Yesterday I began to ask myself how far removed I was from my ancestors who lived with the Earth and not necessarily off of it. I suspect that, in Sicily, my father's grandparents had a relationship with the land, with their chickens, with where their food came from, but I am not sure. On my mother's side I think we would have to travel back to her great-grandparents who lived in Pennsylvania based on pictures I saw that looked like they may have been living on a farm. I thought once our family moved to the city, it was natural that this relationship with food was severed. I was about to become complacent in these thoughts, feeling free from blame for my reliance on purchased foods rather than home-grown foods. Then I suddenly had one glaringly clear thought penetrate my brain, "It wasn't them. I am the first generation in this family that has not had at least some of her food from her own yard."
The Gardens of My Past
My grandparents always had tomatoes, herbs and a huge grapevine in their very small Brooklyn backyard. When I was a child, we had a nice sized vegetable garden in our backyard (I can't believe I forgot about this!). We grew tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, an herb garden, a strawberry patch, a grapevine, a fig tree and a peach tree. Our garden shrunk over the years - tomatoes, cucumbers and the strawberries were the last go and then our house got termites. We were told by the exterminators that we should not eat anything that grew out of ground for nine years. That was the end of the garden.
The Pests That Won't Leave Me Alone
It is far beyond nine years. I don't even remember when we had the termites, but I know I was in school then and I know I have been teaching for twelve years, so I know we are safe. I have been itching to start my own garden, but the legend of the termites haunt me...
My husband knows of the termites and the warning that was given to us (I probably told him long before we inherited the house when I never dreamed this would someday be our house!). He does not buy into this finite time period of nine years. He often asks, "How do they know nine years are ok? Maybe in another twenty years they will come out with a new study saying - Oops! We mean 25 years, we suddenly found this new side effect that only comes out after 25 years!!" ...and he goes on like this until he finally ends with, "You want to plant food back there? Go ahead, but I'm not going to eat it." I know he could be right about all of this and this all may be true, but I can't help but continue to wrack my brain for a solution.
The Garden Plan for My Future
I think I may have found a solution this morning - raised bed vegetable gardens. This is not, by any means, going to be an easy task, but I figure I have the winter months to research, plan and save up some money to make this happen. Oh, and one more thing: I have to convince my husband that these foods are edible and that this is a FABULOUS IDEA!! Our backyard will be pretty and functional.
If you are unfamiliar with the term raised bed gardens, simply put it is a technique where you create a garden on TOP of your land confined either in wood, stone, or even hay. This technique is helpful in places where the soil is difficult to grow in. You can use the raised bed as a place to put rich soil, compost and not have to worry about it being compacted by foot traffic. Evidently the beds are also very good for drainage. I look forward to furthering my knowledge about this technique while designing a suitable layout for my backyard.
I simply can not wait for the time when I can reconnect with my own local Earth beyond my little basil plant growing in my kitchen!
Please let me know of any advice you may have about beginning a vegetable garden, raised bed gardens or things I can do during the winter months to get ready for this big project.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Why is Organic so Expensive?
After reading a number of blogs and online discussions tonight on buying organic food for the family, buying organic feed for animals on the farm and many questioning the merits of doing such a thing when there would be such a financial burden attached to it, I began to really wonder to myself, "WHY is organic SO EXPENSIVE??" As I read post on top of post of people saying, I'd really like to, but we can't really afford it, I was coming undone. I wanted to write back: IT IS WORTH IT, but I steadied my hand realizing that these are easy words coming from someone who has only to buy food for her husband and herself... Will the same sacrifices be possible when we have a family? Will the sacrifices be enough to cover the cost of organic living?
As I thought about it more and more it seemed increasingly unfair that organic was not a viable choice for all. It also didn't make a lot of sense to me - didn't organic food have less stuff in it? Shouldn't less cost less? Alas, so it should seem, but we know business doesn't have to make sense, it only has to make cents!
