January 2010 Archives

Raj Patel, a "writer, activist, and academic," is currently getting press for his new book, The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy. Patel's previous book was Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.

You can read an interview with him on Civil Eats. Paula Crossfield writes that

One of the most exciting social movements for Patel is the food movement, where thousands of people are raising the bar for social justice by improving the health and environmental impacts of the food we produce, and the labor practices employed in how we bring food to the table, with the goal of providing a stable food supply for all people.

At the conclusion of the interview, Patel says,

Food brings together everything that everyone should care about. It is about giving life, it is about what we need to survive on this planet, it is about our interaction with the planet, and about the way that we replenish or don’t replenish the earth that we live on. There is something both primal and industrial and very high-capitalist about food. And it is the area where, if we are interested in life, if we’re interested in the ways that we can live on this planet sustainably, then we really do need to start with questions about food. [The food movement] is to me the most vibrant area of social change certainly in the United States but also elsewhere.... I think that what food sovereignty offers is both a democratic way for us to take very seriously issues around rights, particularly around gender, but also ways in which we can think about the environment, about distribution, and poverty in ways that are sustainable. It brings it all together in ways that, if we’re concerned with social justice, whether its education, the way our institutions behave, ecology, poverty, environment, whatever it is, you’ll find it in food, and you’ll find something very exciting in the organizing around food that gives me hope in ways that very few things do these days.

As the parent of a child who will be entering kindergarten this coming fall, I'm in a position to be newly conscious of the quality of food in schools. Here are several items of interest:

At Chews Wise, Sam Fromartz points to the blog of former reporter who spent a week in Washington, D.C. schools and wrote a six-part series about what kids eat, Tales from a D.C. School Kitchen.

At the Slow Food blog, here's a roundup of recent school lunch news.

In the wake of the Caitlin Flanagan hullaballoo, here's an excellent post at Civil Eats about school gardens around the country, and a list of resources for those interested in creating them (me, me, me!). Though it was hardly my first exposure to gardening, I will always remember the school garden started by my grade school science teacher. I helped out sometimes, and I remember the tall staked tomatoes seemed positively Amazonian.

Gulf coast readers, are you aware of any school garden projects in your communities?

ADDITION 3 Feb 10: Check out this blog by a teacher in Illinois who is eating school lunch like the kids every day in 2010. Here's the Slow Food blog post.

The Fairhope City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution supporting a community garden at Stimpson Field at the City Council meeting at 6pm this Monday, January 25.

At 5:15pm there will be a City Council work session at which the resolution will be discussed and perhaps voted on - or an alternative proposal presented (see next paragraph). The work session is scheduled to be held in the Council Chamber, and is open to the public. Supporters of a community garden at Stimpson Field are encouraged to attend.

The Local Food Production Initiative has learned that Charles Langham of the Parks and Recreation Board has been working very hard behind the scenes on an alternate plan to use the site behind the K-1 Center - not the kids park, but the vacant lot that backs on to the gully on the other side of Summit Street from the K-1 Center. Mr. Langham has apparently been working with Mayor Kant and said that the City has agreed to install water to this alternative site and to level the site and build a fence along the berm & gully.

The parcel, reportedly owned by the Board of Education, has some advantages and some disadvantages. For example there is adequate adjacent parking, but the underlying soil is clay and the site would need stormwater drainage installed, keeping the berm but installing features such as a grassed swale around the perimeter after hauling the dirt and installing the garden.

The first choice remains Stimpson Field, but it will be up to the City Council to make the final decision. LFPI members and friends are encouraged to come to the working group at 5:15 since the Council is scheduled to discuss Stimpson Field, and the Parks and Recreation Board alternative will also be presented there by Charles Langham and, possibly, by other City officials.

Keep reading Bill Finch in the Press Register to learn more about this winter's cold snap and what it teaches us about our gardens.

If you visit Ever'man Natural Foods co-op in Pensacola, you may be aware they tested a suspension of their non-member surcharge at the end of last year. It was deemed successful and they've decided to make that permanent. So what that means is that even if you're not a co-op member you'll pay the same price as members on regular priced items. And what's the benefit of becoming a member (which is only $12 annually/$5 for 65 and older)? There are monthly member-only specials on over 100 items each month. Members can get special order discounts, coupons, discounted pre-paid cards, a newsletter subscription, and of course voting privileges and eligibility to run for the board of directors.

