Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
• 5 Ounces (about 6 cups) Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Arugula
• 1/2 Cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 Cup candied or toasted walnuts
• 2 Blood oranges (if available) or navel oranges, segmented
Orange-Walnut Vinaigrette:
Makes about 1-1/4 cups
• 1/2 Cup good-quality roasted walnut oil
• 1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice or blood orange juice
• 1 Teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 5 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallots
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. To make the vinaigrette, place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and close the lid tightly. Shake vigorously to combine. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Allow the dressing to sit at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop before serving. (Store any leftover vinaigrette in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 1 month.)
2. Cut the beets in half or quarters (if you're using larger beets, cut into 1/2-inch dice) so they're bite-size. Place the beets in a small bowl, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, and toss until the beets are coated. (This step can be done a day in advance, if desired.)
3. Just before serving, place the arugula in a large salad bowl. Add about 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat the leaves lightly, then taste and add more vinaigrette if needed.
4. Transfer the arugula to a platter or individual salad plates. Arrange the beets and orange segments (if using) on the greens and sprinkle them with the feta and nuts. Serve immediately.
To learn more about Myra’s wonderful book, go to: Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site just scroll down after you go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
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To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
 
Founder Marina Marchese and the rest of the folks at Red Bee are passionate about the culinary delights of honey. Their philosophy is that every bottle of their artisanal honey is a gourmet food and can be tasted and evaluated similar to wine, each one having a unique flavor profile determined by the kind of flowers visited by the bees.
The essence of a honey is dictated by the terroir, the unique combination of geographic location, climate, soil and temperature that gives each honey its complex composition and individual personality. As in winemaking, terroir dramatically affects the flavor profiles of the honeys produced.
Red Bee is a boutique honeybee farm located in the historical Bradley Tool section of Weston, Connecticut. The company’s charming red cottages were once the home of ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who partnered Mikhail Baryshnikov. There they are inspired to create the purest artisanal honeys and sustainable products. Using old world techniques, products are handmade in small batches using only plant-based ingredients to insure the finest quality. They never use pesticides, alcohol, paraffin waxes, petroleum or preservatives.
Red Bee's organic gardens produce culinary and medicinal herbs, vegetables and flowers for cutting. They make their organic, free range chicken eggs available locally. Red Bee Honeybee products have been aspectacular success at the New Canaan Farmers Market each summer for the last 6 years.
Red Bee Founder Marina Marchese (photo: jeffbeckerphoto.com)
Marina Marchese is a second generation Italian sharing her love of crafting artisanal products. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, Marina traveled to Europe and Asia as an illustrator and product designer. Her unique sense of style and love of color was defined in designs that have graced the cover of WWD and greeting cards sold worldwide by UNICEF including children's products, books and magazines.
Her own Red Bee® cards were recognized by The National Honey Board after appearing in Victoria Magazine and on the cover of American Bee Journal. Marina’s love of honeybees and painting has led her to the ancient technique of painting with beeswax, made popular by the Etruscans. (The portrait at the top of this item is one of her paintings in beeswax.)
She has published her first book, Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, a marvelous read book on the wonders of honey and it's healing properties To learn more about it go to: Honeybee: From Hive to Home, Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
If you’d like to sample some of Marina’s superb artisanal honeys or send some as a very special gift, click on any of the following:
Wildflower Liquid Honey
Wildflower & Comb Honey Gift Box
Chunk Honey
Clover & Creamed Honey Gift Box
Comb Honey
Creamed Honey
Spring Clover Liquid Honey
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Thistle Hill's John & Janine Putnam (Images courtesy of Thistle Hill Farm)
Thistle Hill Farm in Pomfret, Vermont has been a certified organic farm for over 15 years, having started out as a part-time endeavor of the family of John and Janine Putnam. They steadily made improvements and early on they decided to concentrate on dairy farming. Despite their dedication, the dairy farm was not enough to sustain them and John continued working as a lawyer to support the family.
In 1999, the Putnams went to Switzerland, where they visited almost every major cheesemaking region in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. They’re quest was to find a cheese they loved that was produced in conditions matching as closely as possible the climate of Pomfret in the hills of Vermont. The journey led the family of six to Beaufort, France. There they were told of a Frenchman in the mountains above Moutiers who would tell them all they needed to know.
John & Janine Find Their Man
They found him at home on a Sunday afternoon. Having milked his cows, made some cheese, tended chores, and cleaned the kitchen, he had an hour for himself before evening chores and milking. So he seemed less than overjoyed to see two lost souls on his doorstep at a time when a nap seemed like a good idea. He let John and Janine struggle in French for a while before inviting them in for coffee in perfect English.
The Frenchman makes Beaufort "alpage" from the milk of 100 Tarine cows, twice a day, everyday, all summer long. He is famous for his cheese, and for falling asleep at dinner. He said "to make Beaufort is too meticulous for you.” That challenge was enough to hook the Putnams and seeing that they intended to persevere, he found them an apprentice and both have helped the family ever since.
Thistle Hill’s Tarentaise is the happy result of the Putnam’s quest. It now ranks among the world’s most superb artisanal cheeses, garnering prestigious First Place awards from the American Cheese Society in both 2004 and 2006!
The wise but prudent Frenchman has even gone so far as to say, "maybe our job is OK."
To learn more about the Putnam's aged Alpine, raw milk cheese go to: Organic Tarentaise Raw Milk Cheese
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Raspberries! (photo by Marcin Modestowicz, courtesy of morguefile.com)
It’s the combination of hard work and best practices on the part of Heidi and her brother Doug that make the incomparable organic jams of Heidi’s Raspberry Farm possible. It all starts with hand-picked, fresh fruit, and making their mouth-watering and nutrtious jams begins with a meticulous approach to sustainable methods on their farm in Corrales, New Mexico.
Corrales is a unique agricultural village farmed by families who have been living there for generations. Located on the Western bank of the Rio Grande, the land has been tilled since 500 A.D. Back then the ancestors of the present day Pueblo Indians reaped harvests in the fertile valley. Subsequent populations of Spanish, French and Italian families settled there to raise grapes, apples, livestock, and now, gloriously healthy raspberries!
Having grown up in this special place Heidi and Doug are dedicated stewards of the land and keepers of a healthy environment. They are truly “walking the walk” when it comes to best practices for preserving the sustainability of their farmland and the health of their community. Doug has converted the farm to a drip irrigation system that makes the most efficient use of precious water. He provides hives in the field for the honeybees that pollinate the delicate raspberry blossoms. A flock of native Rio Grande turkeys control the insect population amongst the hedge rows, so there's no need for poisonous pesticides!
Heidi, Maker of the Best Raspberry Jam We've Ever Tasted!
They’ve been selling organic raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and cut flowers at the local farmers markets in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Corrales and Albuquerque for several years now. By personally selling their delicious fare Heidi and Doug have made a lot of wonderful friends. They’ve also built a loyal following of appreciative customers who keep coming back for more of their amazing jams!
If you'd like to order some of Heidi's incredible raspberry jams click on any of the following:
Organic Raspberry Jam
Organic Raspberry Ginger Jam
Organic Raspberry Red Chile Jam
Organic Raspberry Red Chile & Ginger Jam
New Mexico Organic Raspberry Jams Variety Mix
If you'd like to try a simple recipe using one of Heidi's great jams go to: Chicken Breasts with Raspberry Ginger Sauce
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
(© Images courtesy of BetterBody Foods & Nutrition, LLC)
Tired of denying yourself such sweet treats as a nice slice of cheesecake because you’re worried about gaining weight? Chef Stephen Richards felt the same way, like most, he struggles with his weight. His family history includes diabetes on both his mother and his father’s side. Yet, he loves to eat, cook and live. After all, life is a celebration and there is no better way to celebrate than with great tasting food that is both healthy and delicious.
A couple of years ago, Stephen was introduced to agave nectar and began to research it. He flew to the region in Mexico where it is grown and spent time with the growers and processors, learning about the product and its benefits. He engaged medical doctors to study the claims being made and explored hundreds of recipes on his own. After several years, he developed Xagave, a natural and organic blend from several agave plants that incorporates the best of taste, texture and health benefits that this wonderful plant has to offer.
Obesity is the primary cause of the three major chronic diseases of diabetes, heart disease and cancer that are plaguing the U.S. Three simple ingredients are the primary cause of obesity: sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour. All of these ingredients are highly caloric foods, with a high Glycemic Index and no nutritional value. Xagave is sweeter than sugar, so you use less and save calories, and it is a low GI food with inulin, a fiber, that moderates blood sugar levels and leaves you feeling more satisfied. You eat less and feel more satisfied. By using Xagave, Stephen has created the cheesecake recipe below for a little splurge that won’t hurt your waistline.
Ingredients
Crust:
• 1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1/3 Cup butter
• 2 Tablespoon milk
• 2 Tablespoon Xagave
Filling:
• 8 Ounces cream cheese
• 1 Cup Xagave
• 3 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Teaspoon grated lemon peel (lemon zest)
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 6 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup light cream or milk
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 450°F.
2. Crust: In large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and butter); blend until crumbly. Combine milk and Xagave and sprinkle over mixture until dough is just moist enough to hold together. Form into a ball. Press mixture over bottom and 2½ inches up side of 9-inch spring form pan. Chill.
3. Filling: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Add Xagave, flour, lemon zest, salt and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Blend in cream. Pour filling into prepared pan. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 200°F and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until filling is almost set or golden brown. Cool. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving. Serve plain or with Strawberry or Berry Topping and Xagave Sweetened Whipped Cream.
Stephen & Corrie Richards
To learn more about Xagave and the book Chef Stephen Richards has authored, Delicious Meets Nutritious, the company’s web site: BetterBody Foods & Nutrition
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site just scroll down after you go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Organic Lemon Crop (© photo by Lisa Solonynko, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Written by Sonia F. Bañuelos, Saffron Paisley
The other day my daughter said, “Mama, we have too many lemons, no more” as we were harvesting from the neighbors 3 prolific Meyer lemon trees. I was surprised that she, of all people, was setting limits on her dear old Mama. When we returned home she helped me make a couple more jars of preserved lemons to add to the collection. We now have bottles of Limoncello and jars of preserved lemons, lemon chutney, and Meyer lemon with jasmine tea marmalade.
What more? Well, a couple of nights ago I made a syrup and set aside the peels. I was not certain what I would make with the peels but I had so many, I didn’t want to toss them in the compost. The syrup is a fantastic way to process a lot of lemons as it is fast, easy, and keeps well. I have been enjoying quiet time on my deck with a book and a glass of sparkly limonata. As for the peels, well, I was always curious about the Roman method of preserving in honey…
Lemon Syrup
1. Lemons
2. Sugar
3. Lemon zest
• Wash lemons, cut in half, and juice. If you plan on using the peels, be careful not to press too hard and break apart the peel
• This is the ratio: 1 cup lemon juice, zest of one lemon, 2 cups sugar.
• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil or until sugar dissolves.
• Remove from heat, and pour into sterile container.
• When cool, pour into clean glass bottles or jars.
Lemon Peel, Roman Style
1. Lemon peels
2. Honey
• After juicing lemons, reserve peels
• Place all peels in a bowl and fill with water
• Leave overnight, but remember to change the water at least once
• In the morning, pour water out
• With a grapefruit spoon (with a serrated edge), carefully remove the membrane and as much of the white pith and discard. Soaking overnight softens the lemon and makes it really easy to remove all unwanted bits,
• Continue with the rest of the lemon halves.
• Cut lemon peel as you fancy, in strips, triangles, coursely… as you wish
• Place in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and gently cook for about 20 minutes or until soft.
• Strain and let peels cool.
• Gather your clean jars and start with a layer of honey.
• Start filling jars by layering lemon peels and honey until the jar is full, ending with a layer of honey.
• Make sure not to overpack with lemon peels! You should have a ratio of 1:1.
• Make sure to remove all air bubbles.
The lemon syrup is delicious over sparkly water or in ice tea. A sprig of mint takes it to an entirely different level and I’m wondering how it would taste with alcohol… The lemon peels are really good as is, my daughter ate several as we were packing the jars. They can also be chopped and eaten with ice cream, scones, and on toast.
Enjoy!
Note: The Meyer was introduced from China and is believed to be a hybrid between a true lemon and the mandarin orange. They are not as tart as conventional lemons and prized by cooking enthusiasts for delivering the tang of lemons without the pucker. If you can’t get a Meyer, the full flavor of an organic lemon will do nicely.
Sonia & the Sprout
To visit Sonia’s worldly, entertaining, and just plain fun blog, go to: Saffron Paisley
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site just scroll down after you go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Free-Roaming Livestock (photo by Andrea Church, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Written by Dr. John Salerno
I recommend organic foods for my weight loss patients because I want them to eat nutrient dense foods, thus you have to begin with the dirt. The overuse of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemical additives for the growth of monoculture genetically modified crops, including corn, soy, rice, canola, and others have wreaked havoc with the soil.
These grain and bean crops grown in this sterile soil are used not only to create overly processed foods, but are the basis for animal feed that is fed to factory farmed meats and farm raised fish. The results are food products with empty calories, unknown long term health effects, and almost certain capacity for making people fat.
Why is this? The ancient wisdom of mankind says you should eat until you are satisfied, and these foods simply don't satisfy us. Add to that the chemicals added to the so-called value-added foods which are put there to replace the natural goodness that has been lost and you have a real problem.
These food additives, with unpronounceable names and unknown derivatives are known categorically as excitotoxins. Did you ever wonder why Dad could sit down in front of the television to watch the ball game and eat an entire package of corn chips? It's the Dr. Strangelove additions designed in the lab to make that food so tasty, Dad's natural satiety switch is turned off.
Those added chemicals, which by the way, even show up on fresh produce that isn't organic by way of sprays and dips, and chemical baths, can derail any weight loss program. Chemicals can increase food cravings, cause water retention, and can actually cause weight gain. These same additives are often allergenic, and can cause insulin to spike, playing havoc with those people who are pre-diabetic, or diabetic.
When I go back to Italy, where my family is from, I am amazed at how much better the food tastes. Europe does not permit genetically modified crops, and, as a rule, does not support factory farming. Therefore, you can see with your own eyes and taste for yourself the fact that fewer people are overweight, and the food just plain tastes better.
But I am encouraged because a food revolution has begun in this country and people are demanding a more humane treatment of animals, are rejecting high fructose corn syrup, soy products made from genetically modified seed, and are calling for locally grown food products, the so-called locavore movement.
In an article I contributed to in January to Men's Health, I have discussed the cholesterol problem and shown how saturated fat and carb avoidance increase ldl particle size and decrease risk for heart disease and stroke.
Some of my patients have asked why I don't support a vegetarian diet, given the risks of eating factory farmed meat. The answer to that can be seen in the test tube. I've had numerous vegetarian patients who had elevated blood sugars, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems.
The answer which I propose in Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet is to eat a nutrient rich diet made up of plenty of saturated fat, protein and fruits and vegetables which are organic, grass fed, and wild caught.
I get a lot of surprised looks from my patients when I tell them to eat more saturated fats to lose weight. They will start in telling me they've been eating a low fat diet for years. But they don't make the connection between this diet and their health problems, including overweight, type two diabetes, memory problems, and arthritis.
I explain to them that the body must have saturated fats for proper brain function, cell development, and satiety. Plus it just makes people look better. Fat carries flavor and makes people feel full and satisfied quicker.
I can spot the low fat dieter in a moment. Dry skin, wrinkles, and broken fingernails. Those are the telltale signs that show. Lab work reveals many more.
So I propose that people eat plenty of saturated fat, protein and organically grown fruits and vegetables for optimum health and weight maintenance. It works for my patients.
Dr. John Salerno is an internationally acclaimed physician specializing in weight control and anti-aging. His e-book, Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet, tackles the subject of organic foods and weight loss.
For more sensible advice on living a healthy life, go to his web site: Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet
To arrange an interview with Dr. Salerno call Linda Eckhardt at 973-762-4857.
To view all the posts about Weight Control on the American Feast web site just scroll down after you go to: American Feast's Weight-Control Posts
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To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
U.S. Government Poster from World War II (courtesy of Library of Congress)
There are plenty of benefits to planting a garden, and our friends at the Victory Garden Foundation explain some of the most tangible:
Those nasty pesticides can be avoided by growing your own food at home or buying organic. While buying organic can be expensive; you can grow your own food at home for pennies. And, did you know that food stamps can now be used for purchasing seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat?
There you have it, planting a garden can improve your health, the environment, and your financial affairs. Inspired by the successful program of World War II fame, when as much as 40% of all the produce eaten by Americans came from Victory Gardens, the nonprofit Foundation wants to help today’s gardeners succeed. There’s a wealth of practical information at the organization’s web site, and it costs nothing to join. By joining you become eligible to apply for a grant as an individual or as an organization “in synergy with our mission.”
To visit the organization's web site & get more information go to: Victory Garden Foundation
To view a previous post on the topic go to: Bring Back the Victory Gardens!
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Child in Pool (photo by Phaedra Wilkinson, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
The intensive use of pesticides is one of the most dangerous aspects of monoculture farming, the practice of growing a single crop over a wide area, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to more thoroughly assess the risks pesticides pose to children and farmworkers.
But how much more assessment of the risks is needed before these toxic substances are recognized by the EPA as a severe threat human health?
Multiple studies have linked pesticides and Parkinson disease. In one, Scientists from Duke University, Miami University and the Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center “found those exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times higher risk” of suffering from the debilitating disease. A study conducted at India’s Patiala University found evidence that pesticides have damaged the DNA of farmers in that country, making them more likely to develop cancer. Other researchers believe the reason organic produce has a higher nutritional content than conventionally-grown food is due to pesticides inhibiting the production of nutrients in plants.
Concerned parents have been shopping to protect their kids for some time now, and their desire to avoid pesticides has been a key driver of the explosive demand for organic food over the past decade. Even in challenging economic times, research from Mintel says households with small children that ate organic before the recession will probably continue doing so.
The EPA’s new policy proposal provides insight as to just how ubiquitous the presence of poisonous pesticides has become. Risk assessments would consider aggregate pesticide exposures from sources including residues in food, drinking water, on lawns, in swimming pools, and in the workplace, and the cumulative effects from multiple pesticides that have similar toxicity.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said: “It’s essential we have the tools to keep everyone, especially vulnerable populations like children, safe from the serious health consequences of pesticide exposure.”
Is there a better way to protect children “from the serious health consequences of pesticide exposure” than to shop organic whenever possible and apply pressure for an agricultural system that employs healthier alternatives to pest control?
The Environmental Working Group has come up with an iPhone app to guide produce shoppers looking for the fruits and vegetables that contain the lowest levels of pesticides and help decide which ones need to be bought organic.
Sign up to download the iPhone app or a PDF version of the guide: here.
The EPA is asking the public to comment on their new approach and how best to implement the improvements. For more information on the proposed policy, go to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
 
Wouldn't it be nice to send a gourmet food gift this holiday season and benefit a worthy cause at the same time? Well, the folks at the AmericanFeast.com website will help you do just that.
"People enjoy sending delicious gifts that reflect their desire for a more sustainable world and we're proud to help," says Jeff Deasy, the company's founder and president.
Robin's Chocolate Sauce is handcrafted in northern Maine from a family recipe using only the finest ingredients. Mark and Robin Jenkins combine pure organic cocoa, organic cane sugar and organic vanilla with local farm-fresh dairy ingredients to create a dessert topping that is simple and sophisticated, exotic and homemade. No artificial ingredients, just pure decadent goodness.
Awareness of global environmental issues is at the heart of the family's business. With every purchase of Robin's Chocolate Sauces, you're supporting the mission of the National Wildlife Federation to inspire Americans to protect wildlife.
