No More Beef

I am not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, but as of May I have given up eating beef.  It was this photograph in the New York Times and the accompanying article on mobile slaughterhouses that finally did it for me.  Believe me, it was a purely personal decision and not one that I would press on to anyone else.  After all, I still eat chicken, pork and fish...and, as others would say, eggs and dairy. 

This is the first food I have ever given up and it has been very easy, I must say.  Is there a food that you have given up (anything from sugar to eggs) and what brought you to that point?

My Three Hundreth Post

I'm hitting the 300 post mark today and I can scarcely recognize myself from when I began.

A new job that is basically a new career.

Two sassy seeds that are growing before my eyes.

One thing remains the same, the love of my husband. Always there beside me, encouraging me, giving me those little pep talks disguised as chit-chat.

My blog started out very green. I have diverged somewhat from that topic, although greening has never left my consciousness.

My readership has waxed and waned, and that's okay. I have lost some readers. Gained some new ones. My interests have run the gamet and so do my bloggy friends.

Welcome to my 300th post and thanks for stopping by.

***

Who am I? Making an omelette yesterday and then today, I hardly know myself anymore!, scurrying off to Whole Foods to pick up some free range chicken breasts (yes, I know the chicken ends up the same (read: dead), but I've read a few articles on "conventional" chicken and it's not pretty). Why you ask? To make Parmesan Chicken from this cookbook. I mean, what the...?

So I buy the chicken breasts (not on sale) that are thin(ner) cut (more expensive) because frankly those big breasts (oh the google searches that will end up here now) scared me and I needed breasts that were a bit closer to the 1/4 inch thickness required. I also buy a nice chunk of parmesan cheese (not from that green shaker thingie) and miraculously the rest of the ingredients were lurking in my pantry (lo! Kosher salt!).

At 4:30 I bring the children in from the slip-n-slide (heat index: 105 degrees) and plop them uncerimonously in front of the television. I Cannot Be Disturbed, as I am making Parmesan Chicken a al Ina Garten and I am scared.

I mis en place (I think) all of my ingredients, pound the chicken to within a 1/4 inch of its life, drink a quarter of a bottle of wine and ignore that fact that "dredge" and "dip" are not really vocabulary with which I am familiar, but nevermind.

Using a cast iron skillet that allows me to cook one breast at a time ("Never apologize!"), I solider on wondering what exactly "medium-low" means and trying to ignore the voices in my head that are whispering "Shake and Bake! Shake and Bake! Why aren't you just using Shake and Bake?", I manage, one and one half hour later to produce delicious Parmesan Chicken (so says Green Husband) with some fancy French green beans and some Near East grain product.

All's well that ends well.

Providing that I interpreted "Until Cooked Through" correctly. Stay tuned.

Stop the Presses

I made an omelette.

It was delicious.

Who knew that the key was to turn the flame on high about 30 seconds after your pour the egg into the pan?

{And since you've stopped by, please join us and Mr. Linky by linking to your most recent (or only, natch) clothesline-related post}

More Green Groceries...

Dear bloggers, tweeters and readers...

I need your help. One of my Mini Wanna-Greenies is having a terrible problem with, well, let's just get the 4-1-1 on the Number 2, constipation. This poor little tyke has been having a terrible time and although my sweet is now under doctor's care, we have been instructed to eliminate so many things that my cutie-on-duty loves: whole milk, yogurt, rice, applesauce...you get the idea.

So, while the doctor's drugs do the dramatics, what tasty snacks, high(er) in fiber, would you recommend? I am just fresh out of creative ideas - in fact, I get pooped just thinking about it.

Can We Pleeeese Go Back to PB and J?

We are going through some serious PB and J withdrawal at the Wanna Greenies. So, what is the deal with the peanut butter recall? What brands? What are you buying? I mean, can someone give me the Cliff Notes version of this?

