CT Green Scene

Artisanal Honey and Chocolate Thursday, March 21

If you've got nothing planned this Thursday night, you may want to head over to Chocopologie in South Norwalk. Franz Knipschildt, renowned chocolatier of Knipschildt chocolates and the Chocopologie restaurants in South Norwalk and New Haven, has paired up with Red Bee Honey. Marina Marchese, founder of Red Bee Honey, will help present the menu of dark chocolate with artisanal honey made by her own Italian bees. 

Tickets are $75 per person and the event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Chocopologie is located at 12 South Main Street in South Norwalk. Call to RSVP at 203-854-4754 or e-mail at info@chocopologie.com.


 

CT NOFA's 31st Annual Winter Conference

2 March 2013

8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Registration Fee Depends on Status

Wilton High School

Wilton, CT

Join the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association as they celebrate 31 years of growing better together! There will be over fifty vendors providing fresh local food, crafts, and books as well as a raffle that includes offerings such as a basket of gardening supplies. Lunch will be Included for an extra fee, but it is worth the price. During the lunch break, attendees have the opportunity to taste delicious local flavors concocted by chefs involved in Fairfield County's farm-to-restaurant program. The New Connecticut Farming alliance will also meet during this time to discuss news and share information. 

    Guests may select from a wide variety of workshops to attend. There is no need to register for your desired workshop, you may simply show up at the allotted classroom. A program will be handed out to you upon registration that looks exactly like the link provided above. Parents and families are welcome to participate in children's workshops as well. There will also be a screenings of the GMO documentary "Genetic Roulette" throughout the afternoon, where Elaine Titus of GMO Free CT and GMO Free Moms will be available to answer any questions. 

Schedule for the Day                                                               Registration Fees

8:30-9:30 : Registration (pre-register at this link)                  Non-Member:      $60
9:30-10:45: Workshop I                                                          Member:           $50
11:00-12:30: Opening announcements and Keynote               Student/Senior:    $35
12:30-2:00: Lunch                                                                  Children:           FREE
2:15: 3:30: Workshop II                                                      *Lunch is optional: an extra $15 for adults
3:45 to 5:00 ~ Workshop II                                                  and $8 for children

2013 Conference Program: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/2013%20WC%20programOPT.pdf

Register at: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/2013WC_registration.html

If you forget to register for lunch: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/winterconference_lunch_registration.html

For more Information: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/index.html

GMO Film Fest and Speak Out at Audubon Greenwich

February 22, 2013

6:00-9:00 pm at Audubon Greenwich

 

The GMO-free and GMO-labeling movements are active nationwide and are determined to regain a healthy, sustainable food system in the US. Join us for an evening of food, film & thought-provoking discussion with experts and advocates who are working to enable positive change.

 

THE FILMS:

• ‘Seeds of Freedom’ seeks to challenge the mantra that large-scale, industrial agriculture is the only means by which we can feed the world, promoted by the pro-GM lobby. charts the story of seed from diversity-rich farming systems to its transformation into a monopolized commodity. Through interviews with leading experts, such as Dr Vandana Shiva and Henk Hobbelink, the film highlights how the loss of indigenous seed goes hand in hand with loss of biodiversity and related knowledge; the loss of cultural traditions and practices; the loss of livelihoods; and the loss of food sovereignty. (30 min.)
• ‘Genetic Roulette’ is a production of the Institute for Responsible Technology and Jeffrey M. Smith, author of the world’s bestselling books on GMOs. This film exposes never-seen-before-evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the US population, especially among children. Gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, inflammatory diseases, and infertility are just some of the problems implicated in humans, pets, livestock, and lab animals that eat genetically modified soybeans and corn. (85 min.)

 

THE SPEAKERS:

• Analise Paik ~ Empowering Consumers to Choose Non-GMO: Since GMOs are not labeled yet, consumers need a holistic framework, along with some simple tools, for determining which products are GMOs and which aren’t. Analiese Paik, founder ofFairfield Green Food Guide and a board member of Slow Food Metro North, will explain the best ways to identify and avoid GMOs when shopping and dining. Includes Q&A.
• Representative Fred Camillo ~ GMO Legislative Update:  50 other countries have federal labeling laws; why not the US? What are the prospects for a GMO labeling bill in CT? Our special guest speaker, CT Representative Fred Camillo, will comment on last year’s efforts in Hartford, take questions from the audience, and outline what is needed in Connecticut to get a GMO labeling passed.

Presented in partnership with Slow Food Metro North & the Fairfield Green Food Guide. 

Space limited & RSVP is required. Wine & Cheese Reception and Exhibits start at 6:00 PM. $15/adult & $5/under 21. Most suitable for adults but interested youth are welcome. RSVP to: greenwichcenter@audubon.org or leave a voicemail for Jeff Cordulack at 203-869-5272 x239.Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT

Backyard Beekeeping Course by Expert @ Flanders Nature Center!

Learn how to raise your own bees for honey from one of the area's top experts, Al Avitabile, Emeritus Professor at the Biology Dept. of UCONN, and co-author of “The Beekeeper’s Handbook”. In this five-session course Al will give you the beekeeping tools and confidence necessary for setting up and tending your own hives including collecting “homegrown” honey. Anyone interested in bees is welcome to attend.

When: Mondays: March 11, 18, and 25 7-9 PM. Field Trips: Sat. April 6 & 13 1-3 PM

Cost: $50.00 for all five sessions.

Registration: www.flandersnaturecenter.org or call 203-263-3711 x 10. Hurry and reserve your seat - group size is limited for best instruction.

Fracking Killing Animals

In an article from The Ecologist, livestock near fracking areas are getting sick or dying. Many of them are giving birth to stillborn calves. In a new report from an upstate New York veterinarian and professor of molecular medicine at Cornell University, evidence shows that there's a correlation between sick and dying cows and the chemicals in the air and water.

See an excerpt below.

Livestock falling ill in fracking regions, raising concerns about food
Elizabeth Royte
28th January, 2013

In the midst of the US domestic energy boom, livestock on farms near oil-and-gas drilling operations nationwide have been quietly falling sick and dying. 

While scientists have yet to isolate cause and effect, many suspect chemicals used in drilling and hydrofracking (or “fracking”) operations are poisoning animals through the air, water, or soil.

Last year, Michelle Bamberger, an Ithaca, New York, veterinarian, and Robert Oswald, a professor of molecular medicine at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, published the first and only peer-reviewed report to suggest a link between fracking and illness in food animals.

The authors compiled 24 case studies of farmers in six shale-gas states whose livestock experienced neurological, reproductive, and acute gastrointestinal problems after being exposed—either accidentally or incidentally—to fracking chemicals in the water or air. The article, published in New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, describes how scores of animals died over the course of several years.

