The past year brought stories about health scares from ecoli to toys made in China, pet food made in China, (...anything made in China...) and then there are some stories which linger, more troubling-ly, and return again and again with increasing concern. Two such stories are those of MRSA, the new antibiotic-resistant bacteria which is now killing more people than AIDS (in the US), and Colony Collapse Disorder - the troublesome problem of bees, necessary for pollination and therefore integral to food production, flying away and not returning.

In his always evocative and eloquent way, Michael Pollan (did I mention, I *heart* Michael Pollan?) discusses these issues and how they're related directly to modern food practices, and the exact definition of sustainability in a tightly wrapped piece in the NY Times magazine. Read it.

Posted by themindfuleater on January 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the most pleasurable summer weekend activities is to visit your local farmer's market and ogle over the colorful array of fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and other artisan products - and then to go home and prepare something lovely. One thing I've been enjoying lately is asparagus soup - easy to make and very tasty:

Market Fresh "Cream" of Asparagus Soup
The creative addition of oatmeal to this soup gives it a creamy texture without adding any actual cream to the soup at all.

2 leeks, sliced small
2 lbs asparagus
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 cup veggie stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cups water
salt + pepper
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

1. Boil 2 cups cold water, and add some salt. Lop the tops off the asparagus and boil (blanch) them for 2 minutes, then remove, keeping the cooking water, and wash under cold water. Chop the rest of the asparagus in 1" pieces
2. Saute leeks in olive oil in your soup cooking pot, over medium heat, adding some salt, and allow them to sweat - getting soft but not brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Add all ingredients except the blanched asparagus tips to this pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Blend the soup: transfer bits at a time to a blender - be sure not to fill the blender more than 1/3 - 1/2 full or it will explode everywhere. Blend bits at a time. This seems like a pain but it's really no big deal.
5. In the last batch, add 1/2 the asparagus tips, and don't blend fully, leave it slightly chunky. Add all the blended soup back to the pot, squirt in lemon juice and season to taste with salt + pepper.
6. Serve in bowls with some asparagus tips on top.

If you want to shop at your farmer's market but aren't sure where to go, let local harvest help you find one.

Posted by themindfuleater on June 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Christopher Shea, writing in the Columbia Journalism Review, encapsulates, quite brilliantly, the new face of food writing in his article New Grub Street.

In it, he identifies some of the loudest voices in the scene (i.e., everyone's current fav, Michael Pollan), discusses how all news outlets are starting to get a piece of the pie (i.e., the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times are all reporting regularly on the food debate), and he starts to tease out some of the issues floating to the surface, such as eating organic or eating local.

He asks important questions just begging to be answered, such as:

"So which is more energy-efficient... a few large farms supplying a network of well-positioned supermarkets, or a new localized network of small farms?"

and

"Are... these debates about the ethics and politics of food largely a pastime of a tiny elite–grist for editors’ dinner parties but of tiny relevance to most consumers, who rush to the nearest market and grab what they need? "

A very interesting read. Find it here.

Posted by themindfuleater on May 25, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week I began a series all about Organic and why it matters. This week I continue that discussion, folding in another potentially bewildering consideration about our food: Eating Local.

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 2: Local vs Organic" »

Posted by themindfuleater on May 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week while working my checkout shift at the coop, I often overheard members comment on this or that organic food... rationalizing buying it or not according to its level of harmfulness to our bodies. "Bananas don't need to be organic because you can peel the skins back"... "you can wash grapes off pretty well, I'm not paying the extra cost."

While our own personal health is one of the most compelling reasons to purchase organic products (and therefore avoid pesticides, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and other toxins used to help non-organic food fight off pests and grow marketable qualities), there's a lot more about the "organic" issue to be considered than our personal health. Inspired by this experience, I've devised a multi-part series to clarify some of the issues we hear tossed around, and shed light on some important overlooked details.

This week I'll begin with what "organic" means, and some of the top reasons you should consider buying it. Next week I'll discuss the contention between buying "local" and buying "organic".

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 1: Why We Should Care" »

Posted by themindfuleater on May 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)