Aaron Baum brought Hand To Mouth Edibles to market in 1997 with all natural, gourmet tapenades and spreads that the professional and the home cook alike can enjoy. They're a vegetarian appetizer in a jar, a distinctive condiment to spice up a meal, or a special addition to a gift or picnic basket.
Aaron and his team believe in giving something back to the community, so a portion of thei profits are donated to Share Our Strength, a national non-profit organization working to alleviate hunger and poverty.
AmericanFeast.com also offers a gift box of delectable gourmet brownies with proceeds supporting the Greyston Foundation's low-income housing, childcare, and healthcare. The Foundation's bakery offers on-site training, and fair wages to local residents, regardless of work history. Greyston's brownies are ideal for the giver who believes in making choices that make a difference, especially for those who can use a helping hand.
Know a foodie with a taste for hard-to-find heirloom items? Then the Native Harvest Wild Rice: Manoomin is a perfect gift. Unlike the genetically manipulated, "wild rice" grown in paddies, this indigenous rice is an important American heirloom crop. It grows naturally in the lakes of Minnesota and is hand-harvested by Native Americans using traditional methods. The Ojibwe people call it "the food that grows on water".
Proceeds from the rice support the White Earth Indian Reservation's efforts to recover land, practice traditional land stewardship, and preserve the community's cultural heritage. It's a wonderful choice for the giver who wants America's heritage preserved for future generations.
There are dozens more artisanal, hand-crafted foods from families operating some of America's most creative kitchens and family farms using sustainable practices available from at American Feast. To view the full selection go to: Great Food Gifts!
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Almond Blossoms (photo by Derek Benjamin Lilly, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Introducing kids to the fun of cooking will lead to healthier lives later in life. This recipe comes from our friends at the Organic Valley Family of Farms and they described it as, "Simple and elegant, fun to make and bake with the kids." Well, the kids had a lot of fun, and we loved eating these yummy cookies still slightly warm from the oven.
Organic Valley is a farmer-owned coop that says, “We think it's a simple truth. The earth's most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature.” The organization started with 7 farmers forming an organic cooperative in 1988. Today, more than 1,200 family farms are members and their high standards shine through in their delicious, award-winning, certified organic foods.
Oh, the folks from Organic Valley said these cookies, "Must be served with a glass of Organic Valley Milk!" We did and they were right.
Ingredients for 36 Cookies
• 1 ¼ Almonds (can substitute American Black Walnuts)
• 1 ¼ Cups quick cooking oats
• 1 Cup all-purpose flour (can substitute spelt flour)
• ¼ Teaspoon sea salt
• 1 Stick Organic Valley Unsalted Cultured Butter
• ½ Cup brown sugar
• 1 Organic Valley Grade A Extra Large Brown Egg
• ½ Teaspoon almond extract
• 1 ½ Teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ Cup Heidi's Organic Raspberry Jam
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets with Organic Valley Cultured Butter. Place the almonds (or walnuts) in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground, about 15 seconds. Transfer the nuts to a shallow bowl and set aside. In yet another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy. With an electric mixer, beat in the egg yolk until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts. At low speed, add the oat mixture, mixing just until blended.
2. Roll small pieces of dough into 1-inch balls. Roll one of the balls in the ground almonds, coating it completely. Place the ball on a greased baking sheet and flatten it slightly with your palm, then press your thumb into the center of the cookie to form an indentation. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the raspberry jam into the thumbprint, filling it. (Be careful to keep young helpers from adding too much jam.) Repeat with the remaining dough balls, arranging them 1 ½ inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for about 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
Copyright by Organic Valley Family of Farms ©
To visit the web site of the farmers' coop go to: Organic Valley Family of Farms
You can order our favorite organic raspberry jams from Heidi's Raspberry Farm in New Mexico by clicking on any of the following:
Organic Raspberry Jam
Organic Raspberry Ginger Jam
Organic Raspberry Red Chile Jam
Organic Raspberry Red Chile & Ginger Jam
If you can’t decide on one get them all:
New Mexico Organic Raspberry Jams Variety Mix
If you'd like to try this recipe using American Black Walnuts, the "Ultimate Nut", go to:
Bakers Bounty! Fancy Large Premium Black Walnuts & Native Pecan Halves
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site just scroll down after you go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Can a meal be truly great without a dessert? "Maybe" was a reply that came up a few times during a small, informal poll. And then there was a welcome completion of the thought: "But why chance it?"
Our friend Robin sees no need to to take that chance and she has created a selection gourmet chocolate sauces capable of satisfying dessert lovers everywhere. Place a jar of her creation in a microwave oven for just 30 seconds and a warm sauce du jour is ready for service over a favorite treat. Iice cream, cheesecake, fresh fruit, or homemade pound cake will all do nicely.
Robin’s Chocolate Sauce is handcrafted in northern Maine from a family recipe using only the finest, freshest ingredients. She combines pure organic cocoa, organic cane sugar and organic vanilla with local farm-fresh dairy ingredients to create a dessert topping that is simple and sophisticated, exotic and homemade. No artificial ingredients, just pure decadent goodness.
What began as a holiday gift for friends and family has gained quite a reputation among sweet tooths, cocoa connoisseurs and grandkids throughout Maine. Robin made her first batch of “Original Recipe” organic chocolate sauce in a 12-gallon steam kettle in 2004. Since then, she, her husband, and their two sons have built up the family business to produce six distinct varieties. Robin processes the sauce patiently in small batches to produce a luscious, creamy texture and flavor.
Great Dessert for a Great Cause
Awareness of global environmental issues is at the heart of the business. Robin became conscious of the not-so-sweet realities of the chocolate trade by researching where and how her ingredients are grown and produced, and by whom. She is committed to using organic, shade grown and local or Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients whenever possible. These standards are crucial to maintaining a sustainable environment, protecting migratory birds and creating healthy communities—and your children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren will notice the sweet difference.
Robin Herself
Robin’s Chocolate Sauce is more than a delicious dessert topping. It’s a resource for the education, awareness and advocacy of the issues concerning communities and the environment both locally and globally. Every delicious spoonful of sauce is helping make a difference.
With every purchase of Robin’s Chocolate Sauce, you’re supporting the mission of the National Wildlife Federation to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. What could be better than getting some delicious treats and supporting a great cause!
If you'd like to order some of Robin's sublime chocolate sauces go to any of the following:
Robin's Fair Trade™ Variety Pack
Robin's Original Chocolate Sauce
Tropical Dark Chocolate Sauce
Blueberry Chocolate Sauce
Ginger Pear Chocolate Sauce
Orange Spice Chocolate Sauce
Raspberry Chocolate Sauce
Robin's Original Chocolate Sauces
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Veggie Garden (photo by Seemann, courtesy of morguefile.com)
In a wonderful example of an entrepreneur lending folks in need a helping hand, William Waddell, owner of Waddell Farmhouse Seeds, has announced that his family is joining forces with food banks across the country to stamp out hunger in America. They are offering incentives to all their customers who donate a portion of the vegetables from their gardens to their local food banks.
Mr. Waddell stated, "Everyone that plants a garden always has some left in the garden, so it is time to help our communities and donate the left over portions to those in need."
Feeding America is one of the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organizations. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage folks across the country in the fight to end hunger.
The nonprofit organization’s network of more than 200 food banks provides food directly to individuals and families in need. Each year, more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors, receive more than 2.5 billion pounds of food and grocery products.
"We are so delighted to be a part of this wonderful organization, and to be able to give back to our communities." Mr. Waddell added, "We are so proud of our company and love the work our local food banks are doing. We know our economy is getting better, but it is always a good day when you know you have helped someone else."
It’s so nice to see families that could use a little assistance in difficult times getting fresh produce from backyard gardens that are largely organic, sustainable and shun the use of pesticides!
About Waddell Farmhouse Seeds
The Waddell Farmhouse Seeds web site proclaims, "Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow." The small family business provides over 1,400 types of garden seed from asparagus to zucchini, over 120 garden products, and will be offering untreated and organic seeds in 2010. The original Waddell Farmhouse was built by William Waddell’s Great Grandfather in 1906, and has been donated to Landmark Park in Dothan, Alabama to be used as an agricultural museum. The current Waddell Farmhouse is 45 miles away in Chipley, Florida and services all of the U.S. Owner William Waddell beams when the old farmhouse is mentioned!
Original Waddell Farmhouse (photo courtesy of Waddell Farmhouse Seeds)
To visit the web site of the Waddell’s family business, get more info, and shop their online catalogue go to: Waddell Farmhouse Seeds
Ample Harvest is a nonprofit organization that provides a list of area food pantries and offers driving instructions from donating gardeners to their local pantries. Ample Harvest
To view a previous post on the work of Ample Harvest go to: Ample Harvest Enables America's Backyard Gardeners to Help the Hungry
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To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Dairy Cows in Cabot, Vermont (photo by Tara, courtesy of morguefile.com)
There’s more good news for those who want healthier and more sustainable food. The huge numbers of parents who want their children to get the health benefits of milk without exposing them to the dangers of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) and the antibiotics fed to cows in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), have contributed mightily to organic dairy farming enjoying quite a boom in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published a report stating, “Between 2000 and 2005, the number of certified organic milk cows on U.S. farms increased by an annual average of 25%, from 38,000 to more than 86,000.”
According to the report, that makes organic milk one of “the fastest growing segments of organic agriculture in the United States in recent years.” And organic agriculture in itself is one of the fastest growing segments of all farming in the U.S., having enjoyed an annual growth rate of 20% for many years. It seems reasonable that consumer demand and the example of so many farmers having already successfully converted their dairy operations to organic, the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
The report published by the USDA entitled, Characteristics, Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming, was authored by William D. McBride and Catherine Greene. They found the following when comparing organic and conventional dairies:
• Organic dairies are smaller than conventional dairies (82 cows compared with 156 cows).
• Organic dairies produce about 30 percent less milk per cow than conventional dairies (13,601 pounds per organic cow compared with 18,983 pounds per conventional cow).
• Organic dairies are more often located in the Northeast and Upper Midwest than are conventional dairies (86 percent compared with 65 percent).
• Organic dairies use more pasture-based feeding, where more than 50 percent of dairy forage fed is from pasture during grazing months, than conventional dairies (63 percent compared with 18 percent).
• Pasture-based organic dairies’ total economic costs were about $4 per cwt higher than conventional pasture-based dairies, much lower than the average price premium for organic milk in 2005.
Consumers appear to be comfortable paying a premium for organic milk in order to avoid the health risks of conventionally produced milk from factory farms. As our friend Sarah Alexander at Food & Water Watch wrote this past summer, “…the documented increase of infections in dairy cows injected with rBGH…necessitates increased use of antibiotics…and there are ongoing questions about links to cancer…most of the industrialized countries in the world have banned this hormone.”
Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization based in Washington, D.C. This past August the organization launched a campaign to get milk produced with artificial hormones out of schools once and for all, and delivered more than 25,000 petitions to members of Congress asking them to clarify that schools have the option to purchase rBGH-free milk or organic milk.
If you’d like to take action to get rBGH-free milk into your local school go to: Food & Water Watch
If you’d like to read the report published by the USDA and cited above in its entirety go to: Characteristics, Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The Maine Grocers Association (MGA) has named our good friend and partner Waite Maclin, founder of the specialty food company Pastor Chuck Orchards, as “Food Producer of the Year.” American Feast has been proudly offering Waite’s peerless organic apple butter, applesauce and combination gift basket since it launched.
MGA has been assisting the state’s food entrepreneurs since 1935, and its annual award honors those who have generated relationships with retailers to strengthen opportunities for Maine food products to be sold through Maine grocery stores.
Waite’s passionate involvement with the Maine Food Producers Alliance was also a contributing factor in his being chosen. This award marks yet another achievement in what’s been a milestone year for Pastor Chuck Orchards. Already this year, the company:
• Introduced an all-natural apple salsa and a sugar-free applesauce, both of which became instant hits among health conscious consumers and people who simply appreciate and enjoy quality food
• Earned certification for being gluten free across the board
• Began selling its apple products in Whole Food Markets throughout the North Atlantic, Hannaford Grocery stores, and dozens of other retailers
• Enjoyed widespread regional and national media coverage
This holiday season send a gourmet gift from Waite’s Pastor Chuck Orchards that is healthy, sustainable and delicious: Maine Apple Gift Basket
If you'd like to try some amazing organic apple butter go to: Pastor Chucks Organic Apple Butter
If you'd like to purchase some of Pastor Chuck's superlative sauce go to: Organic Applesauce
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
(Image courtesy of Organic Valley Family of Farms ©)
Gary Herzberg of Portland, Oregon created this recipe after he and his then pregnant wife joined a community supported agriculture farm (CSA). They had joined the CSA to promote the nutritious gestation of their son and found that kale was almost always included in their regular box of fresh goodies. Kale is an amazingly healthy green, so thank you Gary for coming up with a delicious way to reap those health benefits at breakfast.
Gary’s creation went on to become one of five winning submissions from a healthy recipe contest held by our friends at Organic Valley Family of Farms, a farmer-owned coop that says, “We think it's a simple truth. The earth's most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature.” They started with seven farmers forming an organic cooperative in 1988. Today, about 1,400 family farms are members and their high standards shine through in their award-winning, certified organic foods.
Besides being a winner in the national contest, the recipe Gary scrabbled from necessity went on “…to the wild success it now holds in our family. Not only is kale no longer the stepchild of our box, it has moved to the forefront of weekly planning, where a kale-less box is met with much chagrin.”
Ingredients for 8 to 10 Servings
• 2 Bunches of Kale, or other greens such as collards, beet, etc.
• 1 Medium Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Slices Bread
• 3 Organic Valley Eggs
• 3/4 Cup of Organic Valley cheese such as Colby, Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc.
• 1/3 Cup of Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1 Teaspoon Pepper or to taste
• Organic Valley Sour Cream for Garnish (Optional)
Preparation
1. First off you need to blanch all the veggies. Boil a large pot of water, and get an ice bath started to cool the veggies once they are done cooking. Once the water is boiling, dunk the greens in for 2-3 min, then plunge the into ice bath. Do in batches if they don't all fit.
2. Once the greens are safely in the ice-water bath, blanch the garlic and the onions for about 30 seconds. You can leave the skins on, and you don't need to put them in the ice-bath. Just don't touch them until they are cool enough to handle.
3. Once everything is cool, start with the greens. Take them out of the ice bath, and squeeze all the water you can out of them -- I use a paper towel or dish cloth. Roughly chop the greens, onions, and mince the garlic; add them to a mixing bowl.
4. Toast 2 slices of bread -- I prefer the end pieces that nobody eats anyway. Once toasted brown, chop or crumble bread into mixing bowl. Chop up the cheese into a decent dice, or shred, add to mixing bowl. Add flour, salt and pepper to the mix. Crack eggs into bowl, and break yolks.
5. Use spatula (or your hands!) to thoroughly mix together all the ingredients. They should begin to feel a little like a "meatball."
6. Once mix is sticky, heat up a skillet, then add some oil or butter once the pan is hot. Once combined, make a small ball (about a cup) of the mix in your hands and squeeze together firmly. Place ball in skillet, and mash it flat with the back of a spatula, trying to keep "cake" together. Fry until golden brown on each side.
7. Garnish Liberally with Sour Cream, or Not.
Copyright by Organic Valley Family of Farms ©
To visit the web site of the farmers' coop go to: Organic Valley Family of Farms
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Healthy Besse of New Jersey (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morguefile.com)
With frightening reports of contamination and foodborne illnesses arriving with alarming regularity it’s no surprise that a recent national survey of affluent consumers found safety to be their number one concern when purchasing food.
The majority of consumers surveyed are looking at labels and menus for assurances that undesirable things, such as antibiotics and artificial hormones, are not present. Food safety was especially important to women. Ethical claims are frequently linked to safety issues and of special importance to a “large subset of consumers,” according to the researchers.
The survey by Context Marketing, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting firm, did not include nutrition, focusing instead on “quality claims having to do with safety and health, as well as ethical considerations and their role in purchase decisions.” The firm’s research results were issued in a report, Beyond Organic – How Evolving Consumer Concerns Influence Food Purchases.
The researchers confirmed that price played a major role in decisions on purchasing specialty foods and making menu choices at restaurants, and it is the main reason for making a purchase at a supermarket. Still, educated and prosperous consumers are familiar with the issues behind the claims being made by producers, manufacturers and restaurants, and ethical behavior is vital to gaining consumer trust and loyalty.
Seventy-two percent (72%) of those surveyed say they are willing to pay “more for food that promises to be healthier, safer or produced to higher ethical standards.”
To view the report from Context Marketing cited above go to: Beyond Organic – How Evolving Consumer Concerns Influence Food Purchases
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To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
(Images courtesy of The Mast Farm Inn)
This luscious dessert recipe comes courtesy of our friends at The Mast Farm Inn, a world renowned mountain inn and restaurant in the Valle Crucis Historical District of Watauga County, North Carolina, where guests have been welcomed since the 1800s. Located in a serene rural valley surrounded by mountains, rivers and streams, the green Inn’s doings are truly a family affair. It is owned and managed by sisters Sandra Deschamps Siano and Danielle Deschamps, who are ably assisted by a host of family members.
The family runs the Inn by adhering to principles of sustainability and environmentally sound practices. The gourmet meals served at the Inn’s Simplicity restaurant are created with food as local, fresh, natural and organic as they can make it. In the growing season, the ingredients include produce from the Inn’s own organic garden. Pasture raised meats, free-range dairy and eggs are purchased as much as possible from local organic farmers and growers. Out of season the dining is still as natural and organic as they can make it, using ingredients that may come from further away, but still don’t include dangerous chemicals.
The History of Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake is such a lovely name that it makes you wonder its origin. It does seem plausible that it may have something to do with how sugary rich this cake is - just like the nectar that Hummingbirds love to feed on. Anyway, what we do know is that the recipe gained widespread popularity after it appeared in the February 1978 issue of Southern Living Magazine. We also know that the recipe was submitted by a Mrs. L. H. Wiggins of Greensboro North Carolina and consists of two layers of cake full of chopped pecans, crushed pineapple, and mashed bananas that are filled and frosted with a delicious cream cheese icing.
Ingredients & Shopping List
Cake
• 3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Cups granulated sugar
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoons salt
• 2 Cups mashed ripe bananas
• 1 Cup drained crushed pineapple
• 1 1/4 Cups vegetable oil
• 3 Large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Cup (4 ounces) finely chopped pecans
Icing
• 8 Ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
• 5 Cups confectioners' sugar sifted
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions & Process
Cake
1. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt set aside
2. Cream together the sugar and vegetable oil
3. Add one egg at a time
4. Add the vanilla
5. Then add the bananas, and the pineapple
6. Add in three parts the flour mixture
7. Grease three 9-inch pans and pour the cake mixture in each
8. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Icing on the Cake
1. Cream the cream cheese and butter
2. Add the confectioners' sugar
3. Add the vanilla extract
What To Be Careful Of!
As soon as batter is ready put in oven right away
The Mast Farm Inn was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, as "one of the most complete and best preserved groups of nineteenth century farm buildings in western North Carolina."
To visit the Inn’s web site for more information go to: The Mast Farm Inn
If you know someone who likes to do his or her baking using the finest ingredients you can purchase a wonderful gift at: Bakers Bounty! Fancy Large Premium Black Walnuts & Native Pecan Halves
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
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To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Our friend Serena Ingre at the National Resources Defense Council has just let us know that the Natural Resources Defense Council is now accepting nominations for its second annual Growing Green Awards. New this year, in addition to the previous award categories, is a “Water Steward” category just for 2010. Applications are due December 4, 2009 and a $10,000 prize will go to the winning green “Food Producer.”
