A Glimmer of Hope?

On the One Hand . . .

. . . there’s more money in this farm bill for nutrition programs and, for the first time, about $2 billion to support “specialty crops” — farm-bill-speak for the kind of food people actually eat. . . There’s also money for the environment: an additional $4 billion in the Senate bill to protect wetlands and grasslands and reward farmers for environmental stewardship, and billions in the House bill for environmental cleanup. There’s an important provision in both bills that will make it easier for schools to buy food from local farmers. And there’s money to promote farmers’ markets and otherwise support the local food movement.

On the Other Hand . . .

But as important as these programs are, they are just programs — mere fleas on the elephant in the room. The name of that elephant is the commodity title, the all-important subsidy section of the bill. It dictates the rules of the entire food system. As long as the commodity title remains untouched, the way we eat will remain unchanged.

A Glimmer of Hope

What finally emerges from Congress depends on exactly who is paying closest attention next week on the Senate floor and then later in the conference committee. We know the American Farm Bureau will be on the case, defending the commodity title on behalf of those who benefit from it most: the biggest commodity farmers, the corporations who sell them chemicals and equipment and, most of all, the buyers of cheap agricultural commodities — companies like Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

In the past that alliance could have passed a farm bill like this one without breaking a sweat. But the politics of food have changed, and probably for good. If the eaters and all the other “people on the outside” make themselves heard, we just might end up with something that looks less like a farm bill and more like the food bill a poorly fed America so badly needs.

These are excerpts from a fantastic article by Michael Pollan (author of the Power Steer article under “Important Stuff” in the side bar). It’s a great wrap-up of what’s been going on with the Farm Bill these past few weeks. He provides some good insight into just how things have been working on Capitol Hill, and how things are beginning to change. Just maybe there is some hope. Eaters unite!

Busy in the Kitchen

I’ve had a lot going on in the kitchen, lately, along with the rest of life. I’ve got a stack of recipes I’ve been wanting to post. We’ve been eating pretty good. Since the almonds I mentioned in the last post, I’ve managed to prepare some whey and cream cheese. Once I had my whey I pickled some cucumbers and okra. I also made some mayonnaise. I’ve really been pushing myself the last couple of weeks to, at the minimum, plan out my dinners for the week before going grocery shopping. And, I’ve been utilizing more recipes from the Nourishing Traditions book, as well as the discussingNT Yahoo group.

Now there’s a worthwhile email group. They have been so helpful. When I have a question, I scan the files and search the messages. If I don’t find the answer, then I post my question. It is so helpful to have all those more experienced folks to query. I would strongly encourage anyone interested in healthy food to check out that group. If you haven’t yet read Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, get that first. Then go to the group. You’ll learn tons from both.

Anyway, I seem to be doing much better with dinner. Now to tackle breakfast and lunch. We just used up the last boxed cereal I plan to ever buy. I found a couple of recipes to make my own cereal on the discussingNT group. I made one yesterday and it turned out pretty good. Now I’m set to try the other. I’ve also reintroduced oatmeal. We went a long while without having that tasty breakfast. What I need are some things I can have ready, with little preparation in the morning for G, as he’s leaving around 6:15.

Lunch can be taken care of many days with leftovers from dinner. I’m working on having good choices around for when that does not apply. Weekends are actually more of a challenge with B’s soccer games on Saturday and worship activities on Sunday. G suggested having a brunch ready for when we get home on Saturday (games in the morning). Things like egg casseroles, fruit salads, etc. I’ll have to work on that. For Sunday, I’m planning things that I can prepare the night before or that morning for the crock-pot or oven, or leftovers form the week. We’ll have our big meal mid-day (afternoon), then a snack later in the evening after returning from evening activities.

It’s so great to have all this coming together. I’m loving the farmers market. We don’t lack for fresh vegetables right now. It runs May through November. I’m also amazed at the products available in our local grocery stores – even Walmart. But our HEB is the best. I haven’t had to drive the nearly 10 miles to Whole Foods for a couple of months now.

That’s my update for September. Now, back to the kitchen.

The Saga Continues

I’m not real sure what to do with this information, yet, but here are some links with more information about the melamine contamination – very interesting . . .

• Tainted Feed in Indiana
• FDA Alert
• Link Between Pet Food, Kidney Failure

So, yesterday I switched Rusty from commercial dog food to a more dog-appropriate raw meaty bone diet. But due to budget constraints, I purchased big name chicken from the grocery store. I’m a little frustrated to find that the chicken I purchased could possibly have issues, as well, due to the feed they were given. Aaaargh!

But, if we manage to avoid any of this conaminated food and he survives the next few weeks (tongue in cheek), we’ll be able to join a co-op after we move that purchases grass-fed, organic, and natural meats for feeding our canine and feline friends.

So far, Rusty is loving the chicken. We’ll add one new protein each week, so eventually he’ll have more variety in his diet. If you’re thinking about changing your pet’s diet, here’s a link to a Yahoo group that is very helpful: Raw-Lite. They answer questions and are very supportive, AND non-judgemental about whatever feeding style you might choose. I am certainly very happy to have found them.

