This puppy comes to you courtesy of Marion L. Bell, of the Metropolitan Hospital Center and the Go Green East Harlem Cookbook, edited by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, which is filled with recipes by East Harlem residents. I did not choose it because of the name, but I could have. Thankfully, it’s also delicious, so you’re welcome.
You’ll need:
Serves 6-8. Enjoy!
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This morning, on my way to the WOYP clubhouse, I saw some orange juice ads. That isn’t so unusual, of course, and neither is the fact that the orange juice was advertising itself as pure, non-concentrated, unsweetened, organic goodness, that’s what orange juice generally advertises itself as. What was interesting was that this was only the latest in an serious trend towards green, sustainable, and organic themes that I can only assume is sweeping the advertising world. Internet, I’m actually conflicted about this trend.
On one hand, it is fairly obvious that many large companies – producers of orange juice, food, and anything else that can be made sustainably – have no intention of changing their manufacturing or distribution practices to reflect anything resembling a social or environmental conscience, and the ads are disingenuous, manipulative, and exploitative of many a well-intentioned consumer. On the other hand, ads appealing to conscientious consumers could represent the growing influence of environmental and social concerns over consumer trends. Perhaps this is the start of an exciting progression, and in a few years it will be impossible to sell anything that doesn’t come with some kind of promise of sustainability. It sounds unlikely, but why not be optimistic?
Well, because lots of smart people like Heather Rogers aren’t being optimistic for some very good reasons. Heather Rogers, who has a new book out, in which she decries what she calls “armchair environmentalism.” She’s justifiably annoyed with “green” products and ideas that at best hardly do any good, and at worst actually hurt the environment. For instance, the infinitely annoying “carbon offset” credits where you can pay someone to plant enough trees to balance out all the carbon you left in the atmosphere when you rode an airline or drove your car. The trees in question won’t absorb enough carbon for a good hundred years, if they aren’t cut down before that. And personally, I’m pretty sure carbon offsets are a lot like knocking the planet in the head, and then getting it an icepack. It doesn’t change the original offense, it just sort of makes us feel better. Heather Rogers’ point, in the interview I read, is that many of these “green” initiatives, like hybrid cars and food labeling, just help us ignore the larger problems cause by the way we live. Hybrid cars help us drive more and worry less, organic labels on food help us buy more and think less about what we buy.
But let’s go back, for a minute, to my optimistic take on organic themes in advertising. I think we are in the middle of a crucial time, when the current enthusiasm for conscientious consumption can either become a shallow passing fad, or grow into a new framework for how we conduct ourselves as consumers. What companies are doing with these ads is recognizing that people want to buy “green” products, figuring out how to frame their existing products as “green,” and courting consumers with ads that present those products as “green.” What we, as consumers, must do, is seize this moment when companies are looking at sustainable values and movements, and looking for how we decide if products fit these values. If we tell them that we decide based on what their ads say, or based on whether or not their ads “seem trustworthy” (which usually means getting actors and models for the ads, and ceos for the companies, that look and act like the target market) or whether or not the product has an “Organic” label of some kind stamped on it, (another of Heather Rogers’ points: many of the organizations that certify products with those labels aren’t exactly legit, and anyway a lot of those labels were just put there by the manufacturer and don’t mean anything) if we judge products based on advertising, spokespeople that look honest, or dubious labeling, what looks like a movement now will be a passe trend before you can say “focus group.” HOWEVER, if we do our homework and judge the products we buy based on where they come from, how they’re made, and who makes them (and I mean actually look that information up and don’t buy anything unless you’re certain you know it’s whole story down to every detail) I have faith that companies will realize that consumer attitudes are changing, and that conscientious products are the only ones people want to buy.
Before I end this post, I want to mention, briefly, this bit of news: Santa Clara County, CA, supervisors have passed a law prohibiting restaurants from selling meals that contain toys for kids if those meals do not meet minimum nutrition requirements. This law sends an important message to food producers: “if you want to sell food with toys in order to lure kids, that’s fine, but we expect you to uphold a standard of nutrition for those kids, and we are going to actually test your food to make sure you do so.” Similar nutrition laws have already passed here in New York and elsewhere, but point that these laws make, and that we can all help make by carefully choosing what we buy (vote with your dollar, to appropriate a free market mantra), is that we will judge products not on their advertised qualities, but on the factual details of their origin.
Spring is coming, and Caprese Salad is a traditional spring Italian dish. This recipe is from the big celebration meal at the end of the movie and it’s simple, healthy, and easy to make.