Through these national awards NRDC will recognize extraordinary contributions that advance ecologically integrated farming practices, climate stewardship, water stewardship, farmland preservation, and social responsibility from farm to fork. Author and sustainable food activist Michael Pollan will again be on the selection panel, along with Chair Susan Clark, the Executive Director of the Columbia Foundation, A.G. Kawamura, California’s Secretary of Agriculture, and Nora Pouillon, founder of the nation’s first certified organic restaurant.
A Growing Green Award will be given to an outstanding individual in each of four categories including “Food Producer,” “Business Leader,” “Thought Leader,” and “Water Steward.” All winners will be widely celebrated through outreach to media and NRDC’s networks.
Growing Green Awards Criteria
In selecting from nominees the awards selection panel will consider the following criteria:
• Innovation in promoting ecologically-integrated food systems. This may include minimizing inputs of energy water and chemicals; reducing pollution and global warming gas emissions; use of on-farm polyculture; increasing natural resilience; and stewardship of biodiversity pollinators open space and land resources.
• Potential to achieve wide scale adoption implementation or behavioral change.
• Advancement of health safety and economic viability for farmers farmworkers and rural communities.
To visit the organization's web site & get more information go to: National Resources Defense Council
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Founder and CEO of Seattle’s Theo Chocolate, Joseph Whinney, witnessed the effects of unfair, unsustainable cocoa trading as a conservation volunteer in Central America. That experience led him to pioneer the manufacture and supply of organic chocolate products as the first individual to import organic cocoa beans into North America in 1994. Over a decade later, Theo is proud to be the first to roast organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States.
Food and Wine Magazine honored Theo with an Eco-Epicurean Award for making the world "a better — and more delicious — place." Theo also won "Outstanding Chocolate" at the NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Eco-entrepreneurs deserve kudos for the risks they take to start up companies that strive for sustainability. Joe Whinney of Theo Chocolate is among the most deserving, so it’s quite fitting that the popular environmental news site Grist named him one of its top 15 green business founders.
All of Theo’s ingredients are carefully selected to ensure they meet the company’s high standards for social and environmental responsibility. As true chocolate makers, they carefully steward cacao (cocoa beans) through the process of roasting, blending and conching in order to coax out the distinctive flavor imparted by each unique growing region. Theo’s production is guided by their passion for chocolate and their ultimate goal is to lead the industry with the excellence and integrity of their offerings.
The company is located in a beautiful, historic building in Seattle, Washington. They welcome visitors for tours of the chocolate factory at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm, seven days a week, with additional tours at 10:00 am and 12:00 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The cost is just $6.00 per person. You can reserve a place on the tour by calling 206-632-5100. Tours last about 1 hour and include a thorough explanation of artisanal chocolate making and delicious samples! Theo’s factory is in the Fremont district of north Seattle at the intersection of Phinney Avenue North and 35th Avenue North.
If you’d like to purchase some of Theo’s award-winning gourmet chocolate click on any of the following:
Organic Chocolate from the Ivory Coast's Cacao - 74%
Theo Organic Chocolate Confections
Organic Chocolate from Ghana's Cacao - 84%
Organic Bread & Chocolate Bars
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For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Alice Waters (photo by David Liittschwager, courtesy of USF)
The University of San Francisco has just announced that legendary chef and restaurateur Alice Waters has been named the recipient of its 2009 California Prize for Service and the Common Good. The award recognizes significant service in pursuit of the common good for all members of society, and comes with a $10,000 purse and a handcrafted medal.
Alice Waters is a renowned chef and champion of food grown locally. She is credited with helping found the “slow food” movement that has revolutionized how we think about sustainable and organic agriculture. As owner of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, her influence is felt across the country as she raises consciousness about how the food we choose affects our health and our planet.
The Edible Schoolyard & the School Lunch Initiative
Waters also created the Chez Panisse Foundation in 1996 to support educational programs that use food to nurture, educate, and empower youth. Through The Edible Schoolyard and the School Lunch Initiative, the Foundation envisions a public school curriculum that includes hands-on experiences in school kitchens, gardens, and lunchrooms, and provides healthy, freshly prepared meals as part of each school day.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this year's California Prize for Service the Common Good from the University of San Francisco,” Alice Waters said upon learning of the honor. “This award recognizes the work of the Chez Panisse Foundation and shows that the university supports a school curriculum that gives students the knowledge and values to build a humane and sustainable future.”
“Alice has championed an understanding that raising and preparing what we eat is both an ethical exercise and an acknowledgement that we share the earth's resources and hold it in trust for future generations,” said Stephen A. Privett, S.J., University President. “She has worked tirelessly to introduce school children to responsible food production and healthy eating, especially those in underserved communities.”
Waters will be honored Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at a dinner hosted on the USF campus. Proceeds from the dinner will directly benefit USF student programs—including internships and service learning projects at home and abroad.
About the University of San Francisco
Established in 1855, USF is the city’s oldest university and is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country. The University of San Francisco is committed to being a premier Jesuit Catholic, urban university with a global perspective that educates leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world. With nearly 8,500 enrolled, the university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as persons and professionals, and the values and sensitivity necessary to be men and women for others.
For more information about USF’s California Prize for Service and the Common Good, or for details about the dinner event on November 5th, please visit: USF California Service Prize
To purchase a Bestseller by Alice Waters go to: The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
To view a previous post on the topic go to:
1. Getting Their Hands Dirty at School (The Edible Schoolyard)
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Soil-Saving Farming in Pennsylvania (photo by Scott Bauer, courtesy of USDA)
Our friends at the Food Alliance have sent us some great news for everyone who wants a healthier and more sustainable food system. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that Miles McEvoy has been hired to serve as Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program (NOP). McEvoy assumes his position on October 1st.
"Miles McEvoy has worked in the field of organic agriculture for more than two decades and has a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the organic community," Vilsack said.
Organically grown and marketed agricultural products are of key interest to the Obama Administration, and the NOP will be receiving increased funding and staffing in the new fiscal year.
Vilsack also announced that the NOP will become an independent program area within AMS because of the increased visibility and emphasis on organic agriculture throughout the farming community, evolving consumer preferences, and the enhanced need for governmental oversight of this widely expanded program.
For more than 20 years, McEvoy led the Washington State Department of Agriculture's (WSDA) Organic Food Program, one of the nation's first state organic certification programs. In 2001, he helped establish the WSDA Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program. From 1993 until 1995, McEvoy was the founding Director of The Food Alliance, a program that blends sustainable farming practices and social welfare components into an eco-label program.
McEvoy helped establish the National Association of State Organic Programs in 1998 and currently serves as its President. He also assisted the Montana Department of Agriculture to develop the state's organic certification program and has been helping the Oregon Department of Agriculture in developing its own organic certification program.
According to the USDA, NOP is responsible for regulating the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture, the organic industry. U.S. sales of organic foods have grown from $1 billion in 1990, when the Organic Foods Production Act established the NOP, to a projected $23.6 billion in 2009. Congress increased NOP funding to $2.6 million in FY08 and to $3.2 million in FY09, just a fraction of the billions in subsidies that go to giant agribusinesses.
To learn more about the efforts of the Food Alliance go to: Food Alliance
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Working to help kids make healthier food choices at school, the motto of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods is "Healthy Foods + Exercise = Better Health, Better Grades, Better Behavior.” On Wednesday, October 14th the group will present a special fundraising event, “Jam with Us, the Art of Healthy School Food” at the Peter Max Art Studio at West 65th Street in Manhattan. The event will run from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Food for the fundraising event will be provided by some of Manhattan’s healhiest caterers and restaurants:
• Angelica Kitchen
• Ayurveda Cafe
• Candle 79
• Candle Cafe Counter
• 4 Course Vegan
• Chef Laura Dardi
• Franchia
• Fran Costigan,
• Luxurious Vegan Desserts
• Green Bean Cafe
• Payard Patisserie
• Rama Sushi
• Slice, the Perfect Food
• Stogo
• VSpot
Beverages will be provided by:
• Ayala's Herbal Water
• Lakewood Juices
• Marble Hill Cellars
There will be Gift Bags For All!
Proceeds from the event will support work that is of vital importance to today's kids and provides busy parents with a helping hand to keep their children healthy.
NYCHSF cites research indicating "...that with proper education, children will select healthy options at a much higher rate than those who do not have such education." With that in mind, the non-profit organization is improving the health and well-being of New York's students by advocating for healthy plant-based foods, including local and organic where possible, farm to school programs, school gardens, the elimination of junk foods from all areas of the school, comprehensive nutrition policy, and education to create food- and health-literate students.
To visit the organization's web site & get more information go to: New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods.
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
Organic Oranges (photo by Darnok, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Organic products have shifted from being a lifestyle choice for a small share of consumers to being consumed at least occasionally by a majority of Americans, according to a recent briefing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA says consumer demand for organic goods has shown double-digit growth for well over a decade and provided market opportunities for American farmers across a broad range of products. Organic food is now available in nearly 3 of 4 grocery stores and account for over 3% of total U.S. food sales, according to recent industry statistics. The USDA has found that:
• Organic food is sold to consumers through three main venues in the United States—natural food stores, conventional grocery stores, and direct-to-consumer markets.
• A typical organic consumer is difficult to pinpoint, but new research continues to shed light on consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior.
• Organic price premiums continue to remain high in many markets as the demand for organic products expands.
Providing American families with the option of enjoying food raised without pesticides has been one of the great achievements of the organic farmers movement. Growing demand for organic foods by consumers continues to be a promising trend for the American food system. Along with quests for more flavor and better nutritional value, the desire to avoid pesticides has been a key driver of the demand for organics.
There’s a long way to go to overcome decades of unhealthy practices driven by the industrial food system. By our count there have now been at least six studies establishing a link between pesticides and Parkinson disease. Another found evidence that pesticides made it more likely to develop cancer. Some researchers have theorized that the reason organic produce has a higher nutritional content than conventionally-grown food is due to pesticides inhibiting the production of nutrients in plants.
We can all play a part in creating a healthier and more sustainable food system by demanding that our food be raised without toxic pesticides. Our bodies, our planet, and our children will be the beneficiaries.
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group offers a guide you can carry in your wallet, "so when you're shopping you'll know which produce to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are okay if organic isn't available.”
For a free download of the EWG’s guide go to: Shoppers Guide to Pesticides
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
While one of every eight people in America is food insecure, millions of backyard gardeners grow far more produce than they can possibly use. Since early May, the AmpleHarvest.org campaign has been enabling America's backyard gardeners to find local food pantries and then share their garden bounty with them.
Thankfully, the campaign is rolling out nationwide and over 800 food pantries and food banks across America have already registered. More are signing up every day! The campaign's goal is to diminish hunger in America by facilitating the donation of excess backyard garden produce that might otherwise spoil.
The AmpleHarvest.org campaign is an outgrowth of a nonprofit 503(c)(1) sustainability organization and has received support from many groups including,
• National Gardening Association
• Garden Writers of America
• USDA
• Google Inc.
• Rotary International
• VFW
• YMCA
• Numerous faith groups
• Food/Hunger bloggers
• Many food banks overseeing the pantries
AmpleHarvest.org is a first of its kind site. It doesn't just provide a list of area food pantries, it offers driving instructions from the donors to their local pantries. Pantries can post a photograph of its building to make it easier to find. It also enables the food pantry to inform donors who are not gardeners as to exactly which store bought items they do or do not want.
So,
• If you work at a food pantry, please register with AmpleHarvest.org (see link below) as soon as possible so that backyard gardeners can easily find you when they harvest their crops
• If you are a backyard gardener, please be generous with your bounty.
• Regardless of who you are, please inform any pantries or gardeners you may know about the AmpleHarvest.org campaign.
Although many people are concerned about their own economic situation, the AmpleHarvest.org campaign enables Americans to help their neighbors by reaching into their backyards instead of their back pockets.
To learn more about the terrific work of this organization and see how you might help go to: Ample Harvest
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
Grape Vines in Sonoma (photo by David Ellis, courtesy of morguefile.com)
The 2nd Annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend will feature tastings, tours, demonstrations and seminars showcasing over 200 artisan wineries, growers, chefs and food purveyors. It is the area’s largest wine and food fundraiser, having donated more than $8 million to local charities that support students, children, farm workers and people in need.
One of the country’s premier food and wine events, the three days of activity includes the 30th Annual Showcase: Taste of Sonoma, which will take place Saturday, September 5th from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Sonoma’s famed MacMurray Ranch vineyards in Healdsburg. Sonoma Wine Country Weekend will culminate on Sunday September 6th with the 17th Annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars in Sonoma.
“Taste of Sonoma is an epicurean event unlike any other,” said Executive Producer Maureen Cottingham, “offering boundless opportunities for wine lovers and foodies alike to sip and savor the diversity of our rich farm-to-table heritage alongside the growers, winemakers and chefs who’ve made Sonoma one of the world’s great food and wine destinations.”
Some of the Highlights
• Sonoma County Appellation Grand Food and Wine Tasting: An immersion experience, with more than 150 wineries pouring thousands of wines, and over 60 local chefs whipping up divine pairings. This is a rare opportunity to go one on one with artisan producers representing the four distinct appellations of one of the most diverse and bountiful growing regions in the world.
• Sonoma's Sommelier Stars Wine and Food Tasting Tours: Sonoma's own celebrity sommelier, Christopher Sawyer, has assembled an all-star team of nationally acclaimed sommeliers who will be on-hand to provide 30 minute guided tours through the Grand Tasting Tents. With their knowledgeable guidance, guests will discover hidden gems, try new varieties, and enjoy expert insights on expanding their wine appreciation and knowledge. Registration is taken the day of the event.
• The Gloria Ferrer Bubble Lounge: Located at the entrance to Showcase: Taste of Sonoma, the Gloria Ferrer Bubble Lounge offers visitors a chance to toast the day with a bit of bubbly paired with small bites, presented by Cindy Friedman, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards Certified Wine Educator.
• The Crushpad: A unique “grape to glass” tasting and demonstration presented by local grape growers and winemakers. Guests will sample freshly picked grapes, juice from a basket press demonstrating and finally a taste of the finished bottled wine from the highlighted vineyard, presented by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.
• The Gourmet Kitchen: Steel Chef Competition and Cooking Demonstrations: Sonoma County's most celebrated chefs face off in a fast paced, fun and educational competition for the coveted title of Sonoma County's Chef of Steel. The audience will learn to flip, dip, chop and whip like the pros in the demonstration kitchen, where throughout the day Sonoma's top chefs will share the tricks of the trade, including new recipes, techniques and innovative ways to flavor food.
• Sonoma County Marketplace: Explore the bounty of one of the world’s most fertile food sheds brought to market by small, local family farms. Guests can browse, sample and purchase high-quality, artisanal ingredients used by local chefs and explore the new sustainable and organic area, to learn how to incorporate “green” foods and products into the home pantry.
• Silent Auction: Benefiting the Redwood Empire Food Bank: the Taste of Sonoma Silent Auction and Big Bottle Bid offers bidders a chance to take home prized bottlings from local winery cellars, one-of-a-kind etched bottles, and other terrific trips and packages.
• A Self-Guided Walk-Around Retrospective: “Legacy of the Land: 150 Years on a Russian River Valley Ranch”: Experience the living history of MacMurray Ranch through a never-before-seen exhibition detailing ranch life from the late 19th Century to today. The exhibit is displayed in the oldest structure on the ranch, called the Prune Shed in reference to the principal Russian River Valley cash crop of the early 1900s. From subsistence farming to elite Pinot Noir, the history of MacMurray Ranch tells a story of Sonoma County agriculture from the 1850s to the 21st Century. Experience this exhibition while enjoying MacMurray Ranch Wines!
Named one of the “Ten Best Wine and Food Events in the United States” by Celebrated Living magazine, Taste of Sonoma is a coveted ticket. General Admission is $150 per person. Visa Signature cardholders receive a special price of $95 per person, as well as other event perks when they use their card to purchase tickets. Grand Reserve tickets are $195 per person. Grand Reserve ticket holders receive additional privileges throughout the event and access to exclusive venues featuring rare wines, gracious hospitality and special behind-the-scenes benefits.
For more info and to purchase tickets go to: 2009 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
(Image courtesy of Glamour © 2009)
Considering it stars America’s greatest actress and tells the story of its most famous cook, it’s little wonder the film “Julie & Julia” has garnered so much attention and critical praise.
Being big fans of the thespian, the chef and tarragon, we’re pleased that our friend Amanda Williamson of Glamour called our attention to her magazine’s publication of an item by Ms. Streep’s about her regard for a classic recipe from Ms. Childs. It seems the actress’s skills in the kitchen are not in the same class as her talent on the stage and screen, timing being one major challenge. She writes, “I have usually timed everything wrong, and we have the whole meal, with the potatoes, ready right after dessert.”
Undaunted, she’s found inspiration from the words of Ms. Childs, who said, “Never apologize” and never make excuses. Ms. Streep need make no excuses when it comes to her sense of thrift. She’s offered tips on “how you make a chicken last the workweek.”
As for the recipe’s main ingredient, she writes, “And make sure it’s organic chicken with no growth hormones or antibiotics added. I like Julia’s chicken tarragon recipe.” We like Ms. Streep’s preference for sustainable food!
Here’s Julia Child’s Tarragon Chicken Recipe:
Ingredients
• 1 Three-lb. roasting chicken, rinsed in cold water inside and out
• 3/4 Teaspoon. salt, divided
• Pinch of pepper
• 7 Tablespoon butter, divided
• 8 Sprigs fresh (or 1 teaspoon dried) tarragon
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1/2 Cup sliced onions
• 1/4 Cup sliced carrots
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Season cavity of chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt, ground pepper and 1 tbsp. butter. Insert 4 sprigs (or 1/2 tsp. dried) tarragon. Feeling ambitious? Truss chicken with kitchen string. (Learn how online at mahalo.com/how-to-truss-a-chicken.) Dry chicken well and rub skin with 1 tbsp. butter.
2. On a stove top, set casserole pot over medium heat; melt 2 tbsp. butter and add 1 tbsp. oil. When butter foam subsides, lay in chicken, breast side down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter is always hot but not burning. Turn chicken on another side using wooden spoons or a towel. Do not break the chicken skin! Continue browning and turning (about 10 to 15 minutes) until golden all over. Add more oil if necessary to keep bottom of casserole filmed. Remove chicken; set aside.
3. Pour out fat if there are a lot of blackened bits on the bottom of the pot. If necessary, add 3 more tbsp. butter. Cook onions and carrots on low in casserole pot, 5 minutes, without browning. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and 4 sprigs (or 1/2 tsp. dried) tarragon.
4. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt. Set it breast side up over the vegetables; dab with butter. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over chicken, cover casserole with lid and reheat on top of the stove until chicken sizzles. Place the casserole pot on a rack in the oven.
5. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting once or twice. Chicken is done when the drumsticks move in their sockets and juices run clear.
6. Discard strings (if trussed) and serve!
If you’d like to read Meryl Streep’s thoughts on cooking in Glamour go to: Hollywood Cooking: Julia Child Is Making You Dinner
If you'd like to purchase our favorite extra virgin olive oil from Stella Cadente, click on: L'Autunno Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farm, Crescent City, California (photo courtesy of Cornucopia Institute)
President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack are being urged to take immediate action to repair the USDA’s increasingly dysfunctional National Organic Program (NOP). Suspect imports of grains, nuts, and vegetables from China and other countries, questionable organic milk, beef, and eggs from giant factory farms, and a cozy relationship between USDA managers and corporate agribusiness lobbyists are said to be injuring the organic label's reputation.
Consumer demand for organic foods has skyrocketed in recent years, propelling organics into a $24 billion dollar a year business. That same hunger for organics has encouraged some large corporations, factory farms, and foreign producers to move into the U.S. organic business—but without allegedly upholding federal organic production standards.
