Local Foods Happy Hour

Greetings all,

Since early this year, local food lovers, supporters, and advocates have been coming together on a monthly basis to get to know one another, to dream, to inspire, to be inspired and to celebrate local foods!



Please join all of us on the first Tuesday of every month for a local foods happy hour! And, invite others whom you think would be interested!



That being said, on Tuesday August 7th we will be meeting at the newly opened Common Roots Café in Minneapolis. (To clarify any confusion, we had been meeting at Chang Bang's restaurant, which recently closed). There will be local beer and wine available and Common Roots will be offering free appetizers to our group. (Thanks Common Roots!)

The quick details....
At Common Roots Café, http://www.commonrootscafe.com
Tues., Aug. 7th, starting at 5 PM, ending around 7PM
5:30PM-Danny Schwartzman, owner of Common Roots, will talk about the many ways he is implementing sustainable practices at the Café
Free street parking
Happy hour, for our group, from 5-7PM
-free appetizers
-local beers $4.75
-local wines $5.00

-4 local beer sampler with chips $5.00



Wishing you well and hoping to y'all soon!

- your local food friends

Their everywhere! Their everywhere!

Im sure my uncle Roy may have eliminated several hundred of them as he sat on his front porch in the summer afternoon's passing the time away. His backyard plot of fruit and vegetables is like and open invitation for these winged pests to deposit their eggs in the variety of food plots Roy had spent endless hours nuturing. The eggs hatch into maggots and feast on just about anything that ferments. The "fruit fly" is probably the most hated, yet most studied insect at the present time and with recent breakthrough studies some believe they may change the way scientists think about life in general. www.medicalnewstoday.com

I guess what we need now is electric cattle?

Which causes more greenhouse gas emissions, rearing cattle or driving cars? Surprise!
"According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation."

This doesn't mean that you can drive that gas-guzzling SUV more often than you need to.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html

Monasnato Goes GMO-Free?

Don't get to excited guys its only in their cafiterias. thats right in june Monsanto decided to stop feeding their employes GMO foods. they did however relese a new study that says there is still no sign of any negitive effects in the GM process.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6401.cfm

Stop the Wine!!!

I recently came asross an article that had to do with one of my favorite subjects: wine. In it they were discussing types of stoppers used on wine bottles and which were the best to use for the environment. The three most widely used types of stoppers are natural cork, plastic stoppers or metal screw caps. Suprisingly enough the natural cork stoppers were the most environmentally friendly because harvesting cork actually keeps the relatively scarce trees alive.

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/wine_stopper.htm

deforestation for agriculture purposes

The stats are crazy. 90 percent of the worlds natural resources have been used up already, and Brazil and Indonesia are among the two largest rainforests in the world and they are being stripped at an alarming rate for logging agriculture and cattle grazing. This is an issue that is very important nopt only for us, but future generations to come. They act as the worlds filter to help in creating oxygen and repairing the damage we have caused by chemical abuse to the ozone. If you would like to know more I will be happy to post my paper on the blog when it is finished.


Jason k.

Controversy over Farming and Global Warming

http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/ag.htm



Many scientists believe that global warming is due to the increse of CO2 in the atmosphere. Farmers believe that the increase in temperature will create a longer growing season for fruits and vegetables. The United States Environmental Protection Agency ( U.S.E.P.A ) predicts a 7% increase in precipitation by the year 2060 and a 5 degree increase in the temperature. A key question arises from this increase in temperature, if the plants have an increase in precipitation, they will have plenty of fruit, plus they will have plenty of CO2, why would this harm the earth?

Many scientists believe that this theory is faulty, for the rise in temperature will bring a variable in overall weather causing drought, and floods, as well as irregular growing seasons.

How Much is too Much?

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html


We have all heard rumors of the mercury content in seafood for many years, but due to pollution and the dumping of garbage, the mercury levels in seafood has risen. Unfortuately, fish and shellfish contain a massive amount of protein, essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and obtain a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids. The FDA has released new information stating that the amount of mercury a pregnant women may consume could possibly harm their unborn child's nervous system and brain development. It has been advised that all pregnant women do not eat swordfish, shark, king makerel and tilefish. It has also been stated that they do not consume more than 6 ounces of fish per week.