Snow Daze

So, even President Obama says we need a little kick in the keester (I'm paraphrasing) when it comes to winter weather, but it was icy out there and that means snow daze. My very first snow day as a new employee of the public school system! :)

The children and I did a little half-hearted research on saber-tooth tigers, rabbits, and cats - but then spent the rest of the day acting like Spider-Men and napping.

We did get in some baking (who, me?!) with some chocolate-chip banana muffins. I think there are about three left. Good thing it's back to work tomorrow.

The Back of the Police Station is...

Orange juice, canned or cartoned, is now evidently OUT.

[I think only my dad will understand the title of this post]

I'm a Sucker for Deceptively Delicious

Hiding things from your dog's medication in kibble to apples in pancakes is a concept older than time, but Jessica Seinfeld has hit the jackpot with her new book Deceptively Delicious, and yes, I am a sucker because she is Jerry Seinfeld's wife. There. I said it.

SusieJ managed to score a copy for review, and now the book is selling like hotcakes (with pureed spinach) and nary a copy is to be found according to an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal called "How another Seinfeld scored her own big hit". I even missed her on Oprah. The New York Times also a recent story on Jessica's book which unlike the WSJ article can be read here - the jist is just about the same.

If you can't get your hands on JS's book, here are some other recommendations (some I own, some are pure wishlist) including the books, like The Sneaky Chef (p.s. visit the author's blog), mentioned in the Journal and NYT articles.











And then there's a whole other debate going on at What's Cooking. Maybe if we involved our children from seed to harvest in the growing process, we wouldn't need to be deceptive at all.

Green Apples Redux

As promised, here is the reply I received from Whole Foods regarding my yes, you have no local apples query. Identifying information has been removed to protect the innocent...ME!

***

When I visited Whole Foods this weekend, every apple was from California or New Zealand. Why, when local apples are so plentiful up and down the East Coast this time of year (organic and conventional), is Whole Foods importing apples from so far away? Thanks!

***

Hi Amy,

Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. And You are right most of our apples are from California

Whole Foods Market is and has been committed to supporting local producers by buying their fruits and vegetables that meet our high quality standards, particularly those who farm organically. In the mid- Atlantic area we are working with local growers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland and looking forward to work with more farmers. To this end Whole Foods Market has a budget of ten million dollars for loan to be used to support local farmers who need money.

Most of our tomatoes, mushrooms and leaf vegetables and peppers are from local farmers. We have local gala apple and our Tote apples are from West Virginia.

We are continuing to look and source more local farmers to sell at our store, including apple growers.

We are working to have the local farmers market in our ***** store to be able to bring as more product as possible; and local farmers who are interested in introducing their products can send e-mail to our Buyers at local.vendors@wholefoods.com or drop us a line to our store.

***

Discuss.

Green Apples

This morning the Wanna-Greenies took an early morning trip to Whole Foods (Pip: "Get up, Mommy." Me: "But I need my beauty sleep." Pip: "You're already beautiful, Mommy." Me: "Ooooooh, thank you, Pip!" Pip: "Now get up." Ooooookay.).

As we swung through the produce department, I happened to notice the selection of apples. Every type of apple was from California and New Zealand. California and New Zealand? Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it apple season, especially in our neck of the woods? Local apples were practically rolling off the tables at our Farmer's Market. Conventional apples, which Whole Foods carries, were hanging heavy from the branches up in Boston. Could it be that the only apples suitable for sale at Whole Foods were from a minimum of 3,000 miles away? I'm all for organic, but what about local?

{Now, I think I've determined that first three posters who need freezer paper. Miss Kitty, Mom Go Green and Fabricio...if you need/want freezer paper, please contact me with your mailing address.}

Farmer's Markets Redux

I really love the word redux. Redux, redux, redux.

Anyway, I digress.

Ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and ever since Green Husband, Sprout, Pip and I have been attending our local farmer's market on a semi-weekly basis, I have seriously become in tune with what is in season and what is not.

