I went to the store the other day to buy mesclun for my Thai Chicken Salad. Much to my displeasure, Whole Foods/Prospect Street has done away with the bulk bins of lettuce. Instead they only sell prepackaged, pre-cut, prewashed lettuce. The smallest package was 6 ounces. Worse yet, the lettuce was bagged and then packaged in a second plastic container.
Ironically, it also says on the outer plastic container:
Locally Packaged for Maximum Freshness
If it were packaged locally, wouldn't we need less plastic. And considering the flimsy bag I would have purchased bulk lettuce in versus the industrial strength packaging that it now used, it was probably three of four times as much packaging. I’m not sure which irritated me more – being forced to buy more lettuce or more packaging than was needed or necessary.
It was only in the past few months, as I’ve been reading about sustainability and participating in the Cambridge Recycling Committee, that I finally understood the dictum, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” You can see it on grocery bags at Whole Foods, or any sort of green initiative. Reuse and recycle are obvious – for example, the plastic water bottle you purchased – reuse it by refilling it with filtered water, instead of purchasing a new bottle, and when you are done with it, recycle it. People often justify wasteful behavior by explaining that they will recycle. “Yes, I took more paper napkins than I need, but I will recycle them, so it’s okay.” Reduce was a harder concept for me to grasp. Reduce means only taking as many paper napkins as you need. Sure, it’s great that you’ll recycle, but we must also consider the energy expended and the chemicals used to create the napkins – the tree that was cut down, the plant that processed the paper and packaged it, the truck that shipped the napkin to the supermarket, etc.
When it comes to food and entertaining, the mantra would be “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost.” With cooking, I find it much more challenging to reduce. In terms of shopping, the stores often dictate the quantities I purchase: I must buy a 1 cup container of sour cream, even though I will only use 2 tablespoons. I’ll admit it’s getting better: I can now buy chicken broth in one cup packages instead of one quart. Most grains are sold in bulk bins. Even celery is sold by the stalk. Most challenging is gauging what quantity to prepare for dinner parties, especially buffets.
So it happened when Dina and I hosted Mole cannoli – a feast of two of our favorite foods. The final guest count was a moving target – between the quest for finding a babysitter or the new boyfriend we didn’t realize would be coming. And we wanted a nice variety of moles, salads and garnishes. Needless to say, we did not do a very good job of reducing – there were ample leftovers. The best I could do was reuse and recycle. We ate leftovers for a few days, and the excess of black beans and mole sauces went into the freezer.
Last week, inspired by Lydia’s black bean dip post, I pulled the black beans out of the freezer. I intended to make the dip for a friend’s party, but as I set out to make the recipe, I realized I didn’t have most of the ingredients on hand. But! I did have ½ cup of leftover green mole from that same evening that generated the black beans. I pureed the two together and, Voila! Black Bean dip. (P.S. The sour cream on top was leftover from another dinner the previous week)
One of the nice things about visiting my parents is raiding the kitchen. They stock their cupboards so differently than I do… all manner of cookies, chips and crackers. We have on-going debates as to who has a healthier diet – my dad who eats processed ice cream and chips in modest portions, or me who eats mostly made from scratch food with butter and cream. Since I don’t buy these snacks for myself, I tend to only eat them (if at all) when I visit them.
The reason I don’t eat more is that I usually read the label of processed foods before I eat it. I’m generally skeeved out by the number of ingredients I can’t pronounce.
On a recent visit, in my usual habit, I poked in the cupboards looking for a snack and found wheat thins and Fritos. Though I’m not on a diet, I try to make healthy food choices. I thought, “surely the wheat thins are a better choice.” So I read the labels (both had the same serving size in terms of grams):
Fritos Corn Chips Amount Per Serving –
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 90
Total Fat 10g Saturated Fat 1.5g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 170mg
Total Carbohydrate 15g Dietary Fiber 1g Sugars 1g Protein 2g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% Iron 0%
Wheat Thins Amount Per Serving –
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 50 Total Fat 6g Saturated Fat 1g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 260mg Total Carbohydrate 21g Dietary Fiber 1g Sugars 4g Protein 2g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% Iron 6%
At first blush, you might say that the Wheat Thins are better for you…. After all, they have less calories (10 less per serving) and less fat calories (50 vs. 90). But, they also have nearly four times the sugar content, and 90 mg. more sodium. Interestingly, they have the same (minimal) fiber and protein content. Then I looked at the ingredient list…
In the laundry list of ingredients, the wheat thins have the beleaguered high-fructose corn syrup. I would argue that the Fritos Corn chips are the lesser of two evils. What do you think?
As I was driving to the locavore banquet, thinking of course that I should be biking or taking the “T”, I considered what it meant to reduce my carbon foot-print. Obviously, it means driving less and eating more local foods. But in the scope of making conscious food choices, it also means eating less processed foods, meat and dairy products. Reducing my carbon foot-print directly correlates to reducing my waistline: driving less + biking more, eating less meat + eating more grains and vegetables, growing foods in my garden (and the inherent work-out) + buying less from the market.
