Chicken Factory
By Catherine Haug, August 23, 2014 (photo, right, from Factory Farming.com (3))
Take Part news blog reports that three major grocery manufacturers pledge to force positive changes in their supply chain, affecting animal cruelty and climate change. But they have so far refused to force another needed change; can you guess what that is? (more…)
Frankenfood
By Catherine Haug, Aug 19, 2014 (Image, right, used by permission from Organic Consumers Association
Vanilla is a wonderful flavor for baked goods, yogurt, puddings and frozen desserts like ice cream. Until recently, we had the choice of natural vanilla extract from the vanilla bean, or imitation vanilla (an industrial duplication of the vanillin component of the vanilla bean). But now there’s a third option – synbio vanilla – used in commercial products like ice cream , and is genetically engineered by a computer.
Haagen Dazs, one of the largest “natural” ice cream companies int he U.S., prides itself on natural vanilla, but it has not yet committed not to use synbio vanilla. Friends of the Earth have a petition to Haagen Dazs; if this interests you, see reference (1) below. To learn more about this new technology, read on. (more…)
Frankenfood
by Catherine Haug, August 19, 2014 (Image, right, used by permission from Organic Consumers Association)
You have undoubtedly heard that as the growing of Roundup-resistant crops increases, the number of Roundup-resistant weeds increases as well, which in turn requires increased spraying of these GMO crops with Roundup and other herbicides. It’s a vicious circle. It isn’t just herbicides, but also pesticides and GMO species resistant to the effects of these pesticides that are increasing.
Monsanto, et.al., come to the ‘rescue’ by developing new chemicals and GMO varieties resistant to them, so that the toxic load of ag sprays on these crops increases as well. And, of course, these new chemicals and GMOs are approved before longterm studies on their safety can be completed.
Two new GMO crops and related new herbicides are awaiting approval: (more…)
Mosquito
by Catherine Haug, August 16, 2014 (Image, right, form Wikimedia Commons)
Those dreaded bugs of summer – mosquitos – can drive you crazy and almost make you long for winter. Not only do their bites itch incessantly, but they can also spread disease like encephalitis, yellow fever, malaria, West Nile virus, and dengue. What can you do? (more…)
Stick of Butter (Western Pack)
By Catherine Haug, August 12, 2014 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
I recently wrote a post: Butter (and other saturated fats) is a health food!, something which I have firmly believed for over 40 years, and now that belief is finally accepted by the medical and scientific communities. Yet people still encourage using margarine instead of butter, in a belief that animal fats are bad for human consumption. These people just don’t realize how really really bad margarine is.
Now the Alliance for Natural Health has put together a great flow chart to outline the chemical process by which margarine is made; and I put together another flow chart to outline the process by which butter is made. After reviewing these, do you still think margarine is better for your family’s health? (more…)
Antique Ice Box
by Catherine Haug, Aug 5, 2014 (photo, right, from Ruby Lane Antiques (1))
When I was growing up in Bigfork, all of us town kids had a very special playhouse: an old 2-room cabin on the Dockstader property, overlooking Bigfork Bay. It had a parlor room for entertaining guests, equipped with an old floor-model radio from the early 1900s (it still worked), a treadle sewing machine that also worked, a cushioned bench and a wooden rocking chair arranged around the wood heating stove and a braided rug. The other room served as kitchen, dining area and bedroom. It was equipped with an old cast iron cook stove, a dry sink with pantry shelves above, and an old ice box that could be kept cold inside with a block of ice (the ice house was only a block away). There was also a wooden table that seated four, a dresser, and a creaky old bed.
We girls loved to play pioneers, and even had live chickens and a couple rabbits to take care of (and an out-house for just-in-case). The boys played Indians and gave surprise attacks on the homestead, just to keep us alert. Ah, the good old days.
Most of us don’t have an ice-box – we have a fancy refrigerator-freezer that may even deliver ice through a dispenser. We’ve come a long way, but how many of us know how to use our refrigerators to maximum advantage – to keep foods fresh for the longest time, and minimize the amount of food we throw away?
Take Part has a great article by Sarah McColl (2) that offers tips on how to do this; I’ve condensed it and added a few of my own. (more…)
