local food

Energy-Efficient Freezers Help You Store Organic, Local Food All Year Round

jplatt — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:13:49 -0400

We're off to a big organic food festival this weekend, and plan on coming home with a trunk full of local fruits and vegetables -- more than we can eat any time soon, but enough to keep us in good, local eats all winter long.

But before we can do that, we need to buy a new freezer. Our goal for this week is to pick up a dedicated unit (not a fridge-freezer combo), preferably a chest freezer like the one illustrated here.

Chest freezers, which have a lid on the top of of the unit rather than on the side, are 10% to 25% more efficient than upright freezers, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

According to the ACEEE, the most energy-efficient chest freezers on the market today at the Whirlpool EH151FXR (around $425) and the DC-powered SunDanzer (around $1,000).

The ENERGY STAR program offers several tips for buying energy-effienct fridges and freezers. (ENERGY STAR also recently upgraded its criteria for refrigerators, so the newest models are even more efficient than they were just six months ago.)

I don't recommend picking up a freezer unless you're going to stock enough food to fill it. But if you live in a area like me (coastal Maine) where the winters and long and local food is hard to come by, then a freezer could end up being your best friend.

Big Supermarkets -- Even Wal-Mart? -- Stocking Local Produce

scleaver — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Now that “local” equals “quality and yummy,” consumers are flocking to farmers’ markets, and fuel costs are making it too expensive to get food from one coast to the other, supermarkets are stocking more stores with local produce.

Some signs of the times from a recent New York Times article: Wa-Mmart is investing in local produce, spending $400 million to put local fruits and vegetables in its aisles. Fruit companies Dole and Nunes are contracting with farmers in the east for products (broccoli and greens) that they used to ship in from the west. And, farmers’ markets are welcome on some supermarket parking lots or even in the store.

It’s all paying off. As the Times reported, Hannaford Brothers, a chain with 165 stores in New England, has seen a 20 percent increase in local produce sales in the last two years. Why? Michael Norton, company spokesman, says their customers want five things from local produce:

freshness and taste,
to maintain community farmland and open space,
to keep food sources close,
knowledge of where their food comes from and keeping that money in the community, and
food safety.

Moving forward, there are definite challenges when it comes to getting local food from area farmers on supermarket shelves. The biggest challenge, often, there isn’t an established distribution network for many farmers to get foods from their farmers into grocery stores. But, clearly, local food is here to stay.

Photo from the Organic Test Kitchen.

Wal-Mart The Locavore

scleaver — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:49:11 -0400

Hold onto your shopping carts—Wal-Mart has picked up on the locavore trend and is now touting locally grown produce in its stores. According to the The Associated Press, the company will spend $400 million this year on produce grown within state boundaries. Apparently, Wal-Mart is implementing a local-food buying program that, they say, “reflects our ever-important goal to provide consumers with quality, affordable, home-grown agricultural selections.”

But, as The Ethicurean reported, that’s not the only goal. Wal-Mart gains the same benefits that the rest of us do from buying local—reduced fuel expenses. According to The Ethicurean’s recent post: “Indeed, Wal-Mart’s Checkout blog last week bragged that by optimizing the 12 million pounds of peaches it sources from 18 different states and distributing the product locally, ‘Wal-Mart saved 672,000 food miles and 112,000 gallons of diesel fuel…[equaling] more than $1.4 million.’”

Still, as Wal-Mart extends their purchasing power into local markets, familiar concerns are popping up: will the company squeeze out small local farms by buying in bulk from larger producers? And, will they pay a fair price for the produce? They’re already known for pressuring suppliers for the lowest price. On the other hand, what other store has the influence of Wal-Mart to educate consumers about seasonal foods and the price benefits of eating local?

What do you think? Is Wal-Mart’s expansion into local farms a net concern or a net benefit?

Photo from Wal-Mart's Sustainable Food Program page where you can learn more about their local food commitment.