I needed to get to the bottom of this, for my own complete understanding. I wanted to know what I was paying for really. I know that my intention is to pay for quality food, but I had a feeling that the real expense was coming from something unforeseen.
Manpower
One of the first things that our organic dollars go to is the manpower. Rather than rely on chemicals and pesticides to kill all of the weeds on a farm, when a farm is organic, they refrain from using these techniques. This does not mean, however, that they allow weeds to grow willy-nilly throughout their crops! In fact, people actually have to go pull out the weeds. This takes time and time = money.
...that seems reasonable to me.
It's Economics
Supply and demand rear their ugly heads into this discussion, driving our prices skyward. It seems that in organic farms have a smaller harvest than non-organic farms. They simply do not produce as much produce! Especially since the demand for certified organic foods is increasing, the prices are following suit.
...this is the unavoidable law of the capitalist world I live in, I guess.
They're On Their Own
Large, non-organic farms receive government subsidies to cover expenses such as pesticides, herbicides and corn. They also do not have to pay for the mess they make of the world around them. In both cases they are covered. If you are wondering where the government is getting that money to pay them, that would be from us, through our tax dollars. Organic farmers are paying for everything beginning to the end, out of pocket - so they put the cost in the product.
...this was the part I worried about.
I am sure there are a whole bunch of other reasons why organic is more expensive than non-organic, but it is this last issue that truly gives me pause. THIS is what we have to stop. We have to stop paying for harmful food. We have to stop paying for it with our money (through our taxes) and we have to stop paying for it with our health! One website that I used as a reference when getting to the bottom of this enigma brought up another very good point - if we truly calculate the dollars and cents spent on the two types of food, we may find that organic is not that expensive. Here is an excerpt from the site's answer to the question "Why is organic food so expensive?":
****JUST FOUND (on 11/4/2010) A LIST OF PLACES THAT GIVE YOU ORGANIC COUPONS!!
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2009/05/online-organic-coupon-resources.html
THANK YOU THRIFTY MAMA!!!****
As I thought about it more and more it seemed increasingly unfair that organic was not a viable choice for all. It also didn't make a lot of sense to me - didn't organic food have less stuff in it? Shouldn't less cost less? Alas, so it should seem, but we know business doesn't have to make sense, it only has to make cents!
I needed to get to the bottom of this, for my own complete understanding. I wanted to know what I was paying for really. I know that my intention is to pay for quality food, but I had a feeling that the real expense was coming from something unforeseen.
Manpower
One of the first things that our organic dollars go to is the manpower. Rather than rely on chemicals and pesticides to kill all of the weeds on a farm, when a farm is organic, they refrain from using these techniques. This does not mean, however, that they allow weeds to grow willy-nilly throughout their crops! In fact, people actually have to go pull out the weeds. This takes time and time = money.
...that seems reasonable to me.
It's Economics
Supply and demand rear their ugly heads into this discussion, driving our prices skyward. It seems that in organic farms have a smaller harvest than non-organic farms. They simply do not produce as much produce! Especially since the demand for certified organic foods is increasing, the prices are following suit.
...this is the unavoidable law of the capitalist world I live in, I guess.
They're On Their Own
Large, non-organic farms receive government subsidies to cover expenses such as pesticides, herbicides and corn. They also do not have to pay for the mess they make of the world around them. In both cases they are covered. If you are wondering where the government is getting that money to pay them, that would be from us, through our tax dollars. Organic farmers are paying for everything beginning to the end, out of pocket - so they put the cost in the product.
...this was the part I worried about.