That's Probably Not Tuna in your Sushi...

The Today Show reported that the fish you're eating is just a big, fat bait and switch. Cheaper and lower quality fish--often times with high levels of mercury--are being labeled as higher quality fish. So you think you're getting a nice meal, but you may be paying through the nose for a bad one.

See the clip below.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

No Farm Bill a Bad Sign for Dairy Farmers

Legislative lapse of the farm bill may have catastrophic consequences for dairy farmers, particularly in the Northeast. See an excerpt from an editorial published on October 7th in The New York Times below.

A Gloomy Season for Dairy Farmers
Published: October 7, 2012

Last week began without a farm bill, a legislative lapse of shameful proportions. Since 1949, the bill has always been renewed, but not this year. Even so, most of the 2012 crop is still covered by loans, insurance programs and commodity supports until the end of the year — with one important exception.

That exception is dairy farmers. When the farm bill expired, so did the Milk Income Loss Contract Program, which pays dairy farmers when milk prices, which are always volatile, fall below a set level. The payment is also adjusted to the price of feed, which has been high, thanks to record corn prices, and will be much higher after this year’s nationwide drought.

The program was designed to help small dairy operations, the kind that are prevalent in the Northeast. Typically, in New York, the program can provide a farmer with as much as 10 percent of his income. For all too many farmers — caught between diminishing demand for milk, historically low milk prices and historically high grain prices — that is the difference between bare survival and certain insolvency.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Image courtesy of FarmBillFacts.org.

Something's Funky with the Farm Bill...

What do farms have to do with climate change? A whole lot. But if you're in the House or Senate, you're not even considering that. The current farm bill being tossed around Congress will accelerate global warming with more greenhouse gas emissions while making farms more vulnerable to those emissions. In a "meat-heavy" food system like ours with very little crop diversity and chemical feritilizers, we've set ourselves up for the kind of summer we had this year: hot and dry with low crop yield. Why not try the organic approach to farming? Nah, agribusiness wouldn't hear of it!

See the excerpt below from The New York Times about how the farm bill will actually affect the future.

Harvesting a Climate Disaster
By MARK HERTSGAARD
Published: September 12, 2012

The farm bill is not only the centerpiece of United States food and agriculture policy, it is also a de facto climate bill. And in this respect, both the Senate and House versions of the legislation are a disaster waiting to happen.

Consider, for a moment, the summer of 2012. For an agricultural superpower like the United States, it should have set off alarm bells. The hottest July on record and the worst drought in 50 years — both driven partly by global warming, scientists say — have parched soil and withered crops across the Farm Belt. Yet America’s lawmakers aren’t even remotely addressing the issue in a piece of legislation that will affect the climate profoundly for years to come.

The proposed farm bill — Senate- or House-style, take your pick — would make American agriculture’s climate problem worse, in two ways. Not only would the bill accelerate global warming by encouraging more greenhouse gas emissions, it would make the nation’s farms more vulnerable to the impacts of those emissions.

Indeed, instead of helping farmers take common-sense measures to limit their land’s vulnerability to extreme weather, the legislation would simply spend billions more on crop insurance — sticking taxpayers with the bill. “It’s like giving a homeowner cut-rate fire insurance but not requiring fire extinguishers,” said Jim Kleinschmit of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of NCCCUSA.org.

Starbucks really does try to be green

While Starbucks Coffee Company may be a huge corporation and you can find one on every corner (if you look close enough to the Rover images from Mars, I think there's one there, too), they really do put their money where there mouth is. They talk about sustainable practices and recycled materials. But what about the coffee grounds and day-old pastries? They've taken today's garbage one step further to tomorrow's usable product.

They break down the materials by a process that converts plant-based items into an acid. The acid can be used as detergent, medicine, or even plastics. Who knew today's cake pop and tall skim latté would have such an impact?

See an excerpt from Environmental News Network below.

Coffee Scraps at Starbucks Reused as Plastics and Consumer Products
From: David A Gabel, ENN 
Published August 22, 2012 09:00 AM

According to the ACS, 1.3 billion tons of food is dumped in landfills, incinerated, or otherwise trashed every year around the world. They celebrate the success of Starbuck's new "biorefinery" at their 244th National Meeting and Exposition.

"Our new process addresses the food waste problem by turning Starbucks' trash into treasure — detergent ingredients and bio-plastics that can be incorporated into other useful products," said Carol S. K. Lin, Ph.D., who led the research team. "The strategy reduces the environmental burden of food waste, produces a potential income from this waste and is a sustainable solution."

The potential exists to expand this technology to not just coffee chains, but to all major food services, including school cafeterias. Between the new biorefinery and various composting technologies, not a single food scrap would ever have to be thrown away.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of Starbucks Coffee Company.

Hey Connecticut, You Gonna Eat That?

NEW YORK (August 21, 2012) – Americans are throwing away 40 percent of food in the U.S., the equivalent of $165 billion in uneaten food each year, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In a time of drought and skyrocketing food prices, NRDC outlines opportunities to reduce wasted food and money on the farm, in the grocery store and at home.

“As a country, we’re essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path – that’s money and precious resources down the drain,” said Dana Gunders, NRDC project scientist with the food and agriculture program. “With the price of food continuing to grow, and drought jeopardizing farmers nationwide, now is the time to embrace all the tremendous untapped opportunities to get more out of our food system. We can do better.” 

NRDC’s issue brief – Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm To Fork to Landfill – analyzes the latest case studies and government data on the causes and extent of food losses at every level of the U.S. food supply chain. It also provides examples and recommendations for reducing this waste. Key findings include:

• ·         Americans trash 40 percent of our food supply every year, valued at about $165 billion;
• ·         The average American family of four ends up throwing away an equivalent of up to $2,275 annually in food;
• ·         Food waste is the single largest component of solid waste in U.S. landfills;
• ·         Just a 15 percent reduction in losses in the U.S. food supply would save enough food to feed 25 million Americans annually;
• ·         There has been a 50 percent jump in U.S. food waste since the 1970s.

Taste the Good Stuff at Staehly Farms

The Benefits of Fermented Foods

 

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

This is the perfect time to learn more about fermented foods.  Our gardens and our CSAs are a blessing at this time of year. I know for myself, I usually have more food than I know what do to with and never want it to go to waste. So, an ancient way to keep foods from turning bad is to ferment them.

Fermentation is thought to have been used in pre-human times. The first fermented drinks were recorded 7,000 years ago in Babylon and bread-making was probably first started in Egypt over 3,500 years ago. The definition of fermentation is the "slow decomposition process of organic substances induced by micro-organisms, or by complex nitrogenous substances (enzymes) of plant or animal origin.”  