The Cornucopia Institute, a national organic watchdog representing family farmers, has sent a formal letter and briefing paper to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack, specifically asking that they take “a very strong and proactive posture in turning around management at the National Organic Program (NOP),” which they described as being “Katrina-ed” by the Bush administration. Thousands of organic farmers and consumers have also contacted the President and USDA Secretary.
“The stewardship of the organic program at the USDA has been an absolute abomination,” said Mark A. Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. “It was not just management by neglect—it was an intentional monkeywrenching of the Department's oversight of the industry.”
In the last several years, audits prepared by the American National Standards Institute and the Inspector General's office have blasted the NOP for failing to ensure that independent certification agencies, which verify organic farming and production practices, are competent and properly performing their jobs.
Washington Post Reports on Investigation at USDA
According to a July 3rd Washington Post story, the USDA's Inspector General's office has widened an ongoing investigation and is looking at the Department's oversight of private certifiers. The Cornucopia Institute formally requested the Inspector General’s investigation after Bush administration officials failed to look into alleged improprieties by management at the organic program.
Among other grievances, the Department is accused of sidestepping protections and oversight implemented by Congress. According to the Post, 65 policy resolutions adopted by the National Organic Standards Board, the expert citizen advisory panel to the NOP, have never been reviewed or implemented since 2002.
“In addition to starving the National Organic Program for adequate funding, the political environment at the USDA has always been hostile to the organic industry,” said Kastel.
During the Bush administration, political appointees at the USDA had also significantly softened penalties for organic lawbreakers and overruled stiff enforcement actions recommended by career civil servants for factory farms that were found to be willfully violating federal organic standards. Other complaints detailing abuses on factory farms were quashed or went uninvestigated.
“If organic food production and eating had not caught on so well, we wouldn't see these scofflaws doing their thing,” observed Merrill Clark, a certified organic livestock farmer from Michigan and former member of the National Organic Standards Board. Clark added, “It’s time to change the culture at the USDA.”
The Cornucopia Institute launched a “Change@USDA” campaign earlier this year and is helping stakeholders in the organic community to unite for rehabilitation of the NOP. The farm group has helped coordinate many letters from industry stakeholders, letters to both Mr. Obama and Secretary Vilsack, from farmers, retailers, business executives and consumers, supporting a sweeping management shakeup at the National Organic Program.
Positive Change at USDA
One sign that the new administration at the USDA is taking the concerns of organic and sustainable farming interests to heart was the appointment by Secretary Vilsack of Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, a Tufts University assistant professor, as USDA Deputy Secretary. Merrigan helped write the original organic law adopted by Congress as an aide to its prime sponsor, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
“I cannot think of a more qualified public policy expert to take on this important role at what Abraham Lincoln referred to as the ‘people's department, ’” Kastel affirmed. The Cornucopia Institute, and many other farm organizations, lobbied hard for Merrigan's appointment. “I hope this is representative of President Obama and Secretary Vilsack subscribing to the old adage that ‘good government equals good politics,’” he added.
“The certified organic label belongs to the thousands of ethical organic family farmers, and their consumer allies and patrons, who have built the vibrant organic agricultural and food market,” said Peter Wiesner, General Manager at the Hungry Hollow Co-op in Chestnut Ridge, New York. “We need new management at the National Organic Program if we are to reclaim the organic label,” Wiesner said.
Family-Scale Organic Dairies Facing Crisis
As questions swirl around the handling of organics by the NOP, a true crisis is unfolding in the organic dairy sector. Ethical organic dairy farmers, and the co-ops and family-owned businesses they partner with for processing and marketing, are getting hammered by cheap, allegedly phony "organic" milk from giant factory farms and alleged predatory pricing by the $11 billion agribusiness behemoth, Dean Foods.
Dean Foods, owner of 50 different milk brands, including the nation’s leading organic dairy label, Horizon Organic, has heavily discounted their retail pricing, driving down market prices for all competitors. Dean/Horizon gets a large percentage of their milk from their Idaho industrial dairy, which has managed as many as 8,000 head of cattle, and from many other mega-farms they contract with. Just this week, it was announced that Dean Foods would come out with a "natural" version of Horizon milk products positioned as a new, lower-cost competitor to organic dairy.
"Natural milk is really conventional milk without bovine growth hormones, so Dean Foods’ introduction of Horizon “natural” dairy products is just plain profiteering at the expense of legitimate organic farmers,” said Will Fantle, research director at Cornucopia. “Unlike organics, there is no independent 3rd party verification of this claim, and “natural” fails to include other key organic practices, such as prohibitions against toxic agrichemicals, antibiotics and other drugs in livestock production, as well as unhealthy synthetic food additives in the final product,” added Fantle. Organic dairy production standards also require that the animals graze on pasture rather than being confined to feedlots on factory farms.
Meanwhile, the majority of the private-label, also called “store-brand,” milk (which is usually cheaper than branded organic milk) marketed by Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway, Target, and other grocery chains comes from the controversial Aurora Dairy, operator of five giant factory farms in Texas and Colorado. The USDA found that Aurora had seriously violated the organic regulations but instead of decertifying the operation, as was recommended by career civil servants, the Bush Administration allowed them to continue in business.
In their research The Cornucopia Institute has stressed that although corporate marketers are large they are sad aberrations in the organic industry. "90% of all the namebrand organic dairy products reviewed in our survey were rated as excellent in terms of their adherence to both the letter and spirit of the organic law, stated the Cornucopia's Kastel. Their scorecard of 110 organic brands, for use by consumers or wholesale buyers, is available on their website.
Coverage of the slowdown in the organic dairy market was also poignantly featured in the pages of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on July 3rd, the same day the Post’s investigative report ran. The Dispatch’s story featured organic dairy farmers that were being squeezed out of business, allegedly, in part, because of a flood of milk from giant factory farms that had been allowed to operate illegally.
"I have invested my life in building this dairy farm,” said Kevin Poetker, a dairy producer from Waterloo, Missouri who has now lost his market for organic milk. "Now my entire livelihood and the financial future of my family is at risk."
Cornucopia Institute Calls for Action
"For many family-scale farmers, who face financial ruin, this is a legitimate emergency and we need the Obama administration to step in immediately,” appealed Cornucopia's Kastel.
Cornucopia is calling on the USDA to aggressively enforce federal organic regulations that would control abuses occurring in the organic dairy sector. Enforcement has been spotty, at best, at the USDA. A number of legal complaints filed by Cornucopia documenting alleged violations of organic law on industrial scale dairies, and other improprieties, were never investigated by the Department.
Farmers and other industry stakeholders can still make their personal appeal to president Obama and USDA secretary Vilsack by downloading a proxy-letter from the “action alerts” section of the Cornucopia Institute's website: www.cornucopia.org
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Organic Oranges (photo by Darnok, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Even in tough economic times many parents are more concerned about the health hazards that pesticides and harmful preservatives pose to their children than they are about the cost of organic food. Their concern has led to remarkable growth in the sales of organic baby food.
According to a report published by the research firm RNCOS, World Organic Foods And Beverages Report (2006), organic food still accounts for only a tiny share of the overall baby food market, but soared about 21.6% to reach $116 million twelve months ending February 24, 2007 – after jumping almost 16.4% the previous year, according to the Nielsen Company. Overall, baby food sales grew by just 3.1%, reaching $3.7 billion during the same period.
As various studies have found that organically grown foods contain more nutrients in comparison to their conventional version, customers spent about $13.8 billion on organic food during 2005, an annual growth of about 20%.
The RNCOS report says the organic food market in the U.S. generated $15.9 billion in revenues during 2006, representing an annual growth rate of 16.61% for the five-year period spanning 2002-2006. the growth rate for the organic food market in the U.S. will slow, but will remain the highest revenue generator globally for the foreseeable future.
Sales of organic fruits and vegetables were the greatest contributor to the growth in sales. Total revenues generated by that segment reached $6.6 billion, almost 41.4% of the overall organic food market, in 2006.
If you’d like to view some of the previous posts on the topic click on any of the following:
1. We Want to Know What's in Our Children's Milk!
2. Just Say No to Pesticides
3.The Growth of Organic Food Sales is Starting to Slow
4. Guide to Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables
5. American Families Turn to Organic Milk
6. Pesticides Lead to Parkinson Disease
7. New Evidence Says Organic is Healthier
8. Old World Scientists Agree: Organic Is Healthier
Farm Fresh Produce (photo by Kevin Connors, courtesy of morguefile.com)
U.S. sales of organic products, both food and non-food, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1% over 2007 sales despite tough economic times, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA).
While the overall economy has been losing ground, sales of organic products reflect very strong growth during 2008. “Organic products represent value to consumers, who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.
The OTA’s 2009 Organic Industry Survey, conducted by Lieberman Research Group, measured the growth of U.S. sales of organic foods and beverages as well as non-food categories such as organic fibers, personal care products and pet foods during 2008. Results show organic food sales grew in 2008 by 15.8% to reach $22.9 billion, while organic non-food sales grew by an astounding 39.4% to reach $1.6 billion. As a result, organic food sales now account for approximately 3.5% of all food product sales in the United States.
“This marks another milestone for the organic food market,” said Bushway.
With tough economic times, consumers have used various strategies in continuing to buy organic products. Because most venues now offer organic products, consumers have the opportunity to shop around. Increased use of coupons, the proliferation of private label brands, and value-positioned products offered by major organic brands all have contributed to increased sales.
The final report of the Organic Trade Association’s 2009 Organic Industry Survey is now available for purchase. Orders can be placed online at: OTA's 2009 Organic Industry Survey
Organic Produce & Egg (photo by Mary Thorman, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Like those in countries around the globe, the people of the United Kingdom are feeling the effects of the world’s financial downturn. Since last summer unemployment has risen and retail sales have fallen. Still, the 2009 Organic Market Report from the U.K.’s Soil Association says:
…there is a core of consumers who are in no mood to ditch their commitment to organic products. They are far more likely to cut their spending on eating out, leisure activities and holidays than to reduce what they spend on organic food. They would rather economize by buying cheaper cuts of organic meat or by buying frozen organic vegetables than by compromising their organic principles.
The report says that to trim spending, U.K. consumers have been “shopping less often, buying fewer premium products and prepared foods, and switching to lower-cost retailers.” Organic consumers have engaged in belt-tightening measures along with the rest of the populace, according to the report, but “36% of these committed organic consumers expect to spend more on organic food in 2009, and only 15% expect to spend less.”
The authors of the report see the expansion of organic farming as essential to the reduction of carbon emissions and are optimistic about the future of the organic market in the United Kingdom:
Against this background it is encouraging to report that sales of organic food increased by 1.7% last year – in marked contrast to the prophecies of doom made by some. This growth points to some underlying resilience in the organic market, suggesting that it has the potential to grow dynamically once the economy picks up.
If you’d like to read the full report from the Soil Association go to: 2009 Organic Market Report
A brief survey of today’s store shelves will attest to the desire of American consumers to make eco-friendly purchases and marketers’ efforts to give them what they want. The trend covers almost all product categories, but producers of organic spirits remain a pretty elite group.
Crop Harvest Earth and Square One Organic Spirits have successfully crafted premium vodkas using organic grain harvested from healthy soil, free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This month, boutique American vodka producer, Blue Ice Vodka, joined the select band of environmental producers with the launch of Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka. It is the brand’s first new vodka since 2001, when it introduced Blue Ice Vodka, distilled from Idaho Russet Potatoes and acclaimed for its smooth taste.
Complementing Blue Ice’s hallmark potato vodka, Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka continues the tradition of founder Jim Myerson’s commitment to producing premium spirits reflective of the quality and purity of Idaho’s natural resources. The new vodka is certified organic by the USDA, as Master Distiller Bill Scott uses no chemical additives of any kind.
A press release from the company says, “Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka features a harmonious blend of pristine Idaho water and locally harvested, certified organic winter wheat.” Giving the new vodka an exceptionally high rating for its taste, the Beverage Testing Institute described it as, “smooth, lively and lightly spicy.”
“In a crowded market inundated with fly-by-night brands…Blue Ice Vodka’s flagship potato vodka has parlayed into the birth of Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka, the next natural progression in this family-owned operation’s devotion to bottling exceptional American vodkas,” said Kevin Egan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for 21st Century Spirits, owner of Blue Ice.
U.S. Government Poster from World War II (courtesy of Library of Congress)
(Editors' Note: As our way of offering small thanks to all those who took the time to develop, dispense and sign petitions for the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt plamted a Victory Garden, we decided to republish the following item.)
Are Victory Gardens an idea whose time has come back? Could a quick history lesson lead to a better future?
During World War II Americans lived with rations of such necessities as tires, gasoline, sugar, and other foodstuffs. The US government encouraged ordinary people to create Victory Gardens; small plots of fruits and vegetables to stave off food shortages so more mass-produced food could be sent to feed the troops.
The people responded. Two million Americans created Victory Gardens in their backyards or communities. According to author Michael Pollan, "...during World War II, Victory Gardens supplied as much as 40% of the produce Americans ate."
Victory Gardens were more than a war time activity, they were a social phenomenon. Schools and families planted Victory Gardens together, often on communal land. Families caught up on news as they planted and harvested. Nutrition information was widely disseminated to help home cooks create balanced meals for their families. Our current obesity epidemic must have been unimaginable to those gardeners.
Today there are many gardens that are very much like the Victory Gardens of old. In backyards across America folks are growing their own produce, spices and herbs. They harvest fruits and vegetables that have been raised without pesticides and enjoy them when they are at the peak of their freshness and nutritional value. Adding home-grown fare to the fresh produce from a local farm stand or a farmers market gives gardeners the best of both worlds.
If you’d like to try your hand at growing some food of your own but don’t have your own backyard, you can join a community garden. In 2004, the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) estimated that there were already 18,000 community gardens across the USA and Canada. Urban community gardens can be found from South Central Los Angeles to the Bronx in New York City. If there’s no community garden near your home, think about organizing your neighbors to get one started.
Funded by federal grants, GreenThumb has been a program of the NYC Parks Department since 1995. The nonprofit organization has over 600 member gardens serving 20,000 city residents. New York University released a study of the effect of community gardens on nearby property values. The study of 636 community gardens in NYC showed a positive effect on sales prices of residential properties within a 1,000-foot radius of a community garden when compared to properties outside the 1,000-foot ring, but still in the same neighborhood. The effect was significant and increasing over time. The tax benefit to the city over a 20-year period was estimated at $647 million dollars or $1 million per garden. Who knows how much might be saved on medical costs by the healthier diet the gardens make possible.
Not all benefits are measured in dollars. Here’s what Karen Washington from the Garden of Hope in the Bronx had to say about her experience:
To grow your own food gives you a sort of power and it gives people dignity. You know exactly what you’re eating because you grew it. It’s good, it’s nourishing and you did this for yourself, your family and your community.
Victory Gardens could bring down the cost of food for American families and make organic poroduce more widely available. We could reduce America’s reliance on oil simply by keeping vegetable gardens and cutting down on the amount of food that has to be transported by truck. Victory Gardens would reduce the need for petroleum-based fertilizers on giant corporate farms. If you’re unhappy about where all the money Americans spend on oil and gasoline is going, then spread the word: Bring Back the Victory Gardens!
Our friend Eve Sibley has asked that you "Please consider signing and passing on the petition below urging our next leadership to reestablish the Victory Garden model in the United States. We have done it before, we can do it again."
Bring Back the Victory Gardens Petition
If you'd like to start a garden in your community or your backyard here's some info that should help:
American Community Gardening Association
Funding & Other Support for Community Gardens
Cooking from the Heart of the Garden
Scenic Chicago (photo by Dave Cameron, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Chicago magazine has announced the recipients of its third annual Green Awards, honoring Chicagoans who are pioneering smart, new environmental ideas. Two of the organizations receiving awards have made remarkable use of sustainable food practices to help those in the City of Big Shoulders who face tough barriers to employment.
Growing Home
Harry Rhodes and Orrin Williams operate Growing Home, a nonprofit that uses organic farming to provide job training for hard-to-employ individuals. The organization harvested its first crop of vegetables from a ten-acre organic farm in LaSalle County in 2001. Since then, Harry Rhodes, 49, and Orrin Williams, 59, have graduated 130 trainees from their program. About 80% of them have been homeless at one time or another and about 90% have been incarcerated.
Growing Home now also operates an organic garden in Back of the Yards, and a year-round urban organic farm on the once deserted industrial lot in hardscrabble West Englewood. The fruits of the labor are sold at a seasonal Wood Street farm stand, through a booming home delivery program, at Green City Market in Lincoln Park, and at the Englewood Farmers Market, which Williams launched in 2008, with the help of students from Lindblom Math and Science Academy, his alma mater. In a neighborhood devoid of grocery stores and with little access to fresh produce, Williams sees the farmers market as the first small step in a string of green ventures that will bring new life and jobs to the area and become a model that others can use.
Sweet Beginnings
Employment Network is a not-for-profit agency that helps neighborhood residents find jobs. With a labor force in waiting, and a yard for beehives, Palms Barber began an urban apiary program called Sweet Beginnings. The business teaches ex-offenders to produce the Beeline brand of all-natural honey and honey-based skin care products, and, along the way, the workers attain job skills for permanent employment.
Beeline products leave a low carbon footprint, are made of natural ingredients, and can be purchased at several boutiques and Whole Foods stores in the Chicago area. Palms Barber hopes to soon distribute to more locations and open a bigger production facility. So far, Sweet Beginnings has been a success: Only three of the 108 employees that have graduated from the Sweet Beginnings program have returned to prison.
The winners were selected from more than 100 nominees suggested by readers, community leaders, and Chicago magazine staff. “We are delighted to honor such an illustrious group of individuals for our third annual Green Awards,” said Richard Babcock, editor of Chicago magazine.
Chicago magazine is a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune Co., publisher of the award-winning Chicago Tribune newspaper.
To view profiles of all six of the individuals honored with Chicago magazine’s Green Awards in 2009, go to: Galvanized: Six Profiles in Green
Organic Tomatoes (photo by Dmitri Jeltovski, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Providing American families with the option of enjoying food raised without pesticides has been one of the great achievements of the organic farmers movement. The growing demand for organic foods by consumers continues to be a promising trend for the American food system. Along with quests for more flavor and better nutritional value, the desire to avoid pesticides has been a key driver of the demand for organics.
Even in these challenging economic times research from the Mintel International Group indicates that hormone-free milk and organic baby food, are expected to continue to sell well. Mintel says households with small children that ate organic before the recession will probably continue doing so.
Still, there’s a long way to go to overcome decades of unhealthy practices driven by the industrial food system. By our count there have now been at least six studies establishing a link between pesticides and Parkinson disease. Scientists from Duke University, Miami University and the Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence “found those exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times higher risk” of suffering from the debilitating disease. A study conducted at India’s Patiala University found evidence that pesticides have damaged the DNA of farmers in that country, making them more likely to develop cancer. Other researchers have theorized that the reason organic produce has a higher nutritional content than conventionally-grown food is due to pesticides inhibiting the production of nutrients in plants.
We can all play a part in creating a healthier and more sustainable food system by demanding that our food be raised without toxic pesticides. Our bodies, our planet, and our children will be the beneficiaries.
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group offers a guide you can carry in your wallet, "so when you're shopping you'll know which produce to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are okay if organic isn't available.”
For a free download of the EWG’s guide go to: Shoppers Guide to Pesticides
Here's the EWG's link to its full guide: FoodNews.Org (You must provide your email address for the full guide.)
Make a tax deductible contribution to the Environmental Working Group and they’ll send the guide in the form of a refrigerator magnet!
Organic Produce (photo by Dmitri Jeltovski, courtesy of morguefile.com)
In the rapidly changing world of foods and their origins, most people know that products labeled “Organic” and “Natural” are good for them and the environment. But many people don’t know why. This is the premise of a new video series, Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA, produced by Wide World HD Productions, Seattle, WA.
