Published on October 15th, 2009
Fresh ingredients go a long way in adding flavor to any dish. The same culinary theory holds outside of the kitchen in other contexts as well, as evidenced at the 13th annual Community Food Security Coalition Conference this past week in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 500 activists from around the country gathered to connect, collaborate and challenge each other on ways to transform and improve our food system, including representation from young women dedicated to a farming career in sustainable agriculture.
As a female farmer myself, running Inn Serendipity farm and B&B with my husband, John Ivanko, in Wisconsin, this increasing blending and crossover between new women farmers with a passion for raising both cabbage and change cultivates a hefty serving of inspiration. These new women farmers grow more than food for our table; they rethink the status quo approach to our food system and provide keen insights into what needs to change.
“As one of the fastest growing groups of new farmers, women can be the change makers that transform our agricultural system into one that provides organic, healthy and fair food to us all,” explains Faye Jones, Executive Director of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), a Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) member organization that sponsored two women farmers to attend this conference. Wisconsin women farmers Jai Kellum of King’s Hill Farm and Erin Schneider of Hilltop Community Farm attended the CFSC Conference on behalf of MOSES.“It is important to keep the voice of farmers represented in the national discussion on food and agricultural policy and priorities,” sums up Jones.
Here are four of their tips for politicians to policy makers from Kellum and Schneider to improve our agriculture and food system: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on October 8th, 2009
Henry Albert Schroeder (1898-1967) must be rolling over in his grave at Kroghville Cemetery. Either that, or he is about ready to come down from Heaven and give corporate farming hell, bringing with him the Clydesdales that once plowed his farm fields in the township of Pleasant Springs, 20 miles from Madison in eastern Dane County, Wisconsin.
From 1926 to 1951, Henry Schroeder farmed 80 acres off County Trunk BN and Schadel Rd. in Section 2, Range 11 East, Town 6 North — a parcel that included five other farms of similar size. Schroeder got into the work he loved as Wisconsin farming was completing a major shift to crop diversification as corn replaced wheat as the state’s most productive and profitable grain and the College of Agriculture encouraged more farmers to raise dairy cows to produce milk, butter, cheese and beef.
Schroeder raised corn for feed, oats for animal bedding, and devoted one-tenth of his land to tobacco, a labor-intensive cash crop. His farm featured a steep hill that was the second-highest elevation in Dane County, according to county land records and interviews with descendants. To conserve his topsoil, Schroeder used the high land for pasture and initiated contour farming practices. He applied manure and other farm wastes to fertilize crops, never using chemical alternatives. Livestock included cows, pigs, and chickens for family use or sale to neighbors. Schroeder was proud of his ecologically and economically efficient family farm long before those terms were used.
“He was in his glory when he was on the farm,” his late wife Meta used to tell me as we looked through old photo albums.
You see, Henry Albert Schroeder was my grandfather.
Published on October 5th, 2009
Would you like to know the direct benefit of buying organic versus conventional? Do you ever wonder what the cumulative impact of purchasing organic versus conventional products is over the course of a year? There’s a website out there that allows you to calculate the number of pounds of synthetic nitrogen, pesticides, and herbicides that are eliminated by choosing organic products.
The website is for Organic Valley Family Farmers. Organic Valley is a co-operative of farmers that produce dairy products, juice, eggs, meat, soy, fruit, and vegetables. It claims to be the largest organic farmer owned co-operative in North America, and you can review on their website their array of various products.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 28th, 2009
Fresh, organic fruit salads are so festive and healthy, make someone you love glow with one soon. I love mixing fruit flavors together and I think I’ve found a few secrets to delectable fruit salad blends. Here are some elements that make a great fruit salad sure to please and win smiles:
- Marinade: First off a good juicy base fruit is best, citrus and melons both make nice frescas marinades. If you can find organic watermelon or organic citrus in season near you, go for it, you body will thank you.
- Bite size delights of nutrients: The essence of fruit salad is to combine healthy organic bite size fruit slices that vary in texture and flavor. For instance organic white peach, green and red grape pair well with pear and berry. It is amazing how well fruits meld when combined.
- Freshness: Depending on how fresh the fruit is when cut, it will keep for half the week. To ensure this you may like to wash the fruits or add Grapefruit Seed Extract to the mixture for natural freshness.