It's actually turned me into a little bit of an in season/out of season snob, but I'll come back to that.

If you buy your produce at a farmer's market, you really cannot help but become acutely aware of a particular fruit or vegetable's growing season. Say, "Nah, I'll wait 'til next week to pick up blueberries for freezing."? Sorry, Charlie. Next week they'll be gone, done, outta here. Or you can be like me and say, "This is the week I'm making that peach cobbler!" Uh, hate to break it to you but we've moved on to pears. It's pear season, baby!

This week, in my neck of the woods, we're just starting the apples, the zucchini is in high gear, and the smaller pumpkins for soups and baking have finally made their appearance.

What are you "up to" in your region?

So this all makes for an interesting experience when I go to the canteen at work and they are serving...asparagus. Now, I love asparagus, don't get me wrong. But it is September and there the asparagus lies. So I loudly proclaim while standing online, "Asparagus? Where the heck do you get asparagus this time of year?" It is astonishing to think that most people in that line don't realize that it is not asparagus season in the Commonwealth, or even the District, or even The Garden State, or the Bay State or the Live Free or Die state!

For me, for now, I'll stick to our farmer's market...and see what next week's season brings.

Dinner...Done.

I work with a funny group of people and when I say funny I mean funny ha ha not funny weird. So when they invited me to join their funny bunch at Dinner Done, I jumped at the chance.

Dinner Done, in case you're not familiar with the company or the concept, is one of a number of franchises that allows you to prepare a number of meals at once, on site, that you then take home and freeze for later use.

I began the process by logging on to Dinner Done's website and selecting eight meals I was interested in preparing at our group's upcoming session. The selection of entrees usually changes by month and you pay a fixed fee for either eight or twelve selections. In my case, my eight entrees were going to cost me about $154.00. Each prepared entree, they claim, feeds 4 to 6 people.

I arrived at Dinner Done at about 7:30 and met my six co-workers who would be joining me that evening. I think the limit was 15 participants, so the other attendees appeared to be another group of friend or co-workers. You are handed an apron, your list of selected entrees, told to wash your hands, and the food prep. begins immediately. But wait...what do I mean by food prep? This is the beauty of Dinner Done and other joints like them. Everything is already prepped for you. In a rather industrial but cozy setting, if that makes any sense, are about 12 stations that provide everything you possibly need to make a particular entree (okay, if I type entree one more time I'm going to have to hurt myself...synonyms anyone?). So, for example, I started off by making Bourbon chicken. As soon as you approach the station, a helpful Dinner Done staffer hands you a bag containing all the chicken you need, already conveniently cut to size. Then, following the posted directions, you prepare the marinade and the chicken itself. Every ingredient is pre-chopped, sliced or diced AND the measuring utensils of the correct size already been placed each ingredient. No matter how untalented you are at the culinary arts, this method is absolutely fool-proof - you consult the steps posted above your work station and just keep on keeping on, omitting, decreasing or increasing the amount of ingredients depending on your particular tastes. When you're finished, you place the uncooked, prepared food in containers, depending on the serving sizes you want to cook at some future date, take them over to the wrapping station, bundle them up, slap a label on the e-word which lists cooking times, place them in the industrial freezer until you're ready to go, and one hour and half later...voila. Dinner done. For many, many days (at least in our house). We had the Bourbon chicken for dinner tonight and it was yummy.

So why am I posting about this on my Gift of Green blog? As I left there, I couldn't help but wonder if this process was very green at all. Here are some of my conclusions.