When arrived at the Arlington Unitarian church, the site for this and literally 125 years of community banquets, I immediately forgot about my carbon footprint and instead thought of how to help Team Cambridge present their dishes most beautifully. Team Cambridge had prepared the dishes on Saturday and then transported them to the banquet on Sunday. The Locavore Banquet – part competition, part community dinner – was designed as a throwback to the New England Bean Supper and a model for a future of living responsibly in an ever-shrinking world. The event highlighted locally-sourced food as the three teams used sustainably grown ingredients to make a meal. Teams from Arlington, Cambridge, and Medford competed in the “Energy Smackdown” by preparing dishes that balance taste, presentation, and low carbon footprint. The dishes were judged by local food writers for taste and presentation. The organizers used a fancy algorithm to calculate carbon-footprints.
I was the culinary coach for the Cambridge Team (think: Bob from The Biggest Loser). My goal was to help the team create a cohesive menu utilizing the bounty of New England Produce. It’s really not that hard this time of year: every day of the week there’s a farmers market within a 5 radius of my house. King Arthur Flour and Cabot Creamery are the next state over in Vermont. Austin Bros. Family Farm raises cows, chickens and pigs – providing ample supply of the meats, bacon and eggs. If you can forgo chocolate (and I know that’s a BIG “if”), you can create a bountiful meal with less than 100 food miles.
Our dinner for 20 people generated only 6 pounds of carbon emissions. By comparison, the typical Thanksgiving dinner generates 44 pounds! (Based on data from www.dailymail.co.uk). The big carbon culprits are beef, fish and dairy products. According to the judging cards, chicken’s foodprint is almost half of fish. Other data suggests that fish and chicken are equal.
Chart comes from http://fivepercent.us
Team Cambridge did not win first prize, but of the 21 dishes, the acorn squash soup won 2nd place! The best part is that the soup is served in the squash, so there are no dishes to wash after serving. The “bowl” is compostable. Recipe coming next week…
Other highlights were the poached pear and falafel with beet raita:
I did not taste the other winning dishes: a raspberry sorbet with chocolate and a green salad with walnuts and cranberries. Standouts to me (aside from Team Cambridge’s dishes) were the stuffed pepper with ground beef and rice, green beans with onions and bacon, and a frittata with potatoes and four cheeses.
Cost aside, most people would choose organic over conventional.The pesticides and chemical fertilizers may produce flawless looking produce, but I’ll take my bug-holed arugula over conventional because I know the flavor will be better and more importantly, I won’t be ingesting chemicals whose long-term effects I still don’t know.
The debate hit home this week, when I inspected my three cauliflower plants and noticed that one was decimated, and those little bug holes in the other two didn’t seem so quaint anymore.
The question of “organic or conventional” is rather simplistic.So many factors go into the equation including the rising cost of organics (and food in general), the tedium of achieving “organic status” and where the food was grown. Given the choice of a local, conventional tomato versus an organic tomato shipped in from California, I’ll take local!The added benefit is that I can talk with the farmer about his growing practices.He may not, for example, have the organic certification, but he works the land sustainably.My (organic farmer) friend Brett recounted to me the hoops he had to jump through to maintain his organic status after the laws recently changed.He admitted that he would rather forgo the certification than deal with the bureaucrats.As he states it, his practices won’t change and his customers are loyal and don’t need a seal to prove it.
On a personal note, I had to decide how to deal with my aphid problem.I rationalized that I’d rather have non-organic cauliflower than no cauliflower at all!When I went to Weston Nurseries I found several organic pesticides.The oily spray coats bugs’ wings and prevents them from flying.It also works on bees.I thought this would be a good thing since I’m allergic to bees.No, I was scolded.We need bees to pollinate flowers and plants and maintain an important balance in our gardens.Besides, bees don’t sting… it’s the wasps that do.Therefore,I can only spray after 5pm when the bees have gone to their hives for the night.
As a side note, meat and dairy fall into a different category of concern.Think about the young girls that are going through puberty younger and younger, sometimes as early as 8 years old. It used to be thought that this was a result of better nutrition.The truth is that these girls are getting heavy doses of hormones (and antibiotics) through the milk and meat they’re eating.These animals were injected with growth- hormones in order to have them reach slaughter weight more quickly, or produce milk more rapidly.Want to let your children grow up at a slower rate? Feed them foods without hormones.
When CNN merged with AOL/Time Warner, CNN founder Ted Turner lost his job and about $7 billion. Since he was down to his last $1.5 billion, he couldn’t afford to buy CBS and continue to compete in the media industry. Instead, he chose to open a restaurant.
How did he get from TV to restaurant? As he tells it, he previously satiated cravings for entertainment, and now he’s satiating cravings for food. He’s in the cravings business. (Next up, he asks, a chain of brothels?) And he did have some experience in the food business
This morning, I attended a lively “discussion” between famed chef Todd English and Ted Turner. The focus was the greening of the restaurant industry. Since Ted’s Montana Grill was built green from the ground up, Ted and his partner George McKerrow, Jr. shared insights and experiences that both the seasoned restaurateur and diner can gain from.