If you follow any food communities in the blogosphere, you've probably been aware of the furor caused by an article in The Atlantic critical of the school garden movement. While I'm not going to delve into the specifics of the controversy, I did think this response to it at Civil Eats, Booker T. Washington on School Gardens and the Pleasure of Work was thoughtful and useful. It quotes extensively from Booker T. Washington's 1904 book Working With the Hands.

Make plans for future winters in your garden by taking this winter readiness test from Bill Finch. He writes, "There’s no better winter to reassess our citrus growing, and determine which citrus we grow best, and which ones may not be worth the trouble." Many factors can influence your success with citrus, so read and calculate your score.

Civil Eats passes along this piece from Grist's Tom Laskawy, which sums up the recently released FDA report on BPA.

The good news is that the FDA now admits that BPA—the endocrine-disrupting, heart disease-causing ingredient in plastic food packaging and can linings—isn’t entirely safe (contradicting the agency’s statement from 2008 that it was), particularly for infants and children. The bad news? There’s not much the agency can do about it.

He concludes:

Read a certain way, this report is a bureaucratic cry for help—Congress, after all, can solve this problem with a wave of the President’s pen by passing the Senate’s Feinstein-Schumer bill that would set a strict timeline for ending the use of BPA in food packaging. Alternately, someone could attach a rider to an unrelated bill requiring all companies using BPA to submit it for review under the 2000 food contact notification law.

The takeaway here is that the FDA doesn’t think they really have the authority to ban BPA or even to meaningfully restrict its use. This is another symptom of the attenuated, outdated legal regime that the government must use to protect us from the witch’s brew of industrial chemicals in which we bubble. It seems that only Congress can provide the antidote.

I got curious about what exactly could be had in the way of local food right now, so I called a few places to find out.

At Virginia's Health Foods in Mobile you can find Hastings Farm beef, local Meyer lemons, Henrietta's goat milk, and local honey.

At Martha Rutledge Catering you can buy local honey. They don't have Henrietta's goat cheese right now because the goats don't produce as much milk during the winter.

At Jimmy Lowe's you can get some regional items: Mississippi sweet potatoes, Louisiana satsumas, and Florida oranges.

At Hazel's Market in Daphne you can get local satsumas, and a few odds and ends of Irvington Cattle Company beef. They were expecting to get more beef soon. Jim from Irvingtoon Cattle Co. tells me that they were delivering ground beef and roasts this week, and have more aging at the processor right now, so expect Hazel's to be fully stocked in mid-February.

Keep your eyes open as you drive the rural roads. You can find farms selling honey, pecans, and a few other items.

If you haven't been protecting your plants by this point, the horse has long escaped the barn. But if you have, or you haven't and you're curious to see what might leaf out again come spring, read Bill Finch's Winter Survival Guide.

PROBABLY WILL MAKE IT: figs, mature satsumas, collards, kale, kohlrabi, garlic

IFFY/PLANTS NEED HELP: fruiting bananas (needed to be protected with lots of bagged leaves to save the fruiting stalk); broccoli, mustards, turnips, beets, chard, lettuce (can survive with protection); grapefruit; oranges; young satsumas

KISS IT GOODBYE: limes; true lemons (not Meyer lemons)

At the Civil Eats blog there's a lengthy piece on Ensuring Every American Child Has Access to Healthy and Affordable Food (originally posted at the Livable Future blog). An important goal, certainly, and in the midst of it comes an extremely touching statement from a child about the time he spent at the White House kitchen garden:

One of the things that I want to say about being at the White House was how gentle the feeling was. It felt surprisingly natural to be there. We planted on a warm day. The sun was out and there was a little breeze. The grass was beautiful and green. The people made us feel good. I liked the way the staff person who helped me was very gentle with the worms we found. I think about the garden as being gentle: gentle with nature, gentle to your body, and gentle with each other.

From the Bitten blog comes a link to The Facts About Farming, a piece in the LA Times by Russ Parsons where he outlines what he would "like to see happen in the next decade...a more constructive give-and-take, the start of a true conversation" between the most prominent voices of agriculture today, "hard-line aggies" and "organic, hemp-clad" hippies.

Most gardeners I know, and most children, love hummingbirds. If you fall into one of those categories - or even if you don't, check out the newest episode of PBS' Nature, Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air. It is filled with stunning cinematography, including plenty of high speed and slow motion footage, fascinating scientific work, and dozens of these gorgeous little flying jewels. Our whole family watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can see the entire episode online at the PBS Video portal, or watch it through the Nature site, where you can check out the online extras.

