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Food Inspections: So Many Misses

Mar 5

Posted by admin in Administration, FDA, food recalls, gardening, healthy eating, news, USDA, washington post | 3 Comments

It seems that we take one step forward and six backwards when we talk about food safety. Yes, the Food Safety Modernization Act, great name, became law at the beginning of the year, but are we believers? Is our food supply really being inspected or are we the ad hoc inspectors when we become ill from something we ate? Certainly food handling plays a role in many foodborne illnesses, but those numbers are far smaller than those that result from products never having been properly inspected.

Maybe an early positive to the Act is the formation of the Sprouts Safety Alliance (SSA). You do not need to jigger your memory buttons too much to recall how frequently sprouts have been linked to major food outbreaks. When we can feel safe ordering sprouts again or purchasing them, we’ll know that this government-sponsored effort helped put a food back at the salad bar and on the sandwich.

What is a consumer to do? At this time of the year, it’s prudent to consider a home-grown vegetable garden or participation in a local CSA. Even trips to small farmers markets may yield a more trusted crop than that coming from big suppliers who admit their products have not been inspected for quite some time.

The question remains, no matter how many times we blog it or read about it, is our food safe? Some of it. Could it be safer? Yes. In the time I wrote, edited, and sent this blog out, food safety announcements came in. This is just one example! Everyone knows there’s a problem.

Agency cutbacks are necessary to trim the budget, but to take the fat out of an inspection program that keeps us all safe makes little sense. Time to hire. Time to inspect.

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Time to Get Involved with Food Issues

Oct 23

Posted by admin in Administration, dining out, gardening, healthy eating, lifestyle, news, restaurants | No Comments

No one can be immune to the messages about food shortages or food deserts. A full range of food topics have managed to become front page news including problems with our food supply and food safety issues. Whether we are talking about obesity and its impact on the health of the nation or the lack of uniformity or good decision-making in our school lunch programs, we are talking food. Hunger statistics are staggering when we put these figures up against the placard that reads “World’s Greatest Nation.” Should there be millions of Americans in the bread line? These are food issues that affect everyone.

Solutions seem to be as prolific as the number of individuals offering advice. Now there is a strategy that everyone can employ and use wisely. Tomorrow, October 24 is the 1st National Food Day. What does that phrase really mean? In its most simple terms, it means, that there will be an emphasis on food issues throughout the country. Most cities have signed on with some sort of program and chefs, of course, are playing a significant role in the program.

What about the individual response? Yes, we can all get involved and do something. One day can make a difference. Support your local farmer. There are still plenty of farmstand markets bringing in the best of fall fruits and vegetables.  In some communities, individuals are helping plant a school garden so that young children can benefit from what is truly fresh. Restaurants are having a large variety of programs to bring in individuals and demonstrate how we can all pitch in and make a difference. Find a sustainable food project in your community and participate.

Yes, everyday can be a food day, but sometimes we need to pull back and think about how we can help others and create a stronger, better, more harmonious approach to food issues.  We can be a healthy nation.

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A Chef and A Zebra

Aug 22

Posted by admin in cooking, food universe, gardening, healthy eating, lifestyle | 1 Comment

With farm markets bursting with product and flavor, it’s time for you to join the cars at the side of the road and become a chef. After all not all chefs deal with major food companies who arrive at their back door with a week’s worth of supplies. Sure that’s fine for paper towels, but produce and meats. Nope.
You can be a modern-day chef who visits a garden or works with a farmer and makes his meals based on what’s in market or at the stands. Now’s the time to practice creativity and elevate the basic recipes as you try fresh-picked possibilities.  Emails are overflowing with peach teasers as the East Coast bounty is turning the basic peach lover into a peach canner or at least one who freezes slices for smoothies. Of course, tomatoes are filling baskets and corn readies itself for new grill recipes. Here’s a simple trick: Wash, husk corn, and put it on the grill. Let it make its popping sound; turn, and repeat til kernels beg to be eaten. The sounds of summer.
What’s stopping you? The answer should be: Nothing. The produce is so fresh, brimming with an aura of jus’ picked begging for your attention. This is what a chef who markets does. Chefs, sous chefs, or even line cooks who are on a mission buy the freshest items possible. That’s how a daily menu works. Sure there are plenty of stand-bys, but daily specials thrive in a market environment. Home cooks can do it; it’s not that hard. Shop, talk to the produce stand people, and hit “Epicurious” for strategies. Time to be creative.