The Anti-Green:
-Right off the bat, the number of containers used was absolutely obscene. Granted you are packaging things up for the freezer which I guess, if you were an organized person like me (not), you would be doing this at home too. But I don't think most of us would use disposables to freeze portions? I don't know; I'm not a cook-one/freeze-one type of person.
-Who knows where this stuff is coming from. I was worried that the quality of the meats would not be up-to-snuff and that we'd be using questionable ingredients, but the place we went to was extremely transparent in that when an ingredient needed to be replenished they just popped open some huge container of a name brand item sitting in their immense pantry and that was that. However, I'm guessing none of this stuff was organic or even local.
-I love hygiene. I'm all about food-safety. I was very pleased to see how clean and spotless this venue was and how responsible all the attendees were as well. Responsibility came at a cost, however, and that cost was single use plastic gloves for food-handling. Maybe you use these at home when you cook - I don't.

The Green
-Although I cannot vouch for local or organic, it appears to me that the menus change monthly based on what is in season. Perhaps they use this strategy to keep pricing down. Not sure.
-Can't something green be said about what was basically a communal kitchen? Huge cans of beans, gigantic vats of soy sauce, gob-stoppers of spices (okay, I'm reaching on that last one). This method has to cut down on the number of tin cans floating around, would you say?
-Maybe I'm reaching here, but the hour and a half I spent preparing at least two weeks of meals for my family will definitely allow me more time to spend with my family. Now, when I get home, I basically just heat (cook) and serve, and I do know that everything was made with fresh, all natural ingredients (although, as I mentioned, I cannot really vouch for the meat products themselves, or the salmon fillets for that matter).

Bottom Line: In my experience Dinner Done saved me time (and cooking angst) and has provided my family with a variety of tasty meals. On the green side, Dinner Done and other places of its ilk probably won't be making the top ten list of ways to go green.

A Veggie Adventure

There are several reasons to visit the blog A Veggie Venture.

First, we all seem to be having a SLIGHT problem with the Kale included in our CSA boxes. Have no fear. Kale is just one of the many, many CSA box oddities that veggie evangelist Alanna tackles in her blog that began innocently enough (don't they all) when, she writes, "For a year, I cooked a vegetable in a new way every single day. Now A Veggie Venture delivers veggie inspiration from Asparagus to Zucchini, from simple sides to vegetable salads to soups and even desserts." So that in itself is reason enough to add A Veggie Venture to your links to like.

Secondly, see that adorable little tomato to the left? Alanna commissioned that "badge" for all of us farmer's market frequenters to use as we please! As that crazy Molly Shannon used to say on SNL, "I love it I love it I love it!" Thank you, Alanna!

Eventually

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it." So says the protagonist of Norman Maclean's novella of the same name.

I'm finding that this is true of green-blogging as well. As I have mentioned before, I am attempting to get certified as a school librarian and what is the hypothetical scenario for which we must find appropriate resources? Global warming.

My dishwasher dies after a long illness and just as I get the estimate for a replacement, The Toronto Chick gets rid of her dishwasher entirely.

It as a relief to find out that I wasn't the only one with an aversion to Kale. Luckily Nature Moms had a quick-fix, smoothie style.

I open up the latest Whole Life Times, and there, once again, are articles by Jenny Rough. I'm beginning to think "Does this chick write for this magazine or something?" :)

Do you see where this is taking you?

Eventually all things merge into one.

Green Meals that Make Themselves

First, a confession. I hate to cook. I'm not good at it, I hate prepping foods, I can't tell if chicken is done, I can never coordinate the protein, starch and vegetable. My husband, fortunately, is an excellent cook, which, unfortunately for him, means he is the cook by default. Not MY fault, of course. DEfault.

Have you ever been to a Farmer's Market (Really, there is a connection - I am bad at transitioning paragraphs)? I went last Saturday to one that can't be more than a mile away and is open year-round. We were having guests from out of town and I needed something besides chip and dip.

Have you ever stood dumbly in front of all. that. produce. at the grocery store (Really, there is a connection - I am bad at trans...)? Trying to figure out what the heck you are going to make with all. that. produce for guests that are coming for the weekend?

