The January/February issue of the Atlantic Monthly featured a surprisingly caustic attack on school gardens. Better to focus on the book learnin' attests author Caitlin Flanagan.
I hope students who experienced a life changing course in a school garden will write to the magazine to set the record straight.
Studying the veins of a plant, listening carefully to the beating wings of a hummingbird, or inhaling the intoxicating scents of bergamot, rosemary and lavender, instills the miracle of life, and with a little luck, leaves the student willing to fight for the protection of endangered species, clean water acts, and against nuclear weapons.
Or maybe kids schooled in a garden merely learn how to cooperate, diffuse anger, work through hostility, garner better focus and stave off chronic, life-shortening disease through better nutrition – our first medicine.
I wonder how many students touched by a school garden went on to pursue careers in biology, entomology, pharmacy, medicine or environmental law? Who knows, maybe the doctor who saves one of our lives got his/her inspiration in a school garden.
Think critically, support school gardens, and eat well,
Melinda
Restaurant Review or Why I Eat at Home
So there we were, my husband and I, standing in the kitchen wondering what to eat. We were on day five or six of what seemed like a hot soup marathon. When it's a bone-chilling 6 degrees for many days in a row, and snowy, with winds howling, you can't beat good soup. I found myself on auto-pilot, simmering pot after pot from split pea to black bean to red-curry pumpkin. It was delicious, but we were getting bored. And after a day of sledding, I was seriously hungry. We could eat soup again, I offered.
That's when my husband pulled out a coupon for a reduced price dinner at a restaurant we'd never tried. I was leery. Rarely do we eat out and even rarer do these "free lunches" pan out. I hadn't heard positive (or negative)reviews of the place, so using hunger, soup boredom, and the opportunity for a cheap meal as our guide, we bundled up and hopped in the car to drive cross town.
We checked the menu before sitting down. The lamb sliders and salmon caught my eye.
Since the lamb came from New Zealand, and the salmon was wild caught from the Atlantic, I chose the latter.
The fish came with "seasonal vegetables." Mind you it's January. Seasonal vegetables around here are home canned green beans or any number of root vegetables in basement storage.
Our chosen restaurant, however, defined "seasonal" as zucchini and asparagus.
Hmmm. Maybe these are seasonal in South America right now, but they are squarely OUT of season here.
Apologetically, I explained that I was a dietitian dedicated to sustainable agriculture; that's why I was compelled to ask questions. I wondered if I could exchange the summer squash with a more wintry mix. Something deep and earthy. The potatoes and Brussels' sprouts seemed more appropriate.
Next the waitress asked if we wanted bread.
And how! I thought.
"Is it whole grain?" I inquired.
"I don't think so," our waitress replied, still smiling. "But it's from a bakery in Prairie Home." (~ 40 miles I calculated).
My husband wasted no time slathering butter on his refined carbs.
"Do you think it's organic?" I whispered.
He looked over his glasses. "I seriously doubt it "
That's when my mind flashed to the North American Pesticide Network's website with it's "What's On My Plate" feature. You search for a food and can compare pesticide residues on the organic vs. conventionally raised variety. I choose (read: vote for) organic food for good reason.
Our food arrived. The salmon was satisfying and I needed the omega-3s. The Brussels sprouts were freezer burned and drenched in butter. I blotted them off, but I couldn't kill the oxidized taste.
The waitress asked how we liked our food. I complemented the chef on the fish, and suggested a number of local farmers who could provide fresh lamb with a smaller "foodprint," and a few local bakeries that make chewy whole grain loaves.
"Would you care for dessert?" our server inquired.
"We couldn't eat another thing," thanks.
The next evening I lugged out the soup pot and prepared organic yellow lentil curry soup over whole wheat couscous with plumped golden raisins and steamed butter nut squash. There's nothing like a steaming bowl of gratitude for home cooking.
Think critically, ask questions, and eat well.
Happy New Year.
Melinda
That's when my husband pulled out a coupon for a reduced price dinner at a restaurant we'd never tried. I was leery. Rarely do we eat out and even rarer do these "free lunches" pan out. I hadn't heard positive (or negative)reviews of the place, so using hunger, soup boredom, and the opportunity for a cheap meal as our guide, we bundled up and hopped in the car to drive cross town.
We checked the menu before sitting down. The lamb sliders and salmon caught my eye.
Since the lamb came from New Zealand, and the salmon was wild caught from the Atlantic, I chose the latter.
The fish came with "seasonal vegetables." Mind you it's January. Seasonal vegetables around here are home canned green beans or any number of root vegetables in basement storage.
