by Catherine Haug
Check out this 39 minute video of Michael Pollan speaking about food before the British RSA (Royal Society for encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). If you’ve never heard him before, he’s very entertaining. The last 10 minutes of the video is the question/answer period.
Food Rules for Healthy People and Planet
Read on for my notes on his talk. (more…)
by Catherine Haug
Earlier this month (Oct 10) I wrote a post: Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder Explained? based on an article in the New York Times, Oct 6, 2010 (1) and his published research article (2). From my post, the latest research by Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk from UM points to:
A lethal combination of a virus (Invertebrate Iridescent Virus or IIV) and a fungal parasite (Nosema ceranae). The bees are able to fight off an infection of either one of these, but when both are present, the bees succumb and die. This deadly combo was found in “virtually all of the bees from CCD colonies” sampled from widely dispersed USA hives from 2006 through 2009.
Now it comes to light that Dr. Bromenshenk has a conflict of interest that was not disclosed when he published his findings. He received a huge grant from Bayer Crop Science, a company under pressure of lawsuits from beekeepers over the rampant use of pesticides, and specifically neonicotinoids manufactured by Bayer (see Fortune Magazine: What a scientist didn’t tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths (3)).
I’m sure we’ll hear more about this in the future. Meanwhile, there’s a point I’d like to make about disease in general (not just in bees). (more…)
by Catherine Haug
While researching cold storage of cabbage and other veggies, I came across a very useful article in Backwoods Home Magazine: Successful Cold Storage, by Sylvia Gist. I checked out other articles and links on the magazine’s website, and concluded that others might like to know about this, too.
The homepage is www.backwoodshome.com. And I’ve added this as a link on our homepage, right-hand column, under “Misc. Links.”
I also added their Successful Cold Storage link to our Home & Ranch Files page, under “Cold Storage.”
by Catherine Haug
When I was a kid, my favorite lunch was a hamburger at Bigfork’s Lake Cafe. The ground beef came from a local rancher; the bun from a local bakery. It was juicy and tasty and just hit the spot.
In the fall of 1966, my parents took me to Tacoma where I would be a freshman in college. That first night, we went to a McDonalds because I’d seen ads on TV and wanted to see what their burgers were like. I was very disappointed in its taste and texture, not to mention the atmosphere of the place, and have avoided fast food ever since.
After seeing this video on You Tube, now I know why it was wise to avoid them. Check it out (3.37 minute video):
The World’s First Bionic Burger
Burgers kept in a basement over a 20-year period still look the same as one hot off the McDonald’s grill. No mold, no rot. And, no real nutrient content either. How can this absence of rot be? Watch to the very end to find out.
Fat in crock, with lid
text and photos by Catherine Haug
Back in July I posted Rendering Lard – the Perfect (& Original) Shortening, which covered the following topics:
In this post, I detail the process that Shelli R. and I used to render 10 pounds of pork fat from Farm to Market Pork. We decided to try the crockpot method following instructions in “Livin’ High on the Hog: How I Rendered my own Lard“, and take photos along the way. We did this in Shelli’s kitchen using three crockpots.
Printable version of this article: Rendering Lard in a Crockpot (pdf) (more…)
by Catherine Haug
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is featuring several articles on the Fair World Project; one in particular caught my eye: How Do You Know It’s Really Fair Trade?
“Fair trade” means that the grower/producer of a food gets fair compensation for his work and the quality of his food. It means that he gets his fair share – that the middlemen don’t take it all, so that the grower doesn’t need to take cheap short-cuts that degrade the quality of his food. This is especially important for growers in developing countries, of foods like chocolate, coffee, bananas and other fruits.
Many of us have learned to look for the “Fair Trade” logo, but as the article points out, there are many different logos and certification programs, and there is no standardization like there is with the Organic seal. Read the original article for an in-depth look at this problem. You can also learn more on the Fair Trade USA website.
When it comes to really and truly “fair trade,” nothing beats going direct to the local farmer or producer in your own community. Inspect for yourself his fields and practices, and the quality of his food. This is important for foods you consume every day, such as milk, meat, eggs, grains and flour, fruits and vegetables. (more…)