Friday, August 28, 2009
A worthwhile read
Time magazine’s Aug. 31 cover story, “Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food,” details the consequences of conventional agriculture on the environment, farmed animals, and human health. As it says:
“The U.S. agricultural industry can now produce unlimited quantities of meat and grains at remarkably cheap prices. But it does so at a high cost to the environment, animals and humans. Those hidden prices are the creeping erosion of our fertile farmland, cages for egg-laying chickens so packed that the birds can’t even raise their wings and the scary rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among farm animals. Add to the price tag the acceleration of global warming—our energy-intensive food system uses 19% of U.S. fossil fuels, more than any other sector of the economy.
“And perhaps worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous.”
Clearly an effective way to help mitigate these problems would be for Americans to eat fewer animal products, but the article barely mentions that. Still, it is heartening to see a mainstream magazine take a serious look at the issue. The article can be read online here.
By Julie Harris at 10:42 AM
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Raw Deal
Judging by the number of books on raw foods showing up in local stores recently, the trend has arrived in our area. And the timing is good: Summer is an ideal season to experiment with raw food. Fresh vegetables and fruits abound, plus it’s a treat to eat without using heat. So recently the Big M and I have been trying a lot of raw recipes.
I almost wrote “cookbooks on raw foods” in the first sentence of this post, until I realized that sounds like a contradiction in terms. But raw-food recipes, like all recipes, can range from the simple to the elaborate. We’ve been relying heavily on Jennifer Cornbleet’s Raw Food Made Simple for 1 or 2 People. It finds a happy medium, with attractive and tasty recipes that call for easy-to-find ingredients and common kitchen equipment, and don’t take too much time to prepare.
The fruit desserts are special treats. I’ve often thought it a shame to cook fresh fruit, even to make a pie out of it. Raw desserts sidestep that problem. Cornbleet’s tropical fruit tart is possibly the best thing I’ve ever put into my mouth. This one has a coconut crust, with pineapple filling, topped with raspberries and blueberries …
By Julie Harris at 05:32 PM
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