Archive for the ‘Food-Nutrition-Health’ Category

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Frances Moore Lappé on the Food Movement

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, September 25, 2011

Does the name Frances Moore Lappé sound familiar to you? If you came of age in the ’60s or ’70s, it should be a familiar name because she is the author of Diet for a Small Planet, published in 1971. Like most Americans, prior to this book, I was seduced by the possibility of sustaining life by science. I looked forward to the day when all we would have to do to keep our bodies humming, is take a daily nutritional pill. No consideration was given to the environmental and health costs of such a plan.

And then came her book. Wow!

Now she has written a powerful essay on the growing local food movement to counter the food-through-science culture epitomized by Monsanto. The following is from her essay, The Food Movement: Its Power and Possibilities, published in 9/14/11 issue of The Nation. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Ecology, Food-Nutrition-Health, Shop Local | Comments Closed

Most Healthful Foods

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

by Catherine Haug, September 18, 2011

Dr Mercola posted an article on his health website this past week: Ten Best Foods to Eat Frequently for a Terrific Health Kick…. I found this interesting, but prefer a few minor changes and two additions (in my opinion). Here’s the list (see Mercola’s article for why these are so healthful): (more…)

Posted in Fermentation, Culturing & Curing, Food-Nutrition-Health | Comments Closed

Preserving Herbs with Salt or Sugar

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

Capped jar of salt-preserved sage

by Catherine Haug, September 17, 2011

Photos by C. Haug

As our gardens are winding to a close for the season, we are elbow deep in preservation. Dehydration is the most common method for preserving garden herbs. Freezing is another fairly common method.

But have you ever thought about preserving them in salt or sugar? Both of these crystalline substances are anathema to bad bacteria but provide an environment favorable to good bacteria (lacto-bacteria). (more…)

Posted in Fermentation, Culturing & Curing, Food-Nutrition-Health | 1 Comment »

Progress Report: Local Food Production/Handling Coop in NW Montana

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, September 15, 2011

Last month I published a short post about a new food coop project based out of Ronan, called Get Well Montana (Local Food Production/Handling Coop in NW Montana). More than 30 people attended an introductory meeting to assess interest in the project. Valuable discussion and ideas percolated through the group, including discussion of how best to reach people throughout NW Montana.

Read more about this project and the introductory meeting on the Valley Journal website: Local food coop gathers steering committee.  From the article:

“Our local economy is failing,” Moore said. “Money is being sent overseas for most of our consumable products while our local people don’t have jobs.” By growing and consuming 15 percent of our own food, it would keep $225 million annually in Montana, and $66 million in western Montana alone, according to Moore.

Posted in Community, Food-Nutrition-Health | Comments Closed

The Harm of GMO

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, August 30, 2011

I am deeply dismayed that so many people are ignorant of the threat posed by GMO foods, not only to human health, but also to the health of our environment and planet. Typical misunderstandings:

  • GMO is just another type of Mendelian Breeding to favor a desired trait (See my post Health Hazards of GMO Foods & Crops for a discussion of this topic)
  • GMO foods are no different from non-GMO foods;
  • GMO foods are less expensive;
  • Only GMO can solve world hunger;
  • GMO food production does not harm the planet.

Even if the GMO-nature of the food did not pose problems for humans and the planet, the fact that most GMO foods are far more heavily treated with herbicides and pesticides should send up a red flag. While YOU may not eat roundup-ready corn or soy, that beef steak you had last night likely came from a steer that did, so the steak likely contains GMO product, and now you have it too. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Ecology, Energy, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Health, Home & Ranch | Comments Closed

Eating Local/Organic: Buy in Bulk

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, Sept 5, 2011

I happened upon an interesting blog while researching the lacto-fermentation of fruits. The author, Jess Lundie, lives in Olympia WA (after living a much faster-paced life in Washington DC), and has discovered that when living on a shoestring budget, the way to afford high-quality local and/or Organic foods is to buy in bulk.

Check out her post: Buying in Bulk;

And her blog: OpenlyBalanced.com

We are lucky to have a lot of local sources of fresh produce in the Flathead, including our own famous Flathead Cherries. Did you know that most of these orchards also grow other fruits including apples, peaches, plums, raspberries, grapes and blueberries? And some also sell veggies from their own gardens.

This year we lost our local CSA (Swallow Crest Farms), as Julian decided to pursue a different business model for his farm. However, rumor has it that he will be returning to the CSA model in 2012. If/when this is confirmed, I’ll write a post about it.

Meanwhile, to find other sources of locally grown/raised foods, check out the Farmhands website & map.

Posted in Community, Food-Nutrition-Health, Shop Local | Comments Closed

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