Sprouting June 11, 2009

I don’t know about you but I love sprouts!  While reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, the author describes how her daughter quickly grew some sprouts for a big party they were having with over 100 guests.  She explained that it only took a few days for them to be ready to eat.  I was intrigued and told my neighbor.  Both of us talked about how much we loved sprouts of all sorts but how we had never really thought of how they are grown.  We started doing a little research and it doesn’t sound hard at all!

This “How to Grow Bean Sprouts” Video is a bit corny but illustrates how easy it is to sprouts.  This website, Growing Sprouts, also does a good job of breaking down the steps to sprouting.  

We started our sprouts this morning and I can’t wait until they are ready.  The best part is that they will be ready in under a week – unlike traditional gardening and harvesting.  They are sitting on the windowsill soaking up the sun as I type.  

Once your sprouts are ready, there are endless possibilities for how to eat them. They are a perfect snack on their own, tasty on salads and sandwiches, can be added to soups, work well in stir fries and spring rolls, and are healthy inside smoothies.  There are endless recipes available on the web.  The best part is that they are both delicious and super healthy.  Try this delicious recipe: Asian Vegetable Rolls.

In the News… June 10, 2009

I came across an interesting article in TIME magazine online.  The article, Eating Local Before It’s Too Late by Joel Stein, described how our country’s food is becoming more and more homogenized.  The author notes the “limited number of eating opportunities in our life spans.”  Dishes native to regions of the U.S. are disappearing.  Stein ends with a bit of optimism adding, “While every highway Olive Garden and Chili’s hinders that dynamism, local cuisine is not gone yet.”  

 At the end of the article, there was a link to pictures of Urban Farming. In efforts to grow food closer to where we live, many are making efforts to plant city gardens. Some of the pictures are of farms already in existence where people are coming together to grow food in parks and on rooftops.  There are also several pictures of what could be.  I was quite intrigued by the different vertical farms that could be placed in our cities.  This idea is sort of bitter-sweet however.  While it is quite interesting that perhaps one day we could have vertical farms, it is also disturbing that we may no longer have traditional farms.  I think these vertical urban farms would be a wise addition and may decrease travel of produce but I do not want to live in a world void of farms.

Another Beautiful Saturday June 7, 2009

I went to the Leesburg Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning with my mom to buy everything for a lunch I hosted this afternoon.  I had some recipes in mind but did not want to set anything in stone without knowing what would be available.  The farmers’ market was held in a parking lot in downtown Leesburg, VA.  There were lots of people shopping and even musical entertainment.  We brought our own bags and filled them twice having to empty them once into the car.  We bought 2 heads of lettuce, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, red onions, chives, sugar snap peas, red potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, and a bunch of radishes.  We also bought a loaf of wheat bread, a loaf of cinnamon-apple bread, free-range eggs, greek-style yogurt, ricotta cheese, salsa, and hot pepper jelly.  It was almost overwhelming how much was available.  I couldn’t believe how much fresh produce was there.  Sadly, we still have to wait another month or so for more berries, tomatoes, and corn.  I can’t wait! I bought enough at the market to feed about 15 people and was able to purchase nearly all of the ingredients for my menu.  

This afternoon, I hosted a local foods lunch.  I made creamy pepper dip and salsa for appetizers.  We then had vegetable quiches, a large salad, roasted vegetables, and focaccia bread for lunch.  And for dessert I made two strawberry-ricotta tarts.  Everything was fresh, healthy, and delicious!

Growing Veggies June 5, 2009

One of the best ways to begin eating food locally grown is starting a garden.  You cannot get much more local than your backyard!  I am working on my garden for the second year this summer.  Last summer was largely unsuccessful unfortunately as I did not do my homework before getting started.  I am hoping this year goes much better.  I have started several herbs from seeds in pots on my porch as well as strawberries.  In the garden, I have planted tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, watermelons, and green beans.  I am by no means an expert and am learning more each day.  Gardening can be a lot of fun and I encourage all of you to start a small garden.  Its not to late to plant a summer veggies.  