The Farmer's Market is a beautiful thing. You get what is available. So I picked up blueberries, raspberries, peaches, freshly made goat cheese, peppers, onions, Roma tomatoes (I will confess that there was a collective awwwwing by Farmer's Market attendees when my daughter Sprout had a full on temper tantrum because her brother had a Roma tomato and she was not getting one fast enough. I mean, is she an advertisement for the goodness of Roma tomatoes or what?), and a bouquet of basil.

Blueberries and raspberries were eaten on the way home like candy. Goat cheese was spread on crackers with a bit of tomato on top and a tear of basil leaf. Peppers and onions were skewered and sent to the grill. Roma tomatoes were eaten like apples. Peaches were packed for lunches and a few slices topped ice cream. I barely thought about it and it barely felt like cooking. Because frankly, I hate to cook.

See, I told you there was a connection.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: The Kingsolver Family's Magical Year

Barbara Kingsolver and I have a love/hate relationship. I read The Poisonwood Bible cover to cover, yet threw down Prodigal Summer in disgust. So when I put a hold on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, when it was still "In Process" at the public library, I really didn't know what to expect. Kingsolver writes that someone once said every story begins with "I set out on a journey" or "A stranger came to town". I think this book begins with a little bit of both!

AVM is Wonderful. In the original sense of the word. Written by Barbara Kingsolver with intriguing sidebars inserted here and there by her husband Steven Hopp and daughter Camille Kingsolver, this book is a humorful, beautiful and thought-provoking look at the business of eating locally (like, from your own backyard).

There have been many reviews detailing the premise of this work of non-fiction, so let me just point out some parts of the book that were most meaningful to me.

The book begins kind of a la Michael Moore, as I like to describe it. This didn't turn me off as much as, I'm sorry to say, I found my eyes glazing over one or two times. As background and context for their year, this section is essential but it was really the narrative of their actual journal I found to be most magical.

This book truly made me want to try my hand at growing asparagus with Kingsolver's fascinating description of this plant that is only for the patient. It also made me want to explore the use of heirloom seeds - even the seeds are beautiful, nevermind what they produce.

Kingsolver's calm description of her rather complicated concept of the Vegetannual. A wonderful glimpse as to when fruits and vegetables are truly in season and why.

One of the most beautiful passages was related to preparations for her 50th birthday party where locally grown was taken to a new art:

I stood for a minute clutching my carrots, looking out over our pasture to Walker Mountain on the horizon. The view from our garden is spectacular. I thought about about people I knew who right at that moment might be plucking chickens, picking strawberries, and lettuce, just for us. I felt grateful to the people involved, and the animals also.

Better in context, of course.

One thing I will note, is that the Kingsolver's certainly have a lot of "appliances". They have a food dehydrator, chest freezer, bread machine, pasta maker, and food processor. Not that I'm knocking these wonders of the modern world...I'm just sayin'.

So many other anecdotes about the year that were interesting and funny and moving, yes, moving were related to poultry. The passages about Ms. Kingsolver's daughter Lilly and her thriving egg business are highlights of the book. And who knew that turkeys rarely ever have sex in this country any more! The Kingsolvers are quick to point out that they are by no means goodie-two-shoes. They have a stack of Mac-n-Cheese (Kraft or Annie's?) and they would never, ever, ever consider going a year without coffee.

And perhaps the most underrated contribution to this book: the simple line illustrations by Richard Houser. He's not even mentioned on the cover! They are little gems.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a wonderful book full of surprises (Try the wonderful surprise at the end of "Slow Food Nations") like the growing season itself.

Green Grants a Go-Go [For Kids!]

I always loved when Paul Maclean in A River Runs Through It quips the headline "Cool Cal Communes with the Croppies!" So I'm working on my headline alliteration. I can't seem to come up with a "G" word for kids...

But I digress.

Several green-related grant opportunities have been making the rounds.



The first is "The Healthy Sprouts Award" sponsored by the National Gardening Association and Gardener's Supply as part of their mission to recognize health-focused youth gardens.