The series is being created to bring the public up close and personal to develop a better understanding of organic and natural farming practices, foods and products that are produced in harmony with nature. Enthusiasm for the series has been extremely positive, but securing sponsorship funding from the organic community has proved to be a challenge for the producers.
“A better informed public will make smarter choices for the food they consume and for the environment we live in…,” said John Wehman, Producer for Discovering Our Organic Planet – USA in a press release, “…and we believe that one of the best ways to reach a larger audience is to create an intriguing and entertaining documentary series that will explain the basics of organics so all can understand.”
As an independent production company, creating a documentary series of this scale is a massive undertaking. “It’s definitely a challenge, but well worth the adventure.” states Wehman. “The support for our series, from the organic and natural food community has been tremendous. But raising funds to cover production costs has been a constant frustration for us.”
Discovering Our Organic Planet – USA, a not-for-profit project, is being funded solely by tax-deductible sponsorship contributions from companies, farms and organizations active in the organic community, philanthropic foundations, and individual contributions.
If you’d like to learn more about the documentary series or make a tax-deductible contribution go to: Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA
You can also contact John Wehman, the Producer, via email: DiscoveringOurOrganicPlanet@comcast.net, or call him 206-427-4978
When the Weed family of Cayuga County in upstate New York began Schoolyard Sugarbush to make pure maple syrup they had already been making pancake mix for three generations. A young Danielle was puzzled at receiving a gift of 25 metal spikes from her grandparents one winter when her mom told her, “You’ll learn to use them this spring.”
And learn she did. There in the schoolyard of an old one-room schoolhouse where several aunts and uncles had received their first years of formal education, Danielle and her father began yet another science lesson in her home education.
Having made pancake mix at the family’s New Hope Mills for many years it was only natural to combine pancakes and maple syrup. The family’s background gave them a good understanding of the quality, flavor and coloring of pure maple syrup. For the Weed family the quality of the product is paramount. Any product they make is produced in the most eco-friendly way, absolutely free from chemical additives and artificial ingredients. Under organic standards the maple forest must be protected by buffer zones from poisonous run off and environmentally harmful fertilizers, exactly as the family would have it.
If you’re in Moravia, Cayuga County in upstate New York, visitors are welcome anytime they’re boiling at the roadside sugarhouse. Guests entering the sugarhouse comment most on the amazing aroma of the syrup. Some even say a perfume should be developed. So stop in. You’ll learn the taste and aroma of Natures Sweetener. The address of the sugarhouse is 5967 Appletree Point Road in Moravia; within 300 feet of corner at 41A and Appletree Point Road.
If you can’t make it to the sugarhouse but would like to purchase some of the Weed family’s fine syrup go to:
100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup
Heirloom Tomatoes (Photo courtesy of TomatoFest.com)
TomatoFest® Garden Seeds today announced that "black" tomatoes again rank high in the "Top 10" list of favorite heirloom tomatoes going into 2009. The "Top 10" favorite heirloom tomatoes are:
1. Brandywine (pink)
2. Paul Robeson (purple/black)
3. Aussie (red)
4. Julia Child (pink)
5. Cherokee Purple (purple/black)
6. Black Cherry (purple/black)
7. Kellogg's Breakfast (orange)
8. Gold Medal (yellow/red striped)
9. Aunt Ginny's Purple (purple/black)
10. Carmello (red)
"Black" tomatoes were more popular in 2008 than in any prior year," said Gary Ibsen, grower of 600 varieties of certified organic, heirloom tomatoes in California, and founder of TomatoFest® Garden Seeds, a prominent internet retailer of organic heirloom tomato seeds.
"The purple/black colored heirloom tomatoes continue to rise in popularity at produce markets, with restaurant chefs, and with home gardeners for the 6th year in a row," "Black" tomatoes are fast becoming as popular as many of the best tasting pink and red tomatoes."
"Black" tomatoes are not really black," remarked Ibsen. "They cover a range of dark colors, including deep purple, dusky deep brown, smoky mahogany with dark green shoulders, and bluish-brown. The depth of colors seems to be encouraged by a higher acid and mineral content in the soil."
"Black" tomatoes are native to Southern Ukraine. In the early 19th century they existed in only a small region of the Crimean Peninsula. Then they started showing up as new varieties in many shapes and sizes and appeared throughout the territories of the former Soviet Union. After that they began turning up in the former Yugoslavia, Germany and the United States.
"A survey of our tomato seed sales to home gardeners and commercial tomato farmers, along with a review of our sales of fresh heirloom tomatoes to retailers and restaurants, demonstrate soundly that consumers have discovered the superior and complex flavors of the "black" heirloom tomatoes, and are selecting these bold colors along with their mix of favorite red, pink, orange and bi-colored tomatoes, said Ibsen."
Also showing a rise in popularity in 2008 with a greater presence in produce markets, are sweeter tasting bi-colored tomatoes, and a wider selection of different colored cherry tomatoes.
If you’d like to order from a tremendous selection of organic heirloom tomato seeds go to: Gary Ibsen’s Tomato Fest
Teaching middle school can be a real test of wills, but the Edible Schoolyard has been passing that test for years. It’s a cooking and gardening program wholly integrated into the school’s daily life. The organic garden is flourishing and the kitchen is filled with delicious smells, music, and enthusiastic young chefs. Students work together to shape and plant beds, amend soil, turn compost, and harvest flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In the kitchen classroom, students prepare and eat delicious seasonal dishes from produce they have grown in the garden.
The Garden is designed and maintained using sound ecological practices that are reflected in all aspects of the project, from the way the food is grown, harvested and prepared, to the recycling of waste back into the earth. Located on the campus of Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, California, the nonprofit program grew out of a conversation between gourmet chef and author Alice Waters, and former King Middle School Principal Neil Smith more than a decade ago. For her efforts in bringing the program to fruition, Alice Waters was one of 10 people in the nation awarded the John Stanford Education Heroes Award by the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1999. Ms. Waters is the owner of the nationally renowned restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
To learn more about the Edible Schoolyard and how you can start a program at your school click here: The Edible Schoolyard
Fresh Carrots & Coriander (photo by Scott Liddell, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Families across America remain concerned about the threat pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics pose to their health, but tough economic times are making many hesitant to pay premium prices for organic food.
The desire to feed their families the most healthful fare has combined with concerns about the effect of large-scale factory farming on the environment to make organics a $20 billion business in the U.S. According to some sources the annual rate of growth over past years has been an astonishing 24% or more, but an Associated Press article published by Yahoo! says the growth rate is likely to slip to 18% over the next several years.
According to the AP article:
Market research firm NPD Group said the number of people who reported buying organic products fell 4 percent in August, compared with a year earlier. While more than one in five surveyed in the latest figures available from NPD purchased organic products, the August data represented the first customer losses for the sector since February 2006 -- a decline that is expected to accelerate in the months ahead.
It is lamentable when people are faced with a choice between buying the healthiest food for their kids and staying within the family budget. Still, there are plenty of businesses that would envy the growth of sustainable food sales. That should be good news for family farmers and a healthier and more sustainable food system.
If you’d like to read the Associated Press article cited above go to: Appetite for organic food wilts as economy suffers
Theo Chocolate 's Fair Trade, Organic Chocolates
How sweet it is! 50% sales growth decline in 2008 is still 9% gain over 2007 gourmet chocolate sales. A new market research report just released by Packaged Facts, "Premium Chocolate in the U.S.: Mass, Gourmet, Prestige and Super Premium," explains how this market is thriving despite grim economic times.
It seems that Americans, while scaling down consumerism generally, are permitting themselves indulgence in life’s “little” pleasures. Sales of upscale chocolates are expected to advance at a rate more than fives times that for chocolate overall by 2012. The market figures suggest that chocolate makers will be wise to go gourmet and to go green.
An good example of of the new breed of America's artisanal chocolate makers is Theo Chocolate. Theo's ingredients are carefully selected to ensure they meet the company’s high standards for social and environmental responsibility. Food and Wine Magazine honored Theo with an Eco-Epicurean Award for making the world "a better — and more delicious — place." Theo also won "Outstanding Chocolate" at the NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York City.
If you’d like to purchase some of Theo Chocolate’s Fair Trade, award-winning gourmet chocolate, click on any of the following:
Organic Chocolate from the Ivory Coast's Cacao - 74%
Theo Organic Chocolate Confections
Organic Chocolate from Ghana's Cacao - 84%
Organic Bread & Chocolate Bars
Free-Roaming Livestock (photo by Andrea Church, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Organic Family Farms Threatened by Giant Factory Farms
Many media outlets, including the New York Times, have tracked what has been dubbed the "corporate takeover" of organic farming. One of the hottest controversies in the growing $20 billion industry has been giant factory farms milking thousands of cows each in feedlots and masquerading as organic. Some of these industrial dairies are controlled by the country's largest agribusinesses.
Since the organic community first appealed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for better clarification and enforcement of regulations requiring organic dairy producers to graze their cattle, nearly 9 years ago, the number of giant industrial dairy operations, with as many as 10,000 cows, has grown from two to approximately 15. After years of delay, the USDA has finally responded with a new proposed rule that they said would crack down on abuses.
"The birds have come home to roost,” said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for The Cornucopia Institute. The Wisconsin-based farm policy research group estimates there are 35,000 to 45,000 cows on giant CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) operating in the United States producing as much as 40% of the nation's organic milk supply.
"These CAFOs are producing so much milk that they have depressed pricing and profit margins for organic family farmers, and now some are being forced out of business by this distressing situation," Kastel said. "Organics was supposed to be the antidote to family farmers being forced off the land."
Legal Complaints Filed
The Cornucopia Institute has filed formal legal complaints with the USDA aimed at compelling the agency to enforce organic livestock and management rules. These actions have led to the shut down or penalizing of some of what they call "organic scofflaws." But many in the industry criticized the agency for failing to fully investigate many other alleged violations on giant farms, including several that supply milk to the nation's largest dairy processor, Dallas-based Dean Foods.
Some farm advocates believe that the new rules, if enacted, would put out of business the majority of organic livestock farmers—including hundreds who are operating ethically.
"At first we were delighted that the USDA had stopped their delaying tactics and finally published a rule cracking down on the large factory farms that have been ‘scamming’ organic consumers and placing ethical family farmers at a competitive disadvantage,” stated Bill Welch, former member of the National Organic Standards Board and an Iowa livestock producer. "Many in the industry have spent the past weeks carefully examining this dense document, and it has become painfully clear that it would not only crack down on certain factory farm abuses, but it’s also so restrictive that it would likely put the majority of family farmers producing organic milk and meat out of business."
“It's inexcusable,” noted Ronnie Cummins, Director of the Organic Consumers Association, “that the USDA would allow, as part of this rule, that conventional cattle can be brought onto organic farms, and milked, on a continuous basis."
Alternative Rule Proposed
In response to the USDA’s sweeping livestock/pasture proposal, a consortium of organizations representing organic family farmers has crafted an "alternative" rule proposal. Led by FOOD Farmers, with support from The Cornucopia Institute, organic certifiers, and other policy experts, the revisions they have drafted would carry out what is said to be the will of the organic community, farmers and consumers.
"You don't have to take the word of The Cornucopia Institute alone that the Department has ‘Katrina-ed’ the organic industry,” Kastel stated. “The USDA rule proposal is just the latest salvo in this fight,” added Kastel. He noted that audits by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and the Inspector General's office were both highly critical of the USDA's execution of its Congressional mandate to oversee the organic industry.
The community’s alternative proposal, which is now being circulated among organic farmers and consumer groups, would require that all organic dairy, sheep, goat, and beef producers graze their animals for the entire grazing season and sets a minimum percentage of feed from pasture.
Organic Milk is the Nutritional Choice
A growing body of scientific literature illustrates the nutritional superiority of milk and meat from organic animals that are grazed on fresh grass, including higher levels of antioxidants and beneficial fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, that protect against cancer and heart disease.
"The good news continues to be that the vast majority of all organic dairy brands available in the marketplace use milk produced by family farmers,” observed Cummins.
"Out of 1800 organic dairy farms in this country, the very few factory farms are a bad aberration, although they are producing huge quantities of milk,” explained Cornucopia's Kastel.
Because of the broad scope of the USDA's proposed rule making, Cornucopia, the Organic Consumers Association, and some the largest organic certifiers and other groups representing farmers and consumers are formally asking the USDA to extend the public comment period for an additional 30 days to January 23, 2009.
For more info from some of the organizations involved in the struggle to maintain organic integrity try the following links:
Cornucopia Institute
Organic Consumers Association
Catfish Filet (photo by Dawn M. Turner, courtesy of morguefile.com)
The National Organic Standards Board has voted to allow fish to be labeled as organic when up to 25% of the feed is non-organic. The Board advises the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The vote marks a sharp contrast with the labeling standard for all organic meats. The feed for meat must be 100% organic in order to be legally labeled as organic.
An article in USA Today says there are three main objections from environmentalists and organic food advocates to the vote by the National Organic Standards Board:
• Fish labeled as organic could be fed food up to 25% non organic food, even though all other livestock labeled as organic can only eat organic feed.
• Fishmeal used to feed farmed fish labeled as organic could be made from wild-caught fish, some of which can have high levels of mercury and PCBs.
• Open net cages could be used to raise fish labeled as organic. Critics say such cages can flush drugs, disease and parasites directly into the ocean, which can harm wild fish and other marine life.
Urvashi Rangan, PhD, Senior Scientist and Policy Analyst at Consumers Union is quoted in a press release as stating,
It’s a disservice to the organic program and to consumers that the NOSB is ready to undermine the organic marketplace which relies on a higher bar for environmental health practices being met. Fish labeled as ‘organic’ that are not fed 100 percent organic feed, come from polluting open net cage systems, or that are contaminated with mercury or PCBs any measurable level, fall significantly short of consumer expectations.
The controversial decision will now go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has the authority to issue a final ruling.
If you’d like to read the USA Today article cited above go to: Organic fish decision is controversial
To sign a petition objecting to the vote by the National Organic Standards Board go to:
Organic Consumers Association Petition
Farmers Market Pumpkins (photo by Mary K. Baird, courtesy of morguefile.com)
The Fall Harvest is in full swing across the northern states with seasonal produce on display at markets and farm stands. This recipe is the creation of Vermont Organic Valley dairy farmer Amy Forgues and makes a classic seasonal soup. With cooler winds beginning to blow a bowl of her hearty pumpkin soup is just the thing to keep you warm and healthy.
Organic Valley is a farmer-owned coop that says, “We think it's a simple truth. The earth's most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature.” The organization started with seven farmers forming an organic cooperative in 1988. Today, more than 1,200 family farms are members and their high standards shine through in their delicious, award-winning, certified organic foods.
As always, try and get the freshest veggies you can find at your local farm stand or farmers market!
Ingredients
• 2 Tablespoons Organic Valley Salted Butter
• 1/4 Cup green bell pepper (diced)
• 1 Small onion (peeled and chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Teaspoon sea salt
• 2 Cups canned pumpkin*
• 2 Cups Organic Valley Whole Milk
• 2 Cups chicken stock (or substitute vegetable stock)
• Dash thyme (crumbled)
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon parsley (chopped)
Preparation
1. In a large kettle, over medium low heat, melt butter, then add: green pepper and onion, saute until soft. Sprinkle flour and sea salt over the top to thicken.
2. Then add pumpkin, milk, chicken stock, herbs and spices to taste. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
3. Enjoy! For thanksgiving this soup is nice served in baked jack-be-little pumpkins
Copyright by Organic Valley Family of Farms ©
*There's some question as to whether fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin is better. Many say that either choice will produce a very different tasting soup. If you substitute fresh pumpkins for canned make sure the fresh is well drained & pureed Smaller pumpkins tend to be sweeter than the big ones. To do a little online research on this, copy & paste "canned pumpkin vs fresh pumpkin" into a search box and you'll find lots of advice.
To visit the web site of the farmers' coop go to: Organic Valley Family of Farms
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Dallas Farmers Market (photo by Doug Ferber)
Don't you want to know where your food comes from? You can find out at your local Farmers Market. Stacey Caldwell, President of the Dallas Farmers Market Friends, a non-profit organization benefiting the Dallas Farmers Market, says that if you want quality, fresh produce, Dallas Farmers Market is the place and so is your local farmers market. In this 4-part interview, Stacey tells American Feast's Doug Ferber how her market has evolved over the years, and why it is important to your community that you support local and regional farmers.
To listen to Part 1 of the podcast interview click: here
To listen to Part 2 of the podcast interview click: here
To listen to Part 3 of the podcast interview click: here
To listen to Part 4 of the podcast interview click: here.
Visit the Dallas Farmers Market Friends home page at www.dfmfriends.org.
100% Pure Organic Cotton Apron (photo by Rick Tango)
These sturdily attractive American Feast Cooking Aprons come in the naturally beautiful coloring of 100% pure organic cotton with embroidery done in navy blue organic thread.
Organically grown cotton is a beneficial, caring choice - for you & our planet. Conventionally-grown cotton occupies only 3% of the world's farmland, but uses 25% of the world's chemical pesticides. Most pesticides were originally developed as toxic nerve agents during World War II; so it's no wonder they have been linked to Parkinson's disease & many cancers.
American Feast had these aprons made with the most eco-friendly organic cotton we could find. And we wanted our aprons made in accordance with strict Fair Trade practices. To get what we wanted we worked with Hae Now, a family business with an office in the beautiful San Francisco Bay area. The folks at Hae Now take pride in their clothing & it shows! Premium stitching, classic styling & superior quality make an attractive, durable product that has a lower eco-impact over its lifespan. They recognize that quality & durability are also measures of environmental friendliness!
Hae Now goes to extraordinary lengths to deliver clothing both eco-friendly & labor friendly. Hae Now's eco-friendly practices have been certified by Skal of the Netherlands. The company's Fair Trade practices have been recognized by Oxfam-Benelux & Amnesty International. We're also pleased to report that they use the most eco-friendly transportation mode: the ocean-liner!
If you'd like to purchase an organic apron for yourself or as a sustainable gift for someone special go to: 100% Organic Cotton Cooking Apron
Glass of Milk (photo by Carlos Paes, courtesy of morguefile.com)
After an industrial chemical used in baby formula sickened tens of thousands of children in China, the Chinese government is taking steps to improve the safety of dairy products. An article in the Wall Street Journal says, “China is posting inspectors to monitor dairy companies and imposing rules to improve accountability among milk suppliers, as it moves to restore consumer confidence in the industry.” But, " It's unclear how long this intense supervision will last."
Many American consumers are already wary of food products imported from China and elsewhere after scares about honey, seafood, food additives, and pet food made headlines. As the U.S. Federal Drug Administration points out, "Countries that export to the U.S. do not currently provide FDA with assurance that foods coming to this country are safe."
Fortunately, there are good options for the health-conscious when it comes to purchasing dairy products. American producers, such as the cooperative of farmers at Organic Valley, offer organic milk and other natural dairy products. The proliferation of artisanal cheesemakers over recent years has made many fine cheeses available that are safely crafted outside the industrial food system.
If you’d like to read the Wall Street Journal article cited above go to: China Bolsters Dairy-Supply Oversight In Effort to Rebound From Scandal (WSJ subscription required)
Founder Marina Marchese and the rest of the folks at Red Bee are passionate about the culinary delights of honey. Their philosophy is that every bottle of their artisanal honey is a gourmet food and can be tasted and evaluated similar to wine, each one having a unique flavor profile determined by the kind of flowers visited by the bees.
The essence of a honey is dictated by the terroir, the unique combination of geographic location, climate, soil and temperature that gives each honey its complex composition and individual personality. As in winemaking, terroir dramatically affects the flavor profiles of the honeys produced.