Caprese Salad (x 10)
Americans want healthy school lunches and they want them now. Both a study administered by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a report written by ex-military leaders are advocating for school lunch reforms.
A recent survey conducted by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation concludes that people in America are unhappy with their children’s school lunches. Sixty three percent of parents of school-aged kids described the school lunches in their local school as “poor,” or at best, “fair.” School lunches normally serve tater tots, corn dogs, pizza, and chicken nuggets several times a week, all of which are high in sodium and fats. The study shows that 70% of all Americans want pizza served in school lunches once a week or not at all, and over 60% would want chicken nuggets and hamburgers served once a week or not at all.
Parents of school-aged kids aren’t the only ones who want change. Retired military officers also came out with a report, titled “Too Fat To Fight: Retired Military Leaders Want Junk Food Out of America’s Schools.” It reveals that in one decade (ending in 2008) the states that recorded over 40% of their youth as overweight or obese increased from only one, Kentucky, to a total of thirty-nine. The report also stated that 80% of all the overweight kids aged 10-15 years were obese by the time they were 25. Americans have increased their daily calorie intake by 250-300 calories.
These studies have recognized vending machines filled with junk food as the primary culprit. We hope that something is done fast about this issue, and that kids are offered healthy and nutritious lunches at schools.
It’s about time that our national policies take account of circumstances that we present to young people. It seems that we finally may have a couple of representatives working on the Farm Bill of 2012 that could improve lives for the next generation!
With both USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson speaking up about opportunities for rural youth and the financial hurdles of young farmers, respectively, we’re excited to hear what policies might come from a Farm bill that is more focused on improving future communities.
“The difficulties for rural America mean that young rural people have fewer opportunities. Without viable employment opportunities, secure healthcare, modern infrastructure, and the growth of new industries, young people are choosing to leave their rural homes in search of jobs and opportunities elsewhere.” – Tom Vilsack
“One of the issues that needs to be looked at or addressed is, are these direct payments being capitalized into land values and rents? And is that making it more difficult for young farmers to get started?” – Collin Peterson
With so much concern for the next generation, we hope that we’re asking the right questions about health, the environment, and community. If these quotes are any indication, we seem to be stepping in the right direction.
There are four upcoming scheduled meetings around the country:
Friday, April 30th Des Moines, Iowa Saturday, May 1st Nampa, Idaho Monday, May 3rd Fresno, California Tuesday, May 4th Cheyenne, Wyoming
We look forward to hearing more about what comes up in these hearings, and to finding out more about what we can do to advocate for policies that will impact our future generations.
It’s a really great time to be an urban farmer. The support system just keeps getting better and better. Enthusiasm is all around us, in our local communities, in our cities and on the internet. Today, we read two stories from two different American cities that are crafting their own approach, bringing the community of local food to new and creative places.
San Francisco has a bubbling and fizzing community of urban homesteaders making their own pickles, kombucha, kefir and cider. Thanks to Jaime Gross of the New York Times for sharing this insight into the food scene out there and for giving us a new favorite quote at the end of the article: “Once you get a taste of your own pickles, it’s hard to go back.”
Austin has another amazing approach. Urban Patchwork brings farming to your front yard, they “want to foster a sense of community, to encourage people to meet at the front of the house.” What a great notion! Let’s meet out front and share some tips on gardening, weeding and cooking. These cities provide a wonderful inspiration to bring your own food community to your doorstep and bring them all the way inside!
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano and global warming link has been all over the Internet lately. People have been wondering whether if the volcano, that had wreaked so much havoc for airlines, will at least decrease carbon dioxide emissions.
As it so happens, the answer is yes, and no.
Technically, a strong enough volcano eruption could cool the earth, indirectly. Sulfur dioxide is released during large volcanic eruptions, and when combined with water vapor it produces little particles that settle into the Earth’s stratosphere. These particles reflect the light, so the sun’s radiation bounces back before ever hitting the earth, inadvertently cooling the climate. Some researchers say this may eventually be the case with Eyjafjallajokull, although it hasn’t quite been strong enough yet.
So how is it helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions? This volcano eruption is emitting 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide a day. By comparison, airplanes traveling in Europe usually emit 340,000 tons daily. The travelers that normally would have been using airplanes were now using other means of transportation, whether it be through car, train, or even boat. Its not like all of Europe has stopped moving because of airplanes. Any five days of flight cancellations saves over1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Its been a total of seven days since the plane flights have halted.
Granted, the volcano may have wreaked havoc for the unsuspecting air travelers and lost the airline industry millions of dollars. However, it did give us an insight on global warming, and perhaps these theories with volcanoes could be applicable in the future. Scientists are still researching to find out.