I am sure there are a whole bunch of other reasons why organic is more expensive than non-organic, but it is this last issue that truly gives me pause. THIS is what we have to stop. We have to stop paying for harmful food. We have to stop paying for it with our money (through our taxes) and we have to stop paying for it with our health! One website that I used as a reference when getting to the bottom of this enigma brought up another very good point - if we truly calculate the dollars and cents spent on the two types of food, we may find that organic is not that expensive. Here is an excerpt from the site's answer to the question "Why is organic food so expensive?":
****JUST FOUND (on 11/4/2010) A LIST OF PLACES THAT GIVE YOU ORGANIC COUPONS!!
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2009/05/online-organic-coupon-resources.html
THANK YOU THRIFTY MAMA!!!****
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Take Action Tuesday
It is Election Day, so I have politics on my mind and when it comes to my blog that leads to food politics. I have been recording this show from the Cooking Channel on my DVR called My Life in Food. After you take a quick look at the run-down of the episodes aired so far, you will understand why. Anyway, the episode I just recently watched was all about food safety and it brought two things to my attention that I wanted to note here so 1. I wouldn't forget, and 2. I could share them with those of you following along.
S.T.O.P.
Safe Tables Our Priority, or S.T.O.P., is an organization fighting for food safety legislation in order to save lives. The organization began with a group of families that had lost family members from an E. coli outbreak. They fight now so that others will not have to go through their own suffering. Their website seems pretty extensive, including a place for you to sign up for e-alerts so you can be notified of any outbreaks as soon as the news breaks. This seems like a really great organization to support in the food fight.
Safe Food
Also on the episode was an interview with an author of a book on Safe Food, Marion Nestle. The book seems intriguing to me, discussing the politics of food safety in America. I have not picked it up yet (I have to check to see if it is available in digital form), but this seems like something that is right up my alley.
After doing a quick Google search of Marion Nestle I see that she has a number of books out and now I know why her name is so familiar to me - she is the author of What to Eat, another book I started reading before my eyes gave up on me! I think Marion Nestle will be one of my "food friends." Oh Wow! I just found her food blog called Food Politics - how cool is this? She has even written books on pet food politics! OK, let's simplify this, for your perusal, here is a link for books found under a Marion Nestle search, so you can get a feel for what's available to you: Search Amazon.com for Marion Nestle
.
Since I have declared it "Take Action Tuesday" I am keeping it short so you can get out there and go DO something. First of all, fellow Americas: GO VOTE. Then, when you are done, either stay in your political mindset and check out Marion Nestle's blog, go to the S.T.O.P. website, or any of the sites on my previous Taking Action post, or perhaps find a new book to educate yourself as to what you can do next.
And remember even the largest meals can be eaten in tiny little bites, so don't feel like you have to take it ALL on at once!
S.T.O.P.
Safe Tables Our Priority, or S.T.O.P., is an organization fighting for food safety legislation in order to save lives. The organization began with a group of families that had lost family members from an E. coli outbreak. They fight now so that others will not have to go through their own suffering. Their website seems pretty extensive, including a place for you to sign up for e-alerts so you can be notified of any outbreaks as soon as the news breaks. This seems like a really great organization to support in the food fight.
Safe Food
Also on the episode was an interview with an author of a book on Safe Food, Marion Nestle. The book seems intriguing to me, discussing the politics of food safety in America. I have not picked it up yet (I have to check to see if it is available in digital form), but this seems like something that is right up my alley.
After doing a quick Google search of Marion Nestle I see that she has a number of books out and now I know why her name is so familiar to me - she is the author of What to Eat, another book I started reading before my eyes gave up on me! I think Marion Nestle will be one of my "food friends." Oh Wow! I just found her food blog called Food Politics - how cool is this? She has even written books on pet food politics! OK, let's simplify this, for your perusal, here is a link for books found under a Marion Nestle search, so you can get a feel for what's available to you: Search Amazon.com for Marion Nestle
.Since I have declared it "Take Action Tuesday" I am keeping it short so you can get out there and go DO something. First of all, fellow Americas: GO VOTE. Then, when you are done, either stay in your political mindset and check out Marion Nestle's blog, go to the S.T.O.P. website, or any of the sites on my previous Taking Action post, or perhaps find a new book to educate yourself as to what you can do next.
And remember even the largest meals can be eaten in tiny little bites, so don't feel like you have to take it ALL on at once!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Meatless Monday #1 MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED!!