Here’s a simple exercise: Zebra heirloom tomatoes, small yellow potatoes, pickling cukes, corn beggin’ to be husked, and peaches of every size and variety (try the new darling donut peach). Add a protein and your bounty meal is bursting with flavor. However you dance the ingredients, they are ready for your creative tong.

Now’s the time to practice. The market waits for no one.

 

 

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Unknown Fruits and Vegetables: New Friends

Jun 21

Posted by admin in cooking, food universe, gardening | No Comments

We’ve all heard the stories how families had never seen some vegetables in their fresh form but just assumed canned or frozen were the only options. Jamie Oliver made food history with his tour of West Virginia and the food revolution he stirred. Budget constraints have an impact on food purchasing and in these times of spiraling food costs, the tried and true head the shopping list.

Yet, I have earned a new education. Without my early membership in a CSA, I might never have tried some of my new friends. It’s you Kohlrabi I’m talking to. Not that the stand employees had many ideas how to handle this rather awkward looking vegetable; they were curious what I would uncover. With my trusty computer and numerous search attempts, I found no shortage of recipes but after the early experimentation, I settled on a personal Waldorf Salad.  Kohlrabi, apples, nuts, and cranberries became perfectly united with just a little lemon juice and a dollop of mayonnaise. The crunch worked and this veg gained star status in our house. Consider starting it from seed as Gurney’s catalog offers some enticing recipes!

Maybe the trendiest vegetable of the year award will go to KALE. From an unknown to super-star status and expensive marketing (kale chips at $7.95 a bag), this prior, semi-unknown proved a most versatile companion to many dishes. The biggest caveat is that a small bunch shrinks to a minuscule size when cooked. Buy more than you need or if you are lucky enough to find it, get a big, triple-washed bag (remember kale neared the top of last week’s pesticide list), and go wild with recipe creations. Kale can handle experimentation or if you focus in one direction, it loves sesame oil and rice vinegar with a sprinkling of tamari in a hot skillet.

Rhubarb may tie with Kale for top trend honors as the once unfamiliar fruit now champions a legion of followers or as the food52 people learned, rhubarb parties are a big hit! Maybe the house’s personal favorite recipe involves using way less sugar than previously imagined and cooking bite size pieces until just soft. Cool, taste, and freeze the majority as this is a fruit that loves oatmeal. OK, we had plenty of rhubarb-strawberry events but love pulling out a little bit as a cereal or dessert add-on. Have you tried it with Greek yogurt? A winner.

Actually these three foods moved to star status in our house this year, and we haven’t even talked about health benefits! Are we ever lucky as so many new choices are coming into market and it’s only the first day of summer. Our list will expand.

Happy Solstice.

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Cookbook Round-Up

Jun 11

Posted by admin in coffee, cooking, gardening, gluten-free, grocer, healthy eating | No Comments

Summertime is the perfect time to laze around enjoying some of the new cookbooks that have hit the market. With all the fine produce at the farm stands and the grocers who strive to bring in local, this is a good time to look at the vegetable options.

With the increasing number of Vegan followers and those who subscribe to meatless days or think about healthier options, here’s a good primer: Color Me Vegan. What’s particularly enjoyable about this book is its color-coded emphasis on eating healthy; eating vegan. The recipes are easy to follow and attractive to lure you into trying something new. Those who just want the burst of color will be able to tweak the recipe to accommodate the omnivores.

Now that everyone has written about Gluten-Free and its mainstream numbers, the cookbooks are popping out of the printers.  Here’s one (125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes) that includes recipes for vegans although the combination of being G-F and V can be challenging at times. The highlight of this book is the straightforward approach from writer, Carol Fenster, who has an impressive history covering special diet needs including earlier gluten-free cookbooks: Would you believe her earlier 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipe cookbook! The 125 G-F recipe book will be available in July.

Neither a Vegan nor a Gluten-Free approach to vegetables, but one that considers how time starved we all are: The Best 30-Minute Vegetarian Recipes makes it easy to approach the summer heat with quick solutions to a healthy meal. Most of the 150 recipes are low in fat and in sugar. When the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are market ready or ready to be picked from your own garden, the Gazpacho recipe may prove a perfect summer favorite.