Earth Day is fast approaching, Internet. In fact, it’s tomorrow. In the holiday spirit, check out this article on supermarkets and what they throw away. It turns out that when food reaches its “sell by” date, supermarkets tend to just throw it out. That means a single store can throw out tons of food (literally tons) per year. However, some community-minded stores have started programs in which the expired food (which will probably be safe to eat for a few days at least after the sell by date) is donated to food banks and homeless shelters. Not only does this cut down on waste, but donations of perishable food are incredibly valuable for these organizations, which get a lot of non-perishables, like canned foods, but really lack fruits, vegetables, and meats. The article lists five major supermarket chains and details their food disposal policies.
I think articles like this are really cool. First, I totally hadn’t thought of donating expired food that is still perfectly edible, and I just like that idea. Second, I think lists like these comparing supermarkets can potentially be a big help in changing food systems. Part of what WOYP is trying to accomplish is to show people the ways that local, organic food systems can benefit communities. If people start thinking about the larger community when they choose where to buy groceries, big supermarkets will take local and organic ideas into account when they decide how to run their stores. There aren’t laws requiring extra food to be donated to those who need it instead of thrown away, but if people look at this article and keep it in mind when they shop at one supermarket instead of another, even big companies like Wal-Mart might have to wake up and realize that people expect supermarkets to be responsible within their communities.
Hey, New Yorkers of the Internet, have you heard about the New Amsterdam Market? It’s a monthly market, with all kinds of vendors (seriously all kinds, from meat and produce to readymade soups and sandwiches, bread, seaweed, anything edible) that’s trying to be a permanent one. New York used to have a few year-round markets like that one, and the Fulton Fish Market is one of the surviving ones, and such markets still exist all over the world, but New York is in dire need of a year-round all-kinds-of-food public market. If you’ve ever been to a big public market, you probably know they’re awesome. Huge, often maze-like places filled with stalls and stalls of vendors, with delicious food to take home and cook with, or eat right there, and lots of people yelling at you to buy something awesome. It’s kind of like a farmers’ market that is there every day, but with much more stuff for sale (wholesale as well as resale, and cooked food as well as ingredients). They’re meant to be places you spend a few hours at, or maybe half a day, and you can never see the whole thing. Markets like these draw vendors selling food you can’t get anywhere else, as well as stall for your favorite restaurants and farms. I’m getting really excited here, but seriously, I love the idea of a huge public market in New York City, pulling the best of the city’s food and more from miles around into one overwhelmingly crowded mass of delicious food. It would be worth it for the smell of walking through it alone. The point of this post is that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is on the case, pushing for the New Amsterdam Market to be a 365-day institution in this great city. Go to the market’s website, donate a few dollars, tell your friends, and get excited.
Our pal Marie sent us an email yesterday asking about places that deliver fresh fruit. Marie works at a library, and there are cookies delivered every day, but every once in a while, they get fruit instead of cookies and everyone seems much happier. So, Marie asked us, are there places that deliver fresh fruit right to your door every day? There totally are! Fruit Guys is a San Francisco-based company that delivers to homes, offices, and schools across this great nation. That’s great and all, but it seems a little weird that there aren’t smaller local fruit delivery services all over the place that take food from local farms to local people every day (or week). Somebody should totally start that business (hint hint).
Which brings me to my next rant. One of the things that really bugs me about our crappy food system is the idea of buying in bulk. It’s fine for things like grains, or dried fruit that will keep for a while, but as a rule, we expect to buy food as infrequently as possible, and to stock up on food when we do. So we get food with lots of preservatives to make that possible. Really, the whole idea doesn’t make much sense. I really like the idea of having fresh food delivered daily, especially in big cities. I think milkmen are pretty cool. You get a small amount of milk every day or every couple of days, you drink it before it goes bad, it works out. Food goes bad, that’s just what it does, and by trying to buy things like fruit and vegetables in bulk, we’re pretty much asking to get our food saturated with preservatives. Fruit delivery sounds like an excellent idea to me (or daily trips to the grocery store if you prefer) I think offices and schools could seriously use a regular supply of fresh fruit straight from the farm. And I think we should readjust our eating and buying habits to stop trying to stock up on fruits and vegetables. Fruit only stays fresh for so long, no matter what the supermarket would like you to think, so it makes perfect sense to have a little but of fruit delivered every day or every few days (or to go out and buy it) eat it before it goes bad, and get more. That’s the schedule the fruit works on, so why not adjust to it?
let’s make this happen.
