Don't Pee on the Bee

A quiet Michael Pollan

I had dinner in Berkeley on Friday night with a good friend from grad school.  Driving through Berkeley and eating dinner at a fabulous Greek restaurant reminded me about this article I read in the most recent Organic Gardening magazine.  It was a conversation with Michael Pollan (author of The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore's Dilemma).  I haven't read either of those books, but I have heard him interviewed on several radio shows.  Usually there is a debate going on with farmers, and the shows have gotten pretty testy, in which case, I usually turn them off.   I listen to enough heated debates between 2 preschoolers!  So what I liked about this article is that it was a quiet, one-sided process in which I was taking part.

Pollan has researched and written about different aspects of  food and asserts that the highly processed foods that most people eat are not only hurting our bodies but the environment as well.    He talks about the link between gardening and cooking and believes that those who garden are the 58% of Americans who are still cooking.  (This number continues to decline.)  He goes on to talk about eating locally and organically as well as the differences between shopping at the farmers' markets vs. the supermarket.  (Bottom line:  Eat organically when you can and locally as often as you can.  Local is frequently organic without necessarily being certified as such.  Grow a garden in any space you have--small is OK!)

One issue that was addressed that made me think concerns certified organic foods.  Pollan became more controversial when he stated that some organic farmers are not really improvements over traditional feedlots and farms when all they do is switch to organic fertilizers.  The impacts of the process is still detrimental to the environment and to our food.  He says, "Organic is in danger of being co-opted.  I've been on organic factory farms, and if most organic consumers went to those places, they would feel they were getting ripped off. I think organic risks a real crisis of perception if the values that they're selling don't accurately reflect the practices they're engaging in.  They're organic by the letter, not organic in spirit."  (Another bottom line:  Shop farmers' markets when you can.  If you shop at a supermarket, then buy organic there since you know less about the farmers who grow your food.)

The interview took place in his garden in Berkeley.  He talked about some of his ups and downs with gardening and raising food.  Click here for an excerpt of the article.   This article made me feel better about our attempt at a garden this year and how we will try again next year.  I don't see myself buying tomatoes during the middle of winter this year.  It just doesn't seem right when I know how good the ones from my garden tasted!

The Only Book You'll Ever Really Need...

. . . at least according to Maria Rodale in the Nov-Jan 2009/10 issue of Organic Gardening.   She's talking about John Seymour's The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-Basics Guide. 

   

These days, it's easy to believe that anything could happen . . . climate crisis, economic collapse, and flu pandemics have cast a gloomy pall over our lives.  Trying times have made us realize that what really matters is being able to provide the basics to ourselves and our families.  Today, we recognize it as sustainability.  In the 1970s, it was called self-sufficiency, and was identified with the loony fringe.  The recognized leader of the self-sufficiency movement was  a Welshman named John Seymour.

She goes on to tell about meeting Seymour early in her life after her father passed away, and then, years later,  signing up her 15 year old daughter and husband for a self-sufficiency course "vacation" at Seymour's home in Ireland, something that all of them still consider to be one of the best weeks in their lives.  Seymour died at the age of 90, but his book has been updated and recently re-released. 

 For more information, check out http://www.self-sufficicency.net.   I'm curious!  It reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie books!  I used to dream about shelling peas, milking the cows and making preserves!

Meatless Mondays

Well, yes, I know it's Tuesday, but I couldn't write a post about our Meatless Monday dinner until this morning!  Yes, you read it right--Meatless Monday!  I read about it in a short article in Organic Gardening magazine and decided to adopt it for my family!  A wrinkled nose from my husband showed me what HE thought of the idea!  My kids don't seem to care too much.  We think my daughter is on her way to vegetarianism anyway since she is acting like her daddy and wrinkling her nose at the thought of something not so tasty--which for her these days is meat!

The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future is urging people to adopt "Meatless Mondays" and commit to eating a vegetarian meal at least once a week, not only for their own health but for the health of our planet.  Learn more at Meatless Mondays and check out their recipe page too.  LOTS of great sounding dishes! 

Last night I made one of our new favorites--Greens and Tofu with Peanut Sauce (adapted from an old recipe from Sunset Magazine.)  I tried taking a picture, but it really didn't look that good, so no pic!  But it was yummy--spinach, cabbage, tofu, bean sprouts and green onions in a yummy peanut sauce served over jasmine rice.  J.R. even took some for lunch today!  And both kids ate the tofu!  All in all, I consider it a success!  Now if someone else would just clean up the kitchen!