Green lawns give way to school gardens

The New York Times reported yesterday that more college campuses are doing away with the rolling green lawns in favor of farming. Institutions such as UMass at Amherst, Green Mountain College, and Duke University think an edible school garden is not only a great part of the curriculum but a more environmentally sustainable way to keep the grounds. Rather than pumping their grassy acres with fertilizer and weed killer, they're opting for a greener approach.

See the excerpt below.

Farming on the Campus Quad
By KELLY SLIVKA

Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt., for example, has just finished turning the front lawn of one campus building into a garden for its Lawn to Edible Garden project.

“We’re trying to bust open the notion of what a front lawn might look like,” said Philip Ackerman-Leist, an associate professor at the college who directs the project. He said the reason that Americans like grassy lawns so much is the country’s British roots. “The notion of the lawn is an import from the well-grazed areas of the British Isles,” he said, joking that a herd of sheep might be even better suited for a college quadrangle than a garden.

Mr. Ackerman-Leist said 25 students had built their college garden in five days as part of an Edible Landscaping class. They focused on aesthetics and on limiting costs. “It’s difficult to eat local and buy local and do it on a budget,” he said, so the project teaches students and others in the community how local food can be produced right on the lawn.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of Green Mountain College. 

Does overfishing really it's mean not sustainable?

Before you fire up that grill this Memorial Day weekend, consider what you cook. While many of us will hungrily devour burgers and dogs, there will be plenty of us who grill a nice piece of fish instead. In yesterday's New York Times, Ray and Ulrike Hilborn collaborated on an Op-Ed about the sustainability of overfished species. (Ray is a professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the University of Washington while his wife, Ulrike, is an organic vegetable and dairy farmer.)

Just because some fish have been red listed--as in the case of Whole Foods removing some of the red listed fish from their stores--doesn't mean the stock of fish can't be rebuilt. That's where appropriate seafood labelling comes in. There's a difference between overfishing and the sustainability of the species that are naturally being replenished.

The point? Be an informed consumer. We should be paying close attention to those fisheries that are actively trying to replace what they fish. That way, the cycle of life continues as does the species itself. 

Know your food. What are you putting in your mouth? Where did it come from? What kind of an impact is it making on the environment and are you partially contributing to the environmental decline by purchasing it?

See the excerpt below.

Honey Tasting at Red Bee

Slow Food Metro North (SFMN) presents:

The Ark of Taste ~ Honey Tasting at Red Bee Apiary

at the Red Bee Apiary in Weston, CT

June 23, 2012

1:00-3:00 pm

 

Beekeeper, author and founder of Red Bee Honey, Marina Marchese, will present a tour of her Red Bee apiary with an artisanal honey tasting of The Ark of Taste five US honeys in danger of extinction.

 

The tasting of the Ark’s endangered honeys is the first event of its kind in the US. SFMN members and guests will be treated to an educational afternoon learning about how honey bees make honey and how honey is harvested all while tasting these coveted honeys and gaining a finer understanding of our traditional foods. Marchese will also discuss the vital importance of the role honey bees play in our food chain.

 

The Ark of Taste is an international catalog of foods that are threatened by industrial standardization, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage. In an effort to cultivate consumer demand—key to agricultural conservation—only the best tasting endangered foods make it onto the Ark. Not surprising is the reality that all five honeys named by the Ark are all harvested in the US, a sobering fact that reminds the public that we must do more to preserve these honey plants, our biological diversity and our culinary heritage.

 

Marchese is the president of the Back Yard Beekeepers Association in CT. She studied the sensory analysis of honey tasting in Montalcino, Italy and has presented her signature Honey Tasting Laboratory Workshops at top shelf NYC venues like Murray’s Cheese Shop, Artisanal Premium Cheese Center and Eataly. Slow Food Metro North will be honoring Ms. Marchese with a Snail of Approval award at this event.

 

WHEN: Saturday, June 23, 1-3 pm, 2012

RAIN DATE: Saturday, June 30, 1-3 pm, 2012

Tickets: $35 per person. 25 guest limit. 

 

To learn more visit www.redbee.com

 

To learn about Slow Food Metro Norht, visit: www.slowfoodmetronorth.org

Wholesome Wave presents The Whole Hog

On May 24th, from 6:30-10:00 PM, Wholesome Wave is celebrating its New England roots and love of local food with some of Connecticut's most celebrated culinary artists at Clark's culinary showroom in South Norwalk at this year's Whole Hog! 

The Whole Hog fundraising event will bring together Wholesome Wave's co-founder and President, internationally renowned chef, author and owner of The Dressing Room Michel Nischan, along with fellow chefs Tim LaBant of the Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant in Wilton, John Barricelli of SoNo Baking Company in South Norwalk, Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi in New Haven and Joe Wolfson, the new executive chef of Terrain Garden Café in Westport.

Working with nontraditional cuts of local free-range pork, each chef will surprise guests with their unique interpretations featuring locally grown ingredients. 

Tickets for The Whole Hog are available for purchase online.

More Eggs Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Here's the thing about raising chickens in your backyard: You'll have more eggs than you know what to do with. Do they taste better? Yes. Are they more wholesome for you? Of course. Will you have enough at peak laying season to sink a ship? Surely.

(In fact, we discussed this issue back in 2009 with a previous article on this site.) 

See an excerpt from today's New York Times about raising hens and how the trend has grown, particularly as a result of the economic downturn. The organic food movement hasn't hurt the trend, either. Here's what some people have been doing with the excess.

Straight From the Home Coop
By JULIA MOSKIN
Published: April 3, 2012


FOR newly hatched chicken enthusiasts, the first egg from your own hens is a small miracle. “You want to dip it in gold,” said the writer Susan Orlean, who keeps nine hens at her home in Columbia County, N.Y.

Then comes the second egg: enough for a triumphant breakfast.

But when the whole coop starts laying, she said, the supply of eggs quickly turns into an “I Love Lucy”-style conveyor belt scene, bringing absurd, unmanageable excess. Ms. Orlean scrambles them into a pile for brunch or dinner, sprinkled with Indian spices, slivered almonds and unsweetened coconut. “People will eat three and four eggs at a time that way, without blinking,” she said.

It’s not unusual for food lovers to toy with the notion of adding chickens to a thriving garden or building a rooftop coop. Now the novelty has become reality: despite coyotes, foxes and the occasional cage-break, many urbanites and suburbanites are raising their own eggs.

And many small farmers who supply restaurants with produce have been expanding into poultry, making farm eggs ubiquitous on restaurant menus. The eggs that were once scrubbed from the standard American breakfast over concerns about cholesterol have made a triumphant return as high-end appetizers, served atop anything and everything.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of MotherEarthNews.com. 