Red Bee is a boutique honeybee farm located in the historical Bradley Tool section of Weston, Connecticut. The company’s charming red cottages were once the home of New York City ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who partnered Mikhail Baryshnikov. There they are inspired to create the purest artisanal honeys and sustainable products. Using old world techniques, products are handmade in small batches using only plant-based ingredients to insure the finest quality. They never use pesticides, alcohol, paraffin waxes, petroleum or preservatives.
Red Bee’s organic gardens produce culinary and medicinal herbs, vegetables and flowers for cutting. They make their organic, free range chicken eggs available locally. Red Bee Honeybee products have been found at the New Canaan Farmers Market each summer for the last 6 years.
Marina Marchese is a second generation Italian sharing her love of crafting artisanal products. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, Marina traveled to Europe and Asia as an illustrator and product designer. Her unique sense of style and love of color was defined in designs that have graced the cover of WWD and greeting cards sold worldwide by UNICEF including children's products, books and magazines. Her own Red Bee® cards were recognized by The National Honey Board after appearing in Victoria Magazine and the cover of American Bee Journal.
Today, Marina’s love of honeybees and painting has led her to the ancient technique of painting with beeswax, a technique known as encaustic painting made popular by the ancient Etruscans. Her unique and lovely artwork will be on display at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in Stamford, Connecticut through October 26th of 2008. Call Bartlett Arboretum at 203-322-6971 for directions and viewing hours.
Marina studied Honey Judging at the University of Georgia's Beekeeping Institute, is Charles Mraz Apitherapy Certified and serves on the Board of the Back Yard Beekeepers. Marina has just completed her first book about Red Bee ® to be released in 2008.
If you’d like to sample some of Marina’s superb artisanal honeys or send some as a very special gift, click on any of the following:
Chunk Honey
Clover & Creamed Honey Gift Box
Comb Honey
Creamed Honey
Spring Clover Liquid Honey
Wildflower & Comb Honey Gift Box
Wildflower Liquid Honey
Fresh Organic Onions (photo by missyredboots, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Consumers have been to turning to organic food and beverages as a healthier alternative for their families for many years now. According to some sources the annual rate of growth over past years has been an astonishing 24% or more.
Organics are expected to continue to grow in popularity, but at a slower rate. A report in USA Today says, “Sales of organic foods and beverages are expected to reach $24 billion this year, and average about 18% annual growth through 2010, says the Organic Trade Association.”
The slower growth is being attributed to a weak economy coupled with the higher cost of organics. Difficulty in finding new customers beyond the core buyers of organic food and beverages has also been given as a reason for slower growth, and there’s been increasing interest in buying locally grown foods even if they are not organic.
There seems little doubt that organics are here to stay as a major part of the specialty food market. The USA Today article points out that, “Almost 70% of U.S. shoppers bought something organic over a recent three-month period, says Laurie Demeritt, president of market researcher The Hartman Group.”
If you’d like to read the USA Today article cited above go to: Organic food sales feel the bite from sluggish economy
Dairy Cow (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Have you been buying organic milk for your family? If you have, you’ve got plenty of company. The California Department of Food and Agriculture says sales of organic milk grew by almost 34% during the past year.
According to an article in HealthNews.com:
Organic milk has been found to be even healthier than traditional milk, and demand for organic brands has been on the rise. While many may be skeptical, a recent study conducted in Wales supports the increased benefits, including high content of conjugated linoleic acid, also known as CLA9, and higher levels of vitamin E, beta carotene, antioxidants, and the presence of more omega-3 fatty acids.
Organic milk is produced by cows that are fed all-natural foods by grazing and eating fresh grass, forage, and clover. Non-organic farms are allowed to use pesticides and fertilizer for the growth of fodder, and feed hormones and antibiotics to their cows.
A number of separate studies have linked pesticides with Parkinson's Disease over the past several years. Antibiotics in food have been found to increase human resistance to medical treatment with antibiotics and many suspect the hormones administered to animals have led to an earlier onset of puberty in human females. We think those are very good reasons to buy organic milk for your family!
If you’d like to read the HealthNews.com article cited above go to: Organic Milk: A Better Alternative
Prince Charles (© Leksele | Dreamstime.com)
"At a time when food sovereignty is becoming an increasing issue with high fuel prices, there cannot be a better time to encourage people to grow their own food where possible." That’s the advice of Great Britain’s Prince of Wales and we couldn’t agree more.
An article published in the Telegraph says the Prince was giving a nod to “the famous Dig for Victory campaign of the Second World War.” In the U.S. the wildly successful campaign to get Americans to grow their own produce during World War II was known as “Victory Gardens.” At the height of the two wartime campaigns, people in Great Britain and the U.S. grew 40% of the produce they consumed.
The Telegraph quotes the Prince as saying, "It doesn't need an acre of garden, a window box is a very good start."
If you’d like to read the Telegraph article cited above go to: Prince Charles implores the nation to Dig for Victory
Our friend Eve Sibley has asked that you "Please consider signing and passing on the petition below urging our next leadership to reestablish the Victory Garden model in the United States. We have done it before, we can do it again."
Bring Back the Victory Gardens Petition
If you'd like to start a garden in your community or your backyard here's some info that should help:
American Community Gardening Association
Funding & Other Support for Community Gardens
Cooking from the Heart of the Garden
John & Janine Putnam, the Artisans of Thistle Hill Farm
Thistle Hill Farm has been a certified organic farm for over 15 years. It was one of the first organic dairy farms to supply the Organic Cow of Vermont. The farm in Pomfret, Vermont started out as a part time endeavor of the family of John & Janine Putnam with 26 Hereford beef cows and vegetables. As the farm began to improve, the interest and complexity of dairy moved the Putnams to pursue dairy alone. Although more profitable, dairy alone was not enough to sustain the family and farm in the hills of Vermont.
In 1999, the Putnams went to Switzerland, where, following the advice and descriptions of Steven Jenkins in "Cheese Primer" (Workman Publishing, 1996), they visited almost every major cheesemaking region in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. They’re quest was to find a cheese they loved that was produced in conditions matching as closely as possible the climate of Pomfret, Vermont.
The journey led the Putnam family of 6 to Beaufort France, which had everything they needed, including a coin operated laundromat and a cheese they knew they’d like to get to know better. After exhausting the local bar's supply of 5 franc coins on the washing machines and the Beaufort cheesemakers' English, the Putnams headed out of the valley knowing they would be back.
The next year, after searching for a copper cheese vat in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps with the help of friends made on their previous trip, they headed for Beaufort. Although they met many helpful people, their French and German was only as good as their counterparts' English. They were told, however, of a Frenchman who would tell them all they needed to know. He lived hours away in the mountains above Moutiers.
They found him on a Sunday afternoon at his house. Like a true farmer, having done little more than milk his cows, make some cheese, do his chores, clean the kitchen after his family had gone off for the afternoon, and then perhaps get an hour for himself before evening chores and milking, he seemed a bit less than overjoyed to see 2 lost souls on his doorstep at a time when a brisk nap seemed like a good idea. He let John & Janine struggle in French for a while before asking them in for coffee in perfect English.
He makes Beaufort "alpage" in the summer from the milk of 100 Tarine cows twice a day, everyday, all summer. He is famous for his cheese, and for falling asleep at dinner. He said "to make Beaufort is too meticulous for you". That was the hook. He found the Putnams an apprentice who has become a good friend, and both have helped the family ever since. He now thinks that "maybe our job is OK". Thistle Hill Tarentaise is the happy result. We think you’ll find that the Putnam family has been sufficiently meticulous!
How meticulous? Tarentaise is among the most superb cheese creations anywhere in the world, garnering prestigious First Place awards from the American Cheese Society in both 2004 and 2006!
If you'd like to purchase a 1/2 wheel or full wheel of the Putnam's Tarentaise go to: Organic Tarentaise Raw Milk Cheese
Tabouleh Salad (photo by Digiology, courtesy of morguefile.com)
When it comes to growing the safest possible food veganic farmers are tough to beat, according to a report in the Associated Press.
Like organic farmers they shun the use of “synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified ingredients.” But veganic farmers take further steps to ensure the safety of the food they produce. They do not use pesticides approved for organic farming, and most importantly, they won’t use animal fertilizers either.
As the AP article explains,
Salmonella and e-coli are bacteria that live in the intestines of livestock and are present in their waste. Livestock waste, or manure, can be used to fertilize fields, potentially contaminating crops with the disease-causing bacteria.
Crops can also be contaminated by contact with infected animals or their byproducts, including bone meal and blood meal, which are used as fertilizer as well.
Veganic farmers use crop rotations and composted plant matter — or "green manure" — to fertilize their crops.
Organic and veganic family farmers have blazed an impressive trail for a healthier, more sustainable food system, employing methods that produce food that is more nutritious and safer for American families. The standards they have set deserve to be universally adopted, with the dangerous methods of massive factory farms tossed into the “dustbin of history.”
As George Bernard Shaw put it, “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
If you’d like to read the Associated Press article cited above go to: Veganic farmers work without animal fertilizers
On the evening of June 26th, Park Slope locavores will be mingling with Wall Street bankers, while learning about local wines, tasting organic food fresh from the farmer’s market, and interacting with local food expert Joan Gussow and Slow Food’s executive director Erika Lesser.
The benefit event will take place at the CUE Art Foundation at 511 West 25th Street in Manhattan. Proceeds will benefit Play 4 Life, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing cooking, gardening, nutrition and yoga programs for underserved youth.
During the event, renowned chefs such as Top Chef's Andrea Beaman, will be presenting local food entrees to donors and attendees and local wine vineyards will be providing the wine. Remarks will be given by Joan Gussow on the nutritional, environmental and societal benefits of supporting local farms. Ms. Gussow is a professor emeritus for nutrition at Columbia University Teachers College, a director of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation and a member of the National Organic Standards Board.
Play 4 Life seeks to transform underprivileged communities’ ideas about nutrition and lifestyle by teaching both kids and parents about affordable healthy food. Through its nutrition, cooking, gardening and yoga programs, Play 4 Life teaches kids how to live a healthy life in a fun, playful way.
Carrot Break (photo courtesy of Play 4 Life)
“We’re very excited to have some incredible partnerships with local food experts for this event. Our intention is to introduce people to ways to get food that is good for the body and the planet. Of course, we want people to have fun while learning and experiencing healthy food that is mouth-watering-delicious. They will want to come back for more,” executive director Tanya Paluso said.
The festivities will run from 7:00 to 10:00 PM on Thursday, June 26th. Please contact Capera Clement at (619) 981-5111 or capera@play4lifeonline.org for more information.
To learn more about the terrific work of the nonprofit organization go to: Play4 Life, Inc.
 
Red Angus Rib Eye & Filet Mignon (Images courtesy of Damar Farms)
Amid disturbing reports of tainted meat being sold for mass consumption, it's nice to know that the people at Damar Farms have succeeded at sustainably producing gourmet beef that couldn't be safer. The folks at Damar like to say, "The difference is in Mother Nature."
Established by the Hehli family in 1947, Dr. David Hehli & his wife Mary have raised various breeds & combinations of livestock, including Black Angus, Red Angus, Limousine, Murray Grey, and Simmental, to name a few. Over the years Damar Farms settled on Angus livestock, & specifically the Red Angus breed. The Angus breed produces excellent eating quality beef that is tender & well marbled. The herd is bred to produce the finest beef available.
Dr. Hehli & Farm Manager Tim Boortz have gone to great lengths researching & selecting just the right combination of genetics to produce a superior cut of beef in the most humane way possible. For example, they use calving ease bulls, which mean the calves have smaller birth weights, making it easier & less stressful on the cows.
This meat comes only from animals born & raised on Damar Farms in west central Wisconsin. We believe it’s the safest meat you can buy. The organic certification program is a fully verifiable production system that collects information on the history of every animal in the program, including its breed history, veterinary care, & feed.
No antibiotics, growth-promoting hormones, steroids or animal by-products are added to Damar’s organic forage or grain. This means they are never fed rendered animal by-products from slaughter-houses that could have been contaminated with BSE (Mad-Cow-Disease). (BSE is transmitted to cattle through feed containing animal by-products from contaminated animals.)
Damar Farms uses sustainable organic farming practices. These practices avoid petroleum-based fertilizers & chemicals, helping to limit America’s dependence on foreign oil. Organic farming is more time & labor intensive, creating more jobs in rural America. The people of Damar Farms believe this helps produce the finest beef as well as preserving the land for now & for future generations.
If you'd like to purchase some of Damar Farms incredible steaks go to:
Organic Red Angus New York Strip Steaks
Organic Red Angus Rib Eye Steaks
Organic Red Angus Tenderloin Steaks
Fresh Food & Fine Design (photo by Mary R. Vogt, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Some time back we asked if local was the new organic when it came to the preferences of American consumers. A survey recently released by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine, "Shopping for Health 2008," indicates that health conscious consumers are choosing locally grown produce over organic alternatives.
The researchers wanted to know how healthy eaters succeed when it comes to shopping for food. They found that nearly everyone (80%) tries to eat healthily. Among those who try a lot, 10% say they are “always successful.” The survey profiled the one in 10 who succeeds.
When presenting the results of the survey, Cary Silvers, director of consumer insights for the company that publishes Prevention said, “Shoppers’ new interest in locally grown food reflects their strong desire to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables…The battle between organic and locally grown represents who shoppers believe can deliver the freshest produce.”
There are plenty of reasons to choose local produce. It is when it is fresh that food is at its most nutritious and most flavorful. Buying local is a choice that supports a community's farmers. Buying it limits the environmental harm done when foods are transported over great distances.
Many foodies buy local produce to savor the singular flavors of seasonal offerings that are part of their regional food heritage. The chance to talk to the farmers who produce the fresh fruit and veggies and learn from them makes shopping at a farmers market a pleasure for those concerned about personal health and the health of the environment.
To read the press release on which this item was based go to: Shopping for Health 2008: Setting Specific Goals and Plans Key to Healthy Eating
Bok Choy (photo by Dawn M. Turner, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Spring is in full force and delivering a growing abundance of fresh produce to delight home chefs and those lucky friends and family members who get to enjoy their concoctions. With the recipe below, our friends at Organic Valley Family of Farms have provided us with a delicious way to celebrate spring with “a rich and creamy combination of asparagus, wild rice, and everything else!”
Organic Valley is a farmer-owned coop that says, “We think it's a simple truth. The earth's most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature.” The organization started with 7 farmers forming an organic cooperative in 1988. Today, more than 1,200 family farms are members and their high standards shine through in their delicious, award-winning, certified organic foods.
We highly recommend you try this recipe using Native Harvest Wild Rice, which grows naturally in the lakes of Northern Minnesota and is hand-harvested by indigenous Ojibwe communities using traditional methods. Unlike the genetically manipulated "wild rice" grown in paddies, this truly wild rice is an important American heirloom crop and a central part of Ojibwe culture and tradition. One taste of the distinctive flavor of authentic wild rice and its mass-produced cousin will dull by comparison.
As always, try and get the freshest veggies you can find at your local farm stand or farmers market!
Ingredients for 10 Servings
• 2 Tablespoons Organic Valley Salted Butter
• 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, peeled & minced
• 2 Tablespoons shallots, peeled & minced
• 1 Cup mushrooms (your seasonal choice: shitakes, criminis, etc.), wiped clean & sliced thin
• ¾ Cup Native Harvest Wild Rice, rinsed
• ¾ Cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed
• 4 Medium carrots, cut lengthwise & diagonally sliced
• 2 Quarts veggie broth
• 2 Bunches asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1” pieces
• 2 Cups seasonal & regional greens (beet greens, baby spinach, bok choy, etc.)
• 2 Cups Organic Valley Half & Half
• 1 Medium red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, washed & patted dry; then chopped fine
• ½ Teaspoon dried tarragon
• Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. In a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté garlic, shallots and mushrooms in butter, over medium heat, for 5 minutes. Add rinsed wild and brown rices and cook for another 3 minutes. Add carrots and herb broth, and turn up the heat to medium-high until boiling. Allow mixture to boil for 10 minutes or so, then reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow soup to simmer for 35 minutes.
2. While the soup is simmering, prepare the asparagus by trimming the tough ends off and cutting the spears into 1” pieces, reserving the beautiful tips in a separate bowl. Simmer the asparagus spears and seasonal greens in a bit of water until bright green and crisp-tender.
3. Place semi-cooled greens in a food processor with 2 cups of half and half, and process until smooth and creamy. Add the creamy greens to the rice mixture, the rice will still be slightly firm, along with the chopped red bell pepper, parsley and tarragon. Simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes, then add the reserved asparagus tips. Allow to simmer for another 20 minutes or until the soup is of desired consistency. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
4. Top with fresh watercress, chives or parsley. Enjoy!
Copyright by Organic Valley Family of Farms ©
To visit the web site of the farmers' coop go to: Organic Valley Family of Farms
To purchase this authentic heirloom wild rice, hand-harvested by Ojibwe communities go to: Native Harvest Wild Rice: Sacred Manoomin
Organic Lemon Crop (© photo by Lisa Solonynko, courtesy of morguefile.com)
By our count there have now been at least 6 studies establishing a link between pesticides and Parkinson disease. We just read about the latest study from an article published by BBC News. Scientists from Duke University, Miami University and the Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence “found those exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times higher risk” of suffering from the debilitating disease.
Providing American families with the option of enjoying food raised without pesticides has been one the great achievements of the organic farmers movement. The great demand for organic foods by consumers is a wonderfully promising trend for the American food system. Along with quests for more flavor and better nutritional value, the desire to avoid pesticides has been a key driver of the demand for organics.
Still, there’s a long way to go to overcome decades of unhealthy practices driven by the industrial food system. We can all play a part in creating a healthier and more sustainable food system by demanding that our food be raised without toxic pesticides. Our bodies, our planet, and our children will be the beneficiaries.
If you’d like to read the BBC News article cited above go to: Pesticide Parkinson's link strong
Pacific University (photo by LaRae, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Across the U.S. college students are asking their schools to serve whole and organic foods, purchase locally so as to support local food sheds, and conduct the business of food in an environmentally sustainable manner. Some schools are trying to accommodate the students, but are not always having an easy time of it.
The schools and students face the same difficulties we all do when we try to eat healthier with an eye toward sustainability. Inevitably, we face choices. Sometimes we are asked to decide if we want organic vegetables imported from overseas or locally grown produce raised with pesticides. What if all the ingredients in our favorite artisnal delicacies are not all organic or loca? Do we give them up?
Do you give up foods that are not produced with 100 miles? If you are in New Haven there is no wheat grown within 100 miles and giving up fresh-baked, whole grain bread is not a very appealing option. Seeking the purity of heirloom foods? You may find that wild game birds and grass-fed American Bison are not entirely to your liking.
Still, we'd rather being facing the choices and quandaries like those above than continue supporting an industrial food system that has stripped food of its flavor and healthiness through heavy processing, genetic engineering, poisonous chemicals, and dangerous additives. And it's great to hear that today's students want to challenge the industrial food system and replace it with a healthier and more sustainable system based on family-scale farming and organic principles
If you'd like to read an article from Advertising Age on the challenge faced by college food services go to: College Students Demand 'Organic' Fare
To view previous posts on the topic go to:
1. Rensselaer's Terra Cafe Dishes Up Local and Organic Foods
2. Sustainable Campuses
Market Fresh (photo by Roswitha Schacht, courtesy of morguefile.com)
If the views of today’s culinary students offer clues to the culinary trends of tomorrow we can expect considerations of sustainability to play a major role in tomorrow’s menus. The International Culinary Schools at The Arts Institutes has released a survey of its students that found the chefs of tomorrow want to serve more globally diverse dishes and conduct business in a more environmentally sensitive manner.