"To be eligible for the 2007 Healthy Sprouts Awards, your school or organization must plan to garden in 2008 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. The selection of winners is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger issues in the United States."

Applications are due by October 15th and awards will be granted in January of 2008.

The second green grant is sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology, of all things: "The American Academy of Dermatology’s (Academy) Shade Structure Program are grant awards ($8,000 each) for the purchase of permanent shade structures designed to provide shade and ultraviolet (UV) ray protection for outdoor areas. The Academy also provides a permanent sign to be displayed near the shade structure promoting the importance of sun safety. The Academy receives support for this program from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company.

The deadline for grant applications is Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

The Shade Structure Program is open to non-profit organizations or educational institutions that serve children and teenagers, ages 18 and younger.

Who knows...you may have it made in the shade!

Top Ten Signs that You Have a Ways to Go in the Going Green Department

[abridged]

...And the number one sign that you have a ways to go in the Going Green department:

You have conversations with your children that go like this...

Me: "And tomorrow we're going to go to a FARM!"

Pip (3 yo): "A farm?"

Me: "Yes, a farm!"

Pip: "We see cows there?"

Me: "Yes, cows at the farm!"

Sprout (2 yo): "Cows?"

Me: "Yes, cows and horses."

Pip: "Horses too?"

Me: "Yes, and horses."

Sprout: "Horsies?"

Me: "Yup, we'll see horsies at the farm!"

Pip: "Dill be chickens there?"

Me: "Yes! Lots of chickens!"

Sprout: "'N chickin' nuggets?"

...

Me: "Well, yes, in a way I suppose we will see chicken nuggets.

Born in the CSA - Our First Box of Organics

Remember way back when, when summer was just a hazy glimmer on the horizon and I announced to my negative 3 blogmates (things have gotten better since then - thank you, loyal readers) that I had joined a CSA? Well, I am proud to announce: It's A Vegetable! Many of them in fact.

This afternoon around 2:30 my intrepid share sharer Cafe de Dulce and I went to pick up our box o' stuff. That's Cafe demonstrating the proper form for oogling over boxes of fresh produce from Even' Star Organics.


We managed to take home in our organic haul:

Leeks
Seven sugar snap peas (er, scratch that - two eaten in car on way home)
Baby heirloom lettuce
Kale
Four mini-turnips
Rapa
A nice herb blend.

This evening I simmered the kale with some olive oil and garlic and topped it off with some balsamic vinegar. The kids wouldn't touch the stuff, but hey...more for me.

Oh, and note to self: use of hair clip on back of head...not so nice.

Love My MOM

Before I go any further...look what arrived in the mail today:



Thank you SusieJ! Your stationary is adorable!

But, no, SusieJ is not my mom...so let me continue.

Here's What's My Line for today:



The sun is so strong I can even double items up and they still get dry in about twenty minutes.

But, What's My Line isn't mom-related either.

Today I am working a split shift, so on my way home I stopped by someplace that I've been dying to try for some time. My Organic Market, or MOM. I love MOM. It has a little bit more of a co-op feel than Whole Foods - more of a PCC feel to it, which I used to frequent rarely, if ever, when I lived in Seattle. Ah, wasted opportunities!

I purchased organic milk which was, of course, about $1.50 cheaper than my "conventional" grocery store, some non-trans-fat chips for the kiddos and the hubby (I'm not kidding myself; junk food is junk food, but hey, I'm trying, remember), some yummy looking frozen vegetable spring rolls, and an adorable "energy bar" called the Bumble Bar. Yes, I'm a sucker for packaging so you got me Bumble Bar, Inc. It resembled one of those things you put out for the birds, what with all the sesame seeds, but it was yummy, what with all the brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice.

Best of all, I've added to my collection of .99 resusable bags! I'm about ready to give up the plastic or paper for good, although they do have their uses which I will elaborate on when you're not eating lunch.

Have a green day, everyone, and thanks for visiting!