A Decade of Saving Connecticut Farmland: Connecticut Farmland Trust Looks Back and to the Future

By Chris Watts

A lot's happened over the past ten years. Republicans and Democrats swapped control in Washington and in Hartford. Wars started and ended. Housing and land prices went up and then crashed back down. The stock market went for a ride up and down and is now back up. It seems things are always changing. But for the last decade, one constant has been the efforts by the Connecticut Farmland Trust to save the dwindling number of farmland acres in the State of Connecticut.

The core of what would become the Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT) had its beginnings in 2001 when a group of concerned citizens got together, with the help of the Hartford Food System, to urge legislators to support the state’s fledgling farm preservation program. Through this effort the group discovered that while the State’s program worked well – some farms were not qualifying.

“What we found was that the state was able to preserving large tracts of land and larger farms, but smaller family farms were not qualifying under the formula,” says Gordon Gibson, an original board member of CFT and its first president. “These smaller farms are just as important and often were one of the few remaining working farms in a particular town, but there was no way to find funds to save them. Then some of us got the idea that maybe it was time for us to start our own land trust to help target these smaller parcels.”

That idea led to the incorporation of the Connecticut Farmland Trust on March 1, 2002. With just a board of directors and no permanent staff or office space, the group started to create the state’s only statewide land trust with the specific goal of saving the smaller working farms that would fall under the state’s radar.

3rd Annual Connecticut Food for Thought Expo

On Saturday, March 31st from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Fairfield Warde High School will again be the site for the third annual Food for Thought Expo. Sponsored by the Fairfield PTA's Fuel for Learning Partnership, a non-profit organization that promotes healthy food and nutrition for school lunches, the event will feature cooking demonstrations, workshops, and a number of local vendors offering fresh produce, meats, groceries, and ready-made foods.

There will be children's activities and movies to keep the wee ones occupied. Want to learn how to garden? No problem! This is the place for you. You can also find out how to join a local CSA and talk to nutrition experts. There's something for everyone!

Michelle McCabe, Fuel for Learning Partnership's Chairperson, said that eating healthy foods has become a top priority in this country. Americans have an increased level of weight gain with sedentary lifestyles. Over the last several years, we have also seen an increase in tainted food.

“Today, healthy food and good eating habits are more important than ever,” says Michelle McCabe, Chairperson of the Fuel for Learning Partnership. “Just look at our nation’s epidemic of child obesity – with the related health risks – and the scandals around tainted food!  Along with Michelle Obama, everyone is thinking about how they eat.  Making sure that our families eat healthier has become a priority in Fairfield, in Connecticut and across the country.”

The FFLP encourages the greater community to reach a common goal of serving safe, high quality, nutritional meals to the students of Fairfield. FFLP encourages positive change in how we eat by implementing healthy and sustainable eating practices.

The event is free and open to the public. Fairfield Warde High School is located at 755 Melville Avenue. For more information, call 203-362-7169. 

 

The Seeds of Spring!

By Elizabeth Conrad

An unusually warm winter has turned into an early spring, and lately I find myself day-dreaming about warm sunny days, deck parties with friends, and swimming in cool Maine waters. At our house, my husband is the gardener AND the cook, and over the past year, his interest has piqued regarding heirloom varieties. Our commitment to preserving food diversity and security drove us to seek out as many resources as we could. In fact, we found so many great on-line and print catalog sources for organic and heritage seeds and plants - complete with instructions - we thought it nice to share with our readers. 

One of our best discoveries this year was purely accidental. Last weekend a Sunday drive led us to Old Weathersfield, Connecticut - an amazing place that has been producing seeds for New England gardeners since 1811.  Comstock, Ferre & Co. offers 250 varieties of open pollinated non-GMO seeds. The floors were old wide plank with rows and rows of paper seed packets.  I think there must have been 50 different varieties of tomato seed alone - and we came home with enough seeds to keep us in vegetables for ten years!

In addition to Comstock Ferre & Co. , we have a surprising number of great resources are right here in New England including the High Mowing Seeds located in Wolcott, Vermont  and Fedco Seeds  of Waterville, Maine.   Another Maine based seed company, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, has a large selection of heirloom and organic seeds available. 

igI am sure that I have missed many other worthy enterprises here in our region, so look around and see what might be available right in your community! 

Check www.permacultureactivist.net/seeds/SeedResrcs.htm for an excellent list of heritage and open pollinated seed companies. In addition, the Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the preservation of our seed heritage. Happy planting!

 

Elizaebth Conrad is co-founder of Common Good Market, a New England (Virtual) Town Square Market for the 21st Century offering an outstanding selection of high quality sustainable and eco-friendly products for the home made by New England artisans and crafts-people. Common Good Market believes that buying locally made products helps build more resilient local economies, leads to improved environmental outcomes for our region, and a better future for our children. Visit Elizabeth's blog to read more. 

Shiitake Mushrooms and Your Health

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Shiitake mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Asia for both cooking and medicine. And when it comes to cooking, they are the second most popular mushroom in the world. They are also becoming more prominent in the alternative health care market. There has been some research done on them to see how they can be best put to use.

Nutritionally, shiitake mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, iron and other minerals, protein, vitamin D and fiber. They are also low in calories and are very tasty either lightly sauteed or even dehydrated.

Their most known health use is in the treatment of cancer. Lentinan, a polysaccharide found in shiitake mushrooms, has been shown to be both anti-cancer and to improve  the quality of life with several types of cancers. The most common way to take it is in pill form, but most of the research is on when it is given intravenously.

CT Bill seeks GMO labels on products

An Associated Press report cited on the Wall Street Journal noted that a Connecticut bill seeks to add appropriate GMO labeling on foods. While there has been much debate over whether or not GMOs are actually harmful to one's health--the FDA says yea; anyone with a brain says nay--the point is to have the opportunity to choose or not choose foods with GMOs in it.

Fairfield Green Food Guide's Analiese Paik, a past contributor on this site, testified in favor of the labeling saying, "The burden of proof is on the FDA to prove that it's safe."

See the excerpt below from yesterday's posting.

Conn. bill looks to add labels to engineered food
FEBRUARY 22, 2012, 6:35 P.M. ET
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. — Consumers at Connecticut grocery stores would be able to know if genetically engineered foods are in the merchandise mix under a bill state lawmakers are considering to require the labeling of such foods.

Neither the federal government nor any state currently has a labeling requirement that applies to all genetically modified foods. Connecticut is among nearly 20 states considering a labeling mandate amid health concerns that supporters of the legislation have raised about such foods.

Connecticut's legislation would require clear labeling on any food sold in the state that is completely or partially produced with genetic engineering.

Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, said he introduced the legislation due to public concern over the issue. Roy co-chairs the state Environment Committee, which heard from supporters and opponents of the bill at a hearing Wednesday.

Roy said his bill has gained bipartisan support, and he expects the committee to pass it, although its fate after is unclear.

"We're not taking a stance on whether GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are good or bad," said Roy. "What we're saying is that we have a right to know what we're putting in our bodies."

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of ActivistPost.com. 

Happy Friday: Seafood Choices You Can Be Happy About

By Kate McLaughlin, Blue Ocean Institute

Kate McLaughlin has studied fish all over the country—from herring in Massachusetts’s rivers to Steelhead Trout in northern California.  She is currently Blue Ocean Institute’s Seafood Program Director.

Eight conservation groups in the U.S. & Canada teamed up to get the word out about ocean-friendly seafood.  The message?  Look for ocean-friendly seafood choices that you can be happy about.

Why should people Be Happy about their seafood choices?

Seafood can be a great addition to any family’s menu.  Who doesn’t want a low-fat, high omega-3 addition to their dinner plate? 

And just as you’re thoughtful about other environmentally-responsible choices you make (like recycling, or buying farmers market vegetables), you can be thoughtful about your seafood choices and be happy with the results. 

People can go to www.facebook.com/BeHappyFish to learn more about ocean-friendly seafood, find family- (and ocean!) friendly recipes, , and show support for the ocean by signing a pledge to support ocean-friendly seafood or posting a pic of your best fish face. 

What are some ocean-friendly choices that people can be happy about?

Farmed mussels are a great choice.  Mussels can filter 10-15 gallons of water a day, eating microscopic plankton they strain out of the water.  Since mussels filter their food from their surroundings, we don’t have to catch wild fish to feed to them (as is the case with some farm-raised seafood, like Atlantic salmon).

Other great choices are U.S. farmed catfish, farmed Arctic char, wild Alaskan salmon, and Pacific cod.  You can find recipes for all of these fish on the Be Happy Facebook page.

In the above list of ocean-friendly choices, there’s a mix of farmed and wild fish.  Should people be asking where their fish comes from and whether it’s farmed or wild?

Asking where your seafood comes from is a great first step in getting to know the fish you’re eating.  Next time you’re at the store, look for signs in the seafood case that note whether it’s farmed or wild, and you’ll see there’s more farmed seafood out there than you might have guessed. 

(Did you know that half of the seafood produced globally comes from fish farms?)

Why is Blue Ocean involved with the Be Happy outreach effort?

Blue Ocean works with seafood lovers, scientists, and chefs to communicate the science of seafood.  And now we’ve teamed up with seven other organizations in the U.S. & Canada to help more people from coast-to-coast find seafood choices they can be happy about.

CT Farm Fresh Celebrates Four Years and Counting

By Eileen Weber


What if you could get farm fresh food delivered to your door exactly as you ordered it? If you’re Deb Marsden, you think that’s a great idea, too. In fact, that very idea is what inspired her to start her own business four years ago. Marsden’s CT Farm Fresh Express (CTFFE) is a delivery service that brings the farm into your home. This Saturday will mark their fourth anniversary.

In 2008, Marsden kick-started the idea in her home. Today, it functions on her property’s barn in East Haddam with a full 12-foot by 14-foot walk-in cooler to keep all those products and artisanal items super fresh and crisp. (The cooler was purchased along with a modern office space in the barn through grant funds allotted by the Department of Agriculture.)

Finally, a good school lunch

We've talked about school lunch before on this site. We feel strongly about what our kids eat, what we eat, and the quality of sustainable foods and farming. This site also reported on the topic a couple of months ago when lawmakers considered pizza a vegetable serving because of its two tablespoons of tomato paste per serving. 

Reuters reported today that the USDA has done a small overhaul of school nutrition to include more fruits and vegetables and skim milk. They have also mandated a child-size portion and lower sodium, among other things.

About time, isn't it? See the excerpt below.

More fruits, veggies in school lunch rules
By Ian Simpson and Lisa Baertlein | Reuters – 59 mins ago

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. school children, accustomed to a steady diet of pizza and French fries, will find more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on their trays under new government rules announced on Wednesday.

The new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules aim to boost the nutritional quality of the federally funded meals consumed by roughly 32 million U.S. school children.

The rules represent the first major revision of school meal standards in more than 15 years and are intended to combat the nation's childhood obesity crisis -- nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese.

The revamp comes just months after U.S. lawmakers protected pizza's status as a vegetable and killed proposed limits on weekly servings of starchy vegetables like potatoes.

Traditional Farming better for Biodiversity. Well, duh...

The Science and Development Network, a non-profit organization based in England and Wales, reported that research has shown traditional farming is crucial for keeping certain species alive. The research was conducted in developing countries as well as Europe.

It seems biodiversity is important to maintain the health and vitality of the land, the plants, birds and insects, as well as a host of other animals that feed off the land and call it their home. Industrial farming apparently harms the ecological bubble and depletes the natural habitats. Huh, go figure...

See the excerpt below.

Traditional farming 'can save threatened species'
Jan Piotrowski
22 December 2011 | EN

Traditional farming methods are crucial for protecting a number of threatened bird species in the developing world, including bustards, cranes, ibises and vultures, a study has found.

Livestock grazing and features associated with arable farming — such as hedgerows — create environmental conditions that certain birds currently depend on for food, shelter and breeding, the authors report.  

But as industrial farming methods eliminate these habitats, these species are threatened with extinction, said Hugh Wright, a researcher in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, and lead author of the study, published in Conservation Letters earlier this month (5 December).

Understanding Avocados

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Avocados are a very poorly understood fruit. They got a bad rap due to their high fat content, both in terms of cholesterol and weight control. The only place you might find them would be your nearest bowl of guacamole. Until recently, it wasn't understood that the type of fat found in avocados is acutally “good” fat.

Avocados originated in Mexico as early as 7,000 BC. Later, it was determined they could be found in South America as well. It seems, however, that when they started cultivating them in California in the late 1800s, that they became more accessible.  

Because of the high fat content, avocados have a lot of calories. But, there is some good news. Not only are the highest levels of fat found monosaturated, but with all the other vitamins, nutrients, phytochemicals and fiber, eating avocados is actually GOOD for your health.

Farmageddon screening at Westport Cinema

Friday, November 18th
7:30 p.m.
Christ and Holy Trinity Church
75 Church Lane
Westport, CT

Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.

Filmmaker Kristin Canty’s quest to find healthy food for her four children turned into an educational journey to discover why access to these foods was being threatened. What she found were policies that favor agribusiness and factory farms over small family-operated farms selling fresh foods to their communities. Instead of focusing on the source of food safety problems — most often the industrial food chain — policymakers and regulators implement and enforce solutions that target and often drive out of business small farms that have proven themselves more than capable of producing safe, healthy food, but buckle under the crushing weight of government regulations and excessive enforcement actions.

Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.

The film is presented by Westport Cinema Initiative and the Westport Farmers Market. The event is sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Hiring local? Not so fast

If you think hiring local is the answer to all our unemployment woes, you're not alone. Farmers across the nation are looking to hire. Not cheap immigrant workers, mind you, but local people who are unemployed and hoping to make ends meet. The problem is, nobody wants to do the manual labor even if they are out of work.

For years, we've lost valuable farm land to overdevelopment. Now, we have the opportunity to return to the land. But unfortunately, we're not.

See the excerpt below from The New York Times.

Hiring Locally for Farm Work Is No Cure-All
By KIRK JOHNSON
Published: October 5, 2011

OLATHE, Colo. — How can there be a labor shortage when nearly one out of every 11 people in the nation are unemployed?

That’s the question John Harold asked himself last winter when he was trying to figure out how much help he would need to harvest the corn and onions on his 1,000-acre farm here in western Colorado.

The simple-sounding plan that resulted — hire more local people and fewer foreign workers — left Mr. Harold and others who took a similar path adrift in a predicament worthy of Kafka...

Big Crop Loss from Hurricane Irene

by Eileen Weber

If nothing else makes it clear how difficult and tenuous farming is, the after-effects of Hurricane Irene should be a wake-up call. With 10 inches of rain or more, thousands of acres of crops were lost to flooding in New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and western portions of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The vegetable delivery from my own CSA, Stoneledge Farm in South Cairo, NY, has been shut down for the rest of the season. With some portions of their crops under as much as 10 feet of water, the FDA declared it—along with produce from a number of other farms—a food safety risk and inedible.

“As much as we would like to keep delivering, our farm will abide with the FDA, NYS Ag and Markets and Cornell Cooperative Extension recommendation not to harvest the produce,” Stoneledge Farm posted on their blog. “Our farm needs to start to clean up and get back on track for next season. At the height of the harvest season, it is a difficult decision.”

Coconuts, Part 3: Eco-friendliness of Coconut Trees

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

In parts one and two of my series on coconuts, I introduced you to two of the ways coconuts are said to improve your health. In this part three of the series, I will tell you how coconut trees are extremely eco-friendly and economical.

Coconut trees are found mostly in the tropics as they need to be in full sunlight and have lots of water.  They are called “Trees of Life” in the Philippines because so many of their parts can be used in daily life.

For consumption as food, the following can be obtained from coconuts:

• Coconut water
• Coconut milk
• Coconut oil
• Coconut sap (a great sugar substitute!)
• Honey
• an alcoholic beverage called Arrack
• Heart of Palm

For use in daily life, the following can be obtained from coconuts:

• Rope
• Brooms
• Timber
• Furniture/House ornamentation
• Fuel
• Gardening
• Hair & skin cosmetics
• Paper

The above uses of the whole coconut tree are how it’s been used for thousands of years in the Pacific Islands. What makes the trees even more amazing is how they will be used in the future.

One company, Whole Tree, Inc., is finding ways to use the discarded products of coconut farming to make packaging products. Another company is researching ways to make car parts that are both eco-friendly and help indigent coconut farmers in Asia and the South Pacific.  It has also been used as a biofuel in the Pacific Islands, though that might not be environmentally or economically beneficial in the long run if used worldwide.  

Overall, the coconut tree is an amazing work of nature.  The whole tree can be used to support life both inside the body and in its surroundings.  More research needs to be done in both these areas to make the most of this extraordinary tree.

Coconuts for Health, Part Two: Coconut Oil

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Coconut oil has recently gained a lot of attention. It is said to help with cholesterol levels, obesity and metabolism, for example. It is being touted as the best oil on earth, either incorporated into your cooking or taken as a dietary supplement.  So why is something that’s been used in Asia for thousands of years only becoming popular in the US now?

Coconut oil got its bad reputation because some studies were done on partially hydrogenated coconut oil causing high cholesterol, which is not the same thing as the virgin coconut oil that’s being celebrated, and discussed, today.  Though virgin coconut oil has the saturated fats lauric, caprylic and capric acids, saturated fats are needed in the body for proper cell membrane function.

Raw Foods for Better Health

by Christina Cioci

Glen Colello and Lisa Storch are co-owners of the café Catch a Healthy Habit in Fairfield. With a name like that, their customers know they are walking into a special place. Health conditions like obesity and heart disease, which can stem from processed foods, are running rampant in this country. It is a breath of fresh air to know that two people are trying to stop it. By educating the community on healthy food habits, Glen and Lisa are important members of the community for more reasons than one.

Every five years the USDA (United State Department of Agriculture) puts out a new guideline in which Americans should follow for optimum health, specifically nutrition. The usual time frame was interrupted due to the alarming rate of diseases linked to diet. Raw food in a diet is crucial for a healthier life. “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” embraced the value of plant-based diets. Vegetarian–style eating has been linked to improved health. “Lower risk of obesity, lower cardio vascular diseases and lower total mortality are a few of the big risks slashed when a person is a vegetarian”. Vegetarians are also connected with proof of generally lower BMI (Body Mass Index).

Watermelon: The new super-fruit

by Christina Cioci

Summertime and watermelon seem to go hand-in-hand. Biting into that piece of juicy goodness brings back fond memories of picnics and pool parties. This much loved fruit is more than just a juicy snack. According to Watermelon.org, “About 200-300 varieties are grown in the U.S. and Mexico, although there are about 50 varieties that are very popular.” 

Today there are about 5 common types we see in markets: Seeded, Seedless, Mini, Yellow and Orange. Watermelon is packed full of nutrition, hydrates and is also low-fat! It is a great source of vitamin A which contains antioxidants; Vitamin C which can heal and strengthen the body and B6 which helps convert protein to energy.

Organically vs. Locally Grown Food

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Lately, I’ve been asked a lot about which is better: Buying locally or buying organically? It is an ongoing debate that may never be answered to anyone’s satisfaction. You just have to decide which is right for you. So, to help you decide, here are some facts.

According to the National Organic Program, which is part of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Program, “Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors. They are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. The NOP regulations prohibit the use of genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, and sewage sludge in organic production and handling. As a general rule, all natural (non-synthetic) substances are allowed in organic production and all synthetic substances are prohibited.“

The Great Goji

by Dr. Amy Wiesner

Probably everyone has at least heard about the goji berry. They are popular in health food stores and are used in packaged baked goods.

So what is about them that makes them so great?