Breakfast
I feel almost as though I cheated for breakfast because it took little to no effort at all. My breakfast was not only meatless, but it was also vegan. This meal has no recipe, only assembly and some pretty cool product that I like. Here is what my breakfast table looked like:
In the bowl of fruit I have strawberries, cranberries and a pear. I have to admit I left a couple of cranberries in the end - they were even to tart for me (and that is saying something), but I enjoyed the mix overall. My cereal is from an company called Barbara's Bakery and it is one of the few gluten-free cereals I have found that I like. My milk is from Pacific Natural Foods and it is DELICIOUS! My husband has even started to steal it from time to time in place of his cow's milk. (My absolute favorite thing in the world right now, though, is their Chocolate Hazelnut Milk! What a dream come true for a girl who can't have Nutella anymore!) I figured this breakfast should last me easily until lunch (if not later) because, it was filling and I got a good source of protein from my milk.
Lunch
My lunch was pretty easy considering the dietary limitations already placed upon me. I had a "cheese" sandwich with chips and salsa and chocolate pudding for dessert. Believe it or not, this too qualifies not only as meatless, but vegan as well. It seems as though my true meatless Everest will be dinner. This is no surprise to me since I have my in-house meat-addict to somehow please (eep!!). Here is what lunch looked like (it is ALL gone now!):
My "cheese" sandwich was really just a rice sandwich when I think about it. It was made on white rice bread from Ener-G with Galaxy Nutritional Foods mozzarella flavored rice cheese. My husband and I have both been fans of the Food Should Taste Good Multigrain chips for a while now, and I love to have them with my Tostitos salsa (I should probably start the hunt for a nice organic salsa or - crazy idea - make my own!) at lunch time. Finally, my "dessert" is a dark chocolate whipped pudding that is both dairy free and gluten free from So Yummi that really is so yummy. However, it is not the same consistency of regular chocolate pudding so if that is what you are looking for, to be honest, I don't know where to send you just yet. I haven't found that magic product!
Dinner
How droll! How mundane! How last Thursday! If you read my post Last Thursday Comfort Food - My Ritual and Recipe then you know all about tonight's dinner. When my husband agreed to Meatless Mondays he said, "I'll do it if we have pasta." I had no idea at the time that this meant only pasta with marinara sauce. Luckily this was clarified before I started to undertake some other new-fangled project. I shared with my husband my disappointment in this limitation during a project that should expand our horizons, but acquiesced when he threatened to go to his mother's to go get a meaty dinner if there was no sauce (I truly wish I was kidding about this!).
So, after a quick trip to the local Top Tomato to pick up some more San Marzano tomatoes, I set up to prepare the sauce and pasta. While he waited, I gave my husband something to nosh on so he wouldn't start day-dreaming of steak or chicken or some other animal to eat...
I spent the time opening cans, slicing and dicing garlic and onions, and stirring my double-dose of sauce (I figured I better make extra to freeze to have on the side for next Monday, just in case my hubby doesn't go for whatever creation I have come up with for our next Meatless Monday Meal!).
Of course dinner was delicious, that goes without saying - this sauce is hands-down one of my favorite things in the world to eat - but I was really thinking tonight we were going to try something new. I even took a quick stroll up to the Barnes & Noble in my neighborhood to pick up some fabulous new resources for me and my kitchen:
The two magazines were quick buys on the way out
Concluding Thoughts About My First Meatless Monday
I am proud to say that I did it! And, upon reflection, I made it through World Vegan Day 2010 as a complete Vegan - no animal product whatsoever. I felt great all day - not sluggish or tired, or hungry. However, I know that I thought very carefully about every single meal making sure protein was somewhere in all of them (there is soy in the gluten-free pasta I made for dinner). I wonder if I took on this lifestyle if I would become less vigilant in my meal creation. The only thing I think the omnivore diet has on its side is the appeal of easy balance to each meal. Perhaps this is just my ignorance speaking, or my newness to the vegetarian way, perhaps once you are steeped in the vegetarian and/or vegan culture the balance comes just as simply...