My most memorable encounter with a hummingbird occurred last year at our friend's house in Ocean Springs. The lower level of their house is glassed in and looks out onto their deck, and when the weather is nice they often keep the doors open. Just as we walked in, a beautiful male ruby throat had flown inside and was buzzing around the glass trying to get out. I walked over, and knowing that he would soon get tired and have to land, I cupped my hands around him as he descended and took him outside. It was so serendipitous and cool; I never would have thought I could "catch" a hummingbird with my bare hands. I'm always pleased when incidents like that end happily, without the animal getting hurt.

In late-breaking news, the Fairhope City Council removed the resolutions about community gardens from today's agenda. They plan to address them in the January 25 meeting. Hopefully no one was inconvenienced by this.

The Fairhope City Council will meet at 6 pm, Monday January 11 at the Fairhope Municipal Complex, 161 N Section Street.

At this meeting the members of the City Council will consider two resolutions of interest to the Local Food Production Initiative:

1. A resolution supporting community gardens in Fairhope.
2. A resolution supporting a community garden at Stimpson Field.

Consideration of these resolutions comes up fairly early in the agenda, immediately after the Report of the City Administrator.

The public is invited to attend the meetings of City Council. We encourage you to attend and support the resolutions. If you have any questions, call Elaine Snyder-Conn, Chair of the LFPI Community Gardens Committee, at 990-4751; or contact Ed Lawrence, LFPI President, at edfairhope@bellsouth.net.

WHAT: Local Food Production Initiative general membership meeting
WHEN: Monday, January 18 at 6:30pm
WHERE: the parlor of the Methodist Church Christian Life Center, in Fairhope

TOPIC: The future of Fairhope's Farmers Market. Guest speaker will be Sherry Sullivan, Director of Special Events with the City of Fairhope. Also at this meeting officers and Board Members for 2010-11 will be elected. Nominated to serve are the following: President - Edward Lawrence; Vice President - Gary Gover; Secretary - Jo Ann Wettlaufer; Treasurer - Pat Smith; At Large Member - Elaine Snyder-Conn; At Large Member - Patty Hermecz; At Large Member - Marilyn Mannhard. Other nominations should be e-mailed to edfairhope@bellsouth.net by January 11.

ADDITIONALLY: From the December newsletter, Greers Fairhope Market on Section Street is selling locally grown eggs from Fairhope. The label does not indicate whether they are free range or organic, but they should definitely be fresh.

The Organic Consumers Association points to this article at The Ecologist: True Sustainability Needs an Ethical Revolution. The piece, written by two professors at Michigan universities, points up the hollow ring of "sustainability" now that it has become a buzzword, a lifestyle, even a brand. They identify the 1987 UN definition of sustainability as a key moment when technology became the path to achieving sustainable goals, leaving out the necessary fact that defining sustainability requires a complex set of ethical questions. Among them,

1. Is sustainability just for our human benefit, or does nature count as well? Do we care about ecosystems and species only because they serve human interests, or do they deserve care just because they are valuable on their own terms, like other humans?
2. Is it misguided to ask: How much land should be preserved, and how much used for our own purpose? Should we instead ask, how do we have a healthy relationship with every piece of land and every body of water?
3. How do we tell our needs apart from our desires? Does every family need a TV or car? Do we need to eat meat, and exotic foods imported from all over the world?
4. What does a socially-just world look like? Should we begin living more like those in developing countries, or should they begin living more like us? Why don’t we choose to live a more equitable life? Does socially-just sustainability involve more globalization, or less? Should we spend more money on organic fair trade coffee, or should we drink less coffee?
5. Is choosing to reproduce more than once inconsistent with caring for the environment and future generations? Is refraining from reproduction especially virtuous? Does achieving sustainability require satisfying human urges to raise children by first emptying orphanages?
6. What is a meaningful life? If we know that passing time surrounded by healthy people and environments is the route to a meaningful life, then why do we keep buying so much stuff?

As the authors say, "Without purchasing a thing, we are empowered to free sustainability from the spell of consumerism...[by engaging others in discourse on these questions]."

A friend from Ocean Springs MS gave us dozens of pink grapefruit and oranges in December. The grapefruit came from a neighbor's tree and would otherwise have gone uneaten. Even after three years and a half years here I marvel at the fact that citrus is a local food. I love grapefruit, and these were fantastic, tasting like the whole spring-and-summer-and-fall's worth of intense Gulf Coast sunshine squeezed into a globe of intensely sweet and sour, lusciously juicy perfection.

You can understand the distress I felt, after I had been eating them daily for two weeks, to find that because of the Tamoxifen I take because of my breast cancer, I should not eat them. Grapefruit interferes with the action of many medications, and while their consumption is not contraindicated on my medication label, I did find that be the case when I researched it online. My only consolation is that I should be able to eat them again after I'm off the medication. IN. FIVE. YEARS.