To begin with, they have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, which indicates a profound amount of research!  The botanical name for the goji berry is Lycium barbarum, which is the reason it is also called lycium fruit in TCM. Also referred to as wolfberry fruit, it is the berry of a deciduous woody perennial plant that makes up the largest crop in China. They are also grown in Tibet near the Himalayas. Unfortunately, they also use a lot of pesticides, so it’s important to be careful of which brands you buy.

Special Delivery Right To Your Doorstep

By Eileen Weber

Kevin Staehly thinks he’s on to something. He launched a delivery service, The Simply CT Store, which provides fresh organic produce from his family’s farm in East Haddam. Along with baked goods from Gottas Cider Mill in Portland and handmade artisanal cheeses from Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm in Old Lyme, he has a nice selection of tasty treats to choose from.

“It’s our take on a CSA,” said Staehly, who helps his parents run the farm. “But you can pick and choose what you want instead of just getting what’s planted.”

Much like Pea Pod through Stop & Shop, you can access an order form online and have it brought to your home. Deliveries take place three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And if you miss the cutoff for delivery, no worries. They still offer all of their products at their farm stand and at the farmer’s market in Madison.

Fresh and Fun: Lyme Farmer’s Market

by Christina Cioci

Christina is our newest summer intern. She comes to us with prior writing experience working at Kate Harrison's Green Bride Guide. Incidentally, Harrison has been a contributor to this site in the past. Christina also has her own blog, Green Gal. We warmly welcome her to the CT Green Scene team.

This year marks the 102nd Anniversary of Ashlawn Farm in Lyme, Connecticut. A rather idyllic place to visit, with open fields and friendly owners it is a perfect place for a bountiful farmer’s market. Chip and Carol Dahlke own and live on the farm that has been in Chip’s family since 1909. Each spring at the beginning of June the excitement grows in the surrounding towns for the Lyme Farmer’s Market. It is a place you can come for great food and company.

When the Lyme farmer’s market first began, it was unlike anything in the area. The combination of fresh, local products and the growing amount of people in southeastern Connecticut eager to buy was a perfect match. Cattle, horses and goats grazing are accompanied by the beautiful backdrop of luscious green grass, big red barns and stonewalls appropriate for sitting on.

COLUMBINES & COLORS: A SPRING AWAKENING CELEBRATION OF FLOWERS AND MEMORIES AT FORT HILL FARMS

Come celebrate the warm spring days and beautiful colors of spring flowers at Fort Hill Farms’ Columbines & Colors event in Thompson on May 14th and 15th from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition to the thousands of blooms at the farms’ Quintessential Gardens, nature lovers, photographers and artists from all over are invited to come view and capture the landscapes and celebrate the riot of colors on display. Free guided Garden Tours by Kristin Orr will be given at 9a & 2p each day.

Sunday cheese tastings at Beltane Farm in May

Taste the First Cheeses of Spring!

The winter is over, the ice on the pond has melted and the baby goats are born and the new milk is especially sweet! Come sample a selection of the first goat milk cheeses of the season in our seasonal tasting room at the farm. Enjoy some punch and meet the new baby goats! Every Sunday during May. 11:00 to 3:00 pm.

May 1
May 8
May 15
May 29

Beltane Farm, 59 Taylor Bridge Rd. Lebanon, Connecticut  860. 887. 4709

Several local wineries within proximity – Direction to them available at the farm on Sundays. Also available – A full array of Artisan Goat Milk Soaps from Oak Leaf Dairy of Lebanon.

Raw Milk- Beltane Farm is producing raw milk again this year! Available in quarts or half gallons.

Visit their web site at www.beltanefarm.com

Beans, Greens, and Protein

by Brittany Shutts

Cutting back on the meat in your diet can take your palate on the road to new gastronomic adventures and help the environment as well. According to Worldwatch, livestock and their byproducts account for 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Meat consumption in the United States, especially, is far from being sustainable. Studies show that the U.S. alone consumes almost 10 billion chickens, pigs, cows, and turkeys every year. The horrors of the livestock industry, the growth hormones, and the antibiotics are enough to kill even the heartiest appetite.
   
Going meatless just once a week will lower your risk of cancer, reduce your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, lower body weight, and prevent long-term weight gain. Eating beans and peas will increase your intake of other important minerals, such as protein, folate, zinc, iron, and magnesium. They contain less saturated fat and total fat.

CONNECTICUT FARM BUREAU ASSOCIATION HOSTS AGRICULTURAL PLANNING AND ZONING CONFEREnCE FOR MUNICIPAL LEADERS AND FARMERS

With a recent UCONN study showing Connecticut’s agricultural industry contributes over $3.5 billion dollars and 20,000 jobs to the state, the need for farmers and municipal leaders to work together has never been higher. A conference on March 31, 2011 organized by the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association will bring the groups together to discuss the fundamentals of municipal planning and zoning and help educate attendees on how they can work to support local agriculture.

“This is our second annual conference and those who attend will receive an overview of the fundamentals of planning and zoning and discuss effective strategies to encourage agricultural growth in municipalities,” says Joan Nichols, Government Relations Specialist at Connecticut Farm Bureau Association. "So much of Connecticut agriculture is impacted by local zoning regulations and decisions that it is critical producers understand how municipal zoning impacts their agricultural operation, and more importantly, what they can do to improve the local regulatory climate for agriculture in their communities.”

Losing Battle Against Monsanto?

by Eileen Weber

Last week, the USDA “deregulated” genetically engineered alfalfa, which means its use is unrestricted. The organization also called for “coexistence” between biotech companies, organic farmers, and non-organic farmers not growing genetically altered crops.

Gary Hirschberg, President and CEO of Stonyfield Farms, had a lot to say in a recent blog entry. He refuted the Organic Consumers Association's claim that Stonyfield Farms, along with Whole Foods and Organic Valley, “sold out” to biotech giant Monsanto and gave up the fight against genetically modified crops (GMOs).

“Not once did Stonyfield consider buying what Monsanto was selling – nor will we ever,” he said. “We have never wavered from our position in defending organic and opposing GE crops.”

Not only does the deregulation of engineered crops pose a threat to the environment, Hirschfeld said it limits the choices farmers and consumers have to make. Organic farming, on the other hand, has proven itself to be a much healthier choice for human consumption as well as biodiversity.

Running out of fish?

Like seafood? So does everyone else, apparently. We're running out of sustainable fishing in our oceans. We essentially have nowhere left to go. According to an article in ScienceDaily, the University of British Columbia in collaboration with the National Geographic Society has conducted a study on the spatial expansion of global fisheries. The study indicated the "no fish left behind" mentality of corporate-run fisheries. That mentality is exactly why sources like bluefin tuna (as per a previous article on this site) are disappearing at an alarming rate and running the risk of becoming an endangered species. See an excerpt below from ScienceDaily.