- Rainbows: Creating a feast for the eye as well as the palate is key, I like adding edible flowers!
Keep reading for the recipe.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 20th, 2009
The Candle Cafe was established more than 25 years ago. Now located on 307 Third Avenue Between 74th & 75th, shown on the map here, it’s an organic and vegetarian cafe that was once a natural foods store.
If you live in New York, then check out the fine dining too at Candle Cafe’s sister restaurant Candle 79 on 79th and Lexington. It is one of NYC’s premiere vegan dining spots on the upper east side.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 18th, 2009
By Steven D. Schmitt
A Letter to the Editor in the September 17, 2009 Wisconsin State Journal could not have been timed better. A Madison resident who had farmed for a career questioned why UW-Madison was spending its financial resources to bring author Michael Pollan to the Kohl Center (Sept. 24, 7 p.m.) to speak on his book, In Defense of Food, especially because he has been so critical of the current agricultural production system.
I am reading Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, an account of his personal journey through the modern food chain that criticizes U.S. farm policies and large-scale industrialized farming for turning cheap surplus corn into a variety of consumer products that pose risks to public health and the environment. The man did a tremendous amount of research and interviews - and even bought his own cow. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 18th, 2009
With all the news surrounding food safety, global pollution, misguided government food policies, and the myriad of other problems faced by consumers, it’s always comforting to occasionally read some good news. Here’s a bit of uplifting news. An organization, Edible Schoolyard, bringing gardening knowledge to junior high school kids in urban areas.
The program strives to teach inner city youth about gardening and consuming fresh, seasonal produce. From its own website, Edible Schoolyard specifically defines its goal of involving students “in all aspects of farming the garden and preparing, serving, and eating food as a means of awakening their senses and encouraging awareness and appreciation of the transformative values of nourishment, community, and stewardship of the land.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 14th, 2009
Oatmeal has gotten a bad rap. Kids (and adults) may view it as a health food with all the flavor of drywall. There are a lot of ways to get kids of all ages to wake up and WANT oatmeal for their breakfast of choice.
Of course, the health benefits are clear. I’m 34, and while I don’t worry about this kind of stuff, my family history of very high cholesterol had me wondering about the claim Wilford Brimley made about Quaker oats removing cholesterol from your bloodstream. So I decided to run a little self-experiment. In one year, my cholesterol dropped from over 300 down to 164. Call me a believer.
But what about that drywall? Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 14th, 2009
Going Meatless on Mondays doesn’t have to mean deprivation of all your favorite foods. By making some simple changes to recipes, you can easily swap out the animal products for vegan options. Here is a simple veganized muffin recipe, so you can start your Meatless Monday off with delicious, healthy, energizing and decadent baked good.
Tibetan Goji Berries are regarded in Tibet as the “Fruit of Longevity and Well Being”. Goji berries have been traditionally regarded as a food that offers your body longevity, strength-building, and sexual potency. Goji’s are a complete protein source and a low calorie snack that strengthens your immune system, increases energy and helps to curb cravings. It has one of the highest antioxidant contents in all food, which helps to fight free radicals, keeping you young and vibrant. Goji’s contain 18 amino acids, vitamin C, beta-carotene, 20 rare trace minerals, vitamin B1, B2 and B6 and vitamin E.
In honor of this Meatless Monday, let’s boost our energy, keep ourselves looking and feeling young and chow down on some delicious vegan, anti-aging muffins.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on August 29th, 2009
The popularity of organic foods in the last few years has been as well documented as it was explosive. As the growth and popularity of organic and natural foods increased, large agri-business and giant food producers became extremely interested in increasing their market share by acquiring smaller organic food companies.
With all the acquisitions that have taken place over the last few years, do you know who owns your favorite organic foods company? I sure don’t. Between large companies engulfing smaller organic food producers, and large agri-business developing “strategic alliances” with once independent companies, it’s hard to know if the little local tofu producer is still just that, or part of a behemoth entity that you thought you were avoiding.
Read the rest of this entry »
Fresh ingredients go a long way in adding flavor to any dish. The same culinary theory holds outside of the kitchen in other contexts as well, as evidenced at the 13th annual Community Food Security Coalition Conference this past week in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 500 activists from around the country gathered to connect, collaborate and challenge each other on ways to transform and improve our food system, including representation from young women dedicated to a farming career in sustainable agriculture.