The Slow Food USA blog points to Marion Nestle's list of food issues to watch in 2010. Among the top ten are food safety regulations, meat, and sustainable agriculture.

While I am no fan of the hyperbole, conspiracy theory, and vitriol that frequently spews out of the Organic Consumer Association, they occasionally have a good piece of information or ideas. Here's one, a list of 10 Local Causes to Work for Where You Live in 2010. Although there needs to be some more practical thinking fleshing out each idea, it's a worthy list nonetheless.

From Culinate comes a link to Robyn O'Brien's piece on Civil Eats, 8 Steps Obama Could Take to Save Food. Suggestions include

a more equitable distribution of farm subsidies, stricter regulation of pesticides, and a calling to account of food corporations. Will any of them happen in 2010? Stay tuned.

From November, Culinate reports on findings of Bisophenol A in canned food, including canning lids. We don't use a lot of canned food, but we do rely on canned tomatoes.

Here's more from later in the month on the continuing controversy.

From October, DotEarth reports on a study that

suggests that the United States could reduce its greenhouse emissions by nearly 8 percent in the next decade if Americans undertook a short list of behavioral changes, like carpooling, insulating their homes and drying clothes outside instead of in a tumble dryer.

Noting the large emissions reductions that would be needed to control global warming, Dr. Dietz and his colleagues concluded that “the potential for household action deserves greater policy attention.”

Again I ask, why do we not have a significant national energy conservation campaign?

I'm one of those people who welcomes a chance at new beginnings, and usually makes resolutions - you've seen my annual Earth Day resolutions on this blog. This year, I'm just glad to put 2009 behind me, and hope for better in 2010.

As a result of my cancer treatment and recovery, 2009 was not a good year for my garden. We had modest harvests of green beans, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, and arugula. The herb garden survived, as it always does; my pot grown basil did much better than in the ground, and as usual the rosemary threatened to overtake a corner of our yard. Our fruit trees were pathetic. I came to the conclusion that we have some serious soil issues, because despite additions of horse manure and compost our plants have languished.

My first garden task for 2010 is to get a soil test. With the exception of some garlic and brassicas I put in in the fall, I'm leaving the beds fallow until I can diagnose what's going on. A shame, because I love winter gardening here. Despite the extended period of cold weather, I've been enjoying the sunny clear days; in the afternoons, the intensity of our subtropical sunshine provides all the warmth I need to be comfortable while working outside.

The thing that really makes me happy is that we were able to join the Bee Natural CSA in Baldwin County. From mid-March through August I can look forward to our weekly half share of seasonal produce; pick-your-own blueberries, flowers, and herbs; a half-dozen eggs; and honey. It does make me a little sad that I won't be visiting the farmers market as much, but I do plan to keep going to shop for what I can't get at the farm. I also feel like it frees me up to focus on improving the soil in our garden, and using the space for crops the farm doesn't grow. I'd love to have my own strawberry patch. I find arugula rewarding to grow, as well as garlic and potatoes.

Who hasn't walked down the block and seen - as I can, one street over - a tree full of beautiful, ripe fruit (in my case, grapefruit) left unpicked?

One of my favorite food stories from last year was the rise of networks for gleaning, trading, and sharing the harvest of backyard gardens. Some call it foraging, others a food exchange, and the rules can vary depending on the particular network.

This piece at the New York Times details how Foraging for Fruit Gains Popularity. Two web sites mentioned in this story are Neighborhood Fruit and Veggie Trader (registration is required for use of both of these).

Supporters of this movement hold two basic principles. One, it’s a shame to let fruit go to waste. And two, neighborhood fruit tastes best when it’s free.

There's also The Farmers Garden surplus produce exchange.

None of these web sites lists sources for our area, but I hope this will change in the future.

Craigslist and even Freecycle can also be sources of free backyard produce; I've seen people getting pecans this way on Freecycle.

I've never been able to grow more food than we could eat, with the sole exception of rosemary (it's like a weed in my yard!), but I aspire to be able to give some away one day.

A provocative article by Derrick Jansen from last summer's Orion.

At the Bill Moyers Journal site you can watch video or read a transcript of his interview with Daniel Goleman, psychologist, science journalist, and best-selling author. They discuss his 2009 book Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything. Also mentioned, the Good Guide web site and how it can better help you assess the impact of your purchases.

On YouTube, check out KGI's How to Make Compost and Planting Garlic (for next year, as garlic planting season is months past).