Where have all the Tigers gone?

http://earthtrust.org/tiger.html




In the past decade, most international trading companies have focused on trading animal products such as ivory, and rhinoceros horns, paying little attention to the vast decrease of the tiger population. Three of the eight subspecies of tigers are already extinct, and the numbers of the remaining tigers is falling rapidly. Recently the medicinal purpose of tiger by product has been listed on the black market, especially in the Chinese culture. A new establishment has created an investigation system to stop the poaching of these precious animals, as well as the increse in punishment. I wonder, are these new laws enough to prevent the extinction of tigers all together?

Organic Tomatoes Have More Flavinoid Compounds

well today i red an article about tomatoes. i love tomatoes! i will eat them any time any where. and i do have to say that i get all of my tomatoes from cubs foods. i don't know how organic they can be but they sure do taste good. in this article they talk about how over a 10 year study they found that organic tomatoes can help prevent high blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of heart disease and Stokes. and maybe help stave off some forms of cancer and dementia. well if you would like to know more about this article click on this link http://www.treehugger.com/food_health/ it is about half way down the page.

Soon to be a rare delicacy?

Once again, I sit here wondering if our oceans will survive the next 50 years or longer. I am talking again about how mankind is fishing the seas to extinction. I found that our appetites are exceeding the limitations of oceans' ecological limits. The marine scientists are warning us about overfishing and that it can hurt the ecosystem. They say that overfishing the top predators like cod, marlin, halibut, and tuna can cause a shift in the marine ecosystem. Will it come down to some day that fish and chips will become a rare and expensive delicacy? If these fish disappear, all we will have is plankton to eat. I am not a big fish consumer in the first place. I agree that there should be some type of fishing policy that creates a certain area or boundaries where it is off limits to fish. That way, that area can come back to full strength and balance out the shift. Greenpeace is trying ever which way they can to help this ecosystem. I support them 100%, and would like to see a differnce ten to twenty years from now!

http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/our-oceans/overfishing

Healthier cookies, Nice or a bit fishy

In this article you will find out that many companies are starting to add omega 3 fatty acids to their product to help fight heart disease and hypertension. The only problem is oxidation of the omega 3 acids to deliver an off taste to the product. They need to develop a material that will help in storing the acids and will make the product last longer and taste better. The concept is their, but the procedure needs to be refined.
http://www.foodsciencecentral.com/fsc/ixid14851
Jason k

Can You Dig These Spuds? You Don't Have To.

By the looks of things, it’s essentially a set of three reusable polythene sacks, each with carrying handles and drainage holes. The idea is that you plant your potatoes, and then gradually fill up the containers with compost as your spuds grow. In the UK they are trying to get people to grow their own food by selliung these potatos so you get grow you own and know they are good. Matt

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/no_dig_potatoes.php

Squids settling in on the beach

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/science/31squi.html?ref=science

This article is about how in 1997 during an el nino squids were showing up on beaches while they normally remained in the warmer waters of the eastern pacific ocean. They dissapeared but showed up again in 2002 and stuck around. These large carnivorous creatures are aggresive towards their pray and are starting to devour the hake fish which are an important commercial fish in the upper west and British Columbia. The reasons for this are undetermined but it could be because of overfishing of the tuna and billfish allowing much room for reproduction and spreading also the warming of the waters are too blame. The squid are able to tolerate large temperature changes and adapt well making this coastal area the perfect place for them to stick around.

Making Necklaces to Change Lifestyles and Preserve Wildlife

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/science/31snar.html?ref=science

This article is about some people in Zambia who are making necklaces, bracelets and decorative items out of old snares that which were once used in the poaching of animals. More than 40,000 former poachers have joined a co-op which allows them to exhange these snares for training in organic farming, beekeping, carpentry, and gardening. Sence 2002 this has made more than $350,000 for the co-op.

Grass fed

When i was living in Canada one of the staff members at my college owned a cattle ranch, but not just any cattle ranch, but an actual grass fed, black Angus ranch. They actually still move the cattle from pasture to pasture, they use no hormones or antibiotics , this was beef! From the first time I tasted the meat I was hooked, the diet and the conditions of the cattle made a huge difference in the taste, since I returned home every steak has been a disappointment. I was very interested to find this article of just such a ranch. Not only did it remind me of that great beef up in Canada, but it also talked about the environmental effects of this style of cattle raising

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/05/lasater_grassla_1.php

US organic food food and bev sales continue to rise

this article talks about how organic food sales @bev have gone up .but Europe's %is higher about 7-10% of total .US in 2006 was up 22%over the previous you.Also it talks about the supermarkets and the small chains and natural grocery stores.