I have to leave the vegetable track for a moment and consider the importance of good bread to accompany all these veggie recipes. As we’ve watched foods come into vogue, we recognize the return of a once-popular piece of kitchen equipment: The Bread Machine. Prices have dropped on this handy kitchen accessory due to its formerly untrendy status so this is a perfect item to add now and awaken the family to the delicious morning aroma of  just-baked bread. The Artisan Bread Machine with its 250 recipes fits the ease-of-use bill. Nothing’s better than combining artisan techniques into the workhouse machine! Add to that the summertime availability of delicious tomatoes (atop a foccaccia) and the desire to serve a healthy pizza lets you add your fresh vegetable toppings to the wonderful crusts from the bread machine.

These are just some of the many new cookbooks worth your summertime lolling pleasure. Relax with an iced coffee, and find the perfect solution to any meal period. Enjoy.

 

 

 

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Someone’s in the Kitchen with Uncle Sam

Jun 10

Posted by admin in Administration, beverages, cooking, Economy, FDA, First Lady Michelle Obama, gardening, healthy eating, news, USDA | No Comments

Not quite the Dinah song, but clearly a spirited shout-out to the National Archives for putting together a phenomenal exhibit, “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” The answer quite simply is that everything we know about food in this country has some piece of history attached to it and the exhibit underlies the strong connection.

In the past few years since the Obama Administration took office, it seems that food has become a major player in the national conversation. We have talked about the White House Garden, the commitment to getting people to Move off the couch and be aware of their food intake. Obesity has been a major topic of concern as has the School Lunch program. Yet, so many of these discussions have their roots in much earlier times. It is impossible to speak of food safety legislation today without thinking about the letter Upton Sinclair wrote President Theodore Roosevelt.

Our current obsession with food, chefs, and food trends is nothing new. Buying local and supporting the farmer has deep-seeded, yes, it’s true, roots in our country’s agricultural history. You’ll be able to study the past while reflecting on how so much of what we believe today parallels our government’s earliest commitments to food safety. No need to make this sound so serious, as the exhibit focuses on all the aspects of our food culture.

What this exhibition hall is filled with it the how the Federal government’s programs intersected with our lives whether we are referencing food safety regulation or tracing the early paths of those we affectionately call “agricultural pioneers.” Besides enjoying the numerous posters from the collection including the already popular “Vitamin Donuts” or “Uncle Sam Says , Garden to Cut Food Costs.” My initial favorite, “Eat the Carp” includes the advice, “The muddy taste can be washed away.”

Trust me, you’ll have fun exploring the original records (“Eat More Cottage Cheese“) that explain the history of our country through its food supply with an emphasis on four distinct influences on our food environment: Farm, Factory, Kitchen, and Table.

Check out the event calendar as numerous additional programs and speakers have been lined up to supplement the standing exhibit. The exhibit opens today and continues through January 3, 2012. You need to know that date as you’ll want to go more than once!

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Time to Refocus Your Geometry: Pyramid Death

May 31

Posted by admin in Administration, First Lady Michelle Obama, food universe, gardening, healthy eating, lifestyle, Michelle Obama, news | No Comments

Just as color alerts became a confusing part of our daily routines, the food pyramid chart has confounded “new” thinking about food and is about to die a natural death. As in, it will be removed from the visual universe of what we should eat. It is high time the icon was put aside into the annals of food history. Yet, what will the new look say about our food when all is revealed on June 2? The pyramid becomes history, and the plate details the new food visual.

Not just any plate, but one that has been approved by the First Family. A plate that says, less is better but what constitutes less will be unveiled in stages. We have become a full plate society from our parents earliest admonitions to finish your food to dining out and expecting full plates brimming over with food. Oversize restaurant portions were supposed to imply monetary value but instead helped contribute to our obesity numbers.

The President and the First Lady exemplify their commitment to exercise and good eating habits. The White House Garden has been a huge success and farm markets continue to expand in close proximity to the White House. At the same time some of the nation’s top chefs have contributed their time and expertise to improving the school lunch program. Logically, the next step is to take the tired pyramid of foods and replace its message with one that stresses vital health information. This is a more active focus that demonstrates the importance of being active and eating healthy. In addition to the USDA, other government agencies will help drive the important message.