Sustainable Food Swapping

ckane — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Here's a green idea that's like an updated version of the consciousness-raising women's lib groups of the 70s (or a little reminiscent of spouse-swapping key parties, except much healthier for the couples involved). A group in Woodstock, Oregon calling themselves the Green Team first banded together to clean up local bus stops. Their next act, back in September, was a sustainable potluck supper, with the goal of promoting the 3Rs and to get spouses to join the team. Dishes had to be prepared with locally-grown ingredients, and the bearer of each dish explained how each stage of the preparation was green, considering aspects like the transportation of prepared and refrigerated foods. Four couples came, and the next dinner brought five couples. Now the group gets together for sustainable potlucks monthly.

Conversation flowed naturally, since they already had the shared interests of green living, and some of the discussions over locally-sourced dinners have included:"solar energy, IKEA packaging, recycling in Holland (where Dan and Ann Steigerwald had lived for many years), the possibility of recycling styrofoam with orange extract, ways to store food without using harmful plastics, and – the ultimate recycling – organ donation."

Image: The Bee

Apple Pie News

scleaver — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

There’s not often local food news in the dead of winter, so I’m happy to say Congratulations! to Fred Burns who recently won the 3rd Annual Michigan’s Best Apple Pie Contest on Wednesday January 25 (National Pie Day). Burns’ pie was his father’s deep-dish, double-crust version from the early 20th Century made with Michigan Northern Spry apples. Now Burns, one of only three men in the 60-person contest, is moving on to the National Pie Championship in April.

Apples are big in Michigan as they are across the U.S. According to the Michigan Apple Committee, apples are “Michigan’s most valuable fruit crop, with a value of about $100,000,000 annually.” Apples produce $400 to $500 million annually for the state, and small family farmers are the bulk of producers, “99 percent of Michigan orchards had fewer than 100 acres in apples.”

Next time you come across local apples, here’s Burns’ pie recipe (note that Pioneer Sugar and light brown sugar as well as the apples are local Michigan products):

My Father’s Apple Pie (taken from MichiganApples.com)

CRUST:
2 C flour
1/2 T PIONEER SUGAR
1 tsp. salt
1 C shortening
1/4 C cold water
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 large egg

FILLING:
5 avg. size MICHIGAN NORTHERN SPY APPLES, peeled, sliced about 1/4” thick
1 C PIONEER SUGAR
1/3 C PIONEER GOLDEN LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
dash of salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 T tapioca
5 T butter

DIRECTIONS:
Crust – combine flour, PIONEER SUGAR and salt together in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until coarse. In a separate bowl, combine cold water, vinegar, and egg and whip lightly, then add to flour mixture, stirring lightly with fork until it becomes a sticky dough. Refrigerate finished dough in a small covered container or plastic wrap for 2 hours or overnight.

Filling – combine all ingredients except butter and apples in a bowl. Peel and slice MICHIGAN NORTHERN SPY APPLES. Now stir the apples thoroughly into the dry ingredients to coat all the apple slices. Let mixture set for 15 to 30 minutes to develop a “juice” while you roll out the crust below.

Take about 2/3 of refrigerated dough and roll to about 13-inch in diameter. Adjust to fit the deep dish and trim edges. Combine remaining dough and roll to about 11-inch in diameter. Add filling to dish and place 8 slices of butter on top of the filling. Add upper crust, roll the edges and cut a few “steam” slits in a design of your choice. You can also add some colored sugar sprinkles to the top crust that adds some color to the pie. Create your own art piece. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce to 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. I use an aluminum ring over the crust edge to avoid burnt edges. Cool on a wire rack for around 2 hours.

From the Kitchen of Fred Burns of Sparta, MI

Photo Credit: The Detroit Free Press article about his apple pie.

Tips for a Romantic -- Organic -- Dinner

Marcus — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario: you’ve just finished your Wednesday afternoon Bikram yoga class. As you’re leaving the studio, physically exhausted and drenched in sweat, you strike up a conversation with the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. At first you think to yourself, “no,there’s no way I can swing this. This person is way outside the attractiveness bracket in which I usually operate.” But somehow, perhaps due to the fact that that the yoga has somehow invigorated your psyche, you find that you’re conducting yourself with more charisma than you’ve ever been able to muster.