I will be studying up for next Monday and I am sure Jack Bishop will be helping me out!! Don't forget, if you want to continue the Meatless Monday discussion between Monday posts, come visit the Facebook page for Searching for Sustenance!
Check out my New Jack Bishop book:
UPDATE: Check out how the other meatless Mondays turned out:
I feel almost as though I cheated for breakfast because it took little to no effort at all. My breakfast was not only meatless, but it was also vegan. This meal has no recipe, only assembly and some pretty cool product that I like. Here is what my breakfast table looked like:
 |
| A well-balance breakfast? I hope so! |
Lunch
My lunch was pretty easy considering the dietary limitations already placed upon me. I had a "cheese" sandwich with chips and salsa and chocolate pudding for dessert. Believe it or not, this too qualifies not only as meatless, but vegan as well. It seems as though my true meatless Everest will be dinner. This is no surprise to me since I have my in-house meat-addict to somehow please (eep!!). Here is what lunch looked like (it is ALL gone now!):
 |
| By the enormity of this meal, can you tell lunch is my favorite meal?? |
Dinner
How droll! How mundane! How last Thursday! If you read my post Last Thursday Comfort Food - My Ritual and Recipe then you know all about tonight's dinner. When my husband agreed to Meatless Mondays he said, "I'll do it if we have pasta." I had no idea at the time that this meant only pasta with marinara sauce. Luckily this was clarified before I started to undertake some other new-fangled project. I shared with my husband my disappointment in this limitation during a project that should expand our horizons, but acquiesced when he threatened to go to his mother's to go get a meaty dinner if there was no sauce (I truly wish I was kidding about this!).
So, after a quick trip to the local Top Tomato to pick up some more San Marzano tomatoes, I set up to prepare the sauce and pasta. While he waited, I gave my husband something to nosh on so he wouldn't start day-dreaming of steak or chicken or some other animal to eat...
 |
| While he enjoyed his apple and grapes, my husband did point out to me that he shouldn't be eating them because they were fattening due to their sugar-content!! |
 |
| All the ingredients (see Thursday's blog for the recipe!). |
 |
| One book and two magazines |
- Gluten Free Living I had no idea this magazine even existed, which makes sense, because it is only up to issue #3. I think there are a couple of articles in there I would really like to sit down with (I just hope my eyes are up to regular-print reading for an extended amount of time).
- Vegetarian Living I picked this up to see if there are any recipes to use this month, but who knows? I may find even more between the covers!
Concluding Thoughts About My First Meatless Monday
I am proud to say that I did it! And, upon reflection, I made it through World Vegan Day 2010 as a complete Vegan - no animal product whatsoever. I felt great all day - not sluggish or tired, or hungry. However, I know that I thought very carefully about every single meal making sure protein was somewhere in all of them (there is soy in the gluten-free pasta I made for dinner). I wonder if I took on this lifestyle if I would become less vigilant in my meal creation. The only thing I think the omnivore diet has on its side is the appeal of easy balance to each meal. Perhaps this is just my ignorance speaking, or my newness to the vegetarian way, perhaps once you are steeped in the vegetarian and/or vegan culture the balance comes just as simply...
I will be studying up for next Monday and I am sure Jack Bishop will be helping me out!! Don't forget, if you want to continue the Meatless Monday discussion between Monday posts, come visit the Facebook page for Searching for Sustenance!
Check out my New Jack Bishop book:
UPDATE: Check out how the other meatless Mondays turned out:
- meatless Monday #4: Burger Wars black bean burgers
- meatless Monday #3: Late to Rise, But Successful by Sunset apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast and vegetarian chili dinner
- meatless Monday #2: Success, But I Need BRAIN Food potato salad with lunch, Gardein and black beans for dinner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Usability Testing / userfly.com