Making the plate a thing of beauty with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables is a natural starting point. After all we are in the heart of the growing season and product availability. Grocers are competing with farm stands to show that locally grown food can be readily available to all shoppers.

Eating healthy has new rules and as a nation the time has come to step up to the plate and move into a healthier position. We welcome the pyramid retirement party.

It’s time to set up a healthy plate.

 

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Garden Dreamin’

May 4

Posted by admin in FDA, gardening, news | No Comments

On the East Coast, in the mid-Atlantic region, there’s a small rule of thumb: Admire gardeners but do not give in and plant before Mother’s Day. Yes, the region has been known to have a late frost or in gardening parlance, a crop killer! What happens when Mother’s Day pops up early on the calendar? Yes, it’s still the 2nd Sunday of May, but this year it’s the 8th. In 2006 it was the 14th! Those extra days are ground warmers. What’s a tomato lover to do?

Plant but acclimate and look at the 10-day forecast. Most of the gardening centers still have warning signs out about late frosts. Most likely these signs came out of the closet after the unexpected, and unnecessary, 80 degree days in early April! Tomatoes take time and full sun so as we move later into the month, the ground and the plants will be most appreciative. The sun will be do its job, too.

If you’re still in the wondering stage, remember what you grow, you control. A Salmonella tomato warning should probably be the final encouragement to become a gardener. Seize the ground: This is your year.

If you are still hesitant, check out your local farm markets or see if there is even a final short share in a CSA–be local. Support local or be your own locavore.

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Salad Daze: Study the Seeds

Feb 18

Posted by admin in gardening, healthy eating | No Comments

Time to start thinking about your spring and summer garden plot as food prices continue to climb. Reports are out from all over the country that indicate the weather extremes have caused major shortages in some of the standards. When was the last time you studied a salad bar and noticed the abysmal slim pickings in terms of celery, cucumbers, and tomatoes? No difficulty in understanding the phenomena when you see what a head of lettuce or a single cucumber costs in the supermarket.

The fixings change as prices keep climbing. If a cucumber costs over a dollar in a market, the likelihood of seeing the item in any recognizable form on a salad bar or as a chopped topping becomes ever more doubtful. What is the consumer left with? High prices and alternative foods. Or,

Time to fulfill the promise of last year with the sprouting ritual of seeds. This is the time of year to do some in-house planting so that when the ground is ready for digging, you have sturdier roots than a last minute approach to resolving a personal promise. Make this the year of the garden.

Seeds can be frustrating or relatively easy; depends who you ask. Make certain that the package contains the magic phrase: For the 2011 planting season. Last year’s seeds may not be the best solution, especially for the first time gardener.Celebrity_Cucumbers_Seeds

Plenty of catalogs to dream along with or to invest in. Whichever company you select, remember the simple gardening maxim: Less is more. Nothing tastes better than just picked especially when it’s coming from your little plot.

Snub the high prices and create your own salad bowl.

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Organic Growth

Apr 24

Posted by admin in gardening, news | No Comments

Some surprisingly strong numbers have just been released about the organic product market. Even during the time of great economic woes, organics grew significantly during 2009. According to the Organic Trade Association’s 2010 survey, product sales grew by over 5% to reach $26.6 billion dollars in sales. This is an interesting figure when compared to overall US food growth (1.6%) during that same period. That’s a significant number of people showing their support and belief in the organic food industry! It tells us how far we have come and how concerned we are about food safety and our belief that the organic route is a much safer passage.

The greatest growth of organic foods was with fruits and vegetables and demonstrated over an 11% increase over the prior year. In turn the organic fruit and vegetable market now makes up over 11% of all US food and vegetable sales! No longer are consumers limited to a few specialty stores for their organic purchases. The basic, mainstream, grocer recognizes the impact of having organic produce available for consumers. In addition, of course, there are numerous buying opportunities at smaller outlets and farm markets.

With all the negative attention on how our schools are doing a bad job of feeding our children, the Organic Trade Association established a contest, one week remaining, with the winning school to receive an organic garden or be supplied with a vending machine filled with organics. Vote now. t_Assorted_organic_produce

Whichever route one pursues for these purchases, the simple fact remains: The Organic Food Chain is growing considerably and it has reached an ever-growing market of consumers!

We celebrate this news.

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