The next thing you know, you’ve invited her to dinner at your house this coming Saturday, which, miraculously, she says yes to immediately. Right before the two of you part ways, she mentions that she works for a non-profit environmental firm with a focus on passing sustainable energy legislation. Riding high on your newfound charm, with an ill-advised surge of self-confidence you boast that you are going to make the entire Saturday dinner experience totally sustainable. She smiles, perhaps a tad incredulously, and says she is looking forward to it. It’s at that moment that you realize you have a great deal of work to do.

I mean, you care about the environment. You recycle. You try to buy organic food whenever you can. But the idea of throwing a sustainable dinner date at your house with a girl who inevitably knows a whole lot more about the subject than you do is more than a little daunting. Well, before you call her and tell her you’ve contracted the intestinal flu, take a look at the info I’ve compiled below. Maybe you’re not so screwed after all…

Obviously, the most essential part of the meal is the food. Now, I’m assuming you already know a little bit about cooking, because if you proposed making dinner without any culinary skills, well, I just don’t think I can help you. A great place to start thinking about food options is at SustainableTable.com, which covers all things food and cooking related. They’ve got a great recipes section, as well as several cookbook reviews. There are also articles on various websites that interview chefs who have thrived in the world of sustainable cooking- check out this one with San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino about his methods toward sustainable eating-in, or, if you reallywant to impress your lady friend with some forward thinking menu items, take a look at this Seasonal Chef article, where chef Stu Stein discusses the benefits of edible flowers. If all else fails, you can always go to Amazon.com and frantically search for books on “sustainable cooking.”

Once you’ve got your menu plotted out, you’re going to need ingredients. But simply heading down the block to your corner grocery just won’t do- no, you’re going to need locally grown, organic produce if you’re going to do this right. “Well, where I am supposed to find this fancy, healthy produce?” you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you. A good starting point is to check out the largest health food chains, WholeFoods and Trader Joe’s. Both offer an abundant selection of local and/or organic produce and ingredients of all kinds. If you don’t have either of these establishments in your vicinity, check out this GreenPeople.org list of independently owned, regional health food stores and food co-ops. Finally, see if your neighborhood hosts a farmer’s market. These often occur on weekend mornings, and are not only a great way to obtain local produce, but also a potential means to network socially with other health-conscious folks in your neighborhood (or, if this Saturday’s dinner goes horribly awry, a spot to find a new date). The U.S. Department of Agriculture has compiled this handy database of farmer’s markets across the country. So, now that you know where to go, get shopping already! You’ve only got a couple days (oh, and be sure to bring a reusable, canvas shopping bag).

Another important element to any good romantic evening is a bottle of wine, and there is no shortage of organic wine on the market, so you’ve got a lot of options. Take a look at The Organic Wine Company or EcoWine.com- both are California-based companies that offer impressive selections of both domestic and imported organic wine. Or, if you’re pressed for time, head over to your local fine wine shop and inquire about organic wine- most higher end shops should have at least a couple varieties around.

Alright. Menu. Check. Ingredients. Check. Wine. Check. You seem to be in a pretty good place- you could probably stop right here and get through this evening quite successfully. Just for good measure, though, here are a couple more suggestions, just in case you want to go the extra mile, and/or the object of your affection is particularly militant about being green. So, for my bonus/extra credit section, you may want to consider:

Soy candles. Not only will you get points for utilizing candles in lieu of electric light, soy candles are cleaner burning, longer lasting, and create less soot than your standard wax candle. Plus, candles are real romantic, and, let’s be honest, you’re trying to woo a lady here.

EcoDishware. The only thing greener than eating green food is eating green food on green plates!

EcoDishwasher Detergent. To show her that you still care about the environment even in the post-meal, clean up phase of the evening. You’re so thoughtful.

Well, that just about does it. You’re ready to go. Follow these guidelines, and you’re one step closer to snagging yourself a green girlfriend. In fact, not to be presumptuous, but you may want to invest in some eco-friendly bubble bath, ya know, in case the evening takes a turn in that direction. You can never be too careful.