Nearly all the responding students (97%) said environmental responsibility will play some role in their culinary careers and more than half said environmentalism is “very important”. Knowing a food’s origins and supporting local farmers was also fundamental. Three out of four are interested in including locally supplied ingredients in their repertoires and more than half want to include organic foods in their ventures.
If the survey is a good indicator, we can expect the influences on future menus will come from an exciting array of cuisines, including Spanish, French, Italian, South American, Thai and Mexican. Most of the students (81%) are considering opening a restaurant during their careers. Eight out of ten would consider specializing in fusion cuisine.
Sounds like tomorrow’s chefs will be serving imaginative menus that will make for some fantastic dining experiences. Adventurous chefs, flavorful food, and a healthier environment are a future we should all embrace.
Free Roaming Red Angus (© Photographer: Caroline Klapper | Agency: Dreamstime.com)
If you needed another reason to only eat organically raised beef, a California meat company has issued the largest beef recall in history, 143 million pounds. Much of the suspect meat has already made its way into school lunch programs and been consumed by children.
Reports indicate that cows at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company were so sick they could not walk, which can be an indicator of mad cow disease. The Humane Society of the United States has distributed undercover footage of workers at the factory farm kicking sick cows and using forklifts to force them to walk. Federal law bans cows that can’t walk from the food supply.
Government officials have said this is an isolated incident and mad cow disease is extremely rare, but there were 21 recalls of beef related to potentially deadly E. coli last year, compared with 8 in 2006 and 5 in 2005. The recall on Sunday by Westland/Hallmark was more than four times bigger than the previous record.
Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, has stated:
Long term, however, the federal government must step up and meet its responsibility for assuring both the integrity of food and the humane treatment of animals at all slaughter plants. A recall of this staggering scale proves that it's past time for Congress and the USDA to strengthen our laws for the sake of people and animals.
To read an article from Bloomberg.com on the recall go to: Westland/Hallmark Recalls Record Amount of U.S. Beef (Update4)
If you’d like to purchase the safest & finest Red Angus Organic Beef we’ve been able to find click on any of the following:
Organic Red Angus New York Strip Steaks
Organic Red Angus Rib Eye Steaks
Organic Red Angus Tenderloin Steaks
To view previous posts on the topic go to:
1. USDA Bans Cloned Animals from Organic Livestock
2. Paying More to Eat Well & Stay Safe
3. Organic Dairy & Meat Improves Mothers' Breast Milk
4. Damar Farms: Raising Red Angus Organically
Pennsylvania Farm (photo by Michelle Kwajafa, courtesy of morguefile.com)
The reasonably well-informed have good reason to prefer organic foods. Many are willing to pay more for them to avoid the health risks of processed foods produced on factory farms, and do something positive for the health of the environment.
Pesticides have been linked to Parkinson’s by multiple studies. Besides pesticides, parents would also like to avoid feeding their children growth hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, and chemical ingredients they cannot recognize or pronounce. People who live near massive factory farms and those who have visited them are understandably upset by the environmental degradation and the treatment of livestock.
We’re convinced that a more sustainable food system would greatly improve the general health and the overall quality of life. We’re not alone. Farmers in the United States and the United Kingdom have been unable to keep up with the rapidly growing demand for organics. For many small, eco-friendly farmers the cost and process of obtaining certifications is itself an obstacle.
Consumers would like to purchase organic foods that are locally grown, but find they must often make a choice. With demand outstripping supply, organic food prices have soared. Many families must consider whether the best foods for their children’s health are within their means.
Alternatives to reliance on a food system that is not serving the best interests of the community are being pursued. Farmers markets are proliferating at an impressive rate. Community gardens are offering a wonderful alternative to a diet of highly processed and unhealthy food. Educational programs are teaching children about growing and cooking healthy foods. Every individual has an opportunity to help these positive trends to flourish with their choices and actions. It doesn’t get more hopeful than that.
If you’d like to read an Associated Press article on the topic go to: Organic Food Industry in a Supply Crunch
To read an article in Food Production Daily on the topic go to: UK organic market stifled by supply problems
Ernie’s Berry, Elmo’s Punch & Bird’s Apple (images courtesy of Apple & Eve, LLC)
With pesticides linked to Parkinson’s Disease and other debilitating health effects, many parents are keeping food raised with pesticides away from their children by serving them organic foods. Warnings about the ill effects of soft drink consumption has stopped moms and dads across America from giving soda to thirsty kids.
But the battle parents face is a tough one. Some of America’s largest companies spend enormous amounts of money marketing junk food to children. Kids can recognize corporate logos before they can read. Facing daily grinds, parents get weary of the struggle to resist their kids’ calls for unhealthy snacks and beverages. Heavily processed fast foods masquerading as children's meals are an enormous temptation. It’s time beleagured parents got more help from both government and business.
Some help has just arrived. Apple & Eve has just announced that it has expanded its popular Sesame Street line of juice boxes with the new Sesame Street Organics 100% Fruit Juice Boxes, providing families who prefer organic products with a fruit juice that will make following an organic lifestyle as easy as “ABC.”
Sesame Street Organics 100% Fruit Juice Boxes are fortified with calcium and contain a full day’s supply of Vitamin C, and available in three favorite flavors: Big Bird’s Apple, Elmo’s Punch and Ernie’s Berry. Each of the three Sesame Street characters is dressed as a farmer. Hopefully, today's kids willl be tomorrow's customers at local farmers markets looking for fresh-from-the-farm fruits and veggies. Sesame Street Organics are packaged in kid-friendly boxes for kids ages 2 to 5, to fit young hands to holding onto them at the playground, pre-school or a birthday party.
“For years, parents have turned to our Sesame Street line of juice for a wholesome, all-natural 100% fruit juice that is healthy and fun for their kids to drink,” says Ken Gootkind, VP, Organics Division, Apple & Eve. “As more and more parents seek out organic products for their families, we wanted to offer an organic fruit juice designed specifically for young kids that we know will also appeal to health-conscious parents.”
Sesame Street Organics are USDA-certified organic, and carry the Quality Assurance International seal that verifies that they are produced according to the strictest USDA standards.
To view previous posts on the topic go to:
1. Selling to Kids
2. Safety of Soft Drinks Under Scrutiny
3. What to Feed Your Kids this Summer
4. TV’s Fast Food Ads Contribute to Obesity of Children
Free Roaming Sheep (photo by Bianca Meyer, courtesy of morguefile.com)
It seems U.S. government agencies have unsettled differences when it comes to the safety of cloned animlas in the American food supply. Even though the USDA strictly bans the use of cloned animals and their offspring from the production of organic food, the FDA insists, "...meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day."
In light of the numerous health warnings and recalls of foods sold to American consumers, we don't find the assurances of the FDA to be at all reassuring.
The Center for Food Safety, a non-profit public interest organization, has stated, “Given the lack of data regarding human health impacts, CFS believes the FDA was premature in pronouncing food from cloned animals to be safe to eat."
An article in the Washington Post by Rick Weiss offers the following troublesome news:
Executives from the nation's major cattle cloning companies conceded yesterday that they have not been able to keep track of how many offspring of clones have entered the food supply, despite a years-old request by the FDA to keep them off the market pending completion of the agency's safety report.
At least one Kansas cattle producer also disclosed yesterday that he has openly sold semen from prize-winning clones to many U.S. meat producers in the past few years, and that he is certain he is not alone.
According to the Cornucopia Institute, a nonprofit farm policy research group, the realities of cloning include some disturbing phenomena:
• 64% of cattle, 40% of sheep, and 93% of cloned mice exhibit some form of abnormality, with a large percentage of the animals dying during gestation or shortly after birth
• High rates of late abortion and early prenatal death, with failure rates of 95% to 97% in most mammal cloning attempts
• Defects such as grossly oversized calves, enlarged tongues, squashed faces, intestinal blockages, immune deficiencies, and diabetes
• When cloning does not produce a normal animal, many of the difficult pregnancies cause physical suffering or death to the surrogate mothers
Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute says:
Regardless of what the proponents claim this is all about bottom-line profit and producing more and more of our food from giant industrial-scale farming operations. We are getting so, so far away from farmer Jones and the intimate connection between the land, animals, and the people who care for them in a sustainable and regenerative system. I wish I could say this was science fiction.
If you'd like to read the Washington Post article cited above go to: USDA Recommends That Food From Clones Stay Off the Market
To learn more about this & other food safety issues click on the following organizations:
The Cornucopia Institute
Center for Food Safety
Organic Consumers Association
Consumers Union
USDA’s National Organic Program
Real Free-Roaming Cows (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morguefile.com)
In a scandal now ensnaring some of the nations leading retailers, a series of lawsuits have been filed accusing Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, Safeway, and Wild Oats of consumer fraud for marketing suspect organic milk.
The legal filings in federal courts come on the heels of class action lawsuits against Aurora Dairy Corporation, based in Boulder, Colorado. The suits against Aurora and the grocery chains allege consumer fraud, negligence, and unjust enrichment concerning the sale of organic milk. This past April, Aurora officials received a notice from the USDA detailing multiple and “willful” violations of federal organic law that were found by federal investigators.
“This is the largest scandal in the history of the organic industry,” said Mark Kastel of The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group. Cornucopia’s investigation in 2005, first alerted USDA investigators to the improprieties occurring at Aurora. “Aurora was taking advantage of the consumer’s good will in the marketplace toward organics, and the USDA has allowed this scofflaw-corporation to continue to operate,” Kastel added.
Aurora, with $100 million in annual sales, provides milk that is sold as organic and packaged as private label, store-brand products for many of the nation’s biggest chains. In addition to Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Safeway, and Wild Oats, Aurora serves as supplier to 15 other national and regional chains.
The stores sell Aurora's milk under their own in-house brand names, such as Costco's Kirkland and Target's Archer Farms, in cartons marked "USDA organic," typically with pictures of pastures or other bucolic scenes.
"That's not even close to the reality of where this milk was coming from," said Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer whose firm is among those suing. "These cows are all penned in factory-confinement conditions."
Independent investigators at the USDA concluded earlier this year that Aurora—with five dairy facilities in Colorado and Texas, each milking thousands of cows—had 14 “willful” violations of federal organic regulations.
Cornucopia points out that Aurora is a "horrible aberration," and that the vast majority of all organic dairy products are produced with high integrity. In a scorecard published last year, and available on their web site, Cornucopia rates over 90% of organic name-brand dairy products as truly subscribing to the letter and spirit of the law.
"We have learned that Wild Oats and the Publix supermarket chain in Florida are no longer buying milk from Aurora,” stated Kastel. "In addition, the nation's largest distributor of natural and organic products, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) has also secured an alternative source for their Woodstock Farms brand."
“Aurora’s actions have injured the reputation of the more than 1500 legitimate organic dairy farmers who are faithfully following federal organic rules and regulations,” noted Kastel. “We cannot allow these families to be placed at a competitive disadvantage.”
Mark Pepperzak, Aurora CEO, said, "The allegations in this smear campaign against AOD are based on false information and, therefore, completely unfounded."
"It is unconscionable that the USDA allowed Aurora to continue, after making millions of dollars, in this ‘ethics-based’ industry, when they had concluded that Aurora willfully violated the law," Kastel added. "However, there is a higher authority in terms of organic integrity than the USDA—that's the organic consumer. And they are about to make their voices heard through the courts."
If you'd like to learn more about the excellent work of the Institute & how you might help go to: Cornucopia Institute
Terra Cafe (photo by Kris Qua, courtesy of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
Written by the Polytechnic Institute/Office of Media Relations
The popularity and taste for a new and original fare choice has made its way onto the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. In an effort to please the palates of socially conscious students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community, the Terra Cafe is dishing up a weekly selection of local and organic meals, desserts, and beverages every Wednesday afternoon in the Russell Sage Dining Hall.
The brainchild of Ella Braco, a native of Binghamton, N.Y., the student-run cafe had a test run last spring in Mother’s Wine Emporium in the Rensselaer Union with support from EcoLogic, one of the Rensselaer Union environmental clubs. Braco and several students worked with Jackie Baldwin, culinary director with Sodexho Campus Services, to develop a menu for the cafe.
“I have always been interested in the fresh taste of locally grown and organic foods, and I wanted other students and members of the campus community to have a similar experience,” says Braco.
Braco is a junior majoring in Design, Innovation, and Society, a program that prepares students to design new products, services, and media while considering the social needs and environmental concerns of the 21st century. Following the success of the initial launch, she used the idea as part of a class project to develop a business plan in the Product, Design, and Innovation course.
“Since I was really little, I always wanted to open a cafe,” says Braco. “The idea of establishing a cafe on campus seemed like a good opportunity to bring students, faculty, and staff together in a more social setting outside of the classroom.”
Ella Braco
There’s a lot of planning involved. Prior to this year’s debut in the Russell Sage Dining Hall, Braco and the Terra Cafe Club members developed a business plan, and discussed aspects related to the business structure, branding, marketing, and education, among others. The 15 members meet on a weekly basis and also staff the cafe on Wednesdays. In addition, Braco and Baldwin meet every Thursday to discuss the previous day’s activities and meal planning and preparation for the following week.
“People are becoming more health-conscious consumers who favor foods without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or hormones,” says Baldwin. “I shop locally and I have been doing so for years. Local farms need community support to stay in business, and this effort also helps to eliminate the use of fossil fuels which over time have an impact on the environment.”
According to the Organic Trade Association, the allure and taste for organic products is on the rise with food sales totaling $10.4 billion. Over the last few years, the industry has seen a 17 to 20 percent growth.
“There are challenges that we encounter in this process. We can’t consistently offer the same meal, as supply does not equal demand,” says Baldwin. “We have to use the combination of local and organic foods based on the growing seasons and the selection of meats, produce, fruits, and vegetables that are available.”
Baldwin recalled the first day that the cafe opened and all meal products had to come from within 100 miles of the Capital Region. She needed oil to prepare part of the meal, and since oil is a product that does not come from the area, she used heavy cream from Meadowbrook Dairy Farm, churned it into butter, and then clarified it – a process that simply melts butter so the water evaporates from it and the milk solids separate from the fat.
The cafe is modeled after Cafe Ozone, a similar student-run eatery at Union College. A far cry from the usual grab-and-go lunch, the Terra Cafe offers a weekly menu that features a meat option, vegetarian option, dessert, and beverage--all at a cost of $5. One week’s menu featured included whole wheat penne with organic meatballs or roasted vegetables, Prinzo’s garlic bread, mixed greens with organic dressing, a mango raspberry cobbler, and a choice of Fair trade organic coffee or Divinitea Pomegranate ice tea.
The Terra Cafe captures the essence of a family-style atmosphere with diners sitting together at various tables covered with burgundy clothes and floral centerpieces. So far, more than 60 members of the campus community have eaten at the cafe on a regular basis. The cafe also features live entertainment that is organized by Alessandro Gerbini, a native of Delmar who is majoring in science and technology studies, and an education table staffed by organizations involved in local and organic foods business.
“In this process, I am learning to become a leader and trust that others share my vision,” says Braco. “I think that the students involved are having a lot of fun because we are able to take ownership of the cafe. We know that this is a work in progress that we will pass onto the next generation of students.”
Future plans may include expanding the cafe’s days of operation. For now, heading into the fall season, the shift will focus on more organic foods that may come from local farmers or items shipped from other producers with special meals that feature squash, apples, and pears.
Reprinted with the kind permission of Inside Rensselaer©
To learn more about the menu & dining in Rensselaer on local & organic food go to: Terra Cafe
If you’d like to view a previous post on the topic go to: Sustainable Campuses
The Royal Treatment™ Facial Cream (image courtesy of BeeCeuticals Organics)
Some green entrepreneurs are new to the world of sustainable living, but for others an eco-friendly endeavor is part of a lifelong commitment to better health and a better world.
Take Julie and Richie Gerber, founders of BeeCeuticals Organics, who have been involved with health and wellness since they first met over 30 years ago. Together, they saw the desire for natural foods evolve from the fringes of society in the early 1970s to the widely popular movement it is today. Now the couple has created BeeCeuticals to offer body care products that are naturally healthy, biodegradable, sustainable, and cruelty free.
In the 1970s Julie was a yoga teacher and Richie a vegetarian jazz sax player. They moved to Maine, started an organic farm, built their own energy efficient home, taught T’ai Chi Ch’uan and vegetarian cooking classes, while also teaching in the local schools. Their veggie diet seems to provide them with an awful lot of energy!
After several years, the two licensed nutritionists moved to Florida and opened a small neighborhood health food store. They shared their knowledge with customers, held educational events, gave cooking classes, wrote wellness newsletters, ran a restaurant, and more. For 10 years Richie hosted the Natural Grocer Radio Show, a pioneer in South Florida talk-radio. They managed all that while raising their son, Isaac. He's now the website designer and webmaster for the family business.
Julie and Richie have created a very special body care line for BeeCeuticals Organics. They select only the highest quality ingredients for their products, using certified organic botanicals, extracts, oils and butters, and of course, therapeutical bee products. Each product contains their healing Organic Holistic Honey Blend™. They never use sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate, parabens or synthetic fragrances.
They strive to be as gentle on the environment as their products are on the body by offsetting 100% of their power usage with wind and solar power in partnership with Carbonfund.org.
If you’d like to learn more about Julie & Richie’s company and their line of healthy and eco-friendly body care products go to: BeeCeuticals Organics
Thank you Susan Tango!
Produce & Egg (photo by Mary Thorman, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Researchers from Great Britain's Newcastle University have found up to 40% more antioxidants in organic fruit and vegetables than in non-organic. The team of scientists raised fruit and vegetables, and reared cattle on adjacent organic and non-organic sites across Europe in a four-year study funded by a £12m European Union grant.
Professor Carlo Leifert, the Project Coordinator, said:
We have shown there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acids you want and less of those you don't want...Our research is trying to find out where the difference between organic and conventional food comes from.
In the past, some researchers have speculated that pesticides might inhibit the production of nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
To read a report by BBC News on the topic go to: Study hails organic food benefits
To view previous posts on this topic go to:
1. Organic Food Offers Flavor, Nutrition, Safety & Sustainability
2. Organic Dairy & Meat Improves Mothers' Breast Milk
3. For a Healthy Heart: Organic Tomatoes
4. Old World Scientists Agree: Organic Is Healthier
5. Organic Is Better
Pitcher of Milk (photo by Lisa Rowell, courtesy of morguefile.com)
“This is the largest scandal in the history of the organic industry,” said Mark Kastel of The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group.
Acting on behalf of organic food consumers in 27 states, class action lawsuits are being filed in U.S. federal courts, in St. Louis and Denver, against the nation’s largest organic dairy. The suits charge Aurora Dairy Corporation, based in Boulder, Colorado, with allegations of consumer fraud, negligence, and unjust enrichment concerning the sale of organic milk by the company. This past April, Aurora officials received a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detailing multiple and “willful” violations of federal organic law that were found by federal investigators.
Cornucopia’s 2005 formal legal complaint first alerted USDA investigators to the improprieties occurring at Aurora. “Aurora was taking advantage of the consumer’s good will in the marketplace toward organics, and the USDA has allowed this scofflaw-corporation to continue to operate,” says Kastel.
Aurora, with $100 million in annual sales, provides milk that is sold as organic and packaged as private label, store-brand products for some of the nation’s biggest chains, including Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Safeway, Wild Oats, and about 20 others.
Independent investigators at the USDA concluded earlier this year that Aurora—with five dairy facilities in Colorado and Texas, each milking thousands of cows—had 14 “willful” violations of federal organic regulations. One of the most egregious of the findings was that from December 5, 2003, to April 16, 2007, the Aurora Dairy “labeled and represented milk as organically produced, when such milk was not produced
“We believe that there are tens of thousands of consumers across the United States who have been directly impacted by Aurora’s practices,” said Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association. “We are pleased to see this legal action. We will do what we can to ensure that organic continues to mean organic and that consumers get exactly that when they are paying premium prices for organic food,” Cummins added.