Going Unplugged

Beginning tomorrow, April 23rd, I’m turning off the TV and limiting my blog/email time to one hour per day. You can see posts about this on my other blog. I  just wanted to let folks know that if I don’t get posts done or respond to comments, that’s why. It’s not too late to decide to go unplugged, yourself, for a week. Check out the bloggers’ challenge by Mom Unplugged. Here are some links regarding TV turn-off week:

• TV Turn-off Network
• TV Facts & Figures
• Ad Busters
• Facts, FAQs, and a list of alternative activities
• Crayola Activities

That’s Interesting

I watched a PBS nature show with my son yesterday. Sorry, I don’t remember what the title was. One segment featured the Tasmanian Devils of Australia. Apparently they are being ravaged by a disease that is threatening their population. Their numbers are dropping dramatically because of it. Although they didn’t make any mention of possible causes of the disease, they did mention one of their habits is dumpster diving. The little devils like to snack on discarded people food. After that they named the disease they had been referring to – lymphatic cancer.

They briefly mentioned that they were raising some orphaned devils in captivity, meaning their diet is more controlled – no dumpster diving for them. And so far, those devils have remained free of the disease. Hmmmm. This was a short segment without much detail. But I couldn’t help but wonder if there might be some connection between the dumpster diving habit and the cancer. I don’t really know anything about how food is processed in Australia, whether they have similar issues as we do here in the US with how crops and animals are raised for our food. I couldn’t possibly be the first person to wonder if there’s a connection. Surely it’s being considered. But, I thought it was interesting.

Off Topic – But Important

I have some posts on my mind, here. But I’ve been a bit preoccupied with a blog blitz on my other blog to raise awareness of unethical adoption practices as played out in a specific case (Stephanie Bennett). I urge folks, whether adoption interests you or not, to take a moment to find out what is happening in that Ohio case. It’s certainly not something the Bennett family went looking for. If this story moves you in any way, please take another moment to sign the petition. They are nearly half way to their goal of 1000. Send others that way, too, to sign and help them reach their goal. Let’s help reunite a family that should never have been torn apart and bring Evelyn Bennett home. Thanks.

FYI Pet Food Recall

We are visiting my folks for the weekend and have brought our canine member of the family-a big old floppy eared basset hound. He’s been getting into the resident dog’s food and has been given some different dog biscuits. We assume these are what have caused his not so fun case of diarrhea.

Well, tonight as I went to check my Yahoo mail, I came across a news story about a pet food recall, which includes Iams – the brand we use – specifically the foil packs we brought on our trip. It’s OK, as the date code on our foil packets are before the recalled codes. But they were produced at the same plant. So, likely our first assumption is correct. He’s gotten into stuff his system is not used to. Apparently the only pets reported ill have been cats, anyway. But, I would consider this a near miss. Whew!

Well, here’s a link to the Iam’s website regarding the recall: Voluntary Recall. And, here’s a link to the Yahoo article that brought it to my attention: Pet Food Recall.

Coming Soon . . .

. . . to a blog near you. (I always wanted to say that )

I just could not get these posted this week.

• Oxtail Stew – one of my favorite, albeit uncommon, meals during winter months.
• Simple chicken breasts – easy as pie recipe from Sally Fallon.

I made the above for dinners this week and wanted to post the recipes. We are heading out of town – hubby and I for a romantic weekend, and little mister to spend time with his grandfolks. So, will aim at next week. Have a great weekend everyone!

On the Road

We are traveling for the holidays and having a great time. We’ve been exploring Austin and visiting some friends and family, and tomorrow we’ll head to my inlaws’ in Houston. So far I haven’t experienced anything very spectacular in the food department. But we did eat “brunch” at a little dive – hole in the wall – on Sunday.

Due to driving all day Saturday, we had gotten a late start and missed out on the hotel’s breakfast offerings. So, I was in the mood for, well, breakfast. So we did a search on our semi-trusty satellite Sam and found someplace called The Omeletry. My husband ordered some sort of spinach omelet he said was good. I absolutely adore avocados, so had to try the quacamole omelet. It was loaded with mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes and, of course, cheese.

I enjoyed my omelet immensely until . . . I found a hair about halfway through. Ah man, I was so disappointed! That really put a damper on my enthusiasm and I did not finish the omelet. The manager assured us after inspecting the offending hair that it was actually a strand from a basting brush they used while cooking. He also comped our entire bill – all three of our meals. So, I think I would probably go back and give them another chance. They do know how to make a good omelet. What would you do?

Nutrition Humor

Check out this post on Miss Lionheart – too funny. I suppose I’d better improve my fluency in Spanish and drop the English. You’ll get that if you read the post.

Hmmm, I’d be curious to know more about the “food industry” in Japan, Mexico, China, Italy, and Germany. There’s another research project to work on in my spare time, while I’m resting. Really, you gotta read Miss Lionheart’s post.

Have a great weekend!