Our chosen restaurant, however, defined "seasonal" as zucchini and asparagus.
Hmmm. Maybe these are seasonal in South America right now, but they are squarely OUT of season here.
Apologetically, I explained that I was a dietitian dedicated to sustainable agriculture; that's why I was compelled to ask questions. I wondered if I could exchange the summer squash with a more wintry mix. Something deep and earthy. The potatoes and Brussels' sprouts seemed more appropriate.
Next the waitress asked if we wanted bread.
And how! I thought.
"Is it whole grain?" I inquired.
"I don't think so," our waitress replied, still smiling. "But it's from a bakery in Prairie Home." (~ 40 miles I calculated).
My husband wasted no time slathering butter on his refined carbs.
"Do you think it's organic?" I whispered.
He looked over his glasses. "I seriously doubt it "
That's when my mind flashed to the North American Pesticide Network's website with it's "What's On My Plate" feature. You search for a food and can compare pesticide residues on the organic vs. conventionally raised variety. I choose (read: vote for) organic food for good reason.
Our food arrived. The salmon was satisfying and I needed the omega-3s. The Brussels sprouts were freezer burned and drenched in butter. I blotted them off, but I couldn't kill the oxidized taste.
The waitress asked how we liked our food. I complemented the chef on the fish, and suggested a number of local farmers who could provide fresh lamb with a smaller "foodprint," and a few local bakeries that make chewy whole grain loaves.
"Would you care for dessert?" our server inquired.
"We couldn't eat another thing," thanks.
The next evening I lugged out the soup pot and prepared organic yellow lentil curry soup over whole wheat couscous with plumped golden raisins and steamed butter nut squash. There's nothing like a steaming bowl of gratitude for home cooking.
Think critically, ask questions, and eat well.
Happy New Year.
Melinda
White House Winter Garden
Yee Ha! Someone pinch me because I cannot believe I am witnessing the Food Revolution on such a high-profile, celebrity scale. The First Family has placed small hoop houses -- think easy portable greenhouses -- on the lawn of THE White House so they can enjoy fresh vegetables all winter long.
Let the healing begin: this is just what our nation, and our planet has been hungry for. MORE home-grown food production, and less dependence on foreign soil for our most basic need.
We're talking REAL homeland security.
Thanks to Sam Kass, Kathleen Merrigan, the Obamas and all those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this happen and to provide inspiration to those of us with much smaller lawns or even no lawns at all. Roger Doiron, I'm talking about YOU.
Gardening into the winter? Why YES WE CAN!
Think critically and eat well!
Let the healing begin: this is just what our nation, and our planet has been hungry for. MORE home-grown food production, and less dependence on foreign soil for our most basic need.
We're talking REAL homeland security.
Thanks to Sam Kass, Kathleen Merrigan, the Obamas and all those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this happen and to provide inspiration to those of us with much smaller lawns or even no lawns at all. Roger Doiron, I'm talking about YOU.
Gardening into the winter? Why YES WE CAN!
Think critically and eat well!
Food Safety About More Than Harmful Bacteria
Today I signed a petition asking USDA Secretary Vilsack to improve/increase inspections of meat served in USDA's school lunch program.
But increasing inspections really isn't enough. We have to change the system.
I added the following comment:
"Let's go one step further; let's serve our children certified organic food that helps protect them against hormone, antibiotic and pesticide residues. It is no coincidence that our daughters enter puberty earlier than previous generations of women, or that we have growing rates of autism, ADHD and allergies. Organic food and agriculture protects our children beyond their plates."
When we talk about food safety, let's think beyond the typical nasty bacteria that make the headlines. Let's talk about protecting our children from food additives, ingredients, and agricultural compounds that will make them sick over time and harm their environment.
Think critically and eat well.
Melinda
But increasing inspections really isn't enough. We have to change the system.
I added the following comment:
"Let's go one step further; let's serve our children certified organic food that helps protect them against hormone, antibiotic and pesticide residues. It is no coincidence that our daughters enter puberty earlier than previous generations of women, or that we have growing rates of autism, ADHD and allergies. Organic food and agriculture protects our children beyond their plates."
When we talk about food safety, let's think beyond the typical nasty bacteria that make the headlines. Let's talk about protecting our children from food additives, ingredients, and agricultural compounds that will make them sick over time and harm their environment.
Think critically and eat well.
Melinda
Thanksgiving postscript
When my son's friend asked what she could bring to our Thanksgiving dinner, I suggested "a quote." She arrived with FOUR. So after we counted our blessings and savored a largely local organic meal (thank you farmers), we shared our inspirational messages -- food for thought and emotional nourishment.