To learn more about this topic go to: Cornucopia Institute
Organic Carrots (© Photographer: Rebekah Burgess | Agency: Dreamstime.com)
As advocates of organic food we’re glad to hear we’ve got a lot of company when it comes to recognizing its benefits. Yes, it is more expensive and some small farmers and producers find the cost of getting officially certified to be prohibitive. But we believe organic food is more flavorful, more nutritious, safer from contamination, and a much better choice for a sustainable environment.
We’re far from alone in our views. Health News Digest has reported on the findings of a Harris Poll of 2,392 adults. The report states,
Those who buy organic food regularly are still a small minority, but a growing one. Organic food is seen by most people as safer, better for the environment and healthier, but more expensive. Most organic food buyers overwhelmingly believe it tastes better and is worth the extra cost.
The people who buy organic food, whether regularly or occasionally, are six times more likely to have increased their spending on organic food rather than to have cut back. The Health News Digest report goes on to conclude,
The many people who have positive attitudes to organic food suggest that the increase in consumption of organic food is likely to continue and, in a few years time, could account for a much larger share of the food market.
Americans are not alone in preferring food grown without pesticides. A Japanese publication, The Asahi Shimbun, reports,
Plenty of consumers are keen to purchase organically grown vegetables and rice. According to a survey by the (Japanese) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2004, 42 percent of respondents said they would like to purchase organic produce in the future. Combined with those who said they would do so "if the price comes down," 94 percent were inclined to go organic.
The Asahi Shimbun quotes Kiichi Nakajima, Professor at Ibaraki University and chair of Japan's Research Association for Organic Agriculture, as saying,
Agriculture is now at a major turning point where it must undergo a change to become sustainable, in complete balance with the environment. For Japan, the best path forward is organic farming that values the works of life, while decreasing the burdens on the environment.
To read the report in Health News Digest cited above go to: Large Majorities See Organic Food as Safer, Better for the Environment And Healthier — But Also More Expensive
To read the report from The Asahi Shimbun cited above go to: Eating green
To view previous posts on the topic click on the following:
1. Going Organic in Scotland
2. Good News for a Future of Organic Food
  
Theo's Fair Trade, Organic Chocolates (photos by Rick Tango)
Eco-entrepreneurs deserve kudos for the risks they took to start up companies that strive for sustainability. Founder & CEO Joe Whinney of Theo Chocolate is among the most deserving, so it’s quite fitting that the popular environmental news site Grist has named him one of its top 15 green business founders.
Others on Grist’s list include Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Nell Newman of Newman's Own Organics. All of the 15 named are being honored for building successful businesses on foundations of sustainability.
Joe Whinney witnessed the effects of unfair, unsustainable cocoa trading as a conservation volunteer in Central America. That experience led him to pioneer the manufacture and supply of organic chocolate products and become the first individual to import organic cocoa beans into North America in 1994. Over a decade later, Theo is proud to be the only roaster of organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States.
All of Theo’s ingredients are carefully selected to ensure they meet the company’s high standards for social and environmental responsibility. As true gourmet chocolate makers, they carefully steward cacao (cocoa beans) through the process of roasting, blending and conching to coax out the distinctive flavor imparted by each unique growing region. Theo’s production is guided by their passion for chocolate. Their ultimate goal is to lead the industry with the excellence and integrity of their offerings.
Food and Wine Magazine honored Theo with an Eco-Epicurean Award in their August 2007 issue, for making the world "a better — and more delicious — place." Theo also won "Outstanding Chocolate" at the NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York City.
The company is located in a beautiful, historic building in Seattle, Washington. They welcome visitors for tours of the chocolate factory everyday at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. The cost is just $5.00 per person. You can reserve a place on the tour by calling 206-632-5100. Tours last about 1 hour and include a thorough explanation of chocolate making. It also includes delicious samples!
If you’d like to purchase some of Theo’s award-winning gourmet chocolate click on any of the following:
Organic Chocolate from Ghana's Cacao
Organic Chocolate from the Ivory Coast's Cacao
Organic Bread & Chocolate Bars
Theo Organic Chocolate Confections
Scenic Chicago (photo by Dave Cameron, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daly has pledged to make the Windy City the most environmentally friendly city in the world. The city is putting up some of the most energy-efficient buildings in the country and will grant a building permit a lot faster if the developer will agree to build “green”.
New residents are flowing into Chicago’s downtown neighborhoods. Abandoned buildings and parking lots have been transformed into new businesses, parks and community gardens. Scores of new jobs have been created. The city’s population has grown by 100,000 within the last 10 years; a boom it hasn’t seen since the 1940s.
Now Chicago’s becoming a leader in the organic food movement. The city so well known for its sausage specialties and superb steak houses is also home to the Bleeding Heart Bakery on Chicago Avenue, one of the country’s only retail bakeries to be organically certified. Chicago also boasts one of the few organic pizza restaurants in the U.S., Crust on West Division. The company Busypeople delivers organic meals and provides organic lunch programs for several private schools.
If you’d like to read an article from the Chicago Sun-Times on organic trends in the City of Big Shoulders go to: Embracing organics
Colorado Farm in Winter (photo by Jany Lee, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Ellen Mahoney of Boulder Weekly has penned a terrific article on the upcoming Farm Bill in Washington, D.C. She’s done a beautiful job of writing about a complex piece of legislation, citing its historic roots and explaining its impact on all of us, especially the community farmers who produce the freshest and most healthful foods available.
Ms. Mahoney writes, “Everyone is affected by the bill in terms of the nutrition, cost and availability of what we eat, how food is farmed, produced and distributed, the conservation of land and waterways, as well as clothing, fuel and fuel costs.”
More Americans than ever seem concerned about U.S. food policy and its impact on our health, our environment, our communities, and our children. Small farmers with little time to spare are making time to speak with elected officials about the importance of a Farm Bill that supports small farms and healthful foods. Large corporations have their well-paid lobbyists, ordinary citizens have to speak up for themselves.
In her article, Ms. Mahoney quotes Dan Imhoff, the author of Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. He says the current legislation pits large industrial corporations against small farmers here and abroad and needs a major overhaul:
The Farm Bill’s broken because the process is now dominated by huge, corporate lobbying interests and commodity state politics rather than what’s best for the entire country and taxpayers…Its policies are stuck in the past, while we’re facing real threats to agriculture, such as climate change, dwindling energy supplies and the need for conservation incentives.
Mr. Imhoff is further quoted as saying:
While many people equate the Farm Bill with economic assistance for struggling family farmers — millionaire mega farms and mega feedlots, absentee landlords, large industrial food giants, ethanol producers, and international grain traders are the primary beneficiaries of current commodity subsidies…The top 10 percent of agribusiness operations receive over two-thirds of all commodity payments, and three out of five farmers currently receive no Farm Bill subsidies at all.
To read Ellen Mahoney’s fine article in the Boulder Weekly go to: Roots of change
To visit the non-profit Farm Bill Action Center & help change food policy go to: Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
To view a previous post on this topic go to: It’s Time to Change Food Policy
A Veggie Feast! (photo courtesy of Boston Vegetarian Society)
With over 100 exhibitors, the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is a full day of fun, good food, and learning! The longest-running event of its kind in the country, the Festival offers free admission, free food sampling, and ample free parking!
The Boston Vegetarian Society will be presenting the 12th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival on Saturday, October 20th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston. That’s opposite the Roxbury Crossing Orange Line T-stop. There is wheelchair access to the Festival.
The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is a chance to explore and taste free samples of a great variety of delicious, natural vegetarian foods, talk to both local food exhibitors and exhibitors from all over the country. Learn about the latest veg products, and shop at "show special" discounts. It’s a wonderful chance to meet exhibitors of products and services which support a vegetarian way of life. Restaurants will also be represented at the Festival.
The Festival offers a stellar lineup of national speakers and chefs. Among them is Chef & Cookbook Author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder of Compassionate Cooks in San Francisco, contributor to National Public Radio, and columnist for VegNews Magazine. The speakers will bring cutting edge nutrition information as well as the how-to's of healthy plant-based eating in presentations that are lively and often hilarious as well. The chefs will teach mouth-watering dishes and share kitchen tips, and experts will speak on living in harmony with animals and the environment. All cooking demonstrations and all presentations are free. Book and cookbook publishers, educational exhibits on helping animals & the environment, and a children's crafts & activity center will round out the day.
Chef & Author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (photo courtesy of Boston Vegetarian Food Festival)
The sponsoring organization, the Boston Vegetarian Society, is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. The organization seeks to make a better world for people, animals, and the earth through advancing a healthful vegetarian diet and a compassionate ethic. It provides education, encouragement, and community support for vegetarians and for anyone wishing to learn more about a healthy, environmentally friendly and humane way of life.
To get more info on the Festival and learn more about the sponsoring organization go to: Boston Vegetarian Society
(photo courtesy of the USDA)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has some promising news on the widening use of organic methods by American farmers. According to the USDA,
Organic farming has become one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture. U.S. producers are turning to certified organic farming systems as a potential way to lower input costs, decrease reliance on nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets and premium prices, and boost farm income. Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices, such as cultural and biological pest management, and virtually exclude the use of synthetic chemicals in crop production and prohibit the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock production. Many producers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers specialize in growing, processing, and marketing an ever widening array of organic food and fiber products.
This is great news for everyone. More organic farming in America means safer and healthier foods becoming available to more Americans. The widespread adoption of organic farming methods means better sustainablility for the health of future generations and our planet.
This kind of news is worth celebrating with a feast of food made the sustainable way!
If you’d like more information, visit the USDA’s web site by clicking on: Organic Agriculture Briefing Room
This recipe comes from our friends at Stella Cadente Olive Oil, courtesy of Renee Kiff of California’s Healdsburg Farmer's Market. Renee was careful to mention in her recipe that her preference was for an organic chicken. A cold, crisp Chardonnay (Bonterra organic is a good choice) pairs nicely with this bird!
Ingredients
• 1 Whole Organic Chicken
• 1 Bundle of Herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano, marjoram, & rosemary)...approx. 3-4 ounces
• 3-4 Bay Leaves
• Stella Cadente Meyer Lemon Olive Oil (approx. 2 ounces)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Preparation
1. Remove "innards" of chicken.
2. Stuff whole chicken cavity with herbs & bay leaves.
3. Rub Meyer Lemon Oil over the outside of the chicken
4. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
5. BBQ on a spit for at least 1 hour & 15 minutes, turning constantly. Or, bake in oven at 375 degrees for at least one hour.
6. Test for doneness; the juice from the drumstick should be clear and the chicken should be soft throughout.
If you’d like to order some of Stella Cadente’s artisanal lemon oil go to: Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
To view all the recipes on the American Feast web site go to: American Feast's Recipe Collection
To follow American Feast on Facebook go to: American Feast on Facebook
To follow American Feast's Founder on Twitter go to: Jeff Deasy on Twitter
(photo by Virginia Coccaro, courtesy of morguefile.com)
The folks at the nonprofit Cornucopia Institute have informed us about a new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, indicating that organic dairy and meat products in a mother’s diet positively affect the nutritional quality of her breast milk.
According to the Institute’s press release, a diet in which 90% or more of dairy and meat products are organic is correlated with measurably higher levels of a type of fat (CLA) believed to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-diabetic and immune-enhancing effects, as well as a favorable influence on body fat composition. For newborns specifically, CLA is believed to especially aid immune system development.
“These findings provide scientific support for common sense, by showing that organic foods are healthier,” says Dr. Lukas Rist, who is the lead author of the study and the head of research at the Paracelsus Hospital in Switzerland. The study involved 312 breastfeeding women with 1-month old infants from the Netherlands.
To learn more about the fine work of the Institute, including the Organic Integrity Project, go to: The Cornucopia Institute
To read some previous posts on the benefits of organic foods click on the following:
1. For a Healthy Heart: Organic Tomatoes
2. Old World Scientists Agree: Organic Is Healthier
3. Organic Is Better
Vine Ripened! (© Photographer: Olivier Le Queinec | Agency: Dreamstime.com)
Now's there even more scientific evidence that organic produce is a very healthy choice over crops grown in the conventional manner. In a 10-year study by the University of California, researchers found that tomatoes grown organically had almost twice the amount of flavonoids as standard produce. Flavonoids are a type of anti-oxidant.
The study was reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The importance of the study's findings was explained in a BBC News report on the study, "Flavonoids have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke... Flavonoids have also been linked with reduced rates of some types of cancer and dementia."
To read the BBC News report on the study go to: Organic food 'better' for heart
To read a previous post on the benefits of eating organic food go to: Old World Scientists Agree: Organic Is Healthier
(image courtesy of European Union)
Organic farming has more than doubled its share of European agriculture in less than a decade, according to a report from the Associated Press posted on the web site of the Houston Chronicle.
Consumer demand for foods produced without pesticides and chemical fertilizers continues to grow, and many Europeans are wary of genetically-modified foods and cloned animalsl. European Union ministers have now agreed to guidelines for determining which foods can be labeled organic. Under the new guidelines, the EU organic logo can now be added to food if at least 95% of the ingredients are organic.
Might the other 5% contain those elements we are trying to avoid by paying more for organic food?
To read the Associated Press article as it appeared on the web site of the Houston Chronicle go to: EU Organic Farming Doubles
 VS. 
David vs. Goliath?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ready to approve a list of 38 ingredients that can be used in food stamped with its organic seal, even though those ingredients are sprayed with pesticides, grown with chemical fertilizers, or come from animals fed antibiotics and bovine growth hormones. Consumers are being given just 7 days to comment.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, “…many beer drinkers may not know that Anheuser-Busch has the organic blessing from federal regulators even though Wild Hop Lager uses hops grown with chemical fertilizers and sprayed with pesticides.” That’s in light of the Anheuser-Busch web site proclaiming, “…we have decided to go back to basics and do things the way they were meant to be … naturally."
Anheuser-Busch is just one example. With the organic food market in the U.S. expected to reach $17 billion in 2007, plenty of large corporations are vying for a share. Consumers have shown a willingness to pay premium prices for organic products. Weakening the standards for the USDA's organic seal lowers the production costs of businesses, but cconsumers are likely to find themselves paying premium prices for products containing the very ingredients they want to avoid.
If the USDA allows beer from hops grown with chemical fertilizers and sprayed with pesticides to be labeled organic, can that label stil be taken seriously?
To read the full article in the Los Angeles Times cited above, go to: USDA may relax standards for organic foods
To learn about efforts to save the integrity of organics & how you might help go to: Organic Consumers Association
To go to the feedback page on the web site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture click on: USDA Feedback Form
Healthy Land & Healthy Cows—"Real" Organic Farms
(photo courtesy of Cornucopia Institute)
After a 7-year battle between organic farmers and consumers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the first of a handful of industrial-scale dairies, producing what they claimed was organic milk, has been shut down by regulatory authorities. It was announced today by an organic industry watchdog group that a 10,000-cow feedlot dairy, near Fresno in central California, was found to be operating outside of the organic law and has had their certificate to produce organic milk suspended.
The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Wisconsin, which acts as an organic industry watchdog, announced that the Case Vander Eyk Jr. Dairy in Pixley, California, has been forced to suspend selling organic milk. In early 2005, Cornucopia filed the first of a series of formal legal complaints with the USDA against large factory-farm operators, including Vander Eyk, alleging that the mammoth "factory farms" were violating the spirit and letter of the organic law by confining their animals to pens and sheds rather than grazing them.
“This is a big victory for the farm families around the country who work so hard to create milk and dairy products that meet a high ethical standard,” said Mark Kastel, Cornucopia's senior farm policy analyst. “Scofflaws, like the Vander Eyk dairy, place family farmers, who respect the organic law and the expectations of their customers, at a competitive disadvantage.”
Government regulators indicated that there were serious questions whether Vander Eyk's cows are actually managed organically (without antibiotics and hormones), fed organically produced feed (without toxic pesticides and herbicides), and are allowed to graze rather than being confined in a feedlot.
If you'd like to learn more about the excellent work of the Institute & how you might help go to: Cornucopia Institute
Biodynamic farming is gaining ground as enthusiasts work to make their farms not just organic to the point of becoming self-sustained environment. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are shunned. Great efforts are made to recycle and use only what is available on the farm to develop and sustain rich soil capable of growing produce full of flavor and nutrients. Organic matter is mulched and worked back into the soil. Cows are kept to provide fertilizer, water gets recycled, and the habitats of wild birds and animals are protected. Wild birds can be relied upon to eliminate unwanted insects.
Though biodynamic farming may be a new concept to many of us, it’s been around for some time. The Austrian philosopher, scientist and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) laid the foundations for biodynamics in a series of lectures he gave in 1924. There are elements of mysticism in Steiner’s writings, but biodynamic farming embraces practices that make for keeping the land healthy for people and crops. The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association (BDA), a non-profit organization open to the public, was formed in the U.S. in 1938 in order to foster, guide, and safeguard the Biodynamic method of agriculture. Biodynamic farming is far from unique to the U.S. Organizations dedicated to promoting biodynamic practices are well established in New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain.
In the U.S. today there are as many as 50 wine growers who have adopted biodynamic practices. Almost half of those growers are in California. Vintners believe biodynamic methods lead to the best grapes and therefore the best wines. Some made the conversion because they felt the grapes produced from depleted soil and onslaughts of chemical fertilizer just weren’t good enough to make great wine. Converts have found their efforts paying off. The best of the biodynamic wines have caught the attention of sommeliers and fetch premium prices. A 2004 Tribute from the Benzinger Family Winery made with cabernet and petit verdot grapes will set you back $80. The wine makers say that using strict biodynamic methods they produce wine that really tastes of the land from which it comes.
To read an article from insidebayarea.com on biodynamic farming & wine gowers go to: Biodynamic farming gains ground in the wine world
To visit the web site of the Biodynamic Association in the U.S. go to: Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
Crisp Veggies (photo by jeltovski, courtesy of morguefile.com)
Organic food commands a premium price and it seems increasing numbers of people are willing to pay it. The Organic Trade Association’s 2007 Manufacturer Survey indicates that U.S. organic food sales totaled $16.9 billion in 2006; representing 3% of all retail sales of food and beverages. Sales in 2006 grew an impressive 22% over the figure of $13.8 billion for 2005.
At present there’s concern that while a prosperous elite gets to enjoy produce free of pesticides, people of more modest means find their budgets most suited to less healthy, highly processed foods. Another concern has been that converting land cultivated with industrial chemicals to organic farming lowers the crop yield in a world concerned with feeding the hungry. But, the continuing growth of the organic food market could lead to greater affordability for all and big environmental benefits to boot.
An article in USA Today provides some positive news in the face of the concerns,
Researchers in Denmark found, however, that there would not be any serious negative effect on food security for sub-Saharan Africa if 50% of agricultural land in the food exporting regions of Europe and North America were converted to organic by 2020.
While total food production would drop, the amount per crop would be much less than previously assumed, and the drop in world food prices that resulted could be mitigated by improvements in the land and other benefits, the study found.
A similar conversion to organic farming in sub-Saharan Africa could help the region's hungry because it could reduce their need to import food, Niels Halberg, a senior scientist at the Danish Research Center for Organic Food and Farming, told the U.N. conference on "Organic Agriculture and Food Security."
Farmers who go back to using traditional agricultural methods would not have to spend money on expensive chemicals and would grow more diverse crops that are more sustainable, the report said. In addition, if their food is certified organic, farmers could export any surpluses, bringing in cash since organic food has such premium prices.
To read the full article in USA Today go to: Researchers: Organic push won't hurt world food supply
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