Here are a few videos and sites that may be helpful for you to get started:

                  The Daily Green

                  The Green Guide

                   Organic Gardening for Beginners

I know that you many of you may not have a yard or enough room to start a garden, but planting in pots can be just as successful and fun.  Many plants can be grown very easily in containers and they will still produce lots of veggies.

Blueberries in December June 4, 2009

A classmate recently asked me, “What are the reasons why people are importing and getting their fruits and veggies from mass producing farms?” This a reasonable question.  When you stop to think about it what we have come to think of as normal is actually very strange.  Going to the grocery store and buying produce from around the world during any season has not always been a norm.  To answer this question, I would like to pull some quotes from Barbara Kingslover’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

“The odd notion of transporting fragile produce dates back to the early twentieth century when a few entrepreneurs tried shipping lettuce and artichokes, iced down in boxcars, from California eastward over mountains as a midwinter novelty.  Some wealthy folks were charmed by the idea of serving out-of-season (and absurdly expensive) produce items to their dinner guests” (48).

“Then fashion and marketing got involved,  The interstate highway system became a heavily subsidized national priority, long-haul trucks were equipped with refrigeration, and the cost of gasoline was nominal.  The state of California aggressively marketed itself as an off-season food producer, and the American middle-class opened its maw.  In just a few decades the out-of-season vegetables moved from novelty status to such an ordinary item, most Americans now don’t know what out-of-season mean” (48).     

We love our blueberries in December and Asparagus in August.  We live in Virginia and yet we adore grapefruits, lemons, and pomegranates. We have become accustomed to buying anything we want whenever we want.  Few stop to think about where your watermelon in March must have grown and how long it had to travel.  As for the mass-producing farms, “Supermarkets prefer not to bother with boxes of vegetables if they can buy truckloads” (76).

Great Saturday Morning May 30, 2009

I just got home from visiting the Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market and the Arboretum Herb and Garden Festival.  The Farmers’ Market was bustling with people.  I have never seen so many people and vendors there before.  They had more than ever.  There were so many great smells and so many delicious foods.  Most of the vendors were selling herbs and vegetables to be planted.  The market is a great place to go if you are thinking about starting a garden as there are several varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, lots of herbs, etc. to plant.  I bought a few cucumber and watermelon plants at a great price and they were started organically!  Additionally, there were breads, eggs, meats, cheeses, fresh vegetables, and granola.  Everything there was grown very locally and mostly everything was grown ethically and without the use of pesticides and chemicals.  Going there put me in such a great mood and I would suggest to everyone to start visiting the farmers’ markets near you and the one in Harrisonburg when you are in town.  Through Thanksgiving the Harrisonburg Farmers Market will be open on Tuesdays and Saturdays 7 am to 1 pm.  They are a great place to begin eating locally grown foods.  

The Herb and Garden Festival was also quite nice.  A few less people there however.  If you are in town it is going on until 3 PM this afternoon and is in the R-3 Parking lot near East Campus Library.  They had lots of herbs and vegetables to get your garden started.  Most of the vendors were also selling flowers and plants for your yards, many of which are native to the U.S. I bought a bicolor butterfly bush!  

I was so happy to see so many people at both events.  It is great to see more people caring about where their food comes from and learning to plant it themselves.  Have a great day!

Becoming a Blogger May 28, 2009

For our advocacy class, we recently read two articles about the internet and its relationship to the public sphere.  I found myself thinking about how fast blogging and other forms of online communication are growing.  I had never even thought of making a blog before this course and now I am actually having some fun doing so.  Blogs offer a space for people to share anything they are interested in.  We can keep in touch with friends and meet new ones.  Sadly, I was also reminded of how lucky we are to have access to the internet.  Only 6% of the world’s population has access to the internet and we are fortunate enough to be part of that small group.  How long will it be before everyone will have access to the internet?  What will the world look like?  How small would the world feel if you could truly speak with anyone from any country around the world? Think of the changes we could make.  The internet has such power to make change and share knowledge.