Sustainable what?

We've talked about sustainable agriculture and organic farming and who knows what else. I've been able to pull some meaning from what's been said in class and in the textbook from the context in which it was used, but still did not have a clear definition for the concept. What are the overlaps? What is involved?

So, I went looking. The Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) is much more than a scary name. It is a resource for the curious and involved. By going to http://www.attra.org/fundamental.html you can click on an URL to read the organization's Sustainable Agriculture: An Introduction. This small booklet provides a very high level over view behind the principles for sustainable agriculture.

--Robert

Glabal Warming

With it being the start of global warming week i figured i would throw this post out there. We all know that global warming is a major issue in the world today, but to what extent ? Climate is on of the major factors in animals habitats and if the temperature is constantly on the rise, year by year, some of our produce and other rare meats may becaome even more rare. Not just talking about the animals, but the vegetation as well.

http://www.climate.org/topics/agricul/index.shtml

More Monsanto

I thought this article would be fitting after seeing the movie on GM crops last week. This article takes the movie to another level by getting the acutal questions and interviews from the companies who produce the GM crops. The big name you allready know, being Monsanto, gives their thoughts and answers to some of the questions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jul/26/gmcrops

Celebrate Good Times... with Organic Confetti!

Throwing a party? Do you want to throw one that doesn't hurt the environment? You can now with organic confetti! They're made of flower petals so your party will turn out smelling great when you throw them in the air. Being flower petals, they're bio-degradable so they won't hurt the environment.

Source:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/shropshire-petals.php

The 2000 Acre Scam

Alaska allows oil companies to purchase oil leases in the state, and to downplay any environmental impact, the oil companies claim that they would restrict their drilling and exploration to 2000 acres. Not quite true, says the opposition factions. Oil deposits are in small pockets spread out over a large area of the coastal plain. In order to explore and mine these pockets, the oil companies would drill 100 acres here and a couple hundred acres somewhere else, adding up to the given 2000acres. But they would have to build miles and miles of roads and pipelines to connect each section, covering up a large section of wildlife habitat. A serious risk to the migrating animals would impact the entire Alaska eco-system. Maybe we should leave Alaska wild and get our fuel somewhere else.

http://www.savearcticrefuge.org/learnmore.html

Safe Food

Author Marion Nestle dares to speak out about Safe Food - Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism. Food safety is a matter of intense public concern, and for good reason. Millions of annual cases of food "poisonings" raise alarm not only about the food served in restaurants and fast-food outlets, but also food bought in the supermarket. I think we've all experienced this at one time or another?! How concerned should we be about such problems?

Marion argues that ensuring safe food involves more than washing hands or cooking it to a high of enough temperature. It involves politics. Who decides when a food is safe? She demonstrates how powerful food industries oppose safety regulations, deny accountability, and blame consumers when something goes wrong. Century old laws for ensuring food safety are no longer being followed and protecting our food supply. Things are about to get much worse, from what is sounds like?

www.foodpolitics.com

Does it take more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol for E85, than the energy we get out of it?

No. This has been a common misconception of the ethanol industry, that it takes more energy to make ethanol than is available to the final consumer. Remember, ethanol is produced from plant matter, today dominated by corn, wheat, potatoes, sorgum, etc. Plants grow through the use of energy provided by the sun and are a renewable resources. In the future, ethanol will be produced from waste products or "energy crops."

Food and Environment

genetic engineering

During the past decade, biotechnology companies commercialized the first generation of genetically engineered crops—primarily corn, soybeans, and cotton altered to control insects and weeds. U.S. commodity crop producers responded by planting millions of acres of these engineered crops. Because corn and soy are widely used in food processing, small amounts of engineered ingredients show up in a majority of processed food products. But most foods—the vast majority of vegetables, grains, fruits, and nuts—remain unaltered. Of the eight other engineered food plants allowed in U.S. grocery stores, it appears that only engineered canola and papaya are currently available.

Among food animals, only engineered fish are under active consideration by U.S. regulators. Other engineered plants, animals, and microbes are farther down the research pipeline but few are poised for introduction in the near future.

