Trying to Stay Afloat...

Sorry to be negligent, but the blog will have to wait until life calms down a bit. But to put things in perspective, Pakistan is still recovering from floods in August that put the country underwater. According to the video, "2.4 million hectares of crops were destroyed. Agriculture was the sector hardest hit." Read more about floods and other recent extreme weather that has rocked the agricultural realm.

So while I am trying to stay healthy and sane, others are paddling vigorously to stay fed, clothed, and sheltered. Back to our normally scheduled programming soon.

Not-Yet-Ripe-For-The-Picking in the Pacific Northwest

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when Washington replaces its winter weather with spring, June will be uncharacteristically wet and cold. I can handle biking in the rain and bundling up in a fleece, but I find it difficult to cope with the disappointment of unripe berries. This month's Mac Attack Challenge was "Walk on the Wild Side." While I believe this refers to a jungle theme, I had decided to run with the wild - that is, wild berries.

This would be a RIPE salmonberry, not the paler version I turned into jam today.

Our local newspaper had a whole article on local edible wild plants, which mentioned this little salmon-colored raspberry-like fruit located in some of the wet, woody areas nearby. On my runs for the past few weeks, I passed a stand of some golden salmonberries waiting to ripen in the sun. Unfortunately, we were missing the sun part of the equation. So my berries languished in the rain, and my hopes and dreams of creating a vibrant Wild Salmonberry Macaron were washed away.

Well, not quite. The lovely orangey berries were too tempting, so I collected a few and concocted enough jam to fill a single macaron. I made some rather lumpy coconut shells (too much coconut, eh?...they taste delightful, though), and filled the remaining with a chocolate ganache. There could have been worse endings to my predicament.

These macarons are extra special because of the chickens that laid these multi-colored eggs! As I mentioned a few posts ago, I spend one day a week helping on a local farm. They happen to have some little layers that produce spectacular eggs!

I also have to say that I feel amazingly lucky to be working with them (not the hens, the people), as they are so enthusiastic and work so hard. This brings me to the second topic I wanted to discuss - Pacific Northwest Agriculture. I can't remember if I shared this with you before, but starting a week from Saturday PBS will broadcast Good Food for a short period of time. This film documents some of the agricultural endeavors taking place in this region - particularly the revitalization of the family farm and the growing power of farmers markets. It highlights some of the challenges farmers face - both financial and ecological - and showcases several farms overcoming these. If anything, I felt comforted and inspired after watching, and now consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to live in an area that has such a wealth of conscious consumers and farmers ... and truly Good Food!

What's Wrong with the Meat...Sir?

"I'll tell you one thing I'll never eat...hot dogs." Jonathan Safran Foer, writer extraordinaire, pulled off a coherent interview on the Colbert Report and conveyed his message: it's the meat. While our agriculture system has more than a few screws loose, what with pesticide-laden, nitrogen-slurried, monocropping growing culture that produces the majority of US crops, our obsession with meat is what is turning on the CO2 pump. Not only that - we don't treat those livestock so nicely, either. As he tries to convey in his interview, Safran Foer is not necessarily opposed to meat consumption (although he chooses not to take part, himself), but advocates for a modest and very conscious consumption of animal products. Be careful of labels and know where your meat comes from.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jonathan Safran Foer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Now, I could see that philosophy applied to just about any comestible product these days. Where animal products differ substantially, is both in the fact that these are cognizant beings and that it takes a hell of a lot of energy to produce one Calorie of an animal product. First, to address the animal rights issue, you have to consider that your average joe cow lives in a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation - or - essentially a factory farm). Not only are these massive and crowded, but they basically necessitate feeding our ruminant friend a diet of corn, which wreaks havoc on the mooers digestive system. Corn also requires considerable energy to grow, produces sick and fatty cows without beneficial omega fatty acids, and is already found in almost everything else we consume (watch King Corn). Yuck. Look for grass-finished beef and limit your consumption! Remember, ruminant livestock contributes about 20% of the US methane (a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2) emissions. Furthermore, all the concentrated waste from these animals has to go somewhere, and often it ends up polluting waterways and the like instead of being integrated into a closed loop system where cows fertilize the grazeland and the crops on the farm!

Don't get too complacent, because you don't eat beef. Those chicken's eggs your packing down ain't so good for the environment or the chicken either. Free range gets you a chicken that at some point had access to a yard. Doesn't rule out large, cramped indoor holding space or the high probability that the door isn't open or the chickens can't get to it. Cage-free similarly holds very little clout. Certified humane or Animal Welfare Approved are your best bets if you can't get your hands on a dozen farmer's market eggs or some from your neighbor!

I think my rant has overstayed its welcome. So, take a look at the video, read "The Ethics of What we Eat" by Peter Singer, and start thinking hard about what you put in your mouth.

Food on Film

It looks like food is making it into the mainstream spotlight. This year's academy awards will feature two food-related nominees. In the same vein of your Michael Pollans and Marion Nestles, "Food Inc." presents an expose of the negative environmental and social implications of America's food system. Naturally in the Feature Documentary category, the film touches upon the same issues as many of the recent foodie lit. Unlike literature, though, this film reaches a wider audience and conveys the human element of our industrial food challenge with more poignancy. Take a look at the trailer; take a look at the film; take a look at the companion book that expands upon the stories discussed in the documentary. If you liked "Food, Inc." check out "Our Daily Bread" and "Botany of Desire".

If you are more into the fictional realm, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is high on my list. With all the hype over "Up," I don't have much hope for a win, but this animated film is top notch. Based on the Roald Dahl book, FMF takes a critical look at big industry agriculture...even if it's only tangentially. While the farmers may have been justified in going after Mr. Fox for stealing, the film is almost a running commentary on the separation of our food-growing operations from the natural environment and its mechanization. Outside of that, this movie is fantastic in its own right! Cleverly put together, creative old-school stop-gap animation, and a funny dialogue. Highly recommended and my vote for best animated feature flick.