In Harrisonburg this Summer? May 27, 2009

Are you spending the summer in Harrisonburg?  If so, Harrisonburg offers some great opportunities to buy locally grown foods.  On the Harrisonburg Tourism site, there is a list of several locations where you can “Buy Fresh, Buy Local.” I have visited a number of them.  The Dayton Farmers’ Market is open year round and has all sorts of produce, meats, cheeses, jams, breads, and desserts.  They also have a number of nice gift shops where you can buy locally made gifts and fair trade items from around the world.  

The Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market is located in a parking lot downtown.  It is currently open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7 am to 1 pm.  According to their site they currently have: asparagus, spring greens, spinach, herbs, greenhouse and early spring lettuces, cress, Artisan breads, delicious baked goods, meats, eggs, goat and cheddar cheeses, soups, jams and jellies, fresh cut flowers, bedding and nursery plants, select local crafts and more. I have been to this market several times and have found something interesting and delicious each time.  I will be visiting the market this Saturday and will let everyone know how it is.

If you are spending the summer somewhere else, check out Local Harvest where you can enter your zip code and find any number of farmers’ markets near you.

Why go local? May 25, 2009

I have complied a list of reasons why you should buy locally whenever possible from three different websites: Life Begins @ 30, 100 Mile Diet, and Local First. 

 

More for the local economy, give back to the local economy: When businesses are non-local money leaves the community, money spent at a local business is reinvested in the community. 

Locally grown is fresher and tastes better: Produce from the grocery store has been traveling for days and is then stored when it arrives.  There is little way of knowing how long the food you buy has been sitting since it was picked.  Freshness of food affects both taste and nutritional value. 

Know what you’re eating: The answers are much easier to get if you are buying the food directly from the person who grew it.  People who eat locally also build relationships with farmers and the farmers are more accountable because they care about their customers. 

They have longer to ripen: Because locally bought fruits and vegetables will be handled less and travel fewer miles, they are left on the vine much longer to become the ripest they can be.  

Reduced environmental impact: Eating locally is better for the air quality and pollution than eating organic.  Supporting local also means less farms and pastures will be developed, leaving us with more beautiful, open space.  The burning of fossil fuels to ship food across the country leads to global climate change and great resource depletion but much of it can be eliminated when we buy locally grown food. 

Keeps us in touch with the seasons: When we eat locally, we eat what is in season.  Food in season is at it’s peak taste, is most abundant, and the least expensive. 

Knowing the story, Meet your neighbors: Knowing part of the story about how the food you are eating came to your table makes the meal much more enjoyable.  Farmers’ markets can be a social place where you can meet people and get to know those in your community who care about the same things you do. 

Protects us from bio-terrorism: The less distance the food travels, the less susceptibility to harmful contamination. 

More variety, more choices, new flavors: Local producers are able to try small crops of a large variety of fruits and vegetables.  This means new things for you to try and new favorites for you to have. 

Explore your home: Visiting local farms and exploring new farmers’ markets can be a fun way for you to get to know your home region in a new way. 

 

Support small farms: Supporting small farms means supporting local business and combatting Walmart and other large corporations.  Eating and buying local foods is a great way to combat consumerism.  

 

Be healthy: Eating more fruits and vegetables at their nutritional peak will make you feel and look great.  

 

Create memories: Visiting local farms, finding new farmers’ markets, starting a garden in your backyard, or learning to can tomatoes can be lots of fun if you do them friends and family.  

 

Non-profits and the community receive greater support: Local business owners donate more to charity and are more likely to invest in the community than non-local chain stores and corporations.  

 

More jobs: Small local businesses provide lots of jobs. 

 

Better Customer Service: Local businesses often hire people with more product expertise. 

 

 

 

Opening up the Newspaper May 25, 2009

After informing my family and neighbors about my new blog, I was flooded with suggestions for where to find information to use and what I should include in my posts.  One such article happened to be on the front page of the NY Times yesterday.  An interesting article to read about organic farming interns around the country jumped out.  The article is about the increasing interest in food and farming.  More students than ever before are turning to fun but low-paying farm internships to become part of the organic and local food movement.  

For Alternative Spring Break this year, I spent the week at an intentional, sustainable community called Koinonia Farm. During the week, we learned about community life, farming and gardening, pecans, and permaculture.  My week on the farm further spiked my interest in food and farming.