Here are some of the highlights and tips:
“War is bad because it’s killing off our diners.” – Paraphrased quote from Ted Turner.
Drink stirrers and straws are a hidden culprit of plastic waste.Consider not using a stirrer and use a spoon instead.Paper and wooden stirrers offer another option.And what about bamboo?They did not mention this option, but bamboo is a highly renewable source.
Switch light bulbs to energy efficient fluorescent.They cost more upfront, but use less energy and last longer.Depending on usage, you can recoup costs in two years or less.Fluorescent light bulbs do need to be recycled.Here’s a link for a company in Massachusetts that handles the recycling of light bulbs.
Get a water extractor for your garbage waste.It will reduce the amount of waste and the expense of rubbish removal.
Reduce plastic use.And always recycle glass, paper, and plastic.
Eliminate bottled water as this increase the amount of packaging needed.Consider options for filtered water.
Use recycled and compostable paper and plastic products.These disposable products will decompose in 50 days in landfills instead of 50+years.
In order to incentivize employees to take public transportation to work: pay for public transit cost as an employee benefits.Those who choose to drive are on their own.
Buy locally to reduce the food miles.
Buy organic and all-natural foods because it does not introduce harmful chemicals into our land systems.
You’ve heard of carnivores, and perhaps even omnivores… but do you know what a locavore is? I can tell you, I am the first two and working towards the third. Yes, I eat meat (carni-) and everything (omni-) and I try to eat local (loca-). With Boston area farmers markets opening up this month for the season, my locavore efforts increase.
The Locavore Movement was founded by “a group of concerned culinary adventurers who are making an effort to eat only foods grown or harvested within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco for an entire month.” This was August 2005. The notion was that local foods are better for the environment, the economy and our health. In just a few years, the challenge has spread across the country, and people are thinking about local foods year-round.
By now, we know why local foods are better for the environment. The statistics are in every paper on a weekly basis: the average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to table. To get the food to the table, it must be processed, packaged (think about those 3-packs of tomatoes that are in a plastic webbed container wrapped in yet more plastic), shipped (in refrigerated trucks) and warehoused (in climate controlled storage facilities). And this process of “farm to table” can take up to 3 weeks – each step adding to our “global consumption” of petroleum. By purchasing foods from local farmers, we minimize the environmental impact of each step in this literal food-chain.
Sometimes it’s hard to see how buying local is better for the economy. After all, local produce often costs more than the Californian and even Chilean counterpart. Cambridge Local First compiled a top ten list for buying from locally owned business: this can easily be applied as general reasons for buying local. I will summarize for you now: When you buy locally, the money you spend stays within the local economy. The business owners spend their profits in Massachusetts (or wherever local is for you), and those taxes go towards local infrastructure: roads, schools, police, etcetera. By supporting local farmers, you keep jobs in your local community. When you shop at large chains the profits go to the economy of the large chain’s headquarters.
The health benefits are straightforward. When food travels less, it can stay on the vine longer. The longer it stays on the vine, the more time it has to absorbed essential nutrients from the soil and sun. Further, the minute produce is picked it begins to leach out its nutritional value (this also speaks to why frozen vegetables can sometimes be better than fresh).
Let’s be honest, though… being a locavore in California is much easier than in Massachusetts… And August, the agricultural jackpot, is less oppressive than taking this challenge in February. But when I think about the resources in New England, we are really quite fortunate. We can get seafood from Maine to the Cape even in the depths of winter. King Arthur Flour is based in Vermont. And local meat and dairy suppliers abound from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. The real issue is getting fresh produce in the darker, colder months. From November to April, we’re mostly reliant on farmers farther afield.
If you want to buy local in Massachusetts, the best resource is The Federation of Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets website. The site lists all the area farmers’ markets with dates, times and locations. More importantly, all the vendors are mentioned with links to their websites and/or contact information. Many vendors will also list their product offerings to make menu planning easier. If you can’t get to the markets during the allotted times, you can always visit the farms!
Right now, strawberries, asparagus and salad greens are at their peak. For a recent dinner party, I wanted to serve roasted asparagus (requiring a 450F oven), but was also baking the strawberry rhubarb pie (at 375F). I opted to put the asparagus on the floor of the oven for a searing heat that caramelized the spears without overcooking them. This impromptu method worked so well, it is now my standard method for roasting asparagus.
Strawberry shortcake showcases the sweet berry. This variation puts an Italian spin on the American classic.
Balsamic Glazed Strawberry Short cake
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 2 quarts strawberries 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1. Put sugar in a sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup water. Put over high heat, stir sugar to dissolve. Continue cooking for about 7 minutes or until sugar turns amber brown. Add balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Just before serving, add strawberries. Serve Biscuits with strawberries and cream.
Biscuits: 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tbs. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. yeast 4 tbs. butter 2/3 cup milk
1. Dissolve the yeast in milk. Combine dry ingredients. With a knife or fingers, cut in the butter. Mix in milk.
2. Roll out to 1/4” thickness. Cut into desired shapes.