Scientists are concerned that engineered organisms might harm people’s health or the environment. For example, engineered crops might contaminate the food supply with drugs, kill beneficial insects, or jeopardize valuable natural resources like Bt toxins. Engineered fish may substantially alter native ecosystems, perhaps even driving wild populations to extinction.

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/genetic_engineering/

As we advance in this field, there are points when the producers of these crops/live stock have to step back and consider what is going to far. The food and drug administration has approved many products mainly to keep up with the demand of US consumers. The article above details some of the items that the FDA has approved and or considered.

Riam Fox

Local Food & Food Democracy

"Consumers, farmers, environmentalists, and other sane people don't want the Monsantos to use us as their guinea pigs, so they have already gotten more than 100 local governments to ban GMO crops within their area. This has infuriated the corporate powers, who have spent tons of money to defeat these local bans... but lost. So, for the last couple of years, they've been sneaking off to state legislatures to pass laws (often with no debate) that take away our local control over this health issue."
- Jim Hightower

http://www.environmentalcommons.org/local-food.html

The quote that i posted above is a farmer speaking out about the current laws that protect big company's GMO cross contamination of farmers crops. The largest part of this article is about farmers and people that support them are going to there local governments to make it so the farmers are not responsible for big companies cross contamination. The farmers are also protected from big companies trying to claim there crops because of contamination.

Riam Fox

The Business of Food

Helping Food Producers Make Healthful Products and Consumers Make Healthy Choices

Posted on: 08/05/2004

Environmental Defense staff met with managers of a Smithfield contract farm to tour a hog barn. Sanitation suits were worn to protect the hogs from the spread of disease.

With some 6.4 billion people sharing this Earth, speaking thousands of different languages in about 193 different countries, there is at least one thing we all have in common: We need healthful food and clean water to survive and thrive.

More than ever buyers and consumers around the globe are concerned about the health and quality of their food. As newspapers splash headlines about mad cow disease outbreaks and contaminated fish, questions about the quality of what we're eating increasingly arise. Is meat free of contaminants and dyes? What role did antibiotics play in this animal's life? Does the seafood contain mercury or PCBs? What kind of pesticides were used on the vegetables? Is the food my grocer stocks genetically modified and what does that mean for my family?

Issues like these are causing more people to pay attention to the origin of their food, and consumers are realizing more and more they have a breadth of choices when it comes to eating. Vegetables, seafood and meat are all produced in a variety of good and not-so-good ways, from the small farmers and ranchers who tend several acres of farmland or own a small herd of cattle to the agribusinesses and ranching conglomerates that control thousands of acres and animals. Environmental Defense is working with a range of food producers to ensure the food you and your family eat is good for both you and the environment.

Greening the Supply Chain

If you're not serving food straight out of your garden, it has probably traveled through several links before it reaches your dinner table. Take meat, for instance. This food chain starts with the livestock farmer, who raises the animal. It then goes to a meat processor, who slaughters and butchers it, and then to a supplier, who in turn finds it a buyer. The buyer could be as large a company as McDonald's or a niche buyer like a small grocery chain.

All along this supply chain, members of the food industry have a responsibility to address consumer concerns and respond to consumer demand for food choices that reduce the environmental footprint of food production while guaranteeing healthful products.

Source:
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentID=3893

This article begins with stressing the importance of healthy food and water supplies. It continues to speak about awareness that companies are beginning to take on these topics. It makes some great points on how the media effects the awareness of the public. the article ends with a short paragraph on how companies are addressing food concerns.

Riam Fox

Why commodity prices are rising?

Commodity prices are rising partly because of the ethanol plants that are build throughout the Midwest. Corn is the bus and it's driving the grain market. Because corn can be sold at a premium price, farmers that used to plant soy beans, black oil sunflower seed, millet or Milo are now planting corn. This year the planting intention for corn was 92 million aces which is much higher than any previous years. This year increase in corn acreage caused a shortage in black sunflower seed which is the prime ingredient used by Fritolay the largest snack manufactuer in the country. Fritolay used to pay $9.00 per 100 lb a year ago now they are paying $22.00 per 100 lb. In addition, as a result of the high corn based ethanol demand dog food, and catel feed are compiting with those plant for corn, which in turn creates an increase in price of dog food and beaf meat.
Michee mpeti