'No Fish Left Behind' Approach Leaves Earth With Nowhere Left to Fish, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2010) — Earth has run out of room to expand fisheries, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia researchers that charts the systematic expansion of industrialized fisheries.

In collaboration with the National Geographic Society and published in the online journal PLoS ONE, the study is the first to measure the spatial expansion of global fisheries. It reveals that fisheries expanded at a rate of one million sq. kilometres per year from the 1950s to the end of the 1970s. The rate of expansion more than tripled in the 1980s and early 1990s -- to roughly the size of Brazil's Amazon rain forest every year.

Between 1950 and 2005, the spatial expansion of fisheries started from the coastal waters off the North Atlantic and Northwest Pacific, reached into the high seas and southward into the Southern Hemisphere at a rate of almost one degree latitude per year. It was accompanied by a nearly five-fold increase in catch, from 19 million tonnes in 1950, to a peak of 90 million tonnes in the late 1980s, and dropping to 87 million tonnes in 2005, according to the study.

"The decline of spatial expansion since the mid-1990s is not a reflection of successful conservation efforts but rather an indication that we've simply run out of room to expand fisheries," says Wilf Swartz, a PhD student at UBC Fisheries Centre and lead author of the study.

Click here to read more of the article.

Image courtesy of ScienceDaily.

S510: Much Ado About Nothing?

There was an interesting article in The New York Times on Sunday. It was Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser's review of what the Food Safety Modernization bill (S510) will actually mean to consumers. There has been much debate about the bill, especially how it will fare in the "lame duck" government we now have since the early November elections.

If the thousands of people affected every year from food-borne illnesses are any indication, food regulation is obviously a necessity. The question is can the FDA handle it? To some, as in Jim Prevor's article in The Weekly Standard today, the FDA is a slow-moving behemoth that won't do much more regulation than it already does and will simply increase costs for the average consumer.

The point of the bill is for the FDA to become a proactive agency, rather than a reactive one. Instead of waiting until people get sick, why not protect against the source of contamination before it becomes a problem? It's kind of like safe sex for food groups. Sounds good in theory, but can it be done? Only time will tell.

See an excerpt below from Pollan and Schlosser's article:

A Stale Food Fight
By MICHAEL POLLAN and ERIC SCHLOSSER
Published: November 28, 2010

"THE best opportunity in a generation to improve the safety of the American food supply will come as early as Monday night, when the Senate is scheduled to vote on the F.D.A. Food Safety Modernization bill. This legislation is by no means perfect. But it promises to achieve several important food safety objectives, greatly benefiting consumers without harming small farmers or local food producers.

Dirt! The Movie

by Eileen Weber

If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. On Wednesday evening, the Pequot Library screened the documentary Dirt! The Movie with a homemade pie auction and an awards ceremony celebrating local environmentalists afterward.

The event was sponsored by The Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm and emceed by Fairfield Green Food Guide’s Analiese Paik. The film, pardon the pun, digs in deep about all the things that happen to dirt—how we often disregard it, abuse it, ruin it, and fight over it. Produced and directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow and narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, it illustrates that what could be our most valuable resource is our most under-appreciated one.

The Organic Debate

by Susan Torres

These days, there are more health stores, organic markets, and natural products available to the average consumer. Many people question whether going organic is really all that beneficial or economical. A new study shows that it may very well be worthwhile. Your purchase power from the organic food aisle might just mean the difference between more nutritional food and an unhealthy meal for your family.

Researchers found that organic farms produced fruit that was more nutritious, flavorful, and had healthier, more diverse soil than conventional farms. The study focused on organic and conventional strawberry farms specifically in California because the state takes up 90 percent of the strawberry market in the United States. It compared 31 chemical and biological soil properties on 13 organic farms and 13 non-organic farms that used standard pesticides. Soil DNA, taste, nutrition, and quality were also examined, making this one of the most thorough and comprehensive studies of its kind.

Eggs-ceptionally Gross

The edible egg just got a whole lot less incredible. In this article from today's New York Times, some of the biggest egg producers in the country are shipping eggs out under despicable conditions. Excrement and vermin top the list. Getting your eggs from your local CSA may be your best option. Read the excerpt below...and weep.

Egg Farms Violated Safety Rules
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: August 30, 2010

"Barns infested with flies, maggots and scurrying rodents, and overflowing manure pits were among the widespread food safety problems that federal inspectors found at a group of Iowa egg farms at the heart of a nationwide recall and salmonella outbreak.

Inspection reports released by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday described — often in nose-pinching detail — possible ways that salmonella could have been spread undetected through the vast complexes of two companies.

The inspections, conducted over the last three weeks, were the first to check compliance by large egg-producing companies with new federal egg safety rules that were written well before the current outbreak, but went into effect only last month.

'Clearly the observations here reflect significant deviations from what’s expected,' said Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for food for the F.D.A."

Click here to read more of the article.

Image courtesy of the IncredibleEgg.org.

Another One Bites the Dust...

While this site has certainly placed an emphasis on farms lately, this article should not be overlooked. According to the Associated Press, a 378-year-old farm on the Maine/New Hampshire border is calling it quits. The eleventh generation now in its 60s has had enough of farming--and debt. See the excerpt below from today's post.

After 378 years, NH family farm goes up for sale

By KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press Writer
Sun Aug 1, 3:25 pm ET

DOVER, N.H. – In 1632, John Tuttle arrived from England to a settlement near the Maine-New Hampshire border, using a small land grant from King Charles I to start a farm.

Eleven generations and 378 years later, his field-weary descendants — arthritic from picking fruits and vegetables and battered by competition from supermarkets and pick-it-yourself farms — are selling their spread, which is among the oldest continuously operated family farms in America.

"We've been here for 40 years, doing what we love to do," said Lucy Tuttle, 65, who runs the 134-acre farm with brother Will. "But we're not able to work to our full capacity any longer, unfortunately."

Tuttle added that she and her brother and their sister have done their best "to lovingly discourage" their children from becoming generation No. 12. "We would be saddling them with a considerable amount of debt," she said.

Click here to read more.

Image courtesy of Tuttle's Farm.

Aruba: The Next Urban Farm?

by Eileen Weber

Last week, I vacationed in a place I have never been: Aruba. Why a tiny Caribbean island only 20 miles long and six miles wide? Because every time I’ve had it up to here, it’s the furthest place I can think of when I get cranky. Naturally, I felt the need to spend a week there.

Touring the island, it quickly becomes clear that it’s a cliché: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Thanks to a desalination plant on the east side of the island only a few minutes drive from Oranjestad, the island’s capital, there is drinking water from the tap. But that doesn’t seem to affect their agriculture.