Here are a few messages from our table that will linger longer than the leftovers:
On the wall of a janitor's closet:
"You control your response and therein lies your freedom."
From Jen's grandfather:
"Help me to be gentle in spirit, controlled in temper, charitable in judgment, and considerable in action."
From the Situationist blog:
"I'd encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it."
Eat well and think critically,
Melinda
Here are a few messages from our table that will linger longer than the leftovers:
On the wall of a janitor's closet:
"You control your response and therein lies your freedom."
From Jen's grandfather:
"Help me to be gentle in spirit, controlled in temper, charitable in judgment, and considerable in action."
From the Situationist blog:
"I'd encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it."
Eat well and think critically,
Melinda
Iowa Doesn't Have to Stink
Friends of the Food Revolution: Last weekend I traveled to Spring Valley, WI for a meeting of the Midwestern Organic and Sustainable Education Service Board. When I returned home, I felt compelled to write to IA Governor Culver. Here's why:
While driving north of Des Moines on I-35 I became increasingly angry over the repulsive stench from hog manure.
I wondered: How could IA's political leaders and citizens allow hog confinement operations (also called CAFOs) to destroy the common good -- IA's clean air and water?
Surely this can't be good for tourism, property values, and public health.
The MO Rural Crisis Center has calculated that just as much pork can be produced on smaller, more bio-diverse farms that naturally incorporate animal waste back into the land without the stench and pollution.
I don't believe we can afford the "cheap" meat that the owners of these hog confinement facilities promise.
Consumers: if you can, buy directly from independent family farmers. Know where your food comes from and how it was produced.
Your food dollars are votes for true sustainability.
Think critically and eat well.
Melinda
While driving north of Des Moines on I-35 I became increasingly angry over the repulsive stench from hog manure.
I wondered: How could IA's political leaders and citizens allow hog confinement operations (also called CAFOs) to destroy the common good -- IA's clean air and water?
Surely this can't be good for tourism, property values, and public health.
The MO Rural Crisis Center has calculated that just as much pork can be produced on smaller, more bio-diverse farms that naturally incorporate animal waste back into the land without the stench and pollution.
I don't believe we can afford the "cheap" meat that the owners of these hog confinement facilities promise.
Consumers: if you can, buy directly from independent family farmers. Know where your food comes from and how it was produced.
Your food dollars are votes for true sustainability.
Think critically and eat well.
Melinda
Food is Medicine - Farmers Need Healthcare
Ironic isn't it? The very people who produce our most healthful foods can't afford health insurance.
Whenever I interview farmers, I ask: Do you have health insurance?
Most shrug and say "no" as if I'm crazy to ask. They frequently force a laugh, and say that they "pray a lot." Or, either they or a spouse works off the farm, for the sole purpose of providing health insurance.
At the MO Governor's Summit on Food Safety this summer, one of the presenters (a farmer and now state inspector) took the podium and announced: "frankly, I took this job for the health benefits."
A farmer I interviewed for my farm hands calendar project last year said that "in a way they were lucky" -- LUCKY because her husband was disabled from the military -- that meant at least he got health benefits through the VA system.
Needing off-farm employment for health insurance also makes GMO crops and their "illusion of easy" -- all the more appealing. A sentiment I heard from several farmers at the MO Farmers' Union meeting last winter.
If we are to enjoy a safe and healthful food system, then our nation must have affordable public health insurance. It is vital to the growth of family farms, strong rural communities and our democracy.
Eat well and think critically,
Melinda
Whenever I interview farmers, I ask: Do you have health insurance?
Most shrug and say "no" as if I'm crazy to ask. They frequently force a laugh, and say that they "pray a lot." Or, either they or a spouse works off the farm, for the sole purpose of providing health insurance.
At the MO Governor's Summit on Food Safety this summer, one of the presenters (a farmer and now state inspector) took the podium and announced: "frankly, I took this job for the health benefits."
A farmer I interviewed for my farm hands calendar project last year said that "in a way they were lucky" -- LUCKY because her husband was disabled from the military -- that meant at least he got health benefits through the VA system.
Needing off-farm employment for health insurance also makes GMO crops and their "illusion of easy" -- all the more appealing. A sentiment I heard from several farmers at the MO Farmers' Union meeting last winter.
If we are to enjoy a safe and healthful food system, then our nation must have affordable public health insurance. It is vital to the growth of family farms, strong rural communities and our democracy.
Eat well and think critically,
Melinda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
